JPH0423026A - Information display device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To easily set and confirm the mode of the information to be inputted by providing a display part to an input means to display a set mode. CONSTITUTION:An electronic information blackboard is operated by means of a main board A and a console B attached to the board A. The 'attribute of information' to be inputted to a coordinate input part 2 of the board A is set by an input pen 15. In this case, a recognition mode and a display color mode are available and the recognition mode includes a drawing mode and a character recognition mode. When the mode of the information to be inputted is set, an item is directly pointed by the pen 15 through a display part 1 for designation of a menu area recognition mode or a color mode. The information on the recognition mode or the display color mode is stored in a memory 4. Based on these stored information, a main CPU 3 processes the input information.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Objective of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention has, for example, a pen-shaped input means, and uses this input means to write information on a board serving as a display means. The present invention relates to an information display device that inputs information and displays the input information.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, devices for displaying information such as characters and figures at conferences and presentations have been used, such as electronic blackboards and electronic OH
There are devices such as P (Over Head Projector). In a conventional electronic blackboard, information written on the board is read by a reader and output on paper using a copying machine. Furthermore, in an electronic OHP, information stored in advance is projected and displayed on a board. As described above, conventional electronic whiteboards and electronic OHPs have only simple functions.

Therefore, in recent years, information display devices have been developed that can electronically input information such as characters and graphics directly onto a board, edit this information, and display it. In such an information display device, information can be input not only directly from the board, but also from outside. The information input in this way is displayed on the board as image information, and the information can be edited and processed in various ways. In addition to the main body integrated with the board, this information display device can be connected to multiple consoles (terminals). Processing of the information displayed on the board is not performed only through the main body, but can also be performed from each console. This console is provided to each participant at a conference, etc., and each participant operates the console from their respective seats to process information on the board. By processing information in this way, meetings and presentations can be held smoothly.

In the above-mentioned information display device, when inputting information onto the board, the information is manually written by directly writing on the board using an input pen, and this information is displayed on the board. By the way, in this information display device, for example, the mode of information such as the display color when displaying information may be changed.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 34, a table representing various modes is displayed as a menu on the board. Then, by pointing, for example, with an input pen to an area in which a desired mode is displayed from among the menus displayed on the board, the mode is selected and the mode is changed. Furthermore, the selection of the selected mode is notified by the part of the selected mode becoming highly bright on the board. As described above, in conventional information display devices, when changing the mode of input information such as display color, the mode changing operation had to be performed on the board. Also, if you wanted to know the set mode, you had to check the currently set mode on the board.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) As described above, in conventional information display devices, the setting of the mode of input information and the display of the set mode must be performed on the board (display means). There was a problem.

Therefore, the present invention provides the input means with a mode setting means for setting the mode of information to be input, and a display section for displaying the set mode, so that setting and confirmation of the mode of the information to be input can be easily done at hand. The purpose is to provide an information display device that can perform the following functions.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problem) In order to achieve the above object, the information display device of the present invention includes a display means for displaying information, and a display means for displaying information by directly inputting the information on the display means. an input means for inputting information; a mode setting means provided on the input means for setting a mode of information to be input; and a display section provided on the input means for displaying a mode of information set by the mode setting means. It is characterized by having the following.

(Function) The information display device of the present invention sets the mode of input information using the input means, and displays the set mode on the display section of the input means.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example in which the present invention is applied to an electronic information blackboard will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 shows a block diagram of the electronic information blackboard of this embodiment.
Figure 2 shows an external view. The electronic information blackboard of this embodiment consists of a main board A as a main unit and a console B as a terminal device. First, the configuration of the main board Δ will be explained. The display section 1 and the coordinate input section 2 are arranged in close contact with each other as shown in FIG. 3 (TI!J when the main board is viewed from the back side). The display unit 1 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display, a plasma display, etc.
The coordinate input unit 2 is composed of a transparent pressure-sensitive tablet, a magnetic tablet, or the like. Therefore, the display section 1 can be visually viewed through the coordinate input section 2. When the user writes an image using the input pen 15, the coordinate input section 2 outputs an image written as X-Y coordinate values from the origin, for example, with the upper left corner of the coordinate input section 2 as the origin I. get information. In this way, input operations can be performed directly on the display means. Further, a communication interface 150 for communicating with this input vent 15 is provided. Here, this (input Ben 1
5 will be explained using the block diagram of FIG. 4 and the external view of FIG. 5. As shown in Figure 4, the input valve 15 is a setting section for setting attributes of information to be input.]
51, and a memory 152 for storing attributes of set information.
, a display section 153 that displays the contents of the memory, a communication interface 154 that communicates with the main board A, and a CPU 155 that controls these. The attribute of information referred to here refers to the display color of input information and the recognition mode for input information, which will be described later. The display section 1
53 displays these display colors and recognition modes. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a mode changeover switch 156 for selecting a recognition mode and a mode changeover switch 157 for selecting a display color mode are provided on the input pen 15. A display section 158 that displays the selected recognition mode and a display section 159 that displays the selected display color mode are provided corresponding to each of these. Further, this input ben 15 does not require any physical image forming means such as ink. Further, the tip of the input ben 15 is rounded to a certain extent so as not to damage the coordinate input section 2. In this way, the written image information is converted into X-Y coordinate values and taken into the main CPU 3 in synchronization with clock pulses. The image information taken into the main CPU 3 is transferred to the display memory 5 and stored as data. When displaying the input image information stored as data, the X-Y coordinates of the coordinate input section 2 at the time of writing on the display section 1 are displayed according to the X-Y coordinate value data stored in the display memory 5. Display at the position corresponding to.

