JP2008209731A - Laser pointer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a laser pointer which enables presentation or the like to be continued by immediately coping with a following situation even when irradiation with a laser beam becomes impossible suddenly because of breakdown of a power source in the midst of the presentation or the like, and which can prevent such an accident that human's eyes is irradiated with the laser beam accidentally. <P>SOLUTION: The laser pointer for indicating an optional position by radiating the laser beam from a light emission part 1 has electric double layer capacitors 3a and 3b in a power source part 3 and a connection part 4 to be connected to external electronic equipment or power source. The laser pointer can has a discharge circuit 9 discharging the excess charge of the power source part 3. The connection part 4 can be constituted of a USB (universal serial bus) terminal. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a laser pointer for displaying spots and underlines with a laser beam in order to make the explanation of a document clearer in a presentation or the like.

  Conventionally, in presentations and lectures using a liquid crystal projector or the like, a laser pointer is used for an instructor to point to a reference portion (a table or a figure) of the content projected from the projector. The laser pointer used for such a purpose is a simple one of a pen type or a type used by holding it in a hand.

  However, most of the conventional simple laser pointers use a battery as a power source. When the function of the battery is stopped, the laser beam may not be suddenly irradiated during a presentation or lecture. There is also a problem that battery replacement is complicated. As a countermeasure, a circuit and parts for maintaining the battery for as long as possible are required, and there is a problem in terms of cost.

  In addition, since the simple laser pointer is used by hand, a laser beam may enter the eyes of the audience due to an erroneous operation during the presentation. There is also a problem that a laser beam is irradiated to the eyes in a scene other than a presentation or a lecture, for example, when a child uses it as a play equipment for a hand. As a safety measure against these problems, a commercially available laser pointer keeps the laser light output low. However, even such a low-power laser beam may have various effects if it enters the eyes. Therefore, conventionally, the following measures have been taken.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, light from a screen is collected by a lens, and a laser pointer is continuously turned on by an optical sensor while the light is collected, and light from the screen is not collected. Since the switch is turned off, accidents due to erroneous operation of the laser pointer are prevented.

  In Patent Document 2, a human body sensor includes a laser light emitting element, a human body sensor that detects heat generation of the human body in the laser light projection direction, and an infrared sensor that projects infrared light and receives reflected light. When a human body is detected in the projection direction or the infrared sensor does not receive light, the projection of the laser light is restricted.

  In Patent Document 3, a laser is provided by limiting a direction in which a laser pointer emits light by including a detecting unit that detects a direction in which a laser beam is irradiated and a setting unit that sets a range of the direction in which the laser beam is irradiated. Prevents mis-irradiation of light.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-4228 JP 2003-29204 A JP 2003-262825 A

  As described above, conventional laser pointers have a problem that extra circuits and parts are required to reduce power consumption in order to cope with sudden function stop and complicated battery replacement.

  In addition, in the conventional technology that attempts to cope with the possibility of laser light entering the human eye due to erroneous irradiation, a special device such as a sensor is required in any case, which increases power consumption or costs. There is a problem that becomes high. Further, as long as there is a function of emitting laser light from the laser pointer, even if the conventional countermeasures are taken, light may be emitted erroneously.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a laser pointer capable of promptly continuing a presentation or the like even when a laser beam is suddenly no longer irradiated during a presentation or lecture due to a power supply function being stopped. That is. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a laser pointer that can prevent an accident that a laser beam is accidentally irradiated to human eyes.

  The laser pointer of the present invention that makes it possible to achieve the above object is a laser pointer that emits a laser beam from a light emitting unit to indicate an arbitrary position, and has an electric double layer capacitor in a power supply unit, and an external electron It is a laser pointer characterized by having a connection part for connecting with an apparatus or a power supply. As a result, even when a laser beam is no longer irradiated due to power reduction of the power supply unit during a presentation or lecture, quick charging becomes possible, and the function of the laser pointer can be quickly restored.

  The connection unit can be configured by a USB (Universal Serial Bus) terminal. In presentations and lectures, the use of personal computers connected to projectors is increasing. By providing a USB terminal in the connection portion, it is possible to connect to a personal computer and quickly charge the electric double layer capacitor of the power supply portion. Furthermore, it is possible to easily charge even when the power of the power supply unit is reduced.

