JP2000222111A - Coordinate input device and electronic blackboard system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To accurately read written contents by attaching a light reception part and a light source with higher accuracy, accurately calculating the deviation of an attaching angle and more easily correcting the deviation. SOLUTION: This coordinate input device is provided with a panel 100 for stipulating an input area, integrated optical units 20 and 30 for emitting a luminous flux to the almost entire input area and detecting the luminous flux reflected by a reflection member 2 and a controller 10 for detecting the presence/absence of a pen tip or the like based on a detected result in the optical units 20 and 30 and detecting the position coordinates by an arithmetic operation. Also, by using such a coordinate input device, this electronic blackboard system is constituted.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a coordinate input device for inputting a manually designated position as coordinates, and an electronic blackboard system using such a coordinate input device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, there has been a so-called electronic blackboard system in which information written by hand on a writing surface can be input in real time. Some of such electronic blackboard systems include a coordinate input device that detects a position of a pen or the like that comes into contact with a display surface of a whiteboard or the like as coordinates and sequentially inputs the coordinates.

A method for detecting coordinates of a coordinate input device includes:
There is a type in which light is applied to the entire surface (writing surface) provided in the coordinate input area and the position of the pen on the writing surface is detected by detecting the reflected light. JP-A-9-9109 describes an example of such position detection.
4 publications. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-91094 describes a configuration in which a light source is driven by a driving device and light is scanned so as to irradiate the entire writing surface.

[0004] In addition, a drive device is removed from such a device, and the light emitted from the light source is fan-shaped by a lens or the like so as to be spread over the entire writing surface as a further simplified structure. There is also. FIG.
FIG. 1 is a diagram briefly explaining the detection principle of such a method. The configuration shown shows a panel 100 as a writing surface.
And a reflection member 2 provided on three sides of the panel 100, a light source R provided on a lower right corner in the drawing of the panel 100, and a light source L provided on a lower left corner in the drawing. ing. Note that a point on the panel _{100 P (x P, y P} ) shows the position of the tip of the pen at the top panel 100.

In the configuration shown in the figure, the light emitted from the light sources R and L is spread by lenses (not shown) placed in front of the light sources R and L, each having a central angle of 90 degrees. (Fan-shaped light beam). Such a fan-shaped light beam is reflected by the reflection member 2 at the edge of the panel 100. The reflecting member 2 is designed so that the fan-shaped light beam is reflected through the same optical axis as the optical axis at the time of emission. For this reason, the reflected fan-shaped luminous flux passes through the same optical axis as the optical axis at the time of emission, and the light sources R,
The light is directed toward the light source L, and is sent to and detected by a light receiving unit (not shown) by, for example, a mirror (not shown) provided on the optical axis.

In the above configuration, the panel 100
When the pen point is located at the position of the upper point P, the light passing through the point P in the fan-shaped light beam is reflected by the pen point and cannot reach the reflecting member 2 (in this specification, such a light beam is used). Is that the light is blocked by the pen tip). For this reason, only the reflected light of the light passing through the point P in the fan-shaped luminous flux is not detected by the light receiving unit. At this time, for example, if a CCD line sensor is used as the light receiving unit, the optical axis of the light not received can be identified from the entire reflected light.

At this time, since the optical axes of the reflected light and the outgoing light are equal and the point P is on the optical axis of the undetected light, it passes through the point P from the optical axis of the undetected reflected light. The output angle of the output light is known. Therefore, the emission angles θ _L and θ _R are obtained from the light reception results of the two light receiving units, and the optical axes a _L and a _R are obtained from the output angles. Furthermore the point P of coordinates (x _P, y _P), the optical axis a _L, is calculated as the intersection of the optical axis a _R.

Specifically, the coordinates (x _P , y _P ) of the point P are
It is determined as follows. That is, x _P = (tan θ _R · W) / (tan θ _R + tan θ _L ) (1) y _P = (tan θ _R · tan θ _L · W) / (tan θ _R + tan θ _L ) = x _P · tan θ _L ... (2) W: distance between the center points of light source R and light source L According to the method described above, in such a coordinate input device,
The trajectory of the pen tip is read by sequentially reading the coordinates of the pen tip moving on the panel 100, and the panel 1
00 can be automatically recorded.

