Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display peripheral interface input device – Including keyboard
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-25
2004-07-06
Shalwala, Bipin (Department: 2673)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display peripheral interface input device
Including keyboard
C345S161000, C348S143000, C348S153000, C348S159000, C708S135000, C708S142000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06760011
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a keyboard apparatus available for a surveillance system, and more particularly to a keyboard apparatus equipped with a joystick of the type having a switch mounted thereon.
2. Description of the Related Art
Up until now, there have been proposed a wide variety of conventional keyboard apparatuses equipped with a joystick of the type having a switch mounted thereon.
The conventional keyboard apparatuses of this type have so far been used for such a surveillance system available for watching unqualified people and other intruders intruding into a special room which does not permit people with any permission from entering. One typical example of the conventional keyboard apparatuses is shown in
FIG. 8
as being provided in combination with a prior-art surveillance system
700
which comprises a camera unit
710
, a display unit
730
for displaying an image taken by the camera unit
710
, and a control unit
740
for controlling the operation of the camera unit
710
in response to operation commands inputted therein.
Description will now be made on how the image taken by the camera unit
710
is displayed on the screen of the display unit
730
.
When the camera unit
710
is operated to take an image to be displayed on the screen of the display unit
730
, the camera unit
710
is firstly driven by the control unit
740
to transform the image into an image signal outputted to a signal transmitting cable
701
. The image signal thus outputted to the signal transmitting cable
701
is then transmitted to a system unit
720
before being inputted to the display unit
730
.
The image signal is then transformed into an image to be displayed on the screen of the display unit
730
.
In order to have the camera unit
710
operated by the operation commands of the control unit
740
to photograph an image, the control unit
740
is operated to receive the operation commands respectively indicative of the photographing directions, magnifications and the like inputted by an operator while he or she is watching the screen of the display unit
730
. The control unit
740
inputted with the operation commands is then operated to transform the operation commands into a command signal to be transmitted to a signal transmitting cable
703
. The command signal thus transmitted to the signal transmitting cable
703
is then inputted to the system unit
720
where the command signal is then transformed into a drive signal to drive the camera unit
710
to be outputted to the camera unit
710
by way of the signal transmitting cable
701
. The camera unit
710
thus received the drive signal from the system unit
720
is at this time operated to change the photographing directions, magnifications and the like into new ones.
As will be seen from the above, there has been described only one camera unit
710
provided in combination with the system unit
720
, the display unit
730
, the control unit
740
in the conventional surveillance system for the purpose of simplifying the description and assisting in understanding about the whole operation of the surveillance system.
In reality, such a conventional surveillance system
800
, however, is as shown in
FIG. 9
to comprise a plurality of camera units
810
, a system unit
820
, a plurality of display units
830
, and a plurality of control units
840
. The conventional surveillance system
800
thus constructed allows an operator to selectively operate those control units
840
to input to control units
840
operation commands indicative of selecting one or more camera units
810
and one or more display units
830
. This leads to the fact that the operator can select one or more control units
840
not only to have the image displayed on the screen of one or more display units
830
in accordance with the image taken by one or more selected camera units
810
but to operate the camera units
810
under the operation states optioned by the operator.
Here, as the control unit
840
forming part of the conventional surveillance system is used a CCTV (Closed Circuit Television) type of keyboard apparatus which is hereinafter referred simply to “a keyboard apparatus”. The keyboard apparatus used heretofore is generally equipped with a joystick designed to input operation commands by an operator to ensure that a camera unit is operated under various operation states changed in photographing directions, magnifications and the like. Such a joystick usually has a switch to input the operation commands for example having lenses automatically focus an image.
The foregoing construction of the joystick and switch combination thus far proposed has prompted researchers to develop an easy-to-operate keyboard apparatus, for example, a keyboard apparatus capable of operating the joystick and the switch by one hand.
However, the conventional keyboard apparatus encounters such a problem that the change of the content of the operation commands to the joystick and the switch is performed by a software frequently changed with its new version, resulting from the fact that the content of the operation commands to be inputted by the joystick and the switch by some operators is different from those by other operators.
The conventional keyboard apparatus can change the contents of the operation commands depending upon the needs by the operators, however, encounters complicated management to various kinds of software to be changed in compliance with the needs by the operators. In this sense, the conventional keyboard apparatus is in no practical use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a keyboard apparatus which facilitates to change the contents of the operation commands depending upon the needs by the operators to allow the operator to readily operate a joystick and a switch operatively mounted thereon.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a keyboard apparatus for controlling and operating at least one exterior appliance, comprising: a key retainer; a plurality of keys each operatively arranged on the key retainer to perform a key-pushed action and a key-released action, each of the keys being operative to input a signal indicative of the key-pushed action; a joystick journally provided in association with the keys to input a signal indicative of the movement thereof; a switch operatively supported on the joystick and movable with respect to the joystick to selectively perform a switch-on action and a switch-off action; switch signal inputting means for inputting a switch signal indicative of the switch-on action when the switch is operated and moved to perform the switch-on action with respect to the joystick; key code signal inputting means for inputting a key code signal indicative of the key-pushed action when each of the keys is operated and moved to perform the key-pushed action; information recording means for recording specific relevant information between the switch signal inputted from the switch signal inputting means and the key code signal inputted from the key code signal inputting means, the specific relevant information being formed by at least one specific key selected from among the keys and brought into the key-pushed action; signal processing means for receiving and processing the switch signal from the switch signal inputting means and the key code signal from the key code signal inputting means, the signal processing means being operative to selectively assume two different operation states consisting of a first operation state under which the specific relevant information is recorded by the information recording means in accordance with the switch signal inputted by the switch signal inputting means and the key code signal inputted by the key code signal inputting means, and a second operation state under which the key code signal in response to the switch signal from the switch signal inputting means is outputted to the exterior appliance in accordance to the specific relevant
Saito Toshikazu
Suzuki Kazuya
Yamauchi Takuya
Lewis David L.
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
Pearne & Gordon LLP
Shalwala Bipin
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