JP2004289708A - Magnification device for reading - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a magnification device for reading which promptly acquires the image of a desired area and size with simple operation. <P>SOLUTION: A book D is placed on a document placing table 10 on which a magnification range instruction area S is formed, and the book D is photographed with a first camera 31 to display the photographed image on a monitor 20. A luminescence instruction is applied with a light pen 60 to two end points at a diagonal line across an area desired to be magnified in the book D, and a photographed image for the area is taken from a second camera 32. Coordinates of luminescence instruction points for the two end points on the magnification range instruction area S are calculated to recognize a magnified region. The magnified region is photographed by the first camera 31 to be magnified and displayed on the monitor 20 by controlling zooming function and pan/tilt functions of the first camera 31. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a magnifying reader that captures an image of a material and enlarges and displays the image.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In order to make it easier to read small characters printed on the text of materials (for example, books and newspapers), photograph the target material with a camera, adjust the camera's zoom magnification and partially enlarge the captured image, 2. Description of the Related Art An enlarged reading device for displaying on a display means such as a monitor or a CRT has been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 1).
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-333042 (Paragraph [0019] FIGS. 1 to 3)
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the above-described conventional magnifying reader, when photographing an area to be enlarged at a desired magnification, the user has to adjust the zoom magnification and move the material by himself, which is troublesome, and in terms of usability. It was frustrating.
[0005]
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an enlarged reading device that can quickly obtain an image of a desired area and size by a simple operation.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to the present invention, there is provided a material placing table on which a material is placed, an enlargement range indicating area is set so as to be superimposed on the placing surface, an image pickup unit for photographing the material placed on the material placing table, and the image pickup unit. A monitor that displays the captured image, an image enlargement unit that partially enlarges the image captured by the imaging unit and displays the image on the monitor, and an index indicating an area to be displayed indicated in the enlargement range instruction area. A control unit that obtains coordinates in the enlargement range instruction area, and controls the image enlargement unit so that an area in the captured image determined based on the coordinates becomes a display image on a monitor. . The enlargement range instruction area referred to in the present invention is a two-dimensional space in which XY coordinates are generated by image processing with respect to the imaging range of the imaging unit. Overlap or be placed near.
[0007]
According to the present invention, when a material is placed on the material mounting table on which the enlargement range instruction area is generated, and an index is set on the material, the index is captured by the imaging unit and captured by the control unit. The coordinates of the index on the designated area are calculated. The control unit recognizes an area in the captured image determined based on the coordinates of the index, and controls the image enlargement display unit to display the area on a monitor. According to the present invention, an area to be enlarged in a material is set by an index, and the area is automatically enlarged and displayed on a monitor.
[0008]
Indices according to the present invention include two diagonal designated points for designating a material on the enlarged range designated area. In this case, the user designates an area to be enlarged in the material at two diagonal points. As a result, the area in the photographed image determined above becomes a rectangular area based on two diagonal points, and this area is displayed on the monitor. In addition, one designated point may be used instead of two diagonal points. In this case, this one point is determined so that a predetermined area is extracted as a reference point (for example, a center point), and this area is displayed. Control may be performed as follows.
[0009]
In the case where the index is the above-mentioned two diagonal points or one point, the point is a light point that emits light including a specific wavelength such as infrared light, and only the specific wavelength is transmitted to the imaging unit. It is preferable from the following viewpoints to provide an optical filter that can be inserted into and removed from the photographing optical path. That is, when an area to be enlarged is designated by the designated point with the optical filter inserted in the imaging optical path of the imaging unit, the imaging unit captures only the designated point, so that the designated point can be reliably identified, Stable operation is obtained. In this case, the captured image of the material taken in with the optical filter removed in advance may be temporarily processed into a still image, and then the optical filter may be inserted to indicate the designated point on the material.
[0010]
Instead of using the designated point as an index, a method may be adopted in which a boundary between the material mounting table and the material, which is recognized based on the contrast, is used as an index. This method can be performed by setting the material mounting surface of the material mounting table to black or high-density color if the material is white paper.
[0011]
As the image enlargement means of the present invention, there is an imaging range adjustment mechanism that adjusts the imaging range by adjusting the pan / tilt and zoom magnification of the imaging unit, thereby enabling enlarged imaging. According to this, the pan / tilt and zoom magnification adjustment of the imaging unit are appropriately controlled so that the imaging unit captures the enlarged area (the area in the captured image determined based on the coordinates of the index) recognized by the control unit. Is done. In this case, the imaging unit adjusts the imaging range of the imaging unit based on the indices on the enlargement range instruction area photographed by the imaging unit to perform enlarged photography. It is preferable to provide a configuration including two cameras: a display image camera whose captured image is a display image on the monitor, and an enlargement range instruction area camera for photographing the entire enlargement area instruction area to obtain the coordinates of the index. In this embodiment, when a light point (designated point) that emits light including the above-described specific wavelength is used as an index, the optical filter may be inserted into a shooting optical path of the camera for the enlarged range designated area.
