JP2023049060A - Overhead camera - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an overhead camera configured so that predetermined operation on a screen of an image display device, such as an electronic blackboard, can be remotely operated from the overhead camera, thereby improving convenience.SOLUTION: An overhead camera 10 includes: two-way communication means which establishes a two-way communication line with an electronic blackboard 50 to perform two-way communication; and mirroring means which shares signals transmitted on the two-way communication line with the electronic blackboard, and pairs the overhead camera with the electronic blackboard so that operation based on the signals may be simultaneously executed with the electronic blackboard. In establishing the two-way communication line wirelessly, when a request signal R is output to request establishing the two-way communication line from the overhead camera, the request signal R includes an instruction for displaying a marker which is a two-dimensional code converted from information on a response signal A received from the electronic blackboard, in a drawing area 53. Accordingly, the two-way communication line can be easily established even when the overhead camera is not equipped with visual recognition means for a monitor screen.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

The present invention relates to a document camera.

A document camera is a camera that has an arm erected on a base that is placed on a desk, and is configured to support a camera at the tip of the arm. It is configured to capture an image of a subject from a bird's-eye view. An output terminal provided on the base of the camera is configured to output an image signal formed by encoding a picked-up image. The image signal is output directly or via a network to an image display device such as an electronic blackboard, and an image formed by decoding the image signal is displayed on the display of the image display device.
In this manner, the document camera is used with a separate image display device.
The applicant has a patent right, such as Japanese Patent No. 6754816, for a document camera, and manufactures and sells the document camera.

Here, an electronic blackboard is known as an example of the image display device.
An electronic blackboard is an image display device equipped with a liquid crystal monitor that electronically converts and displays characters and diagrams drawn with a finger or a stylus pen on the display surface. It is configured to be able to display moving images or still images captured from external devices connected to the electronic blackboard, such as personal computer terminals, digital cameras, document cameras, and USB memory devices.
Then, the screen of the personal computer terminal device displaying some materials and photographs can be displayed as it is on the electronic blackboard, and furthermore, any photograph can be specified, and the photograph can be enlarged or reduced and displayed. In addition, it is possible to record and save the blackboard writing on the electronic blackboard as image data, save the data in a personal computer terminal device or a USB memory device, and record and save the blackboard writing as moving images instead of still image data. Therefore, it is possible to easily create a record of a lesson or minutes of a meeting.
For example, the electronic blackboard disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2018-67018 is connected to the above-described external device, particularly a personal computer terminal device, using a wireless communication line, and a personal computer terminal device displayed on the display on the electronic blackboard side. By performing an operation such as clicking on the screen, the personal computer terminal side is remotely operated. As a result, the screen of the personal computer terminal located at a distance longer than the wired cable is displayed, and the connection between one terminal and another terminal can be switched without replacing the wired cable.

Patent No. 6754816 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-67018

For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the document camera and the electronic blackboard described above are used in an educational setting. Doing is being done. In such a case, it is difficult for the students and pupils who are listening to the lecture to concentrate because it is not busy to go back and forth on the podium to change the image displayed on the electronic blackboard by projecting the hand near the document camera. There is a problem.
Also, as shown in FIG. 5, when the teacher is giving an explanation with the electronic blackboard behind him/her, in order to switch the screen of the electronic blackboard, the teacher turns to face the electronic blackboard on which the operation icons are displayed, and holds the remote control device in hand. When you turn back to the electronic blackboard, there is a risk that you will neglect the hand that is being projected by the document camera.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a document camera in which a predetermined operation on the screen of an image display device such as an electronic blackboard can be remotely operated from the document camera to improve convenience. be.

A document camera according to claim 1, comprising: a camera that captures a predetermined subject and forms a predetermined image;
an operation unit for operating a predetermined operation of the camera;
a control unit that controls the operation of the camera according to an operation from the operation unit;
and an input/output terminal to which a predetermined image display device having a display capable of displaying the image can be connected,
A document camera that outputs an image signal formed by encoding the image obtained by imaging the subject to the image display device through the input/output terminal,
to the control unit,
a two-way communication means for establishing a two-way communication line with the image display device and communicating two-way with the image display device on the two-way communication line;
mirroring means for sharing a signal transmitted on the two-way communication line with the image display device, and pairing the image display device with the image display device so that an operation based on the signal is performed simultaneously with the image display device; provided,
For the image display device connected via the input/output terminal,
outputting a request signal requesting to open the two-way communication line;
when a response signal for opening the two-way communication is acquired from the image display device in response to the request signal;
The two-way communication means establishes the two-way communication line with the image display device, and the mirroring means pairs the image display device,
sharing an operation signal associated with an input operation performed on the operation unit with the image display device through the two-way communication line;
The input operation based on the operation signal is executed simultaneously with the image display device,
It is characterized in that the image display device is remotely operated from the operation section.

A document camera according to claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention according to claim 1, the two-way communication line is wired.

3. The document camera according to claim 1, wherein the request signal output from the input/output terminal includes a command to display a predetermined marker related to the response signal on the display unit. ,
When the image display device displays the marker on the display unit based on the request signal,
imaging the marker with the camera to form a marker image;
the controller encoding the marker image to form the response signal;
The wireless two-way communication line is established based on the response signal.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a document camera according to the third aspect, wherein the marker is a two-dimensional code.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a document camera according to the first aspect of the invention, which is configured to be able to display operation icons related to the operation unit by superimposing them on the image captured by the camera, and further comprising a touch panel. Set up a sub-monitor,
a screen operation signal for operating the display screen of the display unit of the image display device is shared by the mirroring means;
an operation on the operation icon or the touch panel is assigned to each input operation related to the screen operation signal,
The display screen of the display unit is remotely operated by the input operation via the operation icon or the touch panel.

