JP2005286608A - Thumbnail display apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a thumbnail display apparatus for displaying thumbnail images the arranged number of which is increased. <P>SOLUTION: Upon the receipt of an operation of a thumbnail button, a digital video camera generates thumbnail images 10 read from a recording medium and arranged and displays the thumbnail images 10 on a monitor section. A right side part of a first image 101 in the thumbnail images 10 arranged to a left end 11a is overlapped on a left side part of a second image 102 and a right side part of the second image 102 is overlapped on a left side part of a third image 103, and the images are arranged overlappingly so as to increase the number of arranged images by the overlap. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a thumbnail display device that can increase the number of images to be arranged when displaying a plurality of images as thumbnails.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an apparatus having a monitor unit such as an imaging apparatus, a mobile phone with an imaging function, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), and a portable personal computer reduces a plurality of images recorded on a randomly accessible recording medium. In general, the arranged display, that is, the thumbnail display is performed so that the user can easily confirm the contents of the recorded image.

  FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a state in which the conventional digital video camera 1 which is one of the imaging devices displays the thumbnail image 5 on the display screen 2a of the monitor unit 2, and FIG. FIG. The digital video camera 1 has a built-in hard disk device 3 and records the captured moving image in the hard disk device 3 as a single file from the start of imaging to the end of imaging. In addition, when the user operates the thumbnail button 4f provided on the upper part of the housing, the digital video camera 1 reads out the images related to the first image frame of the recorded moving image from the respective files, and reduces the respective images to arrange them. The thumbnail image 5 is created and displayed on the display screen 2a of the monitor unit 2.

  Further, the digital video camera 1 is also provided with arrow keys 4a to 4b and a circular decision button 4e on the top, bottom, left, and right, and the thumbnail image 5 in FIG. 11 by operating the arrow keys 4a to 4b. Any one of the arranged images 501 to 515 can be selected, and by operating the determination button 4e in the selected state, the moving image related to the image determined to be selected is reproduced and displayed on the entire screen. If all the images related to the recorded moving image cannot be arranged in one thumbnail image 5, the digital video camera 1 creates a plurality of thumbnail images, and selects each of the images by selecting the next key 5a on the lower right. Display thumbnail images by switching them sequentially.

  In the case of a digital camera that captures still images, as in the case of the above moving image, a thumbnail in which images relating to a plurality of still images are arranged is displayed, and when selection of an image is received from the displayed images, only the selected image is displayed. Many are designed to display in full screen. The creation of thumbnail images is also performed by a recording device such as a DVD recorder or a hard disk recorder. This type of recording device is connected to an external display device, and data relating to the created thumbnail image is displayed as a connection destination display device. To display thumbnails on an external display device.

On the other hand, a monitor unit included in an image pickup device and a device that performs thumbnail display such as a PDA has a required limit on the size of the display screen, and therefore the number of images that can be arranged in thumbnail display is limited. An information management apparatus that displays images in a three-dimensional ring-shaped image arrangement by overlapping the parts is disclosed (see Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-107772

  Since the information management apparatus according to Patent Document 1 displays an image in which each image is arranged three-dimensionally, there is a problem that the processing burden on the apparatus related to the display of the three-dimensional image arrangement increases. Also, since each image is arranged in a ring shape and displayed on the monitor unit, the image is not arranged at the corner of the rectangular display area of the monitor unit, and the entire display area of the monitor unit cannot be used effectively. There is a problem that efficient image display cannot be performed.

  Furthermore, since each image is arranged in a ring shape, the operation for selecting an image is significantly different from the operation for a conventional thumbnail image, and there is a problem that a user who is used to conventional thumbnail display feels uncomfortable. Furthermore, when any one of the three-dimensionally arranged images is selected, the image arrangement is changed for each selection because the arrangement is changed so that the selected image is displayed in the forefront so that each image is rotated. This makes it difficult for a user to recognize the position of each image.

  In order to increase the number of images that can be arranged in the conventional arrangement form of thumbnail images 5 shown in FIG. 11, it can be assumed that each image is further reduced, but in order to maintain a level at which the image contents can be visually recognized. Since there is a certain limit to the reduction of the image size, it is not very realistic to further reduce the image and increase the number of array images.

The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a thumbnail display device in which the number of array images is increased while maintaining a level at which each image can be visually recognized in an array form that does not give the user a sense of incongruity. And
It is another object of the present invention to provide a thumbnail display device that maintains operability related to selection of arranged images, and allows a selected image to be confirmed better than other images.

  In order to solve the above problems, a thumbnail display device according to the present invention is a thumbnail display device that displays on a display unit a thumbnail image in which a plurality of rectangular images are arranged along an image side. The image forming apparatus includes a thumbnail creation unit that creates thumbnail images in which images are arranged so that they overlap each other, and the width of overlapping the adjacent portions is not less than 1/20 and not more than 2/3 of the width of the image in the arrangement direction It is characterized by being.

