Instruction apparatus, drawing system, control method, and storage medium

Abstract

To provide an instruction device, a drawing system, a control method, and a control program capable of improving the operation feeling of a user who performs drawing.SOLUTION: An instruction device including a light source that emits light and a processor, the instruction device comprising a print function of controlling turning on and off of the light source, transmitting a first signal representing information on a drawing condition of a drawing image to an image generation device that generates the drawing image based on a detection result of detecting the light, receiving a second signal representing information on a detection state of the light from the image generation device, and printing the drawing image generated by the image generation device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a pointing device, a drawing system, a control method, and a control program. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a technique for drawing in space with light using a light-emitting drawing device such as a light pen.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a technology in which a user draws in the air with a light pen equipped with a light-emitting diode, a camera captures an image of the light pen while the light-emitting diode is lit, and the trajectory of the light pen is detected and displayed from the captured image. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-118523 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, when the user who draws using the drawing device is different from the user who operates the camera that captures the light emitted by the drawing device, the user who draws may not know the timing of the capture or how the drawing is being done, so there is room for improvement in the operational feel.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide an instruction device, an image generation device, a drawing system, a communication method, and a communication program that can improve the operational feel of a user who is drawing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the instruction device of a first aspect of the present disclosure is an instruction device having a light source that emits light and a processor, which controls the on / off of the light source, transmits a first signal representing information regarding the drawing conditions of the drawn image to an image generation device that generates a drawn image based on the detection results of the light, receives a second signal representing information regarding the light detection state from the image generation device, and has a print function that prints the drawn image generated by the image generation device.

[0008] A pointing device according to a second aspect of the present disclosure is the pointing device according to the first aspect, wherein the processor executes a notification operation in which the image generating device notifies the user based on information relating to the detection state.

[0009] A pointing device according to a third aspect of the present disclosure is the pointing device according to the second aspect, wherein the announcing action is an action of vibrating the pointing device.

[0010] A pointing device according to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure is the pointing device according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the drawing conditions are conditions related to a line to be drawn based on a result of light detection.

[0011] The rendering condition is the type of effect that is rendered based on the light trajectory.

[0012] A fifth aspect of the present disclosure provides an instruction device according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the drawing conditions are conditions related to an effect to be drawn based on a result of light detection.

[0013] is.

[0014] An indication device of a sixth aspect of the present disclosure is an indication device of any one of the first to fifth aspects, which is equipped with an acceleration sensor, and the drawing conditions include conditions that change based on the detection results of the acceleration sensor.

[0015] A seventh aspect of the present disclosure provides an instruction device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, further comprising a drawing switch that is operated to specify drawing conditions.

[0016] An instruction device according to an eighth aspect of the present disclosure is an instruction device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, wherein when an instruction to start drawing is given by an instruction switch, the instruction device transmits a drawing start signal to the image generating device, and the period from when the drawing start signal is transmitted until when the drawing end signal is transmitted is regarded as drawing in progress.

[0017] The instruction device of a ninth aspect of the present disclosure is the instruction device of any one of the first to eighth aspects, and further includes a print function for printing a drawing image generated by the image generation device.

[0018] A pointing device according to a tenth aspect of the present disclosure is the pointing device according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, which is a drawing device for spatial drawing.

[0019] An eleventh aspect of the present disclosure is an instruction device in which, in an instruction device of any one of the first to tenth aspects, when an instruction to start drawing and an instruction to end drawing are given by an instruction switch for giving an instruction to end drawing, the instruction device sends a drawing end signal to the image generation device, and when it receives a turn-off instruction to turn off the light source from the image generation device, it turns off the light source, the second signal includes a detection end signal indicating that light detection has ended, the image generation device ends generation of the drawn image when it receives the drawing end signal, sends the detection end signal after generation of the drawn image has been completed, and also sends a turn-off instruction after sending the detection end signal.

[0020] In order to achieve the above object, the drawing system of the twelfth aspect of the present disclosure comprises an instruction device having a light source that emits light and a processor, a camera that captures the light emitted by the instruction device, and an image generation device having a processor that generates a drawing image based on the detection results of light detected from the captured image captured by the camera, wherein the instruction device controls the turning on and off of the light source and transmits a first signal representing information regarding the drawing conditions of the drawing image to the image generation device that generates the drawing image based on the detection results of the light, receives a second signal representing information regarding the light detection state from the image generation device, and has a print function that prints the drawing image generated by the image generation device.

[0021] In order to achieve the above object, the control method of the 13th aspect of the present disclosure is a method in which a processor of an instruction device having a light source that emits light and a processor controls the turning on and off of the light source, sends a first signal representing information regarding the drawing conditions of the drawn image to an image generation device that generates a drawn image based on the detection results of the light, receives a second signal representing information regarding the light detection state from the image generation device, and prints the drawn image generated by the image generation device.

[0022] In order to achieve the above object, the control program of the fourteenth aspect of the present disclosure is a control program executed by a processor of an instruction device having a light source that emits light and a processor, which controls the turning on and off of the light source and transmits a first signal representing information about the drawing conditions of the drawn image to an image generation device that generates a drawn image based on the detection results of the light, receives a second signal representing information about the light detection state from the image generation device, and executes a process to print the drawn image generated by the image generation device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0023] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to improve the operational feel of a user who draws. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a space drawing system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a drawing device according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a drawing device according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a detection start signal and a detection end signal output from a smartphone to a drawing device. [Figure 5] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining drawing condition signals output from the drawing device to the smartphone based on the pressing state of the drawing switch. [Figure 6] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining a drawing condition signal output from a drawing device to a smartphone based on a detection result of an acceleration sensor. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the smartphone according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a smartphone according to an embodiment. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an image generation process executed by the smartphone and a drawing control process executed by the drawing device according to the embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining another example of the drawn image. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of another configuration for issuing an instruction to start drawing and an instruction to end drawing. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 illustrates another example of a drawing device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] Hereinafter, examples of embodiments for carrying out the technology of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0026] The configuration of a spatial drawing system 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 1, the spatial drawing system 1 of this embodiment includes a drawing device 10 that performs drawing using light 2 emitted by a light source 32, and a smartphone 12 that generates a drawn image based on the detection result of light 2 detected from an image captured by a camera 47. The drawing device 10 and the smartphone 12 are connected via a network 19 by wired communication or wireless communication. The spatial drawing system 1 of this embodiment is an example of a drawing system of the present disclosure.

