JP2004163568A - Information providing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information providing apparatus which properly provides images. <P>SOLUTION: The visual range 31 of a display medium 22 is detected, display data are so prepared that the image within the effective display range of the image data is completely included in the detected visual range 31, and the image of the display data is displayed in the visual range 31. Consequently, the image can suitably be obtained in the visual range 31 of the display medium 22. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an information providing apparatus, and more particularly to a sheet-like information providing apparatus that provides an image.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an information providing apparatus, a roll type information providing apparatus that winds and stores a sheet such as paper or cloth on which images such as characters and photographs are presented in a roll shape is known.
[0003]
According to such an information providing apparatus, by pulling out the entire sheet, the image presented on the sheet can be visually recognized by the user, and the image can be provided.
[0004]
In such an information providing apparatus, in order to present different images, a technique for storing a plurality (at least two sets) of sheets each having a different image in a roll shape is known (for example, Patent Document 1). reference).
[0005]
According to this technique, the user can easily change an image to be provided by appropriately selecting and pulling out a sheet on which a desired image is presented from a plurality of stored sheets.
[0006]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 8-9422 (first page, FIG. 1)
[0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the above-described conventional technology, when a part of the seat is pulled out and fixed, only a part of the image to be presented is provided in the user's viewing range, and the presented image is lost. For this reason, in order to provide all the images to be presented to the user so as to be visible to the user, it is necessary to adjust the drawing amount of the sheet so that the entire range in which the images are presented is visible to the user. A cumbersome work was necessary.
[0008]
SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides an information providing apparatus capable of suitably providing an image.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the information providing apparatus of the present invention is capable of displaying an image by electromagnetic writing and erasing in a predetermined display area, and at least a part of which is formed so as to be visible from the outside. An effective display range is set in advance based on a detection result of the display means, a detection means for detecting the visible viewing range in a predetermined display area of the display means, and a detection result of the detection means, and Display data is generated from image data stored in advance so that an image based on the effective display range of the image data is included in the visual recognition range, and an image based on the generated display data is displayed in the visual recognition range. And a control means for controlling the display means.
[0010]
The information providing apparatus according to the present invention includes a sheet-like display unit, and displays an image in a predetermined display area by electromagnetic writing and erasing. The display means is composed of electronic paper, for example. At least a part of the display area of the display means is formed so as to be visible to the user. The visual recognition range formed so that the display area can be visually recognized is detected by the detection means. When the viewing range is detected by the detection unit, the control unit generates display data from previously stored image data based on the detected viewing range. In the image data, an effective display range in which an image of the image data is to be displayed is set in advance. The effective display range is an effective image area of image data set to be always displayed in the viewing area. The display data is generated so that all images within the effective display range of the image data are included within the viewing range of the display medium. The display data is displayed by the control means within the viewing range of the display means.
[0011]
Accordingly, display data is generated from the image data so that the effective display range of the image data is all included in the viewing range of the display medium, and is displayed within the viewing range of the display medium. Can do.
[0012]
The effective display range may be an image range of at least a part of an image based on the image data. Since a part of the image data image to be displayed can be displayed within the viewing range of the display means, the effective display range can be suitably displayed.
[0013]
Moreover, the information provision apparatus of this invention can further be equipped with the storage means which accommodates the said display means in roll shape so that the said visual recognition range may appear from one side of the said display means. Since the sheet-like display means is wound and stored in a roll shape, the display means can be stored in a small package so that it can be installed in various places. Further, when the stored display means is pulled out from one side, a visual recognition range appears, so that the visual recognition range of the display means can be easily adjusted according to the amount of drawer.
[0014]
The control means can comprise storage means for storing the image data. Since the display data image generated from the image data stored in the storage means can be displayed in the display area of the display means, the image data can be read from the storage means and displayed as necessary.
[0015]
The information providing apparatus of the present invention comprises a plurality of the storage means, further comprising instruction means for designating the storage means, and the control means generates the display data from the storage means designated by the instruction means. it can.
[0016]
The instructing unit designates a storage unit that reads the image data from among a plurality of storage units that store the image data. Since the control means reads the image data from the storage means specified by the instruction means and generates display data, the image displayed on the display medium can be changed, and various images can be provided.
[0017]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
An embodiment according to an information providing apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0018]
In FIG. 1, the front view of the information provision apparatus 10 which concerns on this Embodiment was shown. In the present embodiment, the information providing apparatus 10 is configured by a substantially cylindrical box 12 in which a sheet-like display medium 22 described later can be accommodated. The back surface of the box body 12 is attached to the wall surface 14 via a support plate (not shown) for attaching the box body 12.
