JP6644429B2 - globe - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a globe that displays an enlarged map image corresponding to an observation region on a topographic map and detailed geographic information on an image display device.

Globes are widely used for learning and as interior decorations. Globes have the characteristic that they can observe the position of countries and cities on the earth from a bird's-eye view, but because the scale of the globe is very small, the amount of information on printed graphics and characters is limited, When observing a part of the globe's topography, there is an inherent problem that it is hard to see because of the fine figures and characters.
For this reason, a method of enlarging and observing a portion to be observed of a topographic map drawn on a globe has been conventionally proposed. As one of the methods, there is a method of arranging a magnifying lens near the surface of a globe and observing a magnified image by looking at a topographic map through a lens like a loupe (for example, Patent Documents 1, 2, and 3). reference). The method using the magnifying lens has an advantage that, although having a simple configuration in which only one lens is added, an enlarged image of a portion to be observed can be quickly observed by using a familiar loupe. . However, since the enlarged image is an image of a printed figure or character of the topographic map, it is not possible to observe more information than the printed figure or character. Further, the focusing operation of the enlarged image may be troublesome for some observers.

  As another method, there is a method of acquiring position data of a portion of a topographic map to be observed, and displaying an enlarged map image corresponding to the position data using an electronic display device. With this method, if you have the appropriate map image data, you can also display non-terrain geographic information such as finer topographic maps and national special products that are different from printed figures and characters become. This is a function that cannot be performed by the method using the magnifying lens. On the other hand, a method for acquiring position data of a portion to be observed is required, which is unnecessary in the method using the magnifying lens. .

  As one method of obtaining the position data, there has been proposed a method in which a touch sensor is spread over the earth surface and the position data on the topographic map contacted with the touch sensor is read by touching the touch sensor with a finger or a touch pen. According to this method, a desired target point can be manually and easily specified while viewing the topographic map, and a detailed map image of the point can be observed on the electronic display device. However, in this method, it is necessary to provide a touch sensor on the surface of the earth sphere, and it is desirable that the touch sensor has a curved shape covering the whole sphere, but it becomes complicated and expensive. Therefore, a method of disposing a large number of touch sensors in a plurality of areas in a distributed manner (Patent Document 4) or a method of forming a spherical polyhedron with a spherical sphere and disposing a flat touch panel on each surface of the polyhedron (Patent Document 5) ) Has been proposed, but neither of them has a configuration capable of designating an arbitrary position on the surface of the earth sphere.

  As another method of obtaining the position data, a pattern such as a bar code that encodes the position data of the target point is provided at a point on the globe, and the pattern is read using a code reading device, thereby obtaining the target point. Methods for reading position data have been proposed (Patent Documents 6 and 7). In this method, a circuit such as a sensor is not provided on the earth sphere, and a bar-like code printed at a target point is read by operating a pen-like code reader in a non-contact or contact state. By specifying a target point, a detailed map image of the point can be observed on the electronic display device. However, this method has a problem that only the point where the barcode is provided can be specified, and a barcode pattern different from the map data of the topographic map is printed on the earth sphere, so that the barcode is inconspicuous. There is also a problem that the arrangement of bar codes becomes difficult.

  As yet another method of obtaining the position data, there has been proposed a method of detecting the rotation amount and the rotation direction of the globe using a rotation sensor and obtaining the position data of the target point after the rotation (Patent Document 8). This method acquires the position data of the target point to be observed by calculating the amount and direction of rotation of the earth sphere rotated manually or automatically from the reference position, and electronically displays a detailed map image of that point It can be observed with the device. However, in this method, since it is necessary to incorporate a rotation sensor into the earth sphere or the rotation axis, there is a problem that the mechanism is complicated and expensive.

Showa 49-040565 52-134347 Actual opening Hei 02-146678 JP-A-2002-182555 JP-A-2003-323140 JP 2006-043093 JP 2010-027017 JP 2011-018001

  As described above, a method of observing detailed map information using an electronic display device is not only a figure and a character of a topographic map printed on the earth sphere, but also a more detailed map different from the printed figure and the character. Images can also be displayed, realizing new forms and usages that were not possible with conventional globes, but a means of acquiring position data to identify the position of the topographic map to be observed is required Therefore, a simple means for acquiring position data which has good operability and can designate an arbitrary position is desired. However, in the above-described conventional method of acquiring position data, it is necessary to incorporate a touch sensor, a barcode, and a rotation sensor into the earth sphere or the topographic map, so that the structure is complicated and the cost increases. Further, since it is difficult to use the earth sphere and the printed map as they have been used so far, and there is a problem that the position that can be specified is limited, the method of using the electronic display device is used. Globes that fully demonstrate the features of have not yet become widespread.

  In order to solve such a problem, Japanese Patent Application No. 2015-96897 filed by the applicant of the present invention discloses an earth sphere, a globe base on which the earth sphere is rotatably mounted, and a surface of the earth sphere. An imaging block that illuminates the part and captures the image, and an image display device that is placed close to a point distant from the point of the topographical map of the earth sphere to be imaged. The image display is performed by detecting the position and orientation of the captured topographic map area and converting the image of the captured area based on the relative positional relationship between the image display device and the imaging block. Find the position and orientation of the figure in the area, extract the image of the topographic map corresponding to the image display area from the map image previously stored in the map image memory in the imaging block, and display it on the screen of the image display device Then It has proposed a new form of the globe.

  According to the invention described in Japanese Patent Application No. 2015-96897, special circuits, mechanisms, patterns, and the like for acquiring point data are added to the earth sphere of the globe or a topographic map drawn on the surface of the earth sphere. , The enlarged map image and the detailed geographic information of the desired point can be displayed and observed on the image display unit placed close to the desired point on the surface of the earth sphere.

  However, the globe disclosed therein includes an encoder that performs processing during relative movement between the earth sphere and the image display unit after image extraction, through image display, and position detection of the image display unit, and an imaging optical system. The specific configuration of such as is not described in detail, leaving much room for improvement.

  Accordingly, the present invention provides a simple means for acquiring position data that can specify an observation point quickly, without using a special circuit, mechanism, or pattern for acquiring position data on the earth sphere or topographic map. It is another object of the present invention to provide a further improved globe capable of displaying an enlarged map image and detailed geographic information of an observation point on an image display unit for observation.

  In order to achieve this object, the globe of the present invention includes a globe, a globe table on which the globe is rotatably mounted, an imaging unit for imaging a part of the surface of the globe, and an approaching globe. An image display unit is placed on the top view, and by recognizing the captured image, the position and orientation of the region of the captured topographic map are detected, and the relative positional relationship between the image display unit and the imaging unit is determined. Based on the image, the figure and the orientation of the figure in the image display area are obtained by image conversion of the figure in the imaged area, and the image of the topographic map and geographic information corresponding to the image display area is obtained. It is characterized in that it is displayed on the screen of the display unit.

  Further, the globe of the present invention obtains the position and orientation of the figure in the image display area to be image-displayed by the first image extraction processing for recognizing the captured image, and generates an image of the topographic map corresponding to the image display area. When the earth sphere and the image display unit move relative to each other after being displayed on the screen of the image display device, the position of the graphic in the image display area where the moved image is displayed is determined by the second image extraction processing using the movement vector. It is characterized in that an orientation is obtained and an image of a topographic map or geographic information corresponding to the image display area is displayed on the screen of the image display unit.

  Further, the globe of the present invention is configured such that the imaging unit and the image display unit are integrally formed, and a through image of the imaging unit is displayed on both sides of the image display unit when an image extracted by the image extraction processing is not displayed. Features.

  Further, the globe of the present invention includes a position detection encoder on a support member of the image display unit, detects position information of the image display unit, and performs imaging based on a relative positional relationship between the image display unit and the imaging unit. It is characterized in that the graphic of the selected area is subjected to the image conversion.

  According to the present invention, the earth sphere of the globe or a topographic map drawn on the surface of the earth sphere is in a form in which no special circuit, mechanism, pattern, or the like for acquiring point data is applied. It is possible to display an enlarged map image and detailed geographic information of the point to be viewed on an image display device placed close to the point to be viewed on the surface for observation.

It is an outline view of a globe concerning a 1st example. It is a side view of the globe concerning a 1st example. FIG. 3 is a circuit block diagram of the first embodiment. It is a figure showing the coordinate system of a globe, and the relation of a picked-up and a display image. It is a schematic flowchart of a display image extraction process. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of an imaging process according to the first embodiment. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an enlargement / reduction display process. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the sharpness detection process of 1st Example. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a first image extraction process according to the first embodiment. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a second image extraction process according to the first embodiment. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a display process according to the first embodiment. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an enlargement / reduction display process. It is a schematic diagram which shows the relationship between the image display magnification of standard display image data and detailed display image data. It is a flowchart which shows one Example of a movement display process. It is a schematic diagram which shows the expansion / reduction image display state in an imaging synchronous mode and an imaging asynchronous mode. It is an outline view of a globe concerning a 2nd example. It is a side view of the globe concerning a 2nd example. It is a figure showing an example of an optical axis matching type bending optical system. It is a figure showing an example of an optical axis separation type bending optical system. It is a circuit block diagram of a 2nd example. It is an outline view showing modification 1 applied to the one axis type globe of the 2nd example. It is a side view which shows the modification 1 applied to the one axis type globe of 2nd Example. It is an external view which shows the modification 2 applied to the one axis type globe of 2nd Example. It is a side view which shows the modification 2 applied to the one axis type globe of 2nd Example. It is an external view which shows the modification 3 applied to the 2 axis type globe of 2nd Example. It is a side view which shows the modification 3 applied to the 2 axis type globe of 2nd Example. It is an outline view of a globe concerning a 3rd example. It is a side view of a globe concerning a 3rd example. It is a circuit block diagram of a 3rd example. FIG. 14 is a circuit block diagram of a modification of the third embodiment.

