JP2022008645A - Contactless input system and method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a contactless input system, method and program with improved operability and switching reliability.

SOLUTION: The contactless input system includes display means (display element 310) which generates an image picture of an input element, transmissive image forming means (transmissive flat lens 320) which forms an image picture in a space remote from the display means by reflecting the image picture, infrared sensor means (infrared sensor 380) which detects a user's movement relative to the image picture formed in the space at a position inclined to the user's movement, and an information processing device having a contact determination unit that sends a control signal to the device when the infrared sensor means detects a user motion across the image picture.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

COPYRIGHT: (C)2022,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a non-contact input technique.

Contact-type switches are often used to start, stop, and enter passwords for electrical devices. However, in hygienic applications, food factories, high-voltage electrical work, field work, etc., it may be desirable to start / stop the device in a non-contact manner. Specifically, for example, it is necessary to prevent the introduction and removal of bacteria from the numbered ticket issuing device that many sick people touch, the entrance switch of the isolation ward, and the switch of the entrance / exit door of the operating room. In addition, in a system that secures security by entering a password, there is a problem of password theft by snooping from behind or from the side.

In the food industry, it is necessary to prevent bacteria from being brought into the food factory. Furthermore, in high voltage work, switches are operated non-contactly to prevent electric shock when the high voltage power supply is cut off. In some cases, it is also necessary to prevent the outflow of contaminants to the outside through switch operation in nuclear facilities.

A technique for enabling such non-contact input has been studied. For example, in Patent No. 5,856,357 (Patent Document 1), a switch image is formed in the air and transferred to the switch image. A non-contact input device for determining contact with a switch image is described using a grid formed near the image plane using a light emitting diode and an optical sensor to make contact with the switch image.

The non-contact input device described in Patent Document 1 detects contact with a switch image formed in the air by using a sensor ray, so that the device becomes large-scale and the contact is made in a two-dimensional plane of the sensor ray. In order to detect, for example, false detection that foreign matter, insects, etc. are judged to be the movement by the user is likely to occur, and since switching is judged in a two-dimensional plane, the on / off position becomes critical, and so on. There was a problem with reliability.

Japanese Patent No. 5,856,357

An object of the present invention is to provide a non-contact input technique with improved operability and switching reliability.

That is, according to the present invention.
A display means to generate an image of the input element and
A transmissive imaging means that forms an image of the image in a space away from the display means by reflecting the image, and a transmissive imaging means.
An infrared sensor means for detecting a user's motion relative to the image image formed in the space at a position inclined with respect to the user's motion.
A non-contact input system including a contact determination unit that sends a control signal to the device when the infrared sensor means detects a user movement across the image is provided.

Further, it includes an acoustic generation unit that generates an acoustic signal when it is determined that the user action has crossed the image image.

In another aspect of the invention,
Steps to generate an image of the input element and
A step of forming an image in a space away from the display means by reflecting the image, and a step of forming the image.
A step of detecting a user's motion relative to the image image formed in the space by an infrared sensor means at a position inclined with respect to the user's motion, and a step of detecting the user's motion.
A non-contact input method is provided that includes a step of sending a control signal to the device when the infrared sensor means detects a user action across the image.

Further, it includes a step of generating an acoustic signal when it is determined that the user action has crossed the image image.