In the document camera according to claim 6, in the invention according to claim 1, a screen operation signal for operating the display screen of the display unit on the image display device side is shared by the mirroring means,
an operation button, a cross key, or a plurality of operation switches similar to these provided in the operation unit are assigned to each input operation related to the screen operation signal,
The display screen of the display unit is remotely operated by the input operation through the operation switches.

A document camera according to claim 7 is characterized in that, in the invention according to claim 1, the image display device is an electronic blackboard.

The document camera according to claim 8 is the document camera according to any one of claims 5 to 7, when the image is displayed in at least a partial area of the display unit,
The electronic blackboard is characterized in that switch means for switching on the remote operation from the operation icons or the operation switches is provided.

According to the document camera of the present invention, the two-way communication means establishes a two-way communication line between the document camera and the image display device, and performs two-way communication with the image display device on the two-way communication line. and mirroring means for pairing with the image display device so that the signal transmitted on the two-way communication line is shared with the image display device and an operation based on the signal is executed simultaneously with the image display device. . Then, when the document camera side issues a request signal requesting the opening of the two-way communication line, and the document camera acquires a response signal issued from the image display device side in response to this, the document camera and the image display are performed. The document camera and the image display device are paired by establishing a two-way communication line between the devices.
As a result, an operation signal associated with an input operation performed on the operation unit of the document camera is shared with the image display device, and an input operation based on the operation signal is simultaneously executed on the document camera and the image display device, thereby enabling The image display device can be configured to be remotely operated from the operation unit, and the convenience of the document camera can be improved.
Preferably, the document camera and the image display device are connected by wire to establish a two-way communication line. As a result, the document camera and the image display device can be directly connected, and the convenience of the document camera can be improved by configuring the image display device to be remotely operated from the operation unit on the document camera side.
More preferably, the request signal from the document camera includes an instruction to display a predetermined marker associated with the response signal on the display section of the image display device. Then, when the image display device displays the marker on the display unit based on the request signal, the marker is imaged by the camera to form a marker image. When the marker image is encoded by the controller, the document camera can acquire a response signal based on the marker image. As a result, a wireless two-way communication line is established between the document camera and the image display device, and the document camera and the image display device can be synchronized and mirrored. Therefore, the convenience of the document camera can be improved by configuring the image display device to be remotely operated from the operation unit on the document camera side. Note that the marker is preferably a two-dimensional code that can be easily read with a camera.

Furthermore, if the document camera has a sub-monitor that can display an image captured by the camera and an operation icon related to the operation unit superimposed, the operation icon can be displayed on the display unit of the image display device. Assigned to each input operation related to the screen operation signal. As a result, the operation icon of the document camera can be used to remotely operate the image display device, thereby improving the convenience of the document camera.
On the other hand, if the document camera does not have the above-mentioned sub-monitor, the operation buttons, the cross key, or a plurality of operation switches similar to these provided in the operation unit can be used as screen operation signals for the display unit of the image display device. It was assigned to each input operation concerned. As a result, the operation switches of the document camera can be used to remotely control the image display device, thereby improving the convenience of the document camera.

Then, when the image display device is preferably an electronic blackboard, and the display unit of the electronic blackboard is configured to be able to display a plurality of images in parallel, at least a partial area of the divided screen is provided with a document camera The electronic blackboard is provided with switch means for switching on the remote operation from the operation icons or the operation switches when the captured image input from the electronic blackboard is displayed. As a result, for example, when the document camera is at hand, the image display device can be remotely operated using the operation switches of the document camera, for example, by operating the electronic blackboard to switch images, etc. The convenience of the document camera can be improved.

1 is an explanatory diagram showing the outline of the configuration of a document camera according to a first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an outline of a configuration related to control of the document camera according to the first embodiment; FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the outline of the configuration of an electronic blackboard to which a document camera according to the first embodiment is connected; FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a scene in which the document camera and the electronic blackboard according to the first embodiment are connected by a wired communication line; FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a usage example of the document camera according to the first embodiment; FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the outline of the configuration of the document camera according to the second embodiment; FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing an outline of a configuration related to control of the document camera according to the second embodiment; FIG. 12 is a partially enlarged view showing an enlarged drawing area of the electronic blackboard to which the document camera according to the second embodiment is connected; FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a scene in which the document camera according to the second embodiment is connected to the electronic blackboard; FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a scene in which the document camera and the electronic blackboard according to the second embodiment are connected via a wireless communication line;

An embodiment of a document camera according to the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing the outline of the configuration of the document camera according to this embodiment, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the outline of the configuration related to control of the document camera according to this embodiment, and FIG. 3 is related to this embodiment. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of a configuration of an electronic blackboard exemplified as an image display device to which a document camera is connected; FIG.

A document camera 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. there is

The camera head 11 has a substantially prismatic camera housing 11a. An image pickup lens (not shown) is provided at a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the camera housing 11a, and an image pickup device conforming to a predetermined standard is accommodated in the camera housing 11a. A camera is composed of an imaging lens and an imaging element.
A photographed image photographed by the camera is electronically converted by an image sensor to form an image base signal before being subjected to a predetermined encoding process such as encoding. The image base signal is transmitted to a control unit, which will be described later, encoded into an image signal complying with a predetermined communication standard, and configured to be output to an image display device.