  Hereinafter, the globe of the present invention will be described in detail. FIG. 1 is an external view of a globe 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1A shows a state in which a sphere simulating the earth (hereinafter, referred to as an earth body) is attached to a globe table. (B) shows a state in which the earth body is removed from the globe base. FIG. 2 is a side view showing a state where the earth body 3 is attached to the globe base 2.

  Three freely rotatable support balls 4 are installed on a globe base 2 having three legs, and the earth body 3 is placed on the support balls 4 as shown in FIG. Then, the earth body 3 is mounted. Immediately below the earth body 3 in the mounted state, an imaging unit 5 that is a part of the globe base 2 is arranged. An image display unit 6 is arranged on another part of the globe base 2. The earth body 3 can also be made detachable from the globe base 2, and when detachable, as shown in FIG. 1B, the earth body 3 is detached. The attachment / detachment state is detected by a contact type or non-contact type attachment detection switch 30 (not shown) interlocked with the attachment / detachment state with respect to the support ball 4.

  When the earth body 3 is mounted, the support ball 4 is in contact with the earth body 3 and the support ball 4 is freely rotatable. Therefore, the earth body 3 can be rotated in an arbitrary direction by touching the earth body 3 with a hand or the like.

The image display unit 6 is rotatably mounted around a rotation axis 2d of an image display unit rotation member 2e provided on the image display unit support arm 2a. It is rotatably mounted around a rotation shaft 2b provided in the section. When the in-plane rotation angle of the image display unit 6 is automatically detected and the display area is changed, the rotation encoder 34 is attached to the image display unit rotation member 2e (see FIG. 3). In the mounted state of the earth body 3, the image display unit support arm 2a is moved to a predetermined position by a lock mechanism (not shown), and the image display unit 6 is arranged at a position approaching the earth sphere 3 in a non-contact manner. An image related to the point of the earth sphere 3 facing the element 10 is displayed. When the earth body 3 is mounted, the auxiliary support ball 2c provided on the image display unit support arm 2a contacts the upper part of the earth ball 3 to prevent the earth ball 3 from falling off.
The image display unit 6 includes an image display unit switch 29 such as an image display element 10, a mode button 11, a cross button 12, an enlargement button 13a and a reduction button 13b, and an image display unit display element such as an LED in an image display unit frame 14. 28 are attached (see FIG. 15).

  When the earth body 3 is mounted, the opening 7 is not in contact with the earth body 3 and is separated by a predetermined distance. In this state, the earth body 3 is illuminated by the illumination light source 32 through the opening 7, and a topographical map of a part of the earth body 3 is formed on the image pickup device 9 by the lens 8 and imaged.

  The opening 7 of the imaging unit 5 and the earth body 3 are in a non-contact state because the earth body 3 is positioned by the support ball 4, and a topographic map of a part of the earth sphere 3 is imaged through the opening 7. Is done.

  FIG. 3 is a circuit block diagram of the first embodiment. In the imaging unit 5, a part of the earth body 3 is illuminated by an illumination light source 32 composed of an LED or the like, and an optical image of the earth body 3 is formed on the imaging element 9 by the lens 8 and photoelectrically converted. The image sensor 9 is driven by a drive pulse signal generated by the TG 23. The photoelectrically converted signal is preprocessed by the CDS / AGC 15, converted into a digital signal by the A / D 16, processed by the captured image processing circuit 17, and stored in the captured image memory 18 by the memory control circuit 19. . The entire circuit is controlled by the CPU 22, and includes a light source drive circuit 33 for driving the illumination light source 32, a power supply control circuit 24 for controlling the power supply 25, an imaging unit switch 26 such as a power switch, and an imaging unit display element 27 such as an LED. Controlled. When the earth body 3 is detachable, the attachment detection switch 30 for detecting the attachment of the earth body 3 is also controlled by the CPU 22. The image display unit 6 includes an image display element 10 controlled by an image display control circuit 21, various image display unit switches 29 linked to each button, and an image display unit display element 28 such as an LED. Is done. In the case where the in-plane rotation angle of the image display unit 6 is automatically detected and the display area is variable, a rotary encoder 34 is provided, and the rotary encoder 34 is controlled by the CPU 22 to control the surface of the image display unit 6. Information on the inner rotation angle is input to the CPU 22.

  The captured data stored in the captured image memory 18 is read out by the memory control circuit 19, compared with a reference map image stored in advance in the map image memory 20, and the display image is extracted by a display image extraction process described later. The determined display image data is sent to the image display control circuit 21 by the display image processing circuit 31, and the display image is displayed on the screen of the image display element 10.

The map image memory 20 is composed of a nonvolatile memory such as a flash memory, and has a reference map image equivalent to a topographic map drawn on the surface of the earth body 3 and data of a reference map image more detailed than the topographic map. Other topographic information corresponding to the topographic map is stored in advance. In addition, the map image memory 20 stores data of a plurality of types of reference map images corresponding to a plurality of types of topographic maps so that the topographic maps drawn on the surface are different and adapted to a plurality of types of earth bodies 3. Can be. In this case, the data of the required reference map image is automatically or manually selected from the data of the plurality of types of reference map images according to the mounted earth object 3. In order to automatically select the data, when the image data and the reference map image are compared for the first time in association with the mounting of the earth body 3, all data of the plurality of types of reference map images are set as comparison targets. Then, one type of data having a matching reference map image may be selected as reference map image data used in the subsequent comparison processing. Alternatively, a code for specifying the type and the serial number of the earth body 3 is printed on a specific portion of the earth body 3, and the code is read at the first stage of the imaging process, and a necessary reference map image is selected. You may. The comparison process is executed by replacing the data of the selected reference map image with the data of the reference map image before the exchange. In order to select the reference map image data manually, the user may select the necessary reference map image data using a menu screen or the like.
In addition, a plurality of types of reference map image data may be stored for one topographic map. By performing the comparison process between the captured data and the reference map image using data of a plurality of types of reference map images, a stepwise and rapid comparison process based on the feature extraction process of the captured image can be realized.
Further, the map image memory 20 can be configured such that all or a part of the memory area is a removable memory. When the earth body 3 is exchanged, it can be quickly replaced with necessary reference map image data by replacing it with a removable memory in which reference map image data conforming to the exchanged earth body 3 is stored. .

  The reference map image data is image data equivalent to a topographic map drawn on the surface of the earth body 3, but a globe having individual differences in the topographic map, particularly when the topographic map is hand-manufactured. , The reference map image data is obtained by performing a calibration process of photographing the entire circumference image of the earth body 3 for each individual and writing the obtained map image data to the map image memory 20 for each individual. be able to.

  Next, the operation principle of the present invention will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the coordinate system of the globe and the captured and displayed images. FIG. 4A is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the imaging and display area at the reference position, FIG. 4B is a schematic diagram showing the imaging and display image at the reference position, and FIG. FIG. 4D is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the imaging and the display area, and FIG. 4D is a schematic diagram showing the imaging and the display image at the rotational position.

  Here, the coordinate system of the globe is defined as an orthogonal coordinate system in a three-dimensional space defined by X, Y, and Z axes fixed regardless of the position of the earth body 3 with the center of the earth body 3 as the origin. A coordinate system) and an orthogonal coordinate system in a three-dimensional space defined by EX, EY, and EZ axes set in the earth body 3 with the center of the earth body 3 as an origin (hereinafter, referred to as an earth body coordinate system) In two coordinate systems. The coordinates of the fixed coordinate system are represented by (x, y, z) and the coordinates of the earth body coordinate system are represented by (ex, ey, ez), but the coordinates (ex, ey, ez) of the earth body coordinate system are Since the coordinates can be converted into well-known coordinates (φ, λ) of the latitude angle φ and the longitude angle λ, the coordinates of the earth body coordinate system will be represented by coordinates (φ, λ).

  Since the EX, EY, and EZ axes are fixed to the earth body 3, when the earth body 3 rotates, the EX, EY, and EZ axes become the center of the earth body 3 relative to the fixed XYZ axes. Will rotate around. In the relative positional relationship between the fixed coordinate system and the earth body coordinate system, one position where the EX, EY, and EZ axes are placed with respect to the XYZ axes is determined as a reference position, and the earth at that position is determined. The state of the body 3 is assumed to be at the reference position.

  FIG. 4A shows an example in which a position where the EX, EY, and EZ axes match the XYZ axis is set as a reference position. Here, the EY axis is an axis connecting the north pole and the south pole, the EZ axis is an axis passing through longitude 0 degrees perpendicular to the EY axis, and the EX axis is an axis orthogonal to the EY axis and the EZ axis. However, the reference position does not need to be a position where the EX, EY, and EZ axes match the XYZ axis, and can be selected from any position. Further, the EX, EY, and EZ axes may be axes passing through the poles, and may be axes in a rectangular coordinate system arbitrarily set on the earth body 3 without being limited to longitude and longitude values. .

  In the fixed coordinate system, any one area on the surface of the earth body is defined as an imaging setting area AP (x, y, z). Then, any one area on the surface of the earth body that is separated from the imaging setting area AP (x, y, z) by a predetermined distance is defined as a display setting area AQ (x, y, z). Here, the imaging setting area AP (x, y, z) and the display setting area AQ (x, y, z) have a spherical quadrangular shape, but may have an arbitrary shape that becomes a part of a spherical surface. Can be. Further, the size and aspect ratio of the imaging setting area AP (x, y, z) and the display setting area AQ (x, y, z) can also be set to arbitrary values.

  When the earth body 3 is at the reference position, an area of the earth body coordinate system that coincides with the imaging setting area AP (x, y, z) is defined as a reference earth body imaging area AEP0 (φ, λ) and displayed. An area of the earth body coordinate system that matches the set area AQ (x, y, z) is defined as a reference earth body display area AEQ0 (φ, λ). The center position of the reference earth body imaging area AEP0 (φ, λ) is defined as the reference earth body imaging center position CEP0 (φp0, λp0), and the center position of the reference earth body display area AEQ0 (φ, λ) is defined as the reference earth. The body display center position CEQ0 (φq0, λq0).