[0012]
Further, as another image enlarging means, there is an image processing circuit for extracting the coordinate area of the image obtained from the index as described above from the image data in the captured image and enlarging (trimming) the image on a monitor.
[0013]
Next, the present invention includes a mode in which the control unit performs a process of clarifying the outline of a character or the like in an image to be enlarged and displayed. By adopting this mode, the outline of characters and the like in the image is prevented from being unclear due to the enlarged display, and the image is easily read. Further, the present invention includes a mode in which the control unit performs a process of changing a color of a character or the like in an image to be enlarged and displayed to an arbitrary color. According to this embodiment, it is possible to display a character or the like in a color desired by the user, which is useful, for example, for a color-blind person or the like.
[0014]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 shows an enlarged reading device 1 according to one embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram systematically showing the configuration and functions of the enlarged reading device 1. Reference numeral 10 in FIG. 1 denotes a material placing table on which a material (object to be photographed: book in the illustrated example) D is placed. An arm 11 is fixed to the center of the rear end of the material placing table 10. The arm 11 has an inverted L-shape in which a horizontal portion 11b extending toward the front side is fixed to the upper end of a support portion 11a erected on the document mounting table 10, and a user is provided at the tip of the horizontal portion 11b. The monitor 20 to be viewed is attached with the screen facing forward. The monitor 20 is preferably attached to the arm 11 so that the direction can be changed as appropriate. Further, a first camera 31 and a second camera 32 constituting the imaging unit 30 are attached to the horizontal unit 11b.
[0015]
The first camera 31 captures the material D placed on the material mounting table 10, and the captured image is captured by the control unit 40, processed, and output to the monitor 20, as shown in FIG. The first camera 31 has a zoom function and an autofocus function, and further has a pan / tilt function for adjusting the imaging range by moving the imaging direction back and forth and left and right. The zoom and pan / tilt operations are controlled by the control unit 40. The pan / tilt can also be remotely controlled by a joystick 50 connected to the data base 10. On the other hand, the second camera 32 is disposed in front of the first camera 31, and the second camera 32 has an imaging range covering substantially the entire upper surface (the material mounting surface) of the material mounting table 10. Is also taken into the control unit 40 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, in the second camera 32, an optical filter 33 capable of photographing only infrared light is inserted in a photographing optical path.
[0016]
The second camera 32 is a camera for photographing an index designated for generating the enlarged range instruction area and on the enlarged area instruction area, and causing the control unit 40 to recognize the coordinates of the index. The control unit 40 generates the XY coordinates of the enlargement range instruction area S on the upper surface of the material mounting table 10 photographed by the second camera 32 as shown in FIG. 1 by a general image processing method. The coordinates of the enlargement range instruction area S are stored in the control unit 40 in advance or can be arbitrarily generated. As an arbitrary generation method, for example, infrared light is emitted at the four corners of the material mounting table 10, and these four emission points are photographed by the second camera 32 with the optical filter 33 inserted in the photographing optical path, There is a method of recognizing the position of each light emitting point from the image data.
[0017]
Reference numeral 60 in FIG. 1 denotes a light pen for indicating an enlarged range that is held and used by a user. The light pen 60 is constituted by an LED or the like, and is pressed by a tip provided with a light emitting unit 61 that emits light including infrared light transmitted through the optical filter 33 set in the second camera 32, so that a switch is pressed. When turned on, the light emitting section 61 emits light. In the following description, pressing the light emitting unit 61 of the light pen 60 to a certain position to emit light is referred to as light emission instruction by the light pen 60. When light emission instruction is given to the material D on the material mounting table 10 with the light pen 60 in a state where the optical filter 33 is inserted in the imaging optical path of the second camera 32, the image of the light emitting unit 61 is transmitted to the control unit via the second camera 32. It is taken into 40. Here, when light emission is instructed by the light pen 60 according to a predetermined enlarged area setting method, the control unit 40 performs the following processing.
[0018]
The coordinates of the light emitting unit 61 on the enlargement range instruction area S are calculated, and then the enlargement area is recognized based on the coordinates, so that the enlargement area matches the imaging range of the first camera 31, that is, the first area. The zoom magnification and the pan / tilt amount of the first camera 31 are calculated so that the enlarged area is photographed in the entire imaging range of the camera 31. Next, the control unit 40 outputs a drive control signal corresponding to the calculated zoom magnification and pan / tilt amount to the drive unit of the first camera 31 having the zoom function and the pan / tilt function. In response to this, in the first camera 31, the zoom function and the pan / tilt function are driven to photograph the enlarged area. As a result, the area set by the light emission instruction is enlarged and displayed on the monitor 20.