[0009]

However, the emission angles θ _R and θ _L obtained by the above-described method vary depending on the angles (attachment angles) with respect to the panel 100 when the light sources R and L are attached. Value. Therefore, the coordinates (x _P , x _P ) of the point P calculated based on the emission angles θ _R and θ _L
y _P ) will also change depending on the mounting angle. For this reason, if the mounting angle is inappropriate, the accurate position of the pen tip cannot be read, and the written content may not be accurately recorded.

Here, a specific calculation process for determining the emission angle will be described. FIG. 12 illustrates the relationship between the emission angle θ _L , the light source L, and the mounting angle β _L of the light source L when obtaining the emission angle. Although only the light source L side is described with reference to FIG. 12, the mounting angle β _{R of the} light source R is similarly obtained for the light source R side.

[0011] In FIG. 12, the axis a _s shown by the two-dot chain line, is an optical axis passing through the center of the light emitted from the light source L. Here, to be received by the device light having axes a _s optical axis is located at the center point o, setting the CCD line sensor c is the light receiving portion. Then, (in the figure, 0 referred to as axial) panel 100 lower edge parallel to the axis and to the angle between the axis a _s a mounting angle beta _L. In addition, a CCD line sensor c
Let t be the distance to the center point a, and let a be the distance from the CCD element that has detected a shield such as a pen tip to the center point o.

When obtaining the emission angle θ _L , in the example shown in FIG. 12, first, an angle obtained by taking the difference between the mounting angle β _L and the emission angle θ _L is set as α _L , and this angle α _L is defined as follows. Obtain from the formula. tan α _L = a / t (4) Next, the emission angle is obtained from the obtained angle α _L by the following equation. θ _L = β _L −α _L (5) From the above, when the actual mounting angle of the light source L and the CCD line sensor c is deviated from the mounting angle β _L used in the equation (5), θ _L value is incorrect, the coordinates _P (x P, y P) which is calculated based on the theta _L that becomes also inaccurate is clear.

In order to prevent the position of the shield from being inaccurate due to a shift in the mounting angle, it is necessary to mechanically increase the mounting accuracy of the light receiving unit such as a CCD line sensor or the light source, or to enhance the adjustment accuracy after mounting. is necessary. However, many of these techniques require the feeling and experience of a skilled engineer and are generally unsuitable for application to mass-produced products.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and provides a coordinate input device capable of mounting a light receiving portion and a light source with higher accuracy, and an electronic blackboard system using the coordinate input device. This is the first object. Further, the present invention provides a coordinate input device capable of accurately calculating a deviation of the mounting angle, correcting the deviation more easily, and accurately reading the written content, and an electronic device using the coordinate input device. A second object is to provide a blackboard system.

[0015]

The above objects can be attained by the following means. That is, according to the first aspect of the present invention, an area defining member that defines an input area that is a predetermined area, a light emitting unit that emits a light flux to substantially the entire area of the input area, and a light flux that is emitted from the light emitting means. Reflecting member to reflect, light detecting means for detecting the light flux reflected by the reflecting member, based on the detection result of the light detecting means,
It has a position coordinate detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of a shielding object that shields the light flux, and detecting the position coordinates of the shielding object in the predetermined area by calculation, and the light emitting means and the light detecting means And an optical unit which is an integral unit, and is attached to and detached from the region defining member as the optical unit.

With this configuration, even if the light emitting means and the light detecting means are attached to and detached from the region defining member, the positional relationship between the light emitting means and the light detecting means can always be kept constant.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mirror wherein the optical unit guides the reflected light, which is emitted from the light emitting means and then reflected through the same optical path as the light path at the time of emission, to the light detecting means. And a lens unit that diffuses and converges outgoing light or reflected light as necessary.

With this configuration, even if the light emitting means and the light detecting means are attached to and detached from the region defining member, the positional relationship between the light emitting means and the light detecting means can be always kept constant. Also, the state of detection can always be kept constant.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, while the optical unit is provided with an optical unit side alignment mark, the area defining member is provided with an area defining member side alignment mark corresponding to the optical unit side alignment mark. It is characterized by being provided.

With this configuration, the positioning accuracy between the optical unit and the region defining member can be relatively easily increased.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, when the optical unit is mounted on the region defining member, the optical unit further comprises a mounting angle measuring means for measuring a mounting angle of the optical unit with respect to the region defining member. It is a feature.

With such a configuration, it is possible to immediately and quantitatively recognize that the mounting angle of the optical unit has shifted.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the mounting angle measuring means has an optical unit mounting angle detecting mark provided on the area defining member, and a reading element for reading the optical unit mounting angle detecting mark. The position coordinate detecting means calculates the position coordinates of the shield based on a difference between the optical unit mounting angle read by the reading element and the mounting angle at which the optical unit should be mounted. Is corrected.

