JP2003256097A - Image display control device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make an image position and an image characteristic relatively understandable in a hierarchical directory. <P>SOLUTION: When a folder icon F20 for specifying a folder having a folder name 'an image' is clicked, a folder icon F30 for specifying an image (a thumbnail image) and the folder expressed by an image file stored in the folder is displayed. The image is determined on a position and the size according to an image characteristic. A folder icon F10 for indicating a folder including the folder having the folder name 'the image' is also displayed. When the folder icon F10 or F30 is clicked, an icon for specifying the image and the folder expressed by the image file stored in the folder specified by these icons is displayed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an image display device.

[0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION When image files, programs, etc. are stored in a hard disk of a computer, it is possible to indicate in which hierarchy the hierarchy directory is located. When the image file is stored in the folder,
The folder is opened by clicking the folder icon that identifies the folder in the hierarchical directory. The images represented by the image files stored in the folder are displayed in a list. The images are simply arranged in the recording order of the image files or the file name of the image files. Since the images are simply arranged, the characteristics of the images cannot be grasped at a glance, and it may be difficult to find a desired image.

On the other hand, there is also one that displays an area of a three-dimensional space of X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis on a display screen and determines the arrangement of images according to the image characteristics. However, in such an image display, it is difficult to know which layer the displayed image is in.

[0004]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to make it relatively easy to understand in which layer an image is located and also to easily understand the image characteristics.

In the image display device according to the present invention, the first display control means for controlling the display device to display the display region having the image characteristic on the axis (which may or may not be displayed) is provided by the image file. A display determining unit that determines the position and size of the image displayed in the display area based on the image characteristics represented, and a folder below the folder specified according to the designation of the folder. Of the slave folders and image files in the hierarchy (immediately after the hierarchy), the slave folder icon that identifies the slave folder is placed at a predetermined position in the display area, and the file icon that identifies the image file is displayed. At the position determined by the display determination means,
And a second display control means for performing icon display control for controlling the display device so as to display the display area in a size.

A method suitable for the image display control device may be provided. That is, according to this method, the first display control means for controlling the display device to display the display area having the image characteristic as the axis and the image characteristic represented by the image file are displayed in the display area. In an image display control device equipped with a display determining means for determining the position of an image and the size of the image, a slave in the hierarchy below the folder (target folder) designated according to the designation of the folder Of the folder and the image file, the slave folder icon that identifies the slave folder is located at a predetermined position in the display area, and the file icon that identifies the image file is located at the position determined by the display determining means. , And icon display control for controlling the display device so that the display device is displayed in a size. .

A program for carrying out the above method and a recording medium storing the program may be provided.

According to the present invention, a display area having image characteristics as an axis is displayed on the display screen. When a folder is specified, the slave folder and image files in the hierarchy below the specified folder will be the slave folder.
A slave folder icon that identifies a folder is displayed at a predetermined position in the display area, and a file icon that identifies an image file is displayed at a position determined according to the characteristics of the image represented by the image file. It is displayed in the display area in a size determined according to the characteristics.

When the displayed slave folder icon is further designated, a folder icon for specifying the folder and the image file stored in the slave folder specified by the slave folder icon is displayed. The file icon is displayed at a predetermined position in the area, and the file icon is displayed at a position corresponding to the characteristic of the image represented by the corresponding image file and in a size corresponding to the characteristic of the image.

According to the present invention, the image is displayed at the position corresponding to the image characteristic and in the size corresponding to the image characteristic in the display area, so that the characteristic of the image can be seen at a glance. Further, since a folder (slave folder) in the same hierarchy as the image file representing the displayed image is also displayed, it can be understood that the image file may be stored in a lower hierarchy. It becomes relatively easy to understand which layer the displayed image is on.

Third display control means for controlling the display device to display a master folder icon for specifying a master folder in a hierarchy above the designated folder at a predetermined position in the display area. Further, it may be provided.

Since a master folder icon for specifying a master folder in a hierarchy above the designated folder is also displayed, by looking at the master folder icon, the master folder icon above the currently displayed image is displayed. You can also understand the hierarchy.

