WO2009128277A1

WO2009128277A1 - Magnified reading device

Info

Publication number: WO2009128277A1
Application number: PCT/JP2009/001781
Authority: WO
Inventors: 野口紳一郎; 木村睦
Original assignee: 学校法人龍谷大学
Priority date: 2008-04-17
Filing date: 2009-04-17
Publication date: 2009-10-22
Also published as: JP2011139112A

Abstract

Provided is a magnified reading device which is convenient to use and easy to carry. This magnified reading device (1) is comprised of a close-up screen (20), an image display (1a) having a display screen (30), and a document mounting device (1b) having a mounting surface (40) for mounting a document (D). The image of the document (D) placed between the mounting surface (40) and the close-up screen (20) is read out and displayed under magnification or with no magnification on the display screen (30). The magnified reading device is provided with an image read-out unit (2) which reads out the entire image of the document (D) one time by receiving the light reflected from the document (D) and converting the light into electrical signals; a written character read-out unit (4) which detects the pressure on the mounting surface (40) when characters are written on the document (D); a controller (5) which stores the data of the entire image in an image memory (54), extracts a portion or all of the image data and applies image processing, and overlays the written character data on the image data to generate the display data; and an image display (3) which receives the display data and displays the image on the display screen (30).

Description

Magnifier

The present invention relates to an enlarged reading device suitable for use by a visually impaired person called so-called low vision, an elderly amblyopic person with presbyopia, and the like.

As a conventional magnifier, there is a stationary magnifier as described in Patent Document 1, for example. In the document described in Patent Document 1, a document placed on a gantry is photographed by a camera positioned above it, an image is read, and image processing is performed to enlarge and display a part of the document on a display device. . Therefore, the visually impaired user visually recognizes the enlarged display portion while moving the document placed on the gantry little by little. This type of expanded reader has no restrictions on the medium of the document, and the user can freely read books and newspapers, and can also write text on the document. It is considerably better than

Also, as a conventional enlarged reading device, for example, a portable enlarged reading device as described in Patent Document 2 has been proposed. The one described in Patent Document 2 has a thin plate shape and has an image reading unit and an image display unit on both sides. When reading an image, the reflected light from the document is converted into an electrical signal by the image reading unit. And a part of the image is enlarged and displayed on the image display unit. This type of magnified reading device is easy to carry, so it can reduce the burden of movement and can be used not only for visually handicapped persons but also for elderly people with weak vision.

JP 2004-336229 A JP-A-7-322012

However, the above-mentioned stationary-type magnifier has a heavy load and a heavy load, and when writing characters on a document, a hand with a writing instrument is placed directly under the camera, which causes problems with viewing and focusing. Is likely to occur. On the other hand, the above-mentioned portable magnified reading device is not easy to use and cannot write characters, so it is desired to improve usability for people with visual impairment and elderly people with low vision. There is not much room for improvement.

The present invention has been made in view of the above reasons, and an object of the present invention is to provide an enlarged reading device that is easy to carry and can be written with no problems in visual recognition or focus, improving usability.

An enlarged reader according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes an image display body having a close-up surface on one side and a display screen on the other side, and a document under the close-up surface via the close-up surface. An enlarged reading device that irradiates light to read the image, and displays the read image on a display screen in an enlarged or equal magnification. The image display body receives light reflected from a document through the close-up surface. An image reading unit having reading elements arranged in a matrix that reads an entire image of a document at a time by converting the image into an electric signal, and data of the entire image read by the image reading unit is stored in an image memory And a control unit that extracts part or all of the data and performs image processing to generate display data, and a matrix that receives display data from the control unit and displays an image on the display screen. An image display unit comprising a has been displayed element, consisting comprise.

Preferably, the enlarged reading device further includes a document placing body having a placement surface on which the document is placed, and reads the image of the document by interposing the document between the placement surface and the close-up surface. The document placement body includes a writing character reading unit that detects a pressing of the placement surface when a character is written on the document placed on the placement surface, and the control The unit generates display data by performing a process of superimposing the written character data read by the written character reading unit on the image data. More preferably, the control unit tracks the pressing of the mounting surface and displays an image of the position of the XY coordinates.

Preferably, in the enlarged reader, the color of light applied to the document changes sequentially, and the image reading unit sequentially reads the image of each color of the document during the irradiation period of each color. More preferably, the magnifying reader / writer is provided between a light emitting element for backlight that emits a plurality of colors, and between the image reading unit and the image display unit, and uniformly diffuses light from the light emitting element for backlight. A display panel, and the display element includes a liquid crystal element, and the backlight light emitting element sequentially turns on and off the light to change the color of the emitted light to irradiate the document. The color of light is sequentially changed, and the image display unit sequentially displays an image for each color during a color development period for each color.

Preferably, in the enlarged reader, the display element has an EL element, and the document emits light emitted from the EL element. More preferably, the magnified reader / writer sequentially changes the color of light applied to the document by sequentially turning on and off the EL elements, and further displays the image for each color sequentially.

Preferably, in the enlarged reader, the control unit temporarily stores a reference screen state parameter indicating a state of the reference screen based on an operation of operation switches.

Preferably, in the enlarged reader, the control unit displays a virtual outer frame indicating a range of the entire image on the display screen, and repeats the entire image on the left and right and / or above and below the virtual outer frame. indicate.

Preferably, the enlarged reading device further includes an image display auxiliary body having a support surface on one surface and a display auxiliary screen on the other surface, and a side surface of the image display auxiliary body is the image display body. The display auxiliary screen and the display screen are flush with each other when fitted to the side surface of the image display body, the image display auxiliary body receives display data from the control unit of the image display body, and the display screen of the image display body The image display auxiliary | assistance part which has a display element arrange | positioned at the matrix form which displays the image continuous on the image displayed on the said display auxiliary | assistant screen is provided.

According to the magnified reading device described in the present invention, it is easy to carry, and various image processing can be performed to read the entire image of the document at one time, thereby improving usability. In addition, by having a document placement body with a writing character reading unit that detects pressing of the placement surface on which the document is placed, characters can be easily written to the document without any problem in visual recognition or focus. It becomes possible, and usability can be further improved.

