JPH06294630A - Tactile image system controller - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a compact tactile image system controller in which pressure information can be recorded continuously for a long time, pressure information and image information can be displayed simultaneously on one screen, and video information can be delivered to a general purpose high speed image processor. CONSTITUTION:The tactile image system controller comprises a tactile sensor section 1 having multiple unit tactile detecting parts outputting electric signals corresponding to the pressing force, a tactile processing section 2 for sequentially scanning the unit tactile detecting parts to detect electric signals and image processing the signals, means 4 for recording a state where the tactile sensor part 1 is loaded, and a synchronism control means 3 being synchronized by a sync signal generated from a video signal generating circuit 30.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a tactile image system control device which can be used in the fields of medicine, ergonomics, amusement and FA.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a system for displaying pressure information of a tactile sensor unit as an image, there is, for example, one shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the system includes a tactile sensor section 90, a tactile processing section 91 for image-processing the pressure information given to the tactile sensor section 90, and the tactile sensor section 90.
Image display means 92 for visualizing a state in which a load is applied to the
And scanning of the tactile sensor unit 90 and the image display means 9
And a synchronization control means 93 for synchronizing 2 and
By displaying the load distribution state acting on the tactile sensor section 90 by the image display means 92, for example, the foot pressure distribution state or the like can be visually judged.
Therefore, this system can be widely applied to the field of ergonomics such as the field of sports medicine and the field of rehabilitation. Further, when the system for displaying the pressure (tactile) information as described above is adopted in the field of FA, for example,
Even a delicate assembling operation, which was difficult with a conventional surveillance camera alone, can be performed relatively easily.

However, the one using the above image display system has the following problems. That is, it is impossible to record pressure information continuously for a long time. It is not possible to manufacture a compact system that simultaneously displays pressure information and image information on the same screen. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, a personal computer 94, an image processing device 95, and a control computer 96 are required, and the system becomes a large system as a whole (97 shown in the same figure).
Is a tactile sensor, and 98 is a surveillance camera). The reaction speed is slow.

[0004]

Therefore, according to the present invention, a tactile image system controller capable of continuously recording pressure information for a long time, the entire system is compact, and image information in addition to pressure information can be displayed on the same screen. An object of the present invention is to provide a tactile image system control device that can be simultaneously displayed, and a tactile image system control device that can be input to a general-purpose high-speed image processing device by converting it into a video.

[0005]

A tactile image system control apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention is a tactile sensor section having a large number of unit tactile sense sections for outputting electric signals corresponding to pressing force, and the tactile sense section. A tactile processing unit that sequentially scans the unit tactile detection unit of the sensor unit to detect the electric signal and perform image processing,
The tactile sensor unit includes a recording unit that records a state in which a load is applied, and a control unit that synchronizes the scanning of the unit tactile detecting unit and the recording unit with a synchronization signal of a video signal generation circuit.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tactile sensor system having a tactile sensor section having a plurality of unit tactile sensor sections for outputting an electric signal corresponding to a pressing force, and a unit of the tactile sensor section. A tactile processing unit that sequentially scans the tactile detection unit to detect the electric signal and performs image processing, a display unit that displays an image of a state in which a load is applied to the tactile sensor unit, a scan of the unit tactile detection unit, and the It has a control means for synchronizing the display means and the recording means with the synchronizing signal of the video signal generating circuit.

[0007]

The present invention has the following actions. (Operation of the invention according to claim 1) Since the signal from the tactile sensor unit is converted into a video signal, the pressure distribution information from the tactile sensor unit is used as a video deck (television) which is conventionally used at home. It will be possible to record continuously for a long time on a recording means such as a video deck. (Operation of the invention according to claim 2) Since the signal from the tactile sensor unit is converted into a video signal, the display can be performed without using a personal computer, an image processing apparatus, a control computer or the like which causes an increase in the size of the system. It is possible to simultaneously display the pressure information and the image information on the screen of the means.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The configuration of the invention of this application will be described below with reference to the drawings shown as embodiments. (Embodiment 1) This embodiment relates to a tactile image system controller capable of continuously recording pressure information for a long time. Basically, as shown in FIG.
A tactile processing section 2 for image-processing the pressure information given to the tactile sensor section 1, a recording means 4 for recording a state in which a load is applied to the tactile sensor section 1, and a scanning of the tactile sensor section 1. And a synchronization control means 3 for synchronizing the recording means 4 with each other.

As shown in FIG. 1, the tactile sensor unit 1 is a matrix type pressure sensor (density: 44 × 44) composed of row and column electrodes in orthogonal states. The one disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 501221 can be used. As shown in FIG. 1, the synchronization control means 3 has a video signal generating means 30, a control 31, and a control circuit 32. The clock signal from the video signal generating means 30 to the control circuit 32 is a control circuit. A clock signal is output from 32 to the control 31, respectively.

As shown in the figure, the tactile processing unit 2 includes a drive circuit multiplexer 20 and an amplifier circuit multiplexer 2.
It has one, four, and four column output circuits 22, an A / D converter 23, and a parallel / serial conversion circuit 24. From the control 31 to the parallel / serial conversion circuit 24
To the A / D converter 23 and the digital conversion timing signal to the A / D converter 23.
The column output circuit 22 outputs a row selection signal to the drive circuit multiplexer 20 and a column selection signal to the amplifier circuit multiplexer 21, respectively, and further the amplifier circuit multiplexer 21.
The analog-to-A / D converter 23 outputs the analogized information from the parallel / serial conversion circuit 24 to the serial / parallel conversion circuit 40 described later.

