JP2005217599A - Image display apparatus and image display method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image display apparatus for capturing an original with marking as an image and capable of switching and displaying a marker region between a viewable state and an unviewable state. <P>SOLUTION: The image display apparatus includes: an image input section 110 for receiving a medium to be processed on which marking is described and acquiring an input image; a marker region discrimination section 120 for discriminating the marker region subjected to marking on the medium to be processed from the input image; a display method switching section 130 for switching display methods of the marker region; and an image display section 140 for displaying the input image by switching the marker region discriminated by the marker region discrimination section by the display method designated by the display method switching section. The image of the original subjected to marking can be displayed by switching the display method of the marker region in a simple manner in the case of displaying the original image subjected to marking on a screen through the provision of the means of discriminating the marker region from the input image and switching the display method of the marker region. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image display device and an image display method capable of recognizing a marked area on an input image and switching the display method of the portion.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, learning tools that make a specific portion temporarily invisible in learning to memorize a specific portion such as a textbook are known. This learning tool uses a check pen with one color of the complementary color pair to mark a specific part of the printed paper surface, and the specific part cannot be visually observed by overlaying a check sheet with the other color of the complementary color pair on the printed paper surface. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

  Many image processing apparatuses that perform so-called marker editing, in which a marker area written on a document is determined from an image obtained by reading a marked document and predetermined image processing is performed on the marker area, have been proposed. ing. For example, in the apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 2, areas designated by different colors on an original are identified as image processing areas, and different image processing is performed on each area.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 09-179483 Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 02-04949

  By the way, in the conventional image processing apparatus, an object is to output an image obtained by performing image processing on the marker area, and the image display is performed by switching the display method of the marker area in the image read from the marked document. There is no such concept, but there is no device that can display only the image obtained by image processing of the marker area, but switches to the image before the image processing. That is, there has been no electronic device apparatus that switches between a state in which the marker region can be viewed and a state in which the marker region cannot be viewed, which provides the learning means as described above.

  In addition, when learning with conventional learning tools, it was necessary to carry textbooks to be memorized whenever necessary.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to capture a marked document as an image and switch between a state where the marker area can be viewed and a state where the marker area cannot be viewed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved image display apparatus and image display method that can be performed.

  In order to solve the above problems, according to a first aspect of the present invention, an image display device is provided. The image display apparatus according to the present invention includes an image input unit (110) that receives a processing medium on which marking is written and acquires an input image, and a marker that determines a marker area marked on the processing medium from the input image. The input image is switched by switching the display method specified by the display method switching unit between the region determination unit (120), the display method switching unit (130) for switching the display method of the marker region, and the marker region determined by the marker region determination unit. And an image display unit (140) for displaying (Claim 1).

  According to such a configuration, when a marked document is input as an image, a marker area is determined from the input image, and a means for switching the display method of the marker area is provided, thereby displaying the marked document on the screen. , Marker area display method can be easily switched and displayed. Specifically, by switching the marked area on the document between the display of the input image and the display of a predetermined color or pattern, for example, the marking content on the document can be visually confirmed and the state where it cannot be visually confirmed. Can be easily switched and displayed. In addition, the present invention is preferably realized as a mobile terminal device with a camera, for example. That is, by configuring the image input unit as a camera (imaging means) and the image display unit as a display unit of a mobile terminal, a learning device with excellent portability can be provided.

  The image display device of the present invention can be applied as follows.

The marker area discriminating unit (120) can discriminate, for example, the following areas as marker areas.
An area filled with a predetermined color or an area surrounded by a predetermined color on the target medium. For example, an area filled with a highlighter pen or an area surrounded by a color pen on an original (claim 2).
An area composed of a predetermined color on the medium to be processed. For example, an area in which important words are composed of different colors such as red (claim 3).
A closed region surrounded by a frame line on the medium to be processed (Claim 4).
An area where a predetermined mark exists on the medium to be processed. For example, an underlined area or an area in parentheses (Claim 5).

  The image display unit (140) may switch the display of the marker area between the display of the input image and the filled display with a predetermined color, pattern, or background color (claim 6).

  The image display unit (140) creates a mask image in which the marker area has a predetermined color, pattern, or background color and the other part is a transparent color, and fills the marker area by overlaying the mask image and the input image. You may make it display (Claim 7). By creating such a mask image, the portion corresponding to the marker area is filled and cannot be seen, and the other areas can be seen through.

  The image display unit (140) may switch the display of the marker area between the display of the input image and the low resolution display (claim 8). By displaying using only a part of the image information, such as low resolution display and low density level display, the contents displayed on the display medium can be made invisible. The same effect can be obtained as in painting with a predetermined color.

  The color and pattern used by the image display unit (140) for displaying the marker area may be arbitrarily designated by the user or automatically determined according to the marker area (claim 9).

  The image display unit (140) further includes a display switching marker designating unit (150) for designating switching of the display method for each marker region, and the image display unit (140) is a marker region designated by the display switching marker designating unit among a plurality of marker regions. Only the display method may be switched to display the input image. According to such a configuration, the marked display screen can be input as an image, the marker area can be determined from the input image, and the display method of only the specified marker area among the determined marker areas can be switched. The display method of an arbitrary marker area can be changed. Specifically, only the contents displayed on the marked part of interest on the display screen are displayed by switching easily between, for example, a visible state and an invisible state, and the other marking parts are made visible. I can keep it. Accordingly, it is possible to pay attention to the marking portions in order, and to easily display only the display contents of the marking portion of interest each time, for example, between a visible state and an invisible state.