With this configuration, it is possible to immediately and quantitatively recognize that the mounting angle of the optical unit has shifted, and to detect the position coordinates of the shield in accordance with the shift amount. it can.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an optical unit mounting angle visual detecting section, wherein the mounting angle measuring means is provided in the area defining member and is capable of visually reading the mounting angle of the optical unit. Mounting angle input means for inputting the mounting angle of the optical unit to the position coordinate detecting means, wherein the position coordinate detecting means comprises: an optical unit mounting angle input from the mounting angle input means; It is characterized in that, based on the difference from the mounting angle at which the unit should be originally mounted, the expression used for the calculation for detecting the position coordinates of the shielding object is corrected.

With this configuration, it is possible to visually recognize that a shift has occurred in the mounting angle of the optical unit, and to detect the position coordinates of the shield corresponding to the shift.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the reading element is
It is characterized in that it is configured to be shared with the light detecting means.

With this configuration, an increase in the number of parts can be suppressed, and the configuration can be simplified.

The invention according to claim 8 is an electronic blackboard system comprising at least a display device for displaying characters and images, and a coordinate input device provided on a front surface of the display device. , Said claim 1-7
The coordinate input device according to any one of the above.

With this configuration, the coordinate input device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects can be applied to an electronic blackboard system.

[0031]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments 1 to 3 of the present invention will be described below. (Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining a coordinate input device according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is common to Embodiments 1 and 2. The illustrated configuration is based on the input unit 50 into which characters or images are input by handwriting.
And a control device 10 that controls processing related to detection of characters and the like input to the input unit 50. In addition,
In the embodiment of the present invention, a personal computer (hereinafter abbreviated as a personal computer) 5 is connected to the control device 10,
The control device 10 is operated from the personal computer 5. Therefore, in the embodiment, the control unit 10 and the personal computer 5 are combined to form the control unit 55.

The input section 50 has a panel 100 such as a panel that defines an input area, and an optical unit 20 and an optical unit 30 that emit light toward the panel 100. The frame body 1 is provided on three sides of the panel 100, and the inner peripheral surface (panel side surface) of the frame body 1 reflects light emitted from the optical unit 20 and the optical unit 30, for example, reflection. A reflection member 2 such as a tape is attached to reflect light emitted from the optical units 20 and 30 through the same optical axis as the optical axis at the time of emission.

The optical unit 20 and the optical unit 3
0 is a light source 2 that emits a light beam to almost the entire area of the panel 100.
1 (FIG. 2) and a CCD line sensor 29 (FIG. 2) which is a light detecting means for detecting reflected light of light emitted from a light source. Such an optical unit 2
0, the configuration of the optical unit 30 will be described later.

On the other hand, the control unit 55 includes the control unit 10, the personal computer 5 connected to the control unit 10, and also serving as an operation unit for inputting an instruction to the control unit 10, and the control unit 10.
Interface unit 3 that outputs signals from PC to PC 5
And Further, the control device 10 includes a CPU 12
And a storage unit 14.

The CPU 12 includes the optical unit 2
0, a signal output from the CCD line sensor 29 provided in the optical unit 30 is input, and the position of a shield such as a pen tip is calculated based on this signal. Further, the storage unit 14 is configured to include a ROM 14a for storing data necessary for the calculation performed by the CPU 12, and a RAM 14b for sequentially storing the position of the shield determined by the CPU 12.

FIGS. 2A and 2B show the optical unit 2.
0 is a view for explaining the configuration of the optical unit 30; FIG.
Is a side view of the optical unit 20 and the optical unit 30,
(B) is a figure showing the front (surface from which light is emitted). Note that the optical unit 20 and the optical unit 30 are a pair of units having the same configuration. Therefore, in FIG. 2, only the optical unit 20 attached to the left side of the panel 100 in FIG. 1 will be described, and illustration and description of the optical unit 30 will be omitted.

The optical unit 20 includes a light source 21 that outputs a beam of light, a lens unit 23 that diffuses the light emitted from the light source 21, and a lens unit that focuses the reflected light of the light diffused by the lens unit 23. 27, a CCD line sensor 29 for detecting light converged by the lens unit 27, and a half mirror for reflecting emitted light toward the panel 100 while transmitting the reflected light toward the lens unit 27 25. Further, all the above-mentioned members are fixed in the case body 22 and are configured as an integrated unit.