[0019]
Subsequently, a specific operation example of the enlarged display by the control unit 40 will be described with reference to FIG. In this enlargement area setting method, light emission is instructed by the light pen 60 at two diagonal points of a rectangular area to be enlarged. First, as an initial state, the first camera 31 is set to zoom magnification: 1 ×, pan / tilt function: photograph the center of the data base 10 (step S101). The book (material) D on the material mounting table 10 is photographed by the first camera 31, and the photographed image is output to the monitor 20 and displayed (step S102). Next, the user instructs the light pen 60 to emit light at two diagonal points of the rectangular area to be enlarged on the page of the book D. Then, the control unit 40 captures an image captured by the second camera 32 (step S103), and calculates and generates coordinates of two diagonal points which are light emission designated points on the enlarged range designated area S (step S104).
[0020]
Next, the control unit 40 recognizes the rectangular enlarged area based on the two diagonal points, and adjusts the zoom magnification and pan / pan of the first camera 31 so that the enlarged area matches the imaging range of the first camera 31. The amount of tilt is calculated (step S105). Next, the control unit 40 outputs a drive control signal corresponding to the calculated zoom magnification and pan / tilt amount to the drive unit of the first camera 31 having the zoom function and the pan / tilt function. In response to this, in the first camera 31, the zoom function and the pan / tilt function are driven (step S106), and an image of the enlarged area instructed to emit light is taken. The image captured by the first camera 31 is output to the monitor 20 (Step S107).
[0021]
As described above, the area instructed to emit light by the light pen 60 is enlarged and displayed on the monitor 20. The user looks at the monitor 20 and reads the text of the enlarged book. Here, the user pans / tilts the first camera 31 with the joystick 50 to move the image displayed on the monitor 20 up and down. By moving it to the left or right, the part to be read can be arbitrarily selected. The operation signal of the joystick 50 is sent to the control unit 40, the pan / tilt amount is calculated in step S105 in FIG. 3, and a drive control signal corresponding to the pan / tilt amount is output to the first camera 31.
[0022]
According to the above-described embodiment, by instructing light emission of the area to be enlarged in the material D by the light pen 60, the area is automatically enlarged and displayed on the monitor 20, so that the image of the desired area and size is displayed. Can be obtained promptly. In addition, since the optical filter 33 is inserted in the imaging optical path of the second camera 32, the second camera 32 can image only the light emitting unit 61. And a stable operation can be obtained.
[0023]
Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the reference drawings, the same components as those of the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. As shown in FIG. 4, the enlarged reading device 2 of this embodiment includes a document table 10, a monitor 20, a joystick 50, and the like as in the above-described embodiment, but includes an imaging unit 30 attached to the arm 11. This embodiment is different from the embodiment in that one camera 34 is provided and a method of displaying an enlarged area is performed only by image processing.
[0024]
An optical filter 33 that allows only infrared light to pass through the imaging optical path is set in the camera 34 so that it can be inserted and removed. The insertion and removal of the optical filter 33 is performed manually or electrically, which is operated by a switch provided on the data base 10. The enlargement range indicating area S on the document table 10 is generated on the document table 10 with the optical filter 33 inserted in the imaging optical path. The document setting table 10 is provided with a document set switch 10a. When the switch 10a is pressed and turned on, the control unit 40 processes an image captured by the camera 34 into a still image.
[0025]
The control unit 40 of the present embodiment causes an enlarged display to be executed as shown in FIG. In this case, also in the enlarged area setting method, light emission is instructed at two diagonal points. Also, the camera 34 has no fixed magnification and no pan / tilt function, and always shoots the center of the data base 10. First, a book (material) D placed on the material mounting table 10 is photographed by the camera 34, and the control unit 40 captures the photographed image. Here, the user turns on the document set switch 10a. Then, the control unit 40 records the captured image as a still image (Step S201). The still image is output to and displayed on the monitor 20 (Step S202). Next, the user inserts the optical filter 33 into the photographing optical path of the camera 34 (step S203), and emits two diagonal points of the rectangular area to be enlarged on the page of the book D with the light pen 60. Instruct. Then, the control unit 40 captures an image captured by the camera 34 (step S204), and calculates and generates coordinates of two diagonal points that are light emission designated points on the enlarged range designated area S (step S205).
[0026]
Next, the control unit 40 trims the rectangular enlarged area based on two diagonal points, calculates the size and position of the trimmed area from the recorded still image (step S206), and trims. (Step S207). The control unit 40 enlarges this trimmed image to the monitor display size and outputs it (step S208). It is determined whether or not the document set switch 10a has been turned on, that is, whether or not to update the still image (step S209). If not turned on, the processing from step S204 is repeated. Record the image as a still image.