  When the earth body 3 is located at a position different from the reference position, an area of the earth body coordinate system that matches the imaging setting area AP (x, y, z) is defined as a rotating earth body imaging area AEP1 (φ, λ). And a region of the earth body coordinate system that matches the display setting region AQ (x, y, z) is defined as a rotating earth body display region AEQ1 (φ, λ). The center position of the rotating earth body imaging area AEP1 (φ, λ) is defined as the rotating earth body imaging center position CEP1 (φp1, λp1), and the center position of the rotating earth body display area AEQ1 (φ, λ) is defined as the rotating earth. The body display center position CEQ1 (φq1, λq1).

  The angle formed between the axis passing through the reference earth body imaging center position CEP0 (φp0, λp0) and the axis passing through the reference earth body display center position CEQ0 (φq0, λq0), and the rotating earth body imaging center position CEP1 (φp1, λp1) Is formed by an axis passing through the rotation earth body display center position CEQ1 (φq1, λq1).

  In the display setting area AQ (x, y, z), the position and shape of the display setting area AQ (x, y, z) are fixed in a display area invariant method in which the display area is not changed, which will be described later. In the variable display area method in which the area is changed, the position and shape of the display setting area AQ (x, y, z) change according to the use conditions, the form of the image display unit, and the like.

  FIG. 4B shows an earth figure EP0 (φ, λ) located in the reference earth body imaging area AEP0 (φ, λ) and a reference earth body display area AEQ0 (φ) when the earth body 3 is at the reference position. , Λ) are schematically shown on the earth diagram EQ0 (φ, λ).

  If the earth figure EP0 (φ, λ) located in the reference earth body imaging area AEP0 (φ, λ) is imaged, a reference image IP0 (φ, λ) corresponding to the earth figure EP0 (φ, λ) is obtained. . Actually, since the earth figure EP0 (φ, λ) is a spherical quadrangle, when an image is taken by a plane image sensor, an image with a distorted periphery is obtained. By performing image processing for performing distortion correction, the influence of the distortion can be reduced.

  An image corresponding to the earth figure EQ0 (φ, λ) located in the reference earth object display area AEQ0 (φ, λ) is cut out from an image of the entire surface of the earth object 3 and the reference display image IQ0 (φ , Λ). Actually, since the image of the earth body 3 is a spherical image, a display image converted to a planar image is displayed.

  FIG. 4C shows an example in which the EX, EY, and EZ axes rotate out of the reference position. In this rotation state, the region of the earth body surface that matches the imaging setting region AP (x, y, z) is changed from the reference earth body imaging region AEP0 (φ, λ) to the rotating earth body imaging region AEP1 (φ, λ). The area of the earth body surface that rotates and moves and matches the display setting area AQ (x, y, z) is rotated from the reference earth body display area AEQ0 (φ, λ) to the rotating earth body display area AEQ1 (φ, λ). Moving.

The rotation from the reference terrestrial body imaging area AEP0 (φ, λ) to the rotating terrestrial body imaging area AEP1 (φ, λ) is performed by using a rotation matrix M,
AEP1 (φ, λ) = M · AEP0 (φ, λ) (1)
It is expressed as
Similarly, the rotation from the reference earth body display area AEQ0 (φ, λ) to the rotating earth body display area AEQ1 (φ, λ)
AEQ1 (φ, λ) = M · AEQ0 (φ, λ) (2)
It is expressed as

  FIG. 4 (D) shows the earth figure EP1 located in the rotating earth body imaging area AEP1 (φ, λ) and the rotating earth body display area AEQ1 (φ, λ) when the earth bodies 3 are in the rotating position. The located earth figure EQ1 (φ, λ) is schematically shown.

  If the earth figure EP1 (φ, λ) located in the rotating earth body imaging area AEP1 (φ, λ) is imaged, a rotation image IP1 (φ, λ) corresponding to the earth figure EP1 (φ, λ) is obtained. .

  An image corresponding to the earth figure EQ1 (φ, λ) located in the rotating earth body imaging area AEP1 (φ, λ) is subjected to a display image extraction process described in detail below, so that the entire surface of the earth body 3 can be obtained. The image is cut out from the image and displayed as a rotated display image IQ1 (φ, λ), similarly to the reference display image IQ0.

  The display image extraction process performs the same state as the position of the earth body after the rotation even if the earth body has been repeatedly rotated in an arbitrary rotation amount and rotation direction a plurality of times. By using the mechanism that can be realized by the above, by obtaining the rotation matrix M based on the reference captured image IP0 (φ, λ) and the rotated captured image IP1 (φ, λ), the rotation display image IQ1 ( φ, λ).

  One embodiment of the display image extracting process will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic flowchart of the display image extraction process.

In this display image extraction processing, after the first rotation of rotating the reference earth body imaging center position CEP0 (φp, λp) to the rotating earth body imaging center position CEP1 (φp, λp), the rotating earth body imaging center The rotation matrix M is determined assuming that the second rotation that rotates around the axis passing through the position CEP1 (φp, λp) and the center of the earth body is performed. Assuming that the rotation represented by the first rotation matrix M1 is performed after the rotation represented by the first rotation matrix M1, the rotation represented by the second rotation matrix M2 is performed.
M = M2 · M1 (3)
It can be expressed as.
Hereinafter, it is assumed that the size of the position vector representing the center position is all normalized to 1.

  The display image extraction process is executed according to a computer program stored in the internal memory of the CPU 22. In step ST1, a reference earth body imaging area AEP0 (φ, λ) stored in advance is set. In step ST2, a reference earth body display area AEQ0 (φ, λ) is set. In the display area invariant method, the reference earth body display area AEQ0 (φ, λ) data stored in advance is used, and in the display area variable method, the reference earth body display area AEQ0 ′ (φ , Λ) data is used. In step ST3, the rotation image IP1 (φ, λ) obtained by imaging the earth graphic EP1 (φ, λ) located in the current rotation earth imaging region AEP1 (φ, λ) is converted into a captured image. The data is read from the memory 18 to the memory control circuit 19. In step ST4, the read rotated captured image IP1 (φ, λ) is compared with a reference map image stored in the map image memory 20 in advance, and image recognition of the rotated captured image IP1 (φ, λ) is performed. Is executed. Since this reference map image is composed of the same image data as the map image printed on the earth object 3, an image that matches the rotated captured image IP1 (φ, λ) is located at any location in the reference map image. Will exist. For this image comparison, various known pattern matching techniques can be used. For this image recognition, a multi-stage comparison process using a plurality of types of reference map images according to the features of the rotated captured image IP1 (φ, λ) may be executed. In step ST5, it is determined whether or not the result of the comparison between the rotation captured image IP1 (φ, λ) and the reference map image matches, and if they do not match, error processing is performed. If the comparison results match, the coordinates of the reference map image corresponding to the center position of the rotated captured image IP1 (φ, λ) are extracted as the rotating earth body imaging center position CEP1 (φp, λp).

In step ST6, a first rotation matrix M1 is calculated. Since the reference earth body imaging center position CEP0 (φp0, λp0) of the reference earth body imaging area AEP0 (φ, λ) is a fixed position, its value is stored in the internal memory of the CPU 22 in advance. The rotation axis N1 vector from the reference earth body imaging center position CEP0 (φp, λp) to the rotating earth body imaging center position CEP1 (φp1, λp1) is the reference earth body imaging center position CEP0 (φp0, λp0) and the rotating earth body imaging center. Since this axis is orthogonal to the plane including the center of the earth body and the position CEP1 (φp1, λp1), the axis is defined by the cross product of the respective position vectors.
N1 = CEP0 × CEP1 (4)
Is required.
The rotation angle ω1 is an angle formed by an axis connecting the reference earth body imaging center position CEP0 (φp0, λp0) and the earth body center and an axis connecting the rotating earth body imaging center position CEP1 (φp1, λp1) to the earth body center. From the inner product of each position vector,
cosω1 = CEP0 · CEP1 (5)
Is required.
The first rotation matrix M1 can be obtained by substituting the rotation axis N1 vector and the rotation angle ω1 into a known arbitrary axis rotation method.

In step ST7, a second rotation matrix M2 is calculated. Since the rotation axis N2 vector is an axis connecting the rotation earth body imaging center position CEP1 (φp1, λp1) and the earth body center,
N2 = CEP1 (6)
Is required.
The rotation angle θ corresponds to the in-plane rotation angle of the rotation captured image IP1 (φ, λ) with respect to the longitude line or the latitude line, and is detected by analyzing the rotation captured image IP1 (φ, λ). For example, the longitude (λpu and λpd) of each midpoint of the upper and lower boundaries of the image is detected,
tan θ = (λpu−λpd) / h (7)
Is required. h is the height of the captured image.
The second rotation matrix M2 can be obtained by substituting the rotation axis N2 vector and the rotation angle θ into a known arbitrary axis rotation method.

In step ST8, the rotation matrix M is calculated according to the equation (3).
In step ST9, the coordinates of the rotating terrestrial object display area AEQ1 (φ, λ) are calculated according to equation (2), and the coordinates are calculated from the reference map image in the map image memory 20 or the display map image corresponding to the reference map image. , An image corresponding to the rotating earth body display area AEQ1 (φ, λ) is cut out, and a rotated display image IQ1 (φ, λ) is extracted.

  The rotated display image IQ1 (φ, λ) becomes the extracted display image data, but the information on the terrain related to the rotating terrestrial body display area AEQ1 can also be the display image data. Examples of the information other than the rotated display image IQ1 include finer topographic maps and geographic information other than the topography such as special products of the country. Switching between these various display image data is performed in accordance with the operation of selecting a menu (not shown) displayed on the image display element 10 and the operation of various functions of the globe such as enlargement / reduction and movement. Further, the display image data may be composed of a plurality of terrain information data sets such as image data and character data, and the character data may be composed of a plurality of character data sets formed of fonts for languages of each country. In this case, the character data set is switched by the selection operation of the menu or the like, and only the character font displayed on the image becomes a display image corresponding to a specific language. Even if the language of the given character is a language of one country, the display image is written in a different language, and a globe corresponding to various users can be realized. In addition, the plurality of terrain information data sets are configured in the form of a plurality of image data sets such as a terrain map, an administrative map, and a road network map, and a plurality of character data sets related to the image data sets, Display image data in which some or all of them are combined may be used.