The schematic diagram of the non-contact input system 100 of this embodiment. The figure which shows the hardware block 200 of the information processing apparatus 120 of this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration 300 of the spatial input device 110 of the present embodiment as viewed from the X direction in the Cartesian coordinate system shown in FIG. 1. The figure which shows the schematic structure 400 seen from the Z direction of a space input device 110. The figure which shows the embodiment 500 which determines the contact of the operator's finger 330 with the image plane 350 in this embodiment. The figure which shows the 2nd Embodiment 600 of a space input device 110. The figure which shows the relationship between the pixel 381 of the infrared sensor 380 in this embodiment (common in 1st and 2nd embodiments), and the image image 710 mapped to the pixel position. The figure which shows the functional block 600 of the information processing apparatus 120 of this embodiment. The figure which shows the flowchart of the process which the information processing apparatus 120 of this embodiment executes in 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows the flowchart of the process which the information processing apparatus 120 of this embodiment executes in 2nd Embodiment. The figure which shows the embodiment of the aerial image formation seen from the operator in 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows the embodiment of the aerial image formation looking up from a sensor. The figure which shows the embodiment of the image which displays the numeric keypad used in the 2nd Embodiment. The figure which shows the embodiment of the aerial image formation which displays the image image of the numeric keypad arrangement displayed in the 2nd Embodiment of this embodiment. Infrared sensor image. Image of prototype. The figure which showed the embodiment which can display the image in the air. The figure which shows the type of the typical touch sensor known so far.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described later. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the non-contact input system 100 of the present embodiment. The non-contact input system 100 of the present embodiment is controlled in response to an input from a space input device 110, an information processing device 120 that controls the space input device 110 and controls the device, and a space input device 110. It is configured to include the device 130.

The spatial input device 110 forms an image of an image generated by the information processing device 120 in a three-dimensional space, and detects the position of the operator's finger 140 by an infrared sensor (not shown). The detection signal of the infrared sensor is sent to the information processing apparatus 120. The information processing apparatus 120 compares the pixel position corresponding to the image plane in the three-dimensional space of the image with the position where the infrared image of the finger 140 is detected, and determines the input by the finger 140.

When it is determined that the input is made by the finger 140, the information processing apparatus 120 generates a control signal corresponding to the input attribute and controls the apparatus 130. Further, the information processing device 120 generates a signal for generating a sound for notifying the operator that an input by the finger 140 has been made, and the sound processing device 120 includes a sound device or a sound configured as an external device. The device is operated to make the operator recognize that the input is acoustically permitted.

The device 130 is not particularly limited in this embodiment, and may be a machine, an information processing device, a vehicle, a motor, or the like as long as it is an electronic device whose operation and state can be changed by a control signal. It is possible. Note that FIG. 1 shows Cartesian coordinates that define the three-dimensional space used in this embodiment. The Cartesian coordinates are used to explain the input control coordinate system by the spatial input device 110 and the information processing device 12.

FIG. 2 shows the hardware block 200 of the information processing apparatus 120 of the present embodiment. The information processing device 120 of the present embodiment can be implemented as a personal computer, a tablet computer, a smart phone, or the like.

The information processing device 120 includes a CPU 201, a RAM 202, a ROM 203, a display device 204, and a communication device 205 interconnected by a system bus 206. Further, the system bus 206 is connected to the I / O bus 207 via a bus bridge such as PCI or PCI Express.

Further, the I / O bus 207 is connected to an input device 208 such as a keyboard and a mouse, a storage device 209 such as an HDD, and an audio device 210 such as a PCM sound source via an appropriate protocol.

More specifically, the CPU used by the information processing apparatus 120 includes, for example, PENTIUM (registered trademark) to PENTIUM IV (registered trademark), Core i (registered trademark) series, XEON (registered trademark), and PENTIUM (registered trademark). ) Compatible CPU, POWER PC (registered trademark), MIPS, SNAPDRAGON and the like.

The operating system (OS) used is MacOS (trademark), iOS (registered trademark), Windows (registered trademark), CHROME (registered trademark), ANDROID (registered trademark), UNIX (registered trademark), AIX (registered trademark). ), LINUX® or any other suitable OS. Further, the information processing apparatus 10 is an application described in a programming language such as assembler language, Basic, Visual Basic, C, C ++, Visual C ++, Visual Basic, Java (registered trademark), Perl, Ruby, etc., which operates on the above-mentioned OS. -Store and execute the program.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration 300 of the first spatial input device 110 of the present embodiment as viewed from the X direction in the Cartesian coordinate system shown in FIG. Although the housing of the spatial input device 110 is not shown in FIG. 3 for convenience of explanation, each element shown in FIG. 3 can be housed in an appropriate housing. Further, it is also possible to provide a space in the structure of the building instead of the housing and to accommodate the space input device 110 in the space.