It is a perspective view in the middle state which is going to use the image display body and document mounting body of the expansion reader based on embodiment of this invention in piles. It is a perspective view of the state which uses the image display body and document mounting body of an enlarged reading device same as the above. It is a perspective view of the state which uses the image display body and document mounting body of an expansion reading device same as the above side by side. It is a schematic sectional drawing of an image display body same as the above and a document mounting body. It is a circuit diagram of a control circuit same as the above. It is a whole block diagram of a control program same as the above. This is the main menu displayed by the control program. It is a flowchart of the initial process of a control program same as the above. It is a flowchart of the image reading process of a control program same as the above. It is a flowchart of the image quality adjustment process of a control program same as the above. It is a flowchart of a screen stack process and a screen stack read process of the control program same as above. It is a flowchart of the image expansion / contraction rotation process of the control program same as the above. It is a flowchart of the scroll process of a control program same as the above. It is a figure explaining the scroll method using the screen stack process in a control program same as the above. It is a flowchart of the character input process of a control program same as the above. It is a perspective view explaining the method of searching for the writing start location in a control program same as the above. It is a flowchart of the memory card process of a control program same as the above. It is a flowchart of the system setting process of a control program same as the above. It is a figure explaining the screen continuous display of a control program same as the above. It is one perspective view of the use condition of the modification of an enlarged reading device same as the above. It is one perspective view of the use condition of the other modification of an expansion reading device same as the above. It is a perspective view explaining fitting of the image display body and image display auxiliary body of other modifications of the expansion reading device same as the above. FIG. 23 is a schematic sectional view of a portion indicated by AA in FIG.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The enlarged reader 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes an image display body 1a and a document placement body 1b. FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 show the use state of the enlarged reader 1, and FIG. 1 shows a state in the middle of placing the document D on the document placement body 1b and trying to superimpose the image display body 1a. 2 shows a state in which the document D is placed on the document placement body 1b and the image display body 1a is overlaid. FIG. 3 shows the image display body 1a separated and arranged while the document D is placed on the document placement body 1b. It is a perspective view of a state. In FIG. 1, the back surface of the image display body 1a and the surface of the document placement body 1b can be observed. In FIG. 2, the surface of the image display body 1a can be observed. In FIG. The surface of the document placement body 1b can be observed. As shown in these drawings, a close-up surface 20 is provided on the back surface, which is one surface of the image display body 1a, and a display screen 30 is provided on the front surface, which is the other surface, and the document D is provided on the surface of the document placement body 1b. A placement surface 40 is provided for placement. The image display body 1a is a thin box having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and accommodates therein an image reading unit 2, an image display unit 3, and a control unit 5, which will be described in detail later. The document placement body 1b is also a box having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape with a planar view shape substantially equal to that of the image display body 1a, and a writing character reading unit 4 described in detail later is provided therein. Contained. The magnified reading device 1 is arranged so that the surface of the document D is close to the close-up surface 20 side and the document D is interposed between the close-up surface 20 and the placement surface 40 in a state of being overlapped as shown in FIG. The image is read by irradiating light through the surface 20. Then, the read image is enlarged or displayed at the same magnification on the display screen 30. In FIG. 2, the entire image of the document D is displayed on the display screen 30 at the same magnification. In the case of enlargement, although it depends on the degree of visual perception of the user, it is usually about 10 to 15 times at maximum. Furthermore, when characters are written by a writing tool in a desired position of the document D placed on the placement surface 40 in the state shown in FIG. 3, the pressure on the placement surface 40 is detected and the press mark is enlarged. Alternatively, the image is displayed on the display screen 30 so as to overlap the image displayed at the same magnification.

4A is a schematic cross-sectional view of the image display body 1a when a liquid crystal element is used as the display element, FIG. 4B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the image display body 1a when an EL element is used as the display element, c) is a schematic cross-sectional view of the document placement body 1b.

Next, each part of the image display body 1a and the document placement body 1b will be described. The image reading unit 2 includes reading elements 2a arranged in a matrix that reads the entire image of the document D at a time by receiving light reflected from the document D through the close-up surface 20 and converting it into an electrical signal. . In this case, the document D is in contact with the close-up surface 20, and each part of the document D is in the vicinity (immediately above) of the document D and is read one-on-one by the corresponding reading element 2a. In principle, the central portion and the peripheral portion of the image are read with almost no distortion. The reading element 2a includes a photodiode (or a phototransistor) that generates a charge amount corresponding to the amount of received light and a control transistor of a thin film transistor that controls the photodiode. Here, the density (pixel density) of the reading element 2a is the resolution of image reading. A thin film transistor is a transistor configured by providing a thin film to be a P region and an N region on an insulating substrate (for example, a glass substrate). If the thin film transistor is a control transistor, a photodiode or the like is integrally formed on the insulating substrate. In addition, all the reading elements 2a can be formed on the same insulating substrate even in the A4 size. Such an image reading unit 2 is very low cost. In addition, the part which irradiates light to the document D via the close-up surface 20 in the image display body 1a will be described later. Further, in FIGS. 4A and 4B, description of an insulating substrate and the like is omitted.

The area in which the image reading unit 2 can read an image (and the area in which the image display unit 3 can display an image) can be appropriately designed according to the environment to be used. A4 size (297 mm x 210 mm) is suitable for business use because it is a size or B5 size, and most of A3 and B4 size documents are divided into right and left near the center. ing. On the other hand, in daily life such as reading books and product tags, there are situations where the A4 size does not fit into the bag (especially women's bag), so it may be better to use the A5 size (210 mm x 148 mm), for example. is there. Further, the resolution of image reading in the image reading unit 2 is 200 dpi or more in color because it becomes difficult to read if there is a missing dot constituting the text of the text even if it is enlarged and displayed in the image display unit 3. preferable. In addition, when using the US standard size, in each description in the present specification, the A5 size is a half letter size (8.5 inches × 5.5 inches), and the A4 size and the B5 size are letter sizes (11 inches × 11). 8.5 inch), A3 size and B4 size shall be read as double letter size (17 inch × 11 inch).