  The image display unit (140) may display the input image by switching the display method of a plurality of marker areas in a predetermined order. For example, the display method of the marker area can be switched in that order based on the user's display switching instruction. For example, the marking type is associated with the importance, and the marker area display method is switched in the order of importance. Can be displayed.

  The image display unit (140) may scroll the image so that the marker region designated by the display switching marker designation unit is displayed at the center of the screen. For example, when a marking type is associated with an importance level and the marker area display method is switched in order of importance, the marker area to be noted can be displayed in the center of the screen.

  An image control unit (180) for storing the order in which images are displayed for a plurality of images to be displayed by switching the display method of the marker area, and controlling an image input to the image input unit from a plurality of existing images; You may make it further provide the state holding | maintenance part (190) which hold | maintains the information regarding the state of the marker area | region designated by the display switching marker designation | designated part (150). According to such a configuration, the image control unit stores in which order the images are displayed for a plurality of images to be displayed by switching the display method of the marker area. The state holding unit holds information about the state of the marker area, for example, information about the order of images to be displayed, the displayed image, the marker area for which the display method is switched, and the like when the image display is interrupted. can do. In this way, even when a marker region whose display method is to be switched exists in a plurality of images, the images can be displayed in an easily set order and the marker region display method can be switched. In addition, when the display of the image is interrupted, the state of the marker area to which the displayed image and the display method are switched is stored, and then stored when the display of the image is resumed. Based on the state, it can be returned to the same state as when it was interrupted.

  A marker type setting unit (160) for setting a marker type to be determined as a marker region is further provided, and the marker region determining unit (120) may determine only the marker region set by the marker type setting unit. Good (claim 14). According to such a configuration, when a marked document is input as an image and only a designated marker area is determined from the input image, only the designated marker area is displayed when the marked document is displayed on the screen. The method can be switched and displayed. That is, even if there are multiple types of markings on the manuscript, the user can specify only the desired marker type whose display method is to be switched, and can switch the display method for only that marker region when displaying the marker region. it can. Specifically, by switching only the specified marking type area on the manuscript between display of the input image and display in a predetermined color, pattern, or background color, only the specified marking portion on the manuscript is entered. For example, it is possible to easily switch and display between a visible state and a non-visible state.

  You may make it further provide the marker display setting part (170) which sets the corresponding display method for every classification of the marker area | region discriminate | determined by the marker area | region discrimination | determination part (Claim 15). According to such a configuration, it is possible to specify a marker region display method according to the type of each marker region. Therefore, if different markings are given according to the content type of the manuscript (for example, hiragana, katakana, alphabetic characters, numbers, etc.), even if the written content of the marking portion on the manuscript is not visible, the display method Because of the difference, the type of entry can be confirmed immediately.

  In order to solve the above problem, according to a second aspect of the present invention, an image display method is provided. An image display method according to the present invention includes an image input step of inputting a processing medium on which marking is written and acquiring an input image, and a marker region determination step of determining a marker region marked on the processing medium from the input image. A display method switching step for switching the display method of the marker region, and an image display step for switching the marker region determined in the marker region determination step with the display method specified in the display method switching step and displaying the input image. (Claim 16).

  According to such a method, when a marked document is input as an image, a marker area is discriminated from the input image, and a marker area display method is switched. The display method of the marker area can be switched and displayed. Specifically, by switching the marked area on the document between the display of the input image and the display of a predetermined color or pattern, for example, the marking content on the document can be visually confirmed and the state where it cannot be visually confirmed. Can be easily switched and displayed.

  The image display method of the present invention can be applied as follows.

In the marker region determining step, for example, the following regions can be determined as marker regions.
An area filled with a predetermined color or an area surrounded by a predetermined color on the target medium. For example, an area filled with a highlighter pen or an area surrounded by a color pen on an original (claim 17).
An area composed of a predetermined color on the medium to be processed. For example, an area in which important words are composed of different colors such as red (claim 18).
A closed region surrounded by a frame line on the medium to be processed (claim 19).
An area where a predetermined mark exists on the medium to be processed. For example, an underlined area or an area in parentheses (claim 20).

  In the image display step, the display of the marker area may be switched between the display of the input image and the filled display with a predetermined color or pattern or background color (claim 21).

  In the image display process, a mask image is created in which the marker area has a predetermined color, pattern, or background color, and the other part is a transparent color, and the mask area and the input image are overlaid and the marker area is filled and displayed. (Claim 22). By creating such a mask image, the portion corresponding to the marker area is filled and cannot be seen, and the other areas can be seen through.

  In the image display step, the marker area display may be switched between the input image display and the low-resolution display (claim 23). By displaying using only a part of the image information, such as low resolution display and low density level display, the contents displayed on the display medium can be made invisible. The same effect can be obtained as in painting with a predetermined color.

  The color and pattern used for displaying the marker area in the image display step may be arbitrarily specified by the user or automatically determined according to the marker area.

  It further includes a display switching marker designation step for designating switching of the display method for each marker area. In the image display step, the display method for only the marker area designated by the display switching marker designation step is switched among a plurality of marker areas. Thus, the input image may be displayed (claim 25). According to this method, the marked display screen is input as an image, the marker area is determined from the input image, and the display method of only the specified marker area among the determined marker areas can be switched. The display method of an arbitrary marker area can be changed. Specifically, only the contents displayed on the marked part of interest on the display screen are displayed by switching easily between, for example, a visible state and an invisible state, and the other marking parts are made visible. I can keep it. Accordingly, it is possible to pay attention to the marking portions in order, and to easily display only the display contents of the marking portion of interest each time, for example, between a visible state and an invisible state.