  In addition, the thumbnail display device according to the present invention outputs data related to a thumbnail image in which a plurality of rectangular images are arranged along the image side from a connection unit to which an external display device is connected, and the external display device In the thumbnail display device that performs thumbnail display in the image processing apparatus, the thumbnail display device includes thumbnail creation means for creating thumbnail images in which the respective images are arranged so that the side portions between adjacent images overlap each other. The width in the arrangement direction is set to 1/20 or more and 2/3 or less.

  Furthermore, the thumbnail display device according to the present invention is characterized in that an image that is one end side of an array among adjacent images is superimposed on an image that is the other end side of the array.

A thumbnail display device according to the present invention creates a thumbnail image in which thumbnail images arranged in a linear manner are overlapped based on a logarithmic function in a thumbnail display device that displays a thumbnail image in which a plurality of images are linearly arranged on a display unit. A thumbnail creation means is provided.
The thumbnail display device according to the present invention outputs data related to a thumbnail image in which a plurality of images are arranged in a straight line from a connection unit to which an external display device is connected, and performs thumbnail display on the external display device. The thumbnail display device is characterized by comprising thumbnail creation means for creating thumbnail images arranged so that the arranged images overlap based on a logarithmic function.

Furthermore, the thumbnail display device according to the present invention further includes a selection receiving unit that receives selection of an image arranged in the thumbnail image, and when the selection receiving unit receives the selection, the thumbnail creation unit performs selection. A feature is that thumbnail images are created by superimposing images on adjacent images.
Furthermore, in the thumbnail display device according to the present invention, when the thumbnail creating unit creates a thumbnail image in which a frame is formed around each image arranged, and the selection receiving unit receives a selection, The frame of the image related to selection is made thicker than the frame of other images.

Further, the thumbnail display device according to the present invention includes means for changing the luminance of the thumbnail image so that the luminance of the image related to the selection is higher than the luminance of the other images when the selection receiving unit receives the selection. It is further provided with the feature.
Furthermore, in the thumbnail display device according to the present invention, when the selection accepting unit accepts selection of an image, the thumbnail creating unit is located near the one end side of the image arranged on one end side of the array from the selected image. A thumbnail image is created by superimposing a portion on an adjacent image and overlaying a side portion on the other end side of an image arranged on the other end side of the array on an adjacent image. And

  In the present invention, each image is arranged along the image side and a thumbnail image in which the side portions between adjacent images are overlapped is created. Therefore, each image is based on a conventional arrangement form that is not a three-dimensional arrangement. The number of array images is increased compared to the prior art after images are arranged so as not to make the user feel uncomfortable. Moreover, since the width which overlaps side parts is made into 1/20 or less of 1/2 of the width length of an image, the visibility with respect to each image is fully ensured. In addition, when the resolution of the display screen on which the thumbnail images are displayed is large, or when it is desired to keep the visibility of each image particularly good, the width of overlapping the adjacent portions is set to 1/20 or more of the width of the image 4 It is preferable to reduce the width of the adjacent images to about one third or more and two thirds or less of the width of the image. It is preferable to make it about.

  In consideration of the balance between the visibility of the image and the increase in the number of arranged images, it is preferable to set the width of the side portions to be overlapped to about one fourth to one third of the width of the image. By the way, if the width of the overlap of the side parts is reduced to one third of the width of the image using the present invention compared to the case where 30 images are arranged by the conventional method, Forty images can be arranged in the array length.

  In the present invention, by superimposing the image on one end side of the array on the image on the other end side of the array among adjacent images, the superposition method related to the arrayed image is unified, The displayed range is uniform except for images arranged at one end of the array, and the visibility of each image is improved. In this case, only the image arranged at one end is displayed in the entire range.

  In the present invention, since the images are arranged so as to overlap based on the logarithmic function, the number of array images can be further increased based on the conventional array form. When arranging a plurality of images based on a logarithmic function, one of the images arranged in a straight line is displayed in the entire range, and the image in which the entire range is displayed is centered. Thus, the positions of the images arranged on one end side and the other end side of the array are specified based on a logarithmic function. As a result, the visibility of the image in which the entire range is displayed and the image arranged in the vicinity thereof is improved, and the display width of the image arranged in a place away from the image in which the entire range is displayed is logarithmically narrow. Therefore, many images can be arranged as a whole.

In the present invention, the selection accepting unit accepts the selection of an image, and the selected image is displayed on the adjacent range, so that the entire range is displayed and the selected image is selected. The user can confirm all the contents reliably including the part that was hidden before.
In the present invention, since the frame related to the selected image is thicker than the frame of the other images, the user can distinguish at a glance the image selected from the many images arranged.

