JP4887899B2 - Image display device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image display equipment, in particular, to a technique that can easily understand the hierarchical level of the image being displayed.

Examples of an image display device having a screen for displaying an image include a computer and a mobile phone.
Conventionally, in these devices, when displaying a menu image having a hierarchical structure on the screen, especially when the menu structure is complicated or the number of layers is large (hierarchies are deep), which image is being displayed? There is a problem that it is difficult to grasp the hierarchy level of whether it is a hierarchy, and various techniques for making it easy to grasp this have been proposed in the following Patent Documents 1 to 3 and the like.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-133867 discloses a technique for visually grasping the difference between the upper and lower switching directions by changing the screen switching direction between when switching to a higher-level screen and when switching to a lower-level screen. Is disclosed.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228561 discloses a technology that allows the user to visually grasp the hierarchical level of an image being displayed by displaying the characters and lines in the set colors and displaying the characters and lines in the set colors. Has been.

Patent Document 3 discloses a technique for displaying a file tree structure indicating a hierarchy on a screen and visually specifying a file in operation in the tree structure by a background gradation.
JP-A-8-335066 JP-A-6-125373 JP 2000-36919 A

In recent years, among the image display devices, portable devices are particularly downsized, and the size of the display screen that can be mounted on the main body has to be reduced.
Even when a menu screen having a hierarchical structure is displayed on such a small-sized screen, the problem that it is difficult to grasp the hierarchical level of the displayed image is the same.

  On the other hand, the technologies proposed by the above patent documents also leave room for further improvement, and in particular, it is easy to grasp the hierarchical level of the currently displayed image even on small-sized screens where usage trends will increase in the future. It is eager to be able to do it.

  For example, the technique described in Patent Document 1 has a problem that although it is possible to grasp the hierarchical level of the image currently displayed by switching the screen, it is difficult to grasp the hierarchical level without switching the screen.

Regarding the technique described in Patent Document 2, it is necessary to remember in advance the correspondence between the color of the displayed image and the layer level, and it is difficult to grasp the layer level simply by looking at the screen. .
In addition, since the color of the image to be used is restricted, there is a problem that it is difficult to create (select) a free screen in the image design and the number of types of images to be used becomes scarce.

  The technique described in Patent Document 3 has a basic problem that it is necessary to display a tree structure on the screen, and it is difficult to apply to an information processing terminal device having a small size screen.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide, even with a small size of the screen, without switching the displayed image, without the color of the constraint in the image design, the image display equipment which can be very easily grasp the hierarchical level It is to provide.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has the following configurations 1) to 3 ) as means.
1) Image display section (3),
A storage unit (6) for storing the first image data (KSG) and the second image data group having a hierarchical structure by the second image data (SG) corresponding to each layer;
The first image data (KSG) and the second image data (SG) stored in the storage unit (6) are read from the storage unit (6) and combined, and the combined image is displayed as the image. A control unit (10) to be displayed on the unit (3);
A hierarchy depth determination unit (7a) for determining the hierarchy depth of the hierarchical structure by detecting the total number of hierarchies of the hierarchical structure;
A hierarchy level determination section (7b) for detecting a hierarchy order of the second image data (SG) to be displayed on the image display section (3) and determining a hierarchy level with respect to the hierarchy depth of the second image data; With
The control unit (10)
The layer depth determined by the layer depth determination unit (7a) is made to correspond to the width (W, Wh, Wr) of the display area (3E) of the image display unit (3), and the width direction is set to the layer depth. And the position of the first image data (KSG) in the width (W, Wh, Wr) direction corresponding to the hierarchy level determined by the hierarchy level determination unit (7b). An image display device (50) is characterized by being displayed.
2) The second image data (SG) has a total depth N (an integer of 2 or more),
The width (W, Wh, Wr) corresponding to the layer depth is W,
When each position in the width direction where the first image data is displayed corresponding to each layer of the second image data (SG) is P, P≈W / (N−1). The image display device (50) according to 1), characterized in that
3) comprising selection means (4) that allows the user to select the second image data (SG) to be displayed on the image display unit (3) from the second image data group;
The selection means (4) includes an upper selection button (4bu) for selecting the second image data higher than the hierarchical order of the second image data being displayed, and the lower second image data. A lower selection button (4bd) to be selected,
The upper selection button (4bu) and the lower selection button (4bd) are arranged in the same direction as the width direction and in a direction corresponding to the direction of the layer depth 1) Or the image display apparatus (50) as described in 2) .

Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the present invention, in an image display device that displays a menu screen having a hierarchical structure, there is an effect that the hierarchical level can be grasped extremely easily without switching the displayed image and without color restrictions in the image design. .
Further, according to the present invention, this effect is exhibited well even when the display screen is small.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of the image display device of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining an embodiment of the image display apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the hierarchical structure in the embodiment of the image display apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining modes in the embodiment of the image display apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an example of the hierarchical level display in the embodiment of the image display apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the input operation and the image in the embodiment of the image display apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining first to third modifications of the hierarchical level display in the embodiment of the image display apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a fourth modification of the hierarchical level display in the embodiment of the image display apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the display pitch setting at the hierarchical level in the embodiment of the image display apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the display operation at the hierarchical level in the embodiment of the image display apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining another modification of the hierarchical level display in the embodiment of the image display apparatus of the present invention.

A portable music player 50 will be described as an embodiment of the image display device of the present invention.
The portable music player 50 is a device that stores music data in a storage unit provided therein and reproduces the stored music data with headphones or the like, and has a casing having an outer size that fits in the palm of the hand and has a hierarchical structure. It is an image display apparatus which becomes a flat rectangular parallelepiped shape provided with the display part which displays the screen of the menu which has.
The menu is composed of image data groups having a hierarchical structure of image data corresponding to each layer, and the image data groups are stored in the storage unit as menu information.
First, it explains in full detail using FIG.1 and FIG.2.

In FIG. 1, an operation area portion 2 is provided on the front surface 1 a of the housing 1 with a design that can be visually distinguished from other parts.
In the operation area part 2, a display part 3 is provided on the upper side (upper side in FIG. 1), and an input part 4 is provided on the lower side.
An input / output terminal group 5 is provided on one side surface 1 b of the housing 1. Specifically, they are an external output [headphone (HP)] terminal 5a, an external input (USB) terminal 5b, and a power input terminal 5c.
The display unit 3 can display a color image, and a liquid crystal display element, an organic EL (Electroluminescence) element, or the like is used. Hereinafter, an image will be described as including a still image and a moving image.

The input unit 4 includes a central main key 4a formed in a horizontally long oval shape, an annular cross key 4b surrounding the main key 4a, and four independent keys arranged at diagonal positions outside the cross key 4b. And keys 4c1 to 4c4.
The input unit 4 outputs a signal by being pressed near the center of the main key 4a, and independently by pressing the vicinity of the triangle marks provided on the top, bottom, left and right of the cross key 4b. Output the signal.
In addition, each of the independent keys 4c1 to 4c4 is printed with a symbol serving as a mark, and each of the independent keys 4c1 to 4c4 outputs an independent input signal when pressed near the symbol.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the image display device 50 includes a storage unit 6, a determination unit 7, and a control unit (CPU) 10 that controls the entire device, in addition to the above-described configuration.

  The storage unit 6 includes a first storage unit 6 a that stores compressed or uncompressed music data, a second storage unit 6 b that stores a background image of a menu screen displayed on the display unit 3, and a background that is displayed on the display unit 3. A third storage unit 6c for storing background color information in which the display color of the image and the hierarchical level of the menu screen are associated; and a fourth storage unit 6d for storing information related to the operation of the device 50 such as menu information. ,have.

  Further, the determination unit 7 includes a total hierarchy number determination unit 7a that determines the total hierarchy depth (total number of layers) of the menu to be displayed, and a hierarchy level determination unit 7b that determines the hierarchy level (hierarchy order) of the menu screen to be displayed. And a mode determination unit 7c for determining the type (mode) of the menu.

An output signal from the input unit 4 is input to the control unit 10, and music data, menu data, background image data, or the like is input from the outside via an external input terminal (USB) 5b.
On the other hand, an image signal to be displayed is output from the control unit 10 to the display unit 3, and an audio signal is output to headphones or the like via the external output terminal 5a.
In FIG. 2, an audio processing unit such as a D / A converter and a driving unit for image display are omitted.

  Next, an example of the hierarchical structure of the menu will be described with reference to FIG. 3 (a specific operation method will be described later).

In the portable music player 50 of the embodiment, information of a plurality of menus is stored in the fourth storage unit 6d in advance, but it is possible to update these menu information and add new menus via the external input terminal 5b. It has become.
In the following description, a menu M1, which is a music database stored in advance in the fourth storage unit 6d, will be described as an example of a hierarchical structure of menus.