  Next, the operation of the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a main process showing the operation of the first embodiment, which is executed according to a computer program stored in the internal memory of the CPU 22.

  This operation is started when the power switch is turned ON, or when the earth body 3 is attached when the earth body 3 is detachable. Alternatively, the operation may be started when both image display unit support arms 2a move to a predetermined position. In step S1, it is determined whether the power switch is ON or OFF. If the power switch is ON, the process proceeds to step S2. In step S2, an initialization process is performed. In this initialization process, data of the reference captured image IP0 (φ, λ) and the reference display image IQ0 (φ, λ) are read from the internal memory and set.

  In step S3, whether or not the earth body 3 is mounted on the globe base 2 is detected and determined by the contact type or non-contact type mounting detection switch 30. If the earth body 3 is not removable, the process of this step is deleted. If it is determined in step S3 that the camera is mounted, the process proceeds to step S4, and in step S4, it is determined whether an instruction to start image extraction has been issued. The instruction to start image extraction is given by turning on a dedicated operation switch (not shown), selecting a menu (not shown) displayed on the image display element 10, and the like. If the following extracted image is not reread or the extraction position is not input, the processing of this step is deleted. If there is no instruction to start image extraction, the process proceeds to step S5, where it is determined whether to display an extracted image. This determination is made by turning on a dedicated operation switch (not shown), selecting a menu (not shown) displayed on the image display element 10, and the like. If the extracted image is not to be displayed, the process proceeds to step S6, where it is determined whether or not to input an extraction position. The input of the extraction position is an operation for directly specifying a position to be observed, and is executed by inputting a place name and selecting a point using a menu (not shown) displayed on the image display element 10. . If the input of the extraction position is not performed in step S6, the process returns to step S4 and waits for the next operation. When the input of the extraction position is performed in step S6, the process proceeds to step S7, and the input of the extraction position is performed in step S7. In step S8, the rotated display image IQ1 (φ, λ) is directly set based on the input information on the extraction position, and the image extraction of the display image is performed without executing the image extraction process by the imaging process. The process is performed, and the process proceeds to step S11. If it is determined in step S5 that the extracted image is to be displayed, the process proceeds to step S9. In step S9, the previously extracted image that has been extracted is reread without performing the image extraction process by performing the imaging process again. Proceed to S11. If there is an instruction to start image extraction in step S4, the process proceeds to step S10, and the imaging process is started in step S10. Next, in step S11, a display process is started. Although not shown, these processes are repeated until the power is turned off, the earth body 3 is removed, or an instruction to stop the process is issued.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of the S4 imaging process in FIG. In step S31, initialization processing such as a still count OFF and a still flag False is performed. In step S32, it is determined whether or not the extracted image has already been subjected to the image extraction process and the extracted image that is the image used in the extraction process is stored. If there is no extracted image, the process proceeds to step S33 and proceeds to step S33. Then, the first image extraction flag is set to False. On the other hand, if there is an extracted captured image, the process proceeds to step S34, and in step S34, the first image extraction flag is set to True. In step S35, it is determined whether or not the imaging process is OFF. If the imaging process is OFF, the illumination light source 32 is turned off, the imaging device 9 is stopped, and the imaging process is stopped. Although illustration is omitted, if an instruction to turn off the power, remove the earth body 3, or stop the imaging process is given, the imaging process is turned off by the interrupt process, and the imaging process is stopped.

  In step S35, when the imaging process is ON, in step S36, the illumination light source 32 is turned on, the imaging element 9 is driven, and a captured image is obtained. In this imaging processing, the earth body 3 is illuminated by the illumination light source 32, an earth figure matching the imaging setting area AP (x, y, z) is imaged, and when the earth body 3 is at the reference position, When the captured image IP0 (φ, λ) data is not at the reference position, the rotated captured image IP1 (φ, λ) data is temporarily stored in the captured image memory 18. In step S37, a sharpness detection process is performed, and the sharpness of the captured image is detected. In step S38, the detected sharpness level is determined, and it is determined whether or not the captured image is effective to the extent that subsequent image processing can be executed. If it is determined that the image is not appropriate as an image to be processed because the influence of image noise due to image blur, image blur, flare light, or the like due to out of focus, etc., the process proceeds to S39, and in step S39, the still count OFF or the false flag False is set. After setting, the process returns to step S35.

  If it is determined in step S38 that the sharpness level is large and the captured image is valid, the process proceeds to step S40. In step S40, the current captured image data updated when the captured image is valid is stored and updated. Then, in step S41, it is determined whether or not the extracted captured image is stored. If there is no extracted captured image, the process proceeds to step S42, and in step S42, the current captured image data is stored as the first extracted captured image data. . If there is an extracted captured image in step S41, the process proceeds to step S43. In step S43, the current captured image data is compared with the stored extracted captured image data. As a result of the comparison processing, in step S44, a movement vector from the extracted captured image data of the current captured image data is extracted. The movement vector is data representing a movement amount and a movement direction between images, and can be detected using a known method using image processing such as a matching method or a gradient method. Alternatively, the detection can be performed using a rotation sensor (not shown) provided separately from the image sensor 9. In one method using a rotation sensor, the support ball 4 is configured as a known trackball, and a movement vector is detected using an output from a rotation encoder (not shown) that detects the rotation of the trackball. When the earth body 3 rotates, the support ball 4 that rotates in contact with the earth body 3 also rotates at the same time, so that the output of the rotary encoder indicates the direction and amount of rotation of the earth body 3 from the rest position. . The rotation direction and the rotation amount correspond to the moving direction and the moving amount from the extracted captured image data to the captured image data, so that the earth body is not modified and the extracted image data and the extracted The movement vector can be calculated from the output of the rotary encoder without performing the comparison processing with the captured image data. In step S45, it is determined whether or not the movement vector has exceeded a predetermined threshold. If the movement vector has exceeded the threshold, it is determined that there has been movement, and the process proceeds to step S46. In step S46, the detected movement vector is stored and updated as a registered movement vector. Then, in step S47, the stationary count OFF and the stationary flag False are set, and the process returns to step S35.

  If the movement vector does not exceed the predetermined threshold in step S45, it is determined that there is no movement and the vehicle is stationary, and the process proceeds to step S48. In step S48, it is determined whether or not the still flag is True. If True, the image extraction process is in progress, so the process returns to step S35, and if the still flag is False, the process proceeds to step S49. In step S49, it is determined whether or not the stationary count is ON. If the stationary count is OFF, the stationary count has not been started. Therefore, in step S50, the stationary count is set to ON, and the Scount value is set. Is reset to 0, and the process proceeds to step S51. If the stationary count is ON in step S49, the stationary count has already been started, so the process proceeds to step S51 without executing step S50. In step S51, the Scount value is counted up, and in step S52, it is determined whether the Scount value has exceeded a SThreshold value, which is a threshold of the Scount value. If the threshold value has not been exceeded, the process returns to step S35. If the threshold value has been exceeded, the process proceeds to step S53. At step S53, the stationary count is set to OFF and the stationary flag is set to True. As a result, it is detected that the stationary state is maintained for a predetermined time.

  In step S54, the first image extraction flag is determined. If the first image extraction flag is True, the process proceeds to step S55. In step S55, the size of the registered movement vector is determined, and the registered movement vector is determined to be a predetermined value. If the value is smaller than the value, the process proceeds to step S56, where the second image extraction process is started. On the other hand, if the registered movement vector is larger than the predetermined value, and if the first image extraction flag is False in step S54, the process proceeds to step S57, and the first image extraction process is started in step S57. . The predetermined value for the registered movement vector is set to a value from which a destination image can be extracted. If the first image extraction processing or the second image extraction processing is started, the process proceeds to step S58, and after the registered movement vector is reset in step S58, the process returns to step S35, and the above-described imaging process is repeated.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the S37 sharpness detection processing of FIG. In step S71, a high-pass filter is applied to the captured image data to extract a high-frequency signal. In step S72, the peak signal SPpeak of the high-frequency signal in the imaging frame is detected. In step S73, it is determined whether or not the SPpeak exceeds a predetermined threshold Threpeak. If the SPpeak does not exceed the threshold, the sharpness level is considered to be small in step S74. In step S75, it is determined that the sharpness level is large. Such a sharpness detection process is a known process, and another sharpness detection process for detecting a signal other than the high-frequency peak signal may be used.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the S57 first image extraction process in FIG. In step S101, a reference earth body imaging area AEP0 (φ, λ) stored in advance is set. In step S102, it is determined whether the display area is fixed or the display area is variable. If the display area is variable, the process proceeds to step S103. In step S103, the position of the display area and the in-plane rotation angle are determined. The display area variable parameters such as the data of are read. In step S104, a new reference earth object display area AEQ0 'is calculated using the display area variable parameter. In step S105, the reference earth object display area AEQ0' is set, and the process proceeds to step S107. If it is determined in step S102 that the display area is fixed, the process proceeds to step S106. In step S106, a reference earth body display area AEQ0 (φ, λ) stored in advance is set. In step S107, the current captured image IP1 (φ, λ) is read from the captured image memory 18 to the memory control circuit 19. In step S108, the read current captured image IP1 (φ, λ) is compared with a reference map image stored in the map image memory 20 in advance, and image recognition of the current captured image IP1 (φ, λ) is performed. Is executed. For this image recognition, a multi-stage comparison process using a plurality of types of reference map images according to the features of the rotated captured image IP1 (φ, λ) may be executed. Here, if the current captured image IP1 (φ, λ) is a single-color uniform image, the comparison process becomes impossible. Therefore, a map image that is not a single-color uniform image at least within the range of the imaging region is obtained. , Is printed on the earth body 3. In step S109, it is determined whether the result of the comparison between the current captured image IP1 (φ, λ) and the reference map image matches, and if they do not match, error processing is performed. If the comparison results match, the coordinates of the reference map image corresponding to the center position of the current captured image P1 (φ, λ) are extracted as the current captured image center position CEP1 (φp, λp). Hereinafter, similarly to the display image extraction processing flowchart of FIG. 5, the first rotation matrix M1 is calculated in step S110, the second rotation matrix M2 is calculated in step S111, and the rotation matrix M is calculated in step S112. In step S113, from the reference map image in the map image memory 20 or the display map image corresponding to the reference map image, the reference earth body display area AEQ1 (φ, λ) or AEQ0 ′ (φ, λ) The displayed image IQ1 (φ, λ) is extracted.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the S56 second image extraction processing of FIG. In step S131, a registered movement vector is read. In step S132, the registered movement vector is applied to the display image IQ1 (φ, λ) that has been displayed so far, and in step S133, the display image IQ2 (φ, φ, λ) is extracted from the reference map image in the map image memory 20 or the display map image corresponding to the reference map image. In the second image extraction processing, the image recognition processing in the first image extraction processing is omitted, so that the display image after moving can be extracted at high speed.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the S11 display processing of FIG. In step S151, it is determined whether the display processing is OFF. If the display processing is OFF, the illumination light source 32 is turned off, the image display element 10 is stopped, and the display processing is stopped. Although illustration is omitted, if an instruction to turn off the power, remove the earth body 3 or cancel the display processing is given, the display processing is turned off by the interrupt processing, and the display processing is stopped. In step S152, the first image extraction process and the second image extraction process are started, and it is determined whether an image is being extracted. If the image is being extracted, the process proceeds to step S154. If the image is not being extracted, the process proceeds to step S153. In step S153, it is determined whether the image extraction process has already been performed and the display image has been extracted. If there is no extracted display image, the process proceeds to step S154. In step S154, it is determined whether or not the image pickup and display integrated type described later as the second embodiment is used. If not, the process proceeds to step S155. In step S155, it is determined that an image is being extracted or there is no extracted display image. The warning display image representing the message is set as the display image, and the process proceeds to step S158. In the case of the integrated imaging and display type, the process proceeds to step S156, in which the through image is set as the display image in step S156, and the process proceeds to step S158. If it is determined in step S153 that there is an extracted display image, the process proceeds to step S157. In step S157, the extracted extracted display image is set as a display image. The process proceeds to step S158. Is displayed.

