JPH03240374A - Digital telescope - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To adopt a wrist watch type offering excellent carrying performance, to eliminate the need for pressing the telescope directly onto an eye in the case of magnifying a view and to prevent other party from feeling the act of the telescope carrier to be suspicious-looking by constituting the telescope with a lens optical system, an image pickup element, a liquid crystal panel and a semiconductor device. CONSTITUTION:An incident ray 11 is made incident in an objective convex lens 12, is reflected in a plate mirror 14 tilted by 45 deg. with respect to an optical axis and the reflected light is made incident in a plate mirror 15 tilted by 45 deg. vertically with respect to the optical axis via an image forming convex lens 13. The lens 13 is fixed in a moving barrel 16 and the light reflected in the plate mirror 15 is made incident in a similar plate mirror 15 tilted by 45 deg. with respect to the optical axis. Then the light transmitted through the mirror is made directly incident in a photodetector face of an image pickup element 18 and the transmitted and reflected light is made incident in a barrel 9 via the convex lens 13 and reflected, Thus, the lenses 12, 13 act like a conventional single convex lens and a real erected image whose magnification is nearly 3.0 times is formed onto the photodetector face of the element 18 and processed digitally to apply focus control.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Technical Field of the Invention The present invention includes an optical lens, an image sensor, a semiconductor device, and a liquid crystal panel, and has a fixed number of pixels of 18111,
The electronic device has a function of enlarging and displaying distant characters, etc. on the liquid crystal panel by performing a process of lighting up pixels smaller than or equal to the number of pixels on the liquid crystal panel according to the electric charge generated. The present invention relates to a digital telescope that has effects similar to those of an optical telescope.

<Prior Art> Telescopes have long mechanical parts that are inconvenient to handle, but binoculars are superior in that they are portable and eliminate this inconvenience, and are widely used. Some of the opera glasses are foldable and can be opened and closed like a cigarette case, making them easy to store.

However, since it is common to view double-am displays by holding them directly to the eyes, they are ostentatious and are rarely used in daily life.

For example, the use is limited to watching horse races, literal theater, sightseeing, bird watching, etc. However, even in daily life, there are many requests to magnify distant objects, and this is especially necessary when the person is myopic.

For example, when taking notes on a train timetable, when looking at the words on a blackboard in a class, when looking at the explanatory text of an item on display through a case, etc.

In such cases, it is unusual and embarrassing for someone to take out binoculars and take a look despite the fact that there are usually other people around.

Therefore, it would be convenient to have a device that allows you to see things far away without having to look into it, and it would be even easier to use if it was portable.

The only way to "see without looking" is to use a display, and all you have to do is combine an optical device with a display element, but...
There are technical problems with that.

First, there is the question of what magnification is appropriate for magnifying distant objects that humans need in their daily lives.

The human eye is extremely sophisticated and can see clearly up to infinity.
It is said that it is possible to distinguish between visual angles of /60 degrees).Therefore, if the magnification is too low, it is best to use the naked eye.
No auxiliary equipment required.

In this respect, the magnification of normal Double II #l is about 20 to 40 times. -In fact, the magnification of a telescope is determined by the sunspot distance ratio between the objective lens and the eyepiece. Furthermore, the higher the magnification, the more the field of view is determined by the aperture diaphragm. Therefore, even if you try to increase the magnification, you will have to make the objective lens larger and the distance of the illumination point longer, and the field of view will become narrower, so it is not worth handling it in vain. becomes inconvenient.

This is the reason for limiting the magnification of binoculars.

Now, in a normal classroom, it is easy to identify letters on a blackboard 10 meters away. The characters a person writes on a blackboard are never smaller than 3 cm, and the viewing angle is approximately 10 minutes. For digital characters where each character is made up of approximately 10 dots, each dot has a viewing angle of exactly 1 minute.

Therefore, people with normal vision are twins! It is considered that the character can be sufficiently identified without using #1.

Even if the characters on the train timetable are small and hard to read,
There is no such thing as less than cm. Therefore, even with a magnification of about 10 times, it can be said to be a sufficiently practical telescope.

However, to see things more easily, higher magnification is better, especially if you are nearsighted. After all, the magnification of commercially available binoculars, 20 to 40 times, is required. Therefore, there is still a double g! There are inconveniences associated with the size and weight of the i-mirror, which somewhat reduce the portability advantage.

Second, there is the problem of what is suitable as a portable display element. In recent years, liquid crystal televisions with VTRs such as 5ONY have appeared, and the spread of camera-band type VTRs has been remarkable. What is used here is an active matrix liquid crystal panel that uses thin film transistors.