  In the image display step, an input image may be displayed by switching the display method of a plurality of marker areas in a predetermined order. For example, the display method of the marker area can be switched in that order based on the user's display switching instruction. For example, the marking type is associated with the importance, and the marker area display method is switched in the order of importance. Can be displayed.

  In the image display step, the image may be scrolled so that the marker region designated in the display switching marker designation step is displayed at the center of the screen. For example, when a marking type is associated with an importance level and the marker area display method is switched in order of importance, the marker area to be noted can be displayed in the center of the screen.

  An image control process for storing the order in which images are displayed for a plurality of images to be displayed by switching the display method of the marker area, and an image control process for controlling an image input in the image input process from a plurality of existing images, and display switching A state holding step of holding information related to the state of the marker region designated in the marker designation step (claim 28). According to this method, in the image control step, the order in which the images are displayed is stored for a plurality of images to be displayed by switching the display method of the marker area. Then, in the state holding step, information on the state of the marker area, for example, information on the order of the images to be displayed, the displayed image, the marker area for which the display method is switched, etc. when the image display is interrupted is held. can do. In this way, even when a marker region whose display method is to be switched exists in a plurality of images, the images can be displayed in an easily set order and the marker region display method can be switched. In addition, when the display of the image is interrupted, the state of the marker area to which the displayed image and the display method are switched is stored, and then stored when the display of the image is resumed. Based on the state, it can be returned to the same state as when it was interrupted.

  A marker type setting step for setting a marker type to be determined as a marker region may be further included, and in the marker region determination step, only the marker region set in the marker type setting step may be determined. ). According to such a method, when a marked document is input as an image and only a specified marker area is determined from the input image, only the designated marker area is displayed when the marked document is displayed on the screen. The method can be switched and displayed. That is, even if there are multiple types of markings on the manuscript, the user can specify only the desired marker type whose display method is to be switched, and can switch the display method for only that marker region when displaying the marker region. it can. Specifically, by switching only the specified marking type area on the manuscript between display of the input image and display in a predetermined color, pattern, or background color, only the specified marking portion on the manuscript is entered. For example, it is possible to easily switch and display between a visible state and a non-visible state.

  A marker display setting step for setting a corresponding display method for each type of marker region determined in the marker region determination step may be further included. According to this method, the display method of the marker area can be designated according to the type of each marker area. Therefore, if different markings are given according to the content type of the manuscript (for example, hiragana, katakana, alphabetic characters, numbers, etc.), even if the written content of the marking portion on the manuscript is not visible, the display method Because of the difference, the type of entry can be confirmed immediately.

  In the above description, the reference numerals in parentheses attached to the constituent elements are merely examples of corresponding constituent elements and signals in the embodiments and drawings to be described later for easy understanding. However, it is not limited to this.

  As described above, according to the present invention, a marked document is input by inputting a marked document as an image, discriminating a marker area from the input image, and switching a display method of the marker area. When displaying on the screen, the marker area display method can be easily switched and displayed. Specifically, by switching the marked area on the document between the display of the input image and the display of a predetermined color or pattern, for example, the marking content on the document can be visually confirmed and the state where it cannot be visually confirmed. Can be easily switched and displayed.

  And using such this invention, learning effects, such as memorization of a textbook, can be heightened, for example. Specifically, it is not necessary to carry a textbook by taking a picture of the textbook for learning as an image. Furthermore, if it is a small portable terminal device, it can learn without choosing time and place. Moreover, if it is a portable terminal device with a camera as a suitable example of this invention, it will be realizable with one apparatus from imaging | photography to learning of to-be-processed media, such as a textbook.

  Exemplary embodiments of an image display device and an image display method according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present specification and drawings, components having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the configuration of the image display apparatus according to the first embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 1, the image display apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment includes an image input unit 110, a marker area determination unit 120, a display method switching unit 130, and an image display unit 140. Yes.

  The image input unit 110 is a functional unit that inputs an image obtained by reading a target medium on which markings are written. The processing medium can be read by, for example, imaging the processing medium. The image input by the image input unit 110 is hereinafter referred to as an input image. The marker area discriminating unit 120 is a functional unit that discriminates a marker area marked on the processing medium from an input image obtained by reading the processing medium and obtains coordinates thereof. The display method switching unit 130 is a functional unit that switches the display method of the marker area determined by the marker area determination unit 120. The image display unit 140 is a functional unit that displays the marker area by the method specified by the display method switching unit 130. That is, the display method switching unit 130 can switch the marker region display method, and when the image display unit 140 displays the input image, the marker region display method can be switched according to the designation.

The image display device 100 according to the present embodiment is configured as described above.
Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
In this embodiment, a print medium such as a document will be described as an example of a medium to be processed.

(Image input)
In the image input unit 110, as shown in FIG. 2, an image obtained by reading a document in which a part of the document 10 is marked 30 or 31 with an input device such as a camera or a scanner is input. Note that an input device such as a camera is not essential, and an image read by an input device attached to another device may be used as an input via a network or the like. This image is referred to as an input image.

  As shown in FIG. 2, characters 20 and 25 are written on the original 10, and markings 30 and 31 exist. Here, the character 25 is a character marked for the purpose of memorization or the like, and the character 20 is any other character. The marking may be the marking 30 containing the character 25 or the marking 31 surrounding a certain area. The marking may be already printed on the document, or may be arbitrarily entered by the user. In this embodiment, the characters 20 and 25 are black and the marking is a manuscript written with a color pen. However, the contents of the entry are not limited to characters, and the colors of the characters and markings are not limited to this.