First, when the portable music player 50 is activated, the top menu M0 shown in FIG.
The top menu M0 is a launcher for menu selection, and eight menus are displayed so as to be selectable by icons.
FIG. 3A shows a state where an icon A-M1 of the menu M1 called “MUSIC” is selected and enlarged.

The menu M1 itself has three layers.
The first layer, which is the top layer, is a layer called “MUSIC” represented by the screen shown in FIG. 3B, and “IPG”, “Playlist”, “Artist”, “Album”, etc. are prepared as options. Has been.
Then, information sorted according to the contents of the selected option is displayed as options on the second layer screen.

For example, when “Artist” which is one of the options of the first hierarchy is selected, the artist name of the music data stored in the first storage unit 6a is extracted as the second hierarchy and displayed as an option [FIG. c)].
This choice can be selected by pressing 4bu and 4bd (see FIG. 1) positioned in the vertical direction of the cross key 4b of the input unit 4.

Here, when the artist “eeeeeeee”, which is one of the options in the second hierarchy, is selected, the song name of the music of the artist “eeeeeeee” stored in the first storage unit 6a is extracted and displayed as an option in the third hierarchy. [Refer FIG.3 (d)].
Then, in order to select a target song name from among the song names that are the choices of the third hierarchy, as in the case of the choice of the choice of the first hierarchy, the position in the up and down direction of the cross key 4b of the input unit 4 4bu and 4bd are pressed to select a choice of music to be selected, and when the main key 4a is pressed there, the music is determined and the music is reproduced. FIG. 3D shows a state in which a song with the song name “BBBBBBB” is selected.

  Next, the types of menu M will be described with reference to FIG. This type is also called a mode and has an independent hierarchical structure. Of course, depending on the mode, there may be only one layer. The menu M1, which is the music database described above, is one of these modes.

FIG. 4A is a first level screen of the menu M2 selected by the icon A-M2 in FIG. 3A and called “Root” for checking the folder list. A certain “record” is selected.
FIG. 4B is a first level screen of a menu M3 called “Settings”, which is also selected by the icon A-M3 and is used for various settings of the apparatus, and is one of options. A state in which “F Key Preset” is selected is shown.
Each mode has a hierarchical structure composed of independent hierarchical numbers according to the menu M1 described above.

The portable music player 50 according to the embodiment includes, for example, menus M1 to Mn (n: an integer of 2 or more), which level of the image being displayed, that is, what level of the menu is currently displayed. It has a hierarchical display function that allows the user to grasp whether the image is being displayed by simply viewing the image without switching the image and moving the hierarchy.
This function will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 5 including the operation method.

First, when the independent key 4c4 is pressed and held in FIG. 1, the power is turned on, and the screen of the top menu M0 shown in FIG.
A menu is selected in the top menu M0.

This selection is made by first pressing the up / down / left / right keys 4bu, 4bd, 4bl, 4br of the cross key 4b to sequentially select each icon of the top menu M0, and when the desired menu icon is selected, press the main key 4a. It is performed by the operation of deciding.
Since the up / down / left / right direction of each key 4bu, 4bd, 4bl, 4br in the cross key 4b and the selected moving direction of the selected icon coincide with each other, this operation can be performed very satisfactorily. .

  FIG. 5A shows the first layer image of the selected desired menu Mk. This menu Mk has a hierarchical structure with four hierarchical levels, and the respective hierarchical images are shown in FIGS. 5 (a) to 5 (d). That is, in order from the first layer, the uppermost layer, the intermediate layer 1 (second layer), the intermediate layer 2 (third layer), and the lowermost layer (fourth layer).

Each image is divided into five areas E1 to E5 whose areas are arranged in the vertical direction of the screen.
The uppermost area E1 among the divided areas is a menu display area, and a menu name E1a, a remaining battery level icon E1b, and an operation display icon E1c are displayed.
The operation display icon E1c is displayed as a triangular mark as shown in FIG. 5A during the reproduction operation, and a square mark is displayed when the reproduction is stopped.

Areas E2 to E5 are option display areas in which four options are displayed.
As shown in FIG. 6, among the cross keys 4b in the input unit 4, the selection of the option is performed by using the upper key 4bu and the lower key 4bd corresponding to the arrangement direction (vertical direction) of the options. The upper option can be selected one by one by pressing 4bu, and the lower option can be selected one by one by pressing the lower 4bd.

  In this way, the arrangement direction of the choices matches the arrangement direction of the keys to be pressed for selection, so that the visual sense and the operational feeling of the finger match, and a sensuous and smooth selection operation is possible. Yes.