However, even if you want to see something far away up close, you don't need such a high-quality display element if you only want to be able to identify characters, etc., rather than looking at the beautiful scenery. The panel itself does not need to be large, nor does it need to be observed in real time, nor does it need to be in color.

Therefore, a black and white liquid crystal matrix is sufficient.

However, human visual ability is sufficiently large.

When the W image is digitized, the information it originally held will be lost.

At this point, at a clear vision distance of about 25 cm, a visual angle of 1 minute corresponds to the ability to discern a spatial side wave number of about 1 mm 1 = 15 lines.

However, if we assume a liquid crystal matrix with a 0 pixel pitch of approximately 75 μm square, the number of pixels would be, for example, 15 mm x 30 m.
Even if the panel is 200 (V) x 400 (H)
However, it is difficult to realize with a simple matrix because even if it is possible to manufacture it, there are problems in driving it.

Recently, active matrix devices using MIM diodes with few defects have become increasingly popular as display elements for laptop computers and large liquid crystal panels.
Active matrices using thin film transistors are effective for small panels such as pocket LCD TVs and camera-integrated VTR towfinders.

However, the active matrix has a gate voltage of +19
Since various voltages such as V/-5V and data voltage of ±7V are used, it is not suitable for simple electronic devices that require batteries. The selection of the objective l1rF requires a complicated drive waveform, and the need for a dedicated driver is also a drawback. Above all, the biggest drawback is the high power consumption, and the threshold voltage and ON /
The reason for this is that the OF resistance ratio is not sufficient.

Considering this, the liquid crystal simple matrix is, for example, 1/400
Since the duty must be time-divisionally driven, it must be driven at a high voltage of 30 to 40 V due to limitations due to the threshold voltage of the liquid crystal. This is a fatal drawback for portability.

On the other hand, in recent electronic notebooks, although the main purpose is to display characters, there are emerging ones in which a liquid crystal matrix is driven at a low voltage as a display element.

It can be expected to be used as a simple image display.

Thirdly, there is the problem of what is suitable as an IFS element for converting the intensity obtained by the optical system into an electrical signal. Because business controllers handle thermoelectrons, they do not meet the requirements for portability in terms of power consumption and size.

In a camera-integrated VTR, the image sensor is generally a COD. 1/3 inch, 380,000 IIF! A number of prototypes with relatively high resolution have also been produced.

However, this COD has many drawbacks: various transfer waveforms must be applied to the transfer gate, and high positive and negative voltages are also required. For the same reason as mentioned above, it is inappropriate to use batteries as a power source, and it can be said that it lacks portability.

- In terms of IIR, in a solid-state image sensor, for high image quality, it is desirable that the aperture ratio is high and the pitch per element is short, and it is desirable that the level of dark current, smear, and blooming be sufficiently low.

In addition, many have sufficient sensitivity and charge transfer efficiency.

In terms of the drive system, if high-speed operation is ignored, the Sekiguchi rate is 1.
It is considered desirable to use a one-way frame transfer method that is close to 0.00%.

As mentioned above, even though the purpose is to enlarge and display distant characters, etc., it is difficult to combine appropriate elements and parts due to portability and limitations of human visual acuity, and it is difficult to use simple equipment. It is difficult to easily achieve a desired effect.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned difficulties, and uses a stone wall, a lens optical system, an image sensor, a liquid crystal panel, and a semiconductor device to enlarge and display distant characters, etc. through simple cabinet processing. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a wristwatch-type digital telescope that is portable.

<Embodiments of the Invention> 1. Outline of the Invention A schematic diagram of a first embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. Figure 1 (a) shows a book! ! FIG. 1(b) is a top view of the digital telescope, and FIG. 1(b) is a front view thereof. In Figure 1(a), 1-1 is the wristwatch body, 1-2 is the watch side, 1-
3 is a liquid crystal display element, 1-4.1-5.1-6.1-7 are push button switches, and 1-8 is also a push button switch.

In addition, 1-9 is an optical lens barrel, and 1-10 is a semi-fixing screw, which will be described later. In FIG. 1(b), reference numeral 1-12 is an objective lens fixed to a lens barrel, which is part of an optical lens system having an imaging function.

The incident light 11!1-11 enters the objective lens 1-12, undergoes photo-electronic conversion by the image sensor, undergoes simple processing, and is displayed on the liquid crystal panel 1-3.

2. Lens optical system The lens optical system of the first embodiment according to the present invention is
This is shown in FIG. 2, which is a horizontal cross-sectional view of l-9.