When writing image information to the coordinate input section 2, the image data is displayed on the display section 1 at the position corresponding to the coordinate input section 2 at the same time as the writing is performed using the method described above. Therefore, the input image information is displayed on the display unit 1 as if it were written with ink or the like.

The display memory 5 has a capacity of more than 100 minutes, and is used not only to store image information written to the coordinate input section 2 as described above. The display memory 5 stores image data of image information read by the scanner device 1o, FDD (Plot)pyDisk D
It is possible to store various image data, such as image data read from the live streaming device 8 and image data transferred via the communication interface 17. Here, the scanner device W1o reads image information such as photographs and pictures recorded on paper sheets. The read image information is stored in the display memory 5 via the scanner interface 9. Conversely, the image information stored in the display memory 5 is output from the hard copy device 12 onto a recording medium such as paper via the hard copy interface 1. Furthermore, the electronic information blackboard of this embodiment can also be connected to other workstations such as personal computers. Here, when exchanging image information with other workstations, etc., offline information exchange is performed via a floppy disk.

Further, a floppy disk on which image information created at another workstation is recorded can also be read by the FDD device 8 provided in the electronic information blackboard of this embodiment. The read image information is stored on the display memory 5 via the FDD interface 7. Conversely, the image information stored on the display memory 5 can be transferred to the FD.
It is also possible to record on a floppy disk using the D device 8. Furthermore, when image information is exchanged online with other workstations, etc., it is done via the communication interface 13 and the communication network 14. That is, image information sent through the communication network 14 is sent to the display memory 5 via the communication interface 13.
stored above.

Similarly, it is also possible to send the image information on the display memory 5 online to other workstations.

Furthermore, in presentations and the like, it may be effective to use not only visual information but also auditory information.

Audio information as auditory information is output from the speaker 17 via the audio interface 16. The audio interface 16 converts digitized data such as voice and music input from a microphone or the like into analog data via a D/A converter (not shown), and then outputs the data to a speaker 17 via an amplifier (not shown). Output.

Here, information such as character data may be converted into a digital audio signal through a device such as a rule synthesis device (not shown), and then input to the D/A converter.

The image calculation unit 6 uses the image bus to perform processing such as affine transformation for enlargement/reduction and calculations between images on the image information stored in the display memory 5, thereby processing the image information displayed on the display unit 1. processing.

This allows the image information of multiple pages of bones stored in the display memory to be reduced to the specified size for each page and moved to the specified coordinate position on the display unit 1. , multiple pages of bone image information can be displayed at once.

It also has a window function that displays multiple pages of bone image information in a superimposed manner.

The memory 4 attached to the main CPU 3 is a memory space used in processing performed for various operations as described above, and as shown in FIG. 6, it is allocated and used in areas for each operation. .

Operations on the electronic information blackboard of this embodiment are not performed only by the main board A, but can also be performed by the console B. Next, the configuration of console B will be described. Console B is the console interface 18.
The main board A communicates with the main board A via the keyboard 21, the mouse 24, and the coordinate input unit 22, and processes input through the keyboard 21, mouse 24, and coordinate input unit 22 are performed on the main board A. The display section 20 is composed of a liquid crystal display, a plasma display, etc., and can display the same content as currently displayed on the main board A.

Each console has a display memory 25 of multiple pages, and the information displayed on the main board A is stored in the display memory 25. Here, even when displaying the same content as that displayed on the main board A, it is stored in the display memory 25 for a time before being displayed. Details of this display memory 25 will be described later. The console B itself is controlled by the CPO 23 mounted on the console B, but the main CPU 3 mounted on the main board A controls commands issued from the console B to the main board A.

A plurality of consoles B configured in this manner are connected to the main board A, and the overall configuration is as shown in the system configuration diagram shown in FIG. 7.

Next, the actual operation of the electronic information blackboard of this embodiment will be described. As mentioned above, main board A is used to operate the electronic information blackboard.
This can be done using the console B attached to it. First, operations from main board A will be described. The display section 1 has a menu area 61 as shown in FIG. 8, and the user selects a desired menu by specifying the position of the desired menu on the input ben 15. Main CP
U3 performs processing according to the selected menu.

The area other than the menu area 61 displayed on the display section l is a display area 62 for actual image information.

The display area 62 is also an area where characters and figures can be freely written using the input ben 15.