The arm 12 is composed of a first arm, a second arm, a third arm and a fourth arm.
The first arm is composed of a pair of struts 12a, a bottom cover 12b, and a first base portion 12c connecting the base ends of both struts 12a. The first base portion 12c is assembled to the base 13 by a vertical shaft that pivotally supports the first arm so as to be rotatable within a predetermined range in the pan direction. is rotatably supported by As a result, the first arm can be freely rotated within a predetermined range in the pan/tilt direction from the reference position when the first arm is folded onto the base 13 .
The second arm is composed of a pair of struts 12d and a second base portion 12e connecting the base ends of both struts 12d. The second arm is rotatably supported with the second base portion 12e sandwiched between the distal ends of both struts 12a of the first arm. Thereby, the second arm is configured to be rotatable within a predetermined range in the tilt direction.
The third arm is rotatably supported with its proximal end 12f sandwiched by the distal end of the support 12d of the second arm. Thereby, the third arm is configured to be rotatable within a predetermined range in the tilt direction.
The base end 12h of the fourth arm is cut into an L-shape when viewed in vertical cross section, and the distal end 12g of the third arm, which is similarly cut into an L-shape in vertical cross section, is cut away from each other. It is pivotally supported so that the notched surfaces are aligned. Thereby, the fourth arm is configured to be rotatable within a predetermined range in the pan direction with respect to the third arm. A camera housing base end portion 11b of the camera head 11 is pivotally supported on the distal end portion 12i of the fourth arm. Thereby, the camera head 11 is configured to be rotatable in the pan direction with respect to the fourth arm.
As described above, by connecting the first arm to the fourth arm so as to be rotatable about the shaft, the camera head 11 can be directed in any direction, and the camera head 11 and the arm 12 can be connected. It can be folded and stored compactly.

The base 13 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped flat base main body 13a, and has a tiltable monitor screen 13b on its upper surface. At the front end of the upper surface is provided an operation section 13c having various operation switches such as a power switch, a zooming switch for adjusting the focal length of the imaging lens, and an autofocus switch for adjusting the focus of the imaging lens. A power supply terminal and an input/output terminal 13d connectable to an image display device such as an electronic blackboard, which will be described later, are provided on the front surface of the base body 13a.

The surface of the monitor screen 13b is composed of a touch panel. On the monitor screen 13b, the same operation icons as those on the operation unit 13c, which can be input and operated, in particular, operation icons indicating a zooming switch, an autofocus switch, a shutter switch, and the like are displayed. Accordingly, a predetermined input operation relating to the document camera 10 may be performed by operating the operation icon via the touch panel instead of operating the operation unit 13c. Since the touch panel has a well-known configuration, detailed description thereof will be omitted.
The predetermined input operation is a drawing input operation with a finger or a stylus pen, for example, a gesture operation using a finger touching a touch panel, a touch operation touching an icon displayed on a UI image, or a plurality of these operations. The input operation method is set. The gesture operation includes, for example, a tap operation of tapping the touch panel, a long press operation of touching the touch panel with a fingertip for a long time, a drag operation of moving the icon or the captured image by dragging the finger touching the icon or the captured image, etc. It is a pinch-in/pinch-out operation or the like in which two points on the touch panel are touched to bring the distance between the two points closer or farther apart. Since these gesture operation methods are well known, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

A monitor screen storage portion 13e is formed on the upper surface of the base body 13a so that the fallen monitor screen 13b can be stored in the concave portion. When the monitor screen 13b is stored in the monitor screen storage portion 13e, the monitor screen 13b is assembled to the base body 13a so as to be substantially flush with the upper surface of the base body 13a. A shaft is provided at the front end of the monitor screen housing portion 13e, and the shaft supports the front end portion of the monitor screen 13b. As a result, the monitor screen 13b can be raised and lowered in the tilt direction about the axis.

A substrate is housed inside the base body 13a. On the board, as shown in the block diagram of FIG. 2, a control unit 20 is configured to control each processing operation such as image processing related to an image captured by the camera and other operations of the document camera. A circuit is formed.

As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 20 has control means for performing processing for comprehensively controlling each operation of the document camera 10 . Among the control means, the control unit 20 performs processing related to control of a two-way communication line with respect to connecting the document camera 10 to an external image display device and controlling communication with the image display device. Signals transmitted within the two-way communication means and the document camera 10 and signals transmitted within the connected image display device are shared, and the monitor screen 13b and the display unit of the image display device are paired and based on the signals. It has mirroring means that perform the actions simultaneously.

The two-way communication means and the mirroring means, as shown in FIG. It is configured to be executed by the communication control unit 22 that controls signals transmitted on the line.
The detection unit 21 is configured to detect an external device connected to the input/output terminal 13d via a communication cable 30 complying with a predetermined communication standard. The detection unit 21 is configured to, when detecting a connected external device, output a request signal R requesting the external device to establish a two-way communication line with the document camera 10 . ing.
The external device that has acquired the request signal R is configured to output a response signal A permitting the opening of a two-way communication line to the document camera 10 that has output the request signal R, if possible. It is
When the detection unit 21 detects the response signal A, the image registered in advance by the external device in the storage unit 23 attached to the control unit 20 based on the data identifying the external device included in the response signal A. It is configured to determine and authenticate whether or not the display device is, for example, an electronic blackboard 50 described later, and then perform pairing processing between the document camera 10 and the image display device.
The pairing process refers to a process of pairing the document camera 10 and the image display device, for example, the electronic whiteboard 50 according to the present embodiment, and permitting communication and operation with each other. In this manner, communication between the document camera 10 and the image display device is performed through the communication of the request signal R requesting the opening of the two-way communication line and the response signal A permitting the opening of the two-way communication line. , the communication control unit 22 is configured to perform processing for establishing a two-way communication line.
Thereby, a two-way communication line can be established between the document camera 10 and the image display device.
In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the pairing process is performed via the wired communication cable 30. However, the present invention is not limited to this. , Wi-fi (registered trademark) or other wireless communication standard may be used to establish a two-way communication line through a wireless communication line.