In Figure 2, 2-12 is an objective convex lens, 2-13 is an imaging convex lens, 2-14 is a plate mirror tilted at 45 degrees horizontally to the optical axis,
2-15 is a plate mirror tilted 45 degrees perpendicular to the optical axis, 2-16 is a movable lens barrel that fixes the imaging lens 2-13, and 2-17 is a hole drilled horizontally in the chain portion 2-9. This is for passing the shaft of the semi-fixing screw 2-10. A screw thread is formed on the shaft of the screw 2-10, and a screw hole is formed on the iua 2-16.The lens barrel 2-16 is moved within the allowable range of the hole 2-17, and then the lens barrel 2-9 It works to fix it in place. At this time, the plate spacing 2-15 is made smaller in diameter than the MIli 2-16 so as not to become an obstacle to its movement.

The incident light beam 2-11 is refracted by the objective lens 2-12, reflected by the plate 12-14, refracted by the imaging lens 2-13, further reflected by the plate 2-15, and then reflected by the m-image element 2-18. The image is formed perpendicular to the light receiving surface.

Therefore, as a whole, the objective lens 2-12 and the imaging lens 2
-13 and functions as a normal single convex lens. The reason for using a compound lens is as follows.

First, when measured on the optical axis, there is a distance of about 50 mm from the objective lens to the imaging confectionery, but if it were constructed with only the objective lens, the lens barrel would occupy a fairly large volume, making it difficult to carry. would be contrary to the requirements of

Second, although the objective lens alone has no magnification function, it is possible to obtain a somewhat enlarged real image by combining other lenses.

Thirdly, it is possible to eliminate chromatic aberrations and the like by using a compound lens shape.

Fourth, focusing for imaging becomes structurally easier.

Now, it is desirable for this compound lens to have a lens system that satisfies the paraxial condition and eliminates Seidel's five aberrations.Also, since the objective lens is non-circular, distortion should be the least of the aberrations. However, the purpose of the present invention is to magnify distant characters, and to be extreme, it is sufficient if they can be identified.

In terms of design, what is important in the lens system of the present invention is its focal length and entrance pupil. Objective lens 2-12 and imaging lens 2-1
The focal lengths of No. 3 are 30 mm and 3.75 mm, respectively.

In this optical lens system, the positional relationship of lenses etc. is as follows. First, an object at infinity is once imaged at the rear focal point by the objective lens 2-12. This position is located 1.25 mm directly in front of the front focal length of the imaging lens 2-13, and the light from the object is focused 15 mm behind the imaging lens.

Therefore, due to the reflection by the plate mirror, a royal real image with a magnification of 3.0 times is formed on the light receiving surface of the AM element.

The entrance pupil is important because its area determines the brightness of the image. In this embodiment, the entrance pupil is approximately the size of the aperture stop. However, since the Sekiguchi diaphragm is determined mostly by the size of the objective lens, there is a limit to how large it can be on a wristwatch. This is because it lacks portability and must not make others feel abnormal.

Therefore, the aperture diaphragm of the present invention is a barrel-shaped window with a width of 20 mm and a height of 10 mm. The height limit does not hit objects, so
The width was limited due to the size of the wristwatch and the fact that it was worn on the wrist, so consideration was given to ensuring that neither of these would impede hand movement.

The barrel-shaped window was chosen because we wanted to balance the impact on objects with the brightness of the image.

The objective lens is also cut to match the aperture diaphragm.

That is, although the objective lens is originally a spherical convex lens, it is cut into a non-circular barrel shape centered on the optical axis.

The same applies to the imaging lens.

Now, the lens optical system of the present invention has a configuration in which plate sets 2-14 and 2-15 are tilted at 45 degrees with respect to the optical axis.

This is for the following purposes. First board! [The purpose of using 2-i4 is to properly arrange the display on the wristwatch. In other words, the optical axis of the objective lens is directed toward a distant object in front of you, and if the display and optical system are placed vertically side by side, characters will generally be written horizontally, and horizontally written character strings will feel more stable. Considering that word processors and the like are also widely used with horizontal displays only, this arrangement cannot be said to be preferable.

Therefore, if only the display were to be oriented horizontally, the lens optical system would inevitably have to be oriented horizontally on a narrow wristwatch. However, simply arranging the lens optical system and display in two rows, one above the other, poses a problem when placed on a wristwatch.

An object of the present invention is to magnify distant characters and the like during daily activities so that they can be viewed naturally. If the optical axis of the lens system were to be directed toward the wrist, the user would have no choice but to point the hand in that direction in order to display the object, which would give a strange impression to others. Therefore, the optical axis of the objective lens must be directed perpendicular to the wrist.