Here, the fourth section regarding the operation of the input vent 15 in various modes will be explained.
This will be explained with reference to the figures. First, the setting section 151 uses the input bench 15 to input the coordinates of the main board A.
Set the "information attributes" to be input in The "information attributes" set by the setting unit 151 refer to the "recognition mode" for the input information and the "display color mode" for displaying the input information. The recognition mode J for input information has a drawing mode, a character recognition mode, and a control mode. First, in the drawing mode, the information written to the coordinate input section 2 is treated as image information, and the above-mentioned As soon as the data is written, it is stored in the display memory 5 (shown in FIG. 1) as an X-Y coordinate value, and then displayed on the display section 1 (shown in FIG. 1) at the position corresponding to the coordinate input section 2. Image information is displayed on the display section 1 in the same format as it is input.In addition, in the character recognition mode, the information written on the coordinate input section 2 is treated as information such as characters and symbols. , after being converted into X-Y coordinate values, stroke analysis is performed. Information such as characters and symbols whose strokes have been analyzed in this way is converted into corresponding character code information. In this way, it is converted into character code information. The information such as characters and symbols that have been converted is sequentially converted into patterns of characters and symbols stored in the character generator in advance in accordance with the character code information.Then, the pattern-converted image information is stored in the display memory 5. The image is expanded upward and displayed on the display unit 1.

On the other hand, in the control mode, the input information is not recognized as image information but as control information for controlling the display screen. In this control mode, it is possible to "specify an erasure range" and "select a window", which will be described later. The user selects a "recognition mode" for the information to be input from among these three modes. In addition, multiple display colors are preset for displaying the input information, and the user can display the input information in the desired color by selecting the desired color mode from among these. I can do it.

The above mode selection operation is carried out by, for example, the mode changeover switch 15 provided on the input vent 15, as shown in FIG.
This is done by operating 6.157. This mode changeover switch includes a mode changeover switch 156 for selecting a recognition mode and a mode changeover switch 157 for selecting a display color mode.

When selecting the recognition mode, set the mode selector switch 156 to 1.
"Drawing mode" and "Character recognition mode" each time you press the button.
A desired recognition mode is selected by switching in the order of "control mode", "drawing mode", "character recognition mode", etc. On the other hand, when selecting the display color mode, each press of the mode changeover switch 157 changes the display color to "black,""red,""orange,""yellow,""green,""blue,""indigo," and "purple."
A desired display color mode is selected by switching in the order of "black", "red", etc. Information on each mode selected in this way is stored in the memory 15 as shown in FIG.
2.

Then, the currently selected mode is displayed on the display section 153 according to the contents stored in this memory 152. The display section 158 that displays the recognition mode is composed of, for example, a 16 dot x 90 dot liquid crystal display.
Displays characters such as "Drawing", "Character Recognition", and "Control". Further, the display section 159 that displays the display color mode may display a plurality of different color LEDs (Light-Emittl), for example.
ng Diode) and displays the same color as the selected display color. By the way, as above, input Ben 1
Information such as "recognition mode" and "display color mode" selected using 5 is sent to the communication interface 150 of the main board A via the communication interface 154.

Communication between the main board A and the input vent 15 is performed using, for example, infrared light without going through a communication line. The information on the "recognition mode" and "display color mode" sent to the main boat A is stored in the mode setting area 46 in the memory 4, as shown in FIG. The main CPU 3 (shown in FIG. 1) processes various information input onto the coordinate input section 2 through the input vent 15 in accordance with information on the recognition mode and display color mode stored in the memory 4.

In addition, to change the mode of input information as described above,
This can be done not only from the input vent 15 but also from the main board A. When setting the mode of input information on the main board A, select the "recognition mode specification" 610 or "color mode specification" 611 item in the menu area 61 on the display unit 1 as shown in FIG. This is done by directly giving instructions on the display unit 1 using the input bezel 15. The information on the "recognition mode" and "display color mode" thus set is stored in the memory 4 as described above, and the main CPU 3 processes the input information accordingly. Here, the information on the "recognition mode" and "display color mode" set on the main board A is input via the input pen communication ink face 150 (shown in Figure 1).
sent to.

These pieces of information sent to the input bench 15 are stored in the memory 152 as described above, and then sent to the CPU 1 of the input bench 15.
The information is displayed on display sections 158 and 159 under the control of 55.

Here, the flow of processing of information inputted into the coordinate input section 2 using the input valve 15 will be explained with reference to FIG. First, input information into the coordinate input section 2 (Step)
. Next, this input information is converted into X-Y coordinate values with the origin at the upper left corner of the coordinate input section 2 (Step 2)
. Next, it is determined whether the recognition mode is "control mode" (Step 3). Here, if the recognition mode is "control mode", the X-
Screen control of the display unit 1 (shown in FIG. 1) is performed according to the information on the Y coordinate value (5 t e p 4).

In step 3 above, the recognition mode is "control mode"
If not, then it is determined whether the recognition mode is "character recognition mode" (Step 5). If the recognition mode is "character recognition mode", stroke analysis is performed on the information converted to X-Y coordinate values as described above, and the input information is exchanged into character code information ( Step 6). Then, patterns of characters, symbols, etc. stored in the character generator corresponding to the character code information are displayed on the display unit 1 (Step 7) o If the recognition mode is not "character recognition mode" in step 5, The recognition mode is determined to be the "drawing mode", and the input information is displayed in the same state as when it was input (Step 8).