  The laser pointer of the present invention may have a discharge circuit for discharging surplus charges of the power supply unit in the circuit. The problem of laser light entering the human eye due to an erroneous operation of the laser pointer can be dealt with by the conventional measures as described above. However, as long as the power supply is functioning, any unintended operation or accident Therefore, there is a possibility that the laser beam is erroneously irradiated. According to the laser pointer of the present invention having the discharge circuit for discharging the surplus charge of the power supply unit, the surplus charge can be forcibly released by the switch operation when the use of the laser pointer is finished. The laser pointer that has run out of surplus charge is not irradiated with laser light no matter what operation is performed thereafter. When it becomes necessary to use it again, it can be quickly charged by connection with a personal computer or the like as described above, so that it can be immediately returned to a usable state.

  The discharge of surplus charges in the power supply unit can be naturally (ie, gradually) regardless of the switch operation when the laser pointer is not used by connecting the light emitting unit and the power supply unit via a resistor. It is also possible to do this. By discharging naturally, the discharge ends after a certain period of time.

According to the present invention, the function of the laser pointer can be quickly recovered by rapid charging even when the laser beam is no longer irradiated due to power reduction of the power supply unit during use.
Further, by providing a USB terminal in the connection portion, it is possible to quickly charge the electric double layer capacitor of the power supply portion by connecting to a personal computer, and it is possible to easily charge even when the power of the power supply portion is reduced.
In addition, by providing a discharge circuit that discharges the surplus charge of the power supply unit, or by connecting the light emitting unit and the power supply unit via a resistor, the surplus charge is used when the use of the laser pointer is finished. Can be emitted to prevent erroneous irradiation of the laser beam.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.
As an example, the external appearance of the laser pointer of the present invention is schematically shown in FIG. 1 (a), and a partially broken view thereof is schematically shown in FIG. 1 (b). The laser pointer includes a light emitting unit 1 that emits laser light, a switch unit 2 that controls power supply to the light emitting unit 1, a power supply unit 3 that supplies power, an external electronic device or a power source (not shown). The light emitting unit 1, the switch unit 2, and the power supply unit 3 are accommodated in a housing 5. Although the light emitting unit 1, the switch unit 2, and the power supply unit 3 in the housing 5 are connected, the connection is not shown for simplicity.

  The light emitting unit 1 includes a semiconductor laser light emitting element 1a and a circuit 1b therefor. As the laser light emitting element 1a, the one normally used for a laser pointer can be used. The light emitting surface 7 of the element 1 a is exposed at the tip 8 of the housing 5.

  The switch unit 2 controls power supply from the power source unit 3 to the light emitting unit 1 from the outside, and includes a switch 2a that enables an on / off operation and a necessary circuit 2b.

  The power supply unit 3 is composed of an electric double layer capacitor. The electric double layer capacitor has advantages such as high charge / discharge efficiency and high charge / discharge efficiency, and can be an advantageous power source for a simple laser pointer.

  FIG. 1B shows a mode in which two electric double layer capacitors 3a and 3b are used. The number of capacitors to be used is determined according to the voltage and capacity required for the laser light emitting element 1a. If two or more, they are used in series. The electric double layer capacitor used may be a wound type or a laminated type.

  The capacity of the electric double layer capacitor is preferably 20 F / piece or less. More preferably, it is 0.1F / piece-20F / piece, Most preferably, it is 0.1F / piece-10F / piece. With an electric double layer capacitor of 20 F / number or more, it takes too much time to charge, and it may not be possible to immediately return to a state where it can be used for presentations and lectures, resulting in inconvenience.

  The power supply unit 3 can be provided with a discharge circuit 9 that discharges charges stored in the electric double layer capacitors 3a and 3b. The discharge circuit 9 forcibly discharges the capacitors 3a and 3b by connecting a switch (not shown) different from the above-described switch 2a for controlling the irradiation of the laser light to the discharge circuit 9. As a result, it is possible to forcibly discharge the surplus charges remaining in the electric double layer capacitors 3a and 3b after the laser pointer is used for presentation or the like so that the power supply unit does not function. Irradiation can be prevented.

  Alternatively, the electric double layer capacitor is naturally (gradually) discharged while the switch 2a is turned off by connecting the light emitting unit 1 and the power source unit 3 via a resistor (not shown). Is also possible. By discharging naturally, the discharge ends after a certain period of time. Thus, the electric charge from the power supply unit is not supplied to the light emitting unit, and an accident due to erroneous irradiation can be prevented.