[0027] The configuration of a drawing device 10 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 2. The drawing device 10 of this embodiment is a device that is held by a user who is drawing, and by moving the drawing device 10 that emits light from a light source 32, the user can draw in space using the light emitted from the light source 32. As an example, in this embodiment, a light pen-type drawing device 10 will be described. The drawing device 10 of this embodiment is an example of an instruction device of the present disclosure.

[0028] In this embodiment, as an example, a user who draws using the drawing device 10 and a user who captures light emitted by the drawing device 10 and generates a drawing image using the smartphone 12 are different users. In this embodiment, to distinguish between the two users, a user who draws using the drawing device 10 is referred to as a "drawing user," and a user who captures images and generates a drawing image using the smartphone 12 is referred to as an "imaging user."

[0029] First, the details of the drawing device 10 will be described. Fig. 2 shows a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of functions related to spatial drawing in the drawing device 10. As shown in Fig. 2, the drawing device 10 includes a processor 20, a memory 22, an I / F (Interface) unit 23, a storage unit 24, an input device 28, an acceleration sensor 30, a light source 32, and a vibration unit 34. The processor 20, the memory 22, the I / F unit 23, the storage unit 24, the input device 28, the acceleration sensor 30, the light source 32, and the vibration unit 34 are connected via a bus 39 such as a system bus or a control bus so as to be able to exchange various information with each other.

[0030] The processor 20 reads various programs, including a drawing control program 25, stored in the storage unit 24 into the memory 22 and executes processing in accordance with the read programs. The memory 22 is a work memory for the processor 20 to execute processing. The storage unit 24 stores the drawing control program 25 and various other information. The drawing control program 25 of this embodiment is an example of a communication program of the present disclosure. Specific examples of the storage unit 24 include a hard disk drive (HDD) and a solid state drive (SSD).

[0031] The I / F unit 23 communicates various types of information with the smartphone 12 via wireless or wired communication. The input device 28, which includes the drawing switch 28A, functions as a user interface. The drawing switch 28A is a switch that the user operates to input various instructions when drawing, and is provided on the surface of the main body of the drawing device 10.

[0032] As an example, the drawing switch 28A in this embodiment is a three-stage switch. First, when the drawing user presses the drawing switch 28A as the first stage, the drawing user specifies that drawing will begin under the drawing conditions set as the first stage. Furthermore, when the drawing user presses the drawing switch 28A harder than the first stage as the second stage, the drawing user specifies that drawing will begin under the drawing conditions set as the second stage. Furthermore, when the drawing user presses the drawing switch 28A harder than the second stage as the third stage, the drawing switch 28A returns to its original state, and the drawing is specified by the drawing user to end.

[0033] The acceleration sensor 30 is a sensor for detecting the acceleration of the moving drawing device 10 during its movement, and outputs information representing the detected acceleration as a detection result.

[0034] The light source 32 emits light for drawing, and may be, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode). In this embodiment, a high-brightness LED is used as an example. In addition, to improve the detection rate of light from the light source 32 in the smartphone 12, an LED emitting a pure green light color is used, rather than a mixed color such as yellow-green. In addition, since it is preferable to have little light leakage, a light source with high directionality is used.

[0035] The vibration unit 34 is for vibrating the entire drawing device 10. An example of the vibration unit 34 is a motor. The vibration of the drawing device 10 caused by the vibration unit 34 is transmitted to the drawing user who holds the drawing device 10.

[0036] 3 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration related to the functions of the drawing device 10 of this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 3, the drawing device 10 includes a communication unit 50, a lighting control unit 52, a vibration control unit 54, a switch state reception unit 56, and an acceleration detection unit 58. As an example, in the drawing device 10 of this embodiment, the processor 20 executes the drawing control program 25 stored in the storage unit 24, so that the processor 20 functions as the communication unit 50, the lighting control unit 52, the vibration control unit 54, the switch state reception unit 56, and the acceleration detection unit 58.

[0037] The communication unit 50 has a function of communicating various signals with the smartphone 12 via the I / F unit 23. As an example, the communication unit 50 of the present embodiment receives, from the smartphone 12, a turn-on instruction to turn on the light source 32 and a turn-off instruction to turn off the light source 32. The communication unit 50 outputs the received turn-on instruction and turn-off instruction to the lighting control unit 52.

[0038] The communication unit 50 also receives, from the smartphone 12, a detection start signal indicating that detection of light emitted by the light source 32 of the drawing device 10 has started, and a detection yield signal indicating that detection of light emitted by the light source 32 of the drawing device 10 has ended. The communication unit 50 outputs the received detection start signal and detection end signal to the vibration control unit 54. The detection start signal and detection end signal of this embodiment are examples of a second signal of the present disclosure.

