Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display peripheral interface input device – Cursor mark position control device
Reexamination Certificate
2002-06-10
2004-07-06
Bella, Matthew C. (Department: 2676)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display peripheral interface input device
Cursor mark position control device
C345S156000, C345S158000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06760009
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method and device for inputting/detecting the coordinate position and a display board system and more particularly, to a method and device for enabling input and/or detection of coordinates of not only a two-dimensional position but also a three-dimensional position with improved operability as well as a display board system which uses the coordinate-position inputting/detecting device.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Conventionally there has been known a display board which can read freehand information written on a whiteboard or on a writing surface of a writing sheet with some writing tool using a dedicated scanner and output the read information onto a recording paper with a dedicated printer. While, in recent years, there has also been suggested a display board system in which a coordinate-position inputting/detecting device is provided in a writing surface of a display board for enabling inputting of freehand information written in the writing surface in real time.
For instance, the Soft Board manufactured and provided by the Microfield Graphics, Inc. is a device having a coordinate-position inputting/detecting device provided on a whiteboard. This Soft Board can acquire visual data such as characters and pictures drawn on the whiteboard into a computer in real time. With the display board system using this Soft Board, it is possible to input visual data captured with the Soft Board into a computer for displaying the data on a CRT thereof. The data may be displayed on a large-sized screen using a liquid crystal projector, or the data may be printed on a recording paper using a printer. It is also possible to project an image on a screen of a computer with the Soft Board connected thereto onto the Soft Board with a liquid crystal projector and operate the computer on the screen of the Soft Board.
There has also been disclosed a display board system having a display unit for displaying characters and images thereon, a coordinate-position inputting/detecting device with a coordinate-position input surface (a touch screen) provided on a front surface of the display unit, and a control unit for providing controls over display by the display unit according to input from the coordinate-position inputting/detecting device. This system forms a display surface and a writing surface of the display board by making use of the display unit and the coordinate-position inputting/detecting device.
For instance, in case of the Smart 2000 manufactured and supplied by the SMART Technologies Inc., when an image of a character, a picture, or a graphics is projected with a liquid crystal projector connected to a computer onto a panel, freehand information is captured into the computer using a coordinate-position inputting/detecting device (writing surface) provided on a front surface of the projection surface (display surface) of the panel. Then, the freehand information is synthesized with the image information in the computer, and the synthesized information can be displayed again with the liquid crystal projector in real time.
The display board system can display an image inputted by the coordinate-position inputting/detecting device that is superimposed on an image on the screen displayed by the display unit as an overwritten. Because of this characteristics, this display board system has been used in conferences, presentations, or for educational purposes and its effect in actual use has been highly evaluated. When a communicating function for transferring audio or video data is integrated with the display board system as described above, the display board system can also be used as an electronic conference system by connecting remote sites with a communication line.
By the way, as a coordinate-position inputting/detecting device used in the display board system as described above, devices described below are known according to a difference between input methods thereof. As a first case, there is an optical coordinate-position inputting/detecting device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 8-240407. This coordinate-position inputting/detecting device has two infrared CCD cameras and these cameras detect a peak signal of an infrared ray from the infrared LED provided on a pen-type pointing body inserted in a coordinate-position entry area with the infrared CCD camera to compute a coordinate position pointed by the pointing body.
As a second case, there is an optical coordinate-position inputting/detecting device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 9-319501. In this coordinate-position inputting/detecting device, the coordinate entry area is scanned with a laser beam. A pen pen-type pointing body with a corner cube reflector as a recursive reflecting member provided thereon is inserted into the coordinate entry area and an arbitrary position is pointed thereby. Light is recursively reflected by the pointing body. The reflected light is received by a plurality of light-receiving elements and a position pointed by the pointing body is computed.
With the coordinate-position inputting/detecting device in the above mentioned case, however, as a dedicated pointing body is required for pointing to an arbitrary position in the coordinate entry area, an input operation with, for example, a fingertip, is not allowed, which is inconvenient. Furthermore, when the dedicated pointing body is lost or damaged, the input operation using the coordinate-position inputting/detecting device can not be carried out. On the other hand, in the coordinate-position inputting/detecting device in the first case, an infrared LED has to be provided in a pointing body, therefore, power unit or so for the pointing body is required, which is inconvenient from the view point of its maintenance.
Furthermore, in the coordinate-position inputting/detecting device, coordinates of only a two-dimensional (X-Y direction) position can be inputted, therefore, it is difficult to determine movement of a pointing body in the vertical direction (Z direction) and a double click or the like.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to improve, for the purpose of solving the problems described above, operability and usability of a method and device for inputting/detecting the coordinate position by enabling specification of coordinates of a position in an entry area pointed thereto with an arbitrary pointing body such as a fingertip or an ordinary pen without using a particular pointing device.
It is another object of the present invention to realize a coordinate-position inputting/detecting device enabling entry of not only a two-dimensional position but also a three-dimensional position.
It is another object of the present invention to improve workability and adaptability to handling of a display board system by using the coordinate-position inputting/detecting device with excellent operability.
In the present invention, an image of a pointing body inserted into an entry area is picked up by at least two image pickup elements. Then, the position of the image of the pointing body formed on each of the image pickup elements is obtained according to the output from each of the image pickup elements. Finally, coordinates of the position of the pointing body are identified by using the computed positions of the images. Therefore, entry operation can be carried out using an arbitrary pointing body without using a particular pointing body.
In the present invention, light is emitted from light emitting unit into the entry area. An image of a pointing body illuminated by the light emitted from the light emitting unit is picked up by at least two image pickup elements. Then, the position of the image of the pointing body formed on each of the image pickup elements is obtained according to the output from each of the image pickup elements. Finally, coordinates of the position of the pointing body are identified by using the computed positions of the images. Therefore, an entry operation can be carried out using an arbitrary po
Inoue Takao
Omura Katsuyuki
Bella Matthew C.
Monestime Mackly
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
Ricoh & Company, Ltd.
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