In order to achieve sufficiently high resolution and low cost for image reading, it is preferable that light of a plurality of colors (usually, three colors of RGB) is sequentially developed to irradiate the document D, and the image reading unit 2 is set for each color. In this color development period (irradiation period), an image for each color of the document D is sequentially read. For the light of a plurality of colors, an EL element constituting a light emitting element for a backlight or a display element, which will be described in detail later, is used. In this way, for example, if read elements dedicated to the three colors are arranged in a matrix, a pixel density of 600 dpi is required, but a pixel density of 200 dpi is sufficient.

The image display unit 3 includes display elements 3a that receive display data from the control unit 5 to be described later and display an image on the display screen 30 in a matrix. The display element 3 a emits one of a plurality of colors (usually three colors of RGB) toward the display screen 30. The display element 3a includes an element in which light transmission or light emission is electrically controlled, for example, a liquid crystal element or an EL element (organic EL element or inorganic EL element) and a thin film transistor control transistor for controlling the element. . If the thin film transistor is a control transistor, all the control transistors can be formed on the same insulating substrate even in the A4 size. When an EL element is used for the display element 3a, the EL element can also be formed on the insulating substrate integrally with the control transistor.

When a liquid crystal element is used for the display element 3a, a backlight light emitting element (LED) 21 that emits a plurality of colors and a diffusion panel 22 that receives the light and diffuses uniformly are provided. The diffusion panel 22 is installed between the image reading unit 2 and the image display unit 3. Light emitted from the LED 21 through the diffusion panel 22 passes through the element non-formation region 2b between the

reading elements

2a and 2a of the image reading unit 2 and is irradiated onto the document D through the close-up surface 20, and an image display The liquid crystal element of the unit 3 is also irradiated and reaches the user's eyes from the display screen 30. Thus, the LED 21 and the diffusion panel 22 are shared by the image display unit 3 and the image reading unit 2. The reflected light from the document D irradiated with light is converted into an electrical signal by the image reading unit 2 as described above. The liquid crystal element of the image display unit 3 is controlled to transmit light according to the image to be displayed.

When an EL element is used as the display element 3a, the current flowing through the EL element itself or the applied voltage is controlled according to the image to emit light and reach the user's eyes from the display screen 30. The light emitted from the EL element is also emitted in the direction of the image reading unit 2, passes through the element non-formation region 2 b between the

reading elements

2 a and 2 a, and is applied to the document D through the close-up surface 20. The reflected light from the document D irradiated with light is converted into an electrical signal by the image reading unit 2 as described above. Therefore, this EL element is also shared by the image display unit 3 and the image reading unit 2. When an EL element is used for the display element 3a, the LED 21 and the diffusion panel 22 are not required as compared with the case of a liquid crystal element, which is very effective for reducing the thickness and weight.

Here, preferably, the light emitting element (LED) 21 for the backlight or the EL element that constitutes the display element 3a sequentially changes the color of light emitted by turning on and off the color, and as described above, the image is read at the time of image reading. The reading unit 2 sequentially reads the images for each color of the document D during the color development period for each color. Further, the LED 21 or the EL element is sequentially turned on and off at times other than when reading an image, and the image display unit 3 sequentially displays an image for each color of the document D during a color development period for each color. That is, the image display unit 3 operates in a so-called field sequential color system, and images for each color are synthesized by the user's eyes and various colors are recognized. In this method, it is difficult to adjust the color balance in moving images, but there is no such problem in the enlarged reader 1 that handles the image of the document D that is a still image. This further reduces the cost. In the case of the LED 21, the display screen 30 does not change to a different color even when reading an image, and the user does not feel uncomfortable. In the case of an EL element, the color of the display screen 30 and the color of the close-up surface 20 are separately formed on the same insulating substrate so that the display screen 30 has a different color when reading an image. You can eliminate the change.

It should be noted that a touch panel layer can be provided on the display screen 30, and the functions of operation switches Sub1,... Described later of the control unit 5 can be supplemented by replacing the displayed characters and the like as push buttons. The structure of the touch panel layer is an existing technology, and is not the main point of the present invention, and therefore will be omitted. An example of a push button is given in the description of the control program P of the control unit 5 described later.

The written character reading unit 4 is placed when a document D placed on the placement surface 40 of the document placement body 1b is written with a pen tip or the like of a writing instrument or pressed by a fingertip or the like. The pressing of the surface 40 is sensed and detected. The paper of the document D is assumed to have a normal thickness of one sheet or a stack of two or three sheets so that the placement surface 40 can sense the pressure applied by the pen tip or the fingertip. In addition to text, it is possible to write charts and the like. It is also possible to write characters, charts, etc. on blank paper.

The written character reading unit 4 can read the same area as the reading area of the image reading unit 2. Therefore, the vertical and horizontal sizes of the placement surface 40 of the document placement body 1b are substantially the same as the close-up surface 20 of the image display body 1a. Further, the absolute coordinates (hereinafter referred to as XY coordinates) of the X axis and the Y axis of the written character reading unit 4 are matched with the XY coordinates of the image reading unit 2. Therefore, when the document D is sandwiched between the close-up surface 20 and the placement surface 40 in order to read the image, the image display is performed so that the XY coordinates of the written character reading unit 4 and the XY coordinates of the image reading unit 2 are exactly the same. It is preferable to provide positioning means for the body 1a and the document placement body 1b. The alignment means is, for example, four corners in which the vertical and horizontal sizes of the image display body 1a and the document placement body 1b are exactly the same, and the alignment is achieved by matching the four corners of the image display body 1a and the document placement body 1b. It may be one that can be made. Moreover, the convex part or recessed part provided for position alignment to the corresponding location of the image display body 1a and the document mounting body 1b may be sufficient. Furthermore, it is preferable to provide a paper fixing means so that the paper on the mounting surface 40 does not shift even when the image reading is completed and the image display 1a is moved. The paper fixing means may be, for example, a surface on which the mounting surface 40 has a large frictional force, or may be one that sandwiches the end of the paper with elasticity. Further, the fineness for detecting the pressure of the pen tip or the like may be equal to or less than that of the image reading unit 2 as long as it can follow the locus of the pen tip or the like.