[0039] In addition, a drawing start instruction indicating that the drawing switch 28A has been operated by the drawing user to start drawing, and a drawing end instruction indicating that the drawing switch 28A has been operated to end drawing, are input to the communication unit 50 from the switch state receiving unit 56. The communication unit 50 transmits the input drawing start instruction and drawing end instruction to the smartphone 12.

[0040] Furthermore, a drawing condition signal representing information on the drawing condition specified by the imaging user is input to the communication unit 50 from the switch state receiving unit 56 and the acceleration detection unit 58. The communication unit 50 transmits the input drawing condition signal to the smartphone 12. The drawing condition signal of this embodiment is an example of a first signal of the present disclosure.

[0041] The lighting control unit 52 has a function of controlling the turning on and off of the light source 32. As an example, when a turning-on instruction is input from the communication unit 50, the lighting control unit 52 of the present embodiment controls the turning on of the light source 32. Furthermore, when a turning-off instruction is input from the communication unit 50, the lighting control unit 52 controls the turning off of the light source 32.

[0042] The vibration control unit 54 has a function of vibrating the drawing device 10 using the vibration unit 34. As shown in FIG. 4 , when the light source 32 of the drawing device 10 is emitting light, the camera 47 of the smartphone 12 captures light 2 emitted from the drawing device 10. When the smartphone 12 detects light 2 from the captured image captured by the camera 47, the smartphone 12 performs drawing according to the detection result of the detected light 2 and the drawing conditions. FIG. 4 shows an example in which a drawn image 80, in which a line drawing 82 is drawn based on the detection result of light 2 and the drawing conditions, is displayed as a live view image on the display 46. When the smartphone 12 starts detecting light 2 from the captured image, the smartphone 12 transmits a detection start signal 70 to the drawing device 10. As a result, in the drawing device 10 of this embodiment, the communication unit 50 receives the detection start signal 70. When the detection start signal 70 is input from the communication unit 50, the vibration control unit 54 controls the vibration unit 34 to start vibrating the drawing device 10.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 4 , when the drawing device 10 subsequently stops emitting light, the smartphone 12 is no longer able to detect the light 2 from the captured image captured by the camera 47. When the smartphone 12 finishes detecting the light 2, it transmits a detection end signal 71 to the drawing device 10. As a result, in the drawing device 10 of this embodiment, the communication unit 50 receives the detection end signal 71. When the detection end signal 71 is input from the communication unit 50, the vibration control unit 54 controls the vibration unit 34 to stop vibrating the drawing device 10. Note that the detection end signal 71 is output from the smartphone 12 to the drawing device 10 not only when the drawing device 10 stops emitting light, but also when the light 2 cannot be detected from the captured image. For example, when the position of the drawing device 10 is out of the capture range of the camera 47 of the smartphone 12, the light 2 emitted by the light source 326 of the drawing device 10 will no longer appear in the captured image, and the detection end signal 71 is output from the smartphone 12 to the drawing device 10.

[0044] The switch state receiving unit 56 has a function of receiving the state of the drawing switch 28A operated by the drawing user. As an example, when the switch state receiving unit 56 of the present embodiment receives that the drawing user has pressed the drawing switch 28A to the first level described above, it outputs a drawing start instruction to the communication unit 50. Also, as an example, when the switch state receiving unit 56 of the present embodiment receives that the drawing user has pressed the drawing switch 28A to the third level described above, it outputs a drawing end instruction to the communication unit 50.

[0045] 5, the switch state receiving unit 56 of the present embodiment is set such that, when the pressing state of the drawing switch 28A is at the first stage, a low-lightness line drawing 82A is drawn as a drawing condition, and when the pressing state of the drawing switch 28A is at the second stage, a high-lightness line drawing 82B is drawn as a drawing condition.

[0046] 5, when switch state receiving unit 56 receives that drawing switch 28A has been pressed to the first level, it outputs a drawing condition signal 72A indicating that a low-lightness line drawing 82A is to be drawn to communication unit 50. Communication unit 50 outputs drawing condition signal 72A to smartphone 12. Based on the received drawing condition signal 72A, smartphone 12 displays drawing image 80 including line drawing 82A drawn based on the detection result of light 2 on display 46 as a live view image.

[0047] 5, when switch state receiving unit 56 receives that drawing switch 28A has been pressed to the second level, it outputs a drawing condition signal 72B, which indicates that a line drawing 82B with high brightness is to be drawn, to communication unit 50. The drawing condition signal 72B is output from communication unit 50 to smartphone 12. Based on the received drawing condition signal 72B, smartphone 12 displays, on display 46 as a live view image, a drawing image 80 including line drawing 82B drawn based on the detection result of light 2.

[0048] Note that the specific content represented by the drawing condition signal 72A and the drawing condition signal 72B is not limited. For example, the drawing condition signal 72A may be a signal indicating that the drawing switch 28A has been pressed to a first level, and the drawing condition signal 72B may be a signal indicating that the drawing switch 28A has been pressed to a second level. In this case, the smartphone 12 determines whether to draw the line drawing 82A or the line drawing 82B based on the received drawing condition signal 72A or the drawing condition signal 72B, and performs the drawing. Also, for example, the drawing condition signal 72A may be a signal instructing the drawing of the line drawing 82A with low brightness, and the drawing condition signal 72B may be a signal instructing the drawing of the line drawing 82B with high brightness. In this case, the smartphone 12 draws the line drawing 82A or the line drawing 82B instructed by the received drawing condition signal 72A or the drawing condition signal 72B.

[0049] The acceleration detection unit 58 has a function of detecting the acceleration of the movement of the drawing device 10 based on the detection result of the acceleration sensor 30. As shown in Fig. 6, as an example, when the acceleration of the movement of the drawing device 10 is fast, a drawing condition is set to draw a thin line drawing 82C. On the other hand, when the acceleration of the movement of the drawing device 10 is slow, a drawing condition is set to draw a thick line drawing 82D. Whether the acceleration is fast or slow can be determined based on a preset threshold value.