In addition, the selected option is highlighted.
Taking FIG. 5A as an example, the option “cccc” of the area E3 is selected and highlighted (characters are positive), and the non-selected options of the other areas E2, E4, and E5 are normal or slightly luminance. The display is suppressed. In the figure, non-selected options are shown with hatching.

Here, in the image display device 50 according to the embodiment, the background image HG having the vertical stripe-shaped hierarchical instruction image KSG is combined with the main image SG such as options and displayed on the screen.
And this hierarchy instruction | indication image KSG is displayed so that the brightness or chroma may be made high with respect to the other part so that it may be visually recognized in stripe form. In this figure, it is indicated by shading for explanation.

Further, it is preferable that the hierarchy instruction image KSG has high quality when the boundary portion is blurred by gradually changing the brightness or saturation.
Further, the hierarchy instruction image KSG may be displayed by being colored with a unique hue (for example, blue) associated with the displayed menu Mk.

And it is comprised so that the hierarchy level of the main image SG can be grasped | ascertained with the display position with respect to the screen of the hierarchy instruction | indication image KSG in the background image HG.
Specifically, the horizontal width W of the display area 3E of the display unit 3 is made to correspond to the depth of the hierarchy, and the display position of the hierarchy instruction image KSG is displayed at a position in the horizontal width direction corresponding to the hierarchy of the main image SG to be displayed simultaneously. It is comprised as follows.

  For example, when the number of layers is 3, when the left end side of the display area 3E is set as the upper layer and the right end side is set as the lower layer, and the main image SG is the first layer (the highest layer), the layer instruction image KSG is displayed in the display area. When displayed on the left end side, when the main image SG is in the second hierarchy (intermediate position), the hierarchy instruction image KSG is displayed in the approximate center of the display area 3E, and when the main image SG is in the third hierarchy (lowest) The hierarchy instruction image KSG is displayed on the right end side of the display area.

To further generalize, when the number of layers is N, the number obtained by dividing the horizontal width W of the display area 3E of the display unit 3 by N-1 is defined as the layer display pitch P, and the left end side of the display area 3E is the first end. The background image HG is displayed at the horizontal position corresponding to the display hierarchy, with the display position of the hierarchy and the right end side as the display position of the Nth hierarchy.
In this case, the display position of the Nth hierarchy is approximately P × (N−1) from the left of the display area 3E. This position does not need to be exact and may be set with an accuracy that can be visually grasped.
For example, what is necessary is just to include the position of P × (N−1) in a part of the hierarchy instruction image.

  Specifically, since the number of layers is 4 in the example shown in FIG. 5, the layer display pitch P is P≈W / 3, and the second layer starts from the left end of the screen as shown in FIG. 5B. The position is approximately P (≈W / 3) and the third layer is displayed at a position 2P (≈2 W / 3) from the left end of the screen as shown in FIG.

In the above-described configuration, the layer depth may correspond to the vertical width Wh or the diagonal length Wr instead of the horizontal width W (see FIG. 5D).
Further, depending on the design of the hierarchy instruction image KSG, it may be deformed to facilitate visual recognition.
In particular, when the hierarchy instruction image KSG is displayed on both ends of the display area in the case of the highest or lowest hierarchy, a part thereof may be displayed so as to be hidden by the screen frame, and the whole is displayed. Thus, the width may be compressed and displayed.

According to the above configuration, the position of the hierarchy instruction image KSG on the screen is on one end side of the display area 3E when the hierarchy level of the main image SG to be displayed is the highest hierarchy, and the display area when it is the lowest hierarchy. 3E, on the other end side, in the case of an intermediate layer, it is displayed at a position separated from one end and the other end of the display area 3E. In the intermediate layer, the one end of the display area 3E is closer to the uppermost layer. Is displayed closer.
Therefore, the hierarchical level of the main image SG can be visually grasped very easily by the position of the hierarchical instruction image KSG.

In this way, the horizontal direction of the screen corresponds to the layer depth direction, and the right direction of the screen is set to the lower layer and the left direction is set to the upper layer.
Accordingly, when the option “cccc” is selected on the screen of the first hierarchy in FIG. 5A and is determined by the input of the main key 4a, the screen is switched to the second hierarchy shown in FIG. 5B.

On the second layer screen, the layer instruction image KSG is displayed at a position substantially P from the left end of the display area 3E, and it can be easily recognized from the screen that the screen is the second layer among the four layers.
When the option “gggg” is selected on the screen of the second hierarchy and is determined by the input of the main key 4a, the screen is switched to the third hierarchy shown in FIG.