  In step S159, it is determined whether the display position is in the imaging synchronization state. The imaging synchronization state indicates a state where the image displayed on the image display unit is a map image corresponding to the display area AEQ1 (φ, λ) of the image display unit. When the image displayed on the image display unit is not the map image of the earth object 3 facing the image display unit, such as during extraction of the extracted display image or moving the image, the imaging is in the asynchronous state. If the imaging is in the asynchronous state, the process proceeds to step S160. In step S160, the mode is switched to the asynchronous imaging mode. The process proceeds to step S161. In step S161, the synchronous display LED is turned off, and the process returns to step S151. If it is determined in step S159 that the imaging is synchronized, the process proceeds to step S162. In step S162, the mode is switched to the imaging synchronization mode. The process proceeds to step S163. In step S163, the synchronization display LED is turned on, and the process proceeds to step S164. In S164, it is determined whether or not the aiming cursor display is ON. The aiming cursor display is turned on at a timing such as when an image display magnification Mg described later with reference to FIG. 15 is 1, at the time of first image extraction, or at the time of a through image display described later, and after being turned on, It is turned off after a predetermined time has elapsed by a timer (not shown). If the aiming cursor display is ON, the aiming cursor is superimposed and displayed on the display image in step S165. If the aiming cursor display is OFF, in step S166, the aiming cursor is hidden and the process returns to step S151. The above display processing is repeated.

  Next, an enlargement / reduction display operation when the enlargement button 13a or the reduction button 13b arranged on the image display unit 6 is pressed will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing one embodiment of the enlargement / reduction display processing. When the enlargement button 13a or the reduction button 13b is pressed, enlargement / reduction display processing is executed by interrupt processing for the CPU 22.

  In step S171, it is determined whether or not the image is currently being displayed. If the image is being displayed, the process proceeds to step S172. If the image is not currently being displayed, the enlargement / reduction display process ends. In step S172, it is determined whether the enlargement switch is ON or the reduction switch is ON. If the enlargement switch is ON, the process proceeds to step S173, and if the reduction switch is ON, the process proceeds to step S174.

  In step S173, the current image display magnification Mg is multiplied by the image display magnification Ru to calculate a new image display magnification Mg. The image enlargement ratio Ru is a value larger than 1, and when the image display enlargement ratio Ru is multiplied, the image display magnification Mg increases. In step S174, a new image display magnification Mg is calculated by multiplying the current image display magnification Mg by the image reduction rate Rd. The image reduction ratio Rd is a value smaller than 1, and when the image reduction ratio Rd is multiplied, the image display magnification Mg decreases.

  In step S175, it is determined whether the new image display magnification Mg is 1 and the image is displayed at the same magnification without being scaled. If the image display magnification Mg is 1, the process proceeds to step S176. In step S176, the mode is switched to the standard image display mode. If the image display magnification Mg is not 1, the process proceeds to step S177, where the mode is switched to the enlarged display image display mode in step S177.

  In step S178, it is determined whether or not the new image display magnification Mg is a displayable image display enlargement ratio. If the new image display magnification Mg is larger than the maximum image display enlargement ratio Mgmax, which is the limit of the displayable image display enlargement ratio, Then, the enlargement / reduction display processing ends. If the new image display magnification Mg is equal to or smaller than the maximum image display magnification Mgmax, the process proceeds to step S179.

  In step S179, it is determined whether or not the new image display magnification ratio Mg is a displayable image display reduction ratio. If the new image display magnification ratio Mg is smaller than the minimum image display reduction ratio Mgmin, which is the limit of the displayable image display reduction ratio, it is determined. Then, the enlargement / reduction display processing ends. If the new image display magnification Mg is equal to or greater than the minimum image display magnification Mgmin, the process proceeds to step S180.

  In step S180, the enlarged or reduced image is extracted from the standard display image data, which is the same image data as the map image printed on the earth object 3, or contains map information finer than the standard display image data. It is determined whether it is extracted from the detailed display image data. If the new image display magnification Mg is smaller than the image display magnification identification value Thmg, which is a threshold for selecting display image data, the process proceeds to step S181, where the standard display image is extracted as image data to be extracted in step S181. If the data is used and is equal to or greater than the image display magnification identification value Thmg, the process proceeds to step S182, where the detailed display image data is used as the extracted image data in step S182. FIG. 13 schematically shows the relationship between the standard display image data and the image display magnification of the detailed display image data. In FIG. 13, the image display magnification identification value Thmg is larger than 1, but the image display magnification identification value Thmg can be appropriately determined, and is equal to 1, that is, in the case of the enlarged display, the detailed display image is always displayed. Data may be used. Further, although the image display magnification identification value Thmg is one, three or more types of display image data may be provided, and the display image data may be switched by two or more image display magnification identification values. .

  In step S183, the display image data is extracted from the standard display image data or the detailed display image data, and in step S184, one of the standard, enlarged, and reduced display images is displayed.

  Next, a moving display operation when the cross button 12 arranged on the image display unit 6 is pressed will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the movement display process. The cross button 12 includes four switches: a left switch, a right switch, an up switch, and a down switch. When any one of these switches is pressed, a moving display process is executed by an interrupt process for the CPU 22.

  In step S201, it is determined whether or not the image is currently being displayed. If the image is being displayed, the process proceeds to step S202. If the image is not being displayed, the moving display process is terminated. In step S202, it is determined whether the left direction switch is ON. If the left direction switch is ON, the process proceeds to step S203. In step S203, the left image movement amount Dleft is added to the current horizontal image display position Pqh, a new image display position Pqh is calculated, and the process proceeds to step S209. The horizontal image display position Pqh and the vertical image display position Pqv are positions represented by coordinates defined by horizontal and vertical coordinate axes of the reference captured image IP0 (φ, λ) and the rotated captured image IP1 (φ, λ). It is.

  If the left switch is not ON in step S202, the process proceeds to step 204. In step S204, it is determined whether the right direction switch is ON. If the right direction switch is ON, the process proceeds to step 205. In step S205, the rightward image movement amount Right is added to the current horizontal image display position Pqh, a new image display position Pqh is calculated, and the process proceeds to step S209.

  If the right switch is not ON in step S204, the process proceeds to step 206. In step S206, it is determined whether or not the upward switch is ON. If the upward switch is ON, the process proceeds to step 207. In step S207, the upward image movement amount Dup is added to the current vertical image display position Pqv, a new image display position Pqv is calculated, and the process proceeds to step S209.

  If the up switch is not ON in step S206, the down switch is ON, so the process proceeds to step 208. In step S208, the down image movement amount Ddown is set to the current vertical image display position Pqv. Are added, a new image display position Pq is calculated, and the process proceeds to step S209.

  In step S209, it is determined whether the new image display position Pq has moved from the position of the display image IQ1 extracted by the display image extraction process based on the captured image. A mode in which the display image is displayed at the position of the display image IQ1 extracted based on the captured image is referred to as an imaging synchronization mode. If only the display image is moved while the earth object 3 is fixed, the display image is not based on the captured image, and an image at a point different from the point of the earth sphere 3 facing the image display element 10 is displayed. Therefore, this display mode is referred to as an imaging asynchronous mode. When the new image display position Pq is the position of the display image IQ1 extracted by the display image extraction processing based on the captured image, the condition of the imaging synchronization mode is satisfied, and the process proceeds to step S210. Switch to synchronous mode. Thereafter, in step S212, the synchronous display LED using the image display unit display element 28 is turned on. When the new image display position Pq is not the position of the display image IQ1 extracted by the display image extraction processing based on the captured image, the condition of the imaging synchronization mode is not satisfied, and the process proceeds to step S211. Switch to asynchronous mode. Thereafter, in step S213, the synchronous display LED using the image display unit display element 28 is turned off.