[0050] 6, when the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 30 is fast, the acceleration detection unit 58 outputs a drawing condition signal 72C indicating that a thin line drawing 82C is to be drawn to the communication unit 50. The drawing condition signal 72C is output from the communication unit 50 to the smartphone 12. Based on the received drawing condition signal 72C, the smartphone 12 displays a drawn image 80 including the line drawing 82C drawn based on the detection result of light 2 on the display 46 as a live view image.

[0051] 6, when the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 30 is slow, the acceleration detection unit 58 outputs a drawing condition signal 72D indicating that a thick line drawing 82D is to be drawn to the communication unit 50. The drawing condition signal 72D is output from the communication unit 50 to the smartphone 12. Based on the received drawing condition signal 72D, the smartphone 12 displays a drawn image 80 including the line drawing 82D drawn based on the detection result of light 2 on the display 46 as a live view image.

[0052] Note that the specific content represented by the drawing condition signal 72C and the drawing condition signal 72D is not limited. For example, the drawing condition signal 72D and the drawing condition signal 72C may be signals representing the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 30. In this case, the smartphone 12 determines whether to draw the line drawing 82C or the line drawing 82D based on the received drawing condition signal 72C or the drawing condition signal 72D, and performs the drawing. For example, the drawing condition signal 72C may be a signal instructing the drawing of thin lines 82C, and the drawing condition signal 72D may be a signal instructing the drawing of thick lines 82D. In this case, the smartphone 12 draws the line drawing 82C or the line drawing 82D instructed by the received drawing condition signal 72C or the drawing condition signal 72D.

[0053] Next, the smartphone 12 of this embodiment will be described. The smartphone 12 of this embodiment is an example of an image generating device of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 shows a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration related to functions related to spatial rendering in the smartphone 12. As shown in FIG. 7, the smartphone 12 includes a processor 40, a memory 42, an I / F unit 43, a storage unit 44, a display 46, a camera 47, and an input device 48. The processor 40, the memory 42, the I / F unit 43, the storage unit 44, the display 46, the camera 47, and the input device 48 are connected via a bus 49 such as a system bus or a control bus so that various information can be exchanged between them.

[0054] The processor 40 reads various programs, including an image generation program 45, stored in the storage unit 44 into the memory 42 and executes processing in accordance with the read program. The memory 42 is a work memory for the processor 40 to execute processing. The storage unit 44 stores the image generation program 45 and various other information. The image generation program 45 of this embodiment is an example of a communication program of the present disclosure. Specific examples of the storage unit 44 include an HDD and an SSD.

[0055] The I / F unit 43 communicates various types of information with the drawing device 10 via wireless or wired communication. The display 46 and the input device 48 function as a user interface. The display 46 displays a live view of an image captured by the camera 47 and provides various types of information related to drawing. The display 46 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include an LCD monitor and an LED monitor. The input device 48 is operated by the imaging user to input various instructions related to drawing. The input device 48 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a keyboard, a touch pen, and a mouse. The input device 48 in this embodiment includes the shutter button of the camera 47. The smartphone 12 employs a touch panel display that integrates the display 46 and the input device 48.

[0056] Fig. 8 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration related to the functions of the smartphone 12 of this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 8, the smartphone 12 includes a communication unit 60, a drawing mode management unit 62, an image capture control unit 64, a light detection unit 66, a drawn image generation unit 68, and a display control unit 69. As an example, in the smartphone 12 of this embodiment, the processor 40 executes the image generation program 45 stored in the storage unit 44, so that the processor 40 functions as the communication unit 60, the drawing mode management unit 62, the image capture control unit 64, the light detection unit 66, the drawn image generation unit 68, and the display control unit 69.

[0057] The communication unit 60 has a function of communicating various signals with the drawing device 10 via the I / F unit 43. As an example, the communication unit 60 of this embodiment receives a drawing start instruction, a drawing end instruction, and drawing condition signals 72A to 72D from the drawing device 10, as described above. The communication unit 60 outputs the received drawing start instruction, drawing end instruction, and drawing condition signals 72A to 72D to the drawing image generation unit 68.

[0058] Furthermore, the communication unit 60 receives a turn-on instruction and a turn-off instruction from the drawing mode management unit 62. As described above, the communication unit 60 transmits the input turn-on instruction and turn-off instruction to the drawing device 10.

[0059] Furthermore, the communication unit 60 receives a detection start signal 70 and a detection end signal 71 from the light detection unit 66. As described above, the communication unit 60 transmits the received detection start signal 70 and detection end signal 71 to the drawing device 10.

[0060] The drawing mode management unit 62 has a function of managing transition to drawing mode and termination of drawing mode. As an example, when the drawing mode management unit 62 of this embodiment receives an instruction to transition to drawing mode issued by the imaging user via the input device 48, it transitions to drawing mode, details of which will be described later. Furthermore, the drawing mode management unit 62 outputs a turn-on instruction to the communication unit 60. On the other hand, when the drawing mode management unit 62 receives an instruction to terminate drawing mode issued by the imaging user via the input device 48, it terminates drawing mode, details of which will be described later. Furthermore, the drawing mode management unit 62 outputs a turn-off instruction to the communication unit 60.

[0061] The shooting control unit 64 has a function of controlling the capture of captured images by the camera 47. As an example, the camera 47 of this embodiment is equipped with an imaging element (not shown) such as a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) and is capable of capturing RGB color images. In this embodiment, an image captured by the imaging element of the camera 47 is referred to as a "captured image." During the drawing mode, the shooting control unit 64 controls the camera 47 to capture multiple frames of captured images as a moving image.