The spatial input device 110 can be configured to include a display element 310 (display means), a transmissive planar lens 320 (transmissive imaging means), and an infrared sensor 380 (sensor means). The display element 310 includes a liquid crystal display device, and displays an image image for guiding an input generated by the information processing device 120 on the display surface. FIG. 3 shows an image image 360 displayed on the display surface for the purpose of explanation.

Due to the optical relationship shown in FIG. 3, the transmissive flat lens 320 does not invert the image and transmit the image, so that the user recognizes an ordinary upright image, so that the inverted image is displayed on the display surface. The image image 360 is displayed as. In another embodiment, an infrared irradiation device and a matrix of infrared sensors that detect infrared rays at corresponding positions can be mounted as an auxiliary. In this embodiment, an infrared transmissive filter can also be used in combination for the purpose of preventing malfunction of the infrared sensor.

The image image 360 displayed by the display element 310 is incident on the transmissive planar lens 320 at an angle of approximately 45 °, further reflected by the transmissive planar lens 320 by 45 °, and imaged as an upright image 370 on the image plane 350. Will be done. The operator can perform spatial input by bringing the fingers 330 and 340 close to the upright image 370 displayed on the image plane.

<First Embodiment>
In the first embodiment, two infrared sensors 380 are arranged on both sides of the transmissive flat lens 320 in FIG. The infrared sensor 380 can monitor the entire surface of the image plane 350 and detects the approach of the finger 330 to the image plane 350. The detected signal is sent to the information processing apparatus 120 using an appropriate connection bus, and makes it possible to determine the spatial positional relationship between the image plane 350 and the fingers 330 and 340.

In the illustrated embodiment, the finger 330 indicates a position when the ON position is touched according to the user's operation, and the finger 340 indicates a position when the OFF position is touched. Here, the coordinate system is defined for the purpose of formulating the spatial detection of the present embodiment. The three-dimensional spatial coordinates (X, Y, Z) are defined by the arrangement shown in FIG. 3 with the center of the transmissive planar lens 320 as the origin for convenience. Further, although the finger 330 functions as an input element for spatial input in the present embodiment, it can be used as a pen or other input element.

In this embodiment, the infrared sensor 380 is calibrated based on the above definition. The calibration of the infrared sensor 380 is performed by a process of associating the three-dimensional spatial position of the image forming surface with the pixel position of the infrared sensor 380. Specifically, an image of the infrared plane heating element is acquired by the left and right infrared sensors 380 by using a jig for arranging the infrared surface heating element at a position and a range corresponding to the image plane.

Here, the pixel coordinates of one infrared sensor are (x _1i , y _1j ), and the pixel coordinates of the other infrared sensor are (x _2i , y _2j ). Further, assuming that the three-dimensional spatial position of the infrared plane heating element is (X, Y, Z), the pixel coordinates of the sensors on both sides and the coordinates of the infrared plane issuer are given by the following relationship.

Since the position of the infrared plane heating element in the three-dimensional space can be calculated, the values from a to l, which are the variables of the equation (1), are set to the known positions of the infrared plane issuer, for example, the four corners and the equal division points of the sides. By solving the 12-element simultaneous equation with a to l as variables, the correspondence between the three-dimensional position coordinates of the image plane and the pixel position of the infrared sensor 380 is determined.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic configuration 400 of the spatial input device 110 as viewed from the Z direction. When the operator brings the finger 330 closer to the image plane 350, the infrared sensor 380 detects the heat of the finger 330 on a pixel-by-pixel basis. In the case of an optical arrangement in which the infrared sensor 380 forms an image on the surface of the image plane as an inverted image, the infrared sensor 380 indicates that the upper region indicated by the line 390 has the finger lowered below the image plane. Is. On the other hand, the lower region indicates that the finger does not reach the image plane.

In the present embodiment, the contact of the finger 330 with the image plane is determined in association with the image information of the infrared sensor 380 calibrated as described with reference to FIG. The position of the image image can be determined by the equation (1) using the range of the image plane 350 and the position coordinates on the image plane optically calculated for the image image.