On the other hand, operations on the electronic information blackboard performed from the console are performed as follows. That is, the display section 20 of the console B displays an operation menu similar to that of the main board, and the user selects the menu using the keyboard 21, mouse 24, or coordinate input device 22. At this time, the console's CPU 23 transmits code information corresponding to the selected menu to the main board. On the other hand, on the main board, the main CPU 3 processes image information on the main board according to code information. There are 3 modes for writing from the console: character recognition mode, drawing mode, and control mode.
There are different modes. If the character recognition mode is selected here, like the main board, characters and symbols are recognized from the coordinates obtained by the coordinate input device 22 and transmitted to the main board as code information. Characters and symbols can also be entered directly through the keyboard 21 using a word processor function provided on the console itself. On the other hand, in drawing mode, the coordinate information is sent as is to the main board. In addition, in the control mode, screen controls such as setting an erasing area and specifying a window can be performed. Furthermore, a mouse 24 connected to the console can be used to move a pointer stick on the main board, which will be described later. This pointing stick can point to any location on the display screen.

Furthermore, partial erasure can be performed by collectively erasing the image information on the display section 1 or by specifying an area. For example, in partial erasing by specifying an area, two points on the display screen are specified, and a rectangular area whose diagonal is a line connecting the two points is partially erased. Also,
Coordinate input unit 2 performs the act of sliding an eraser shaped like a blackboard eraser over the image information displayed on display unit 1.
It is also possible to perform discrimination based on the pressure-sensitive area and erase the image in the pressure-sensitive range. At this time, the opposite of what happens when writing is done. That is, when writing the above-mentioned image information, an image is displayed in a pressure-sensitive area, but when erasing with an eraser, the image in a pressure-sensitive area is erased.

The electronic information blackboard as described above can be operated using a plurality of consoles. Here, if all consoles can perform operations equally, there is a possibility that operation requests will be issued from a large number of consoles all at once when writing on a blackboard or operating a pointer stick. In such a case, for example, when this electronic information blackboard is used in a meeting, the moderator makes adjustments to ensure that the meeting progresses smoothly. For this purpose, in the electronic information blackboard of this embodiment, a console for the moderator is selected from among a plurality of consoles (this is called a center console), and this center console is used to connect other consoles (these are called sub-consoles). It has a role to control. As for the selection of the center console, the console on which a predetermined key is first input after the power is turned on is selected. The flow of selection of the center console itself will be explained using the flowchart shown in FIG. Now the console is console N
Assume that there are 8 machines from O,1 to console magnetic 8. First, assign 1 to the argument n that represents the console (Ste
pl) Check whether the console is determined as the center console in order starting from console No. 0.1. Next, it is determined whether a center console determination input has been made to console n (Step 2). Next, a value obtained by adding 1 to n is assigned to n, and it is determined whether or not the center console input has been determined for the next console (Step 3).

Here, since the number of consoles is 8, it is checked whether n has reached 8, that is, whether all consoles have been checked (Step 4).

When it is determined that all consoles have been checked,
Returning to 5 tepl again, the above process is repeated until a center console determination input is made to any console. Here, when a center console determination input is made to console n in 5tep2, the main CPU 3 (shown in FIG. 1) determines console n as the center console (5tep5), and ends the center console determination process. The center console information determined as above is stored in the memory 4 (as shown in Figure 6).
“0° “1” in the upper center console setting area 41
is stored as bit information as shown in FIG. 1st
In the example shown in FIG. 1, the console 2 is set as the center console. The main CPU 3 (shown in Figure 1) refers to the center console setting area 41 in response to operation requests from each console, determines whether the operation request is from the center console or the sub-console, and responds accordingly. Perform the processing to do.

As will be explained later, this center console is not subject to any restrictions and has a higher priority than any other console. On the constraint setting screen shown in Fig. 12 and the priority setting screen shown in Fig. 15, "C' is displayed for the console set as the center console and are differentiated.

When the center console is determined in the manner described above, a constraint setting screen is subsequently displayed on the display screen of the center console. Next, when the setting of constraints is completed, a priority setting screen is displayed. These "setting of constraints" and "setting of priorities" will be explained in detail below.

First, constraint conditions are set on a display screen as shown in FIG. 12, and settings are made for writing on the screen, controlling the display screen, and operating the pointing stick. In setting this constraint condition, whether or not each console can be used for writing on the screen, controlling the display screen, and operating the pointer stick is set. Here, the actual setting of constraint conditions for each console will be explained according to the flowchart of FIG. 13. First, select the console for which settings are to be made (Stapl). Here, for example, if console Nα4 is selected, the area of console Nα4 is displayed in reverse video as shown in FIG. Next, settings regarding writing to the screen for this console No. 4 are performed (Step 2).