From the above key points, we arrive at the structure of the present invention,
The optical axis is bent by 90 degrees using the plate assembly 2-14 to make the display and the optical axis parallel to each other, and the optical distance can also be increased.

The purpose of tilting the second board set 2-13 by 45 degrees is to
-18 in relation to the arrangement. In other words, although the chip size of the II image element is not smaller than 1/3 inch according to Uchika's microscopic rule, it cannot be placed sideways to the plane of the wristwatch, so it cannot be placed sideways to the plane of the wristwatch. It will be mounted on a board parallel to the watch plane. Therefore, in order to form an image of the object light on the light receiving surface of the image sensor 2-18, there is no choice but to tilt the optical axis by 90 degrees using the plate assembly 2-13.

This causes the image to be left and right upside down relative to the object, but this can be resolved by processing this error.

In the present invention, the imaging lens 2-13 is fixed to the lens barrel 2-16 and moves in parallel inside the lens barrel 2-9 as a unit. It can be fixed arbitrarily within. As a result, the focus can be adjusted even when distant characters, etc. are not at an infinite distance.

3. Image sensor The image sensor 2-18 used in the present invention is a MO8il element sealed with transparent plastic.

COD (The reason for adopting the MO8lfl element is that it is easy to manufacture in terms of process and is inexpensive, but above all, it can be driven with a single low voltage power supply.) In the present invention, mounting is taken into consideration. The driver is integrated into a single chip with a dedicated driver, and the drive part is covered with a black film to shield even the boss from light.

For convenience of explanation, the pixel pitch is 10 μm x 10 μm, and the number of pixels is 400 (H) x 300 (Vl) 1/3 inch.
It is assumed that the TSL element is a 100,000-element TSL element and has sufficient performance against fixed noise, smear, pluming, and dark current.

The electric charge Ifl is applied to the photodiode by irradiating the light-receiving surface of the MO8II image element 2-18 with light is sequentially output by the horizontal scanning circuit, and is outputted as image information by the A/D of the semiconductor device described below. input to the deflector.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the pixel pitch of the image sensor is square and small.The reason why the pixel pitch of the image sensor is square is to simplify the image processing and improve the fidelity of the image on the display. The reason why it is small is to realize a high-magnification digital telescope.

In the near future, 0°7 μm will be used in 4 Mega DRAM technology.
According to the above, it is thought that a pixel pitch of 5.0 μm square can be realized. For HDTV compatible CCDs, efforts are being made to reduce the pixel pitch in order to realize fine IIM.

4. Semiconductor device A block diagram of the semiconductor device of the present invention is shown in FIG.
In the figure, 3-19 is an image sensor, 3-20 is its drive circuit,
Reference numeral 3-21 is a semiconductor device in which both are integrated into one chip, and the mounting is sealed with plastic, and the drive circuit 3-20 is shielded from light by a black film. 3-22 is an A/D converter,
3-23 is the reference voltage circuit, and both A/Dt converters 3-
24.

3-25 is 1! Bit SRAM, 3-26 is an 8-bit processor, and 3-27 is key power.

3-28 is a bit SRAM in 15, 3-29 is an LCD driver, and both constitute a part of the LCD driver of 3-30. 3-31 is an LCD display.

A semiconductor device 3-32 consisting of an A/Dffi dust section 3-22, an SRAM 3-25, a processor 3-26, and a portion of an LCD driver 3-30 is realized by a composite ASIC that is integrated into one chip.

In FIG. 3, the flow of data is shown by thick arrows, and the flow of control signals is shown by thin arrows. The light emitted by the lens system is converted into an analog signal by the image sensor 3-19 through photo-electronic conversion, and is input to the A/D converter 3-22. This signal is A
/D converter 3-22 digitizes the data into 2 bits and outputs it to the LC.
Used to display D gradation.

The digitized signal is sent to the IM bit S at a predetermined address.
The data is stored in the RAM 3-25 as data. M of the present invention
The effective number of pixels of the O6 image sensor 3-19 is determined by the light-receiving area, but here, as mentioned above, the light-receiving surface dimension is 4 mm (
H)X3mm (V).

Therefore, the effective II pixel count is 120K dots, and 2
Considering that it is a short data, at least IM
As long as bit SRAM is used, up to four video screens can be stored.

Therefore, III# of the image sensor 3-19 is SRAM3
-Processor 3-2 to correspond to 2 bits of 25
The address is determined under the control of 6.