The beam-like light output from the light source 21 is
The light is diffused by the lens unit 23 in a direction orthogonal to the optical axis of the beam, reflected by the half mirror 25 toward the panel 100, and emitted out of the case body 22. As a result, panel 100 is irradiated with a fan-shaped luminous flux centered on an emission port (not shown) provided in case body 22.
Then, the light applied to the panel 100 is
Is reflected by the reflecting member 2 at the edge of At this time, the reflecting member 2 causes all the lights forming the fan-shaped light beam to be reflected through the optical axis at the time of emission. Therefore, each light
After returning to the case body 22 and passing through the half mirror 25 and converging, the light is detected by the CCD line sensor 29.

In the optical unit 20 configured as described above, if there is a shield on the panel 100, the emitted light is shielded by the shield, and the CCD line sensor 29
Will not be detected. For this reason, the element which has not received light from the CCD line sensor 29 is detected,
From the position of this element, the emission angle θ _L of the shielded light can be known. Also, the emission angle θ _L of the shielded light is
The angle of the axis on which the shield exists is directly represented.
Therefore, if another axis passing through the point where the shield is present is also obtained from the detection result of the other optical unit 30, the coordinates where the shield is present can be obtained by calculation as the intersection of the two axes.

The optical unit 20 and the optical unit 30 according to the first embodiment are members (light source 21, lens unit 2) for acquiring the data used for detecting the coordinates of the shield described above.
3, the half mirror 25, the lens unit 27, and the CCD line sensor 29) are all configured as an integrated unit. For this reason, the positional relationship among the members such as the light source 21, the lens unit 23, the half mirror 25, the lens unit 27, and the CCD line sensor 29 can always be kept constant.

Therefore, the attachment and detachment of the light source 21 and the CCD line sensor 29 to and from the panel 100 are performed by the optical unit 2.
If the optical unit 30 is used, the alignment such as the center axis and the distance of each member becomes unnecessary. Also,
It is possible to prevent the accuracy of detection from changing before and after attachment and detachment, and to enhance the reliability of the detection result.

Further, in the first embodiment, when the optical unit 20 and the optical unit 30 are configured, the members disposed inside need only be aligned with high accuracy. For this reason, the number of times of positioning of each member related to the detection of the shielding object can be minimized, and it is easy to apply even a relatively troublesome positioning method.

Next, the positioning of the optical unit described above and the panel will be described. FIG. 3 (a), (b)
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration in which an optical unit-side alignment mark is provided on an optical unit, and a panel-side alignment mark corresponding to the optical unit-side alignment mark is provided at an optical unit mounting position of a panel. In the first embodiment, since it is necessary to irradiate fan-shaped light to the panel, an optical unit is attached to a corner of the panel so that the light is diffused at a small angle and the light reaches the entire area of the panel. I do.

FIG. 3A shows an optical unit 2 provided with a concave portion 221a as an alignment mark on the optical unit side.
21 shows a cross section of the panel 21 and a cross section of a mounting position of the panel 101 provided with a convex portion 101a as a panel-side alignment mark. The concave portion 221a and the convex portion 101a are formed so that the concave and convex portions thereof coincide with each other. When the optical unit 221 is mounted, the convex portion 101a is fitted into the concave portion 221a. FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of the optical unit 222 provided with the convex portion 222a and the convex portion 222b as the alignment mark on the optical unit side, and the concave portion 102a which is a long hole as the alignment mark on the panel side.
2 shows the upper surface of the panel 102 provided with a concave portion 102b which is a normal hole. The convex part 222a is the concave part 10
2a, the convex portion 222b is formed so that the concave and convex portions respectively correspond to the concave portion 102b. The optical unit side alignment mark and the panel side alignment mark shown in FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b) engage with the corresponding marks when the optical unit is attached, and the optical unit is positioned with respect to the panel. It can be mounted accurately.

In the first embodiment described above, the light source and the CCD
By unitizing the line sensor and the like, the alignment accuracy between members can be improved, and by providing the alignment marks, the alignment accuracy of the optical unit with respect to the panel can be improved. Further, the configuration of the first embodiment can prevent the accuracy and reproducibility of the detection of a shield from changing even when the optical unit is attached or detached. By the way, in recent years, in order to make the configuration of the coordinate input device portable and simple, a coordinate input device in which the optical unit is detachable from the panel has been studied. Embodiment 1 can be said to be particularly suitable for application to such a coordinate input device.