The second display control means displays the slave folder icon at a position determined based on the characteristics of the image represented by the image file stored in the slave folder, for example. You will also be able to see the approximate characteristics of the image represented by the image file stored in the slave folder. Slave
When an image file representing images of multiple frames is stored in the folder, the display position of the master folder icon can be determined based on the average image characteristics of the images of multiple frames. The display position of the folder icon can be determined based on the characteristics of the user's designation or the first image determined by the file name). Similarly, the master folder
It is also possible to determine the display position of the icon.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention and is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a computer device.

The computer device includes a computer 3. A display device 1, a printer 2 and a keyboard 5 are connected to the computer 3. The mouse 6 is connected to the computer 3 via the keyboard 5. The computer 3 is connected to an FD (floppy disk) drive 7, a CD-ROM (compact disk-read only memory) drive 8 and an HD unit 9. The FD drive 7 writes data to an FD (not shown) and reads data from the FD.
The CD-ROM drive 8 reads data, programs, etc. from the CD-ROM 11. The HD unit 16 writes data (file) to the hard disk 10 and reads data from the hard disk 10. The computer 3 includes an internal memory 4.

The program stored in the CD-ROM 11 is a CD
-By being read by the ROM drive 8, the operation described later is executed.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an image display processing procedure. 3, 4 and 5 are examples of windows displayed on the display screen.

When the image display program is started,
A window W1 shown in FIG. 3 appears on the display screen of the display device 1 of the computer device.

Referring to FIG. 3, the area of the small window W11 is defined on the left side of the window W1 and the window W2 is defined.
The area of the window W12 is defined on the right side of. In the small window W11, a hierarchical directory showing a hierarchical structure of files stored in the hard disk 10 is displayed. The HD (hard disk) is the root directory, and folders with the folder names of "Program", "Music", and "Photos" exist in the layer below the HD directory. A folder with a folder name of "image" exists in the hierarchy below the folder with a folder name of "photos". In other words,
This means that the folder with the folder name of "images" is stored in the folder with the folder name of "photos".
The icon of the folder having the folder name of "picture" is indicated by reference sign F10, and the icon of the folder having the folder name of "image" is indicated by reference sign F20.

In the small window W12, the image whose brightness is the horizontal axis (X axis), the saturation of the image is the vertical axis (Y axis), and the date and time when the image was taken is the axis representing the depth (Z axis) ( This is an area for displaying a thumbnail image).

The folder icon displayed in the hierarchical directory displayed in the small window W11 is clicked by the user using the mouse 6 (step
Yes at 21). In this embodiment, it is assumed that the folder icon F20 is clicked. The folder specified by the clicked folder icon is called the target folder.

Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the small window W
The folder icon F20 clicked in the hierarchical directory displayed in 11 is changed to an open figure. Also. The icons representing the folders and files stored in the target folder having the folder name "image" specified by the folder icon F20 appear in the lower hierarchy. In this embodiment, the folders with the folder name of "images" are the folders with the folder name of "wedding" and the file names "001.jpg" to "004.j."
An image file with the file name "pg" is stored. In the hierarchy below the folder icon F20, "Wedding"
A folder icon F30 indicating a folder having a folder name of F1 and an image file icon F31 to F34 having a file name of "004.jpg" appear.

Further, in the small window W12, a thumbnail image of an image represented by an image file stored in the target folder of the folder name "image" specified by the clicked folder icon F20 (not a thumbnail image) The original image itself may be displayed) at a position according to the image characteristics (step 22). Also,
The size of the thumbnail image is determined according to the image characteristics. That is, the display position of the thumbnail image is determined based on the image characteristics of the lightness and saturation of the image, and the size of the thumbnail image is determined based on the image characteristic of the shooting date and time of the image. The closer the shooting date and time is to the current date and time, the larger the thumbnail image size, and the farther from the current date and time, the smaller the thumbnail image size. It goes without saying that the image characteristic data indicating the lightness, the saturation, and the shooting date and time are recorded in the header area of the image file, and the image characteristic data is read from the header area.

Further, a folder in a hierarchy above the target folder (which will be referred to as a master folder with respect to the target folder), that is, a folder icon F10 having a folder name of "photos" is also predetermined in the small window W12. Is displayed at the position of (step 23). The folder icon F10 displayed in the small window W12 is also given the same reference numeral as the folder icon F10 displayed in the small window W11.

