Abstract:
An information processing apparatus comprises a first unit which can wirelessly communicate with an external device which displays received image data, a second unit for transmitting the image data to the external device by using the first unit, a third unit for updating the image data transmitted by the second unit, a fourth unit for inputting audio information, a fifth unit for performing recognition processing to the audio information inputted from the fourth unit, and acquiring instruction data inputted by the audio information with respect to the external device, and a sixth unit for transmitting the acquired instruction data by using the first unit.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
         [0001]    This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-057367, filed Mar. 4, 2003, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0003]    The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus such as PDA (Personal Digital Assistants) and a program used in the information processing apparatus.  
           [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art  
           [0005]    In recent years, various kinds of portable information processing apparatuses such as PDA, notebook type personal computers and others have been developed. A majority of this type of portable information processing apparatuses have a wireless communication function, and can be wirelessly connected to other information processing apparatuses and various kinds of consumer electronic devices.  
           [0006]    As an application system using the wireless communication function of the information processing apparatuses, there is known an information display system which displays image data wirelessly transmitted from an information processing apparatus onto a large screen by using a projector (see, e.g., FIG. 1 of Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2000-222163). In the information display system, image data stored in a storage device of an information processing apparatus is transmitted to a projector by radio waves.  
         BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    According to one aspect of the present invention, there are provided an information processing apparatus and a program which can realize a presentation function with the high functionality and the excellent usability.  
           [0008]    An information processing apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention is characterized by comprising: means for being able to wirelessly communicate with an external device which displays received image data; means for transmitting the image data to the external device by using the means capable of communicating with the external device; means for updating the image data transmitted by the means for transmitting the image data; means for inputting audio information; means for performing recognition processing to the audio information inputted from the means for inputting audio information, and acquiring instruction data inputted by voice with respect to the external device; and means for transmitting the acquired instruction data to the external device by using the means capable of communicating with the external device. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING  
       [0009]    The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention, and together with the general description given above and the detailed description of the embodiments given below, serve to explain the principles of the invention.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a function of an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of the information processing apparatus according to the embodiment;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing constituent elements used to realize an audio remote control in the embodiment; and  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure of wireless presentation processing executed by the information processing apparatus according to the embodiment. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0014]    An embodiment according to the present invention will now be described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 1 shows an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The information processing apparatus is realized as a PDA. A PDA  10  is a portable information processing apparatus which functions as a mobile terminal. The PDA  10  comprises a wireless LAN device  130 . The wireless LAN device  130  is a wireless communication device which executes wireless communication in accordance with, e.g., IEEE 802.11a/IEEE 802.11b standard. A wireless presentation function provided to the PDA  10  will now be described hereinafter.  
         [0016]    The wireless presentation function is a function to display screen image data drawn by a presentation program  12  executed by the PDA  10  onto a projection screen of a wireless projector  20 . The presentation program  12  is an application program to execute a slide show, and it can generate screen image data having a VGA (640×480) size as slide data. The slide data having the VGA (640×480) size will be referred to as VGA slide data hereinafter. When displaying the VGA slide data in a display device of the PDA  10 , the VGA slide data is converted into screen image data corresponding to a display resolution of the display device of the PDA  10 . The display resolution of the display device is QVGA (320×240) which is a resolution corresponding to ¼ of VGA (640×480). Therefore, a screen image constituting the VGA slide data is contracted to ¼ and then displayed in the display device.  
         [0017]    The above-described wireless presentation function is realized by utilizing wireless communication between the PDA  10  and the wireless projector  20 . The wireless projector  20  comprises a wireless LAN device  21 . The wireless LAN device  21  is a wireless communication device which executes wireless communication in accordance with, e.g., IEEE 802.11a/IEEE 802.11b.  
         [0018]    A wireless utility program  11  is installed in the PDA  10  in advance. The wireless utility program  11  is a program to control the wireless presentation. The wireless utility program  11  captures VGA slide data which is drawn in a video memory (VRAM)  15  by the presentation program  12  through a display driver  14 , and transmits the captured VGA slide data to the wireless projector  20  through a wireless signal by using a wireless LAN device  130 .  
         [0019]    In this case, only when the VGA slide data drawn in the VRAM  15  is updated, the updated VGA slide data is transmitted from the PDA  10  to the wireless projector  20 . The updated VGA slide data is compressed and encoded by the wireless utility program  11 , and then transmitted to the wireless LAN device  130 . The VGA slide data is not transmitted from the PDA  10  to the wireless projector  20  during a period that a content of the VGA slide data is not changed.  