One of the things that can be applied as the written character reading unit 4 is that two layers having distributed resistance are stacked with a gap between them in order to be used in a resistance pressure-sensitive tablet or touch panel. Electrodes are formed at both ends, and electrodes are formed at both ends in the Y direction on another layer. The two layers come into contact with each other by pressing the pen tip or the like. Is applied to detect the partial pressure at the position of the nib in another layer, and voltage is applied in the Y direction in another layer to convert the partial pressure at the position of the nib in one layer to an AD converter. By converting to digital data, the XY coordinate where the pressure exists is detected. Since the resistance value between the electrodes at both ends varies depending on the pressing area, the thickness of the pen tip or the like (the position of the pressing region) can be identified by measuring the current value between the electrodes.

Since the written character reading unit 4 is provided in the document placement body 1b, the written character sending means 6 for sending the press data read by the written character reading unit 4 to the control unit 5 in the image display 1a. Provided. The written character sending means 6 is usually a communication connection cable, but it can also be made wireless by infrared rays or weak radio waves instead. When characters are not written in the document D placed on the placement surface 40, the written character sending means 6 need not be connected to the image display 1a.

The control unit 5 includes operation switches for a user to perform a desired input operation. In this embodiment, the operation switches are provided on the surface of the image display body 1a adjacent to the right side of the display screen 30 and slightly protruding. In this embodiment, three sub switches Sub1, Sub2, Sub3 and a power switch PSW are provided as operation switches. Further, a connector for connecting a communication connection cable as a writing character sending means 6 and a slot for inserting a memory card 7 are provided on the side surface of the image display body 1a, and a battery holder door is provided on the back surface of the image display body 1a. Is provided. The sub switches Sub1,... And the power switch PSW are made comparatively large for easy recognition and easy operation. The sub switches Sub1,... Are preferably different in shape from each other so as not to be erroneously selected. For example, as shown in FIG. As for the color, for example, if the color of the image display body 1a is gray, the sub switch Sub1,... Is preferably a conspicuous color such as pastel green, yellow, and pink. The power switch PSW is preferably a slide switch in order to avoid erroneous operation. As for the color, for example, if the color of the image display body 1a is gray, the power switch PSW is preferably a complementary color such as pearl white.

The control unit 5 has a control circuit 50 inside the image display 1a. As shown in FIG. 5, the specific configuration of the control circuit 50 of this embodiment is the CPU 51, the program memory 52 that stores the control program P, the work memory 53, and the entire image data read by the image reading unit 2. The configuration includes an image memory 54 that stores data and a frame memory 55 that stores display data sent to the image display unit 3. The control unit 5 includes the above-described image reading unit 2, written character reading unit 4, operation switches Sub 1,..., And interfaces 56, 57, 58, 59 with the memory card 7. The control circuit 50 controls image reading in the image reading unit 2, stores the read whole image data in the image memory 54, takes out part or all of the whole image data from the image memory 54, and operates the operation switch. In accordance with an input signal from the class Sub1,..., Image processing including enlargement processing is performed to generate display data and store it in the frame memory 55. If there is press data read by the written character reading unit 4, the data is superimposed on the entire image data to generate display data and store it in the frame memory 55. The display data in the frame memory 55 is sent to the image display unit 3 described above, and the image display unit 3 receives the display data and displays an enlarged or equal-size image on the display screen 30. Such an operation is performed according to a control program P described in detail below.

The control program P can have various specific configurations, and the configuration described below is an example. In this description, the operation of the enlarged reading device 1 corresponding to the processing of the control program P and the operation required by the user for the operation will also be described. This control program P is assumed to be provided with a touch panel layer on the surface of the display screen 30 and supplemented with the functions of the operation switches Sub1,.

FIG. 6 is an overall configuration diagram showing a specific configuration and transition of the control program P. 7A to 7E are main menus displayed on the display screen 30. FIG. The control program P is a process of the basic state P00, an initial process P10, an image reading process P20, an image quality adjustment process P30, a screen stack process P41, a screen stack read process P42, an image enlargement / reduction rotation process P50, a scroll process P60, and a character input process. P70, memory card process P80, and system setting process P90 are comprised.

The basic state P00 is a state in which an enlarged or equal-size image is displayed on the display screen 30 and no menu is displayed, and an input signal from the operation switches Sub1,. Depending on the process, the process proceeds to each process.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the initial process P10. When the power-on by the power switch PSW is detected in the dormant state (unused state) PXX or the depression of the sub switch Sub1 is detected in the basic state P00 (see FIG. 6), the initial process P10 is entered and first the basic menu Mf Is displayed on the display screen 30 (S1001). The basic menu Mf includes “scan”, “character input setting”, and “memory card processing” (see FIG. 7A). When the pressing of the sub switch Sub1 is detected (S1002), the display of the basic menu Mf is erased and the process ends. When pressing of the sub switch Sub1 is not detected, the pressing of each character part is detected (S1003). When the “character input setting” press T11 is detected, the on / off state of the written character reading unit 4 is changed (S1101). When a “scan” press T20 is detected, the process proceeds to an image reading process P20. When a “memory card process” press T80 is detected, the process proceeds to a memory card process P80. The image reading process P20 and the memory card process P80 will be described in detail later.

It should be noted that the “character input setting” may not be displayed unless the enlarged character reader 1 is connected to the writing character sending means 6 such as a communication connection cable. Further, the “memory card processing” can be prevented from being displayed unless the memory card 7 is inserted.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the image reading process P20. In the image reading process P20, the image reading unit 3 is controlled to read (scan) the image of the document D, and the image data from the image reading unit 3 is stored in the image memory 54 (S2001). When the reading of the image of the document D is completed, the image data stored in the image memory 54 is processed on the display screen 30 based on an image quality adjustment parameter described later (S2002), and sent to the image display unit 3 to display the image on the display screen 30. It is displayed (S2003).