Next, a configuration for adjusting the mounting angle after the mounting of the optical unit will be described. 4 and 5 are diagrams illustrating a method for detecting a shift in the mounting angle of the optical unit. FIG. 4 shows a panel 10 provided with a detection mark 40 for detecting the mounting angle of the optical unit.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an optical unit 20 attached to a panel 103 at an attachment angle β ′. The portion of the panel 103 to which the optical unit 20 is attached in FIG. 4 is slightly thicker than the inner portion, so that the strength of the panel can be secured. Further, in the optical unit 20 shown in the drawing, for the sake of simplicity, the illustration of each built-in member is partially omitted, and only the CCD line sensor 29 and the light source 21 are shown.

When the optical unit 20 is mounted at an appropriate mounting angle β _L , the CCD line sensor 29
As shown in FIG. 5, the element arranged at the predetermined position A is set in advance so as to detect the detection mark 40, that is, not to detect light. If the mounting angle of the optical unit 20 deviates from the proper mounting angle β _L , the detection mark 40
Is detected by, for example, the element at the position B of the CCD line sensor 29, which is located at a position shifted by a distance a from the element at the position A.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for more specifically explaining the deviation of the element for detecting the detection mark 40 and the deviation of the mounting angle of the optical unit 20. When the optical unit 20 is mounted at an appropriate mounting angle β _L , the CCD line sensor 29 detects the detection mark 40 with the element at the position of p1 and at the position of A. CC like this
When the mounting angle of the optical unit 20 deviates from β _L to β ′, the D-line sensor 29 moves to the position p2 with this deviation. For this reason, the element for detecting the detection mark 40 shifts from the element at the position A to the element at the position B.

According to FIG. 6, the mounting angle of the optical unit 20 corresponds to the position (detection position) for detecting the detection mark 40 on the CCD line sensor 29 on a one-to-one basis. angle beta _L as a reference detection position a corresponding to the degree (angle beta _L of the deviation of the detected position to a reference) to) and will be proportional to. Therefore, the following relationship is established. β ′ / β _L = (A + a) / A (6) where the value of a is such that the element that detects the detection mark 40 is
In the drawing, the case of moving in the direction away from the position 0 is positive, and the case of moving in the direction approaching the position 0 is negative.

In the first embodiment, for example, the angle β _L , the position A, and the equation (6) are stored in advance in the ROM 14a of the control unit 55 described above. Then, the CPU 12
The detection result of the CD line sensor 29 is input, and the actual mounting angle β 'is calculated with the position of the element that has detected the detection mark 40 as (A + a). Then, equation (5) is corrected so that the calculated β ′ is used as the angle β _L in equation (5). At this time, the position A of the element and the shift amount a are:
The number of elements based on the element at the position of 0 may be used, or a value obtained by converting the number of elements into a distance may be used.

According to the first embodiment, the deviation of the mounting angle of the optical unit with respect to the panel can be corrected by calculation. Therefore, an accurate emission angle can be calculated without mechanically increasing the mounting accuracy of the optical unit, and the position of the shield can be accurately detected without increasing the mechanical alignment accuracy.

Next, a series of processes performed by the coordinate input device according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to a flowchart. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating processing of the coordinate input device according to the first embodiment. In the processing shown in FIG. 7, for example, after an instruction to start the processing is input from the personal computer 5, the detection result of the CCD line sensor 29 is input from the optical unit R disposed at the right corner of the panel 100, for example. It is determined whether there is a deviation in the mounting angle of R (S1). As a result, if there is a deviation in the mounting angle (S1: Yes), the actual mounting angle is calculated by equation (6). Then, the equation (5) stored in the ROM 14a is read out on the CPU 12, and the actual mounting angle calculated and substituted therein is corrected to correct the equation for calculating the emission angle θ _R (S2). At this time, the corrected equation may be stored in the RAM 14b as needed.

Next, the detection result of the CCD line sensor 29 is inputted from the optical unit L disposed at the left corner of the panel, and it is determined whether or not the mounting angle of the optical unit L is shifted as in step S1. (S3). As a result, when there is a deviation in the mounting angle (S3: Yes), the equation (5) is used.
Is read into the CPU 12 and the actual mounting angle calculated is substituted, and the equation for calculating the emission angle θ _L is corrected (S4). If it is determined in steps S1 and S3 that there is no deviation in the mounting angle of the optical unit, the output angle θ stored in the ROM 14a is used.
_It is assumed that the calculation formulas of _R and θ _L are read out on the CPU 12 and applied without correction to obtain the emission angle.