  Thereafter, in step S214, the standard display image or the enlarged / reduced display image at the new image display position Pq is extracted from the standard display image data or the detailed display image data, and in step S215, the standard, enlarged, One of the reduced display images is displayed.

  FIG. 15 schematically shows the enlarged and reduced image display state in the imaging synchronous mode and the imaging asynchronous mode. FIG. 15A shows a standard display image IQ1 in which the image display magnification Mg is 1 which is first extracted by the display image extraction processing based on the captured image. Since this state is the imaging synchronization mode, the synchronization display LED at the lower left of the screen is lit. The aiming cursor at the center is an index indicating the image display center position, and may be deleted if unnecessary. The bar display at the lower right of the screen indicates the image display magnification Mg, and may be deleted if unnecessary. FIG. 15B shows an enlarged display image in which an enlargement switch is pressed and an enlarged image is displayed. Since the display image position has not been changed from the position in FIG. 10A, the imaging synchronization mode is maintained, and the synchronization display LED remains lit. FIG. 15C illustrates a moving display image in which the leftward switch is pressed from the state of FIG. 15A and a moving image is displayed. Since the display image position has been changed from the position shown in FIG. 15A, the mode is switched to the imaging asynchronous mode, and the synchronous display LED is turned off. FIG. 15D shows a display image in a state in which the leftward switch is pressed ON from the state in FIG. 15B, or a state in which the enlargement switch is pressed in the state in FIG. . Since the display image position has been changed from the position shown in FIG. 15A, the imaging asynchronous mode is set, and the synchronous display LED is turned off.

  Next, the operation of the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment, the imaging unit and the image display unit are separated from each other. However, the second embodiment is characterized in that the imaging unit and the image display unit are integrated into an imaging and display unit. And According to this configuration, it is possible to provide features that are not included in the first embodiment, such that the circuits of the imaging unit and the image display unit can be integrated into one, and a through image is displayed.

  FIG. 16 is an external view of a globe 101 according to the second embodiment, which is integrated with imaging and display. FIG. 17 shows a side view of a state where the earth body 103 is attached to the globe base 102. Although the structures of the earth body 103, the globe base 102, and the support ball 104 are the same as those of the first embodiment, the imaging unit 105 and the image display unit 106 are integrally formed.

  When the imaging unit and the image display unit are integrated as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the imaging optical system needs to be compact. Although it is possible to constitute this imaging optical system by using one lens shown in the first embodiment of FIG. 1, in order to make the image display unit closer to the earth body, a bending optical system must be used. When used to form an imaging optical system, it is effective because a relatively low-cost lens can be used. FIG. 18 shows an optical axis in which the object-side optical axis of the imaging optical system and an axis passing from the center of the earth body to the center of the image display unit (hereinafter, referred to as a center axis) coincide with each other using the bending optical system. It is a figure showing one example of a match type. 18A is a diagram of the imaging optical system viewed from the display surface of the image display unit, FIG. 18B is a diagram of the imaging optical system viewed from the side, and FIG. 18C is a diagram of the imaging optical system. It is the figure seen from the earth body.

Light from the earth body 103 illuminated by the four illumination light sources 32 and passing through the front lens 8a is reflected by the reflection optical element 8b, passes through the rear lens 8c, and forms an image on the image sensor 9. The subject-side optical axis 107 of the imaging optical system and the central axis 108 of the image display unit 106 match. As described above, if the object-side optical axis 107 of the imaging optical system and the center axis 108 of the image display unit 106 match, the center position of the through image from the image sensor 9 and the center position of the extracted display image are determined. As a result, the through image can be displayed without a sense of incongruity, so that more convenient functions such as displaying the through image during the image extraction processing can be provided.
Although the front lens 8b, the reflective optical element 8b, and the rear lens 8c are used, the present invention is not limited to this. The reflective optical element is located in front of the lens, a plurality of reflective optical elements are provided, or two or more reflective optical elements are provided. Or any known bending optical system. The number of the illumination light sources 32 is not limited to four, and may be one or more. If the use environment is sufficiently bright, the illumination light sources 32 can be omitted.

  FIG. 19 shows that, using a bending optical system, the object-side optical axis of the imaging optical system does not coincide with the axis passing through the center of the image display unit from the center of the earth body (hereinafter referred to as the center axis). It is a figure which shows one Example of a shaft separation type. 19A is a diagram of the imaging optical system viewed from the display surface of the image display unit, FIG. 19B is a diagram of the imaging optical system viewed from the side, and FIG. 19C is a diagram of the imaging optical system. It is the figure seen from the earth body.

Light from the earth body 103 illuminated by the two illumination light sources 32 and passing through the front lens 8a is reflected by the reflection optical element 8b, passes through the rear lens 8c, and forms an image on the imaging element 9. The subject-side optical axis 107 of the imaging optical system does not coincide with the central axis 108 of the image display unit 106. As described above, if the subject-side optical axis 107 of the imaging optical system and the central axis 108 of the image display unit 106 are separated from each other, the degree of freedom in designing the arrangement position of the imaging element 9 increases, and FIG. As shown in B), the image display unit 106 can be brought closer to the earth object 103. Even with this optical axis separation type, if the subject-side optical axis 107 of the imaging optical system and the central axis 108 of the image display unit 106 are not largely deviated, a through image is displayed as in the optical axis coincidence type. be able to.
As in the case of the optical axis matching type, the front lens 8b, the reflective optical element 8b, and the rear lens 8c are used. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Any known bending optical system configuration including a plurality of lenses or two or more lenses may be used. Further, the number of the illumination light sources 32 is not limited to two, and may be one or more. If the use environment is sufficiently bright, the illumination light sources 32 can be omitted.

  FIG. 20 is a circuit block diagram of the second embodiment. The difference from the circuit configuration of the first embodiment is that the imaging unit 105 and the image display unit 106 are integrated. The entire circuit is controlled by the CPU 22, the imaging-related circuits are controlled by the DSP 109, and the configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment except that the switch 26 and the display element 27 are integrated.

In the second embodiment, a through image of a captured image can be used. In the operation example of the display processing shown in FIG. 11, when an image is being extracted or when there is no extracted display image, it is determined whether or not the image capturing and displaying integrated type is used. Proceeds to step S156, and in step S156, a through image is displayed.
The operation of this through image will be described. Until the extracted display image is extracted, the display image is in an indefinite state. In addition, when the extracted display image is extracted and the earth object is rotated while the extracted display image is being displayed, an extracted display image of a new destination is extracted. Until the display image is extracted, the display image is in an indeterminate state. As a countermeasure for this problem, there is a method of keeping the previously extracted image displayed, or a method of deleting the display image and displaying a message indicating that the image is being extracted. Therefore, if the through image is displayed during the irregular period, the image flow at the time of the rotational movement is also expressed, so that the uncomfortable feeling can be eliminated. In addition, a still image at the still position is displayed immediately before the image is extracted while the still image is still at the rotation destination, and after the image extraction is completed, a clearer extracted image is obtained. Since the display is displayed, the operation becomes comfortable.

  In the through image display, since the image display magnification Mg is 1, the aiming cursor as shown in FIG. 15A may be superimposed and displayed in a stationary state or at all times. The aiming cursor is used to turn on a dedicated operation switch (not shown), to select a menu (not shown) displayed on the image display element 10, to complete the subsequent image extraction, or to set the image display magnification Mg to 1 OFF, or when a predetermined time has elapsed by a timer (not shown).

FIG. 21 is an external view of a first modification in which the method of the second embodiment is applied to a one-axis type globe, and FIG. 22 is a side view thereof.
The one-axis type globe is the most widespread globe in which the earth body is rotatably supported on one axis corresponding to the earth axis and is tilted by an angle corresponding to the orbital plane of the earth. Even with such a one-axis type globe, it is possible to adopt a configuration of a separate imaging and display type as in the first embodiment, but the imaging unit and the image There arises a problem that the display unit must be arranged, and a problem that the position of the image display unit needs to be detected since the imaging region is limited to a small region because the earth body is supported on the axis. However, such a problem can be solved by forming the imaging display integrated type.

  In a globe 201 of the first modification, a support frame 204 is fixed to a globe base 202. A globe shaft 206 integrated with the earth body 203 is rotatably mounted on a globe bearing 205 which is a part of the support frame 204. The imaging display unit 207 in which the imaging unit and the image display unit are integrated can slide along the support frame 204. Here, the support frame 204 has a ring shape surrounding the entire circumference of the earth body, but this is to make the movement range of the imaging display unit 207 as large as possible, and make the movement range small, for example, in the vicinity of the South Pole. If not displayed, a C-shaped bow shape surrounding a half circumference of the earth body may be used as in a conventional support frame.

  Since the earth body 203 rotates around the globe axis 206 and the imaging display unit 207 slides along the support frame 204, the imaging display unit 207 can capture almost the entire area of the earth body 203, and the imaging display An image of the terrain related to the earth body 203 facing the unit 207 is extracted by the above-described method and displayed on the imaging display unit 207.

FIG. 23 is an external view of a modified example 2 in which the method of the second embodiment is applied to a uniaxial globe, and FIG. 24 is a side view thereof.
In a globe 301 of the second modification, a support frame 304 is fixed to a globe base 302. The support frame 304 has a C-shaped bow shape surrounding a half circumference of the earth body like a support frame of a conventional globe. A globe shaft 306 integrated with the earth body 303 is rotatably mounted on a globe bearing 305 which is a part of the support frame 304. The imaging display unit 307 in which the imaging unit and the image display unit are integrated is attached to a slide frame 308, and the slide frame 308 can slide into a space inside the support frame 304.

  Since the earth body 303 rotates around the globe axis 306 and the imaging display unit 307 slides along the support frame 304, the imaging display unit 307 is substantially The entire area can be photographed, and an image of the terrain related to the earth object 303 facing the imaging display unit 307 is extracted by the above-described method and displayed on the imaging display unit 307.