Further, it is judged whether or not the target folder includes a folder (step 24). If the target folder contains a folder (Y in step 24)
ES) (the folder included in the target folder is referred to as the slave folder with respect to the target folder), the average of the image characteristics of all the images represented by the image files included in the slave folder is Calculated individually (average of brightness, saturation and shooting date / time)
(Step 25). A slave icon F30 is displayed at a position defined by the calculated average of lightness and average of saturation. The size of the slave icon F30 is also defined by the average of the calculated shooting dates and times. However,
The size of the slave icon F30 does not necessarily have to change depending on the shooting date and time. Slave icon F
If the size of 30 is not changed, it would not be necessary to calculate the average of shooting dates. At the determined position, with the determined size, the slave icon F30 has a small window W.
12 is displayed (step 26). The position and size may be determined based on the characteristics of the selected or predetermined image rather than the average of the characteristics of the images represented by the image files contained in the slave folders.

The processes of steps 25 and 26 are repeated for all slave folders included in the target folder (step 27).

In this way, with the thumbnail image, the master folder icon F10 and the slave folder icon F30 displayed in the small window W12, the small window W12 (even if displayed in the small window W11 Master folder icon F10 or slave folder icon F displayed in
When 30 is clicked, the processing from step 21 is started again. For example, when the slave icon F20 is clicked in FIG. 4, the window W3 shown in FIG. 5 is displayed on the display screen of the display device 1.

Referring to FIG. 5, in the small window W11,
The slave folder icon F30 has changed to a figure in which the slave folder is open to indicate that it has been clicked. Also, "011.jp" in the slave folder.
As you can see that the file with the file name from "g" to "013.jpg" is stored,
"011.jpg" to "013.jpg" in the hierarchy below the icon F30
The icons F41 to F43 of the file names are displayed.

In the small window W12, a thumbnail image of the image represented by the image file stored in the slave folder is displayed in a size corresponding to the image characteristic and at a position corresponding to the image characteristic. . The master folder icon F20 is also displayed in the small window W12 (if the folder specified by the folder icon F30 is considered as the target folder, the folder
The folder specified by the icon F20 becomes the master folder. ).

In the above-described embodiment, the master folder icon is similar to the slave folder icon in that the characteristics of the image represented by the image file stored in the master folder specified by the master folder icon. The display position and size may be determined by the average.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the hierarchical directory is displayed in the small window W11, but the hierarchical directory does not necessarily have to be displayed. Further, the small window W11 itself may be omitted.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a computer device.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an image display processing procedure.

FIG. 3 is an example of a window displayed on a display screen.

FIG. 4 is an example of a window displayed on a display screen.

FIG. 5 is an example of a window displayed on a display screen.

[Description of symbols] 1 display device 3 computer 6 mouse 8 CD-ROM drive 9 HD unit 10 hard disk 11 CD-ROM F10 folder icon (master folder icon) F20 folder icon (target folder icon) F30 folder Icon (slave folder icon) W1, W2, W3 window W11 small window W12 small window (display area)

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    F-term (reference) 5B050 BA11 BA12 BA13 BA15 CA07                       EA12 EA19 FA02 FA13 GA08                 5C082 AA01 BA12 BB13 BB15 BB42                       CA52 CA62 CB06 DA22 DA53                       DA73 DA86 DA89 MM09 MM10                 5E501 AA01 AC15 BA03 FA04 FA22                       FB04 FB11

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A first display control means for controlling a display device to display a display area having an image characteristic as an axis, and an image displayed in the display area based on the image characteristic represented by an image file. Of the slave folder and the image files in the hierarchy below the folder specified by the display determining means for determining the position and the size of the image and the folder specified according to the designation of the folder. A slave folder icon to be specified is displayed at a predetermined position in the display area, and a file icon to specify the image file is displayed at the position determined by the display determining means and in the size in the display area. An image display control device comprising: second display control means for performing icon display control for controlling the display device. 2. A third display control for controlling a display device to display a master folder icon for specifying a master folder in a hierarchy above the specified folder at a predetermined position in the display area. The image display device according to claim 1, further comprising means. 3. The second display control means is a slave
The slave is placed at a position determined based on the characteristics of the image represented by the image file stored in the folder.
The image display device according to claim 1, which displays a folder icon.