In the present invention, since the brightness of the selected image is higher than that of the other images, the selected image can be more easily distinguished from the plurality of images. In consideration of the range of brightness adjustment, although it depends on the content of the image to be displayed (brightness at the time of standard display), it is generally easier to process by reducing the brightness other than the selected image. It is easier to visually recognize the image related to the selection when the process is performed.
In the present invention, the selection is performed with respect to the overlapping method of the images arranged on one end side of the array around the selected image and the overlapping method of the images arranged on the other end side of the array. Since the display forms of the images other than the images are made the same, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a situation in which the display range of the image adjacent to the selected image is narrowed and maintain the overall visibility of the thumbnail images.

In the present invention, since each image is arranged along the image side and a thumbnail image in which side parts between adjacent images are overlapped is created, after securing an arrangement form that does not make the user feel uncomfortable, The number of array images can be increased compared to the conventional case.
Further, in the present invention, by superimposing the image on one end side of the array on the image on the other end side of the array among the adjacent images, the method of overlapping the images is unified as a whole. The visibility of the image can be improved.

Furthermore, in the present invention, since the images are arranged so as to overlap based on the logarithmic function, the number of array images can be further increased based on the conventional array form.
Furthermore, in the present invention, the entire range of the selected image can be displayed by superimposing the selected image on the adjacent image, and the user can select all the desired images by performing an image selection operation. You can check the contents.

Further, in the present invention, by making the frame relating to the selected image thicker than the frame of the other image, it is possible to easily distinguish the image selected from the many images arranged.
Furthermore, in the present invention, since the brightness of the selected image is higher than that of other images, the selected image can be more easily distinguished from other images.
Furthermore, in the present invention, it is intended to overlap the images arranged on one end side of the array with the selected image as the center, and the overlap method of images arranged on the other end side of the array. The overall visibility of the unselected thumbnail images can be improved.

  FIG. 1 shows a thumbnail image 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The thumbnail image 10 is characterized in that the number of images that can be arranged in the same display area is increased as compared with the conventional thumbnail image 5 shown in FIG. It is said. Further, in the present embodiment, a digital video camera is applied to the thumbnail display device that displays the thumbnail image 10, and the hardware configuration of this digital video camera is the same as the conventional one. Description will be made using the same reference numerals as those of the digital video camera.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a portion related to thumbnail display processing in the digital video camera 1 that displays the thumbnail image 10. The digital video camera 1 has a configuration in which a display interface unit 1a, a connection interface unit 1b, a thumbnail creation unit 1c, a video codec unit 1d, a RAM 1e, a ROM 1f, an operation unit 4, and a CPU 1g are connected via an internal bus 1h.

  The display interface unit 1a is connected to the monitor unit 2, and performs processing for displaying an image received from the internal bus 1h on the monitor unit 2. The connection interface unit 1b is connected to the hard disk device 3 and performs processing for writing an image received from the internal bus 1h into the hard disk device 3 in units of files in accordance with a required interface standard, and is recorded in the hard disk device 3 under the control of the CPU 1g. Processing to read out the image is also performed. Note that the digital video camera 1 acquires an image related to a moving image or a still image by imaging by an imaging unit not shown in FIG. 2, and further enables acquisition of an image from an external video input terminal (not shown).

  The thumbnail creation unit 1c creates the thumbnail image 10 of FIG. 1, and details will be described later. When it is necessary to compress an image, the video codec unit 1d performs processing related to image compression and also performs decompression processing of the compressed image. The RAM 1e temporarily records data related to the processing performed by the units 1c, 1d, and the like, and the ROM 1f records various data such as a program that defines the processing content performed by the CPU 1g and a menu displayed on the monitor unit 2.

  The operation unit 4 connected to the internal bus 1h includes up / down / left / right arrow keys 4a to 4d, a determination button 4e, a thumbnail button 4f, and the like. The contents of instructions received from the user are associated with these keys and buttons. Specifically, each of the arrow keys 4a to 4d receives an instruction to select one of a plurality of objects displayed on the monitor unit 2, The determination button 4e receives an instruction to determine the selection contents, and the thumbnail button 4f receives an instruction to display a thumbnail. When each key and button receives an instruction by a user operation, the received instruction is transmitted to the CPU 1g.