[0027]
In this embodiment, an area instructed to emit light by the light pen 60 is trimmed from a still image captured and recorded by the camera 34 and enlarged and displayed on the monitor 20. In addition to being able to be enlarged and displayed by one camera 34, Since the camera 34 does not need to have a pan / tilt function for enlarged display, there is an advantage that a simple configuration can be achieved.
[0028]
In each of the above embodiments, two diagonal points of the area to be enlarged are instructed to emit light by the light pen 60. However, as another enlarged area setting method, one point is instructed by the light pen 60, There is a method of extracting a predetermined area using a point as a reference point (for example, a center point) and enlarging and displaying a desired area. In this case, for example, a method may be employed in which a switch for designating an enlargement magnification is provided on the material mounting table 10 or the like, and the enlargement magnification of an image centered on one light emission designated point is designated by the switch.
[0029]
Further, in addition to setting the enlarged area by two or one diagonal designated point, a method of recognizing the enlarged area by a boundary line between the document table 10 and the book D which is recognized based on the contrast is adopted. can do. This method can be realized by setting the upper surface of the document mounting table 10 to black or a high density color if the book D is white paper.
[0030]
In addition, the control unit 40 can perform a process of clarifying the outline of a character or the like in the image to be enlarged and displayed. In this case, the outline of the character or the like in the image becomes unclear due to the enlarged display. Is prevented and it becomes easier to read. Further, the control unit 40 can perform a process of changing the color of characters and the like in the image to be enlarged and displayed to an arbitrary color. In this case, characters and the like in a color desired by the user can be displayed. For example, it is useful for a color blind person or the like.
[0031]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, by setting an area to be enlarged in a document by using an index, the area is automatically enlarged and displayed on the monitor, so that the enlarged display image can be quickly displayed with a simple operation. It is possible to obtain the effect that it can be obtained.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an enlarged reading device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram systematically showing the configuration and functions of an enlarged reading device according to an embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of the enlarged reading device according to the embodiment;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an enlarged reading device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram systematically showing the configuration and functions of an enlarged reading device according to another embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of an enlarged reading device according to another embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
1, 2 ... Enlarged reading device 10 ... Document table 20 ... Monitor 30 ... Imaging unit 31 ... First camera (display image camera)
32: second camera (camera for indicating the enlarged range area)
33 ... Optical filter D ... Book (material)
S: Enlargement range instruction area

Claims (11)

A material placing table on which a material is placed, and an enlargement range indicating area is set so as to overlap with the placing surface;
An imaging unit for photographing the material placed on the material mounting table;
A monitor for displaying an image captured by the imaging unit,
Image enlargement means for partially enlarging an image captured by the imaging unit and displaying the image on the monitor,
Based on the index indicating the area to be displayed indicated in the enlarged range indicating area, the coordinates of the index in the enlarged range indicating area are obtained, and the area in the captured image determined based on the coordinates is monitored. A control unit for controlling the image enlarging means so as to display an image on the display. The index is two diagonal points indicated in the enlarged range instruction area, and the control unit processes a rectangular area based on the two diagonal points as a display image on a monitor. The enlarged reading device according to claim 1, wherein The said index is one indication point instruct | indicated in the said expansion range indication area | region, and the said control part processes the predetermined area | region which made this one point into a reference point as a display image of a monitor. 2. The enlarged reading device according to 1. The said indication point is a light spot which emits light containing a specific wavelength, The optical filter which permeate | transmits only this specific wavelength is provided so that insertion and removal are possible with respect to the imaging | photography optical path of the said imaging part. An enlarged reading device according to 2 or 3. 5. The image processing circuit according to claim 1, wherein the image enlargement unit is an image processing circuit that extracts a coordinate area of the image obtained from the index from image data in the captured image and displays the coordinate area on the monitor. Enlarged reading device as described. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image enlargement unit is an imaging range adjustment mechanism that adjusts an imaging range by adjusting a pan / tilt and a zoom magnification of the imaging unit. The imaging unit has the imaging range adjustment mechanism, and a display image camera whose captured image is a display image on a monitor, and obtains coordinates of the index by imaging the index on the enlargement range instruction area. The enlarged reading device according to claim 6, further comprising a camera for indicating an enlarged range indicating area. The optical filter according to claim 7, wherein the optical filter is inserted into a photographing optical path of the camera for the enlargement range indication area when the index is the indication point that emits light including the specific wavelength. Magnifying reader. 8. The magnifying reading device according to claim 1, wherein the index is a boundary between the material placing table and the material, which is recognized based on a contrast between the two. The enlarged reading device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the control unit performs a process of clarifying a contour of a character or the like in the image to be enlarged and displayed. The enlarged reading device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the control unit performs a process of changing a color of a character or the like in the image to be enlarged and displayed to an arbitrary color.

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