The pixel information detected by each infrared sensor 380 is sent to the information processing apparatus 120 via the line 410, and a contact determination is made. The pixel correspondence relationship obtained as a result of calibration is sent to the information processing apparatus 120 after calibration, and is stored as a look-up table in which the pixel position of the infrared sensor 380 and the position on the image plane are associated with each other, for example. Can be done.

FIG. 5 shows an embodiment 500 for determining the contact of the operator's finger 330 with the image plane 350 in the present embodiment. The infrared sensor 380 is configured to include a plurality of pixels, and in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the image plane 350 is associated with the position indicated by the region 510. The region 510 becomes a narrower region or line when the infrared sensor 380 is arranged directly beside the image plane 350. The region 520 is a region indicating that the operator's finger 330 has reached the lower side of the image plane, and the region 560 is a region indicating that the operator's finger 330 has not reached the image plane.

On the other hand, the area 530 is the area at the ON position, and the area 540 indicates the area at the OFF position. In the present embodiment, the input is determined by using the detection of the finger image in the region near the region 510 showing the image plane 350 among these regions. In the present embodiment, a combination of the distance from the region 510, the area of the finger image in the region 520 or the number of pixels where the finger is detected, the distance from the region 510, and the area or the number of pixels of the finger image is used as a criterion for input determination. can do.

According to the embodiment of FIG. 5, it is flexible and flexible by using, for example, that the operator's finger 330 approaches the set threshold distance from the image plane, and that the operator's finger 330 is detected in the region of the region 550. It is possible to make a highly reliable input judgment.

FIG. 6 shows a second embodiment 600 of the spatial input device 110. In the second embodiment shown in FIG. 6, only one infrared sensor 380 is arranged, and one infrared sensor 3801 estimates the position of the finger 330 on the image plane 350, and the pixel of the infrared sensor 380. It is determined that the image image associated with the position is touched.

In the second embodiment, the above equation (1) is modified as the following equation (2) corresponding to the embodiment in which measurement is performed with only one infrared sensor.

In the above equation (2), (x _i , y _j ) is a pixel position on the infrared sensor, coefficients a to f are elements of a position transformation matrix, and (X, Y, Z _K ) is a concatenation. It is a three-dimensional spatial position on the image plane 350, where _ZZ is the distance from the transmissive planar lens.

Here, for example, the coefficients a to f can be determined by arranging the infrared plane emitters on the image plane and solving the simultaneous equations using six points of the infrared plane emitters. The coefficients a to f are not the same as the above formula (1), but have values newly determined according to the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the specific pixel on the infrared sensor 380 includes a plurality of different spatial positions of Z other than Z = _ZK , and the three-dimensional spatial position and the position on the infrared sensor 380 are It cannot be unequivocally determined.

On the other hand, when the position of Z is different, the size of the finger 330 recognized by the infrared sensor 380 is different. In the second embodiment, in order to associate the Z position with the image plane 350, the finger 330 uses the shape, specifically the size, and the curvature of the fingertip recognized by the infrared sensor 380 to form the image plane. Regulate the image as being in contact with 350. The image excluded by the regulation is processed as a noise image after the regulation and is not considered in the subsequent processing. The function of the limiting means of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 7 for determining that the finger 330 has come into contact with the image plane 350.

FIG. 7 shows the relationship between the pixel 381 of the infrared sensor 380 in the second embodiment of the present embodiment and the image image 710 mapped to the pixel position. In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, an image image is mapped in advance to the pixels of the infrared sensor 380, and the correspondence between them is appropriately stored in the information processing apparatus 110 as a form of a look-up table. It can be stored in the area. In the image image 710, the position of the image image 710 displayed by the display device 204 can be assigned in advance from the position on the display device 204 and the optical relationship between the infrared sensor 380 and the image plane. The plurality of image images 710 are shown as an embodiment of the numeric keypad in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7.

