JP2007304247A - Image processing apparatus, image processing method, image processing program, and computer readable recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an improved image processing method allowing a display free from incompatibility in appearance even in a low-specification apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: The image processing method subjects data including an image to processing so as to make the image appear as if moving. The image A is acquired. It is judged whether there is a need for performing processing so as to make the image A appear as if moving. When it is judged there is such need, judgment is made if a saving image B reducing a file capacity with respect to the image A exists or not. If the saving image B exists, the saving image B is used as the data for display at the time of displaying the image A as if moving. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention generally relates to an image processing apparatus, and more particularly to an image processing apparatus that controls display by reducing the file capacity of an image when displaying a moving image or animation on a low-spec device. The present invention also relates to an image processing method, a program, and a program medium for realizing such processing.

  In recent years, with the advent of electronic books, it is expected that more ordinary people will read electronic books in the future. E-books have the appeal of being able to express expressions that were not possible with ordinary paper media books. One of them is an expression method such as animation or animation.

  Unlike a still image, a moving image or animation can express a motion and can have a large amount of information at a time, so it is suitable for explanation and can catch the eye of a user. Therefore, it is considered as one of the expression methods that the author wants to use.

  However, because movies and animations have a large file capacity, low-spec devices have a small amount of memory, so the movie or animation cannot be played back, or even if it can, it takes time to process. It may take too much time to wait for the display.

  As a method for solving this problem, Patent Document 1 discloses an image display system that shortens the time for initial display of an image and does not let the user feel the time for obtaining higher resolution data.

Specifically, in response to a request for initial display, transferring low-resolution data and transferring high-resolution data while the user is referring to the low-resolution image allows higher When the user requests resolution data, the user does not feel the waiting time.
First, by displaying a low-resolution image, there is an advantage that a high-resolution image can be displayed without causing the user to feel the waiting time. Although low-resolution images are used, no applicable method for moving images or animations is described.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-98579

  Usually, it is considered that the author intends to show a high-quality image as much as possible, so that an image used in an electronic book or the like is a high-definition image as much as possible. High-definition images generally have a large capacity. In the case of animation, since such a high-definition image is used and produced, the capacity of the entire animation becomes considerably large. Also, moving images generally have a large capacity. Low-spec devices have a small memory capacity, so when displaying movies and animations, they cannot be played back, or even if they can, the processing load is so great that processing takes too much time, There is a possibility that time may be waited before displaying.

  However, this makes both the reader and the author feel uncomfortable, and it cannot be said that the expression of the electronic book is appropriately performed.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object thereof is to provide an image processing apparatus capable of optimally expressing functions for an electronic book while satisfying the needs of users and authors.

  Another object of the present invention is that when a moving image or animation is displayed on a low-spec device in particular, the memory capacity required at the time of processing can be reduced and the processing can be performed at high speed. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image processing apparatus improved so as to be able to perform no display.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide an image processing method capable of realizing such processing.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide an image processing program capable of realizing such a method.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a recording medium on which such an image processing program is recorded.

  An image processing apparatus according to the present invention is an image processing apparatus that performs processing on data including an image and makes the image appear to move, and the image A is obtained and the image A appears to move. Means for determining whether or not it is necessary to perform processing, and if it is determined that it is necessary to perform processing so that the image A is moved, the file capacity of the image A is reduced. Means for determining whether or not the saved image B exists, and when the saved image B exists, the saved image B is used as display data when the image A is displayed to move. Use.

  According to the present invention, when displaying a moving image or animation, the original image is not displayed as it is, but replaced with an image having a small file capacity, so that the memory capacity required for processing is small and the processing is performed at high speed. This makes it possible to display an image that does not feel strange even on low-spec devices.

  According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, displaying the image so as to move includes moving the image to perform scroll display or displaying a moving image.

  According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the image processing apparatus further includes image saving creation means for creating the image saving B.

  It is preferable that the saved image B has a reduced file capacity by reducing the number of tones that combine the lightness and saturation of the image.

  The saved image B may be a file with a reduced file capacity by reducing the number of hues of the image.

  The saved image B may be a file with a reduced file capacity by reducing the resolution of the image.

  The saved image B may have a reduced file capacity by reducing the resolution in the direction in which the image appears to move.