The resistance R (Ω) used in the natural discharge is based on the voltage V1 (V) and capacitance C (F) of the electric double layer capacitor used, the discharge time T (s), and the final voltage V2 (V). It can be obtained by calculation from the following equation.
R = T / (C · ln (V1 / V2))

  The laser pointer of the present invention can be recharged by connecting to a personal computer or the like because the electric double layer capacitor of the power supply unit can be rapidly charged even if it cannot be used during the presentation by forcibly or spontaneously discharging. Can be reused immediately.

  The connection unit 4 for connecting to an external electronic device or a power source (not shown) can be connected to an external electronic circuit or a power source to supply and charge the electric double layer capacitors 3a and 3b. It may be a thing. In particular, it is desirable to use a USB (Universal Serial Bus) terminal in terms of connection with a personal computer frequently used in presentations. As a result, it is possible to easily charge the electric double layer capacitors 3a and 3b of the power supply unit 3 by connecting to a personal computer during the presentation.

  The connection unit 4 may be provided outside the housing as illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B, or may be stored in the housing and taken out as necessary. You can also

  The housing 5 can be made of any material such as plastic or metal. The shape of the housing 5 may be arbitrary, and various shapes such as a cylindrical shape and a cylindrical body having a polygonal cross section can be adopted.

  A data recording circuit using a semiconductor non-volatile memory (for example, a flash memory) can be added to the internal circuit of the laser pointer of the present invention. By providing such a data recording circuit, it is possible to store data used in the presentation and other data. In addition, while the laser pointer having such a data recording circuit is connected to a personal computer and data is transmitted, charging of the power supply unit of the laser pointer can be completed. Can be used. According to this method, the connection time with the personal computer is usually short, and it is not necessary to charge an excessive amount of electricity, so that it is effective in preventing accidents due to erroneous irradiation after use.

  FIG. 2 is a laser pointer of the present invention represented as a block diagram. The laser pointer in this figure has a data recording circuit 11 connected to an external personal computer or the like via a USB terminal connection 4. A charging voltage control circuit 12 that controls a charging voltage when charging the electric double layer capacitor of the power supply unit 2 is provided between the power supply unit 2 and the connection unit 4.

  As is clear from the above, the laser pointer of the present invention has an electric double layer capacitor in the power supply unit, so that the power supply from the power supply unit stops when used in presentations or during use However, it can be charged quickly and can recover its function in tens of seconds to minutes.

  In addition, by having a circuit that forcibly or spontaneously discharges in the power supply unit, it is possible to stop the power supply from the power supply unit after use, and prevent accidents due to erroneous irradiation of the laser pointer after use. Can do.

  In addition, by having a USB terminal as a connection unit, the power supply unit can be easily charged by connecting to a personal computer used for presentations or the like. Furthermore, by having a recording circuit using a semiconductor non-volatile memory or the like in the laser pointer circuit, it is possible to store data such as the contents of the presentation and to supply power while the data is being transmitted to the personal computer. Can be charged.

It is a figure explaining the laser pointer of this invention, Comprising: (a) is a figure which shows an external appearance typically, (b) is a typical fragmentary broken view. It is a block diagram explaining the laser pointer of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Light emission part 1a Semiconductor laser light emitting element 2 Switch part 2a Switch 3 Power supply part 3a, 3b Electric double layer capacitor 4 Connection part 5 Case 7 Light emission surface of semiconductor laser light emitting element 9 Discharge circuit 11 Data recording circuit

Claims (7)

  A laser pointer that emits laser light from a light emitting unit to indicate an arbitrary position, and has an electric double layer capacitor in a power supply unit and a connection unit for connecting to an external electronic device or a power supply And a laser pointer.   2. The laser pointer according to claim 1, wherein the connection portion is constituted by a USB (Universal Serial Bus) terminal.   The laser pointer according to claim 1, further comprising a discharge circuit that discharges surplus charges of the power supply unit.   The laser pointer according to claim 1, wherein surplus charges of the power supply unit are forcibly discharged by a discharge circuit.   The laser pointer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein surplus charges of the power supply unit are naturally discharged by a discharge circuit.   The laser pointer according to claim 1, further comprising a data recording circuit using a semiconductor nonvolatile memory.   The laser pointer according to claim 1, wherein the electric double layer capacitor has a capacitance of 20 F / piece or less.

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