[0062] The light detection unit 66 has a function of detecting light from the light source 32 of the drawing device 10 from captured images captured by the camera 47. Strictly speaking, the light detection unit 66 has a function of detecting an image representing the light 2 from the light source 32 that appears in the captured images. For example, a drawing user draws in space by moving the drawing device 10 with the light source 32 turned on. Therefore, the light detection unit 66 detects the trajectory of the light 2 from the light source 32 from a series of captured images. In this embodiment, the color and brightness of the light 2 are predetermined for the light source 32 of the drawing device 10, as described above. Therefore, the light detection unit 66 detects the light 2 from the light source 32 from the captured images based on the predetermined color and brightness of the light 2. The detection result of the light 2 detected by the light detection unit 66 is output to the drawn image generation unit 68. When the light detection unit 66 starts detecting the light 2 from the captured images, it outputs a detection start signal 70 to the communication unit 60. When the light detection unit 66 finishes detecting the light 2, it outputs a detection end signal 71 to the communication unit 60.

[0063] The drawn image generation unit 68 has a function of generating a drawn image 80 based on the detection result of the light detection unit 66. As an example, the drawn image generation unit 68 of the present embodiment generates the drawn image 80 by drawing line drawings 82A-82D according to drawing conditions represented by the drawing condition signals 72A-72D received from the drawing device 10 based on the trajectory of light 2 from the light source 32 of the drawing device 10 detected by the light detection unit 66. The drawn image generation unit 68 outputs the generated drawn image 80 to the display control unit 69.

[0064] The display control unit 69 has a function of displaying the drawn image 80 generated by the drawn image generation unit 68 on the display 46. Note that, during the drawing mode, the display control unit 69 of this embodiment displays the drawn image generated by the drawn image generation unit 68 on the display 46 as a live view image of the camera 47.

[0065] Next, the operation of the spatial drawing system 1 of this embodiment will be described. Fig. 9 shows a flowchart illustrating an example of an image generation process executed by the smartphone 12 and a drawing control process executed by the drawing device 10. The smartphone 12 executes the image generation process shown in Fig. 9 by executing an image generation program 45 stored in the storage unit 44. The drawing device 10 executes the drawing control process shown in Fig. 9 by executing a drawing control program 25 stored in the storage unit 24.

[0066] When drawing using the spatial drawing system 1, first, the imaging user issues an instruction via the input device 48 of the smartphone 12 to switch to drawing mode.

[0067] Therefore, in the smartphone 12, the drawing mode management unit 62 determines whether to transition to drawing mode in step S100. The determination in step S100 remains negative until an instruction to transition to drawing mode is given. On the other hand, when an instruction to transition to drawing mode is given, the drawing mode is transitioned to, the determination in step S100 remains positive, and the process proceeds to step S102. The period from the next step S102 until a drawing start instruction is obtained (see step S108) is the drawing standby period.

[0068] In step S102, the communication unit 50 transmits a turn-on instruction to the drawing device 10. Specifically, as described above, the drawing mode management unit 62 outputs the turn-on instruction to the communication unit 60, and the communication unit 60 transmits the turn-on instruction to the drawing device 10 via the I / F unit 43. When the turn-on instruction is transmitted from the smartphone 12, in step S200, the communication unit 50 of the drawing device 10 receives the turn-on instruction, and in the next step S202, the lighting control unit 52 turns on the light source 32 as described above.

[0069] In the next step S104, as described above, the photography control unit 64 causes the camera 47 to start capturing captured images. The camera 47 captures a plurality of captured images at a predetermined frame rate under the control of the photography control unit 64. In addition, the drawn image generation unit 68 starts displaying the captured images on the display 46 as live view images.

[0070] In the next step S106, the light detection unit 66 starts detecting light 2 from the light source 32 from the captured image and outputs a detection start signal 70 to the communication unit 60. The communication unit 60 transmits the detection start signal 70 to the drawing device 10 via the I / F unit 43. When the detection start signal 70 is transmitted from the smartphone 12, in the drawing device 10, the communication unit 50 receives the detection start signal 70 in step S204, and in the next step S206, the vibration control unit 54 vibrates the drawing device 10 using the vibration unit 34 as described above. When the drawing device 10 vibrates, the drawing user can recognize that the smartphone 12 has started detecting light 2 emitted by the light source 32 and that drawing using light 2 is now possible.

[0071] Therefore, when starting drawing, the drawing user operates the drawing switch 28A as described above to instruct the start of drawing and the drawing conditions. In step S210, a negative determination is made until the switch state receiving unit 56 receives an instruction to start drawing through the drawing user's operation of the drawing switch 28A. When the switch state receiving unit 56 receives an instruction to start drawing, a positive determination is made and the process proceeds to step S212. In this case, the switch state receiving unit 56 outputs a drawing start instruction to the communication unit 50. In the next step S206, the communication unit 50 outputs the drawing start instruction to the smartphone 12 via the I / F unit 23.

[0072] When the drawing start instruction is transmitted from the drawing device 10, in step S108, the communication unit 60 of the smartphone 12 receives the drawing start instruction via the I / F unit 43. The communication unit 60 outputs the received drawing start instruction to the drawing image generation unit 68. When the drawing start instruction is input to the light detection unit 66, the drawing standby period ends, the process shifts to the drawing period, and drawing begins.