  The direction in which the image appears to move is any one of all directions that can move on a two-dimensional coordinate, such as diagonally up, down, left, or right.

  The saved image B is preferably included in data including the image A.

  According to a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus further comprises necessary memory calculating means for calculating a memory capacity necessary for displaying the predetermined image A, the memory capacity calculated by the required memory calculating means, The processing performance is compared to determine whether or not to use the above-described image saving B.

  A method according to another aspect of the present invention is an image processing method for performing processing on data including an image and causing the image to appear to move, the step of acquiring the image A, and moving the image A A step of determining whether or not it is necessary to perform processing so that the image A can be seen, and if it is determined that it is necessary to perform processing so that the image A is moved and viewed, A step of determining whether or not the reduced image B exists, and when the image A is moved and displayed when the image B is moved, the image B is used as display data. Using steps.

  According to the image processing method of the present invention, when displaying a moving image or animation, the original image is not displayed as it is, but is replaced with an image having a small file capacity. In addition, high-speed processing is possible, and even a low-spec device can display an uncomfortable display.

  A program according to still another aspect of the present invention is an image processing program that performs processing on data including an image and makes the image appear to move, the step of acquiring the image A, and moving the image A A step of determining whether or not it is necessary to perform processing so that the image A can be seen, and if it is determined that processing needs to be performed so that the image A is moved and viewed, Determining whether or not there is a saved image B having a reduced size, and when the saved image B exists, when the image A is displayed to move, the saved image B is displayed as display data. And an image processing program for causing a computer to execute the steps used as.

  A recording medium according to still another aspect of the present invention is a computer-readable recording medium on which the above-described image processing program is recorded.

  According to the present invention, when displaying a moving image or animation on a low-spec device in particular, the original image is not displayed as it is, but replaced with an image having a small file capacity. In addition, high-speed processing is possible, and a display that does not feel strange even on low-spec devices is possible.

  The goal is to obtain an image processing device that is improved so that it can be displayed visually without any discomfort when displaying moving images or animations, particularly on low-spec devices. It was realized by replacing the image with a smaller file size instead of displaying it.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

  In this embodiment, a case where an image with a small capacity is prepared in advance in an electronic content file will be described.

  FIG. 1 shows an image processing apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The image processing apparatus is, for example, a personal computer including software capable of displaying an image or a portable terminal capable of displaying an image.

  The image processing apparatus 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101, a monitor 102, a fixed storage device 103, a keyboard 104, a memory 105, and an SD (Secure Digital) memory card reader connected to each other via a bus. 106. An SD memory card 107 is attached to the SD memory card reader 106. The keyboard 104 is, for example, a keyboard used in a personal computer or a numeric keypad of a mobile phone. The image processing apparatus 100 can also be connected to a network. Note that the SD memory card reader and the network are not necessarily necessary components.

  The processing in the image processing apparatus 100 is realized by computer hardware and software executed by the CPU 101. Generally, such software is stored and distributed in advance in the fixed storage device 103, or is read from a recording medium by the SD memory card reader 106 or the like, or is stored in the fixed storage device 103 via a network. Once stored. Further, it is read from the fixed storage device 103 to the memory 105 and executed by the CPU 101. The computer hardware itself shown in FIG. 1 is general. Therefore, the most essential part of the present invention is software recorded on a recording medium such as the fixed storage device 103.

  Since the operation of the computer itself shown in FIG. 1 is well known, detailed description thereof will not be repeated here.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the image processing apparatus according to the present embodiment. The image processing apparatus includes an operation unit 110 that receives user operation input, a display unit 111 that displays an electronic book, a data reception unit 112 that receives data from an external device through wireless or wired communication, and an HDD (Hard Disc drive), an external storage unit 113 composed of a removable recording medium such as a memory card, an internal storage unit 114 for storing electronic book data, and electronic book data in response to input from the operation unit And a control unit 115.

  In the image display device, the electronic book data is read from the external storage unit 113 such as the inserted SD memory card or the electronic book data is acquired from another device via the network in the data receiving unit 112, and the internal storage unit 114.

  The operation unit 110 is configured by a keyboard, a touch pen, or the like that includes up / down / left / right keys and a determination key, and outputs an input signal to the control unit 115 upon receiving a user operation input.