The infrared sensor 380 recognizes the image of the finger 330 close to the image plane 350 regardless of the mapping of the image image 710. The size of the image of the finger 330 recognized by the infrared sensor 380 is shown by white circles 382, 383, and 384 in FIG. 7. The white circle 383 is roughly the size of the finger 330 detected when the finger 330 is present at the position of the image image displayed on the image plane 350 on the image plane 350.

Further, the white circle 382 is a form in which the pixel 381 corresponding to the image showing the number “4” at a position farther than the image plane 350 detects the finger 330, and the white circle 384 is larger than the image plane 350. This is a form in which the pixel 381 corresponding to the image showing the number “6” at a close position detects the finger 330.

In the second embodiment, of the detected images of the finger 330, a region having a size corresponding to the fingertip is determined, and the lower limit and the upper limit are set with respect to the number of pixels where the fingertip is detected, the curvature of the image corresponding to the fingertip, and the like. A threshold is set, and when the finger 330 is detected as the area or curvature between the thresholds, it is determined that the image image at the pixel position recognized as the fingertip and having the tip of the image is selected. Note that FIG. 7 shows the difference in the conceptual size of the finger 330 and the curvature of the fingertip detected by the infrared sensor 380 for reference purposes.

FIG. 8 shows the functional block 600 of the information processing apparatus 120 of the present embodiment. The functional block of FIG. 8 is a functional means realized on the information processing apparatus 120 by controlling the hardware of the information processing apparatus 120 by the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 2 executing a program.

The information processing apparatus 120 includes a sensor I / F801, a sensor image acquisition unit 802, and a finger position calculation unit 804. The sensor I / F801 receives the image information from the infrared sensor 380 and passes it to the sensor image acquisition unit 802. The sensor image acquisition unit 802 manages a graphic RAM or the like, and stores the received image data until the processing is completed. The finger position calculation unit 804 analyzes the received image data, and the image data pair (x _1i , x _2i , y _1j , y _2j ) acquired by two infrared sensors, or the image data acquired by one infrared sensor (x 1i, x 2i, y 1j, y 2j). x _i , y _j ) is specified.

Further, the information processing apparatus 120 can be configured to include a finger position comparison unit 803, a contact determination unit 805, a control signal generation unit 807, and a sound generation unit 806. The finger position comparison unit 803 looks at whether the image data pair (x _1i , x _2i , y _1j , y _2j ) determined by the finger position calculation unit 804 is at a position corresponding to the image image of the image plane 350. Compared with the up table, the judgment result on the area is passed to the contact judgment unit 805.

The contact determination unit 805 has a function of limiting means in the present embodiment, receives the determination result of the finger position comparison unit 803, and the user's finger 330 comes into contact with the image of the image plane, and the relationship shown in FIG. It is determined whether or not the above is satisfied, and when it is determined that the relationship of FIG. 5 or the relationship of FIG. 7 is satisfied, it is determined that the input operation by the operator has been performed. When the contact determination unit 805 determines that the input operation has been performed, the contact determination unit 805 sends the area information to the control signal generation unit 807. At the same time, the contact determination unit 805 sends a determination that the input operation has been performed to the sound generation unit 806.

The control signal generation unit 807 generates a control signal corresponding to the image image existing in the region determined to be in contact by the contact determination unit 805, and passes it to the output I / F 808. The output I / F 808 sends a control signal to the device 130 via an appropriate bus to enable control of the device 130. Further, when the sound generation unit 806 receives the notification of the detection of the input operation by the contact determination unit 805, the sound generation unit 806 drives the PCM sound source to generate a beep sound or other acoustic signals to notify the operator that the input is successful. ing.

FIG. 9 shows a flowchart of the non-contact input method executed by the information processing apparatus 120 in the first embodiment of the present embodiment. The process is started from step S900, an image image is displayed from the display device in step S901, and the position of the image detected in step S901 is acquired by the infrared sensor 380.

In step S903, the position of the image, the image plane, and the position of the image image are compared, and it is determined whether or not the image detected in step S905 corresponds to the pixel position of the image image displaying the ON position. When it is determined that an image corresponding to a finger is detected in the ON position (yes), a signal for turning on the device is generated in step S906, sent to the device, turned on, the process is returned to step S902, and further. Wait for input by the operator.