On the third layer screen, the layer instruction image KSG is displayed at a position approximately 2P from the left end of the display area 3E, and it can be easily recognized by the amount of the screen that the screen is the third layer among the four layers.
Furthermore, when “kkk” is selected on the screen of the third layer and is determined by the input of the main key 4a, the screen is switched to the fourth layer shown in FIG. 5 (d).

  In the fourth layer screen, the layer instruction image KSG is displayed on the right end side of the display area 3E, and it can be easily recognized that the screen is the lowest layer in the four layers.

Here, in FIG. 5, a triangular arrow mark 11 is displayed at the left end or the right end of the selected option in the movable direction of the hierarchy.
Specifically, since the first hierarchy has a higher-level top menu M0, triangular arrow marks 11 and 11 are displayed on both left and right ends, and in the second and third hierarchies, the upper layer direction (leftward) And the lower layer direction (right direction) can be moved in the hierarchy, so that triangular arrow marks 11 and 11 are displayed on both left and right ends. In the fourth layer (lowermost layer), only the upper layer direction (left direction) is displayed. Since hierarchy movement is possible, a triangular arrow mark 11 is displayed only at the left end.
Therefore, the display of the triangular arrow mark 11 makes it possible to more intuitively and quickly grasp the hierarchy level by the hierarchy instruction image KSG in the background image HG at least in the lowest layer.

As shown in FIG. 6, among the cross keys 4b in the input unit 4, the hierarchy moving direction (the left-right direction in FIGS. 5 and 6) corresponds to the left key 4bl corresponding to the arrangement direction of the triangular arrow mark 11 and the right key 4b. Using the key 4br, the left key 4bl is pushed one by one to move to the upper level, and the right side 4br is pushed one by one to move to the lower level.
In this way, the depth direction (left-right direction) of the hierarchy on the screen matches the arrangement direction of the keys pressed to move the hierarchy. Smooth hierarchy movement operation is possible.

  In addition, as described above, in each of the plurality of menus M to Mn, the background image HG can be displayed with a unique hue associated with each menu. In this case, the correspondence between the menu and the background color is previously determined. By remembering, it is possible to visually determine the mode of the displayed menu.

The hierarchy instruction image KSG of the background image HG to be combined with the main image SG is not limited to the above-described stripe image.
FIG. 7 shows a modification of the background image HG. In FIG. 7, for easy understanding, the main image SG is shown by omitting areas other than the area E <b> 1.
The example of FIG. 7A is an example in which the number of hierarchies is four, and the hierarchies are deeper in the order of the uppermost layer, the intermediate layer 1, the intermediate layer 2, and the lowermost layer. FIG. 7B and FIG. 7C are examples in which the number of layers is 3, and the layers are deeper in the order of the uppermost layer, the intermediate layer, and the lowermost layer.

The first modified example (FIG. 7A) is an example in which the hierarchy instruction image KSG has a specific shape, and this figure shows a musical note.
As described above, the display positions of the hierarchy instruction image KSG in the intermediate layer 1 and the intermediate layer 2 are approximately P and 2P from the left end of the display area 3E, respectively. This P is obtained by dividing the display area 3E into three equal parts (number of hierarchies −1).

  Further, as described above, the hierarchy instruction images KSG in the uppermost layer and the lowermost layer are set so that a part thereof is hidden by the frame.

The second modified example (FIG. 7B) is an example in which the hierarchy instruction image KSG is an image having a change region 12 that changes with time. Specifically, the change region 12 is a region where the hue, lightness, and saturation change over time, or a region where the pattern changes over time.
The hierarchical level of the main image SG can be visually grasped by the position of the change area 12 as in the other examples.

In addition, the display position of the hierarchy instruction image KSG in the intermediate layer is approximately the position P (center) from the left end of the display area 3E. This P is obtained by dividing the display area 3E into two equal parts.
In addition, as described above, the hierarchy instruction images KSG in the uppermost layer and the lowermost layer are compressed in the width direction.

The third modified example [FIG. 7C] is an example in which an actually captured image or the like is used as the background image HG. Of course, an artificial image created by CG (computer graphics) is also included in this example.
In the example of this figure, the background image HG is an image of an urban landscape, and the hierarchy instruction image KSG is a high-rise building. And the hierarchical level of the main image SG can be visually grasped at the position of the tower.
According to this modified example, a real photograph that is not a geometric pattern or the like and an artificial image corresponding thereto can be adopted as the background image, so that a higher satisfaction is obtained for possessing the image display device 50. be able to.