  The control unit 115 reads predetermined electronic book data stored in the internal storage unit 114 based on an input signal input from the operation unit 110, generates display data, and displays the display data on the display unit 111.

  A detailed configuration of the control unit will be described with reference to FIG.

  The control unit 115 includes a display determination unit 116, an image saving presence / absence determination unit 117, and an image saving acquisition unit 118. The display determination unit 116 determines whether or not to perform processing for displaying an image so as to move.

  Here, the “display so as to move the image” refers to the following case.

  That is, for the purpose of the content, there is a description of performing a moving display such as “display the left half at first, but then display the right half while scrolling” on the image A in advance on the electronic book, or Image A is a case of a moving image or animation that appears to move.

  This is a case where the user performs an operation of moving the image A with the intention of the user.

  Furthermore, when the user performs an operation that does not intend to move the image A, such as a page turning or scrolling operation, the image A moves as a specification of the display device.

  The image-saving presence / absence determination unit 117 has an image in the electronic book having a smaller file capacity than the original image (an image in which the file capacity is reduced by performing, for example, processing described later on the original image). Determine whether or not.

  The reduced image acquisition unit 118 acquires an image having a smaller file capacity than the original image from the internal storage unit 114 when the reduced image presence / absence determination unit 117 determines that there is an image having a smaller file size than the original image. To do.

  The processing in the control unit 115 will be specifically described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  With reference to FIG. 4, first, in step S <b> 121, an image A to be displayed is acquired from the internal storage unit 114.

  In step S122, the display determination unit determines whether it is necessary to perform a process in which the image A appears to move.

  If it is determined that it is necessary to perform processing that makes it appear that the image A is moving in accordance with the conditions, whether or not the image B having a small file capacity with respect to the image A exists in the electronic book in step S123. If it exists, the image B is acquired in step S124, and this is set as the image A, and the process proceeds to step S125.

Here, the image B having a small file capacity means an image in which the file capacity is reduced by performing the following processing on the original image A.
-Reduce the number of tones that combine brightness and again-Reduce the number of hues-Reduce the resolution

  In the case of the third method of reducing the resolution, the direction in which the image A appears to move is considered to be all directions that can be moved in two-dimensional coordinates such as up, down, left, and right. It is effective to reduce the resolution in this direction. This is because it is difficult to feel uncomfortable as a characteristic of human eyes.

  If it is not necessary to perform the process in which the image A appears to move in step S122, and if the image B having a small file size does not exist in the electronic book in step S123, the process proceeds to step S125.

  In step S125, the image A is used to perform a process that appears to move the image A and is displayed on the display unit 111.

  By performing such processing, if a small-capacity image is prepared in advance in the electronic content file, the image can be used to reduce the memory capacity required for processing and at high speed. It is possible to process the display, and even a low-spec device can display an uncomfortable display.

  In the above description, the description has been made assuming that only the image is displayed on the screen. However, if there is a display other than the image on the screen, for example, a video or flip animation mixed with text is displayed. When the image is displayed or an image in the telop is displayed, it can be dealt with by performing the same processing for only the image.

  This embodiment is applied when an image with a small capacity is dynamically created.

  In the first embodiment, the case where an image with a small capacity is prepared in advance in the electronic content file has been described. Here, a method for dynamically creating a small-capacity image will be described.

  Referring to FIG. 5, control unit 115 includes a display determination unit 116, an image saving presence / absence determination unit 117, an image saving acquisition unit 118, and an image saving image creation unit 119.

  The reduced image creation unit 119 dynamically creates an image with a reduced file capacity using the original image.

  The processing in the control unit 115 will be specifically described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  The difference from the flowchart of FIG. 3 described in the first embodiment is that, in step S123, when the image B having a small file capacity with respect to the image A does not exist in the electronic book, the image A is based on the image A in step S131. Thus, an image B having a small file capacity is created, and this is set as the image A, and the process proceeds to step S125.

  By such processing, if a small-capacity image is prepared in advance in the electronic content file, that image is used, and if it is not prepared, image B is dynamically created. This makes it possible to reduce the memory capacity required at the time of processing and to perform high-speed processing, and to display an uncomfortable display even in a low-spec device.