If it is determined in step S905 that the ON position is not arranged in the spatial position of the displayed image (no), does the image position correspond to the pixel position of the image image displaying the OFF position in step S907? Judge whether or not. When it is determined that the position is OFF (yes), a signal for turning off the device is generated in step S908, sent to the device, the device is turned off, the process is returned to step S902, and the input by the operator is waited for.

FIG. 10 shows a flowchart of the non-contact input method executed by the information processing apparatus 120 in the second embodiment. The process starts from step S900, the image image is displayed from the display device in step S901, and the position of the image (operator's finger) is acquired by the infrared sensor 380 in step S901. In step S903, the position coordinates of the detected image are compared with the pixel positions assigned as the positions of the image images in advance, and in step S1004, the area or curvature of the shape of the detected image is the lower limit threshold and the upper limit threshold. Determine if there is an image in between. In addition, in this embodiment, any scale / standard can be used as long as it has the same effect other than the area and curvature of the shape.

At the position corresponding to the image image, the area or curvature between the lower limit threshold and the upper limit threshold limits the image, and when an image determined to be finger 330 is detected (yes), the spatial position of the image image determined in step S1005. It is judged that the finger is placed on. Then, in step S1006, a signal corresponding to the corresponding image is sent to the device to control the device, the process is returned to step S1002, and the position acquisition of the image is repeated again.

On the other hand, when the finger 330 is not detected (no) in the area or curvature between the lower limit threshold value and the upper limit threshold value at the position corresponding to the image image, the detected image is the image image selection operation to be determined. That is, it is determined that the image is a noise image, the process is returned to step S1002, and the position acquisition of the image is repeated again.

As described above, according to the present invention, since the operator's input is determined by using the infrared sensor 380 paired on the left and right using the position with respect to the image plane and the image image, for example, a foreign object, an insect, or the like is used by the user. It is possible to provide a non-contact input technology that improves operability and reliability, such as false detection that is judged to be an operation due to the above, and the on / off position becomes critical. Furthermore, since the spatial input technology of the present invention can form a spatial image formation with extremely high directivity, it is possible to provide a new input method that prevents security deterioration due to eavesdropping during numeric keypad input. Become.

Further, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified to the extent conceivable to those skilled in the art, such as other embodiments, additions, changes, and deletions, and in any embodiment. Is also included in the scope of the present invention as long as the action and effect of the present invention are exhibited.

100: Non-contact input system 110: Spatial input device 120: Information processing device 130: Device 140: Finger 200: Hardware block 201: CPU
202: RAM
203: ROM
204: Display device 205: Communication device 206: System bus 207: I / O bus 208: Input device 209: Storage device 210: Acoustic device 300: Schematic configuration 310: Display element 320: Transmissive flat lens 330: Finger 340: Finger 350: Image plane 360: Image image 370: Upright image 380: Infrared sensor

<Comments from the patent applicant>
Active non-contact switches are used in the following applications.
Sanitary applications, food factories, high voltage electrical switches, field work.
Hygienic applications are ideal for switches in isolation wards and operating room doors, and can also be used to operate treatment equipment. You can prevent the transmission of infectious diseases and reduce the labor and cost of disinfection. HACCP certified food factories can prevent bacteria from being brought into the kitchen. As a high-voltage electricity switch, you can prevent electric shock when the high-voltage power supply is cut off. In field work, you can reliably operate the switch even with dirty hands. It can also be applied to switches used by an unspecified number of people. Examples are bus disembarkation switches and elevator switches.

By applying this technology to mobile phones, it is possible to secure some forward visibility, it is safe to operate the smartphone while walking, and the burden on the neck is reduced.

The conventional switch, which is a conventional technique, will be described below schematically. Its advantages and disadvantages are as follows.
Advantages ・ Because it is a mature technology, there is technical and engineering certainty.
·Cheap price.
Disadvantages-There is a risk of infection or electric shock if the operator touches the switch. In this way, the lives of workers and consumers are at risk.
-With passive non-contact switches such as laser curtains, there is a danger that animals, insects, etc. will operate even if they cross the detection space.