Next, settings regarding control of the display screen (Step 3) and settings regarding operation of the pointer stick (Step 4) are performed. Next, it is determined whether settings have been completed for all consoles (Step 5).

At this point, if the settings have not been completed for all consoles, return to 5tepl and repeat 5tepl until the settings are completed.
pl~5Repeat step 5. When the settings for all consoles are completed, the constraint setting menu ends. Here, as shown in FIGS. 1-2, if the corresponding part of the console number and the constraint condition is "X", the console is in a constrained state. Further, if the corresponding part is rOJ, the console is in an unrestricted state. That is, in the 12th viewing state, console Nα3 and console Nα7 are not permitted to write on the screen. The constraints set as described above are displayed in the area corresponding to each console in the constraint setting area 42 of the memory 4 (shown in FIG. 6) as shown in FIG. - Stored as “0” bit state information.

After setting the constraints in this way, the first
The screen switches to a priority setting screen as shown in Figure 5. Priorities are set on the display screen shown in FIG. 15, and console priorities are set for writing on the screen, controlling the display screen, and operating the pointer stick.

For example, if there are eight consoles as in the example shown in FIG. 15, the priority order is specified by a number from 1 to 8, and the smaller the number, the higher the priority. Here, when setting the constraint conditions, no ranking is given to consoles that are set to [Restricted J]. At this time, "-" is displayed in the corresponding part of the console. The actual flow of setting priorities for each console is the same as the flow described in the setting of constraint conditions above, so the explanation will be omitted here. The set priority information is held in the priority setting area 43 in the memory 4 (shown in FIG. 6), which corresponds to each console, as shown in FIG. Here, the process up to the execution of a process when a certain operation is specified from the console will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 17. Now, assume that a request for a certain operation is issued to the main board from the console N with the priority level n (Step 1). Next, it is determined whether or not there is an operation request from another console within a predetermined time (Step 2).

If there is no operation request from another console, console N is given the operation authority and executes the operation requested by console N (Step 6).

When the operation of console N is completed, the operation authority of N is extinguished by a predetermined end signal from console N (S t
e p 7 ) o If there is an operation request from another within the predetermined time in 5step 2, the priority m of that console M is read (Step 4). Next, compare the priority n of console N and the priority m of console M.
Step 5) If the value of n is smaller, the operation requested by console N is executed (Step 5). On the other hand, 5te
If the value of m is smaller in p5, the operation request from console M is selected. Here, N is M and n is m
are respectively substituted (Step 3), and the process returns to Step 2 again. As a result, if an operation request is made from one console and another console requests the operation within a predetermined period of time before the operation is executed, priority will be given to the console that received the operation request. The one with the highest priority (that is, the one with the lowest priority value) is selected and executed.

By setting constraints and priorities for each console as described above, different processing requests issued from multiple consoles will not be made for image information at the same time, and when used for a conference. , can proceed smoothly.

When an electronic information blackboard having the above-described configuration is operated using a plurality of consoles, image information input from one console may be mistakenly erased by another console. Particularly when a mixture of image information input from multiple consoles is displayed in a narrow area, extreme care must be taken to erase only a specific piece of image information. Therefore, the electronic information blackboard of the present invention is configured such that only image information manually generated from each sub-console can be erased. However, only the center console can erase image information input from all sub-consoles.

Here, the operation of displaying image information on the display screen of each console will be explained. Each console includes a plurality of pages of display memory 25 as shown in FIG. Display memory 2
Page 5 of 5 stores image information that was previously displayed on the main board. The contents of this memory are updated every time the contents of the image information displayed on the main board change. Further, image information input from other consoles is stored in other pages of the display memory 25. The contents of this memory are updated each time new image information is input from another console. Further, image information input from the console is stored in other pages of the display memory 25, respectively. The contents of this memory are updated every time new image information is input from the console, and the image information stored in the display memory 25 of each part is superimposed and transmitted to the display unit 20 of each console. As a result, exactly the same image information as currently displayed on the main board can be obtained on the display section 20 of the console.

As described above, each console is set as either a center console or a sub-console at the time of initial setting. In a console set as a sub-console, only the display memory in which image information input from the console is stored can be erased.

Here, the display section 20 of each console has the same menu area as the main board shown in FIG. When performing "erase", select the "erase" menu from the menu area using the mouse 24, and then specify the range to be erased. When deletion is subsequently executed, only the image information input by the console in the previously specified range is deleted. Here, as described above, in a console set as a center console, all image information can be deleted. First, when "Erase" is selected on the operation menu, an erasure target selection menu as shown in FIG. 18 is displayed. Here, the object to be erased is selected from among the image information previously displayed on the main board, the image information input from each sub-console, and the image information input from the main console. After that, the user specifies the range to be erased, and when the erase is executed, the portion of the specified image information to be erased that is included in the erase range is erased.

With this, by specifying the range to be erased from each sub-console, only the image information input from that console can be erased.

At this time, even if image information input from another console or previously displayed image information is included within the specified erasure range, these will not be erased. Furthermore, if you want to delete image information input from multiple consoles all at once, you can freely delete it from the center console without having to delete it from each sub-console.