[0073] In the next step S110, the drawn image generation unit 68 starts generating the drawn image 80 according to the drawing conditions, as described above, based on the detection result of the light detection unit 66. In the next step S112, the display control unit 69 starts displaying the drawn image 80 generated by the drawn image generation unit 68 on the display 46 as a live view image.

[0074] On the other hand, in the drawing device 10, when the drawing user starts drawing, the switch state receiving unit 56 acquires the drawing conditions according to the pressing state of the drawing switch 28A as described above in step S214. Also, the acceleration detection unit 58 acquires the drawing conditions according to the detection result of the acceleration sensor 30.

[0075] In the next step S216, as described above, the communication unit 50 transmits the drawing condition signals 72A to 72D to the smartphone 12 via the I / F unit 23. In the next step S260, the communication unit 50 determines whether or not the drawing conditions have changed. The communication unit 50 of the present embodiment determines whether or not the drawing condition signals input from the switch state reception unit 56 and the acceleration detection unit 58 have changed to any of the drawing condition signals 72A to 72D. If the drawing conditions have changed, the process returns to step S216, and the communication unit 50 transmits the changed drawing condition signals to the smartphone 12 via the I / F unit 23. On the other hand, if the drawing conditions have not changed, the determination in step S218 is negative, and the process proceeds to step S220.

[0076] In this way, when any one of the drawing condition signals 72A to 72D is transmitted from the drawing device 10, in step S114, the communication unit 60 of the smartphone 12 receives any one of the drawing condition signals 72A to 72D transmitted by the drawing device 10 via the I / F unit 43.

[0077] On the other hand, in the smartphone 12, if the determination at step S218 is negative, the process proceeds to step S220. In step S220, the communication unit 50 determines whether to end drawing. As described above, in the drawing device 10 of the present embodiment, when the drawing switch 28A is pressed most strongly by the drawing user, with the drawing switch 28A at the third stage, the drawing switch 28A returns to its original state, and the drawing user specifies that the drawing is to be ended. The determination at step S220 is negative until the switch state receiving unit 56 receives that the pressing state of the drawing switch 28A is at the third stage, and the process returns to step S218. On the other hand, if the switch state receiving unit 56 receives that the pressing state of the drawing switch 28A is at the third stage, the determination at step S220 is positive, and the process proceeds to step S222. In step S222, the communication unit 50 transmits a drawing end instruction to the smartphone 12 via the I / F unit 23.

[0078] In this way, when the drawing end instruction is output from the drawing device 10, in the smartphone 12, in step S116 the communication unit 60 receives the drawing end instruction via the I / F unit 43 and outputs it to the drawing image generation unit 68. In the next step S118, the drawing image generation unit 68 ends the generation of the drawing image. When the drawing image generation unit 68 ends the generation of the drawing image, the drawing period ends.

[0079] Note that, if the drawing user who is drawing with drawing device 10 wants to draw in another area of ​​the shooting space, the drawing user temporarily sets the pressed state of drawing switch 28A to the third stage, finishes drawing, moves drawing device 10 to the other area where the drawing user wants to draw, and presses drawing switch 28A again to start drawing. Therefore, switch state receiving unit 56 of drawing device 10 determines whether or not it has received that drawing switch 28A has been operated again by the drawing user. If it has not received that drawing switch 28A has been operated, the determination at step S224 is negative, and the process proceeds to step S226. On the other hand, if it has received that drawing switch 28A has been operated, the determination at step S224 is positive, and the process returns to step S212, and the processes at steps S212 to S222 are repeated.

[0080] Therefore, after finishing generating the drawn image in step S118, the smartphone 12 determines in step S120 whether or not it has received a drawing start instruction. As described above, if the drawing user operates the drawing switch 28A again, the drawing start instruction is transmitted again from the drawing device 10 to the smartphone 12. If the communication unit 60 receives the drawing start instruction again, the determination in step S120 becomes positive, the process returns to step S110, the process enters the drawing period again, and the processes in steps S110 to S118 are repeated. On the other hand, if the communication unit 60 does not receive the drawing start instruction, the determination in step S120 becomes negative, and the process proceeds to step S122.

[0081] In step S122, the drawing mode management unit 62 determines whether or not to end the drawing mode. As an example, in this embodiment, the drawing mode ends when the imaging user presses the shutter button included in the input device 48. Therefore, if the shutter button has not been pressed, the determination in step S122 is negative, and the process returns to step S120. On the other hand, if the shutter button has been pressed, the determination in step S122 is positive, and the process proceeds to step S124.

[0082] In step S124, the light detection unit 66 ends detecting light 2 from the captured image. When the light detection unit 66 ends detecting light 2, as described above, the light detection unit 66 outputs a detection end signal 71 to the communication unit 60. The communication unit 60 transmits the detection end signal 71 to the drawing device 10 via the I / F unit 43. When the detection end signal 71 is transmitted from the smartphone 12, in the drawing device 10, the communication unit 50 receives the detection end signal 71 in step S226, and in the next step S228, the vibration control unit 54 stops the vibration of the drawing device 10 by the vibration unit 34, as described above.

[0083] Meanwhile, in step S126, the photography control unit 64 of the smartphone 12 causes the camera 47 to end capturing of the captured image. Also, the display control unit 69 ends the display of the live view image (drawn image 80) that has been displayed on the display 46.

[0084] In the next step S128, the communication unit 50 transmits a turn-off instruction to the drawing device 10. Specifically, as described above, the drawing mode management unit 62 outputs the turn-off instruction to the communication unit 60, and the communication unit 60 transmits a turn-on instruction to the drawing device 10 via the I / F unit 43. When the turn-off instruction is transmitted from the smartphone 12, in the drawing device 10, in step S230 the communication unit 50 receives the turn-off instruction, and in the next step S232 the lighting control unit 52 turns off the light source 32 as described above. In the drawing device 10, when the processing of step S232 ends, the drawing control processing shown in FIG. 9 ends.