  The CPU 1g performs overall control of the digital video camera 1, and performs necessary control on the above-described processes of the units 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, and the like. Note that the CPU 1g performs processing based on a program recorded in the ROM 1f, and receives instructions from the operation unit 4 to start processing related to various controls. For example, when receiving an instruction to display a thumbnail, the CPU 1g controls the thumbnail creation unit 1c to create a thumbnail image and controls the monitor unit 2 to display the created thumbnail image. Further, when an image selection operation is performed with each of the arrow keys 4a to 4d during thumbnail display, the CPU 1g accepts the selection of an image according to the operation instruction, and displays a thumbnail image representing the selected image in a selected state. The thumbnail creation unit 1c is controlled so as to create it.

Next, details of processing performed by the thumbnail creating unit 1c will be described. The thumbnail creation unit 1c
When an instruction to display a thumbnail is received from the CPU 1g, an image related to a moving image or a still image recorded in the hard disk device 3 is read for each file, and the thumbnail image 10 in FIG. In the present embodiment, the read images 101 to 121 are arranged so as to partially overlap each other. Specifically, the images 101 to 101 arranged along the long side 101a of the rectangular image 101 located at the upper left are arranged. 107 is arranged so that side portions between adjacent images overlap with each other to form the upper arrangement unit 11, and the other middle arrangement unit 12 and lower arrangement unit 13 also arrange the images 108 to 121 in the same manner as described above. A thumbnail image 10 is created.

  FIG. 3 shows details of the overlapping state of the images 101 and 102 arranged in the upper array unit 11. For the first image 101 and the second image 102 corresponding to adjacent images, the thumbnail creating unit 1c includes a right side portion 101b on the right side of the first image 101 and a left side portion 102a on the left side of the second image 102. The images 101 and 102 are overlapped in the range of one third of the width L in the arrangement direction. Further, the thumbnail creation unit 1c displays the first image 101 with the right side portion 101b of the first image 101 over the left side portion 102a of the second image 102 with respect to the overlapping portion, and the second image 102. The left side portion 102a is hidden so as not to be displayed. In the set of the first image 101 and the second image 102, the first image 101 corresponds to an image on the left end 11a side of the array, and the second image 102 is an image on the right end 11b (see FIG. 1) side of the array. It corresponds to.

  Furthermore, the thumbnail creation unit 1c also applies to the second image 102 and the third image 103, which are the next pair of adjacent images, in the same way as described above, in the vicinity of both sides within the range of one third of the width L. The images 102 and 103 are arranged so as to overlap each other, and in the overlapped range, the right side portion 102 b of the second image 102 is overlaid on the left side portion 103 a of the third image 103. The thumbnail creation unit 1c performs the above-described arrangement on all the images, so that the images 101, 108, and 115 arranged at the left end of each of the arrangement units 11 to 13 display the entire range, and other than the left end. For the images 102, 103, etc., the thumbnail image 10 of FIG. 1 in which the range of two-thirds of the width L is displayed is created.

  Since the thumbnail image 10 has six portions where the adjacent images overlap each other for each of the arrangement portions 11 to 13, the thumbnail image 10 can be arranged for each of the arrangement portions 11 to 13 as compared with the conventional thumbnail image 5 shown in FIG. 10. The number of images is increased by 2 to increase the total by 6 images. Even if the number of images is increased in this way, the images 102, 103, etc. other than the left end are displayed in the range of two-thirds of the width length L, so that sufficient visibility is ensured. The thumbnail creating unit 1c transmits the thumbnail image 10 created as described above to the display interface unit 1a through the internal bus 1h, and the thumbnail image 10 is displayed on the monitor unit 2 by the transmission of the thumbnail image 10.

  The thumbnail creating unit 1c arranges the above-described images 101 to 121 by designating coordinate numerical values in the coordinate system related to the display screen 2a of the monitor unit 2. In the present embodiment, in order to quickly display the thumbnail image 10 on the monitor unit 2, the thumbnail creation unit 1c sequentially creates thumbnail images 10 for the images read from the hard disk device 3 and displays them to the display interface unit 1a. I try to transmit. Therefore, the monitor unit 2 does not display the thumbnail image 10 of FIG. 1 at a time, but displays the images so as to be sequentially added according to the image reading from the hard disk device 3, and finally displays all the images. A thumbnail image 10 in which 101 to 121 is arranged is displayed.

  On the other hand, when any one of the images is selected by a user operation while the thumbnail image 10 is displayed on the monitor unit 2, the thumbnail creating unit 1c displays the selected image in a selected state based on the control of the CPU 1g. A thumbnail image is created and transmitted to the display interface unit 1a.

  FIG. 4 is a view showing a part of the thumbnail image 10 ′ displayed in a state where the fourth image 104 from the left end 11 a arranged in the upper array unit 11 is selected. In this case, the thumbnail creation unit 1c causes the third image 103 adjacent to the left side of the left side portion 104a of the fourth image 104 from the state shown in FIG. 1 so that the entire range of the selected fourth image 104 is displayed. A thumbnail image 10 'superimposed on the right side portion 103b of the image is created and transmitted to the display interface unit 1a. Since the right side portion 104b of the fourth image 104 overlaps the fifth image 105 adjacent to the left from the beginning, the degree of overlap is not particularly changed.