  Next, a case where it is known that a small-capacity image is not prepared in advance in the electronic content file will be described.

  In this case, referring to FIG. 7, control unit 115 does not require saved image existence determination unit 117 and saved image acquisition unit 118, and includes display determination unit 116 and saved image creation unit 119.

  The processing in the control unit 115 will be specifically described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  The difference from the flowchart of FIG. 4 described in the first embodiment is that in step S123, without determining whether the image B having a small file capacity for the image A exists in the electronic book, in step 141, The point is that an image B having a small file capacity is created based on the image A, and this is set as the image A, and the process proceeds to step S125.

  Such processing eliminates the need for having a small-capacity image B inside the electronic book, which is effective in reducing the capacity of the electronic book itself. By dynamically creating the image B, it is possible to reduce the memory capacity required at the time of processing and to perform high-speed processing, and it is possible to display an uncomfortable display even in a low-spec device.

  This embodiment is applied when it is determined whether the processing load is heavy when the original image is used. In the first embodiment, the case where an image having a small capacity is prepared in advance in the electronic content file has been described. In the second embodiment, a method for dynamically creating an image having a small capacity has been described.

  In these explanations, since the processing load may be reduced, it was thought that it would be more effective to use a reduced image. However, if the specifications of the image processing apparatus are high, even if the original image is used, If the processing load of processing does not increase, it is better to use the original image. Therefore, here, in the processing described in the first and second embodiments, is the processing load heavy if the original image is used? A method for determining whether or not will be described.

  First, a method for determining whether or not the processing load increases when the original image is used will be described with respect to the first embodiment.

  Referring to FIG. 9, control unit 115 includes a display determination unit 116, an image saving presence / absence determination unit 117, an image saving acquisition unit 118, a performance investigation unit 120, and a necessary memory calculation unit 121.

  The performance investigation unit 120 examines the processing performance of the device. The processing performance of the device may be unique to the device, or may be a value obtained by investigating and measuring the state of the device each time.

  The necessary memory calculation unit 121 calculates the memory capacity required to display an image and compares it with the processing performance of the device, so that it is possible to determine whether the processing load is large when using the original image. it can.

  The processing in the control unit 115 will be specifically described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  The difference from the first embodiment is that, in step S123, before the image B having a small file size with respect to the image A is determined in the electronic book, the image A is processed in step S151. Whether or not the load is large is determined, and only when it is determined that the load is large, the process proceeds to step S123.

  Next, a method for determining whether or not the processing load increases when the original image is used will be described with respect to the second embodiment.

  Referring to FIG. 11, the control unit 115 includes a display determination unit 116, an image saving presence / absence determination unit 117, an image saving acquisition unit 118, an image saving creation unit 119, a performance investigation unit 120, and a necessary memory calculation unit. 121.

  The processing in the control unit 115 will be specifically described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  The difference from the flowchart of FIG. 4 described in the first embodiment is that in step S123, before determining whether or not the image B having a small file capacity for the image A exists in the electronic book, in step S151, When the image A is used, it is determined whether or not the processing load is large, and the process proceeds to step S123 only when it is determined that it is not in time.

  Finally, in the second embodiment, if it is known that a small-capacity image is not prepared in advance in the electronic content file, it is determined whether the processing load increases when the original image is used. A method will be described.

  In this case, referring to FIG. 13, the control unit 115 does not need the image saving presence / absence determination unit 117 and the image saving acquisition unit 118, and the display determination unit 116, the image saving creation unit 119, and the performance investigation unit 120 and a necessary memory calculation unit 121.

  The processing in the control unit 115 will be specifically described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

  The difference from the flowchart of FIG. 6 described in the second embodiment is that when image A is used in step S151 before image B having a small file capacity is created based on image A in step 141, the process The determination is whether or not the load is large, and only when it is determined that the load is large, the process proceeds to step S141.

  If the processing load does not increase even if the image A is used by such processing, it is not necessary to replace the image B with the small file capacity if the image A is used. This makes it possible to display the display without any sense of incongruity even in a low-spec device.

