Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display peripheral interface input device – Cursor mark position control device
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-26
2003-01-28
Saras, Steven (Department: 2675)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display peripheral interface input device
Cursor mark position control device
C345S158000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06512507
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the present invention pointing position detection device, presentation system, method, and an information storage medium.
2. Background Art
In case a presenter is assumed to be giving a presentation while viewing a screen-image that appears on a screen, the presenter goes through the presentation while using a pointing device to indicate any of various points on the screen.
With such a system, it is important that the presenter can indicate any point on the screen in a simple manner, and it is also important that the system can reliably perceive that pointing position and can copy the pointing position for image processing.
However, when the presenter indicates desired points in a prior-art system, a problem arises in that a special pointing device has to be used therefor, which is extremely inconvenient for the user.
If, for example, a laser pointer is used to indicate a desired point on the screen, the pointing position is difficult to see if the surroundings of the screen are not dark enough. Since the pointing position is displayed as a small dot, this also causes a problem in that the pointing position is difficult to see.
If a pointing device such as a mouse is used for giving a presentation while moving a cursor position that is displayed on the screen, the presenter must interrupt the presentation to a certain degree, to operate the mouse. This causes problems in that the presentation cannot proceed smoothly and the operation is extremely inconvenient.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An objective of the present invention is to provide a pointing position detection device, presentation system, and method, and a computer-readable medium in which a pointing position within a display region can be sensed automatically and accurately, without using a special device as a point indication tool.
In order to achieve the objective described above, a pointing position detection device of the present invention comprises:
image-acquisition means for acquiring an image of a display region in which an image is displayed; and
position detection means for detecting a pointing position from an image region of a pointing image included within the display region, based on an image-acquisition signal of the image-acquisition means.
A method in accordance with the present invention comprises:
an image-acquisition step of acquiring a picture of a display region in which an image is displayed; and
a position detection step of detecting a pointing position from an image region of a pointing image included within the display region.
When the presenter indicates a desired position in the display region in which a image is displayed with a predetermined indication tool such as a rod or finger, this aspect of the invention ensures that this indicated position can be detected as the pointing position, based on the image region of the pointing image generated by this indicator.
This makes it possible to implement a pointing position detection device that is extremely convenient to use.
A pointing position detection device in another aspect of the present invention comprises:
image-acquisition means for acquiring an image of a display region in which an image is displayed;
reference-value setting means for setting a reference value for separating an image region of a pointing image included within the display region, from an image-acquisition signal of the image-acquisition means; and
position detection means for detecting a pointing position from the image region of the pointing image, by comparing the image-acquisition signal and the reference value and thus extracting the image region of the pointing image,
wherein the reference-value setting means is configured to be capable of modifying the reference value.
A pointing position detection method in this aspect of the present invention comprises:
an image-acquisition step of acquiring an image of a display region in which an image is displayed; and
a position detection step of comparing an image-acquisition signal with a reference value for separating an image region of a pointing image and thus extracting the image region of the pointing image, then detecting a pointing position from the image region of the pointing image,
wherein the position detection step comprises a step of modifying the reference value for separating the image region of the pointing image included within the display region from the image-acquisition signal of an image-acquisition means.
This aspect of the present invention extracts the image region of a pointing image created by the indicating action of an operator within a display region in which an image is displayed, from an image acquired by the image-acquisition means, and thus automatically detects a pointing position.
When the image-acquisition signal that is output from the image-acquisition means is that of a monochrome image, for example, a binary threshold value for extracting the image region of the pointing image from this image-acquisition signal could be set as the reference value.
This reference value is basically set to a value that is lower than the black-level brightness of an image acquired by the image-acquisition means. This is because the color in the screen image that has the lowest brightness is black, so the brightness of the image region of the pointing image is lower than the black brightness level.
If the margin between the black level of the image displayed on the display region and the reference value for the binary-encoding is too large in this case, a problem will arise in that the brightness level of the image region of the pointing image will not fall as far as below that reference level and it will not be possible to detect the image region of the pointing image.
Conversely, when the margin for the reference value is too small, the image target that is not the image region of the pointing image will be recognized erroneously as the image region of the pointing image. When the brightness within the display region varies somewhat due to ambient environmental conditions, for example, this will cause a problem in that the variation will be perceived erroneously as the image region of the pointing image.
Therefore, if this reference value is not set to a value that is suitable for the environment in which the system is used, a problem will arise in that it will be difficult to detect the image region of the pointing image appropriately.
Another aspect of the present invention is configured to make it possible to modify the reference value that is used for separating the image region of a pointing image from an image-acquisition signal. This solves the problem described above and makes it possible to accurately extract the image region of a pointing image that is formed on the display region, and thus detect the pointing position automatically.
The position detection means or step in this aspect may be configured in such a manner that a predetermined position of a shadow region of the pointing image included within the display region is detected as the pointing position.
Alternatively, the position detection means or step may be configured in such a manner that a predetermined position of a real-image region of the pointing image included within the display region is detected as the pointing position.
Alternatively, the position detection means or step may be configured in such a manner that the pointing position is detected from the image region of the pointing image having a rod-like shape included in the display region.
The position detection means or step may also be configured in such a manner to capture a rod-shaped image region as the image region of the pointing image, based on the continuous shape of the image region including within the display region, and detect a tip position of the image region as the pointing position.
A presentation system of the present invention comprises:
image display means for displaying an image;
image-acquisition means for acquiring an image of a display region in which an image
Furihata Takeshi
Hiramatsu Kazunori
Nakamura Jun-ichi
Yoneno Kunio
Anyaso Uchendu O.
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
Saras Steven
Seiko Epson Corporation
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