Next, it is determined whether or not a shield is detected (S5). If a shield is detected (S5: Ye)
s), the coordinates P of the shield using the calculation formula on the CPU 12
(X _P , y _P ) is calculated (S6), and this coordinate is, for example, RA
It is stored in M14b (S7). Then, it is determined whether or not an instruction to end the input to the coordinate input device has been made from the personal computer 5 or the like (S8), and if the input has not been completed (S8).
8: No), and the process returns to the process of determining the detection of the shielding object again (S5). On the other hand, when the input end instruction is given (S8: Yes), the processing of this flowchart ends.

The present invention relates to the first embodiment described above.
However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in the first embodiment, the optical unit is directly attached to the panel. However, the optical unit may be attached via a frame. Further, in the first embodiment, the CCD line sensor is used as the light detecting means. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. Any sensor that can determine the angle may be used.

(Embodiment 2) Next, Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described. In the second embodiment, as a mounting angle measuring unit, a scale on which the mounting angle of the optical unit can be visually read is provided on the panel side, and the read mounting angle of the optical unit is input to the CPU 12 from, for example, the personal computer 5. It was made. Also in the second embodiment, the CPU 12 calculates the position coordinates of the shield based on the difference between the input optical unit mounting angle and the mounting angle at which the optical unit should be originally mounted. Is corrected.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a panel 111 provided with a scale 42 for visually reading the mounting angle of the optical unit, and the optical unit 20 mounted on the panel 111 at a mounting angle β ′. The optical unit 20 in FIG. 8 also shows only the CCD line sensor 29 and the light source 21 as in FIG.

The memory section 42 has a scale y _L with a scale in the vertical direction and a scale x _L with a scale in the horizontal direction in the figure. Such a memory unit 42
Is obtained from the scales of the scale y _L and the scale x _L intersecting with the case body 22 of the optical unit 20.
Of the mounting angle with respect to the panel 111 can be known.

That is, in the second embodiment, the scale readings of the scale y _L and the scale x _L when the optical unit 20 is mounted on the panel 111 at an appropriate mounting angle β _L are stored in advance in, for example, the ROM 14a. Let it be.
Then, the user reads the actual scales of the scale y _L and the scale x _L and inputs the read values. CPU 12
Compares scale y _L stored in the ROM 14a, the read value input and the scale of the scale x _L, it is determined that there is a deviation in the attachment angle of the optical unit 20 in the case where this value was different. Then, based on the stored scale and the read value, the actual mounting angle β ′ is calculated,
This value is adopted in place of β _L in equation (5) to calculate the emission angle.

The second embodiment configured as described above has a C
The deviation of the mounting angle of the optical unit 20 can be determined with a simpler configuration than when the detection mark 40 is detected by the CD line sensor 29. For this reason, it can be said that the second embodiment can more easily correct the deviation of the mounting angle of the optical unit 20 in addition to the effects obtained in the first embodiment.

Third Embodiment Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the third embodiment, one of the coordinate input devices of the first and second embodiments described above is adopted as a coordinate input device of an electronic blackboard system.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram for explaining the configuration of the electronic blackboard system according to the third embodiment. Note that FIG.
Is substantially the same as the configuration shown in FIG. 1, and the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted. The configuration in FIG. 9 is roughly divided into an input unit 51 in which characters or images are input by handwriting, and a control unit 55 that controls detection and recording of characters and the like input to the input unit 51. The input unit 51 includes a whiteboard 7 behind the panel 100 shown in FIG. Also,
The printer 9 is further connected to the control unit 55.
The content displayed on the whiteboard 7 can be printed out on paper.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an electronic blackboard system 500 according to the third embodiment and a housing unit 600 containing the electronic blackboard system 500. Housing unit 60
Reference numeral 0 denotes a panel unit 500 in which the input unit 51 is incorporated, a controller storage unit 60 in which the control device 10 is stored, a device storage unit 61 in which the personal computer 5 and the printer 9 are stored, and the entire housing unit 600. It is made up of a caster section 70 that enables the caster section.