[0019]
A switch 19 and a card slot 20 are provided on the front surface of the box 12. In the present embodiment, the switch 19 includes a power switch 16 and a media changeover switch 18. The power switch 16 is used when the user performs switching between supply / stop of supply of power to each unit of the information providing apparatus 10. The media changeover switch 18 is used when the user changes the display image displayed on the display medium 22. By the operation of the media switching switch 18, the media storing the image data is switched. In the present embodiment, switching between an external memory storing image data prepared in advance for display on a display medium described later and a memory storing image data is performed. When the media selector switch 18 is switched by a user operation, the media selector switch 18 is held in the switched state. The card slot 20 is for mounting an external memory (not shown).
[0020]
An opening 21 is provided on the bottom surface of the box 12. The opening 21 is for pulling out the display medium 22 stored in the box 12 to the outside of the box 12 or for storing the drawn display medium 22 in the box 12.
[0021]
A substantially cylindrical support shaft 24 is provided inside the box 12. The support shaft 24 is for winding the display medium 22 along the outer periphery, and is provided to be rotatable about the shaft center. The support shaft 24 is provided with a roll detector 26, a stopper (not shown), and a coil spring (not shown). The roll detector 26 is for detecting the number of rotations of the support shaft 24. The roll detection unit 26 is housed in the box 12 so that the display medium 22 is wound up with the rotation of the support shaft 24 and a later-described viewing range of the display medium 22 is not visible to the user. This is for detecting the number of rotations of the support shaft 24 with the point as the base point (number of rotations 0).
[0022]
The stopper (not shown) is for fixing the display medium 22 drawn out of the box 12 with a user's arbitrary drawing amount. A coil spring (not shown) is for unwinding the support shaft 24 and winding the display medium 22 drawn out from the box 12 into the box 12 for storage. For this reason, the display medium 22 can be pulled out from the opening 22 of the box 12 by an arbitrary amount, or can be wound up inside the box 12 by the user. Further, the upper end of the display medium 22 is fixed to the support shaft 24. At the lower end of the display medium 22, a pullout string 28 is provided for pulling the display medium 22 when the user pulls it out.
[0023]
The display medium 22 corresponds to the display means of the present invention.
[0024]
FIG. 2 shows an example of a cross-sectional view of the display medium 22. The display medium 22 is a display medium represented by so-called electronic paper, which is formed in a sheet shape and can display and erase a displayed image electromagnetically. The display image displayed on the display medium 22 can be visually recognized. Many electronic paper techniques using techniques such as particle rotation, electrophoresis, thermal rewritable, and liquid crystal are known. In the present embodiment, a technique using electrophoresis is employed as the display medium 22 in order to achieve the present invention.
[0025]
As an example, the technique shown in FIG. 2 is known. In this case, as shown in the enlarged cross-sectional view 36 of the display medium 22, the display medium 22 includes a pair of transparent electrodes 32, a transparent electrode 34, and a pair of electrodes 32 sandwiched between the base sheet 38 and the base sheet 40. And a containing layer 45 containing a large number of capsules 42 sandwiched between the electrode 34 and the electrode 34 are laminated. The inside of the capsule 42 is filled with a liquid 44, and a plurality of fine electrophoretic particles 46 are dispersed so as to be movable. The electrode 32 and the electrode 34 are shown in a schematic diagram in which the arrangement of the electrodes of the display medium 22 shown in FIG. 3 is viewed from the front, and the electrode 32 group and the electrode 34 group are in a lattice shape so as to intersect the X direction and the Y direction. Is arranged.
[0026]
According to such a display medium 22, when an electric field is applied to the electrode 32 group and the electrode 34 group arranged in a lattice shape via a cable (not shown), the migrating particles 46 in the capsule 42 move. For example, the color (for example, white) of the liquid 44 and the color (for example, black) of the migrating particles 46 illustrated in FIG. 2 (B) are displayed on the viewing side X shown in FIG. As a result, an image of display data to be displayed on the display medium 22 can be displayed within the viewing range 31. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the specific gravity of the migrating particles 46 and the liquid 44 of the capsule 42 is adjusted in advance to be equal. For this reason, the image displayed on the display medium 22 will be described as having a memory property that is held until the next electric field is applied.
[0027]
The viewing range 31 is an area that is visible to the user of the display medium 22 and is shown as an area where the display medium 22 is pulled out from the box 12 and the electrode 32 group and the electrode 34 group are arranged. The visible range 31 changes according to the amount of pulling out the display medium 22 from the box 12. For example, when the display medium 22 is wound up and all the regions where the respective electrode groups of the display medium 22 are arranged are stored in the box 12, the visual recognition range 31 does not exist on the display medium 22. Further, as the display medium 22 is pulled out from the box 12, the visual recognition range 31 is widened.