  As described above, since the thumbnail creation unit 1c changes the overlapping state of the adjacent images from the state shown in FIG. 1 according to the selection of the image, the selected image is displayed in the entire range. The contents of the selected image can be confirmed reliably. Further, since the position of the selected image does not change and only the display form of the overlapped portion is changed, the processing load of the thumbnail creation unit 1c for image selection is light, and the user does not change the image position. There is no complication. Note that when the images 101, 108, and 115 arranged at the left end in the thumbnail image 10 shown in FIG. 1 are selected, these images 101, 108, and 115 are normally displayed in their entire range, so that the thumbnails are displayed. The creation unit 1c does not perform a process of changing the overlapped range.

  In addition, this embodiment is not limited to the structure which concerns on the description mentioned above, There exist various modifications. For example, a digital camera, a mobile phone with an imaging function, a PDA, a portable personal computer, or the like other than the digital video camera 1 shown in FIG. By providing means for processing, the thumbnail image 10 of FIG. 1 can be displayed. The digital video camera 1 shown in FIG. 2 is configured to record an image on a built-in hard disk device 3 as a recording medium. However, random access such as a removable semiconductor memory, an optical disk such as a CD and a DVD is possible. It is also possible to use a simple recording medium.

  Furthermore, the present invention provides a television device which is an external display device without providing a monitor unit and a connection unit connected to the display device, and records a television broadcast program or the like on a randomly accessible recording medium. It is also applicable to the device. In this case, the recording apparatus is provided with means for performing processing equivalent to that of the thumbnail creation unit 1c described above, and the data related to the created thumbnail image is output from the connection unit to the connected television device and display device for display. Processing will be performed. As described above, when the present invention is applied to a recording apparatus, the number of images that can be arranged at a time in thumbnail display can be increased, and even when the number of recorded images is large, the frequency of switching thumbnail images to find a desired image is reduced. it can.

  The created thumbnail image 10 can also have a configuration other than the arrangement form described above. For example, in the thumbnail image 10 of FIG. 1, the width of adjacent portions between adjacent images is defined as the width of the images 101 to 121. Although it is set to 1/3 of the length L, it is from 1/20 to 3/3 of the width L depending on the display resolution, screen dimensions, the number of images to be arranged, etc. related to the display screen 2a of the monitor unit 2. It may be set at a required ratio up to 2.

  In particular, when the screen size of the display screen 2a is large and the display resolution is high, the number of images that can be arranged can be increased even if the overlapping range of the images is reduced. It is preferable to set at a ratio of 1 or less, and when the screen size related to the display screen 2a is small, the ratio is set at a ratio of 1/3 to 2/3 from the viewpoint of securing the number of images that can be arranged. In particular, in the case where priority is given to an increase in the number of images that can be arranged, it is effective to set the overlapping range of the images to one half or more of the width length L. Furthermore, the width where the adjacent portions overlap each other may be set to a different ratio for each overlapping portion without having to be the same ratio for all adjacent images. For example, the upper arrangement unit 11 of the thumbnail image 10 may be set to 1/6, the middle arrangement unit 12 to 1/4, and the lower arrangement unit 13 to 1/3.

  In addition, in the thumbnail image 10 of FIG. 1, the images 101, 108, and 115 on the left end 11a side of each array unit 11 to 13 are displayed in the entire range, but the images 107 and 114 on the right end 11b side are displayed. , 121 can be displayed in the entire range, and thumbnail images in which the overlapping state of adjacent images is in a reverse relationship to the state shown in FIG. In this case, when the selection is moved from the right end 11b side to the left end 11a side, the image is selected and displayed as if turning the page of the right-closed booklet. In the case of the thumbnail image 10 of FIG. 1, when the selection is moved from the left end 11a side to the right end 11b side, images selected in a sense of turning the left-closed booklet pages are sequentially displayed. Moreover, the relationship of the overlapping state of the adjacent images described above can be made different for each arrangement part. For example, the upper arrangement part 11 and the lower arrangement part 13 arrange each image in the state of FIG. It is also possible to make only the middle stage arrangement part 12 overlap opposite to the state of FIG. In such an arrangement, the selection can be sequentially moved from the left end 11a of the upper arrangement unit 11 to the image 121 arranged at the right end of the lower arrangement unit 13 in the manner of a single stroke.