The communication control unit 22 is configured to control signals transmitted on the two-way communication line after pairing processing is performed through the established two-way communication line.
When the document camera 10 and the image display device, for example, the electronic whiteboard 50 are paired, the communication control unit 22 acquires a signal from the image display device and outputs the same signal to the monitor screen 13b as the display of the image display device. The screen is configured to display the operation icons displayed on the display of the image display device. As a result, the display of the image display device can be used as a main monitor, and the monitor screen 13b can be used as a sub-monitor.
When an operation signal is formed by operating the operation icon, the operation signal is output to the image display device.
When the paired image display device acquires the operation signal related to the operation, the image display device can operate the display screen based on the acquired operation signal.
As a result, the same image and operation icon are displayed on the monitor screen 13b of the document camera 10 and the display of the image display device. The operation icons on the display of the device can be remotely operated for mirroring means.

Next, an electronic blackboard will be described as an example of an image display device to which the document camera according to the present embodiment is connected.
The electronic blackboard 50 has a display section 51 and an input/output terminal section 52, as shown in FIG.
The display unit 51 has a drawing area 53 surrounded by a frame. The drawing area 53 is composed of a known liquid crystal panel, organic EL panel, or the like, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.
The drawing area 53 is configured in a so-called layered manner in which a plurality of screens are virtually superimposed. Then, by allocating each layer screen to display a predetermined image, each layer screen displays a predetermined image. In addition, only the image displayed on the predetermined layer screen can be easily erased from the superimposed images. Of these layer screens, one layer screen is configured to display operation icons 54, and the surface of the drawing area 53 is configured by a touch panel having a touch sensor.
Accordingly, a predetermined input operation can be performed by operating the operation icon 54 on the display image assigned to each layer screen. Since the touch panel and the touch sensor have known configurations, detailed description thereof will be omitted.
The predetermined input operation is a drawing input operation with a finger or a stylus pen, for example, a gesture operation using a finger touching a touch panel, a touch operation touching an icon displayed on a UI image, or a plurality of these operations. The input operation method is set. The gesture operation includes, for example, a tap operation of tapping the touch panel, a long press operation of touching the touch panel with a fingertip for a long time, a drag operation of moving the icon or the external image by dragging the finger touching the icon or the external image, etc. It is a pinch-in/pinch-out operation or the like in which two points on the touch panel are touched to bring the distance between the two points closer or farther apart. Since these gesture operation methods are well known, detailed description thereof will be omitted.
The electronic blackboard 50 side is configured to perform a predetermined response operation to one input operation among the plurality of input operations as described above.

The input/output terminal section 52 is arranged at a predetermined position on the frame of the display section 51, as shown in FIG. In the input/output terminal section 52, a plurality of input terminals, input/output terminals, and output terminals conforming to known standards are arranged so as to be connectable to external devices.
Here, among external devices, a device capable of inputting an external image to an electronic blackboard is called an external image input device. The external image input device includes, for example, a document camera, a digital camera, a USB memory device, a personal computer terminal device, a tablet terminal device, a smart phone, a portable terminal device such as a mobile phone, and the like. In this embodiment, the document camera 10 shown in FIG. 1 is used.
As described above, the document camera 10 encodes an image captured by the document camera or an image stored in the document camera 10 to form an image signal, and outputs the image signal to the electronic blackboard 50. is configured as
When the document camera 10 is connected to the input terminal or the input/output terminal of the input/output terminal section 52, the electronic blackboard 50 acquires a predetermined image signal from the document camera 10 through the two-way communication line. The electronic blackboard 50 decodes the image signal, decodes the external image output by the document camera 10, and converts it into a still image or a moving image that sequentially displays a predetermined number of still images per unit time in the drawing area 53. It is configured to display the external image on a predetermined layer screen.
On the other hand, a stored image stored in the electronic whiteboard 50 or an input image input via an input terminal or an input/output terminal is output to the document camera 10, a USB memory device, or the like via an output terminal or an input/output terminal. You may make it output and save to .

In addition to the virtual operation icons 54 displayed in the drawing area 53, for example, an operation switch section 55 may be provided as shown in FIG. The operation switch section 55 is configured by arranging a plurality of operation switches such as push button switches and rotary switches at predetermined positions on the frame of the display section 51 . A predetermined operation is assigned to each operation switch. Thereby, for example, each layer screen of the drawing area 53 can be switched and a gesture operation, a touch operation, or a drawing input operation can be performed on one of the layer screens.

Further, the electronic blackboard 50 has a control section 56 as shown in FIG.
The control unit 56 has control means for performing processing for comprehensively controlling each operation of the electronic blackboard 50 . Of the control means, the control unit 56 performs processing related to control of a two-way communication line for connecting the electronic blackboard 50 to the document camera 10 and controlling communication with the document camera 10 . The drawing area 53 of the electronic blackboard 50 and the monitor screen 13b of the document camera 10 are paired by sharing the communication means, the signal transmitted within the electronic blackboard 50, and the signal transmitted within the connected document camera 10. It has mirroring means for simultaneously performing operations based on the signals.

The two-way communication means and the mirroring means, as shown in FIG. It is configured to be executed by the communication control unit 58 that controls signals transmitted on the line.
The detection unit 57 is configured to detect the document camera 10 connected to the input/output terminal 52 via the communication cable 30 complying with a predetermined communication standard. The detection unit 57 is configured to acquire a request signal R for requesting establishment of a two-way communication line output from the document camera 10 when the connected document camera 10 is detected.
The electronic blackboard 50 that has acquired the request signal R authenticates the document camera 10 that has output the request signal R when the document camera 10 is pre-registered in the storage unit 59 attached to the control unit 56 . It is configured to output a response signal A permitting opening of a two-way communication line. As a result, similar to the document camera 10 described above, the document camera 10 registered on the electronic blackboard 50 side is authenticated and the pairing process is performed. Convenience can be improved and users can be enclosed.
Then, the document camera 10 and the electronic blackboard 50 communicate with each other through the communication of the request signal R requesting the opening of the two-way communication line from the document camera 10 and the response signal A permitting the establishment of the two-way communication line. Then, the communication control unit 58 performs processing for establishing a two-way communication line, and the two-way communication line is established between the document camera 10 and the electronic blackboard 50. be.