[0085] Meanwhile, in step S130, the drawn image generating unit 68 of the smartphone 12 records the generated drawn image 80 in the storage unit 44. When the process of step S130 ends, the image generating process shown in FIG.

[0086] As described above, the drawing device 10 of this embodiment includes the light source 32 that emits light 2 and the processor 20. The communication unit 50 of the drawing device 10 transmits drawing condition signals 72A to 72D representing information on drawing conditions for the drawn image 80 to the smartphone 12 that generates the drawn image 80 based on the detection result of the light 2. The communication unit 50 also receives a detection start signal 70 and a detection end signal 71 representing information on the detection state of the light 2 from the smartphone 12.

[0087] On the other hand, the smartphone 12 of this embodiment includes a camera 47 that captures light 2 emitted by the drawing device 10, and a processor 40 that generates a drawn image 80 based on the detection result of light 2 detected from the captured image captured by the camera 47. A communication unit 60 of the smartphone 12 receives drawing condition signals 72A to 72D representing information related to the drawing conditions of the drawn image 80 from the drawing device 10. The communication unit 60 also transmits a detection start signal 70 representing information related to the detection state of light 2 to the drawing device 10.

[0088] As described above, with the drawing device 10 or smartphone 12 of the present embodiment, the drawing user can easily recognize the state of the smartphone 12 with respect to drawing. For example, the drawing user can easily recognize whether the smartphone 12 is detecting light 2 emitted by the light source 32 of the drawing device 10, and therefore can appropriately determine the timing to perform a drawing operation. Furthermore, the drawing user can easily instruct the smartphone 12 about drawing conditions. Therefore, both the drawing device 10 and the smartphone 12 of the present embodiment can improve the operational feel of the drawing user when drawing.

[0089] In the above embodiment, the image drawn by the drawn image generating unit 68 of the smartphone 12 based on the detection result of light 2 is a line drawing 82, and the image drawable by the line drawing generating unit 68 is a line drawing 82 whose brightness and thickness change based on the drawing conditions. However, the drawing conditions of the line drawing 82 are not limited to these. For example, the drawing conditions may be the color of the drawn line or the type of line, such as a dotted line or a solid line. The drawing conditions may be only one, such as brightness alone, or multiple, such as the above-mentioned brightness and multiple conditions.

[0090] Alternatively, the drawn image generating unit 68 may draw an effect based on the drawing conditions. For example, a diffusion effect such as a spray effect may be drawn as the effect. FIG. 10 shows an example of a diffusion effect drawn. In the example shown in FIG. 10, when the switch state receiving unit 56 of the drawing device 10 receives that the drawing switch 28A is pressed to the first level, the switch state receiving unit 56 outputs a drawing condition signal 72A to the communication unit 50, indicating that a spray effect image 83A with a small diffusion range is to be drawn. The communication unit 50 outputs the drawing condition signal 72A to the smartphone 12. Based on the received drawing condition signal 72A, the smartphone 12 displays a drawn image 80 including the effect image 83A drawn based on the detection result of the light 2 on the display 46 as a live view image. 10 , when the switch state receiving unit 56 of the drawing device 10 receives that the drawing switch 28A has been pressed to the second level, it outputs a drawing condition signal 72B to the communication unit 50, indicating that a spray effect image 83B with a large diffusion range is to be drawn. The communication unit 50 outputs the drawing condition signal 72B to the smartphone 12. Based on the received drawing condition signal 72B, the smartphone 12 displays a drawing image 80 including the effect image 83B drawn based on the detection result of light 2 on the display 46 as a live view image. Note that the type of effect to be drawn is not limited to the spray effect described above, and may be, for example, a soap bubble, a heart mark, a star, or the like.

[0091] In the above embodiment, the drawing switch 28A is used to issue a command to start drawing and a command to end drawing. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, as shown in FIG. 11 , the drawing device 10 may include, as the input device 28, a command switch 28B for issuing a command to start drawing and a command to end drawing, in addition to the drawing switch 28A for issuing a command to set drawing conditions. In this case, the drawing device 10 may be vibrated by the vibration unit 34 to vibrate the drawing device 10, thereby notifying the user of the drawing conditions. In this way, by notifying the user of the drawing conditions based on the presence or absence of vibration and the strength of the vibration, the user can easily recognize the type of drawn image 80 being generated. Therefore, the spatial drawing system 1 can provide a more enjoyable drawing experience.

[0092] In the above embodiment, the drawing conditions are instructed from the drawing device 10, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and the drawing conditions may also be instructed from the smartphone 12.

[0093] In the above embodiment, the vibration unit 34 vibrates to notify the user that light 2 is being detected, but the notification operation is not limited to vibration. For example, the notification may be made by sound.

[0094] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the spatial drawing system 1 is described as communicating both the first signal and the second signal, but this is not limited to this embodiment and may be a form in which at least one of the first signal and the second signal is communicated.

[0095] Although the above embodiments have been described with reference to the case where the drawing device 10 is in the form of a light pen, the form of the drawing device is not particularly limited and may be any drawing device that can issue drawing instructions using light. For example, as shown in Fig. 12, the drawing device 11 may have a printing function. The drawing device 11 shown in Fig. 12 has a function of receiving a drawing image generated by a smartphone 12 and printing the received drawing image on instant film.