         [0020]    The wireless projector  20  receives VGA slide data, and projects an optical image corresponding to the received VGA slide data onto a large screen for projection. In the wireless projector  20 , the received VGA slide data is decoded and then written into a frame buffer. An optical image corresponding to the VGA slide data stored in the frame buffer is projected onto the large screen for projection.  
         [0021]    Further, the PDA  10  comprises a microphone (MIC)  30 , an audio data output unit (A/D)  31 , an audio data switching button  32 , an audio recognition engine  33 , an audio table  34 , a presentation control program  35  and others in order to realize an audio remote control by using the wireless LAN device  130 . The audio data output unit (A/D)  31  converts an analog audio signal obtained from the microphone  30  into audio data processed in the system.  
         [0022]    The audio data switching button  32  is a button selectively operated by a user (presenter in this example). In this example, the audio data switching button  32  is not operated when a sound acquired by the microphone  30  is to be transmitted to the wireless projector  20  as an audio message for presentation, but it is selectively operated when an instruction to the PDA  10  and the wireless projector  20  is performed by using an audio input. In a state that the audio data switching button  32  is operated (ON state), audio data outputted from the audio data output unit (A/D)  31  is supplied to the audio recognition engine  33 . In a state that the audio data switching button  32  is not operated (OFF state), audio data outputted from the audio data output unit (A/D)  31  is converted into packet data which is processed in the wireless LAN device  130  by the presentation control program  35 , and supplied to the wireless LAN device  130 .  
         [0023]    The audio recognition engine  33  performs audio recognition of the inputted audio data, and generates instruction information according to the inputted sound by making reference to the audio table  34  based on a result of that recognition. The audio table  34  referred by the audio recognition engine  33  is configured to have a command generation audio table  34   a  for the PDA  10  and a command generation audio table  34   b  for the wireless projector  20  as shown in FIG. 3. Conversion data which defines a relationship between audio data and instruction data (commands) is preset in the audio table  34 . The conversion data set in the audio table  34  can be arbitrarily changed by an operation of a user.  
         [0024]    The presentation control program  35  realizes a control and a processing function when executing the presentation function including processing to generate instruction (control) data and audio data involved by an audio input, a control to transfer various data to/from the wireless projector  20  and others. In the embodiment, such an audio data processing function as shown in FIG. 4 is realized.  
         [0025]    Furthermore, the wireless projector  20  has a document camera  22  which takes a projection screen image in response to an audio input instruction as well as the wireless LAN device  21 . Moreover, an audio signal output unit (D/A)  23 , an audio amplifier (AMP)  24 , a round speaker (SP)  25  and others which are used to output an audio message received by the wireless LAN device  21  are provided to the wireless projector  20 . The audio signal output unit  23  decodes audio message data (audio data packet) received by the wireless LAN device  21 , and restores it to an analog audio signal. The audio amplifier  24  electrically amplifies the analog audio signal restored by the audio signal output unit  23 , and outputs an audio message from the speaker  25 .  
         [0026]    A system configuration of the PDA  10  will now be described with reference to FIG. 2.  
         [0027]    The PDA  10  comprises a CPU  101 , a system controller  102 , a memory  103 , a display controller  104 , a tablet controller  105 , an I/O controller  106 , a memory card  107 , an operation button group  108 , a display device (LCD)  111 , a tablet  112 , a sound controller  117  and others as shown in the drawing in addition to the wireless LAN device  130 , the VRAM  15  and the constituent elements ( 30  to  35 ) used to realize the audio remote control function.  
         [0028]    The CPU  101  is a processor provided to control operations of the PDA  10 , and executes an operating system (OS) and various kinds of application programs/utility programs. The operating system (OS) has a tablet control function used to realize a pen input operation.  
         [0029]    The memory  103  comprises a non-volatile memory which stores the operating system (OS) and various kinds of application programs/utility programs, and a RAM used as a main memory. The non-volatile memory also stores the wireless utility program  11 , the presentation program  12  and the presentation control program  35  and the like which are described above.  
         [0030]    The system controller  102  is a bridge device which connects a local bus of the CPU  101  with a system bus  100 . The system controller  102  also contains a memory controller which controls the memory  103 . The display controller  104  displays in the display device  111  screen image data drawn in the VRAM  15  by controlling an LCD used as the display device  111  of the PDA  10 . A display resolution of the display device  111  is QVGA (320×240) which is a resolution corresponding to ¼ of VGA (640×480) as described above.  
         [0031]    The VRAM  15  has an on-screen area and an off-screen area. The on-screen area is a storage area to store screen image data having a QVGA (320×240) size displayed in the display device  111 , and used as a frame buffer. The display controller  104  sequentially reads screen image data from the on-screen area, and displays it in the display device  111 .  