The communication control unit 58 is configured to control signals transmitted on the two-way communication line after pairing processing is performed through the established two-way communication line.
When the document camera 10 and the electronic blackboard 50 are paired, the communication control unit 58 outputs a screen signal related to the screen displayed in the drawing area 53 from the electronic blackboard 50 , and transmits the screen signal to the document camera 10 . is obtained, the same screen as the drawing area 53 is displayed on the monitor screen 13b of the document camera 10, and the operation icon 54 displayed on one layer screen of the drawing area 53 is displayed. there is When an operation signal for operating the operation icon 54 is output from the document camera 10 and the electronic blackboard 53 acquires the operation signal, the electronic blackboard 50 is displayed in the drawing area 53 based on the acquired operation signal. You can perform actions to operate the screen.
As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, the drawing area 53 on the side of the electronic blackboard 50 is configured as a main monitor, and the monitor screen 13b is configured as a sub-monitor. Mirroring in which the operation icon 54 on the drawing area 53 of the electronic blackboard 50 is remotely operated by displaying the operation icon 54 and touching the operation icon on the monitor screen 13b of the document camera 10 placed at the user's hand. A process related to means can be executed.

An example of use when the document camera 10 having the above configuration and the electronic blackboard 50 are connected will be described below.
When the document camera 10 and the electronic blackboard 50 are connected by a communication cable 30 conforming to a predetermined communication standard as shown in FIG. In response, a request signal R containing information requesting establishment of a two-way communication line is transmitted.
In response to this, the electronic blackboard returns to the document camera 10 a response signal A that permits opening of two-way communication. Then, when the detection unit 21 detects the response signal A, the two-way communication means of the document camera 10 establishes a two-way communication line between the document camera 10 and the electronic blackboard 50 .
Here, based on the identification information, format, etc. of the electronic blackboard 50 included in the response signal A, the detection unit 21 determines whether or not it is the predetermined electronic blackboard 50 registered in the document camera 10 in advance. If it is a registered electronic blackboard 50, it may be authenticated and only a predetermined electronic blackboard 50 may be allowed to establish a two-way communication line. As a result, only the document camera 10 according to the present embodiment and the predetermined electronic blackboard 50 can be combined, thereby improving the convenience of the document camera 10 and enclosing the user.
On the other hand, for example, information relating to the document camera 10 capable of replying the response signal A is registered on the electronic blackboard 50 side, and the non-registered document camera 10 is prohibited from replying the response signal A. Also good. As a result, in the same manner as described above, the non-registered document camera 10 is repelled and, for example, only the document camera 10 according to the present embodiment and a predetermined electronic blackboard 50 are combined, thereby enhancing the convenience of the document camera 10. It is possible to enclose users.

When the detection unit 21 detects, determines, and authenticates the response signal A from the electronic blackboard 50, if the electronic blackboard 50 is a registered model, the communication control unit 22 establishes a two-way communication line. Thereby, the communication control unit 22 can control the signal transmitted on the two-way communication line. The mirroring means is executed by the communication control section 22 controlling signals.
That is, an image signal related to an image captured by the document camera 10 is transmitted to the electronic blackboard 50, an image based on the image signal is displayed in at least a part of the drawing area 53 of the electronic blackboard 50, and the document camera 10 , an operation signal relating to the operation of the display screen including the image displayed in the drawing area 53 is output. Further, when a screen signal related to the screen displayed in the drawing area of the electronic blackboard 50 is output from the electronic blackboard 50 and the document camera 10 acquires the screen signal, the electronic blackboard 50 is displayed on the monitor screen 13b of the document camera 10. The same screen as the drawing area 53 is displayed.
In this way, various signals are transmitted on the two-way communication line and controlled by the communication control unit 22 to draw the electronic blackboard 50 on the monitor screen 13b of the document camera 10 as shown in FIG. The same screen as the area 53 is displayed, and by operating the operation icons on the monitor screen 13b, the processing related to the mirroring means for remotely operating the operation icons 54 in the drawing area 53 of the electronic blackboard 50 can be executed.

Here, a specific usage example of the document camera 10 and the electronic blackboard 50 will be shown.
The electronic blackboard 50 can divide the display screen of the drawing area 53 into four, for example, as shown in FIG. shall be configured as follows. Further, the communication control unit 58 on the electronic blackboard 50 side controls the image captured by the document camera 10 in at least one of the regions I to IV of the drawing area 53, that is, when the document camera 10 When the output image signal is acquired by the communication control unit 58 on the electronic blackboard 50 side and displayed in the area IV shown in FIG. It has switch means 60 for outputting a signal.
When an arbitrary image is displayed in each of the areas I to IV shown in FIG. An image signal related to a display image is obtained, and an ON signal for activating the mirroring means is output.
The on signal is transmitted over the two-way communication line. Then, the communication control unit 22 on the side of the document camera 10 that has acquired the ON signal executes the processing related to the above-described mirroring means, and displays the screen of the drawing area 53 of the electronic blackboard 50 on the monitor screen 13b of the document camera 10. By operating the operation icon displayed on the monitor screen 13b within the monitor screen 13b, the operation related to the operation icon 54 displayed on the drawing area 53 of the electronic blackboard 50 can be remotely operated.