Here, before the image reading process P20, the user places the document D on the placement surface 40 of the document placement body 1b so that the range including the desired portion in the document D is directly below the close-up surface 20. Keep it. The enlarged reader 1 and the document D are not moved during the image reading process P20.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of the image quality adjustment process P30. When the pressing of the sub switch Sub2 is detected in the basic state P00, the image quality adjustment process P30 is entered (see FIG. 6). Then, the image quality adjustment menu Mq is displayed on the display screen 30 (S3001) (see FIG. 7B). The image quality adjustment menu Mq includes “color scheme selection” and “contrast selection”. When it is detected that the sub switch Sub2 is pressed again (S3002), the display of the image quality adjustment menu Mq is erased and the process ends. When the pressing of the sub switch Sub2 is not detected, the pressing of each character part is detected (S3003). When pressing T31 of “color selection” is detected, a color selection submenu Mq1 is displayed on the display screen 30 (S3101) (see FIG. 7C). The color arrangement selection submenu Mq1 includes “color”, “8 gradation negative”, “8 gradation positive”, “specific color arrangement”, “binary negative”, and “binary positive”. When pressing of each character is detected, 'color' is a normal color, '8 gradation negative' is colorless 8 gradation, black and white inversion, '8 gradation positive' is colorless 8 gradation, 'specific color' is described later Displayed on the display screen 30 is a single color set in the “specific color setting” of the system setting process P90, “binary negative” is black and white inversion without colorless gradation, and “binary positive” is no colorless gradation. The color scheme is set so as to perform (S3102). A window may be provided beside each character in the color arrangement selection submenu Mq1, and a reduced screen of the color arrangement corresponding to each character may be displayed. When the pressing of the sub switch Sub2 is detected (S3103), the process returns to the original and the image quality adjustment menu Mq is displayed on the display screen 30 (S3001). When the “Contrast Select” selection T32 is detected in the image quality adjustment menu Mq, a volume image is displayed so that the contrast can be adjusted (S3201), and the contrast setting is increased or decreased by pressing the + side or the − side (S3202). . When binary negative or binary positive is selected in the color scheme selection submenu Mq1, the binary branch point changes. When the depression of the sub switch Sub2 is detected (S3203), the process returns to the original and the image quality adjustment menu Mq is displayed on the display screen 30 (S3001). Each setting by the image quality adjustment processing P30 is for providing a preferable visual environment according to various visual disturbances held by the user. Note that the image quality adjustment parameters immediately after the power is turned on may be set to default values, or those previously used before the power is turned off are stored in a nonvolatile memory and read at the same time as the power is turned on. It may be set.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the screen stack process P41 and the screen stack read process P42. When the pressing of the sub switch Sub3 is detected in the basic state P00, the screen stack process P41 is entered (see FIG. 6). Then, a reference screen state parameter indicating the state of the screen (reference screen) displayed at that time is stacked (temporarily stored) in the work memory 53 or the like (S4101). On the other hand, when the double continuous depression DC of the sub switch Sub3 is detected in the basic state P00, the screen stack read process P42 is entered. Then, the reference screen state parameter is read from the stack area, and the screen state corresponding to the reference screen state is returned (S4201).

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of the image enlargement / reduction rotation process P50. When two simultaneous presses TDP on the display screen 30 are detected in the basic state P00, the image enlargement / reduction rotation process P50 is entered (see FIG. 6). The simultaneous pressing TDP is confirmed again, and if it is not detected, the process ends (S5001). When the simultaneous pressing TDP is detected, it is checked whether one is stationary and the other moves (S5002). If the movement is separated, the magnification is automatically increased at regular intervals to enlarge the image (S5003). ). If the movement is approaching, the image is automatically reduced at regular intervals to reduce the image (S5004). If the motion is rotating, the image is automatically rotated at regular intervals (S5005). The enlargement process can be performed up to the maximum magnification and the reduction process can be performed up to the same magnification. When the simultaneous pressing TDP is no longer detected, the enlargement process, the reduction process, and the rotation process are finished (S5001). Note that the XY coordinates and the magnification of the center of the image to be displayed are displayed on the periphery of the display screen 30.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart of the scroll process P60. In the basic state P00, when a pressing TEP that moves left and right or up and down is detected at either the top, bottom, left, or right edge of the display screen 30, scroll processing P60 is entered (see FIG. 6). The pressing TEP is confirmed again, and if it is not detected, the process is terminated (S6001). When the pressing TEP is detected, the displayed image is moved (scrolled) according to the movement of the pressing TEP (S6002). When the press TEP on the display screen 30 is no longer detected, the scrolling is finished (S6001). Note that the XY coordinates and the magnification of the center of the image to be displayed are displayed on the periphery of the display screen 30.

When this scroll process P60 is combined with the above-described screen stack process P41 and screen stack read process P42, the document D can be read with a simple operation as described below with reference to FIG. 14 (a) to 14 (d) are examples showing images enlarged and displayed on the display screen 30 in time series. VD in the figure is a virtual document. The enlarged screen as shown in (a) is used as a reference screen, and the reference screen state parameter of the image is stacked by pressing the sub switch Sub3. Then, as shown in (b), scroll to the right side to read one line in the sentence, and when reading to the right end is completed as shown in (c), the sub switch Sub3 is continuously pressed twice. Then, as shown in (d), the reference screen state parameter is read and the screen returns to the reference screen. Then, if necessary, the next line is scrolled downward so that the next line is easy to see, and then the screen is used as a new reference screen and similarly scrolled to the right side to read the next line.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart of the character input process P70. When the written character reading unit 4 is in the ON state and the pressing PP is detected on the placement surface 40, the character input process P70 is entered (see FIG. 6). The pressure PP is confirmed again, and if it is not detected, the process is terminated (S7001). When the pressure PP is detected, the data of the pressure PP is superimposed on the image data (synthesized), and when the display screen 30 displays the image at the position of the XY coordinates of the pressure PP, the trace of the pressure PP is also displayed (S7002). ). Differentiating the color of the mark of the pressing PP on the display screen 30 by distinguishing the pen tip or something other than the pen tip (hereinafter referred to as a fingertip) by determining the area of the pressing PP or the like using an operation switch or the like. Is also possible. Further, if the automatic tracking is set in the system setting process P90 to be described later (S7003), the image of the position of the XY coordinates is displayed by tracking the pressure PP so that the trace of the pressure PP is in the center (S7003). S7004). Then, the process ends when the pressing PP is no longer detected on the mounting surface 40 (S7001).