[0028]
FIG. 4 shows a main configuration of the information providing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment as a block diagram. The information providing apparatus 10 includes a microcomputer in which a CPU 50, a ROM 52, and a RAM 54 are connected by a bus 56 so that data and commands can be exchanged. Further, an input / output port (hereinafter referred to as I / O) 58 is connected to the bus 56. The I / O 58 is connected to the memory 60, the reading unit 62, the switch 19, the display medium 22, and the roll detection unit 26.
[0029]
The memory 60 is for storing in advance image data prepared for displaying an image on the display medium 22. The reading unit 62 is for reading image data stored in the external medium 21 attached to the card slot 20. Examples of the external memory include storage media such as an IC card, MO, and CD-R. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that only one image data is stored in each of the memory 60 and the external memory 21. The image data includes information indicating an effective display range that is always displayed within the viewing range 31 of the display medium 22 of the image of the image data.
[0030]
Next, the operation of the information providing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment will be described.
[0031]
FIG. 5 shows a processing routine executed by the CPU 30. When the information providing apparatus 10 is turned on by the power switch 14, the process proceeds to step 100. The negative determination is repeated until the display medium 22 is pulled out from the box 12, and when the determination is affirmed, the process proceeds to step 102. The determination in step 100 can be made by determining data input by the roll detection unit 26. For example, when the user holds the take-out string 28 and urges the display medium 22 downward (in the direction of arrow 29 in FIG. 1), the display medium 22 moves downward in FIG. 1 (in the direction of arrow 29 in FIG. 1). Pulled out. When the display medium 22 is pulled out, a display portion of the display medium 22 appears and is fixed by a stopper (not shown) at an arbitrary position of the user. When the display medium 22 is fixed, the number of rotations of the support shaft 24 rotated as the display medium 22 is pulled out is detected by the roll detection unit 26, and data representing the number of rotations is output. Data representing the number of rotations of the indicating shaft 24 is obtained from the rotation angle of the support shaft 24. It is possible to determine whether or not the display medium 22 has been pulled out by determining that the data representing the output rotation number is not 0 (base point). The output data representing the rotation speed of the support shaft 24 is stored in the RAM 54.
[0032]
Next, in step 102, it is determined whether an instruction to change image data has been issued. The determination in step 102 can be made by determining whether or not the switching state of the media selector switch 18 is switched to reading of the external media 21.
[0033]
If the result in Step 102 is negative, the process proceeds to Step 104, the image data prepared for display on the display medium 22 stored in the memory 60 is read, and the process proceeds to Step 108. If the determination in step 102 is affirmative, the image data stored in the external medium 21 is read via the reading unit 62, and the process proceeds to step 108.
[0034]
Next, at step 108, the amount of drawing out of the display medium 22 from the box 12 is detected. This pull-out amount is indicated by data representing the number of rotations of the support shaft 24. Data representing the rotational speed of the support shaft 24 can be obtained by reading data representing the rotational speed of the support shaft 24 stored in the RAM 54.
[0035]
Next, in step 110, display data that can be displayed in the visual recognition range 31 of the drawer amount is generated based on the drawer amount detected in step 108. In order to generate display data, first, the visual recognition range 31 of the drawer amount is grasped. This grasping of the visual recognition range 31 is to obtain data indicating the visual recognition range 31 that is visible to the user of the display medium 22, and for example, to obtain data such as a display size and address information representing the visual recognition range 31. It is. As the data indicating the viewing range 31, for example, a program for obtaining data representing the viewing range 31 from data representing the number of rotations of the support shaft 24 is stored in the memory 60 in advance, the program is read, and the viewing range 31 is read according to the program. It is obtained by calculating data indicating
[0036]
Next, based on the recognized viewing range 31, the effective display range information included in the image data is read from the image data read in step 104 or 106, and all images within the effective display range are within the viewing range 31. Processes such as enlargement, reduction, and transformation are performed so that they are included. As a result, display data that can be displayed so that all images within the effective display range of the image data are included in the viewing range 31 is generated.
[0037]
Next, at step 112, the display image of the display data generated at step 110 is displayed on the viewing range 31 of the display medium 22. For example, the image (A) is displayed by transforming the image shown in FIG. 6 so that the image within the effective display range 40 of the image 42 of the image data is included within the viewing range 44 of the display medium 22. The effective display range 40 is at least a part of the viewing range 44 and may be the same range as the viewing range 44.