When setting an erasing area directly on the main board, specify two diagonal points of the rectangular area to be erased with the input pen as described above. When erasing this area, all image information within the area is erased.

In the electronic information blackboard as described above, instructions can be given to image information simultaneously from a plurality of consoles by providing a corresponding instruction stick for each console. By the way, the constraints and priority conditions set for each console in the above-mentioned "setting constraints" and "setting priorities" are also valid for the operation of this pointer stick. First, operation of the pointer stick is permitted only for consoles for which "no restrictions" is set for the pointer stick operation on the constraint setting screen shown in Figure 12 (in Figure 12, console N ( Ll, Fkl, 2,
NQ, 4, Seed 5, Nα6, Nα8). Furthermore, if a processing request to give an instruction to image information using a pointing stick is issued from multiple consoles at the same time, priority will be given according to the priority set on the priority setting screen shown in Figure 15. The pointer stick of a console with a higher rank (that is, the pointer stick with a smaller numerical value) can give instructions for image information in preference to the pointer sticks of other consoles. In other words, even if a plurality of pointing sticks are displayed on the display screen, only one of them can be operated, and that Shisen's pointing stick is stopped on the display screen. These controls are performed by a main CPU 3 (shown in FIG. 1) provided within the main board.

In the display memory 5 provided in the main board,
A dedicated memory is provided for displaying the pointing stick corresponding to each console. In this part of display memory,
Only information about the pointing stick of one console is stored. That is, the number of display memories dedicated to the pointer sticks is equal to the number of consoles. Further, the memory 4 stores information regarding the characteristics of the pattern of the pointer stick, such as the color and shape of the pointer stick corresponding to each console. The method of setting this pointer stick will be described later. Here, when instructing the image information displayed on the display screen using the pointing stick, the main CPU 3 first retrieves information regarding the pointing stick stored in the memory 4. Based on this information, as shown in FIG. 19, an image 70 of the pointing stick is developed on a display memory dedicated to the pointing stick, and is displayed superimposed on image information 71 to be pointed. As a result, the image information 71 and the pointing stick image 70 are displayed on the display screen 72 at the same time. That is, the pointing stick can provide instructions for image information on the display screen. Further, as shown in FIG. 20, for example, the pointer stick can be moved on the display screen by continuously erasing the pointer image from the pointer stick display memory while moving the writing coordinate position.

By the way, with the above-described display method, a plurality of pointer sticks may be displayed simultaneously on the display screen. At this time, there is a possibility that it becomes unclear which console is operating which pointing stick.

Therefore, by setting a different color or shape of the pointer stick for each console, a pointer stick having characteristics can be displayed for each console. This "setting of the pointer stick" is performed using an image as shown in FIG.

Here, when setting the constraint conditions using the center console described above, the consoles that are allowed to operate the pointing stick (in Fig. 12, the consoles kl, ?2, k4, N11L5,
For 6 and 8), the "pointer stick settings" screen is automatically displayed when the pointer stick is allowed to operate. Settings for this pointer stick can be made from each console, and click "Shape settings"
, "color settings" are performed in this order. In the shape settings, the second
As shown in Figure 1, for example, eight types of shapes are displayed.The user selects an arbitrary shape on the screen with the cursor indicated by the square mark in Figure 21.Here,
Each shape displayed on the screen is given corresponding code information. As shown in FIG. 22, the code information of the shape of the pointing stick selected by each console is stored in the pointing stick shape setting area 44 in the memory 4 (shown in FIG. 4) corresponding to each console. stored in the area. Note that since one shape always corresponds to one console, a plurality of pointer sticks with the same shape are never displayed on the display screen at the same time.

Therefore, when selecting a shape, a shape that has already been selected by another console cannot be selected.

After setting the shape in this way, the next step is to set the color. In the case of color, the 21st
As shown in the figure, for example, eight different colors are displayed. The user selects any color on the screen using the cursor indicated by the square mark in FIG. Here, when displaying colors on the display unit 1 (shown in Figures 1 and 2) of this embodiment, each component of the three primary colors of light, R (red), G (green), and B (blue), Color development is achieved by adjusting the amount of ingredients. For the preset colors mentioned above, the R value, G value, and B value for configuring each color are stored as code information of the existing indicator color in the memory 4 (shown in Figure 6). It is stored in a storage area (not shown). When a color is selected by each console, the RSGSB code information of the selected indicator bar color is retrieved from the existing indicator bar color storage area, as shown in FIG. It is stored in the area corresponding to each console of the indicator bar color setting area 45 in the memory 4 (shown in FIG. 6). Here, a color that has not been set in advance may be required depending on a special purpose or preference.

At this time, on the indicator stick setting screen shown in Fig. 21,
By selecting "color formation" 80 with the cursor indicated by a square mark, the display screen is switched to a pointer bar color formation screen as shown in FIG.