(Marker area discrimination)
FIG. 3 shows an input image 15 obtained by reading the document 10 of FIG. The marker area discriminating unit 120 discriminates the marking written on the document from the input image as the marker area. In the present embodiment, since the color component of the marker region is different from the other regions, the marker region is first filled with a predetermined color by a method using a chromaticity diagram as described in, for example, Japanese Patent No. 2896919. Can be separated. Furthermore, the marker areas 40 and 41 can be determined by obtaining an area filled with a predetermined color or an area surrounded by a predetermined color. Note that the technique described in Japanese Patent No. 2896919 is a known technique and is not an essential feature of the present invention, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted. Further, the technique described in this document is merely an example for realizing the function of the marker region discriminating unit 120, and it goes without saying that other methods may be used.

  In addition, if the color component of the marker region is different from that of the other regions, the color of the marking or the character is not particularly limited. Even if there is no difference in the color components, the marker area is also discriminated by the classification based on the difference in the density level as described in Japanese Patent No. 2896919 even when the density levels of the marker area and other areas are different. can do.

  Further, by changing the character color of the portion corresponding to the marking without marking on the manuscript, the same result as the marking can be obtained. Specifically, by changing the color component of the character 25 to, for example, red, which is different from the color component of the character 20, the region of the character 25 can be separated using the above-described method using the chromaticity diagram. By integrating these areas, it is possible to determine a marker area similar to the markings 30 and 31.

  The marker area discriminating unit 120 obtains the coordinates of the marker area discriminated in this way.

(Display method switching)
The display method switching unit 130 provides means for switching the display method of the marker area when the input image is displayed on the image display unit 140. For example, the input image itself is displayed and the input image corresponding to the marker area is displayed in a predetermined color based on the marker area coordinates determined by the marker area determination unit 120. Can do. Specifically, in the present embodiment, when the input image shown in FIG. 3 is displayed by the display method switching unit 130, and only the marker region is filled with black 50 and 51 as shown in FIG. It is possible to switch to the case where the image 16 is displayed.

  Two or more switching methods may be used, and any color can be used without being limited to black painting. Further, the marker area may be displayed in an arbitrary predetermined pattern instead of filling. Furthermore, the same color as the marker area can be used as a fill color. In that case, for example, the average value of the pixel values in the marker area may be used as the fill color.

  Also, the following method can be used to fill and display the marker area as shown in FIG. First, based on the coordinates of the marker area determined by the marker area determination unit 120, a mask image 18 as shown in FIG. 5 is created in which a portion corresponding to the marker area is filled with a predetermined color and the other areas are set as transparent colors. When the mask image is displayed so as to be superimposed on the background image, the filled areas 60 and 61 display the contents of the mask image, and other areas set as transparent colors transmit the background image. , The content of the background image is displayed in that part. Therefore, by overlaying and displaying the mask image of FIG. 5 with the input image of FIG. 3 as the background image, only the marker area can be displayed with black fills 50 and 51 as shown in FIG.

If there are a plurality of identified marker areas, mask images corresponding to the number of the areas can be created, and a plurality of mask images can be superimposed and displayed on the input image as a background.

  Means for instructing specific switching of the display method is not limited to the keyboard, mouse, and buttons, and any other input means such as voice recognition can be used.

(Image display)
The image display unit 140 switches the marker region display method based on the designation of the display method switching unit 130 and displays the input image on an output device such as a CRT. Specifically, an image is displayed as shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 4 based on designation by the display method switching unit 130.

  FIG. 6 shows the flow of processing for switching between displaying the input image on the image display unit 140 and displaying only the marker area in accordance with an instruction from the display method switching unit 130. is there.

  First, in step S110, the value of the variable Flag indicating how the marker area is displayed is set to “1” indicating that the marker area is filled and displayed.

  Next, it is determined whether or not the variable is “1” in step S120. If it is “1”, the marker area is filled and displayed in step S130, and if not, the input image is displayed in step S140.

  Further, in step S150, it is determined whether or not the condition for terminating the display, and the process proceeds to step S160 unless the display is terminated. In step S160, in response to an instruction from the display method switching unit 130, if the instruction fills the marker area, the flag value of the variable is set to “1” in step S170, otherwise “0” in step S180. And return to step S120.

  The above operation is performed until the display is completed, and the display method of the marker area can be switched and displayed on the image display unit 140 by an instruction from the display method switching unit 130.

(Image scroll)
Further, the image display unit 140 may have a function of scrolling the image up, down, left, or right based on the user's designation when the entire image does not fit within the display screen. Furthermore, it has a function of changing the display magnification of the image based on the user's specification and displaying the image in an enlarged / reduced manner. The above user designation can be performed using an input device such as a keyboard, a mouse, or a button.

(Effects of the first embodiment)
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the marked document is input by inputting a marked document as an image, discriminating the marker area from the input image, and switching the display method of the marker area. When displaying a document on the screen, the marker area display method can be easily switched and displayed. Specifically, by switching the marked area on the document between the display of the input image and the display of a predetermined color or pattern, for example, the marking content on the document can be visually confirmed and the state where it cannot be visually confirmed. Can be easily switched and displayed.

  It should be noted that the marking on the manuscript may be any as long as the color component and the density level are different from those of other portions on the manuscript, and the user can arbitrarily perform marking. In addition, the contents of the part whose display method is to be changed can be printed in advance so that the color component and density level are different from those of other parts, or the user can arbitrarily enter the contents.

(Second Embodiment)
In the above-described first embodiment, the display method of the marker area marked on the document cannot be switched individually. On the other hand, the second embodiment is characterized in that a means for designating a marker area for switching the display is provided, and the display method for only the marker area designated by the user is switched.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of the image display apparatus according to the second embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 7, the image display device 200 according to the present embodiment has a display switching marker designation unit 150 added to the configuration of the image display device 100 (FIG. 1) according to the first embodiment. It is characterized by.