  Further, in order to make the selected image stand out from the other images, the frame 104c of the selected fourth image 104 is displayed thicker than the other images 101, 102, 103, 105 as shown in FIG. Also good. When such a display is performed, the thumbnail creation unit 1c shown in FIG. 2 creates a thumbnail image in which a frame having a required thickness is formed around each image, and an image (for example, an image for which selection has been received based on the control of the CPU 1g). The entire range of the fourth image 104) is displayed, and a process for creating a thumbnail image in which the frame of the selected image (for example, the frame 104c) is thicker than other images is performed. Furthermore, in order to clarify the distinction between the selected image and other images, the frame may be thickened and the color of the frame may be different from the frame color of other images.

  As another display mode that makes it easy to distinguish the selected image from other images, it is also possible to create and display a thumbnail image in which the brightness of the selected image is higher than that of the other images. is there. When such a display is performed, the thumbnail creation unit 1c shown in FIG. 2 performs a process of uniformly reducing the value of the luminance component of each image with respect to an unselected image, thereby creating a thumbnail image. I do. As a result, only the selected image is displayed with normal luminance, and the visibility is improved over other images. As another processing method that can be performed by the thumbnail creating unit 1c when the luminances are different, a method of increasing the luminance component of the selected image and decreasing the luminance component of the unselected image is selected. There is also a method in which only the luminance component of an image is increased and the luminance component of an unselected image is not changed.

  On the other hand, when an image is selected, the display range of adjacent images may be narrowed. Therefore, a display form for correcting this may be applied. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the third image 103 on the left side of the fourth image 104 is displayed only in the range of one third of the width length L when the fourth image 104 is selected. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5B, the overlapping state of the images 101 to 104 arranged on the left end side of the array from the selected fourth image 104 is arranged from the fourth image 104 to the right end side of the array. The image 105 to be overlapped is reversed. The processing performed by the thumbnail creation unit 1c in such a case is as follows.

  That is, when the thumbnail creation unit 1c receives an instruction from the CPU 1g to display the fourth image 104 in a selected state, the thumbnail creation unit 1c displays the entire range of the fourth image 104 and also displays the fourth image 104 from the left end side of the array. The left side portion 102a of the second image 102 and the left side portion 103a of the third image 103 that are arranged in the right side portion 101b of the first image 101 and the right side portion of the second image 102 that are adjacent to the images 102 and 103, respectively. A thumbnail image superimposed on the portion 102b is created. As a result, an image in which the displayed range is one third of the width length L disappears, so that images other than the selected image always display a range of two thirds of the width length L. The contents of images other than the selected image can be confirmed satisfactorily. Note that the fifth image 105 and the like arranged on the right end side of the array from the selected fourth image 104 displays a range of two-thirds of the width length L as shown in FIG. In particular, the overlap is not changed.

  In addition, the above-described processing for securing the display range of unselected images has been described based on the overlapping method of the images shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, but the overlapping method that is the reverse of FIGS. This can be done in the same way even when the images are all overlapped and the other images are displayed in the range of two-thirds. The processing performed by the thumbnail creation unit 1c when the fourth image 104 is selected in such an overlapping manner is as follows. That is, in this case, since the display range of the fifth image 105 on the right side of the fourth image 104 is one third of the width length L, each of the images arranged from the fourth image 104 to the right end 11b side of the array. A thumbnail image is created by superimposing the right-side portions of the images 105 and 106 on the images 106 and 107 adjacent to the images 105 and 106. As a result, the display range of each image other than the selected fourth image 104 is uniformly two-thirds of the width length L, and the visibility of other images deteriorates even when any image is selected. Can be prevented, and visibility of the entire thumbnail image can be secured.

  It should be noted that the above-described display form related to the thick frame, the display form for changing the luminance, and the display form for changing the overlapping method of other images in accordance with the selected image can be used in appropriate combination. Further, the arrangement form of the plurality of images in the various thumbnail images described above can be applied to the case of only one column other than the arrangement of the plurality of arrangement sections as shown in FIG. 1, and the vertical direction on the display screen 2a of the monitor section 2 can be applied. The present invention can also be applied to a grid-like array form in which images adjacent to each other in both the horizontal direction and the vertical direction are superimposed.

  The thumbnail image 15 shown in FIG. 6 is provided with a vertical arrangement unit 150 of only one column in which the images 151 to 155 are arranged in a vertical direction so that a part thereof overlaps in the left range, and a moving image display area 16 is provided from the center to the right range. It is provided. A date and time display unit 17 indicating the shooting date and time of a moving image to be reproduced and displayed in the display area 16 is provided above the moving image display area 16, and an up and down key 15a, a menu button 15b, and a recording are displayed below the moving image display area 16. A button 15c is also provided. The vertical arrangement unit 150 arranges the images 151 to 155 so that only the first image 151 arranged at the upper end of the arrangement is displayed in the entire range. In addition, the width | variety which overlaps the side parts between the images adjacent up and down is made into 1/3 of the image length of the vertical direction of each image 151-155. In the display area 16, a moving image related to the image file whose entire range is displayed in the vertical arrangement unit 150 is reproduced and displayed, and the user operates the up / down key 15 a to select a desired one from the vertical arrangement unit 150. By selecting this image, the moving image relating to the selected image file is displayed and reproduced in the display area 16.