In this indicator bar color formation screen, the amount of each of the R, G, and B components constituting the color can be set arbitrarily between 0% and 100%. The actual setting is performed, for example, by first selecting one component from each of the R, G, and B components using a cursor indicated by a square mark, and then moving a bar-shaped indicator representing the amount of the component to the right or left. Furthermore, the formed color is always displayed on the color display section 81 of the indicator bar color formation screen.

Here, the color formed by the pointer stick color formation screen must not be the same color as the color already set for the pointer stick of another console. In other words, it is necessary to at least visually differentiate the color from other indicator sticks. For this reason, a certain space in the RGB space is set as a restricted area 82 in a range where there is no visual difference from the color 83 that has already been set, as shown in FIG. In the indicator bar color forming screen, the portion corresponding to this restricted area 82 is the second
As shown in Figure 4, each component is displayed in reverse, so that it is impossible to set a color in which all three components, R and GSB, fall within this restricted area.

In this way, the color information set for the pointer stick of each console is stored in the area corresponding to each console in the pointer stick color setting area 45 in the memory 4 (shown in FIG. 6).
, B are stored as code information.

The correspondence between the pointer stick set for each console by the above-mentioned setting means and the console number is always displayed at the bottom of the display screen, as shown in FIG. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 27, using the character input function from the console,
The name of the user of the pointer stick and the corresponding console may be displayed.

By the way, as shown in FIG. 28, the pointer sticks may overlap each other, or the pointer sticks may hide part of the image information that they are supposed to point out. In such a case, the image information display device of this embodiment minimizes the overlap and concealment caused by the pointer stick by rotating the pointer stick as shown in FIG. That is, for example, when the user presses the right arrow key on the keyboard, the pointing stick rotates to the right by 10 degrees, and when the user presses the left arrow key, the pointing rod rotates by 10 degrees to the left. Also, by holding down the right or left arrow key, you can rotate continuously to the right or left. Here, the rotation of the indicator rod is, for example, the 30th rotation.
As shown in the figure, the original shape is read out from the pointer rod shape setting area 44 in the memory 4 (shown in FIG. 6), rotated by the affine transformation section 9o, and stored in the pointer rod shape setting area again.

Further, by performing the above procedure under the control of the main CPU, the pointer sticks are not always displayed in a superimposed manner. That is, as mentioned above, the pointer sticks of each console are stored in a dedicated area on the pointer stick display memory (not shown).The coordinate information of all pointer sticks is thus always stored in the main controller.
It is always grasped by PU3 (shown in Figure 1).

Assume that there is one indicator rod that is in operation and the others are stopped.

The coordinate information of the pointer stick in the display memory is updated every time the pointer stick in operation moves, so the current coordinate information of the pointer stick is always stored in the display memory. Main C
The PU 3 constantly compares the coordinate information of this moving pointer stick with the coordinate information of other stopped pointer sticks, and if they match, determines that the pointer sticks are displayed in a superimposed manner. In this way, the main CPU determines that the display is superimposed, and at the same time retrieves the coordinate information from the memory area of the pointer stick in operation, and transforms the original pattern of the pointer stick into, for example, 90 Convert to a rotated state and display this.

At this time, the visual coordinates of the pointer rod change as the pointer rod rotates, but the actual coordinate information remains as it was before the rotation. Therefore, as soon as the coordinate information of the moving pointer stick and the coordinate information of other stopped pointer sticks no longer match, the state of the moving pointer stick is immediately converted back to the original pattern. This prevents multiple pointer sticks from being displayed in an overlapping manner.

In this manner, it is possible to clearly recognize which console the pointing stick is in operation and which console each console is pointing to.

By the way, when a certain presenter is giving a presentation while indicating image information on the display screen using a pointer stick, other pointers remain stationary and displayed on the display screen. At this time, if the presenter's pointing stick and the pointing stick of someone other than the presenter have similar colors (for example, blue and light blue, indigo, etc.), there is a risk of misidentification. Therefore, in the electronic information blackboard of this embodiment, the presenter's indicator stick is further blinked to attract attention at all times. Suppose now that the color of the pointer stick that is permitted to operate by the main CPU 3 (shown in FIG. 1) is orange. At this time, R on the indicator stick setting screen
, G, and B components are R-50%, G-100%, and B-100%, as shown in FIG. 31(a). The main CPU 3 (shown in Figure 1) halves the ratio of the color components of the operating indicator stick at an appropriate timing according to the clock frequency, as shown in Figure 31(b).
R-25%, G-50%, B-50%). This reduces the brightness of the pointing stick to 1/2 during operation. By repeating this operation, the indicator stick in operation flashes. This allows the presenter's pointing stick to be easily distinguished from other pointing sticks.

Further, as an example in which the distinction between the presenter's pointing stick and other pointing sticks becomes even clearer, as shown in Fig. 32, the direction of the presenter's pointing stick a and the other pointing sticks b... It is also effective to change the size of the presenter's pointer a and the other pointers b, etc., as shown in Fig. 33. The specific operation in this case will be explained. That is, as described above, information such as the color and shape of the pointer stick corresponding to each console is stored in the pointer stick shape setting area 4 in the memory 4 (shown in FIG. 6).
4 and the indicator bar color setting area 45.