If the position sensor is placed on the opposite side of the operator, the infrared sensor will overlap the upper body of the switch operator's head and the infrared image of the hand, and cannot be recognized separately. The switch cannot be operated.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a device for shutting off without contacting a switch.

That is, the present invention, the air interdiction switch, the air interdiction switch, and Skyswitch, display the switch screen on the aerial imaging screen by a special aerial reflection projection mirror panel and a mirage mirror, and perform an air interdiction operation by a sensor. It is a device that recognizes the operation of a finger and actually cuts off the electric circuit. It is an object of the present invention to provide a non-contact input device and a method capable of detecting a specific position of a spatial image by pointing with a pointing means such as a finger, a pointing stick, or a touch pen and inputting a signal without physical contact. And.

A special mirror panel, the Mirage Mirror, captures and reflects images from a display or a sufficiently bright object at an incident angle of 45 degrees, and images the image on the opposite side at an exit angle of 45 degrees in the air. The image can be displayed in the air like the display shown in FIG. In the structure, a large number of first and second micro-reflecting surfaces that intersect in a plan view are arranged vertically on the same plane, and the first reflected light from each first micro-reflecting surface corresponds to each other. It is received by the second micro-reflecting surface and used as the second reflected light to form an image of light. The part with a temperature that is significantly different from the temperature of the hand can be deleted by judging by the clutter of the background (background) and the original software to reduce false detection.

Infrared detection sensors are installed to the left, right, or left and right of the aerial reflection projection mirror to identify the coordinates on the screen that are imaged at an optically exact spatial position. When the sensor looks directly into the image formation screen from diagonally below without passing through the aerial reflection projection mirror from the back side when the image formation screen is viewed from the operator, the spatial coordinates where the finger first touches the image formation screen is the origin, and the fingertip is in the z direction. It senses the movement of the button, recognizes it by the action of pressing the button and the software, and shuts off the electricity. This design is because lasers and millimeter waves can measure distances, but infrared sensors are not very good at it. The conventional use of infrared rays is a scanning method, but the present application is an infrared image method. In this application, we have developed a unique software that can strictly determine the position of the image to be used and can also measure the variation of the distance in the z direction by measuring diagonally. This is because the position of the image plane in space of the special mirror panel and Mirage Mirror is extremely precise without any error.

Since it is visually recognized from diagonally below the sensor, the coordinates are not square but tilted toward the vanishing point in perspective, but this is corrected by the original software of the present application. With such an arrangement, unlike the case where the position sensor is arranged on the opposite side of the operator, the infrared image of the hand and the upper body such as the head of the switch operator overlap, and the infrared sensor recognizes them separately. There are almost no problems that cannot be done. Placing sensors on the left and right will further increase accuracy. FIG. 13 shows the types of typical touch sensors known so far, but the format of the present application does not exist.

When a finger touches the image plane, the image of the contact portion becomes dark, so that the human can feel the contact even in the air. It takes some getting used to. Since humans have excellent spatial recognition ability, if they are proficient only in switch operation, even if the spatial imaging is out of order, it can be blocked only by the detection function of the sensor.

For outdoor use, which is mainly bright and hot, a hood is attached around the image, but a secondary auxiliary measurement sensor can also be attached inside the hood.

In the case of the reference image, the image formation position of the aerial reflection projection mirror is 45 ° with respect to the aerial reflection projection mirror, but the image is formed in extremely high-precision spatial coordinates. Virtual XY coordinates are set on this imaging screen. The detection wavelength of the infrared sensor is 8 to 14 micrometers, and it is possible to clearly analyze infrared rays mainly emitted by a living human body as in a reference image. When sensors are placed on the left and right, the detection noise is further reduced. In Patent No. 5,856,357, the aerial reflection projection mirror is transmitted and detected by the sensor, but it is necessary to pay close attention to the sensor because any transmitted object between the detected object and the detected object interferes with the detection. Will. A protective cover is required for the actual operation of the sensor, but the lens and cover of the infrared sensor can also be used.