On the other hand, the fourth modification (see FIG. 8) is an example in which the number of hierarchies is 4, and this hierarchy depth does not correspond to the width W of the screen of the display unit 3, but a specific change in the background image HG. This is an example corresponding to a range. Specifically, the face orientation in the human head image is made to correspond to the hierarchical depth.
More specifically, the uppermost layer is associated with the image of the front of the person's head (this position is 0 °), and the lowermost layer is the image of the back of the person's head (this position is 180 °). For the intermediate layer, the division angle pitch P ° corresponding to each layer is obtained from the number N of layers, and the layer position of the displayed image is represented by the head image based on the division angle pitch P °. Is.
In this case, the division angle pitch P ° can be obtained by P ° ≈180 ° / (N−1).

Accordingly, the second layer (intermediate layer 1) corresponds to the image of the head from obliquely forward and the third layer (intermediate layer 2) corresponds to the image of the head from obliquely behind the back.
Of course, the fourth modified example is not limited to the head image, and a specific change range of the changing image is associated with the menu hierarchy depth, and the change degree of the range is divided according to the number of layers. Thus, the hierarchical display pitch P is obtained, and the background level HG is visually displayed by compositing and displaying the background image HG so that the hierarchical indication image KSG becomes a change image at a multiple of the pitch corresponding to the hierarchical level of the main image SG. It can be grasped.

  Of course, the above-described embodiment and the first to third modifications are synthesized with an image that does not affect the content recognition of the main image SG. For example, it is assumed that the image is subjected to processing for suppressing the brightness and saturation to some extent.

Next, the setting process of the hierarchical display pitch P in the image display device 50 described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 9 (flow diagram).
In this description, it is assumed that there are two types of menus M and Mb as menus M that can be selected. Further, the number of layers of the menus Ma and Mb is Na and Nb (Na and Nb are integers of 2 or more), respectively.

  First, a menu is selected by an input operation of the independent key 4c1 of the input unit 4, and a desired mode is determined by pressing the main key 4a. In response to the determination, the mode determination unit 7c determines whether or not the determined mode is the mode Ma (S1).

  When the determined mode is determined to be the mode Ma by the mode determination unit 7c (Y), the hierarchy number determination unit 7a determines the hierarchy number Na from the hierarchical structure of the mode Ma. Moreover, the control part 10 reads the screen width W of the display part 3 previously memorize | stored there from the 4th memory | storage part 6d (S2).

  Next, the control unit 10 obtains the hierarchical display pitch P of the background image HG by P≈W / (Na-1) using the determined number of layers Na and the read screen width W (S3). .

  On the other hand, if the selected image is not the mode Ma (N) in the determination step (S1) of whether or not the mode Ma is performed by the mode determination unit 7c, this image is determined to be the mode Mb, and the number of layers is determined. The unit 7a determines the number of hierarchies Nb from the hierarchical structure of the mode Mb. Moreover, the control part 10 reads the screen width W of the display part 3 previously memorize | stored there from the 4th memory | storage part 6d (S4).

  Next, the control unit 10 uses the determined number of layers Nb and the read screen width W to obtain the layer display pitch P of the background image HG by P≈W / (Nb−1) (S5). .

The display position of the hierarchy instruction image KSG in the background image HG is set using the hierarchy display pitch P obtained by the flow described above.
This will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 10 (flow diagram).

  First, the main image SG of a certain menu level is selected by the input operation of the left and right keys 4bl and 4br in the cross key 4b of the input unit 4 (S11).

  The hierarchy level determination unit 7b determines whether or not the hierarchy level of the main image SG is the highest layer compared to the menu content (S12).

  When it is determined that the layer level is the top layer (Y), the control unit 10 sets the display position of the layer instruction image KSG to the left end side of the screen (S13), and the second storage unit 6b is set at this set position. The background image HG and the main image SG read out from the above are combined (S20) and displayed on the display unit 3.

  If it is determined in step (S12) that the hierarchical level is not the top layer (N), it is next determined whether or not it is the bottom layer (S14).

  When it is determined that the hierarchy level is the lowest layer (Y), the control unit 10 sets the display position of the hierarchy instruction image KSG to the right end side of the screen (S15), and the second position is set to the set position. The background image HG read from the storage unit 6b is combined with the main image SG (S20) and displayed on the display unit 3.

  If it is determined in step (S14) that the layer is not the lowest layer (N), the hierarchy level determination unit 7b sets K = 2 (S16), and determines whether the hierarchy of the selected main image SG is the Kth hierarchy. Is determined (S17).