Here, it is assumed that the document D on the placement surface 40 has already been read by the image reading unit 2. The user places the image display body 1a including the image reading unit 2 away from the document placement body 1b at a position where the display screen 30 can be easily viewed. Further, the paper of the document D is prevented from being shifted from the position read by the image reading unit 2. As shown in FIG. 16, when the user presses the placement surface 40 with the fingertip or the like through the document D, the trace of the press is combined with the image and displayed, so the screen where the trace of the press exists is searched. If it does, the part which starts writing can be displayed on the display screen 30 easily. Then, when a location to start writing is displayed on the display screen 30, writing of characters or the like is started by replacing the fingertip with a pen tip. At this time, the trace of the pressure by the fingertip or the like can be automatically deleted from the display screen 30 if the pen tip or the fingertip is distinguished as described above. It is also possible to erase with operation switches or the like (for example, simultaneously with the screen stack processing P41 by pressing the sub switch Sub3). In addition, a knock type ballpoint pen or the like in which the writing start position is difficult to shift when the fingertip or the like is replaced with a pen tip is optimal. After the writing is completed, it is possible to press the sub switch Sub1 and read the image of the document D again and confirm the contents by the above-described initial process P10 and the image reading process P20.

Further, if automatic pressing tracking is provided, the user moves the fingertip or the like in the state of the pressing PP, or once releases the fingertip or the like and again takes an appropriate distance to perform the pressing PP on the mounting surface 40. Then, it is possible to more easily display on the screen a portion where writing of characters or the like is started. It is also possible to search for the beginning of writing of characters or the like while reading the document D while keeping the state of the pressed PP from the beginning of the document D.

In addition, the automatic tracking is performed when the outside of a certain frame of the screen display (for example, the X-axis and Y-axis lengths are each one half of the entire screen) is pressed. It is also possible not to track inside. This is because if the image moves every time the pen tip is moved while signing or the like is performed with the pen tip, it may be difficult to see.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart of the memory card process P80. As described above, the memory card process P80 is entered when the “memory card process” key T80 is detected in the basic menu Mf of the initial process P10. First, the memory card menu Mm is displayed on the display screen 30 (S8001). The memory card menu Mm includes ‘Save Image New’, ‘Save Image Overwrite’, ‘Call Image’, ‘Image Slideshow’, and ‘Delete Image’ (see FIG. 7D). When the pressing of the sub switch Sub1 is detected (S8002), the display of the memory card menu Mm or the following error display is deleted, and the process returns to the initial process P10. When the depression of the sub switch Sub1 is not detected, the presence or absence of the memory card 7 is inspected (S8003), and when there is no memory card 7, an error is displayed (S8004), and the sub switch Sub1 is depressed in the error display state. Inspect again (S8002). When there is a memory card 7 or when insertion of the memory card 7 is detected (S8003), if there is an error display, it is erased and the pressing of each character part is inspected (S8005). In the new image saving process corresponding to the press T81, the image data stored in the image memory 54 is saved in the empty area of the memory card 7 (S8101). Accompanying this, information such as the immediately preceding display position, magnification, rotation angle, color value, and reference screen state parameter is also stored. In the image overwriting saving process corresponding to the press T82, the image data and the accompanying information are overwritten and saved in the original image file called from the memory card 7 immediately before by the image calling process (S8201). In the image calling process in response to the press T83, the images are called in the order in which they are saved in the memory card 7 by the new image saving process, temporarily saved in the work memory 53, etc., and displayed on the display screen 30 (S8301). In the image slide show process corresponding to the press T84, images are displayed at regular intervals in the order stored in the memory card 7 by the new image storage process (S8401). In the image erasing process corresponding to the pressing T85, the original image file called from the memory card 7 immediately before by the image calling process is deleted (S8501). When the processes corresponding to these presses T81, T82, T83, T84, and T85 are completed, the process returns to the original and the memory card menu Mm is displayed on the display screen 30 (S8001).

FIG. 18 is a flowchart of the system setting process P90. When it is detected in the basic state P00 that the sub switch Sub3 is pressed for a long time (for example, about 3 seconds), the system setting process P90 is entered (see FIG. 6). Then, the system setting menu Ms is displayed on the display screen 30 (S9001) (see FIG. 7E). The system setting menu Ms includes “date and time adjustment”, “operation sound setting”, “specific color setting”, “automatic press tracking setting”, “screen continuous display setting”, and the like. When the pressing of the sub switch Sub3 is detected (S9002), the display of the system setting menu Ms is erased and the process ends. If pressing of the sub switch Sub3 is not detected, the pressing of each character part is detected (S9003). The processing when the pressing of “date and time adjustment” and “operation sound setting” is detected is not different from the processing in a general device, and the description thereof is omitted. When pressing of the “specific color setting” T91 is detected, a single color with a specific color included in the color selection submenu Mq1 of the image quality adjustment process P30, that is, a single color for coloring the image is set (S9101). This is because some visually impaired people can identify documents of a specific color particularly well. Further, when the pressing T92 of 'press automatic tracking setting' is detected, the state of presence / absence of automatic pressing tracking is switched (S9201).

When a press T93 of 'screen continuous display setting' is detected, the state of whether or not screen continuous display is present is changed (S9301). If the continuous screen display is provided, the document D can be read continuously only by scrolling without any special operation, as will be described below with reference to FIG. FIGS. 19A to 19C are examples showing images enlarged and displayed on the display screen 30 in time series. In the figure, VD is a virtual document, and VF is a virtual outer frame indicating the range of the entire image. When the position of the virtual outer frame is displayed as shown in (b), the virtual outer frame VF is displayed in a color that can be recognized, and the left and right portions are displayed so as to repeat the entire image on the left and right. In addition, not only right and left but also up and down is possible. In addition, the virtual outer frame usually matches a range (for example, A4 size) in which the image reading unit 2 can read an image, but can be changed according to the size of the document D. is there.