One or more 2-bit data of SRAM3-25 is
After simple processing by the processor 3-26, the data is output to the built-in RAM 3-28 of a part of the LCD driver. The details of this process will be explained separately later.

The 2-bit data in the built-in RAM 3-28 always corresponds to one dot on the LCD matrix, and the LCD driver 3-28 automatically scans the LCD panel at predetermined intervals in accordance with the data.

Therefore, each time the processor 3-26 rewrites the RAM 3-28, the screen on the LCD display 3-31 is automatically switched.

The LCD driver 3-29 of the present invention has a built-in LCD controller, 120 common output terminals and 64 segment output terminals, and has a duty of l/84.
D is time-divisionally driven.

Even with a duty of 1/64, a high voltage is required as long as a simple matrix liquid crystal panel is driven using the voltage averaging method, but this LCD driver handles this by incorporating an internal booster circuit. Furthermore, in order to form a driving waveform voltage, an external 0.1 μm capacitor is required outside the chip.

Halftones are displayed by pulse width modulation of the peak voltage.

5. Implementation Implementation issues are very important in the present invention.

In the present invention, since the lens optical system, semiconductor device, LCD, etc. are mounted on the main body of the wristwatch, it is inevitable that the wristwatch will be densely packed.

Preferably, the semiconductor device is composed of one chip, and includes a MOS transistor.
It is preferable to incorporate an image element and a drive circuit.

However, as mentioned above, in consideration of the influence of incident light, a separate chip is constructed. The one-chip semiconductor device 3-32 uses composite ASIC technology with the processor 3-26 at its core.

FIG. 4 shows the circuit layout on the chip.

In FIG. 4, 4-33 is an A/D converter, 4-34 is an IM bit SRAM, 4-35 is an 8-bit processor, and 4-34 is an IM bit SRAM.
36 is a control signal for the key board and processor, 4-37 is a 15-bit SRAM for LCD, 4-3
8 is an LCD driver whose common and segment output terminals occupy almost the entire circumference of the chip.

Therefore, this chip will be a large loss IC with approximately 200 PIN pads, but it is estimated that the chip size does not need to exceed 14 mm x lOmm even if the complete CMO 50° 8 μm rule is used.

Note that the standby current consumption of the IM bit SRAM 4-34 is desirably 10 μA or less for portability.

FIG. 5 shows the spatial arrangement of various parts inside the wristwatch. In FIG. 5, 5-3 is an LCD display element in which STN liquid crystal is sealed between two glass substrates. Polarizing plates etc. were omitted.

STN liquid crystals are used because they have a large twist angle of 180 to 270 degrees, and the change in light transmission near the threshold is steep, so a large contrast ratio and viewing angle can be obtained even when driven at low duty. It is. 6-39 is the semiconductor chip shown in FIG. 4, which is the semiconductor element 3 shown in FIG.
- Has 32 functions. 5-40 is a flexible printed circuit board with copper foil sandwiched between polyimide, a part 5-41 of which is bent for connection with an LCD, and a part 5-42 of which is sealed with transparent plastic. The image sensor 5-18 is mounted on a foil. In addition, a part of the steel foil is exposed as the inner lead 5-43, a bump is provided at the tip of the lead 5-43, and it is sealed with an opaque layer of 1 m 5-44 to realize high-density mounting. . Note that the image sensor 5-18
is vertically irradiated with the emitted light reflected by the plate [5-15.

Further, the connection between the bent portion 5-41 of the printed circuit board and the transparent electrode of the LCD element 5-3 is performed by heat-pressing using an anisotropic conductive adhesive.

Reference numeral 5-45 is a battery, which is placed at this position.Since the present invention emphasizes portability, the selection of batteries is also limited. The battery uses two vanadium lithium secondary batteries, 11i16V.
It is. However, there are parts of the internal power supply that are lower than this.

A 4.0 MHz ceramic probe is used to generate a basic clock for the processor 3-26, and is used in a low current consumption mode during standby.

In principle, the l instruction is executed in 1 μsec. The execution time of the addition instruction among the instructions is
This is important because it determines the image processing speed.

In the present invention, the liquid crystal panel 5-3 is the LCD driver 3-3.
As described in the explanation of 28, 120 dots ()l) x 6
It has 4 dots (V) and is nothing more than an electronic notebook.

However, the display device must be able to withstand human vision, and a pitch of about 0.8 mm, as in an electronic notebook, is too coarse.

In order to maintain the lowest quality, the pixel pitch is 4 lines/mm, or 250μm×, referring to that of pocket LCD TVs.
It is set to 250 μm.

