JP2012069009A - Content display device, display method, program, and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a content display device that suitably displays many images while suppressing a decrease in speed of display processing.SOLUTION: The content display device dynamically changes priority levels of reading thumbnail images based upon a structure of a bookshelf object 10 in timing to determination of a display area 14. The content display device determines that the priority level of a thumbnail image 12 which are arranged in the display area 14 is highest and the priority level of a thumbnail image 12 which is not possibly arranged in the display area determined next is lowest. The content display device, therefore, reads in thumbnail image 12 which are arranged in the display area 14 preferentially, and releases thumbnail images 12 which are not possibly arranged in the display area determined next.

Description

  The present invention relates to a content display device that displays an image representing content, a display method, a program, and a recording medium.

  Conventionally, a terminal equipped with a browser function for displaying images representing content side by side on a screen is known. In such a browser function, for example, a method of arranging icons in a grid (such as Apple's iPhone), a method of arranging a small number of high-quality images on 2D (Apple's ipad, general digital camera, etc.), etc. Has been adopted. That is, since many conventional terminals display a plurality of thumbnail images side by side on a two-dimensional plane, the number of thumbnail images that can be displayed in one screen is limited due to the limitation on the screen size.

  Therefore, a technique has been developed in which a thumbnail image is pasted on the side of a cube that is a three-dimensional solid, and the cube is rotated (see, for example, Patent Document 1). According to such a technique, it is possible to display a large number of thumbnail images so as to be visually easy to see.

JP 2006-338599 A (released on December 14, 2006)

  Normally, when a CPU or GPU performs display processing of a thumbnail image in a terminal, it is desirable to read the thumbnail image into a memory (cache or the like) capable of high-speed processing and exchange data between the memory and the CPU or GPU. This enables real-time processing.

  However, when a large number of high-quality thumbnail images are read into the memory, it takes a long time to read, and the overall processing speed for displaying the thumbnail images decreases. In general, since a memory capable of high-speed processing is not large in capacity, the capacity of the memory may be insufficient to read a large number of high-quality images.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a content display device capable of suitably displaying a large number of images while suppressing a decrease in display processing speed. is there.

In order to solve the above problems, a content display device according to the present invention provides:
Display control means for displaying a part of a three-dimensional object in which a plurality of images representing content are arranged on the screen;
Determining means for determining a display part of the three-dimensional object to be displayed on the screen, and determining a priority order of the image according to the determined position of the display part;
Image reading means for reading the image from a first memory in which the image is recorded, so that the display control means can display the image;
A second memory for recording an image read by the image reading means;
Deleting means for deleting the image recorded in the second memory from the second memory,
The image reading means reads an image not recorded in the second memory among the images determined to have the highest priority every time the determining means determines the display portion and the priority. ,
Each time the determining unit determines the display portion and the priority order, the deleting unit selects an image recorded in the second memory from among the images determined to have the lowest priority order. 2 is deleted from the second memory.

  In the above configuration, it is assumed that the second memory is a memory that can perform higher-speed processing than the first memory. That is, the content display device according to the present invention can perform processing for displaying an image at a higher speed by using thumbnail image data recorded in the second memory than in the first memory. To do.

  According to the above configuration, the content display device according to the present invention can dynamically change the priority order of the images in consideration of the structure of the three-dimensional object every time the display portion of the three-dimensional object is determined. it can. Here, the priority order of images means a priority order to be recorded in the second memory. For example, the content display apparatus according to the present invention reads an image not recorded in the second memory among the images determined to have the highest priority, and stores the image in the second memory. . In addition, among the images determined to have the lowest priority, the image recorded in the second memory is deleted (released) from the second memory.

According to the above configuration, even when a large number of images are arranged in a three-dimensional object, the image reading process is selected, so that the overall processing speed for displaying an image is improved. In addition, by deleting a low priority image from the second memory, even when using a second memory capable of high-speed processing, the capacity of the second memory is efficiently used without causing a shortage of the capacity. can do.

  Therefore, the content display apparatus according to the present invention can appropriately display a large number of images while suppressing a decrease in display processing speed.

In the content display device according to the present invention,
The priority order is divided into three levels.
The determination means is
Determine the image placed in the determined display part to the highest priority,
Decide the image with the lowest priority that is unlikely to be placed in the display area to be determined next,
Of the plurality of images, it is preferable to determine an image other than the image determined to have the highest priority or the lowest priority to the second highest priority.

  According to the above configuration, the priority order of the images is determined in consideration of the display portion determined in the three-dimensional object and the display portion to be determined next. That is, the image arranged in the determined display portion is preferentially read. In addition, images that are not likely to be arranged in the display portion to be determined next are deleted from the second memory. Therefore, even when a large number of images are arranged on a three-dimensional object, real-time performance can be suitably realized without reducing user responsiveness. Further, the capacity of the second memory can be used more efficiently.