The user scrolls to the right side to read one line in the sentence, finishes reading to the right end of the sentence as shown in FIG. 19A, and further scrolls to the right side. Then, since the virtual outer frame VF is displayed as shown in (b), it can be seen that the right side is the left part of the entire image. Further scrolling to the right displays the left edge of the sentence as shown in (c). Then, if necessary, the next line is scrolled downward so that it is easy to see, and then the right line is similarly scrolled to read the next line.

When it is detected that the power switch PSW is turned off in the basic state P00, the sleep state (unused state) PXX is entered (see FIG. 6). In the resting state of the enlarged reader 1, the image display body 1a is superposed on the document placement body 1b so that it can be stored and carried easily, as shown in FIG.

Heretofore, the enlarged reader 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention has been described. The magnified reading device 1 is easy to carry, and can perform various image processing to read the entire image of the document D at a time, thereby improving usability. As a result, in the situation where people such as visually handicapped persons and elderly people with low vision read documents, the inconvenience is reduced and the mental activity is supported. In addition, educational materials for visually impaired children / students are limited to support by volunteers and special textbooks / reference books. The expanded reading device 1 enables these children / students to use the same textbooks / reference books as other children / students, reduces inconveniences in the field of education, and improves usability for human resource development. It is useful.

Further, since it has the document placement body 1b provided with the writing character reading unit 4 for detecting the pressing of the placement surface 40 on which the document is placed, the above-described visual recognition and focus in the stationary type enlarged reader / writer There is no problem, and it is possible to easily write characters in the document D, and the usability can be further improved. People such as visually handicapped people and elderly people with low vision at the offices of municipal offices and financial institutions, who often require autographs and names, check the contents of Document D on the display screen 30. However, you can sign and register. Or, if it is installed at a municipal office or a financial institution, many people can use it without taking up space.

The present invention is not limited to that described in the above-described embodiment, and various applications and modifications within the scope of the matters described in the claims are possible.

For example, there is an enlarged reading device 1 ′ that narrows the function to reading the document D and omits the function of writing characters. In the enlarged reading device 1 ′, the document placement body 1b provided with the written character reading unit 4 is omitted, and in the control program P, “character input setting” display and character input processing P70 of the basic menu Mf in the initial processing P10 are performed. , Not to have. This is effective in that although the function is slightly reduced, it can be provided at a low cost and can be widely used.

As an example of the design change of the shape of the enlarged reading device 1, there is an enlarged reading device 1 ″ in which the image display 1 a ″ can be erected to make the display screen 30 easy to see. FIG. 20 is a perspective view of the enlarged reading / writing device 1 ″ in a state where the image display body 1 a ″ is erected while the document D is placed on the document placement body 1 b ″. In FIG. 20, the surface of the image display body 1 a ″ and the surface of the document placement body 1 b ″ on which the document D is placed can be observed. The image display body 1 a ″ is supported by being fitted into the groove portion 8 a of the support portion 8 of the document placement body 1 b ″. This makes it easier for the user to see the display screen 30. The control unit 5 is above the central portion of the display screen 30, has a thickness, and slightly protrudes from the display screen 30. The thickness of the control unit 5 is substantially equal to the thickness of the support unit 8. Although illustration of the state at the time of image reading is omitted, the image reading is arranged so that the control unit 5 is located between the

support units

8 and 8, and the placement surface 40 of the document placement body 1b '' and the image are read. The document is interposed between the close-up surface 20 on the back surface of the display body 1a ″, and the image display body 1a ″ is superimposed on the document placement body 1b ″ in the same manner as shown in FIG. Do. When storing or carrying, the control unit 5 is disposed so as to fit between the

support units

8 and 8, the image display body 1 a ″ is turned upside down, and the display screen 30 and the mounting surface 40 are opposed to each other so as to be almost in close contact with each other. Then, the image display body 1a ″ is superimposed on the document placement body 1b ″.

As an example of the design change of the structure of the enlarged reading device 1, an enlarged reading device 1 ′ ″ that makes it easier for people with visual disabilities, elderly people with low vision, etc. to read documents by adding an image display auxiliary body 1c. Can be mentioned. FIG. 21 shows a state corresponding to FIG. 3 described above. In the magnified reader / writer 1 ′ ″, the document placement body 1b and the image display body 1a ′ ″ are placed separately, and the image display body 1a ′. It is a perspective view of the state which fitted the side of image display auxiliary body 1c to the side of '', and arranged them. In FIG. 21, the surface of the image display body 1 a ″ ″, the surface of the image display auxiliary body 1 c, and the surface of the document placement body 1 b on which the document D is placed can be observed. One side surface of each of the image display body 1 a ″ ″ and the image display auxiliary body 1 c has a shape that can be fitted to each other. Other shapes and structures of the image display body 1a "" are the same as those of the image display body 1a.

Since the image display auxiliary body 1c does not have a close-up function, there is no image reading section like the image reading section 2 of the image display body 1a ′ ″ (see FIG. 23), and one side, that is, the back support surface. Reference numeral 20c does not close-up the document D such as the close-up surface 20 of the image display 1a ′ ″. When the side surface of the image display auxiliary body 1c is fitted to the side surface of the image display body 1a ′ ″ on the other surface, the image display auxiliary body 1c has a display screen 30 of the image display body 1a ′ ″. And the display auxiliary screen 30c so as to be flush with each other (same surface). The image display auxiliary body 1c is a thin box having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, but there is no portion corresponding to the control unit 5 of the image display body 1a ''. The image display auxiliary body 1c receives display data from the control unit 5 of the image display body 1a ′ ″, and displays an image continuous with the image displayed on the display screen 30 of the image display body 1a ′ ″. The image display auxiliary | assistant part 3c displayed on is provided. The image display auxiliary unit 3c includes display elements 3a arranged in a matrix similar to the image display unit 3 of the image display body 1a '' '(see FIG. 23).