  The display switching marker designation unit 150 is a functional unit that designates a marker region for switching the display method among the marker regions determined by the marker region determination unit 120. That is, the display switching marker designation unit 150 can designate a marker region for switching the display method among the marker regions discriminated by the marker region discriminating unit 120. When the input image is displayed on the image display unit 140, The display method of the marker area can be switched only for the designated marker area.

  Other configurations are substantially the same as those of the first embodiment, and thus the duplicate description is omitted.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
In the present embodiment, a display medium such as a display screen using a CRT will be described as an example of the medium to be processed. Further, redundant description of operations substantially similar to those of the first embodiment is omitted.

(Display switching marker designation)
The display switching marker designation unit 150 provides a means for designating a marker region for switching the display method of the marker region when the input image is displayed on the image display unit 140. In the first embodiment, the display method switching unit 130 can switch the display method of the marker region determined by the marker region determination unit 120, but the display method of all the marker regions is switched. On the other hand, by providing the display switching marker specifying unit 150, it is possible to switch the display method of only the marker area specified by the display switching marker specifying unit 150.

  For example, when the input image 15 shown in FIG. 9 is obtained by reading the display screen 12 in which a plurality of markings 30 and 32 are entered as shown in FIG. 8, the marker area discriminating unit 120 discriminates the marker areas 40 and 42. be able to. Furthermore, the display method switching unit 130 can switch between the case where the input image shown in FIG. 9 is displayed and the case where only the marker areas 50 and 52 are displayed at a low resolution as shown in FIG.

  Then, by designating the marker area 50 as a marker area whose display method is switched by the display switching marker designation section 150, all marker areas as shown in FIG. 10A are displayed at a low resolution and FIG. It is possible to switch to the case where only the marker area 52 as shown in B) is displayed at a low resolution.

  The specific marker designation method may be a method of pointing the marker area using an input device such as a mouse, or assigning a number to the marker area determined by the marker area determination unit 120 and assigning the number to the marker area. A method of displaying the number on the screen and designating the number with an input device such as a button or a keyboard may be used. Alternatively, a method may be used in which a marker area number is inputted by voice from a microphone or the like, and a designated marker area is recognized using voice recognition means.

(How to open hidden areas in order)
As another specification method, when a user performs a predetermined operation (for example, presses a certain button), a marker region displayed on the display screen is specified as a marker region for switching the display method in a predetermined order. It is also possible. At this time, in order to clearly indicate to the user that the marker area is designated, a display method that can be distinguished from other marker areas can be used. For example, a frame line that surrounds the marker region with a predetermined color can be displayed simultaneously.

  More specifically, in FIG. 11, a border line 60 is displayed around the marker region 40 so that the marker region 40 that is a marker region for switching the display method is designated. The arrows in the figure indicate the transition order in which the marker area is designated next when the user presses a button. Next, when the button is pressed by the user, the marker area 42 becomes a marker area whose display method can be switched. In the example shown in FIG. 11, there are only two marker areas. Similarly, when there are three or more marker areas, they can be designated as marker areas whose display methods are switched in order. The image can be scrolled so that the designated marker area is displayed in the center of the screen.

  Further, for example, when the processing target medium is a document, the order of transition to be a designated marker area can be changed depending on whether the document is written horizontally or vertically. In horizontal writing, if the marker area coordinates are specified as a marker area that switches the display method in the order of the marker area in the upper left to the marker area in the lower right (so-called raster order), You can specify the marker area to switch the display method according to the order.

  As described above, by using the means for designating the marker region for switching the display method as described above and the function for scrolling the image of the image display unit 140, the marker region for which the display method can be switched can be designated in order. It becomes possible. That is, regardless of the position of the marker area in the image, first, the image is scrolled so that the marker area whose display method is to be switched is displayed in order on the screen, and there are multiple marker areas in the display screen. Even so, it is possible to designate a desired marker area as a marker area for switching the display method by repeatedly operating one button.

(Image display)
In the present embodiment, an example has been described in which the marker area is not filled with a predetermined color and pattern but is displayed using resolution information of a part of the image. By displaying using only a part of the image information, such as low resolution display and low density level display, the contents displayed on the display medium can be made invisible. The same effect can be obtained as in painting with a predetermined color.

  FIG. 12 shows a flow of processing for switching and displaying only the marker region designated in the image display unit 140 in accordance with an instruction from the display switching marker designation unit 150. In this flowchart, the marker area is not displayed at a low resolution, but is displayed in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Steps S110 to S150 are the same as those in the first embodiment. Since it is substantially the same, redundant description is omitted.

  In step S252, it is determined whether or not a marker region for switching the display method is designated by an instruction from the display switching marker designation unit 150. If there is a designation, the process proceeds to step S254. If not, the process proceeds to step S160.

  In step S254, it is determined which is the current display method of the designated marker area. If the current display method is a solid display, the marker area is switched to the input image display in step S256. Otherwise, in step S258, the marker area is filled and switched to display. In either case, after switching the display, the process proceeds to step S160.

  Since the subsequent process of step S160 is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment, the redundant description is omitted.

  The above operation is performed until the display is completed, and the display method of only the designated marker region can be switched and displayed on the image display unit 140 according to an instruction from the display switching marker designation unit 150.

  In the above embodiment, the user can specify the marker area for switching the display method of the marker area, and can switch the display method of only the specified marker area. For example, the order of switching the display method of the marker area is determined in advance. In addition, it is possible to easily switch the display method of the marker areas in that order based on the user's display switching instruction.