[0096] In the above embodiment, the following various processors can be used as the hardware structure of processing units that perform various processes, such as the communication unit 50, lighting control unit 52, vibration control unit 54, switch state reception unit 56, and acceleration detection unit 58 of the drawing device 10, and the communication unit 60, drawing mode management unit 62, shooting control unit 64, light detection unit 66, drawing image generation unit 68, and display control unit 69 of the smartphone 12. As described above, the various processors include a CPU, which is a general-purpose processor that executes software (programs) and functions as various processing units, as well as dedicated electrical circuits that are processors having a circuit configuration specifically designed to perform specific processes, such as a programmable logic device (PLD), a processor whose circuit configuration can be changed after manufacture, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), and an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit).

[0097] A single processing unit may be configured with one of these various processors, or may be configured with a combination of two or more processors of the same or different types (for example, a combination of multiple FPGAs, or a combination of a CPU and an FPGA). Also, multiple processing units may be configured with a single processor.

[0098] Examples of configuring multiple processing units with a single processor include, first, a form in which one processor is configured with a combination of one or more CPUs and software, and this processor functions as multiple processing units, as typified by computers such as client and server. Second, a form in which a processor is used to realize the functions of the entire system including multiple processing units with a single IC (Integrated Circuit) chip, as typified by systems on chips (SoCs). In this way, various processing units are configured using one or more of the above-mentioned various processors as a hardware structure.

[0099] Furthermore, more specifically, the hardware structure of these various processors can be an electric circuit that combines circuit elements such as semiconductor elements.

[0100] In the above embodiments, the drawing control program 25 is stored (installed) in the storage unit 24, and the image generation program 45 is stored (installed) in the storage unit 44 in advance, but this is not limiting. The drawing control program 25 and the image generation program 45 may be provided in a form recorded on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), a DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disc Read Only Memory), or a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory. The drawing control program 25 and the image generation program 45 may also be downloaded from an external device via a network. [Explanation of symbols]

[0101] 1. Spatial drawing system 2 light 10, 11 Drawing devices 12. Smartphones 19 Network 20, 40 processors 22, 42 memory 23, 43 I / F section 24, 44 Storage section 25 Drawing control program 28, 48 Input device, 28A Drawing switch, 28B Indication switch 30 Acceleration Sensor 32 light source 34 Vibration unit Buses 39 and 49 45 Image Generation Program 46 Display 47 Camera 50 Communications Department 52 Lighting control unit 54 Vibration control unit 56 Switch status reception section 58 Acceleration detection unit 60 Communications Department 62 Drawing mode management section 64 Imaging control unit 66 Light detection unit 68 Drawing image generation unit 69 Display control unit 70 Detection start signal 71 Detection end signal 72A~72D Drawing condition signal 80 drawing images 82, 82A-82D Line drawings 83A, 83B effect images

Claims

1. An indicator device having a light source that emits light and a processor, Controlling the turning on and off of the light source; transmitting a first signal representing information about a drawing condition of the drawn image to an image generating device that generates a drawn image based on a detection result of the light; receiving a second signal from the image generating device representing information regarding the detection state of the light; a print function for printing the drawing image generated by the image generation device; Indicating device.

2. The processor: The image generating device performs a notification operation to notify a user based on the information about the detected state. The indicator device of claim 1 .

3. The notification action is an action of vibrating the indicator device. The indicator device of claim 2 .

4. The drawing conditions are conditions regarding lines to be drawn based on the light detection results. The indicating device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The drawing conditions are conditions related to effects that are drawn based on the light detection results. The indicating device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

6. Equipped with an acceleration sensor, The drawing conditions include conditions that change based on the detection result of the acceleration sensor. An indicator device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. a drawing switch that is operated to specify the drawing conditions; An indicator device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

8. When an instruction to start drawing is given by an instruction switch for giving an instruction to start drawing and an instruction to end drawing, a drawing start signal is sent to the image generating device; The period from when the drawing start signal is sent until when the drawing end signal is sent is considered to be drawing in progress. An indicator device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. a print function for printing the drawing image generated by the image generation device; An indicator device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. It is a drawing device for spatial drawing. An indicator device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. a drawing end signal is sent to the image generating device when an instruction to start drawing or an instruction to end drawing is given by an instruction switch for giving an instruction to start drawing or an instruction to end drawing; When a turn-off instruction to turn off the light source is received from the image generation device, the light source is turned off; the second signal includes a detection end signal indicating that the detection of the light has ended, The image generating device ends generation of the drawn image when it receives the drawing end signal, transmits the detection end signal after the drawing image generation is completed, and transmits the light-off instruction after transmitting the detection end signal. An indicator device according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. an indicator having a light source that emits light and a processor; an image generating device including a camera that captures light emitted by the pointing device and a processor that generates a drawing image based on a detection result of light detected from the captured image captured by the camera; Equipped with The indicating device Controlling the turning on and off of the light source; transmitting a first signal representing information about a drawing condition of the drawn image to an image generating device that generates a drawn image based on a detection result of the light; receiving a second signal from the image generating device representing information regarding the detection state of the light; a print function for printing the drawing image generated by the image generation device; Drawing system.

13. An indicating device having a light source that emits light and a processor, Controlling the turning on and off of the light source; transmitting a first signal representing information about a drawing condition of the drawn image to an image generating device that generates a drawn image based on a detection result of the light; receiving a second signal from the image generating device representing information regarding the detection state of the light; Printing the drawn image generated by the image generating device Control method.

14. A control program executed by a processor of an indication device having a light source that emits light and a processor, Controlling the turning on and off of the light source; transmitting a first signal representing information about a drawing condition of the drawn image to an image generating device that generates a drawn image based on a detection result of the light; receiving a second signal from the image generating device representing information regarding the detection state of the light; Printing the drawn image generated by the image generating device A control program for executing processing.

Images