FIG. 25 is an external view of a third modification in which the method of the second embodiment is applied to a two-axis type globe, and FIG. 26 is a side view thereof.
In a two-axis type globe, one axis corresponding to the earth axis is rotatably supported on a ring-shaped inner frame, tilted by an angle corresponding to the orbital plane of the earth, and is supported by the ring-shaped inner frame. A general form of globe that is provided with one axis and is rotatably supported within a ring-shaped outer frame so that any position of the earth body can be rotationally moved to a specific position. It is. Even with such a two-axis type globe, it is possible to adopt a configuration of a separate imaging and display type as in the first embodiment, but the imaging unit is located at a position avoiding the frame supporting the two axes. And the need to arrange an image display unit, and the problem that the position of the image display unit needs to be detected because the imaging area is limited to a small area because the earth body is supported on the axis. . However, these problems can be solved by the integrated imaging and display type, similarly to the one-axis type.

  In a globe 401 of the third modification, an outer support frame 404 is fixed to a globe base 402. The globe outer shaft 408 of the inner support frame 405 is attached to a globe outer bearing 406 which is a part of the outer support frame 404, and the inner support frame 405 is rotatable with respect to the outer support frame 404. Further, a globe inner shaft 409 integrated with the earth body 403 is attached to a globe inner bearing 407 which is a part of the inner support frame 405, and the earth body 403 becomes rotatable with respect to the inner support frame 405. Then, the imaging display unit 410 in which the imaging unit and the image display unit are integrated is attached to the imaging display unit support frame 411, and the imaging display unit support frame bearing 412 which is a part of the imaging display unit support frame 411 is mounted. A shaft coaxial with the globe outer shaft 408 of the inner support frame 405 is attached, and the imaging display unit support frame 411 is rotatable with respect to the outer support frame 404. If the globe is a two-axis type globe, an arbitrary position of the earth body can be rotated and moved to a specific position. Therefore, the imaging display unit 407 may be a fixed position. Then, since it is not easy to rotate and move an arbitrary position of the earth body to a specific position quickly, if the configuration is such that the imaging display unit 407 can be rotationally moved, an image of a desired earth body position can be quickly obtained. Can be displayed.

Note that the relationship between the above-described various bearings and the shaft is not limited to the illustrated configuration, and the bearing may be provided on either side of the two members that rotate relatively. In addition, although the imaging display unit support frame 411 is described as having a shaft coaxial with the globe outer shaft 408 of the inner support frame 405, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. It should just be.
Furthermore, the imaging display unit 410 may be attached to the imaging display unit support frame 411 by the imaging display unit rotation shaft 413 and a bearing (not shown) so that the imaging display unit 410 can also rotate with respect to the imaging display unit support frame 411. Good. With this configuration, the in-plane rotation of the imaging display unit 407 can be freely operated, so that the degree of freedom in searching for the position of the earth body is increased, and an image of the desired earth body position can be displayed more quickly. .

  Next, the operation of the third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first and second embodiments, the image display unit has been mechanically connected to the globe. The third embodiment is an embodiment in which the image display unit is separated from the globe and can be attached to the globe. A portable terminal with an image display function can be used as the image display unit. This is different from the first embodiment and the second embodiment. Although it is necessary to specify the position of the image display area, the third embodiment is characterized in that the position of the display area is determined using a rotary encoder.

FIG. 27 is an external view of a globe 501 according to the third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 28 is a side view showing a state where the earth body 503 is attached to a globe base 502. The members denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment.
As in the first embodiment, three freely rotatable support balls 504 are installed on a globe table 502 having three legs, and the earth body 3 is placed on the support balls 504. , The earth body 503 is mounted. Immediately below the earth body 503 in the mounted state, an imaging unit 505 that is a part of the globe base 502 is arranged. The earth sphere 503 may be made removable from the globe base 502. The attachment / detachment state is detected by a contact-type or non-contact-type attachment detection switch 30 (not shown) in conjunction with the attachment / detachment state with respect to the support ball 504.
In the mounted state of the earth body 503, the support ball 504 is in contact with the earth body 503, and the support ball 504 can freely rotate. Therefore, the earth body 503 can be rotated in an arbitrary direction by touching the earth body 503 with a hand or the like.

  A first rotation shaft 508 and an image display unit support frame 507 that is rotatable by a bearing (not shown) that supports the first rotation shaft 508 are attached to a part of the globe table 502. The rotation angle of the first rotation shaft 508 is detected by the first rotation encoder 509. The first rotary shaft 508, a bearing (not shown) supporting the first rotary shaft 508, and the first rotary encoder 509 are not limited to the illustrated configuration. If the rotation angle of the first rotary shaft 508 can be detected, the globe mount may be used. It may be attached to either side of 502 and the image display unit support frame 507.

  A second rotation shaft 510 and an image display unit base 512 rotatable by a bearing (not shown) supporting the second rotation shaft 510 are attached to a part of the image display unit support frame 507. The rotation angle of the second rotation shaft 510 is detected by the second rotation encoder 511. The second rotary shaft 510, the bearing (not shown) supporting the second rotary shaft 510, and the second rotary encoder 511 are not limited to the illustrated configuration. If the rotation angle of the second rotary shaft 510 can be detected, image display is performed. It may be attached to either side of the unit support frame 507 and the image display unit base 512. The image display unit 506 is attached to the image display unit base 512 in a detachable manner at a predetermined position by a method such as screwing or clipping.

  FIG. 29 is a circuit block diagram of the third embodiment. The imaging unit 505 and the image display unit 506 are connected by wireless or wired communication. The imaging block 505 has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment, except that a first rotary encoder 509 and a second rotary encoder 511 are provided, and these are controlled by the CPU 22 so that information on the position of the image display unit 506 is obtained. The difference from the first embodiment is that the rotation angle data is input to the CPU 22. An imaging-side wireless communication unit 513 and an imaging-side wired communication unit 515 are provided. The image display unit 506 is provided through the imaging-side antenna 514 when performing wireless communication, and through the imaging-side connector 516 when performing wired communication. Communication is established between the devices. Here, the configuration includes both the wireless communication unit and the wired communication unit. However, the configuration may include only one of the communication units. The entire circuit is controlled by the CPU 22. The image display unit 506 includes an image display element 517 controlled by an image display control circuit 519, various image display unit switches 526 linked to each button, and an image display unit display element 525 such as an LED. It is controlled by the side CPU 520. An image display unit-side wireless communication unit 521 and an image display unit-side wired communication unit 523 are provided. The image display unit-side antenna 522 is used for wireless communication, and the image display unit-side connector 524 is used for wired communication. , Communication control with the imaging unit 505 is performed. In the case of wireless communication, the display image data extracted in the same manner as in the first embodiment is converted into a radio signal by the imaging-side wireless communication unit 513 and transmitted from the antenna 514. The signal is converted into a wired communication signal by the wired communication unit 515 and transmitted through the imaging-side connector 516.

  For wireless communication, general-purpose communication means conforming to wireless communication standards such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) and WLAN, or dedicated wireless communication means capable of performing limited communication within the range of a globe can be used. For the wired communication, a general-purpose communication means conforming to a wired communication standard such as USB or IEEE1394, or a dedicated wired communication means capable of performing limited communication within the range of a globe can be used.

  In the third embodiment, the first rotation encoder 509 and the second rotation encoder 511 are used in addition to the detection of the in-plane rotation angle of the image display unit used in the case of the display area variable system in the first embodiment. Thus, the reference terrestrial-body display area AEQ0 ′, which is the position information of the image display unit 506 installed on the image display unit base 512, is set. The data of the extracted display image 1Q1 (φ, λ) is transferred to the image display unit 506 by wireless or wired communication, and is displayed.

  FIG. 30 is a circuit block diagram of a modification in which the third embodiment is applied to a mobile terminal with an image display function, and receives display image data via network communication in addition to the function as an image display unit. In addition to the circuit of FIG. 29, a network communication unit 527 and a network communication antenna 528 of the image display unit 506 are provided. When the terrestrial object display area AEQ1 (φ, λ) is extracted by the imaging unit 505, information of the terrestrial object display area AEQ1 (φ, λ) is transmitted to the image display unit 506, and the terrestrial object display area AEQ1 (φ , Λ) is externally received through the network communication unit 527 and the network communication antenna 528, and sent to the image display control circuit 519 by the display image processing circuit 518. The image is displayed on the image display element 517. In the case of this modification, the display image processing circuit 31 on the imaging unit 505 side is not used. The display image data received from the outside is not limited to the data of the display image IQ1 (φ, λ), and may be earth image data including the data of the display image IQ1 (φ, λ). In this case, the image display unit-side CPU 520 extracts the data of the display image IQ1 (φ, λ) from the received earth image data. According to this configuration, not only the display image previously stored in the map image memory 20 but also a wider display image can be received and displayed through the network line, so that the range of use of the globe can be further expanded. it can.

The globe of this embodiment described above is not limited to these embodiments, and combinations and various modifications of those embodiments are possible within the scope of the present invention. The globe of this embodiment can be modified as follows.
(Modification 1) In the above-described first embodiment, the earth sphere 3 is detachable from the globe base 2, but the earth sphere 3 may be attached to a rotating shaft.

  (Modification 2) In the first embodiment, the earth body 3 is placed on the support ball 4 and can be rotated in any direction while supporting the earth body 3, but other than the support ball. The support member may be used to rotate in any direction while supporting the earth body 3. For example, a support member formed of an elastic body or a bearing may be used. Furthermore, instead of a configuration in which the earth body 3 can be rotated in any direction while supporting the earth body 3, the earth body 3 is manually rotated in a detached state, and the rotated earth body 3 is mounted on the globe stand 2 again. There may be. For example, if the earth body 3 is configured to include a ferromagnetic metal material and a magnet is installed on the globe base 2, the earth body 3 is supported at an arbitrary position while the earth body 3 is removable. be able to.

  (Modification 3) In the first embodiment, the imaging block 5 is installed on a part of the globe base 2 directly below the earth body 3 in the mounted state. It is not limited to the state immediately below the earth body 3 in the state. For example, the imaging block 5 may be arranged on the bow of a conventional globe or on the head of the earth body 3.