  As an application example of the present invention, for example, a case where electronic book content is read with a mobile phone can be considered. Assume that the electronic book content includes a large image that does not fit on the small screen of the mobile phone. As a method of displaying this image, there is a case where a part of the image is displayed first, and when the next key is pressed, the remaining image is scrolled. Since the performance of mobile phones is not so high, scroll processing usually takes time and scroll display may be slow. However, by using the present invention, the scroll processing load can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to smoothly perform the scroll display without a sense of incongruity.

  It should be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative and non-restrictive in every respect. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

  For example, it can be used when reading electronic book content on a mobile phone.

1 is a block diagram illustrating an image processing apparatus according to a first embodiment. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an image processing apparatus according to a first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram (part 1) illustrating a detailed configuration of a control unit in the image processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. 6 is a flowchart (part 1) illustrating a procedure of image display processing in the image processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. 12 is a block diagram (part 2) illustrating a detailed configuration of a control unit in the image processing apparatus according to the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a flowchart (part 2) illustrating a procedure of image display processing in the image processing apparatus according to the second embodiment. FIG. 9 is a block diagram (part 3) illustrating a detailed configuration of a control unit in an image processing apparatus according to a second embodiment. 10 is a flowchart (part 3) illustrating a procedure of image display processing in the image processing apparatus according to the second embodiment. FIG. 12 is a block diagram (part 4) illustrating a detailed configuration of a control unit in an image processing apparatus according to a third embodiment. 10 is a flowchart (part 4) illustrating a procedure of image display processing in the image processing apparatus according to the third embodiment. FIG. 12 is a block diagram (No. 5) illustrating a detailed configuration of a control unit in an image processing apparatus according to Embodiment 3. 14 is a flowchart (part 5) illustrating a procedure of image display processing in the image processing apparatus according to the third embodiment. FIG. 10 is a block diagram (No. 6) illustrating a detailed configuration of a control unit in an image processing apparatus according to Embodiment 3. 14 is a flowchart (part 6) illustrating a procedure of image display processing in the image processing apparatus according to the third embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

100 Image processing apparatus 101 CPU
102 Monitor 103 Fixed Storage Device 104 Keyboard 105 Memory 106 SD Memory Card Reader 107 SD Memory Card

Claims (13)

An image processing apparatus that performs processing on data including an image and makes the image appear to move.
Means for obtaining image A;
Means for determining whether or not it is necessary to perform processing so that the image A is moved;
Means for determining whether or not there is a saved image B having a reduced file capacity with respect to the image A when it is determined that it is necessary to perform processing so that the image A appears to move. ,
An image processing apparatus that uses the saved image B as display data when the image A is moved and displayed when the saved image B exists.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein displaying the image so as to move includes scrolling the image by moving the image or displaying a moving image.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an image saving unit that generates the image saving B.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image-saving image B is obtained by reducing the file capacity by reducing the number of tones combined with lightness and saturation of the image.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image-saving image B has a file capacity reduced by reducing the number of hues of the image.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the saved image B is obtained by reducing a file capacity by reducing an image resolution.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the saved image B is obtained by reducing a file capacity by reducing a resolution in a direction in which the image appears to move.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein a direction in which the image appears to move is any one of all directions that can be moved on a two-dimensional coordinate, such as diagonally up, down, left, and right.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the saved image B is included in data including the image A. Further comprising necessary memory calculating means for calculating a memory capacity necessary for displaying the predetermined image A;
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the memory capacity calculated by the necessary memory calculation unit and the processing performance of the device are compared to determine whether or not to use the image saving B. An image processing method that processes data including an image and makes the image appear to move.
Acquiring image A;
Determining whether it is necessary to perform processing so that the image A appears to move;
When it is determined that it is necessary to perform processing so that the image A is moved and viewed, a step of determining whether or not there is a saved image B having a reduced file capacity with respect to the image A;
And a step of using the saved image B as display data when the image A is moved and displayed when the saved image B exists. An image processing program that performs processing on data including an image and makes the image appear to move,
Acquiring image A;
Determining whether it is necessary to perform processing so that the image A appears to move;
When it is determined that it is necessary to perform processing so that the image A is moved and viewed, a step of determining whether or not there is a saved image B having a reduced file capacity with respect to the image A;
An image processing program for causing a computer to execute a step of using the saved image B as display data when the image A is moved and displayed when the saved image B exists.   A computer-readable recording medium on which the image processing program according to claim 12 is recorded.

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