Therefore, the total size of the display section of the liquid crystal panel 5-3 is 3
It is only 0mm x 16mm.

Therefore, in the case of a simple liquid crystal matrix, crosstalk between transparent electrodes inside the panel becomes a serious problem. It is necessary to take measures such as reducing the thickness of the liquid crystal to about 0.4 Atn.

6. Processing by the Processor The processing by the processor 3-26 in the present invention greatly influences the function of the digital telescope for enlarging and viewing distant characters, etc. The processing can be broadly divided into image processing, exposure processing, and input/output processing.

(a) Image processing Basically, processing is performed to make one or more dots of the MO6II image element correspond to one dot of the LCD.

In order to improve the fidelity of the image 9, it is desirable that the aspect ratio of the pixel pitch of the MO8 image sensor and the pixel pitch of the LCD be the same, and it is more convenient for the vertical and horizontal pitches to be the same.

To do this, the received light level is digitized into 2 bits using an A/D converter, and the LCD can be turned on or off depending on the value.
and intermediate tones.

For example, 00 may correspond to non-lighting, 11 may correspond to lighting, and Ol and 10 may correspond to halftones. The above dot processing is
This is done by averaging the digital values.

Furthermore, the correspondence between dots is, in principle, multiplied by the square of a natural number. This is to simplify the processing of the deviations, which is done for the purpose of making the areas correspond to each other.

Here, for 1 element of 1 dot of LCD, 0 of image sensor
．． One element of 25.1.4.9 dots corresponds. However, 0
．． 25 means 1 of the image sensor on the 4 dot Wlg of the LCD.
This means that it corresponds to a pixel of a dot.

In the following, the actual magnification will be calculated when there is a 1:1 correspondence between dots.

Now, taking into account that the human visual acuity is limited to one minute, let's consider the 3cm character from 10m away, which was taken up in the previous example.

The character indicates a viewing angle of 3xlO-3rad, and considering the positional relationship of the lens optical system, the radius on the light receiving surface is 270μ.
m. Since this corresponds to 27 dots of the image of the image sensor, considering the 1:1 correspondence, 27 dots of the pixels of the LCD will be lit. Therefore, the size of the lit characters is 6.75 mm, and the viewing angle at clear viewing distance is 27x.
When compared with the visual angle of the character, which is lO-3 rad,
The actual magnification at clear vision distance is 9.0x.

- Although this magnification may seem low when you look at it, it can be easily increased by bringing your eyes closer, and the liquid crystal panel of this embodiment only has four characters, which is sufficient for people who are nearsighted. 0
．． In the case of 25:1 correspondence, the actual magnification is 18 times, but since the amount of information does not increase in any way, it may actually become difficult to see.

This is because although real-time processing is not required, the speed of image processing is important for maintaining the functionality of the digital telescope of the present invention. For example, in some cases, you may want to quickly switch to the next screen.

Therefore, the addition calculation time and the number of calculations become a problem.

The addition instruction can be executed in one processor instruction. Maximum number of calculations is 125 effective pixels of the image sensor
Since it is twice as long as a dot, the processing time required for one screen is 1μ.
5ecX125KX2=0°25sec. Therefore, even if you include other processing times, it takes 0.3 seconds to switch the screen.
It can be said that it does not take more than c, and there is little unsightlyness due to the delay. Of course, it is desirable that the m image processing speed is fast and that the next screen can be switched at high speed.

Now, the correspondence between the dots on the image sensor and the dots on the LCD requires additional address processing by a processor. In the present invention, the light receiving surface of the image sensor is considered to be an XY coordinate, and address calculations are performed using the pointer as the center coordinate. Therefore, processor 3-26 includes an address-only ALU.

The processed data will be stored in the designated address of the LCD built-in RAM 3-28.

(b) Input/Output Processing Mainly, the processor periodically checks whether or not the bottle of the wristwatch is pressed, and performs processing according to the input data.

Key manual inputs include X input, Y input, magnification input, exposure input,
There is screen bending input and shutter manual input.

In FIG. 1(a), 1-4 are the X input buttons, 1
-6 is the Y input button, 1-5 is the magnification input button, and 1-7 is the mode switching button, which sequentially switches the functions of the execution buttons 1-8 to shutter manual input, 11-screen switching input, and W optical input, respectively. do.

Normally, the processor is in a standby state, and the standby state, ie, the low power consumption mode, is canceled with a key input, and the processor automatically returns to the standby state after processing. This is to reduce power consumption and extend battery life.