  (Modification 4) In the first embodiment, the image display unit 6 is rotatably mounted around the rotation axis 2d of the image display unit rotation member 2e provided on the image display unit support arm 2a. Any image display unit support mechanism may be used as long as the image display unit 6 can be moved to the observation position and the retraction position.

  (Modification 5) In the first embodiment, the earth body 3 is illuminated by the illumination light source 32, but the type and number of the illumination light source 32 can be arbitrarily selected. Further, the illumination light source 32 can be omitted.

  (Modification 6) In the first embodiment, the image recognition of the rotated captured image IP1 is performed by using the pattern matching technology. However, the image recognition of the rotated captured image IP1 is not limited to the use of the pattern matching technology. . Any method may be used as long as it is an image recognition technique that can specify the rotation captured image IP1. For example, the area of the rotated captured image IP1 may be image-recognized by detecting and recognizing a latitude line and a longitude line of the topographic map.

  (Variation 7) In the first embodiment, a memory configuration for each application such as the captured image memory 18 and the map image memory 20 is used. However, a general-purpose nonvolatile memory such as a ROM, an EEPROM, or a flash memory is used. A general-purpose volatile memory such as a RAM may be provided, and these memory areas may be switched and controlled according to the application.

  (Modification 8) In the first embodiment, the rotary encoder 34 is provided in the case of using the variable display area method. However, if the position of the image display unit 6 is detected, any encoder including a linear encoder can be used. There may be.

  (Modification 9) In the first embodiment, the peak signal of the high-frequency signal in the imaging frame is used for the sharpness detection processing. Is also good.

  (Modification 10) In the first embodiment, instead of detecting the movement vector by image processing, the support ball 4 is configured as a known trackball, and an output from a rotation encoder for detecting the rotation of the trackball is used. However, any type of rotation sensor may be used as long as the rotation direction and the rotation amount of the earth object can be detected.

  (Variation 11) In the first embodiment, when the registered movement vector is smaller than a predetermined value, quick image extraction by the second image extraction process is performed using the registered movement vector. If the size of the captured map image or the display map image extracted in the first image extraction process is sufficiently large, it is possible to omit the magnitude determination of the registered movement vector. That is, once the image is extracted by the first image extraction process, the image is extracted by the second image extraction process until a new first image extraction process is required such as at the time of restart. , And more rapid image extraction can be realized.

  (Variation 12) In the first embodiment, it is assumed that the earth body 3 is illuminated and the earth figure is imaged, and a detailed description of the imaging process is omitted. Imaging color processing may be performed. Furthermore, even if the image sensor 9 is a color image sensor and the illumination light source 32 is a single-color or white LED, the image sensor 9 is a monochrome image sensor, and the illumination light source 32 can sequentially switch a plurality of colors in time series. It may be an LED.

  (Modification 13) In the second embodiment described above, the imaging optical system using the bending optical system is used. However, the imaging unit 105 and the image display unit 106 are integrated, and the image display unit 106 is As long as the optical system can be approached, a non-bent optical system may be used.

  (Modification 14) Although the rotary encoder is not used in the second embodiment, a rotary encoder may be provided as in the first embodiment. In this case, the position of the integrated imaging unit 105 and image display unit 106 can be detected, so that the processing time for image extraction can be further reduced.

  (Modification 15) In the third embodiment described above, the position of the image display unit 506 is detected by providing the first rotary encoder 509 and the second rotary encoder 511, but the position of the image display unit 506 is detected. Any number of encoders including a linear encoder may be used, and a magnetic sensor may be used.

  (Modification 16) In the third embodiment, the network communication unit 527 and the network communication antenna 528 are provided in the image display unit 506. However, a network communication unit may be provided on the imaging unit 505 side. In this case, not only the display image data but also the reference map image data may be received. If the reference map image data can be received, it is possible to efficiently perform maintenance such as replacement of the earth body or version upgrade.

  (Variation 17) In the third embodiment, the image display unit-side wireless communication unit 521 and the network communication unit 527 are separate circuits, but they are integrated into a single wireless communication unit. Is also good.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, a special circuit, a mechanism, a pattern, or the like for acquiring point data is not applied to a topographic map drawn on the earth body of the globe or the surface of the earth body. Despite the form, it is possible to display an enlarged map image and detailed geographic information of a point to be observed on an image display device placed close to a point to be viewed on the surface of the earth body for observation.
Further, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

  (1) According to the present embodiment, after the display image is extracted by the first image extraction process using the image recognition, when the earth object and the image display unit move relatively, the second image extraction using the movement vector is performed. Since the display image is extracted by the processing, it is possible to perform an image observation operation more quickly and without a sense of discomfort. Further, when the position detection encoder is provided in the image display unit, it is possible to perform a quicker image recognition process.

  (2) Further, according to the present embodiment, the imaging unit and the image display unit can be integrally configured. In this case, since the circuits of the imaging unit and the image display unit can be integrated into one, A simpler configuration can be realized, and a more convenient operation feeling can be realized by using the display of the through image.

  (3) Further, according to the present embodiment, the image display unit can be detached and attached to the globe, and the image display position is detected by the position detection encoder provided on the image display unit side. A mobile terminal with an image display function can be used as the image display unit.

  1, 101, 201, 301, 401, 501: globe, 2, 102. 202, 302, 402, 502: globe stand, 3, 103, 203, 303, 403, 503: earth body, 4, 104, 504: Supporting balls, 5, 105, 505: imaging unit, 6, 106, 506: image display unit, 8: lens, 9: imaging device, 10, 517: image display device, 18: captured image memory, 20: map image memory , 30: mounting detection switch, 32: illumination light source, 34: rotary encoder, 207, 307, 410: image display unit, 204, 304: support frame, 308: slide frame, 509: second rotary encoder, 511: second Rotary encoder

Claims (16)

A spherical earth body imitating the earth,
A globe body rotatably supporting the earth body,
Imaging means for imaging a partial region of the topographic map drawn on the surface of the earth body,
A terrain information memory in which terrain information corresponding to the terrain map is stored;
Image display means arranged to face the earth body in a non-contact manner,
Control means for processing captured image data output from the imaging means, extracting a part of the terrain information from the terrain information memory, and displaying the extracted terrain information on the image display means,
The control means includes: image data picked up by the picked-up image data; a relative positional relationship between the image pickup means and the image display means; and a movement vector when the earth body moves relative to the image pickup means. A globe for extracting a part of the topographical information based on the information.   The control means detects the position information of the imaged area by recognizing the imaged first image data, and based on the relative positional relationship between the image pickup means and the image display means, A first image extraction process for extracting a first part of the information from the topographical information memory; and detecting a movement vector from the first image data of the newly captured second image data, thereby obtaining a first The globe according to claim 1, wherein a second image extraction process for extracting a part of the second from the terrain information memory is performed. A plurality of supporting balls provided on the globe main body that rotatably supports the earth body and is rotated with the rotation of the earth body,
A rotation encoder for detecting a rotation direction and a rotation amount of the support ball is provided,
The globe according to claim 2 , wherein the control unit detects a movement vector from a position of the imaged area based on an output from the rotary encoder. The image display means is movably mounted on a support member,
Further comprising a position detection encoder for detecting the position of the image display means,
The globe according to claim 2 , wherein the control unit detects a relative positional relationship between the imaging unit and the image display unit based on a detection signal of the position detection encoder. The image display means is mounted on the support member so as to be movable to a retreat position and a predetermined observation position,
The globe according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the display of the image display means is started when the support member moves to the predetermined observation position. The imaging unit and the image display unit are configured as an integrated imaging display unit,
The globe according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the imaging display unit is arranged to face the earth body in a non-contact manner.   The globe according to claim 6, wherein the imaging optical system in the imaging means of the imaging display unit is configured by a bending optical system provided with a reflection optical element in a part on an optical path.   The globe according to claim 6, wherein a through image from an imaging unit of the imaging display unit is displayed on a screen of the image display unit.   Until the extracted terrain information is displayed on the screen of the image display means, a through image from the imaging means of the imaging display unit is displayed on the screen of the image display means. The globe according to claim 6, wherein The image display means is detachably mounted on the globe body or the support member,
Further comprising a position detection encoder for detecting the position of the image display means,
The control unit detects a relative positional relationship between the imaging unit and the image display unit based on a detection signal of the position detection encoder, and the first part of the terrain information, and / or the extracts second portion from said topographical information memory, wired the extracted the terrain information to the image display means, or, according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that transmitting by the wireless communication means World globe. Further comprising a network communication means for receiving the terrain information,
11. The globe according to claim 2 , wherein the control unit displays a part of the terrain information received by a network communication unit on a screen of the image display unit. The network communication means is provided in the image display means,
The control unit detects a relative positional relationship between the imaging unit and the image display unit, and transmits data of the relative positional relationship to the image display unit by wire or wireless communication means, The globe according to claim 11, wherein the image display means displays a part of the terrain information received by the network communication means on a screen of the image display means. The image recognition of the captured first image data is performed by comparing the captured first image data with reference map image data stored in advance, and the reference map image data is stored for each individual at the time of assembling the globe. The globe according to any one of claims 2 to 12, wherein the globe is map image data obtained by photographing an earth body. When the extracted terrain information is displayed on the screen of the image display unit and then becomes a non-display state, the first image extraction process or the second image extraction process is performed again by operating the redisplay operation unit. The globe according to any one of claims 2 to 13, wherein the stored extracted terrain information is displayed on a screen of the image display means without performing the two-image extraction process. The extracted terrain information is composed of a plurality of terrain information data sets having different information,
The globe according to any one of claims 2 to 14, wherein the terrain information obtained by combining a part or all of the plurality of terrain information data sets is displayed on a screen of the image display means. The plurality of terrain information data sets include image information and a plurality of character information divided according to a plurality of languages,
The globe according to claim 15, wherein the terrain information on which the image information and one of the plurality of character information are superimposed is displayed on a screen of the image display means.

Images