  If it is determined NO (N), K = K + 1 is set (S18), and (S17) is repeated.

  When it is determined in step (S17) that the hierarchy level is the Kth (Y), the control unit 10 moves the display position of the hierarchy instruction image KSG to a position of P × (K−1) from the left end of the screen. The background image HG read from the second storage unit 6b is combined with the main image SG at the set position (S19) and displayed on the display unit 3.

  With the above procedure, the display position corresponding to the hierarchy of the main image SG is set for the hierarchy instruction image KSG in the background image HG.

  Further, the determined menu mode is determined by the mode determination unit 7c (see FIG. 2). In response to the determination result, the control unit 10 reads out the hue information specific to each mode associated with the determined mode from the third storage unit 6c, and colors and displays the hierarchy instruction image KSG with the read hue. Part 3 is displayed.

  As described above, according to the image display device 50 of the embodiment described in detail, the horizontal width W of the screen corresponds to the total number of layers (depth), and the hierarchy instruction image in the background image HG synthesized with the main image SG. Since the KSG is displayed at a position on the screen according to the hierarchical level of the main image SG, the hierarchical level of the main image SG being displayed can be grasped very easily visually.

  Further, since the hierarchy instruction image KSG can be colored and displayed in a color corresponding to the menu being displayed, it is possible to visually grasp the mode of the selected menu.

Further, since the hierarchy of the main image SG is indicated by the position of the hierarchy instruction image KSG in the background image HG that does not affect the recognition of the main image SG, the display screen of the display unit 3 for the hierarchy instruction In contrast, the display area of the main image SG is not reduced.
Therefore, even in an image display device having a small size of the display unit 3, it is easy to grasp the hierarchical level in the image being displayed.

Moreover, since various images can be adopted as the background image HG, the user can replace the background image HG according to the mood or use a favorite background image HG.
Therefore, it is possible to have a stronger attachment to the image display device 50.

  The embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the configuration and procedure described above, and it goes without saying that modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  In the embodiments and the first to third modifications described above, the horizontal width W of the screen is associated with the total layer depth, but the vertical width and diagonal length of the screen are associated with the total layer depth, and the background The image may be displayed at a vertical position corresponding to the hierarchical level, or may be displayed at a predetermined position in the diagonal direction. These specific examples, which are another example of the hierarchical level display, will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 11A shows a display example of a background image when a menu having a hierarchy depth of 4 is displayed.
In this example, the vertical width Wh of the display area 3E is associated with the layer depth, the layer instruction image KSG is a horizontally long rhombus, the upper layer is on the upper side of the display area 3E, and the lower layer is on the lower side. It is positioned.

  Therefore, when the main image SG is the uppermost layer (first layer), the layer instruction image KSG of the background image HG is displayed on the upper end side of the display area 3E, and when it is the intermediate layer 1 (second layer), The hierarchy instruction image KSG is displayed at a position approximately 1/3 from the upper end of the display area 3E. In the case of the intermediate layer 2 (third hierarchy), the hierarchy instruction image KSG is approximately 2/3 from the upper end of the display area 3E. In the case of the lowest layer (fourth layer), the layer instruction image KSG is displayed on the lower end side of the display area 3E.

  This example is particularly preferable when the image display unit 3 has a vertically long shape, since the intermediate layer level can be easily grasped by the reference amount.

FIG. 11B is a display example of a background image when a menu having a hierarchy depth of 3 is displayed.
In this example, the diagonal width Wr of the display area 3E is associated with the hierarchy depth, the hierarchy instruction image KSG is associated with the sun, and the upper hierarchy is one diagonal corner (upper left corner) of the display area 3E. The lower layer is positioned at the other diagonal corner (lower right side).

  Accordingly, when the main image SG is the uppermost layer (first layer), the layer instruction image KSG of the background image HG is displayed near the upper left corner of the display area 3E, and when the main image SG is the intermediate layer (second layer), The hierarchy instruction image KSG is displayed almost at the center of the display area 3E, and in the case of the lowermost layer (third hierarchy), the hierarchy instruction image KSG is displayed near the lower right corner of the display area 3E.

  In this example, since the diagonal length longer than the vertical width or horizontal width in the image area 3E is associated with the layer depth, when the image display unit 3 is particularly small, it is possible to grasp the intermediate layer level by the amount of division. This is an easy example.