The frame 1 having the reflection member 2 and the optical unit 20 and the optical unit 30 are integrated so as to be located on the front surface of the whiteboard 7 and housed in the panel section 500. When the user writes characters or the like to be written on the whiteboard with a pen, the coordinates of the pen tip are sequentially read in accordance with the movement of the pen tip. The read coordinates of the pen tip are accumulated in the RAM 14b by the control device 10, and are recorded as the trajectory of the pen tip, that is, the shape of the written character or the like and the written content.

The contents recorded in this way can be sent to the printer 9 via the personal computer 5 and printed out on paper. Therefore, it is not necessary for each person who receives a presentation using the electronic blackboard system to copy the contents written on the whiteboard to a notebook or the like, and can concentrate on the contents of the talk. The contents sent to the personal computer 5 can be stored in an external memory such as a floppy desk. Therefore, it is possible to arbitrarily edit the contents later.

In the third embodiment, the electronic blackboard system is configured by using the coordinate input device described in the first embodiment or the second embodiment. And the contents can be accurately read. Therefore, it is possible to provide an electronic blackboard system that can accurately reproduce the contents of the presentation later.

In the third embodiment, the electronic blackboard system is configured by using the coordinate input device described in the first or second embodiment. The displacement of the unit 30 can be detected immediately and quantitatively, and the formula for calculating the position of the pen tip can be corrected according to the displacement. Therefore, even if the optical unit 20 and the optical unit 30 are displaced due to a temporal change such as loosening of a screw or an impact, the displacement does not cause erroneous detection of the position of the pen tip. Therefore, Embodiment 3 can provide a highly reliable electronic blackboard system.

The present invention relates to the third embodiment described above.
However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as a display unit,
In addition to a whiteboard, a blackboard or a plasma display may be used.

[0069]

The present invention described above has the following effects. That is, the invention according to claim 1 is a light emitting unit,
The positional relationship between the light emitting means and the light detecting means can be always kept constant before and after the attachment and detachment of the light detecting means. For this reason,
The reliability of detecting the position of the shield is not impaired by the attachment and detachment. Further, since the light emitting means and the light detecting means can be aligned only by the unit, the positioning between the light emitting means and the light detecting means can be performed relatively easily and with high accuracy.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the state of emission and detection can be always kept constant before and after the attachment and detachment of the light emitting means and the light detecting means. For this reason, the effect of preventing a decrease in the reliability of the position detection of the shield due to the attachment / detachment can be further enhanced. Further, since the detection state including the light emitting means and the light detecting means can be adjusted only by the unit, the positioning between the members including the light emitting means and the light detecting means can be relatively easily and more accurately performed.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the optical unit,
Positioning marks are provided on both the region defining member side, and the positioning accuracy between the optical unit and the region defining member is relatively easily increased. For this reason, it is possible to provide a coordinate input device that can relatively easily increase the accuracy of the detection of a shielded object and that can accurately input the coordinates of the input characters and the like.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a mounting angle measuring means is further provided to immediately recognize that the mounting angle of the optical unit has shifted. For this reason, it is possible to provide a coordinate input device capable of accurately detecting the position of the shield by immediately reflecting such a deviation in the subsequent processing and accurately inputting the coordinates of the input characters and the like.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to immediately recognize that a shift has occurred in the mounting angle of the optical unit, correct the arithmetic expression in accordance with the shift, and detect the position coordinates of the shield. ing. For this reason, it is possible to provide a coordinate input device that can more easily correct the displacement, accurately detect the position coordinates of the shield, and accurately read the written contents.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, a shift in the mounting angle of the optical unit is visually recognized, and the position coordinates of the shield are detected in accordance with the shift. For this reason, it is possible to provide a coordinate input device capable of correcting the displacement with a simpler configuration, accurately detecting the position coordinates of the shield, and accurately reading the written contents.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the reading element and the light detecting means are shared, the increase in the number of components is suppressed, and the configuration is simplified. For this reason, the load and failure rate required for the maintenance of the apparatus can be reduced, and the cost of the apparatus can be further reduced.

The invention according to claim 8 is the invention according to claims 1 to 7.
The coordinate input device described in any one of the above is applied to an electronic blackboard system. Therefore, it is possible to configure an electronic blackboard system using a coordinate input device capable of attaching the light receiving unit and the light source with higher accuracy, and it is possible to provide an electronic blackboard system that can detect written contents with high accuracy.
In addition, an electronic blackboard system can be configured using a coordinate input device capable of accurately calculating a shift of the mounting angle, correcting the shift more easily, and reading the written content accurately, and providing a highly reliable electronic board. A blackboard system can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram for describing a coordinate input device common to Embodiments 1 and 2 of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an optical unit in FIG. 1;
3A is a diagram illustrating a side surface of the optical unit, and FIG. 3B is a diagram illustrating a front surface (a surface from which light is emitted).

