JP3080041U - Input device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Problem] It is easy to input without special technology, inexpensive and durable, and it is not bulky and movable because the image sensor and the display screen are built in the same base. Provided is an input device capable of preventing a display screen from being stained by contact of a pointer. SOLUTION: An angular display screen 2 to be displayed by a movable indicator 5 is mounted on a base 1 and faces the adjacent corners a and b of the display screen 2 to capture an image of the display screen 2 and an upper photographing range thereof. Image sensors that output image signals
4 is installed on the base 1 so as to include two adjacent sides forming the corners a and b of the display screen 2 in each field of view.
Image signals from the image sensors 3 and 4 are transmitted to an analysis unit 14 for analyzing the position and operation of the movable indicator 5.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

[Technical field to which the invention belongs]

 The present invention relates to an input device suitable for mounting on various electronic devices such as a personal computer, a home appliance, an ATM, and a ticket vending machine.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 As input devices for electronic devices, keyboards, mice, track balls, touch panels and the like are generally used. However, operating the keyboard, mouse, and trackball requires a certain level of proficiency, and has the disadvantage of requiring indirect input by operating the device. On the other hand, the touch panel, although easy to operate, has a complicated structure and poor durability, and the screen is easily stained by contact.

[0003] Therefore, as described in JP-A-32510 and JP-A-5-189137, an index is displayed on a screen such as a screen or a liquid crystal display, and an indicator such as a fingertip touches the screen. An input device has been proposed which captures a screen with a video camera, obtains the coordinates of the index indicated by the pointer on the screen by an image signal from the video camera, and performs input. According to this, the screen itself can have a simple structure, can be applied to various devices, is versatile, does not require any skill in operation, and has a certain level of durability.

However, these devices are installed at a position above or beside the video camera so as to capture the entire screen, so that not only is the device composed of a plurality of pieces but also bulky, Installation was troublesome. In addition, there is a disadvantage that the screen is easily stained because the screen is touched with a fingertip or the like.

[0005]

[Problem to be solved by the invention] The purpose of the invention is to enable easy input without special technology, to be inexpensive and durable, and to integrate the image sensor and the display screen on the same base. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an input device that is not bulky, does not require the movable indicator to directly contact the display screen, and can prevent the display screen from being stained.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 In the input device of the present invention, an angular display screen to be pointed by the movable indicator is attached to the base, and an image is obtained by photographing the display screen and a photographing area above the display screen facing an adjacent corner of the display screen. Two image sensors that output signals are installed on a base board so as to include two adjacent sides forming a corner of the display screen in the field of view, and image signals from the two image sensors are converted into the image. The signal is transmitted to an analysis means for analyzing the position and operation of the movable indicator in the display screen and the upper photographing range by a signal.

[0007] By mounting the display screen and the two image sensors on the same base, the entire input device is integrated and does not become bulky. Also, since the position and operation of the movable indicator are analyzed by photographing the upper photographing range of the display screen, it is not necessary to directly touch the display screen. The image sensor may be mounted on a substrate so that its light receiving surface is parallel to the display screen, and may have a reflecting mirror or a prism for refracting light from the display screen and a photographing area above the display screen toward the light receiving surface. . Further, an image sensor can be mounted on the base such that its light receiving surface intersects the display screen.

[0008]

[Embodiment of the invention]

 Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the input device according to the present invention includes a display screen 2 attached to a base 1, a display screen 2 and an image capturing area A above the display screen 2, and outputs an image signal. It has an image sensor 3 and a second image sensor 4.

When the electronic device to be mounted is a home appliance or an audio device, the base 1 is often a housing of the main body, and when a personal computer, an ATM, or a ticket vending machine is used, the base 1 is an input operation unit. Often it is. Further, outside the outer edge of the display screen 2, a frame portion 8 that opens to the inner peripheral side is formed above the peripheral edge of the substrate 1.

The display screen 2 is formed of a liquid crystal display, a cathode ray tube, or the like, and is formed in a rectangular shape having a size according to a use. Further, the display screen 2 displays an index 6 to be indicated by the movable indicator 5 such as a finger or a stick of the operator. The index 6 includes numerals, symbols, characters, sentences and patterns representing actions, place names, station names, and the like.

In the case where the constant index 6 is always displayed on the display screen 2, the display screen 2 may be one in which a transparent plate is simply superimposed on a plate in which the index 6 is painted with paint. . The first image sensor 3 and the second image sensor 4 are composed of a CCD camera, a CMOS camera, and the like, each having a viewing angle of 90 degrees or more, and two adjacent corners a and b of the display screen 2. It is installed facing.