The X key and Y key are used to specify the pointer. When any key is pressed twice within 5 seconds, this is determined by the internal timer of the processor, and the direction of screen movement is reversed. The X and Y keys function to continue increasing or decreasing the pointer address as long as they are held down.

If you keep pressing the magnification key, the actual magnification of the digital telescope changes sequentially to 2, 25, 4, 5, 9, and 18 times.
The actual f key in exposure input mode is used to limit the amount of incident light, which is ultimately converted to shutter speed.

However, unlike cameras and the like, it does not attempt to control the amount of exposure of the film, but rather selects the most appropriate shutter speed for identifying distant characters, etc.

■Two-way switching The input mode execution key functions to sequentially switch from one of the four screens to the newest screen to the oldest screen.

The execution key for the shutter mode functions to erase the older one of the four memorized screens and display the screen currently receiving light. However, the function of the clock display mode may be added to the mode switching button 1-7, which does not change the state specified by the other keys.

(C)! Light Processing Originally, it is desirable to automatically adjust exposure processing using a light receiving element, but here, for simplicity, exposure control is performed using execution keys 1-8 of the exposure input mode. That is, it attempts to control the charge generated by photo-electronic conversion on the light-receiving surface of the image sensor 3-21 using the shutter speed.
The signal is expressed as a 2-bit digital value by the /D converter 3-22.

The processor 3-26 first changes the shutter speed to 1/2.
It is set in the range of 60 to 1/2000 sec according to the exposure input.

As a result, the controller 3-20 of the image sensor accumulates charges for a set time after discharging some or all of the charges.

Next, the processor specifies a reference value or voltage for the A/D converter in order to make the opto-electronic conversion more similar to human sensations. This makes the W image on the LCD display 3-31 clearer.

Now, specific image processing will be briefly illustrated below.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of this.

FIG. 6(a) is an enlarged screen view of the beginning of the character string "Irohaniho..." using a digital telescope according to the present invention. The center point of the -plane' always corresponds to the position of the pointer whose coordinates are the light-receiving surface of the image sensor.

FIG. 6 (k5) is a screen in which the magnification is doubled while keeping the pointer position on screen (a).

As exaggerated above the letter "A", since the pixel pitch of the LCD is large, the oblique fastball is actually displayed as changing into a step-like shape.

FIG. 6(C) is a screen obtained by moving the pointer on the - side (a) diagonally upward to the left. This movement makes it possible to access all parts of the output image on the image sensor,
- Once recorded, the necessary information can be retrieved at any time. In order to speed up the movement of the @ plane, it is also possible to set the amount of movement at one time to about 2/3 of the diameter of the screen and move it in steps.

FIG. 6(d) is a screen in which the pointer on screen (a) is moved diagonally downward to the right and the magnification is lowered.

The field of view is expanded, making it easier to read text and also displaying areas where no light is input.

In the processing according to the present invention, all points outside the effective coordinates of the image sensor are displayed as if there was no light input.

<Effects of the Invention> The present invention has the following functional differences from other similar devices.

The twin mirrors are completely different in that the output image is viewed directly with the naked eye, and were the starting point for the present invention.

Pocket TVs are different in that their main purpose is to receive TV signals, and they are not connected to any lens optical system.

An electronic still camera can be said to be close to the present invention in that optical information acquired by a lens optical system or CCD is stored on a floppy disk after processing. However, it differs in that it does not have any display or image enlargement function.

The camera-integrated VTR has an optical lens system and COD.

Since it includes a processor and a display, its configuration is similar to the present invention. However, the camera-integrated VTR
The magnification function is mainly achieved by a zoom lens, and the present invention utilizes the limits of human visual acuity based on the miniaturized lithography technology of camera II, while freely enlarging images through simple processing. The functions differ in that they attempt to obtain .

Also, many of the attached viewfinders are of a type that you can usually look through. Most camera-band type VTRs are usually carried on the shoulder, and it can be said that they are less portable than the digital telescope of the present invention, which is mounted on a wristwatch.

As described above, the digital telescope of the present invention is an article different from various electronic devices on the market, and from its purpose, it provides a new article on the market.

Next, according to the present invention, the following unique effects can be achieved.

First, there is no need to press the invention directly against the eye to magnify distant objects, letters, etc., and therefore there is no need to give the impression to others that your actions are sloppy.

For example, structural innovations such as oriented the optical axis of the objective lens in the direction in which it is placed overlapping the arm support this effect. Therefore, I believe that even if it is a simple device, it is still an expensive step.

Second, by using a barrel-shaped lens, etc., the watch can be made smaller, allowing it to be carried around as an accessory at all times in the form of a wristwatch.