  In the content display device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the deleting unit does not perform processing on the image determined to have the second highest priority.

  According to the above configuration, the image once read is recorded in the second memory unless it is determined to have the lowest priority. For this reason, as the determination of the display portion of the three-dimensional object is repeated, thumbnail images that may be arranged in the display portion to be determined next are recorded in the second memory. Therefore, when the next display area is determined, the content display device according to the present invention increases the chances of using the thumbnail images already recorded in the second memory, so that the overall display for displaying the images is increased. The processing speed can be further improved.

In the content display device according to the present invention,
The plurality of images are arranged on each side surface of the polygonal column formed by the three-dimensional object so as to form a row in each of the longitudinal direction of the side surface and the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction,
The image that is not likely to be arranged in the next determined display portion is different from the image arranged in the determined display portion both in the longitudinal direction of the side surface and in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction. It is preferable to include images arranged in rows.

  According to the above configuration, the priority order of the images suitably corresponds to the structure of the three-dimensional object. Therefore, even when a large number of images are arranged on a three-dimensional object, real-time performance can be more suitably realized without reducing user responsiveness.

In the content display device according to the present invention,
The display portion to be determined next is a display area that is determined by the determination means in response to one operation by the user,
Images that are not likely to be placed in the next determined display portion can be placed from the determined display portion to the next determined display portion on the side surface on which the determined display portion is located. It is preferable that the image further includes an image arranged on a farther side than the image having a characteristic.

  According to the above configuration, the capacity of the second memory can be used more efficiently.

  In the content display device according to the present invention, the content may be an electronic book, and the image may be a thumbnail image of the electronic book.

  According to the said structure, it can utilize suitably for the electronic book reader which requires a thumbnail image for every book.

A display method according to the present invention is a display method for displaying a part of a three-dimensional object in which a plurality of images representing content are arranged on a side surface of a polygonal column on a screen,
Determining a display part of the three-dimensional object to be displayed on the screen, and determining a priority order of the images according to the determined position of the display part;
After the determining step, image reading that reads, from the first memory in which the image is recorded, an image that is determined not to be recorded in the second memory among the images determined to have the highest priority, to a displayable state Process,
A storing step of storing the image read by the image reading step in the second memory;
And a deletion step of deleting, from the second memory, an image recorded in the second memory among the images determined to have the lowest priority after the determination step.

  According to the said method, there exists an effect similar to the content display apparatus which concerns on this invention.

  The content display device may be realized by a computer. In this case, a content display program for realizing the content display device in the computer by operating the computer as each of the above means, and a computer-readable recording medium on which the content display program is recorded also fall within the scope of the present invention.

  The content display device according to the present invention determines display control means for displaying a part of a three-dimensional object in which a plurality of images representing content are arranged on the screen, and a display part of the three-dimensional object to be displayed on the screen. In addition, a determination unit that determines the priority order of the images according to the position of the display portion in the three-dimensional object, and a state in which display by the display control unit is possible from the first memory in which the images are recorded An image reading means for reading the image, a second memory for recording the image read by the image reading means, and a deletion means for deleting the image recorded in the second memory from the second memory. Therefore, a large number of images can be suitably displayed while suppressing a decrease in display processing speed.

It is a figure which shows the screen of the content display apparatus which displayed the rectangular parallelepiped bookshelf object which has four shelf surfaces, and its part. It is a figure which shows the screen of the standard mode in a content display apparatus. It is a figure which shows the screen which displays the shelf surface of a "regular subscription" category. It is a figure which shows the screen which displays the back number of a certain subscription magazine. It is the figure which expanded the shelf surface of the bookshelf object for description. It is the figure which expanded the shelf surface of the bookshelf object for description. It is a figure which shows the example of the display pattern of the thumbnail image displayed on a screen, (a) has shown the state which is displaying 20 thumbnail images, (b) has displayed 28 thumbnail images. It shows the state. It is a block diagram which shows the schematic structure of the content display apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is the figure which expanded the shelf surface of the bookshelf object for description, and has shown the priority of the thumbnail image. It is the figure which expanded the shelf surface of the bookshelf object for description, and has shown the priority of the thumbnail image. It is the figure which expanded the shelf surface of the bookshelf object for description, and has shown the priority of the thumbnail image. 10 is a flowchart showing a flow of thumbnail image display processing in the content display device shown in FIG. 8. It is a figure which shows the flow of the display processing of the thumbnail image at the time of rotating a bookshelf object exemplarily It is a block diagram which shows a part of content display apparatus shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the reading process / deletion process of the thumbnail image accompanying rotation or scroll of a bookshelf object.