The first image sensor 3 includes a side h1 and a side h2, which are two adjacent sides forming the corner a in the field of view. In addition, the second image sensor 4 includes two adjacent sides h1 and h3 constituting the corner b in the visual field. Further, the first image sensor 3 and the second image sensor 4 are arranged so that their visual fields intersect at an angle of 90 degrees.

As shown in FIG. 3, the first image sensor 3 and the second image sensor 4 each include a sensor section 7 and a lens 9 installed in parallel above a light receiving surface 7 ′ of the sensor section 7. And a reflecting mirror 10 for refracting the light from the display screen 2 and the upper photographing range A toward the light receiving surface 7 'of the sensor unit 7, and is provided inside the frame 8 of the base 1 so as not to be exposed to the outside. Will be installed. It is convenient that the first image sensor 3 and the second image sensor 4 can be attached to and detached from the base 1 for easy maintenance and inspection.

Although the sensor unit 7 has a number of light receiving elements corresponding to the size of the display screen 2, the position and operation of the movable indicator 5 can be simply determined by the images of the image sensors 3 and 4. High resolution is not required. Therefore, the element density can be made relatively coarse. As a result, even if the display screen 2 is large, the number of light receiving elements does not become enormous.

As shown in FIG. 3, each of the first image sensor 3 and the second image sensor 4 has a light receiving surface 7 ′ of a sensor unit 7 parallel to the display screen 2 and a lens 9 connected to the display screen. 2 is installed on the base 1 so as to be almost flush with the base 2. As the lens 9, a lens capable of securing a 90-degree field of view by shortening the distance from the sensor unit 7 to reduce the size of the image sensors 3 and 4 is used.

The aiming and depth of field of the image sensors 3 and 4 are arbitrarily set according to the size of the display screen 2, and the shutter speed is in the range of 1/10000 to 1/15 seconds. Variable. Also, if dirt adheres to the surface of the reflecting mirror 10, it is difficult to remove the dirt through the narrow gap between the lens 9 and the reflecting mirror 10, so a prism is arranged in place of the reflecting mirror 10, and this prism Light from the display screen 2 and the upper shooting range A may be refracted toward the light receiving surface 7 '.

As shown in FIG. 4, the light receiving surface 7 ′ of the sensor unit 7 and the lens 9 are disposed so as to intersect with the display screen 2, and the light receiving surface 7 ′ of the sensor unit 7 is The light from A can be directly received without using a reflecting mirror or a prism. In this case, optical loss can be reduced.

As shown in FIG. 5, image signals output from the first image sensor 3 and the second image sensor 4 pass through an interface such as a USB port 13 or the like, and the display screen 2 of the movable indicator 5 and The data is transmitted to the analyzing means 14 for analyzing the position and the operation in the upper photographing range A.

At this time, in order to transmit an image signal from the first image sensor 3 and the second image sensor 4 to the USB port 13, as shown by broken lines in FIG. 'May be separate modules or one module 15 as shown by the solid line. Further, it is preferable that the image signals from the first image sensor 3 and the second image sensor 4 are transmitted simultaneously from the USB port 13 to the analysis means 14 by dividing one frame into two vertically.

Based on the image signals of the first image sensor 3 and the second image sensor 4, coordinates x and y of the point indicated by the movable indicator 5 on the display screen 2 are obtained as follows.

As shown in FIG. 1, when the movable display body 5 approaches any of the indices 6 on the display screen 2, the light receiving element group of the first image sensor 3 that captures the display screen 2 and the imaging area A above the display screen 2. 30 and the plurality of light receiving element groups 40 of the second image sensor 4 are light-sensitive (FIG. 6). Then, the image signals are output from the first image sensor 3 and the second image sensor 4 to the analysis means 14 via the USB port 13.

Then, the analyzing means 14 first calculates the luminance centroid of each image based on the luminance I sensed by each light receiving element of the first image sensor 3 and the second image sensor 4 by the following formula. The exposed light receiving element value L of the first image sensor 3 and the exposed light receiving element value R of the second image sensor 4 are determined.

[0023]

(Equation 1)

[0024]

(Equation 2)

Note that S1 is a light-receiving element initial adjustment start value of the first image sensor 3 and S1 ≧ 0, and E1 is a light-receiving element initial adjustment final value of the first image sensor 3 and E1 ≦ first. This is the number of light receiving elements of the image sensor 3.