Third, simple image processing allows you to freely move or enlarge characters you want to identify, and also allows you to store multiple screens and switch between them as you like.

Fourth, I would like to point out the future potential of the present invention.The present invention is based on miniaturization lithography technology, and in the future it will be possible to obtain magnified images with a magnification equal to or higher than that of a normal twin-m mirror.0For example, It is said that the pixel pitch of the image sensor can be realized within a few years with a pixel pitch of about 5 μm based on the 0.7 μm rule, and L
Even if the CD W-vote pitch is 200 μm, it is possible to realize 1:1 correspondence and 4 times the strength of Al. Furthermore, considering the wavelength of visible light, an image sensor having a pixel pitch of about 2 μm is technically possible. Furthermore, even today, it has the ability to highly sensitively identify characters, etc., which even normal-sighted people cannot fully recognize, such as at night.

Furthermore, real-time observation and high-gradation color in the future are not dreams, and even today, if the size of a pocket TV were enough, it would be possible to achieve this level.

The first embodiment of the present invention also has the following drawbacks.

First, as mentioned above, real-time observation and high-gradation coloring cannot be realized.

Second, since the display is a liquid crystal, background illumination of the liquid crystal is required at night. In addition, during the daytime, the scattered light from the metal reflector is sufficient.
That's why.

Third, the present invention is slightly larger than a wristwatch, with the main body measuring 5.5 cm wide, 4.5 cm wide, and 2.5 cm high at the objective lens.

Lens systems are difficult to make compact, and many components are expensive.

However, all of the above-mentioned drawbacks are caused by prioritizing portability and low power consumption, and are not essential to the present invention.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The following drawings are all related to a digital telescope that is a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a first embodiment, with FIG. 1(a) being a top view thereof and FIG. 1(b) being a front view thereof. 1...Wristwatch body, 2...Watch side, 3...
・Liquid crystal display element, 4...X input button, 5...Magnification input button, 6...Y input button, 7...Mode switching button, 8
...Execution button, 9... Lens barrel, 10... Half-fixing screw,
11... Light ray, 12... Objective lens, 17... Hole. FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the lens optical system of the first embodiment. 9... Lens barrel, lO... Semi-fixing screw, 11... Light beam, 12... Objective lens, 13... Imaging lens, 14
... plate mirror, 15... plate assembly, 16... lens barrel, 17.
... Hole, 18... Image sensor. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the semiconductor device of the first embodiment. 19... Image sensor, 20... Drive circuit, 21...
Image sensor chip, 22... A/D converter, 23...
・Reference voltage circuit, 24... A/D variable voltage section, 25...
SRAM, 26...processor, 27...key,
28...SRAM129...LCD driver, 3
0...Part of LCD driver, 31...LCD display, 32...Composite ASIC. FIG. 4 is a circuit layout diagram of the composite ASIC 3-32 of the first embodiment. 33... A/D converter, 34... SRAM, 35...
...Processor, 36...Key human power port, 37.
. . SRAM, 38 . . . LCD driver FIG. 5 is an internal implementation diagram of the wrist watch of the first embodiment. 3... LCD display element, 15... Board assembly, 18...
Image sensor sealed in transparent plastic, 39...AS
IC chip, 40... Printed circuit board, 41... Connecting portion of printed circuit board with LCD, 42... Imaging element mounting portion of printed circuit board, 43... Inner lead, 44.
...Resin, 45...Battery. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of simple image processing in the first embodiment. FIG. 6(a) is an enlarged view of the leading end of the character string. FIG. 6(b) is a screen in which the magnification is doubled without changing the position of the pointer on screen (a). FIG. 6(C) is a screen in which the position of the pointer on screen (a) has been moved diagonally upward to the left. Figure 6(d) shows a screen in which the pointer position on screen (a) has been moved diagonally downward to the right and the magnification has been lowered (note 10 (1)).

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An optical lens, an image sensor, a semiconductor device, and a liquid crystal panel are provided, the optical lens forms an image of a distant object such as a character on the surface of the image sensor, and the image sensor Charge is accumulated in the pixel according to the image, and the semiconductor device performs A/D conversion according to the amount of charge accumulated in a certain number of pixels of the image sensor, and stores the data obtained thereby in a RAM. , further processing the data and outputting it to another RAM, and causing the liquid crystal panel to light up pixels that are smaller than or equal to the number of pixels of the image sensor based on the processed data. Featured electronic device. 2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the optical lens is a non-circular objective lens with an optical axis oriented parallel to a watch side, and the electronic device is a wristwatch.