In this embodiment, the four-column output circuit 22 is provided in order to display an image on almost the entire screen of the monitor television (the density of the pressure sensor is 44).
However, since the number of scanning lines of NTSC is 256, the image is displayed only on 1/4 of the screen of the monitor TV without the 4-column output circuit 22). The recording means 4 is
As shown in the figure, the serial / parallel conversion circuit 40
And a D / A converter 41, a buffer 42, and a so-called TV video deck 43. The control circuit 32 converts the serial / parallel conversion circuit 4
0 and a D / A converter 41, a conversion timing signal, a video signal generating circuit 30 which outputs an NTSC sync signal to a buffer 42, and a buffer 42 which outputs a video signal to a television video deck 43. It is as a configuration.

In the tactile image system controller of this embodiment, the pressure information obtained by the tactile sensor unit 1 is input as a voltage to the amplification multiplexer, and the A / D converter 23 synchronizes with the conversion timing signal from the controller 31. While being digitized, it is output as information by the digital / serial conversion circuit 24. The control circuit 32 outputs a clock signal to the control 31 and the serial / parallel conversion circuit 40 in synchronization with the video signal generation circuit 30. Therefore, information is input from the parallel / serial conversion circuit 24 to the serial / parallel conversion circuit 40 synchronized with the parallel / serial conversion circuit 24. Then, the information is converted into analogized information by the D / A converter 41, and the NTSC of the video signal generating circuit 30 is converted.
The sync signal and the buffer 42 are combined to be recorded in the television VCR 43.

If the output from the buffer 42 is input to the monitor television, the pressure information can be directly displayed as an image. (Embodiment 2) This embodiment has the same purpose as that of Embodiment 1 described above, and as shown in FIG.
The tactile processing unit 2 ', the synchronization control means 3', and the recording means 4'constitute a device. Since the tactile sensor unit 1 ', the tactile processing unit 2', and the synchronization control unit 3'have substantially the same configuration as that of the first embodiment, the recording unit 4'will be described here.

The recording means 4'of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, has a four-column output circuit 44, line memories A and B,
It has a D / A converter 47, a buffer 48, and a television video deck 49. The line memories A and B are each capable of holding pressure information for one screen, and when one line memory inputs and holds information, the other line memory holds information held by the D / A. It outputs it to the converter. The line memories A and B sequentially hold information at memory addresses indicated by the input address signal (address signal corresponding to the matrix) output from the control circuit of the synchronization control means 3 ', and the control circuit is also provided. The information of the memory called by the output address signal from is output.

The first and second embodiments described above are devices for enabling continuous data recording for a long time.
If the circuit configuration as shown in FIG. 1, that is, the pressure sensor 1, 1 and the monitoring camera C, C are connected to the analog switch of the tactile processing unit 2 ″, the personal computer, image The pressure information from the pressure sensors 1 and 1 and the monitoring cameras C and C are displayed on the screen of the monitor TV M without using the processing device and the control computer.
Image information from can be displayed at the same time.

[0016]

Since the invention of this application has the above-mentioned structure, it has the following effects. From the contents described in the action column, the tactile image system control device capable of continuously recording the pressure information for a long time, and the whole system is compact and the image information can be simultaneously displayed on the same screen in addition to the pressure information. It has been possible to provide a tactile image system controller capable of inputting, and a tactile image system controller capable of inputting to a general-purpose high-speed image processing device.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a circuit adopted in a tactile image system control device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a circuit adopted for controlling a tactile image system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a circuit adopted for controlling a tactile image system according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a circuit adopted in conventional haptic image system control.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a system for simultaneously displaying pressure information and image information on the screen of the image processing apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Tactile sensor unit 2 Tactile processing unit 3 Synchronization control means 4 Recording means 30 Video signal generation circuit

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Ichiro Suzuki No address in Taura Port Town, Yokosuka City, Kanagawa Kanto Automobile Industry Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Ko Wada 22-6 Nihonbashi Kabutocho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo Suzukatsu Sangyo Co., Ltd. In-house (72) Inventor Reiji Nagata 22-6 Nihonbashi Kabutocho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo Inside Suzukasu Sangyo Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Teruaki Higashi 172 Ikezawa-cho, Yamatokoriyama City, Nara Nitta Stock Company Nara Factory

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A tactile sensor section having a large number of unit tactile sense sections for outputting an electric signal corresponding to a pressing force, and a unit tactile sense section of the tactile sensor section are sequentially scanned to detect the electric signal and to display an image. A tactile processing unit for processing, a recording unit for recording a state in which a load is applied to the tactile sensor unit, and a control unit for synchronizing the scanning of the unit tactile detecting unit and the recording unit with a synchronizing signal of a video signal generating circuit. And a tactile imaging system control device having. 2. A tactile sensor section having a large number of unit tactile sense sections that output an electric signal corresponding to a pressing force, and a unit tactile sense section of the tactile sensor section are sequentially scanned to detect the electric signal and to display an image. A tactile processing unit for processing, a display unit for displaying an image of a state in which a load is applied to the tactile sensor unit, a scan of the unit tactile detecting unit and the display unit recording unit are synchronized by a synchronizing signal of a video signal generating circuit. A tactile image system control device having a control means for controlling the haptic image system.