S2 is a light-receiving element initial adjustment start value of the second image sensor 4, and S2 ≧ 0. E2 is a light-receiving element initial adjustment final value of the second image sensor 4, and E2 ≦ second. This is the number of light receiving elements of the image sensor 4. Note that the following equation varies depending on the type of the lens 9 of the first image sensor 3 and the second image sensor 4, the number of light receiving elements, and the like, but the number of light receiving elements of the first image sensor 3 and the second image The calculation is performed on the assumption that the number of light receiving elements of the sensor 4 is 352.

As shown in FIG. 6, α1 is the intersection angle between the line h1 connecting the corner a and the supporting position of the movable display body 5 and the side h1, and the line l2 passes through the corner a and bisects the angle. Is the intersection angle between the line l1 and the line l1, the intersection angle between the line h3 connecting the corner b and the support position of the movable display body 5 and the side h1 is α2, and the angle passes through the corner b and is bisected. Assuming that the intersection angle between the line 14 and the line 12 is β2, the viewing angle of the lens 9 is θ, and the intersection angle of the lens assembly is ψ,

[0028]

(Equation 3)

[0029]

(Equation 4) Holds. And the coordinates x and y of the support position of the movable display 5 are

[0030]

(Equation 5)

[0031]

(Equation 6) Obtained by

Then, it is possible to determine what instruction the movable indicator 5 has instructed by comparing it with data stored in advance. Note that D is the number of resolutions on the display screen 2 and is arbitrarily determined according to the size of the display screen 2, the purpose, the number of the indicators 6, and the like. The operation of the movable indicator 5 may be recognized as an execution command in addition to the coordinates of the designated index 6.

For example, when the movable indicator 5 continuously translates with respect to the display screen 2 like a drag operation, the analyzing unit 14 determines whether the first image sensor 3 and the second image sensor The moving signal 5 is analyzed from which point to which point the moving pointer 5 has been moved by the image signal from the controller 4, and based on the stored data, it is determined what kind of execution command the moving operation indicates.

Alternatively, when the movable indicator 5 indicates the index 6 corresponding to a mouse button once, it is regarded as a click operation, and when the index 6 is specified twice consecutively in a short time. Is considered a double click.

Further, depending on the use, a third image sensor may be attached to the base 1 as shown in FIG. The third image sensor 16 can also capture a normal camera image other than the movable indicator 15, for example, the face of the input operator, and handle the image signal as a video signal.

The image signal of the third image sensor 16 can be processed by the same digital signal processor as used for processing the image signals from the first image sensor 3 and the second image sensor 4, The processed signal is output to an interface such as the USB port 13. When the display screen 2 is dark, an auxiliary light source such as an infrared LED can be installed near the image sensors 3, 4, and 16.

[0037]

[Effect of the invention]

 According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the display screen and the image sensor are mounted on the same base, the input device is constituted by one piece, so that the entire input device is not bulky and easy to mount. . In addition, since the position and operation of the movable indicator are analyzed based on the image signal obtained by capturing the display screen and the upper imaging range, there is no need to directly touch the display screen with the movable indicator, thereby preventing the display screen from being stained by contact. it can.

Furthermore, the length of the sensor section can be shorter than that of disposing the sensor over the entire length of the vertical and horizontal sides of the display screen, and the size of the display screen changes accordingly. There is no need to replace expensive sensors with another, which results in very low manufacturing costs.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an input device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the above.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged front view of a main part of the above.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged front view of a main part of an input device according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a transmission path of an image signal.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a relationship between codes used in a calculation formula;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an output signal of an image sensor.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of an input device according to a third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Base 2 Display screen 3 1st image sensor 4 2nd image sensor 5 Movable indicator 6 Index 7 Sensor part 7 'Light receiving surface 8 Frame part 9 Lens 10 Reflector 13 USB port 14 Analysis means 15, 15' Module 16 Third image sensor 30 Light receiving element group of first image sensor 40 Light receiving element group of second image sensor

Claims (3)

[Utility model registration claims] 1. A display screen having an angular shape to be pointed by a movable indicator is attached to a base, and faces an adjacent corner of the display screen to image the display screen and a photographing range above the display screen, thereby forming an image signal. Two output image sensors are adjacent to each other and form a corner of the display screen in the field of view.
An image signal from these two image sensors is installed on the base so as to include a side, and the image signals from the two image sensors are transmitted to analysis means for analyzing the position and operation of the movable indicator in the display screen and the upper shooting range by the image signals. An input device characterized in that: 2. The image sensor is mounted on the base such that a light receiving surface thereof is parallel to the display screen, and a reflection for refracting light from the display screen and a photographing area above the display screen toward the light receiving surface. The input device according to claim 1, further comprising a mirror or a prism. 3. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the image sensor is attached to the base such that a light receiving surface of the image sensor intersects the display screen.