Here, it is assumed that the pointer stick of the console (2) is allowed to operate. At this time, the main CPU 3 reads information on the pointer stick corresponding to the console I from the pointer stick shape setting area 44 and pointer stick color setting area 45 where the pointer stick of the console I is set, and changes the direction of the pointer stick. The data is processed and stored in the original pointer bar shape setting area 44 and pointer bar color setting area 45 again. This process is the same as the method of rotating the indicator rod described above. This causes the pointer stick of console I to point in a different direction than the pointers of the other consoles. Next, it is assumed that the pointing stick of the console H is allowed to operate. In this case, information about the pointer stick of the console I as well as information about the pointer stick of the console H is read out from the corresponding pointer stick shape setting area 44 and pointer stick color setting area 45, respectively.

Then, the direction of the pointer stick on console H is changed, and at the same time, the pointer stick on console I is returned to its normal orientation and stored in the pointer rod shape setting area 44 and pointer color setting area 45 again. .

As a result, only the pointing stick corresponding to the console ■ faces in a different direction than the others. In addition, it is also possible to change the size of the pointer stick for the presenter (the pointer stick whose operation is permitted) in the same way.

As described above, in the electronic information blackboard of this embodiment, any one console is selected from among a plurality of consoles, and this is defined as the center console. Through this center console, it is possible to control other consoles (sub-consoles) such as ``setting priorities'' and ``setting constraints.''

Further, each of the plurality of consoles can be equipped with its own pointing stick, and each pointing stick can be set with different characteristics such as color and shape.

As a result, even if a plurality of pointer sticks are displayed on the display screen, they can be clearly distinguished, and there is no possibility of misidentifying the pointer sticks. Furthermore, by applying special treatment to the presenter's pointer stick, it is possible to make it more visible than other pointers. Furthermore, since the mode of information to be input can be set by operating the input pen itself, changing the mode can be easily performed. Furthermore, since the currently set mode is displayed on the input pen, the user can easily check the mode of input information at hand, and there is no risk of inputting information in the wrong mode.

[Effects of the Invention] Since the information display vc device of the present invention is configured as described above, the mode of information to be input can be easily set using the input means, and the set mode is displayed on the input means. Therefore, the mode can be easily confirmed.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 33 are diagrams for explaining one embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an electronic information blackboard, FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the electronic information blackboard, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the display section and the coordinate input section, FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the input pen, FIG. 5 is an external view of the input pen, and FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the memory map. Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing the system configuration of the electronic information blackboard, Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the display on the display section, Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing of input information, and Fig. 10 is the center A flowchart showing the console's determination operation, FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of the memory area for storing console status flags, FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of the constraint setting screen, and FIG. 13 is an illustration of the constraint and priority setting operation. Flowchart showing,
Figure 14 is an explanatory diagram of the memory area that stores the status flags of constraint conditions, Figure 15 is an explanatory diagram of the priority setting screen,
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a memory area that stores priority status flags, FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing the operation when selecting from multiple operation requests, and FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram of the deletion menu screen of the center console. FIG. 19 is a diagram for explaining the superimposed display of image information and the pointer stick, FIG. 20 is a diagram for explaining the movement of the pointer stick, FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram of the pointer stick setting screen, and FIG. 22 is a diagram for explaining the movement of the pointer stick. 23 is an explanatory diagram of the memory area that stores the shape information of the pointer stick, FIG. 23 is an explanatory diagram of the memory area that stores the color information of the pointer stick, FIG. 24 is an explanatory diagram of the pointer stick color formation menu screen, and FIG. 25 26 and 27 are display examples showing the correspondence between the pointer sticks and the console, and FIG. 28 is a display example in which the pointer sticks are displayed in an overlapping manner. , FIG. 29 is a diagram of a display example in which overlapping of the pointing sticks is minimized, FIG. 30 is a diagram for explaining how to rotate the pointing sticks, and FIG. 31 is for explaining changes in the brightness of the pointing sticks. Figure 32 is a diagram of a display example in which the orientation of the indicator stick for the presenter is changed, and Figure 33 is a diagram of a display example in which the size of the indicator bar for the presenter is changed. FIG. 34 is a diagram of a display example of a conventional image information display device. A... Main board B... Consolet...
Display section 2...Coordinate input section 3...Main CPU 4...Memory 5...Display memory
15... Input pen 18. One... Console interface Figure No. 34 - Figure (b)

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A display means for displaying information, an input means for inputting information by performing an input operation directly on the display means, and a mode setting means provided in the input means for setting the mode of the information to be input. and a display section provided in the input means and displaying the mode of information set by the mode setting means. (2) A display means for displaying information, an input means for inputting information by performing an input operation directly on this display means, a recognition means for recognizing information input through this input means, and a recognition means for recognizing information inputted through this input means; An information display device comprising: mode changing means for changing a mode of whether or not recognition is performed. (3) A display means for displaying information, an input means for inputting information by performing an input operation directly on the display means, and a communication means for communicating between the display means and the input means. An information display device characterized by: