JPH0570184B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to an image processing device suitable for use in entertainment, learning, etc., which reads image information recorded on a part of a sheet and displays an image on a display surface. This is intended to improve entertainment and learning efficiency by displaying images and making it possible to draw diagrams using images on the display screen by operating a keyboard or the like.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, cassette tapes, magnetic disks, semiconductor memories, etc. have been used as means for inputting information to various game devices.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

However, according to the above-mentioned prior art, when various variations in information content are desired, if information input means are provided for each variation, it is not only troublesome to replace, but also expensive. If information including several variations is stored in one information input means, the information input means will become larger due to the increase in storage capacity.
There were problems such as inconvenience in handling.

[Means for solving problems]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a novel image processing device that can perform a wide variety of drawing games or drawing studies using a small general-purpose computer.

The image processing device according to the present invention includes: (a) a plurality of sheets each having an information recording section recording different image information, each sheet having a pattern or graphic, etc. related to the image information of the information recording section; (16 in Figure 1); (b) A memory pack containing a built-in memory that stores image processing programs related to these sheets, and for reading image information from the information recording section of each sheet. (12 in Figure 1) having a reading means (14 in Figure 1); and (c) a display device having a display surface (18 in Figure 1).
and (d) a coupling device for attaching and detaching the memory pack, a program memory storing an information processing program, an information processing device operating in accordance with the information processing program, a random access memory, and generating key operation information in response to key operations. a small general-purpose computer (10 in FIG. 1) having a keyboard for controlling the computer and a cursor operating device for generating cursor movement control information in response to manual operations; In response to the above, the information processing device is operated in accordance with the image processing program instead of the information processing program, and in response to the memory pack being removed from the coupling device, the information processing device is operated in accordance with the image processing program instead of the information processing program. The image processing program is created to operate according to the information processing program instead of the processing program, and the image processing program includes a process of writing the image information read by the reading means into the random access memory, and a process of writing the image information read by the reading means into the random access memory. A process of reading written image information and controlling the display device to display an image corresponding to the image information on the display surface, and controlling key operation information from the keyboard and cursor movement from the cursor operating device. The information processing apparatus is created to cause the information processing apparatus to execute a process of controlling the display apparatus to take in information and change a display image on the display surface.

[Function] According to the configuration of the present invention, when the memory pack is not attached to the coupling device, normal information processing functions can be obtained according to the information processing program in the program memory, while when the memory pack is attached to the coupling device, the memory pack Since the displayed image is changed and controlled by key operation or cursor operation based on the image processing program in the screen and the image information of the desired sheet, it is possible to draw on the display surface, providing an entertainment or learning function.

Display image change control processing includes, for example, moving the image pattern to a desired position, rotating it, enlarging or reducing it, erasing a part of the image pattern, extracting it to another position, and changing the points regarding the image pattern. You can draw and color lines, circles, squares, etc. In this case, if you prepare one or more sheets in advance for each type of entertainment or learning, you can display doll shapes, vehicle shapes, etc. as image patterns for drawing games, or display pattern blocks, etc. You can easily perform different entertainment or learning activities on each sheet or set of sheets, such as building or arranging games, displaying animal shapes etc. and writing the corresponding words, etc. By exchanging them, you can make a variety of changes to your entertainment or learning content. Replacing input sheets is easier than replacing memory packs and the like.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 shows an image processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and this device includes a small general-purpose computer (so-called personal computer) 10
, a memory pack 12, a card reader 14,
It includes an image information input card 16 and a display device 18.

As shown in detail in FIG. 2, the compact general-purpose computer 10 is provided with a keyboard 20 including a large number of keys on the top surface of the main body. keyboard 20
, the four keys 22 at the lower right are used as cursor manipulators for moving the cursor up, down, left and right. Instead of using the keys 22, a suitable cursor operating device such as a joy stick or a mouse can be used.

The computer main body is provided with a receiving opening 24 for receiving the lower half of the memory pack 12, and within this receiving opening 24 is a coupling device (connector device) for coupling the lower end electrode portion of the memory pack 12 to the circuit inside the computer. ) is provided.

The memory pack 12 has a built-in memory storing programs and the like and a signal processing circuit for the card reader 14, and a jack 26 connected to the signal processing circuit is provided at its upper end.

The card reader 14 has an elongated main body that can be held with one hand, and a groove 28 for inserting the image information input card 16 is provided in the center along the longitudinal direction of the main body. The opening 28a at one end of the groove 28 widens outward to facilitate card insertion.
Furthermore, a reading head (not shown) for reading information from the information recording section of the card 16 is provided at an appropriate location within the groove 28. This reading head is connected to one end of the cord 30, and the plug 32 at the other end of the cord 30 is connected to the jack 2.
6, it is connected to a signal processing circuit in the memory pack 12. Note that when magnetic recording is used as the recording method of the information recording section as described later, the reading head becomes a magnetic reproducing head.