  FIG. 7 shows a thumbnail image 20 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The thumbnail image 20 is characterized in that the images 201 to 227 arranged in a straight line are arranged so as to overlap based on a logarithmic function. In the second embodiment, the configuration of the apparatus for displaying thumbnails is the same as that of the first embodiment. Therefore, the thumbnail image 20 is displayed by the digital video camera 1 shown in FIG. 10 as in the first embodiment. As below, the processing content according to the second embodiment will be described (the reference numerals relating to the digital video camera 1 are also used).

  In the thumbnail image 20 of FIG. 7, a plurality of images are similarly arranged in each stage based on a logarithmic function in the upper stage arrangement unit 21, the middle stage arrangement unit 22, and the lower stage arrangement unit 23. The arrangement based on the logarithmic function will be described in the upper arrangement unit 21. The center image 205 of the upper arrangement unit 21 is displayed in the entire range, and the images 201 to 204 arranged on the left end side from the center image 205 and arranged on the right end side. The positions of the images 206 to 209 are specified based on a logarithmic function.

FIG. 8 is a graph showing a logarithmic function curve K according to the following formula (1), and the curve K is used for image arrangement.
y = b × log _a x (1)
However, a> 1, b> 0

  The image layout of the thumbnail image 20 in FIG. 7 is calculated as follows by the thumbnail creation unit 1c shown in FIG. 1 based on the graph in FIG. First, a point A1 of the curve K corresponding to the coordinate y1 that is the width L in the image arrangement direction from the origin on the y axis is obtained, and the coordinate x1 on the x axis with respect to the point A1 is obtained. Next, a distance P from the intersection A0 between the curve K and the x axis to the coordinate x1 is obtained, and coordinates x2 to x5 spaced from the coordinate x1 for each distance P are obtained. Further, the y-axis coordinates y2 to y5 corresponding to the respective coordinates x2 to x5 are obtained based on the curve K, and the image positions are specified so that the right sides 205a to 209a of the images 205 to 209 coincide with the respective coordinates y1 to y5.

  By specifying the image position as described above, the images 205 to 209 are arranged based on the logarithmic function. Specifically, the center image 205 displays the entire range, and the next image 206 displays a portion corresponding to the range H1, which is the difference between the coordinates y2 and the coordinates y1. Hereinafter, the next image 207 displays a portion corresponding to the range H2 that is the difference between the coordinates y3 and the coordinates y2, and the image 208 displays a portion corresponding to the range H3 that is the difference between the coordinates y4 and the coordinates y3. The image 209 displays a portion corresponding to a range H4 that is a difference between the coordinates y5 and the coordinates y4.

  In addition, the thumbnail creation unit 1c is configured so that the images 201 to 204 arranged on the left end side from the center image 205 are also subject to the arrangement and targets of the images 206 to 209 on the right end side around the image 205. Similarly, the thumbnail image 20 shown in FIG. 7 is created by specifying the image position. Compared with the conventional thumbnail image 5 shown in FIG. 11, the number of images that can be arranged in the same display area is increased by four for each thumbnail image 20.

  FIG. 9 shows the change of the display form when an image is selected in the second embodiment, the upper figure shows the state before selection, and the lower figure shows the third image 203 from the left selected. Indicates the state. In response to the image selection, the thumbnail creation unit 1c receives a selection instruction from the CPU 1g, displays the selected image in the entire range, and calculates the formula (1) for the image arranged on the left and right ends of the selected image. The image position is calculated based on (), and a process for creating a thumbnail image in which the image is arranged at the position specified by the calculation is performed. In the lower diagram of FIG. 9, since the number of images that can be arranged on the right side of the selected third image 203 increases logarithmically, images 210 to 217 are displayed as compared with the upper diagram.

  As described above, in the second embodiment, the number of images that can be displayed by selecting an image is increased from the state shown in FIG. 7, but even if an image displayed near the end is displayed, the contents can hardly be confirmed. An upper limit may be provided for the number of arranged images. In addition, since the number of image arrangements in the thumbnail image 20 according to the second embodiment depends on the values of a and b in Expression (1), the number of arrangement images is also changed by changing the values of a and b. The number of images that can be increased as compared with the conventional thumbnail image 5 also changes.