In distance measurement using a laser sensor, three-dimensional measurement was performed, so the operation of the fingertip could be confirmed more accurately, and the position facing the operator at an angle that the laser beam did not enter the operator's eyes. It is also installed in the area to block light from entering the eyes.

The number of dots of the infrared sensor in the current prototype is 2256 pixels of 48 × 47, and since the coordinate plane is set with a value close to this scale, there is sufficient resolution as shown in the attached image. It is possible to increase the resolution by mounting infrared sensors in close proximity, and we are also considering a cross-shaped arrangement of four. You can operate the keys on the keyboard even more reliably.

In the Skywitch (trademark registration application) of the present application type, the surface plate of the device can be manufactured almost smoothly, so that disinfection and cleaning can be performed extremely easily. In the medical field, many disposable silicon covers cover the input device, but by eliminating these, medical waste can be reduced.

In Skyswitch, the applicant of the present application, infrared rays, lasers, and videos are used alone or in combination as sensors. Currently, Microsoft's Kinect is a well-known video sensor, but since it is originally a TV game sensor, the maximum detection distance is large, but in close proximity it requires 150 mm or more from the object, so it is assumed in this application. It cannot be used with the input / output device. Also, if the input speed is not fast, it will not be detected. Since it is a foreign product, it is not easy, but in the future, a dedicated product that matches the speed of manual input using a macro lens etc. will be released.

Any matrix space where only the parties concerned know the coordinate position can be changed at will, and if you touch the dark cloud in anticipation of chance, an alarm will be issued, and by pushing the space correctly, the Mirage Mirror will be activated and the switch screen will be displayed. If the image is formed, the entrance to the room can be restricted very strictly. Although most of them are cats when the electric vehicle is cordlessly powered, the non-contact input system of the present embodiment can detect that an animal has entered the power transmission space and stop the power transmission to prevent an accident. If you enter the danger identification zone for power transmission, it is possible to block the entry with sound, lighting, etc. This power supply cutoff device can avoid not only the life of animals but also fires and explosions due to short circuits.

Aerial reflection function For apps like Pokemon Go, if you attach a camera element to the tip of the frame in the direction of travel of the Mirage Mirror, you can see the front considerably, so you can enjoy various apps safely. The image from the front camera is sent from the frame of the Mirage Mirror to the display device, reflected by the Mirage Mirror, and imaged in the air in an optical path like a single-lens reflex camera. A sky switch is linked to this, and it can be used like a head-up display. Unlike the HUD, no reflective surface is required. By increasing the brightness of only Pokemon and information stencils, the power consumption of the display can be reduced. It is expected to be used in Pokemon Go and GPS map applications.

Normally, the temperature sensor used in the present application is a part in which the data readout circuit sequentially switches pixels according to an external input clock to read out the voltage of each pixel, but in the present application, the imaging screen is changed by digital mapping. Only can be read. This speeds up reading, increases accuracy, and saves power consumption.

Medical personnel are hoping that the invention of the present application will be utilized in the world, considering the regret of doctors who have lost their lives due to infection in the treatment of infectious diseases.

Claims (4)

A display means to generate an image of the input element and
A transmissive imaging means that forms an image of the image in a space away from the display means by reflecting the image, and a transmissive imaging means.
An infrared sensor means for detecting a user's motion relative to the image image formed in the space at a position inclined with respect to the user's motion.
A non-contact input system including a contact determination unit that sends a control signal to a device when the infrared sensor means detects a user action across the image. Further, a non-contact input system including an acoustic generation unit that generates an acoustic signal when it is determined that the user action has crossed the image image. Steps to generate an image of the input element and
A step of forming an image in a space away from the display means by reflecting the image, and a step of forming the image.
A step of detecting a user's motion relative to the image image formed in the space by an infrared sensor means at a position inclined with respect to the user's motion, and a step of detecting the user's motion.
A non-contact input method comprising the step of sending a control signal to a device when the infrared sensor means detects a user action across the image. Further, a non-contact input method including a step of generating an acoustic signal when it is determined that the user action has crossed the image image.

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