[0038]
Next, at step 114, it is determined whether or not the pull-out amount of the display medium 22 has been changed. If NO, the process returns to step 112, and if YES, the process proceeds to step 116. The determination in step 114 can be determined by data input by the roll detection unit 26. For example, as in step 100 above, when the user holds the take-out string 28 and urges the display medium 22 downward (in the direction of the arrow 29 in FIG. 1), the display medium 22 is accordingly moved downward in FIG. 1 (in the direction of arrow 29). When the display medium 22 is pulled out, a display portion of the display medium 22 appears and is fixed at an arbitrary position of the user. When the display medium 22 is fixed, data representing the rotation speed of the support shaft 24 rotated as the display medium 22 is pulled out is output by the roll detection unit 26.
[0039]
By determining whether or not the data representing the rotation speed of the support shaft 24 has been received, it is possible to determine whether or not the amount of withdrawal has been changed. The data representing the rotational speed of the support shaft 24 received in step 114 is stored in the RAM 54, and the data representing the rotational speed stored in the RAM 54 in step 100 is updated.
[0040]
Similarly, when the display medium 22 is wound inside the box 12 by the user's operation, data representing the rotation speed of the support shaft 24 is output by the roll detection unit 26.
[0041]
Next, in step 116, it is determined whether or not the display medium 22 is wound around the support shaft 24 and the entire visual range 31 is stored in the box 12, and if the result is affirmative, the rotational speed stored in the RAM 54 is expressed. Erase the data and end this routine. The determination in step 116 can be made by determining whether or not the data representing the rotation speed of the support shaft 24 stored in the RAM 54 in step 114 is 0 (base point).
[0042]
If the result in Step 116 is negative, the amount of the display medium 22 to be pulled out is changed by the user's operation, and the viewing range 31 exists, the process returns to Step 102 and Steps 102 to 112 are performed again. For this reason, a display image corresponding to the change of the viewing range 31 can be displayed in the viewing range 31. If the result in step 116 is negative, for example, the image (A) displayed in the viewing range 44 of the display medium 22 shown in FIG. ) Is displayed in the viewing range 46. The effective display range 40 is at least a part of the viewing range 46 and may be the same range as the viewing range 46.
[0043]
Note that the processing of step 108 corresponds to the function of the detection unit of the information providing apparatus of the present invention, and the processing of step 110 to step 112 corresponds to the function of the control unit. Further, the process of step 114 corresponds to the detection unit of the information providing apparatus of the present invention, and the process of step 102 corresponds to the function of the instruction unit.
[0044]
As described above, display data is generated so that the display image of the display medium 22 is entirely included in the visual recognition range 31 of the display medium 22 according to the amount of the display medium 22 pulled out from the box 12, and the visual recognition of the display medium 22 is performed. Since it can display in the range 31, the display image of display data can be provided suitably.
[0045]
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the present embodiment, it has been described that the display image continues to be displayed until the drawing amount of the display medium 22 is changed. However, after the display image is displayed on the display medium 22, the media changeover switch 18 is further switched. It may be determined whether or not the switching state has been changed. In this case, if the change state of the changeover switch 18 has not been changed, the change of the withdrawal amount is determined in the next step 114. If the change of the change state has been made, the process returns to step 102 and the display data is read again. What should I do?
[0046]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the information providing apparatus of the present invention, display data is generated so that all images within the effective display range of the image data are included in the viewing range in accordance with the change in the viewing range of the display medium. And since the image of display data can be displayed in a visual recognition range, the effect that the image according to the change of the visual recognition range of a display medium can be provided suitably is acquired.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a front view of the appearance of an information providing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 shows an example of a cross-sectional view of a display medium according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an arrangement of electrodes of a display medium according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of an information providing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a process flow of the information providing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is an image diagram showing an example of image data according to an embodiment of the present invention and an image of display data generated from the image data.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 Information Providing Device 22 Display Medium

Claims (5)

A sheet-like display means that is capable of displaying an image by electromagnetic writing and erasing in a predetermined display area, and at least a part of which is formed so as to be visible from the outside,
A detecting means for detecting the visible range within the predetermined display area of the display means;
Based on the detection result of the detection means, the effective display range is set in advance, and the display data is stored so that all the images in the effective display range of the image data are included in the visual recognition range. Control means for generating and controlling the display means so that an image based on the generated display data is displayed within the viewing range;
An information providing apparatus comprising: The information providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the effective display range is an image range of at least a part of an image based on the image data. The information providing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a storage unit that stores the display unit in a roll shape so that the visible range appears from one of the display units. The information providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit includes a storage unit that stores the image data. 5. The storage device according to claim 4, further comprising: a plurality of the storage units, further including an instruction unit for designating the storage unit, wherein the control unit generates the display data from the storage unit designated by the instruction unit. Information provision device.

Images