As described above, the document camera 10 and the electronic blackboard 50 are connected, and when the image from the document camera 10 is displayed in at least one area in the drawing area 53 of the electronic blackboard 50, the processing related to the mirroring means is executed. , and the electronic blackboard 50 can be remotely controlled from the document camera 10, there are advantages when used as follows. The advantage will be described with reference to FIG. 5 attached. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of use in a classroom.

In the case of a conventional classroom, generally, a podium (not shown) is arranged in front of a blackboard installed on the front wall, and a teacher's desk is arranged beside the blackboard. In such a situation, the electronic blackboard 50 is often installed in front of the conventional blackboard, as shown in FIG. 5, and the document camera 10 is placed on the teacher's table.
Here, taking one form of class as shown in FIG. , area III shows the finished drawing. At this time, when an image of the teacher's hand captured by the document camera 10 is displayed in the area IV, the document camera 10 outputs an image signal related to the hand image. The electronic blackboard 50 that has acquired the image signal outputs an ON signal, and the document camera 10 that has acquired the ON signal can remotely control the electronic blackboard 50 based on the processing related to the mirroring means.
Next, while the document camera 10 captures images of the teacher assembling the parts on the classroom desk, the swipe operation is performed on the monitor screen 10 to switch the image related to the assembly order of the assembly drawing displayed in the area II to the next image. At this time, the state of assembly is photographed by the document camera 10, and while the state is displayed in area IV of the drawing area, the teacher, with the electronic blackboard 50 behind him, moves the assembly drawing to the next image by remote control. You can switch.
In this way, the teacher can switch other images such as the assembly drawing displayed in the drawing area 53 of the electronic blackboard 50 while photographing the state of assembling the parts on the classroom table with the document camera 10.例文帳に追加Therefore, in order to switch the images displayed in the areas I to IV of the drawing area 53, the images can be quickly switched without bothering to turn to the electronic blackboard 50 side or to move to the operation icon 54 side of the electronic blackboard. You can use the limited class time effectively by smoothing the progress of the lesson.

In addition to the classrooms illustrated in FIG. 5, the document camera 10 is separated from the electronic blackboard 50 in special classrooms such as large staircase classrooms, lecture rooms, and audiovisual rooms, or in corporate conference rooms, halls, and the like. may have been installed.
Even in such a case, while the hand of the lecturer is photographed by the document camera 10 side, the photographed image from the document camera 10 displayed in the drawing area 53 of the electronic blackboard 50 and the image displayed in the other drawing area are also switched. Therefore, explanations and presentations can be done smoothly.

The electronic blackboard 50 and the document camera 10 according to the present embodiment are described in the case of a wired two-way communication line connected by the communication cable 30 as shown in FIG. nothing. For example, the document camera 10 and the electronic blackboard 50 may be connected by a wireless two-way communication line in the classroom, or the document camera 10, the electronic blackboard 50, and a plurality of tablet-type terminal devices may be connected to each other. When using a local area network (LAN) or via the Internet, one classroom is connected to another classroom, and an image captured by a document camera 10 placed in one classroom is transferred to an electronic camera placed in another classroom. The document camera 10 and the electronic blackboard 50 may be connected via a network, such as when displaying on the drawing area of the blackboard 50 .

When the electronic blackboard 50 is remotely operated from the document camera 10 having the monitor screen 13b, it is as described above. The drawing area 53 of the blackboard 50 is synchronized by the communication control unit 22 of the document camera 10 so that both screens are mirrored and the same operation is performed by the same operation. As a result, by operating the operation icon on the monitor screen 13b of the document camera 10 while projecting the image of the hand in the vicinity of the document camera 10 with the camera of the document camera 10, the operation signal related to the operation is sent to the electronic blackboard 50 side. The electronic blackboard 54 can be remotely operated by operating the operation icons 54 on the drawing area 53 of the electronic blackboard 50 shared and reflected on the monitor screen 13b.

Next, a second embodiment in which the document camera 10A without the monitor screen 13b and the electronic blackboard 50 are connected will be described with reference to the attached drawings.
A document camera 10A according to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 6, comprises a camera head 11, an arm 12 for supporting the camera head 11, and a base 13A on which the arm 12 is erected. .

The configurations of the camera head 11 and the arm 12 are the same as those of the first embodiment, so the description thereof will be omitted. That is, as shown in the figure, the camera head 11 can be oriented in any direction by connecting the first arm to the fourth arm so as to be rotatable about a shaft. The arm 12 can be folded and stored compactly.

The base 13A is formed in a flat, substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and various operation switches such as a power switch, a zooming switch for adjusting the focal length of the imaging lens, and an autofocus switch for adjusting the focus of the imaging lens are mounted on the upper surface of the base 13A. A dedicated operating portion 70 is provided. A power supply terminal and an input/output terminal 71 that can be connected to an image display device such as an electronic blackboard, which will be described later, are provided on the rear surface of the base 13A. A shaft is provided on the right side surface of the base 13A, and the base end portion 12c of the first arm is pivotally supported by the shaft. As a result, the arm 12 can be vertically erected with respect to the base 13A.

A substrate is housed inside the base 13A. As shown in FIG. 7, a circuit constituting a control unit 75 for controlling each operation of the document camera 13A, such as image processing related to the captured image formed by the camera, is provided on the substrate. formed.

As shown in FIG. 7, the control unit 75 has control means for performing processing for comprehensively controlling each operation of the document camera 10 . Among the control means, the control unit 75 performs processing related to control of a two-way communication line with respect to connecting the document camera 10 to an external image display device and controlling communication with the image display device. The document camera 10A and the image display device are paired by sharing the two-way communication means, the signal transmitted in the document camera, and the signal transmitted in the connected image display device, and the operation based on the predetermined signal. simultaneously.