  In the above-described embodiments, first to third modifications, and other examples, the display position of the hierarchy instruction screen KSG may be an approximate position, and the display position varies depending on the hierarchy of the main image SG to the extent that it can be visually grasped. However, it is preferable that the display position for each layer is set at a certain layer level pitch as described above, since it is easier to grasp the layer visually.

  In the above-described embodiments and modifications, it has been described that the background image HG gives a hierarchy instruction, but it goes without saying that the screen for performing a hierarchy instruction does not have to be strictly “background”. Any image may be used as long as it is another image combined with the main image and does not interfere with the content recognition of the main image.

  The embodiment described above is a portable music player, but of course the image display device is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can be applied to various devices such as a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a digital still camera, a digital video camera, a car navigation device, and a portable game machine.

  In addition, regardless of business use, home use, or portable use, an image display unit such as a computer, a measurement device, a robot (or its control device), a television device, etc. and an image displayed on the image display unit are provided with a control unit. Needless to say, the present invention can be applied to the electronic equipment provided.

It is a top view which shows the external appearance in the Example of the image display apparatus of this invention. It is a block diagram explaining the Example of the image display apparatus of this invention. It is a figure explaining the hierarchical structure in the Example of the image display apparatus of this invention. It is a figure explaining the mode in the Example of the image display apparatus of this invention. It is a figure explaining an example of the hierarchy level display in the Example of the image display apparatus of this invention. It is a figure explaining the relationship between input operation and an image in the Example of the image display apparatus of this invention. It is a figure explaining the 1st-3rd modification of the hierarchy level display in the Example of the image display apparatus of this invention. It is a figure explaining the 4th modification of the hierarchy level display in the Example of the image display apparatus of this invention. It is a flowchart explaining the display pitch setting of the hierarchy level in the Example of the image display apparatus of this invention. It is a flowchart explaining the display operation of the hierarchy level in the Example of the image display apparatus of this invention. It is a figure explaining the other modification of the hierarchy level display in the Example of the image display apparatus of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Case 1a Front 1b Side 2 Operation area part 3 Display part 4 Input part 4a Main key 4b (4bu, 4bd, 4bl, 4br) Cross key 4c (4c1-4c4) Independent key 5a External output (HP)
5b External input (USB)
5c Power input 6 Storage unit 6a First storage unit (music data)
6b Second storage unit (background image)
6c Third memory (background color)
6d 4th memory (menu etc.)
7 Determination Unit 7a Hierarchy Number Determination Unit 7b Hierarchy Level Determination Unit 7c Mode Determination Unit 9 Mode Determination Unit 10 Control Unit (CPU)
11 Triangular arrow mark 12 Change area 50 Portable music player (image display device)
E1 Menu display area E2 to E5 (Option) Display area E1a Menu name E1b Battery level icon E1c Operation display icon HG Background image KSG Hierarchy indication image M, Ma, Mb, M1 to Mn, Mk Menu N, Na, Nb Number of hierarchies P layer display pitch SG Main image W, Wh, Wr (display screen) width, height, diagonal width

Claims (3)

An image display unit;
A storage unit for storing the first image data and a second image data group having a hierarchical structure by the second image data corresponding to each layer;
A control unit that reads the first image data and the second image data stored in the storage unit from the storage unit and combines them, and displays the combined image on the image display unit;
A hierarchy depth determination unit that determines the hierarchy depth of the hierarchical structure by detecting the total number of hierarchies of the hierarchical structure;
A hierarchy level determination unit that detects a hierarchy order of the second image data to be displayed on the image display unit and determines a hierarchy level with respect to the hierarchy depth of the second image data,
The controller is
The hierarchical depth determined by the hierarchical depth determining unit is made to correspond to the width of the display area of the image display unit so that the width direction is the direction of the hierarchical depth, and the first image data is An image display device, characterized by being displayed at a position in the width direction corresponding to the hierarchy level determined by the hierarchy level determination unit. The second image data has a hierarchical depth of the total hierarchical number N (an integer of 2 or more),
The width corresponding to the layer depth is W,
When the interval between the positions in the width direction for displaying the first image data corresponding to each layer of the second image data is P,
The image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein P≈W / (N−1). A selection unit that allows the user to select the second image data to be displayed on the image display unit from the second image data group;
The selection means includes an upper selection button for selecting the second image data higher than the hierarchical order of the second image data being displayed, and a lower selection button for selecting the lower second image data. And comprising
3. The upper selection button and the lower selection button are arranged in the same direction as the width direction and in a direction corresponding to the hierarchy depth direction. Image display device.

Images