  For example, if you decide to switch the marker area display method from the marker area at the top to the marker area at the bottom on the display screen based on the coordinates of the marker area obtained by the marker area discrimination means, As shown in FIG. 13, images can be displayed in the order of (A), (B), and (C) in FIG. 13 based on a display switching instruction from the user. In FIG. 13, (A) shows a case where display of all marker areas is switched, and characters 50 and 52 are displayed at a low resolution. (B) is a case where the display of the character 50 of (A) is switched, and only the character 52 is displayed at a low resolution. (C) further shows a case where the display of the character 52 of (B) is switched.

(Effect of the second embodiment)
As described above, according to this embodiment, a marked display screen is input as an image, a marker area is determined from the input image, and a method for displaying only a specified marker area among the determined marker areas is provided. Since it can be switched, the user can change the display method of an arbitrary marker area. Specifically, only the content displayed on the marked part of interest on the display screen is displayed, for example, by easily switching between a visible state and an invisible state, and other marking parts are invisible. I can keep it. Accordingly, it is possible to pay attention to the marking portions in order, and to easily display only the display contents of the marking portion of interest each time, for example, between a visible state and an invisible state.

  Further, in this embodiment, instead of filling the marker area with a predetermined color, when displaying the input image, the display is not performed using all the image information, but only using a part of the image information. doing. That is, it is possible to easily make the contents displayed on the display medium invisible by simply changing the method of handling the image information in the marker area when displaying the input image.

(Third embodiment)
In the first embodiment described above, the marker areas corresponding to all the markings on the document are determined, and the marker area display methods are all the same. In contrast, the third embodiment is characterized in that means for setting a marker type to be determined as a marker area is provided, only the specified marker area is determined, and the display of only the marker area is switched. Furthermore, a means for designating a display method of the marker area according to the type of each marker area is provided, and a different display method is performed according to the type of the marker area.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of an image display apparatus according to the third embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 14, the image display apparatus 300 according to the present embodiment has a marker type setting unit 160 and a marker display setting designation in the configuration of the image display apparatus 100 (FIG. 1) according to the first embodiment. 170 is added.

  The marker type setting unit 160 is a functional unit that sets the type of marker area to be determined by the marker area determination unit 120. The marker display setting unit 170 is a functional unit that sets a display method corresponding to the type of each marker area.

  Other configurations are substantially the same as those of the first embodiment, and thus the duplicate description is omitted.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
Note that redundant description of operations substantially similar to those of the first embodiment is omitted.

(Marker type setting)
The marker type setting unit 160 sets the marker type determined by the marker region determination unit 120 as a marker region. The marker type is not limited to one, and a plurality of types may be set. For example, when FIG. 15 is a marked document and an underlined area in the input image (FIG. 16) is set as a marker area to be determined by the marker area determination unit 120 by the marker type setting unit 160, a marker area determination unit In 120, only the underlined area 36 is discriminated as the marker area 46, and the display method switching unit 130 displays the input image shown in FIG. 16, and the underline exists as shown in FIG. 17A. It is possible to switch to the case where only the area 46 is displayed with the fill 56 with a predetermined pattern.

(Marker display setting)
In the marker display setting unit 170, the display method switching unit 130 can set a display method for switching the display method of the marker area for each marker type. For example, the marker type setting unit 160 sets the marker type determined by the marker region determination unit 120 as an area surrounded by a frame line, an underlined area, and an area in parentheses. The display method of the area surrounded by the line is set as a background color, the display method of the area underlined is set as a predetermined pattern, and the area in parentheses is set as black.

  By doing so, the marker area discriminating unit 120 discriminates only the area 34 surrounded by the frame line, the underlined area 36, and the parenthesis area 38 as the marker areas 44, 46, and 48, and the display method. When the input image shown in FIG. 16 is displayed by the switching unit 130, and the marker area 44 surrounded by the frame line is filled with the background color 54 as shown in FIG. 17B (the solid line in the figure is the present embodiment). The underlined area 46 is filled with a predetermined pattern 56, and the area 48 in parentheses is switched to the case of displaying with a black filled 58. Can do.

  In this embodiment, the mark to be determined as the marker area is an underlined area or an area in parentheses. However, the mark is not particularly limited as long as it can be recognized as a marker area. A region surrounded by a frame line or a region where an underline exists can be determined using a known ruled line detection technique in which ruled lines are extracted based on the number of continuous black pixels in the OCR technique. The area in parentheses can be determined by finding a specific character code using character recognition technology.

(Image display)
In this embodiment, an example in which the marker area is filled with a background color in addition to a case where the marker area is filled with a predetermined color and pattern has been shown. However, the background color is filled with the color of the pixels around the determined marker area. Based on the information, for example, the average value of the peripheral pixel values can be realized as a background color that fills the marker area.

  Also, in the present embodiment, the marker area is discriminated according to the set marker type, and the display method is switched by changing the display method only by different display methods depending on the marker area type. These are the same as those in the first embodiment (FIG. 6).

  In the second embodiment, the marker region display method is determined in advance based on the coordinates of the marker region, and the marker region display method is determined in that order based on the user's display switching instruction. An example of switching is shown. Further, in the present embodiment, an example is shown in which the marker area is determined according to the marker type set by the marker type setting unit 160 when the marker area is determined. Therefore, by combining these, it is possible to easily change the display method according to the type of marker, and to change the display method according to the user's display switching instruction. It is. By changing the display method to the order of blue marking, yellow marking, and red marking, when displaying, the marker area display method can be switched in that order. It is also possible to associate the type with the importance and switch the display method of the marker area in the descending order of importance.