The image information input card 16 is made of, for example, B5 paper or plastic, and has a pattern writing section 34, a graphic writing section 36, and an information recording section 38 on its front side. In the pattern writing section 34, as shown in FIG. 3A, several patterns 34a to be displayed are written side by side. Pattern 3 written in pattern description section 34
4a is a doll figure as shown in FIG. 4A,
It may be anything such as a weather symbol, a vehicle figure, or a pattern block as shown in FIG. 4B. Further, in the graphics description section 36, arbitrary items such as pattern figures created by computer graphics, a world map, a map of Japan, and multiple rows of vehicle figures are written.

The information recording section 38 is, for example, composed of a magnetic tape with a width of 6.5 [mm] attached to the card surface.
As shown in FIG. 3A, system parameter data (initialization data) PD and graphic commands and data GD are recorded sequentially from the reading start position.In this example, system parameter data PD Approximately 10 bytes of data can be recorded as GD, and approximately 400 bytes of data can be recorded as graphic commands and data GD.

As an example, system parameter data PD
When is 10 bytes, each byte contains the following (1) ~
Functions such as (5) can be provided.

(1) 0th and 1st bytes These bytes represent how many data (bytes) are recorded in the information recording section 38 in total. This is necessary for reading error checking, data transfer, etc.

(2) Second and third bytes These bytes indicate the card type, number of cards, whether cards can be added, etc. Here, the number of cards is the number of cards required for a particular entertainment or learning activity, and is usually one, but in some cases a plurality of cards (card set) may be used. Further, whether or not to add a card indicates whether or not one card is used in principle, but information from other cards may be taken in and used as an auxiliary card.

(3) 4th and 5th bytes These bytes contain the initial size of the pattern,
It represents the pattern arrangement (single row, random, etc.), cursor movement step (width of movement of the cursor with one cursor key operation), etc.

(4) 6th and 7th bytes These bytes contain the cursor speed (slow or fast, etc.), rotation, flipping, enlarging, reducing, etc.
It indicates whether or not colors can be changed, whether sounds such as musical tones, human voice sounds, sound effects, etc. can be generated, and whether figures can be erased, overlapped, etc.

(5) 8th and 9th bytes These bytes contain the initial color of the screen (border color, back color, pattern color, etc.),
Indicates whether or not the back color can be changed.

When creating a card, please follow the steps from 0 to
By specifying the data content of the 9th byte, the basic operation of the system can be determined.

On the other hand, graphic commands and data GD include the following (1) to (4).

(1) Screen setting commands These commands include cursor display, image deletion, pattern initial coordinate specification, graphic range specification, screen status (color or monochrome) setting, card information reading display, pulse coordinate specification, etc. There is. Here, the command for reading and displaying card information is for instructing that a figure (for example, a figure indicating a state in which a card is inserted into a card reader) prompting the start of the card information reading operation be displayed on the screen.

(2) Graphics commands This includes commands such as dot, line, box, box file, circle, paint (coloring), tile paint, inverting or rotating a pattern, and specifying block color. be.

(3) Other commands These include commands such as no operation, single character display, enlarged character display, title message display, enlarged title display, and sound data reading.

(4) Data This includes sprite data, character (one character or character string) data, pattern data, sound data,
There is cursor data, color data, coordinate data, speed data, etc. Here, the pattern data is data that specifies each pattern written in the pattern writing section 34. Further, cursor data is data that specifies the shape, color, etc. of the cursor.

When creating a card, the various commands and data described above can be used to determine, for example, what pattern to display at what position on the screen and in what color.

On the back of the card 16, for example, as shown in FIG.
Basic functions are described for each mode such as block mode and pen mode. The back of card 16 says:
It may be possible to write explanatory matters for each card, but since there may be matters common to multiple cards, for example, a set of 12 cards may be used to create a system using the back of each card. and an instruction manual that uniformly explains how to handle the card.

The display device 18 is a CRT (cathode ray tube) display device attached to the small general-purpose computer 10, but a home television receiver or the like can also be used if an RF converter or the like is provided.

FIG. 5 shows the circuit configuration of the above-described image processing device.

In the small general-purpose computer 10, the system bus 40 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 42,
ROM (read only memory) 44, RAM
(random access memory) 46, interface circuit 50 for cassette tape device 48,
Coupled are an interface circuit 54 for the printer 52, a keyboard interface circuit 56 for the keyboard 20, a video interface circuit 58 for the display 18, and a sound generator 60. Video coupled to video interface circuit 58
The FAM 62 is a screen-dedicated memory that stores image information corresponding to the screen of the display device 18.