         [0032]    The tablet controller  112  controls the tablet  112 . The tablet  112  comprises a transparent coordinate detection device provided on a display screen of an LCD constituting the display device  111 . The display device  111  and the tablet  112  constitute a touch screen on which a pen input operation is possible.  
         [0033]    The I/O controller  106  performs a control over a memory card  107  which is detachably attached to the PDA  10  and a control over the operation button group  108 . The operation button group  108  comprises a plurality of operation buttons such as a power button, an application button used to activate a specific application, a cursor key and others. In the embodiment, the audio data switching button  32  shown in FIG. 1 is included.  
         [0034]    The sound controller  117  comprises the audio data output unit (A/D) shown in FIG. 1, an audio codec and others, and has a function to encode audio data caught by the microphone  30  and analog/digital-converted by the audio data output unit (A/D)  31  and thereby form a packet thereof.  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 3 shows the constituent elements used to realize the audio remote control function depicted in FIG. 1. Upon receiving audio data from the audio data output unit (A/D)  31  when the audio data switching button  32  is turned on, the audio recognition engine  33  performs audio recognition of the audio data, and generates instruction data according to an inputted sound by making reference to the audio table  34  based on data of the recognition result. In the embodiment, the audio table  34  has a command generation audio table  34   a  for the PDA  10  and a command generation audio table  34   b  for the wireless projector  20 . Instruction data generated by making reference to the command generation audio table  34   a  for the PDA  10  is outputted to the system bus  100 . Instruction data generated by making reference to the command generation audio table  34   b  of the wireless projector  20  is processed to form a packet thereof, and transmitted to the wireless LAN device  130 .  
         [0036]    [0036]FIG. 4 shows a processing procedure to perform processing to generate instruction (control) data and audio data involved by an audio input and a control to transfer various kinds of data to/from the wireless projector  20 .  
         [0037]    An operation in the embodiment according to the present invention will now be described with reference to the respective drawings.  
         [0038]    A description will be first given as to a procedure of wireless presentation processing executed by the wireless utility program  11 .  
         [0039]    When the wireless utility program  11  is activated, the wireless utility program  11  detects wireless projectors existing around the PDA  10 . In the example, device detection processing to detect a device capable of communicating with the PDA  10  is executed.  
         [0040]    That is, the wireless utility program  11  broadcasts a device detection command to detect devices by using the wireless LAN device  130 , and waits for a response with respect to that device detection command. Each wireless projector  20  which has received the device detection command returns a response including an MAC address assigned to the wireless LAN device  21  thereof and an identifier indicative of a device type (=projector) thereof to the PDA  10 . Based on this response, the wireless utility program  11  can detect each wireless projector existing in a range to which a wireless signal transmitted from the PDA  10  can be supplied.  
         [0041]    Then, the wireless utility program  11  displays a list of the detected wireless projectors on a projector list in the display device  111 . Here, when a given wireless projector  20  is selected by a user and “start” of the presentation is instructed by a predetermined button operation or a sound, the wireless utility program  11  transmits a connection request to the wireless projector  20  selected from the projector list, and achieves wireless connection with the selected wireless projector  20 . In this processing, not only a physical wireless link between the PDA  10  and the selected wireless projector  20  is established but also a session between them is achieved.  
         [0042]    After the wireless connection with the wireless projector  20  is established, the wireless utility program  11  activates the presentation program  12 . The activated presentation program  12  starts a slide show (VGA slide show) to sequentially draw VGA slide data in the off-screen area of the VRAM  15 .  
         [0043]    The wireless utility program  11  acquires the VGA slide data from the off-screen area of the VRAM  15 . Additionally, the wireless utility program  11  issues a command to request reading screen image data from the off-screen area of the VRAM  15  to the display driver  14 . The display driver  14  reads the screen image data from the off-screen area through the display controller  104 , and transfers it to the wireless utility program.  
         [0044]    The wireless utility program  11  judges whether the VGA slide data is updated by comparing newly acquired screen image data with previously transmitted screen image data. When the newly acquired screen image data is different from the previously transmitted screen image data, it is recognized that the VGA slide data is updated by the presentation program  12 , i.e., new VGA slide data is generated by the presentation program  12 . In this case, it is determined that the newly acquired screen image data is data which should be transmitted (i.e., updated VGA slide data). Incidentally, it is determined that the VGA slide data acquired first after the presentation is started is absolutely the updated VGA slide data. The processing to acquire the VGA slide data and the processing to judge whether the acquired VGA slide data is different from the previously transmitted VGA slide data are repeatedly executed at fixed time intervals.  