22 is a perspective view showing a state of the side surface of the image display body 1a ′ ″ and the side surface of the image display auxiliary body 1c when they are not fitted, and FIG. 23 is shown by AA in FIG. FIG. FIG. 23 shows a case where an EL element is used as a display element. For the fitting, for example, a part of the side surface of the image display body 1a ′ ″ protrudes in the lateral direction from the close-up surface 20 and the display screen 30, and correspondingly, one of the side surfaces of the image display auxiliary body 1c. Is recessed from the support surface 20c and the image display auxiliary screen 30c. The protruding part of the side surface of the image display body 1a ′ ″ and the recessed part of the side surface of the image display auxiliary body 1c are limited to the layer of the image reading unit 2 as shown in FIG. In addition, the length and thickness of the protrusion and the recess are determined in consideration of physical strength. When not engaged with the image display auxiliary body 1c, the side surface of the image display body 1a "" is protected by the attachment / detachment outer frame 9 and has the same shape as the other side surfaces. When fitting with the image display auxiliary body 1c, the detachable outer frame 9 is removed. In order to firmly hold the fitting at that time, the support frame 9 ′ can be fitted into the side surface perpendicular to the side surface of the fitting. By making the side surface in the vertical direction into which the detachable outer frame 9 can be fitted, the detachable outer frame 9 can also be used as the support frame 9 ′. Further, signal wiring between the image display body 1 a ″ ″ and the image display auxiliary body 1 c may be performed near the control unit 5, for example.

When the user uses the enlarged reader 1 ′ ″, after reading the image of the document D as described above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the display screen 30 and the display are displayed in the state shown in FIG. Look at the auxiliary screen 30c. Compared with the state of FIG. 3 described above, the user can increase the magnification or widen the display range, so that the document can be read more easily. In some cases, fine stripes may appear at the boundary between the display screen 30 and the display auxiliary screen 30c, but this does not make it difficult to use in practice. Depending on the document, when the state shown in FIG. 3 is sufficient, the image display auxiliary body 1c may be used with the attachment / detachment outer frame 9 attached without fitting the image display auxiliary body 1c to the image display body 1a ''. Although the displayed image differs by 90 degrees between the state of FIG. 3 and the state of FIG. 21, it is automatically detected that the image display auxiliary body 1 c is fitted, or the operation switches Sub1,. For example, the control program P may rotate the image 90 degrees.

When storing or carrying the image display auxiliary body 1c, the display auxiliary screen 30c or the support surface 20c of the image display auxiliary body 1c and the display screen 30 are opposed to each other so as to be in close contact with each other, and the image display auxiliary body 1c is superimposed on the image display body 1a ′ ″. You can do it. The size of the enlarged reading device 1 ′ ″ can be appropriately designed. For example, for business use, the A4 size image display body 1a ″ ′ and the image display auxiliary body 1c are fitted to the A3 size. It can be made possible. Further, in daily life, it is preferable that the A5 size is as small as possible for carrying as described above, so that the A5 size image display body 1a '' 'and the image display auxiliary body 1c can be fitted into an A4 size. If it is, it will be easy to carry and documents will be very readable.

Further, the control program P, the menu displayed on the display screen 30, the configuration of the control circuit 50, and the like are changed as appropriate.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Magnification reader 1a Image display body 1b Document mounting body 2 Image reading part 2a Reading element of image reading part 20 Close-up surface of image reading part 3 Image display part 3a Display element of image display part 30 Display screen of image display part 4 Written character reading unit 40 Placement surface of written character reading unit 5 Control unit 54 Image memory D Document

Claims

An image display body having a close-up surface on one side and a display screen on the other side, and reading the image by irradiating the document under the close-up surface with light through the close-up surface. Is an enlarged reading device that magnifies or displays the same size on the display screen,
The image display body is:
An image reading unit having reading elements arranged in a matrix for reading the entire image of the document at a time by receiving light reflected from the document through the close-up surface and converting it into an electrical signal;
A controller that stores data of the entire image read by the image reading unit in an image memory, extracts a part or all of the data, performs image processing, and generates display data;
An image display unit having display elements arranged in a matrix for receiving display data from the control unit and displaying an image on the display screen;
An enlargement reader characterized by comprising.
The enlarged reader according to claim 1, further comprising a document placement body having a placement surface on which the document is placed, and reading an image of the document with the document interposed between the placement surface and the close-up surface. Because
The document placing body includes a writing character reading unit that detects pressing of the placing surface when characters are written on the document placed on the placing surface,
The enlarged reader according to claim 1, wherein the control unit generates display data by performing a process of superimposing the written character data read by the written character reading unit on the image data.
The enlarged reader according to claim 2,
The said control part tracks the press of a mounting surface and displays the image of the position of the XY coordinate, The enlarged reader / writer characterized by the above-mentioned.
In the expansion reader according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The color of light irradiating the document changes sequentially, and the image reading unit sequentially reads the image of each color of the document during the irradiation period of each color.
The enlarged reader according to claim 4,
A light-emitting element for backlight that emits multiple colors;
A diffusion panel provided between the image reading unit and the image display unit and uniformly diffusing the light of the light emitting element for backlight, further comprising:
The display element includes a liquid crystal element,
By sequentially changing the color of light emitted when the backlight light emitting element sequentially turns on and off the color, the color of the light irradiating the document is changed sequentially, and the image display unit changes each color during the color development period for each color. An enlarged reader that displays each image sequentially.
The enlarged reader according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The display device includes an EL device, and the document is irradiated with light emitted from the EL device.
The enlarged reader according to claim 6,
An enlarged reading device characterized in that the EL element sequentially turns on and off the color, thereby sequentially changing the color of light applied to the document, and further displaying an image for each color sequentially.
The enlarged reader according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
An enlarged reader according to claim 1, wherein the controller temporarily stores a reference screen state parameter indicating a state of the reference screen based on an operation of operation switches.
The enlarged reader according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The control unit displays a virtual outer frame indicating a range of the entire image on the display screen, and displays the virtual image on the display screen so as to repeat the entire image on the left and right and / or above and below the virtual outer frame. vessel.
The image display auxiliary body further includes an image display auxiliary body having a support surface on one surface and a display auxiliary screen on the other surface, and the side surface of the image display body is fitted to the side surface of the image display body. The enlarged reading device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the display auxiliary screen and the display screen are flush with each other.
The image display auxiliary body is arranged in a matrix that receives display data from the control unit of the image display body and displays an image continuous with the image displayed on the display screen of the image display body on the display auxiliary screen. An enlarged reading device comprising an image display auxiliary unit having a display element.