(Effect of the third embodiment)
As described above, according to the present embodiment, when a marked document is input as an image, and only the marker area to be specified is determined from the input image, the marked document is displayed on the screen. , It is possible to switch and display only the designated marker area. That is, even if there are multiple types of markings on the manuscript, the user can specify only the desired marker type whose display method is to be switched, and can switch the display method for only that marker region when displaying the marker region. it can. Specifically, by switching only the specified marking type area on the manuscript between display of the input image and display in a predetermined color, pattern, or background color, only the specified marking portion on the manuscript is entered. For example, it is possible to easily switch and display between a visible state and a non-visible state.

  In the present embodiment, the marker area display method can be designated according to the type of each marker area. Therefore, if different markings are given according to the content type of the manuscript (for example, hiragana, katakana, alphabetic characters, numbers, etc.), even if the written content of the marking portion on the manuscript is not visible, the display method Because of the difference, the type of entry can be confirmed immediately.

(Fourth embodiment)
In the above-described second embodiment, only one image is displayed by switching the display method of the marker area on the image. On the other hand, in the fourth embodiment, means for switching the display method of the marker area on each image over a plurality of images is provided. In addition, when the display is interrupted, by providing means for retaining the state of the marker area in which the displayed image or display method has been switched, when the display is resumed, the display method of the marker area is resumed from the interrupted state. It is characterized by switching and displaying.

FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of an image display apparatus according to the fourth embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 18, the image display device 400 according to the present embodiment includes an image control unit 180 and a state holding unit 190 in the configuration of the image display device 200 (FIG. 7) according to the second embodiment. It is characterized by having been added.

  The image control unit 180 is a functional unit that stores the order in which images are displayed and controls an image input to the image input unit 110 from a plurality of existing images. The state holding unit 190 is a functional unit that holds the state of the marker area where the displayed image and the display method are switched. That is, the image control unit 180 stores the order in which the images are displayed, and controls an image input to the image input unit 110 from a plurality of existing images. The state holding unit 190 can hold the state of the marker area where the displayed image and the display method are switched.

  The other configuration is substantially the same as that of the second embodiment, and a duplicate description is omitted.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
Note that redundant description of operations substantially similar to those of the second embodiment is omitted.

(Image control)
The image control unit 180 stores in which order the images are displayed for a plurality of images to be displayed by switching the display method of the marker area. The order may be the order in which the images were acquired, the order in which the images were saved, or the alphabetical order of the file names if the images were saved as files. Furthermore, the display order of images may be set in advance in any order by the user.

  First, in the initial state, the first image determined as described above is input to the image input unit 110. Subsequent marker area discrimination and display method switching are the same as in the second embodiment.

  Next, when the user instructs to display the next image, the image order stored in the image control unit 180 is referred to, and an image corresponding to the next order of the currently displayed image is input as an image. To the unit 110. As a designation method, an input device such as a keyboard, a mouse, or a button may be used. It should be noted that not only the next image but also the display of the previous image and the display of the next next image can be performed by referring to the order of the images stored in the image control unit 180 and inputting the corresponding image. This can be realized by inputting to the unit 110.

(State maintenance)
When the image display is interrupted, the state holding unit 190 stores the order of the images to be displayed, the images being displayed, and the marker area for which the display method has been switched.

  By storing such information in the state holding unit 190, when the image is displayed again after the display is interrupted, the image can be displayed again from the same state as when the user interrupted the display. In other words, the order of images to be displayed stored in the state holding unit 190 is set in the image control unit 180, and the displayed image is input to the image input unit 110 and displayed when the display is interrupted. An image can be displayed. Further, by specifying the marker area stored in the state holding unit 190 with the display switching marker specifying unit 150, the marker area is set as a marker area whose display method can be switched, and the display is returned to the interrupted state. Is possible.

(Effect of the fourth embodiment)
As described above, according to the present embodiment, by setting and storing the display order for a plurality of images, the images are displayed in the stored order according to the user's specification, and each image is displayed. It is possible to switch the display method of the marker area existing in the display. In other words, even if there are marker areas for which you want to switch display methods in multiple images, if you set the images in the order you want to display them in advance, you can easily display the images in the order you set and switch the display method for the marker areas be able to.

  In addition, when the display of the image is interrupted, the state of the marker area to which the displayed image and the display method are switched is stored, and then stored when the display of the image is resumed. Based on the state, it can be returned to the same state as when it was interrupted. Therefore, even if the user resumes image display after interrupting the display, the display of the image and the switching of the marker area display method can be continued from the interrupted state, instead of returning to the initial state. .

  The preferred embodiments of the image display device and the image display method according to the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to such examples. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes or modifications can be conceived within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims, and these are naturally within the technical scope of the present invention. It is understood that it belongs.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for an image display device and an image display method capable of recognizing a marked area on an input image and switching the display method of that portion.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the image display apparatus concerning 1st Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the original document which marked some area | regions. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an input image obtained by reading the marked document in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an image in which a marker area of the input image in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the mask image for the fill-in display of a marker area | region. It is a flowchart of the display switching method concerning a 1st embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the image display apparatus concerning 2nd Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the display screen in which multiple marking exists. It is explanatory drawing which shows the input image which read the marked display screen of FIG. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an image in which a marker region of the input image in FIG. 9 is displayed at a low resolution. It is explanatory drawing regarding the marker area designation | designated method in the input image of FIG. It is a flowchart of the display switching method in 2nd Embodiment. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an image in which marker areas of the input image in FIG. 9 are displayed in a predetermined order at a low resolution. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the image display apparatus concerning 3rd Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the original document in which multiple marking exists. FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an input image obtained by reading the marked document in FIG. 15. It is explanatory drawing which shows the image which displayed the marker area | region of the input image of FIG. 16 by filling. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the image display apparatus concerning 4th Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100,200,300 Image display apparatus 110 Image input part 120 Marker area | region discrimination | determination part 130 Display method switching part 140 Image display part 150 Display switching marker designation | designated part 160 Marker type designation | designated part 170 Marker display setting part 180 Image control part 190 State holding part