Memory pack 12 is also coupled to system bus 40 via the aforementioned coupling device. As shown in FIG. 6, the memory pack 12 includes a ROM section 64 that stores image processing programs, etc., and a card reader 1.
and a signal processing circuit 66 for processing the read signals from the four read heads 14A. In the signal processing circuit 66, 68 is an amplifier that amplifies the read signal from the read head 14A, and 70 is the amplifier 6.
72 is a serial/parallel (S/P) conversion circuit that converts serial data from circuit 70 into parallel data; 74 is a circuit from circuit 72; This is a buffer circuit that has functions such as temporarily storing parallel data. Note that in reality, there is one memory in the memory pack 12, and most of it is used as the ROM section 64.
The remaining portion is used as temporary storage means within the buffer circuit 74.

The programs and data stored in the ROM section 64 include the following (1) to (11).

(1) Initialization routine This routine initializes the system.

(2) Card information import routine This is a routine from the buffer circuit 74 to the system bus 4.
This is for loading read information from the card 16 into the RAM 46 via the card 16.

(3) Basic routine for card information processing This routine is for sequentially reading and processing the card information loaded into the RAM 46 and displaying a still image on the screen of the display device 18, as described below. Routines and specific data are used as appropriate.

(4) Card command/key command processing routine This is to process commands input from the card 16 and commands input from the keyboard 20, so each mode such as block mode, pen mode, copy mode, memory mode, etc. The processing content differs depending on the case.

(5) Graphics processing subroutine This is used to draw points, lines, circles, rectangles, etc., color them, and control rotation, reversal, and movement of patterns.

(6) Cassette tape input/output routine This routine is for recording the drawn pictures on the set tape device 48 or reproducing them from the cassette tape device 48 on the screen.

(7) Printer routine This routine is used to make a colored or monochrome hard copy of a drawn picture using the printer 52.

(8) Sound generation routine This is for generating musical tones, human voice sounds, sound effects, etc. by the sound generator 60.

(9) Basic input/output routine This is for processing key input, cursor input, oscillation sound output, etc.

(10) Title display routine This routine displays, for example, a "graphics card" on the screen.
It is used to display the title.

(11) Unique data This includes pattern data for drawing figures that encourage card information reading as described above, pattern data for title display, basic pattern data for drawing basic circles, squares, etc.

In FIG. 5, the CPU 42 is normally the ROM 4
However, when the memory pack 12 is connected to the system bus 40, it starts to operate according to the program in the ROM section 64 in the memory pack 12 instead of the program in the ROM 44. When the memory pack 12 is removed from the system bus 40, it will operate according to the program in the ROM 44 instead of the program in the ROM section 64. The program of the ROM 44 is created to enable program switching in accordance with such attachment/detachment of the memory pack 12.

When the memory pack 12 is connected to the system bus 40, the CPU 42 initializes the system according to the initialization routine described above and causes the message "Hit Any Key" to be displayed on the screen.
When any key on the keyboard 20 is pressed, the above-mentioned figure prompting the user to read the card information is displayed on the screen.

The user inserts the card 16 into the groove 28 of the card reader 14 in the direction of the arrow as shown in FIG.
When the card passes therethrough, the CPU 42 executes the above-mentioned card information import routine and imports the card information into the RAM 46.

Next, the CPU 42 executes the basic routine of card information processing described above, and displays a still image on the screen based on the card information in the RAM 46. The still image displayed in this case is determined by the card used, and when a specific card is used, the still image is displayed with a pattern figure as shown in Figure 4 A or B above, for example. .

After this, the CPU 42 waits for key operations, cursor operations, etc., and the user can draw using the above-mentioned still image by key operations and cursor operations, as well as memorize, record, playback, print, etc. the drawing results. can be done.

As an example, a ROM can be created in which 12 cards numbered 1 to 12 can be used as a set for entertainment or learning activities.
64 and the information content of each card, the block mode is set for the second to fourth cards, and the block mode is set for the fifth to seventh cards.
The 8th card sets the pen mode, the 8th card sets the copy mode, the 9th card sets the character mode,
The tenth card can run memory mode and save/load mode. Here, the functions and operations for each mode are as follows.

(1) Block mode In this mode, multiple blocks (patterns) such as those shown in Figure 4 A or B are displayed and a picture can be drawn using them. For example, you can use the cursor keys 22 to move the cursor (in this case, a plus (+) mark) over a desired block, press the space bar SB to grab the block, and then press the cursor keys 22 to grab the block. 22 to move the grabbed block to a desired position within the frame of the screen, and press the space bar SB to fix the block there. In addition, you can erase blocks with the BS key, and change the color of the blocks with the SELECT key. Operations such as rotating the block with the return key RT, reversing the block with the stop key STOP, and enlarging the block with the TAB key are possible. Therefore, any picture can be drawn by combining these operations.