         [0045]    If it is determined that the acquired VGA slide data is the data which should be transmitted (updated VGA slide data), the wireless utility program  11  compresses and encodes the acquired VGA slide data. Then, the wireless utility program  11  judges whether a security mode is selected. If the security mode is selected, the wireless utility program  11  encrypts the compressed and encoded VGA slide data, and transmits the encrypted VGA slide data to the selected projector  20  by using the wireless LAN device  130 .  
         [0046]    Wireless connection between the PDA  10  and the projector  20  is maintained until a user instructs “end” by using a predetermined button operation or a sound. In a period that this wireless connection is maintained, the above-described processing is repeatedly executed.  
         [0047]    A description will now be given as to generation of instruction (control) data and audio data and transfer processing realized by the presentation control program  35  and involved by an audio input. A user can input audio instructions and audio messages concerning the presentation by using the microphone  30  when executing he presentation. A the audio message of the user is inputted to the microphone  30 . An analog audio signal outputted from the microphone  30  is supplied to the audio data output unit (A/D)  31 . The audio data output unit (A/D)  31  converts the analog audio signal obtained from the microphone  30  into audio data processed in the system (step S 101  in FIG. 4).  
         [0048]    Further, when the audio data switching button  32  is not operated, the audio data is not supplied to the audio recognition engine  33 , but converted into audio message data for a packet processed in the wireless LAN device  130  by the presentation control program  35 , and supplied to the wireless projector  20  by using the wireless LAN device  130  (step S 104  in FIG. 4).  
         [0049]    At this time, when a user (presenter) turns on the audio data switching button  32  and inputs a audio message from the microphone  30  (step S 102  in FIG. 4), audio data based on this audio input is supplied to the audio recognition engine  33 , and the above-described audio recognition processing and instruction data generation processing using the audio table  34  are executed (steps S 103  and S 105  in FIG. 4). At this time, in regard to instruction data (COMa, COMb, . . . ) generated from the command generation audio table  34   a  for the PDA  10  (Yes at a step S 106  in FIG. 4), the presentation control program  35  supplies the instruction data to the system bus  100  of the PDA  10  (step S 107  in FIG. 4). This instruction data (command) is accepted by the CPU  101  through the system controller  102 . For example, when “end” is inputted by the audio message, a command (COMa) generated based on this audio data is accepted by the CPU  101 , and processing to terminate the currently executed presentation is effected.  
         [0050]    Moreover, in regard to instruction data (COM  1 , COM  2 , . . . ) generated from the command generation audio table  34   b  for the wireless projector  20  (No at the step S 106  in FIG. 4), the instruction data is formed into a packet and supplied to the wireless projector  20  by using the wireless LAN device  130  (step S 108  in FIG. 4).  
         [0051]    Upon receiving the data from the PDA  10 , the wireless projector  20  discriminates the received instruction data into instruction data and audio message data based on identification information of a header unit of data transferred in the form of a packet. Here, when the discriminated data is the instruction data, this instruction data is supplied to a non-illustrated control unit, and presentation processing according to this instruction data is executed. For example, when a “magnify” command (COM  1 ) inputted by the audio message is received, an image projected onto the screen is magnified with a predetermined magnifying power. When a “take” command (COM  9 ) inputted by the audio message is received, a projected screen image is taken by the document camera  22 , and transmitted to the PDA  10  by using the wireless LAN device  21 .  
         [0052]    Additionally, when the discriminated data is audio message data for presentation, this data is supplied to the audio signal output unit  23 . The audio signal output unit  23  decodes the audio message data (audio data packet) received by the wireless LAN device  21 , restores it to an analog audio signal, and supplies it to the audio amplifier  24 . The audio amplifier  24  electrically amplifies the analog audio signal restored in the audio signal output unit  23 , and outputs an audio message from the speaker  25 .  
         [0053]    As described above, it is possible to realize the audio remote control function and the audio message function by effectively exploiting a wireless data transfer path which involves updating a presentation image.  
         [0054]    It is to be noted that the PDA having a structure shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is exemplified in the above-described embodiment, but the present invention is not restricted thereto, and the same presentation function as that in the foregoing embodiment can be also realized in various kinds of existing information processing apparatuses having wireless communication with external devices. Further, although the example that the PDA  10  realizes the wireless presentation function using the VGA slide data with respect to the wireless projector  20  is illustrated in each foregoing embodiment, the wireless presentation function using high-definition image data such as SVGA can be also realized.  
         [0055]    As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to realize the information processing apparatus having the wireless presentation function with the high functionality and the excellent usability.  
         [0056]    Additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described herein. Accordingly, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general invention concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.