Information processor

• US 5,850,058 A
• Filed: 11/12/1996
• Issued: 12/15/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Sakao, Hideki, Tano, Shunichi, Aoshima, Hirokazu, Namba, Yasuharu, Tomita, Taminori, Kozuka, Kiyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHANKAR, VIJAY
• Application Number:
  US08/747,963
• Time in Patent Office: 763 Days
• Field of Search: 178/18, 178/19, 178/20, 345/179, 345/180, 345/181, 345/182, 345/183, 382/123, 382/188, 382/313, 382/314
• US Class Current: 178/18.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/142 using hand-held instruments; Constructional details of the instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3611 Control of matrices with row and column drivers

Abstract

It is an object to provide a computer system including a practical input device which can be operated with more natural sense. The present input pen which is used in combination with a tablet includes: a speech recognition unit for analyzing a speech sound, which is fetched in through a microphone, as a command or the like; an image reconfiguring unit for composing, after correcting image distortion generated due to inclination of the pen body for each image in the vicinity of a pen head which is photographed along with the strokes of the input pen by a CCD camera, the series of images into a general image; and a reference line generating circuit for lasing a laser beam with which a projected image utilized to calculate an angle of inclination is formed onto a face of an object of photographing. In addition, since an oscillation circuit generates a magnetic field corresponding to the data forming the general image on the basis of control by an a.c. magnetic field control circuit, the data can be transferred to the information processor side through the tablet. Further, a CPU executes the processing corresponding to the result of analyzing a sound.

Claims

1. An information processor including a tablet type input unit having an input pen and a tablet for detecting a position indicated by said input pen,

wherein said input pen includes:

an image pickup circuit for photographing an area in the vicinity of a pen head of said input pen;

a correction circuit for correcting deformation of an image which is photographed by said image pickup circuit; and

a transmission unit for transmitting image data which is corrected by said correction circuit to said tablet, and

wherein said information processor includes data detection means for restoring the image the data of which is transmitted to said tablet.

2. An information processor including a tablet type input unit having an input pen including an oscillation circuit for generating a magnetic field at a pen head or disturbing a magnetic field in the vicinity of the pen head, and a tablet for detecting the magnetic field generated by said oscillation circuit of said input pen or the magnetic field disturbed by said oscillation circuit of said input pen,

wherein said input pen includes:

a CCD camera for photographing an area on a face of an object of photographing and in the vicinity of the pen head of said input pen;

irradiation means for irradiating the area, on the face of an object of photographing, which is photographed by said CCD camera, with a laser beam;

correction means for correcting distortion of an image, which is photographed by said CCD camera, generated along with inclination of said input pen with respect to the face of an object of photographing in correspondence to deformation of an image, of a projected image generated by irradiation with a laser beam emitted from said irradiation means, the image of the projected image being contained in the image on the face of an object of photographing which is photographed by said CCD camera; and

oscillation circuit control means for controlling said oscillation circuit in such a way that a magnetic field representing image data of the image corrected by said correction means is generated, or a magnetic field is disturbed so as for the image data of the image corrected by said correction means to be represented, and

wherein said information processor includes data detection means for restoring the image represented by the magnetic field which is detected by said tablet.

3. An information processor according to claim 2, wherein said tablet has an input face through which the magnetic field generated from said oscillation circuit of said input pen or the magnetic field disturbed by said oscillation circuit of said input pen can be detected and on which the image can be displayed, and displays the image restored by said data detection means in a position on said input face through which the magnetic field generated by said oscillation circuit on the basis of the control by said oscillation circuit control means or the magnetic field disturbed by said oscillation circuit on the basis thereof has been detected.

4. An information processor according to claim 2, wherein said input pen includes:

drive means for driving said CCD camera at predetermined timing; and

general image producing means for composing the image which is continuously photographed along with the strokes of said input pen by said CCD camera driven by said drive means, and the image in which the distortion thereof is corrected, which is generated along with inclination of said input pen with respect to the face of an object of photographing, by said correction means into the general image maintaining continuity, and

wherein said oscillation circuit control means controls said oscillation circuit in such a way that a magnetic field representing the image data of the general image which has been obtained by composition in said general image producing means is generated, or the magnetic field is disturbed so as for the image data of the general image which has been obtained by composition in said general image producing means to be represented.

5. An information processor including an input pen to which an image pickup circuit for photographing continuously an area in the vicinity of a pen head on a face of an object of photographing along with the strokes of said input pen is mounted, and general image producing means for composing a series of image which have been continuously photographed by said image pickup circuit into a general image, said information processor comprising correction means for correcting distortion of each of the images on the face of an object of photographing which have been continuously photographed by said image pickup circuit,

wherein said general image producing means composes a series of images which have been corrected by said correction means into the general image.

6. An information processor according to claim 5, further comprising a tablet having an input face on which an image can be displayed,

wherein said tablet displays the general image, which has been obtained by composition in said general image producing means, in a position on the input face in which said input pen is positioned.

7. An information processor according to claim 5, wherein said input pen includes:

a speech sound fetching unit for fetching in a speech sound giving an instruction from a user; and

speech recognition means for recognizing the speech sound, which has been fetched in by said speech sound fetching unit, as a word specifying an object for photographing, and

wherein said general image producing means includes;

composition means for composing a series of images, which have been corrected by said correction means, as a composite image maintaining continuity; and

recognition means for extracting an image of an object for photographing, which is specified by the words recognized by said speech recognition means, from the composite image which has been produced as the general image by said composition means.