(2) Pen mode In this mode, you can draw lines, boxes, circles, etc., and also perform painting, back color settings, tiling, etc. That is, when the key F5 is pressed, the cursor changes to a pen mark, the color can be determined with the SELECT key, the line type can be determined, and the line can be drawn using the cursor keys 22. Here, the line type is determined by
For example, if you press the space bar SB, a thin solid line will appear, and the key
If you press SHIFT and Spacebar SB at the same time, a thick solid line will appear.

(3) Copy mode In this mode, you can extract a part of a block or a part of a picture you have drawn and move it (copy) to another location. That is, when the key F3 is pressed, the cursor changes to a square mark, and the area surrounded by this mark can be grabbed with the space bar SB and fixed elsewhere, just like a block.

(4) Print mode In this mode, connect a color printer as the printer 52 and press the keys CTRL and P at the same time to print a color hard copy.
Connect a monochrome printer and press the CTRL and M keys to obtain a monochrome hard copy.

(5) Character mode In this mode, you can write letters such as alpha, hiragana, katakana, marks, etc. in two different sizes. For example, when the key F4 is pressed, the cursor changes to a "" mark, and when a letter key is pressed, lowercase letters of the alphabet can be displayed on the screen. Then, as in the case of the blocks described above, processing such as movement, rotation, and color change can be performed on the desired characters.

(6) Memory mode In this mode, you can remember the steps and movements of the drawn picture.
It can be stored in the RAM 46 or read from there and reproduced on the screen.

(7) Save/Load Mode In this mode, you can record your drawings on a cassette tape, or read them out and play them on the screen. In this case, save the picture in a stopped state,
Two ways are possible: memory mode and similar save.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and can be implemented with various improvements or changes. For example, reading the card 16 is
The card may be moved mechanically with a motor, etc.
The card may be fixed and the reading head may be moved. Further, the card reader and memory pack may be integrated.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, when a memory pack is attached to a coupling device for a small general-purpose computer, the small general-purpose computer By operating the input sheet, image information is read from the information recording section of the desired sheet and the image is displayed on the display screen, and the displayed image can be changed and controlled by key operation or cursor operation. A wide variety of entertainment or learning activities can be performed through simple operations, and entertainment, playability, and learning efficiency are greatly improved.

In addition, the reading means is provided in the memory pack instead of in the small general-purpose computer, and the reading information writing process is performed not by the information processing program but by the image processing program.
It is possible to minimize changes in the design of hardware and software on the small general-purpose computer side, which is convenient for manufacturing.

Furthermore, since each sheet has a pattern or graphic related to the image information written thereon, the sheet itself serves as a visually appealing medium, and even young children can easily select a desired sheet.

Furthermore, if you take advantage of the expandability of small general-purpose computers, you can easily add functions such as generating musical sounds, human voice sounds, sound effects, etc. during display, recording and playing back displayed images, and printing. Multifunctionality can be achieved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an image processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a top view of a small general-purpose computer, and FIGS. 3A and 3B show the front and back sides of an image information input card, respectively. 4A and B are plan views showing different examples of descriptions in the pattern writing section of the image information input card.
This figure is a block diagram showing the circuit configuration of the device shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the circuit configuration inside the memory pack. 10... Compact general-purpose computer, 12... Memory pack, 14... Card reader, 16... Image information input card, 18... Display device.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1 (a) A plurality of sheets each having an information recording section recording mutually different image information,
(b) A memory pack containing a built-in memory storing image processing programs related to these sheets, in which a pattern or graphic related to the image information of the information recording section is written on each sheet; (c) a display device having a display surface; (d) a coupling device for removably attaching the memory pack; and a program storing an information processing program. A small computer having a memory, an information processing device that operates according to the information processing program, a random access memory, a keyboard that generates key operation information in response to key operations, and a cursor operation device that generates cursor movement control information in response to manual operations. a general-purpose computer; the information processing program operates the information processing device according to the image processing program instead of the information processing program in response to the memory pack being attached to the coupling device; The information processing device is made to operate according to the information processing program instead of the image processing program in response to the memory pack being removed from the coupling device, and the image processing program is configured to operate the information processing device according to the information processing program in place of the image processing program. writing the image information read in the random access memory into the random access memory; and reading the image information written in the random access memory and causing the display device to display an image corresponding to the image information on the display surface. and a process of controlling the display device to change the display image on the display surface by taking in key operation information from the keyboard and cursor movement control information from the cursor operating device. An image processing device characterized in that the image processing device is created so as to be executed by the device.