  For example, when the width L of the image is “10”, the conventional thumbnail image 5 shown in FIG. 11 requires a dimension of “100” to arrange ten images in the horizontal direction. In the thumbnail image 10 of the second embodiment, by setting a and b to required values, ten images having the same width and length L can be accommodated in the dimension “20”. Also, considering that the number of images that can be arranged increases logarithmically, the upper limit number of images that can be arranged is the number of images arranged from one image displaying the entire range (corresponding to image 205 in FIG. 7). It is reasonable to limit the number to about 5-6. On the other hand, when priority is given to the ability to confirm how many images are recorded on the hard disk device 3, the images may be arranged beyond the above-mentioned limitation (about 5 to 6). Good.

  In the second embodiment, configurations other than those described above are the same as those in the first embodiment, and various modifications in the first embodiment can also be applied to the second embodiment. Therefore, also in the second embodiment, the thumbnail image 20 shown in FIG. 7 can be displayed on devices such as a digital camera, a mobile phone with an imaging function, a PDA, and a portable personal computer. Furthermore, a television set that is an external display device without providing a monitor and a connection unit that is connected to the display device, and a recording device that records a television broadcast program on a randomly accessible recording medium are also included. Two embodiments are applicable. In this case, the recording apparatus creates a thumbnail image in which the images are arranged based on the logarithmic function described above, and outputs data related to the created thumbnail image from the connection unit, so that the television apparatus, the display apparatus, and the like can be used as shown in FIG. The thumbnail image 20 shown in FIG.

It is a figure which shows the thumbnail image which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the component relevant to the process of the thumbnail display of a digital video camera. It is a figure which shows the duplication form of the thumbnail image of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the state from which the image was selected. (A) is a figure which concerns on the modification which shows the state from which the image was selected, (b) is a figure which concerns on another modification which shows the state in which the image was selected. It is a figure which shows the thumbnail image which concerns on a modification. It is a figure which shows the thumbnail image which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a graph which shows the logarithmic function utilized for the image arrangement | positioning of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the displacement to the selected state of the image in 2nd Embodiment. It is a perspective view of the digital video camera which displays a thumbnail image. It is a figure which shows the conventional thumbnail image.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Digital video camera 1c Thumbnail creation part 2 Monitor part 2a Display screen 3 Hard disk device 5, 10, 15, 20 Thumbnail image 101-121, 201-227, 501-515 image

Claims (9)

In a thumbnail display device that displays a thumbnail image in which a plurality of rectangular images are arranged along an image side on a display unit,
A thumbnail creating means for creating a thumbnail image in which each image is arranged so that side portions between adjacent images overlap each other,
A width for overlapping the side portions is set to be 1/20 or less and 2/3 or less of the width of the image in the arrangement direction. In a thumbnail display device that outputs data related to a thumbnail image in which a plurality of rectangular images are arranged along the image side from a connection unit to which an external display device is connected, and performs thumbnail display on the external display device.
A thumbnail creating means for creating a thumbnail image in which each image is arranged so that side portions between adjacent images overlap each other,
A width for overlapping the side portions is set to be 1/20 or less and 2/3 or less of the width of the image in the arrangement direction.   3. The thumbnail display device according to claim 1, wherein an image that is one end side of the array among adjacent images is superimposed on an image that is the other end side of the array. In a thumbnail display device that displays a thumbnail image in which a plurality of images are linearly arranged on a display unit,
A thumbnail display device comprising: a thumbnail creating means for creating thumbnail images arranged so that the arranged images overlap based on a logarithmic function. In a thumbnail display device that outputs data related to a thumbnail image in which a plurality of images are linearly arranged from a connection unit to which an external display device is connected and performs thumbnail display on the external display device,
A thumbnail display device comprising: a thumbnail creating means for creating thumbnail images arranged so that the arranged images overlap based on a logarithmic function. A selection receiving means for receiving selection of images arranged in the thumbnail images;
6. When the selection accepting unit accepts a selection, the thumbnail creating unit creates a thumbnail image in which an image related to the selection is superimposed on an adjacent image. The thumbnail display device described in one. The thumbnail creating means creates a thumbnail image in which a frame is formed around each arranged image,
7. The thumbnail display device according to claim 6, wherein when the selection accepting unit accepts the selection, the frame of the image related to the selection is made thicker than the frames of the other images.   8. The apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, further comprising means for changing the luminance of the thumbnail image so that the luminance of the image related to the selection is higher than the luminance of the other image when the selection receiving unit receives the selection. Thumbnail display device.   When the selection accepting unit accepts the selection of the image, the thumbnail creating unit superimposes the side portion of the image arranged on one end side of the array from the image related to the selection on the adjacent image, and 9. The thumbnail image according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein a thumbnail image is created by superimposing a side portion of the image arranged on the other end side of the array on an adjacent image. Thumbnail display device.

Images