Claims (30)

An image input unit that receives the input image by inputting the processing target medium with markings;
A marker area discriminating unit for discriminating a marker area marked on the target medium from the input image;
A display method switching unit for switching the display method of the marker area;
An image display unit that displays the input image by switching the marker region determined by the marker region determination unit using the display method specified by the display method switching unit;
An image display device comprising:   2. The image according to claim 1, wherein the marker area determination unit determines an area filled with a predetermined color or an area surrounded by a predetermined color on the target medium as the marker area. Display device.   The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the marker area determination unit determines an area configured with a predetermined color on the target medium as the marker area.   The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the marker area determination unit determines a closed area surrounded by a frame line on the processing target medium as the marker area.   The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the marker area determination unit determines an area where a predetermined mark exists on the processing target medium as the marker area.   6. The image display unit according to claim 1, wherein the display of the marker area is switched between display of the input image and display with a predetermined color, pattern, or background color. An image display device according to claim 1.   The image display unit creates a mask image in which the marker area has a predetermined color, pattern, or background color and the other part is a transparent color, and the mask image and the input image are overlapped to create a marker area. The image display apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the image display apparatus performs solid display.   The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the image display unit displays the marker area by switching between display of the input image and low-resolution display.   9. The color and pattern used by the image display unit for displaying the marker area are arbitrarily designated by a user or automatically determined according to the marker area. The image display device described in 1. A display switching marker designating unit for designating switching of a display method for each marker area;
The image display unit displays the input image by switching a display method of only the marker region designated by the display switching marker designation unit among the plurality of marker regions. The image display apparatus in any one of -9.   The image display device according to claim 10, wherein the image display unit displays the input image by switching a display method of a plurality of the marker areas in a predetermined order.   The image display device according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the image display unit scrolls the image so that the marker region designated by the display switching marker designation unit is displayed at the center of the screen. An image control unit for storing an order of displaying images for a plurality of images to be displayed by switching a display method of the marker area, and controlling an image to be input to the image input unit from a plurality of existing images;
A state holding unit for holding information on the state of the marker region specified by the display switching marker specifying unit;
The image display device according to claim 10, further comprising: A marker type setting unit for setting a marker type to be determined as the marker region;
The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the marker region determining unit determines only the marker region set by the marker type setting unit.   The image display device according to claim 14, further comprising a marker display setting unit that sets a corresponding display method for each type of marker region determined by the marker region determination unit. An image input process in which a target medium with markings is input and an input image is acquired;
A marker area determination step for determining a marker area marked on the target medium from the input image;
A display method switching step for switching the display method of the marker area;
An image display step of switching the marker region determined in the marker region determination step by a display method specified in the display method switching step and displaying the input image;
An image display method comprising:   17. The image according to claim 16, wherein in the marker area determination step, an area filled with a predetermined color or an area surrounded by a predetermined color on the processing medium is determined as the marker area. Display method.   18. The image display method according to claim 16 or 17, wherein, in the marker area determining step, an area configured with a predetermined color on the target medium is determined as the marker area.   The image display method according to claim 16, wherein in the marker area determination step, a closed area surrounded by a frame line on the processing medium is determined as the marker area.   20. The image display method according to claim 16, wherein, in the marker area determining step, an area where a predetermined mark exists on the target medium is determined as the marker area.   21. The display of the marker area in the image display step, wherein the display of the marker area is switched between the display of the input image and the filled display with a predetermined color or pattern or background color. The image display method of crab.   In the image display step, a mask image having a predetermined color or pattern or background color in the marker region and a transparent color in other portions is created, and the mask image and the input image are overlapped to create a marker region. The image display method according to claim 21, wherein a solid display is performed.   21. The image display method according to claim 16, wherein in the image display step, display of the marker area is switched between display of the input image and low-resolution display.   24. The color and pattern used for displaying the marker area in the image display step are arbitrarily specified by a user or automatically determined according to the marker area. The image display method described in 1. A display switching marker designation step for designating switching of a display method for each marker area,
17. The input image is displayed by switching the display method of only the marker region designated by the display switching marker designation step among the plurality of marker regions present in the image display step. The image display method in any one of -24.   26. The image display method according to claim 25, wherein, in the image display step, the input image is displayed by switching a display method of a plurality of the marker areas in a predetermined order.   27. The image display method according to claim 25 or 26, wherein, in the image display step, the image is scrolled so that the marker region designated by the display switching marker designation step is displayed at the center of the screen. An image control step of storing an order of displaying images for a plurality of images to be displayed by switching the display method of the marker region, and controlling an image input in the image input step from a plurality of existing images;
A state holding step for holding information on the state of the marker region designated in the display switching marker designation step;
The image display method according to claim 25, further comprising: A marker type setting step for setting a marker type to be determined as the marker region;
The image display method according to any one of claims 16 to 28, wherein in the marker region determining step, only the marker region set in the marker type setting step is determined.   30. The image display method according to claim 29, further comprising a marker display setting step of setting a corresponding display method for each type of marker region determined in the marker region determination step.

Images