As shown in FIG. 7, the two-way communication means and the mirroring means establish a two-way communication line between the detection unit 76 that detects the image display device installed near the document camera and the detected image display device. and is executed by the communication control unit 77 that controls signals transmitted on the two-way communication line.
The detection unit 76 is an external device connected to an input/output terminal via a short-range wireless communication line 30A conforming to a predetermined communication standard, such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or Bluetooth (registered trademark). configured to detect
Here, when the detection unit 76 uses the short-range wireless communication line 30A conforming to the Wi-Fi (registered trademark) communication standard, the detection unit 76 represents the document camera 10A called an SSID (Service Set Identifier). A short-range wireless communication line 30A that complies with a communication standard called Wi-Fi Direct (registered trademark) or Miracast (registered trademark), configured to transmit a predetermined identification name and directly connectable to a nearby image display device. It is configured to be able to communicate with
Then, when the detection unit 76 detects an external device that can communicate with the short-range wireless communication line 30A existing near the document camera 10A, the detection unit 76 establishes a two-way communication line with the document camera 10A for the external device. It is configured to output a request signal R requesting opening. An identification signal related to the SSID is superimposed on the request signal R. FIG.
If the external device that has acquired the request signal R can establish a two-way communication line with the document camera 10A that has output the request signal R, the response signal A that permits the establishment of the two-way communication line also indicates the external device. It is configured to superimpose and output an identification signal associated with a predetermined SSID.
When the detection unit 76 detects the response signal R, based on the SSID obtained by decoding the identification signal for identifying the external device contained in the response signal R, the external device detects the storage unit 78 attached to the control unit 75. is determined and authenticated as to whether or not it is an image display device registered in advance in the document camera 10A and the image display device are paired as described in the first embodiment. It is A detailed description of the pairing process between the document camera and the image display device according to the present embodiment will be given later.
In this way, through the communication of the request signal R requesting the opening of the two-way communication line and the response signal A permitting the establishment of the two-way communication line, the communication between the document camera 10A and the image display device is established. , the communication control unit 77 is configured to perform processing for establishing a two-way communication line.
In this embodiment, the two-way communication is performed by the short-range wireless communication line 30A conforming to the communication standard called Wi-Fi Direct (registered trademark) or Miracast (registered trademark), but the configuration is limited to this. For example, other wireless communication standards such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) may be used, and a two-way communication line may be established by wire via the communication cable 30 as described in the first embodiment. You can make it work.

The communication control unit 77 is configured to control signals transmitted on the two-way communication line after pairing processing is performed through the established two-way communication line.
When the document camera 10A and the image display device are paired, the communication control unit 77 acquires a signal from the image display device, and displays the operation icon displayed on the display of the image display device and the operation icon provided on the base 13. It is configured to perform a process of linking each operation switch included in the operation switches 70 . Accordingly, when an operation signal is generated by operating the operation switch, the operation signal can be output to the image display device. Then, when the paired image display device acquires an operation signal related to the operation, the image display device responds to the operation icon on the display screen associated with the operation switch based on the acquired operation signal. , an action corresponding to the operation associated with the operation icon is performed.
In this manner, the operation icons displayed on the display of the image display device can be remotely operated using the operation switches 70 of the document camera 10A.

Note that the image display device exemplified in this embodiment is the electronic blackboard 50 as in the first embodiment, so the description thereof is omitted.

A method for connecting the document camera 10A and the electronic blackboard 50 via the short-range wireless communication line 30A will be described below with reference to the attached drawings.

When the document camera 10A and the electronic blackboard 50 are connected by a short-range wireless communication line 30A conforming to a predetermined communication standard, for example, a communication standard called Wi-Fi Direct (registered trademark) or Miracast (registered trademark), the detection unit 76 transmits a request signal R requesting establishment of a two-way communication line on a radio wave that detects the electronic blackboard 50 in the vicinity. The request signal R includes an identification signal associated with the SSID, which is the identification name of the document camera 10A, and an identification signal of the electronic blackboard 50 superimposed on the response signal A when the electronic blackboard 50 in the vicinity returns the response signal A. A command is provided to display a predetermined marker on the drawing area 53 of the electronic blackboard 50 to indicate an identification signal associated with the SSID, which is the name.
As a result, when the electronic blackboard 50 detects the input of the request signal R through the short-range wireless communication line 30A, decodes the request signal R, and authenticates the SSID indicating the document camera 10A according to the present embodiment, FIG. 8, a predetermined marker 80 is displayed in the drawing area 53. FIG.
The marker 80 represents the SSID for identifying the electronic blackboard 50 and a response signal, and is preferably a two-dimensional code formed by forming data consisting of predetermined letters and numbers as a planar (two-dimensional) graphic pattern. The two-dimensional code may be either a stack type in which barcodes are piled up or a matrix type having a lattice pattern, but a QR code (registered trademark) is particularly preferable.

As shown in FIG. 9, the camera head 11 and the arm 12 of the document camera 10A are rotated so that the imaging lens (not shown) faces the drawing area 53, and the imaging lens is displayed in the drawing area 53 as a marker. When photographing 80 , the document camera 10 A obtains a response signal A having the SSID of the electronic blackboard 50 through the two-dimensional code forming the marker 80 . That is, the control unit 75 decodes the code image related to the two-dimensional code of the marker 80 read from the detection unit 76, and decodes the SSID of the electronic blackboard 50 and the response signal A. FIG. The detector 76 acquires the response signal R and authenticates the SSID of the electronic blackboard 50 .
As a result, as shown in FIG. 10, the communication control unit 77 performs processing for establishing a two-way communication line with the electronic blackboard 50 by the short-range wireless communication line 30A, and transmits data on the two-way communication line. Signals are controlled to assign the operation switches 70 of the document camera 10A to the respective operation icons 54 displayed in the drawing area 53 of the electronic blackboard 50, thereby enabling the mirroring means.