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration in which an optical unit side alignment mark and a panel side alignment mark according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention are provided.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a method for detecting a deviation of an optical unit mounting angle according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is another diagram illustrating a method for detecting a deviation of the optical unit mounting angle according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining more specifically a shift of the element for detecting the detection mark and a shift of the mounting angle of the optical unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a process according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for describing a scale for reading an attachment angle of the optical unit according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an electronic blackboard system according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an electronic blackboard system according to a third embodiment of the present invention and a housing unit accommodating the electronic blackboard system.

FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the principle of detecting a shield of a coordinate input device that spreads light emitted from a light source in a fan shape.

FIG. 12 shows a relationship between an emission angle, a light source, and a mounting angle of the light source in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Frame 2 Reflecting member 3 Interface part 5 Personal computer 7 Whiteboard 9 Printer 10 Control device 12 CPU 14 Storage part 14a ROM 14b RAM 20,30,221,222 Optical unit 21 Light source 22 Case body 23,27 Lens part 25 Half mirror 29 CCD line sensor 50, 51 input unit 55 control unit 100, 101, 102, 103, 111 panel 500 electronic blackboard system 60 controller storage unit 61 device storage unit 70 caster unit 600 housing unit

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Takahiro Ito 2-13 Nishiki, Naka-ku, Nagoya-shi F-term in Ricoh Remex Corporation (reference) 2C071 CA02 DA03 DB01 DC04 5B068 AA04 AA15 AA32 BB18 BC04 BD02 DD11 5C062 AA07 AB18 AB23 AB41 AC58 AD05 BA00

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. An area defining member that defines an input area that is a predetermined area; a light emitting unit that emits a light beam to substantially the entire area of the input area; and a reflecting member that reflects a light beam emitted from the light emitting unit. And light detection means for detecting the light flux reflected by the reflection member, and based on the detection result of the light detection means, for detecting the presence or absence of a shield that blocks the light flux, and for detecting the presence of a shield in the predetermined region. And a position coordinate detecting unit that detects position coordinates by calculation. The light emitting unit and the light detecting unit are configured as an optical unit that is an integrated unit, and the area defining member is used as the optical unit. A coordinate input device, which is detachably mounted on the coordinate input device. 2. The mirror unit, which, after being emitted from the light emitting means, guides the reflected light, which has been reflected through the same optical path as the light path at the time of emission, to the light detecting means,
The coordinate input device according to claim 1, further comprising a lens unit that diffuses and converges the emitted light or the reflected light as necessary. 3. An optical unit-side alignment mark is provided on the optical unit, and an area defining member-side alignment mark corresponding to the optical unit-side alignment mark is provided on the area defining member. The coordinate input device according to claim 1. 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a mounting angle measuring unit configured to measure a mounting angle of the optical unit with respect to the region defining member when the optical unit is mounted on the region defining member. 4. The coordinate input device according to any one of claims 3 to 3. 5. The mounting angle measuring means includes an optical unit mounting angle detecting mark provided on the area defining member, a reading element for reading the optical unit mounting angle detecting mark, and the position coordinate detecting means. Correcting an equation used for an operation for detecting a position coordinate of a shield based on a difference between an optical unit mounting angle read by the reading element and a mounting angle at which the optical unit should be originally mounted. The coordinate input device according to claim 4, wherein 6. An optical unit mounting angle visual detection unit provided in the region defining member, the mounting angle measuring means being capable of visually reading the mounting angle of the optical unit, and the optical unit being visually read. A mounting angle input unit for inputting the mounting angle to the position coordinate detecting unit; and the position coordinate detecting unit includes an optical unit mounting angle input from the mounting angle input unit and the optical unit to which the optical unit is originally mounted. Based on the difference from the mounting angle,
5. The coordinate input device according to claim 4, wherein an expression used for an operation for detecting a position coordinate of the shield is corrected. 7. The coordinate input device according to claim 5, wherein said reading element is configured to be shared with said light detecting means. 8. An electronic blackboard system comprising at least a display device for displaying characters and images, and a coordinate input device provided on a front surface of the display device, wherein the coordinate input device is one of the electronic device. 7. An electronic blackboard system, which is the coordinate input device according to any one of 7.