According to the document camera 10A according to the present embodiment, even if the monitor screen 13b is not provided like the document camera 10 described in the first embodiment, the markers displayed in the drawing area 53 of the electronic blackboard 50 80 is imaged and the response signal R is captured by the document camera 10A side, as shown in FIG. , operation switches 70 are assigned to operation icons 54 displayed in the drawing area 53 of the electronic blackboard 50, and by operating the operation switches, images on the drawing area 53 can be remotely operated. .

Note that when the document camera 10A according to the present embodiment is directly connected to the electronic blackboard with the communication cable 30 conforming to the predetermined communication standard, as described in the first embodiment without the marker 80 as described above. can be connected to Further, in the case of the document camera 10 having the monitor screen 13b described in the first embodiment, for example, Wi-Fi Direct (registered trademark) or Miracast (registered trademark) is used like the document camera 10A described in the present embodiment. , the SSID of the electronic whiteboard 50 is displayed on the monitor screen 13b of the document camera 10, and the connection can be visually recognized. By selecting and designating, the document camera 10 and the electronic blackboard 50 can be directly connected via the short-range wireless communication line 30A.

According to the document cameras 10 and 10A described in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the document cameras 10 and 10A and the electronic blackboard 50 are connected by the communication cable 30 or the short-range wireless communication line 30A to form a two-way communication line. The document cameras 10 and 10A are paired with the electronic blackboard 50, and the electronic blackboard 50 is remotely controlled from the document cameras 10 and 10A. As a result, the user can perform operations such as switching screens displayed in the drawing area of the electronic blackboard 50 at a distant position while projecting the image at hand with the document camera 10 or 10A. Therefore, since it is not necessary to frequently go back and forth between the document camera 10, 10A and the electronic blackboard 50, the scene projected by the document camera 10, 10A and the explanation for it can be concentrated and explained. The convenience of cameras 10 and 10A can be improved.

10, 10A... document camera,
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11... Camera head 11a... Camera housing 12... Arm 13... Base 13a... Base body 13b... Monitor screen 13c, 70... Operation part 13d, 71... Input/output terminal part 13e... Monitor screen storage part ,
20,75...control section, 21...detection section, 76...detection section, 22,77...communication control section, 23,78...storage section,
30... Communication cable, 30A... Near field wireless communication line,
50... Electronic blackboard,
51 Display unit 52 Input/output terminal unit on electronic blackboard side 53 Drawing area 54 Operation icon 55 Operation switch unit 56 Control unit on electronic blackboard side 57 Detection unit on electronic blackboard side 58... communication control unit on the electronic blackboard side, 59... storage unit on the electronic blackboard side,
80...Marker.

Claims (8)

a camera that captures a predetermined subject and forms a predetermined image;
an operation unit for operating a predetermined operation of the camera;
a control unit that controls the operation of the camera according to an operation from the operation unit;
and an input/output terminal to which a predetermined image display device having a display capable of displaying the image can be connected,
A document camera that outputs an image signal formed by encoding the image obtained by imaging the subject to the image display device through the input/output terminal,
to the control unit,
a two-way communication means for establishing a two-way communication line with the image display device and communicating two-way with the image display device on the two-way communication line;
mirroring means for sharing a signal transmitted on the two-way communication line with the image display device, and pairing the image display device with the image display device so that an operation based on the signal is performed simultaneously with the image display device; provided,
For the image display device connected via the input/output terminal,
outputting a request signal requesting to open the two-way communication line;
when a response signal for opening the two-way communication is acquired from the image display device in response to the request signal;
The two-way communication means establishes the two-way communication line with the image display device, and the mirroring means pairs the image display device,
sharing an operation signal associated with an input operation performed on the operation unit with the image display device through the two-way communication line;
The input operation based on the operation signal is executed simultaneously with the image display device,
A document camera, wherein the image display device is remotely operated from the operation unit. 2. A document camera according to claim 1, wherein said two-way communication line is wired. The request signal output from the input/output terminal includes a command to display a predetermined marker related to the response signal on the display unit,
When the image display device displays the marker on the display unit based on the request signal,
imaging the marker with the camera to form a marker image;
the controller encoding the marker image to form the response signal;
2. A document camera according to claim 1, wherein said wireless two-way communication line is established based on said response signal. 4. A document camera according to claim 3, wherein said marker is a two-dimensional code. A sub-monitor having a touch panel is provided so that an operation icon related to the operation unit can be superimposed and displayed on the image captured by the camera,
a screen operation signal for operating the display screen of the display unit of the image display device is shared by the mirroring means;
an operation on the operation icon or the touch panel is assigned to each input operation related to the screen operation signal,
2. The document camera according to claim 1, wherein the display screen of the display unit is remotely operated by the input operation via the operation icon or the touch panel. a screen operation signal for operating the display screen of the display unit of the image display device is shared by the mirroring means;
an operation button, a cross key, or a plurality of operation switches similar to these provided in the operation unit are assigned to each input operation related to the screen operation signal,
2. A document camera according to claim 1, wherein a display screen of said display unit is remotely operated by said input operation through said operation switches. 2. A document camera according to claim 1, wherein said image display device is an electronic blackboard. when the image is displayed on at least a partial area of the display unit;
8. The document camera according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein said electronic blackboard is provided with switch means for switching on remote operation from said operation icons or said operation switches.

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