  An embodiment of a content display device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

  In the present embodiment, the content display device has a configuration capable of displaying on a screen a part of a rectangular bookcase object having four shelf surfaces placed in a virtual three-dimensional space. On each shelf surface of the bookcase object, thumbnail images of a plurality of electronic books (contents) are arranged. When the user selects a thumbnail image corresponding to the book that he / she wants to read on the display screen, the contents of the electronic book are displayed on the screen, and the electronic book can be browsed. A specific configuration of the content display device will be described later.

[1. Bookcase object)
First, the bookshelf object (three-dimensional object) displayed on the screen of the content display device will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a screen of a content display device displaying a rectangular bookcase object having four shelf surfaces and a part thereof. The right side in the figure represents the bookshelf object 10, and the left side in the figure represents the screen 20 of the content display device displaying a part of the bookshelf object 10. In FIG. 1, a region 14 indicated by a broken line frame is a region that is actually displayed on the screen 20 in the bookcase object 10.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the bookshelf object 10 has a form having four shelf surfaces 11. A plurality of shelves are provided on each shelf surface, and thumbnail images 12 of a plurality of electronic books (contents) are displayed on the shelves so as to be placed on the shelves. The user can browse the electronic book corresponding to the selected thumbnail image by performing a selection operation on the thumbnail image in the display screen. Different categories are defined on the four shelf surfaces 11, and thumbnail images 12 of electronic books belonging to the category defined on the shelf surface are arranged on each shelf surface. There are no restrictions on the prescribed categories, but in the present embodiment, the categories are classified into four categories: “unread / recommended”, “recently read books”, “favorites”, and “subscriptions”, and four shelf surfaces. Eleven categories are defined. In the present embodiment, the bookcase object 10 is composed of four shelf surfaces, but is not limited to this. More shelf surfaces may be provided depending on the number of categories.

  There is no limit to the number of shelves 13 provided on the shelf surface 11 and the number of thumbnail images 12 that can be displayed on each shelf 13, and the manufacturer may set appropriately according to the performance of the content display device. In the present embodiment, five shelves 13 are provided on each shelf surface 11, and four thumbnail images 12 can be displayed on each shelf 13.

  The thumbnail images 12 displayed on the shelves 13, that is, the electronic books arranged on the shelf surface 11, can be appropriately changed by a user operation.

[2. (Displaying bookshelf objects)
Next, a display method of the bookshelf object 10 on the screen 20 of the content display device will be described.

  As a display method of the bookcase object 10, two types of display methods of a standard mode and an active mode are defined. In both the standard mode and the active mode, a virtual viewpoint is placed in a direction orthogonal to the central axis of the bookcase object 10 in the longitudinal direction, and the state viewed from there is displayed. In this specification, the surface facing this viewpoint is referred to as the front. Accordingly, the front portion of the bookcase object 10 is displayed on the screen 20 of the content display device. As will be described later in detail, when changing the display area in the bookcase object 10 to be displayed on the screen 20, the position of the viewpoint is not changed, but the bookcase object 10 is rotated without changing the position of the viewpoint. The shelf surface 11 of the bookcase object 10 is moved. Thereby, the area visible from the virtual viewpoint is changed, and the position of the area 14 displayed on the screen 20 is changed.

  The standard mode is a mode in which only the front shelf surface 11 is displayed and the shelf surface 11 adjacent to the displayed shelf surface 11 and its boundary (sides of a rectangular parallelepiped) are not displayed when not being operated. When the book shelf object 10 is not operated, only the shelf 13 and the thumbnail image 12 are displayed on the screen 20 as the structure of the book shelf object 10.

  On the other hand, the active mode is a mode in which the front shelf surface 11 and the shelf surface 11 adjacent to the front shelf surface 11 are displayed when not being operated, and approximate to a state in which the bookcase object 10 is viewed from a distance farther than the standard mode. Is done. In the active mode, the opacity of each shelf surface 11 is lowered in order to display the left and right shelf surfaces 11 adjacent to the shelf surface 11 on the front and the thumbnail images on the shelf surface 11. In the active mode, the user can more intuitively recognize that the bookcase object 10 is a rectangular parallelepiped placed in the virtual three-dimensional space.

  Switching between the standard mode and the active mode can be performed by a user input operation.

  Hereinafter, a display screen in the standard mode will be described.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the display content of the screen 20 in the standard mode.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the shelf 20 and the thumbnail images 12 of the books are displayed on the screen 20 so that each thumbnail image 12 is placed on the shelf 13. In the upper part of the screen 20, an indicator indicating the category of each shelf surface 11 of the bookcase object 10 is provided. By changing the display method of this indicator, which category of the shelf surface 11 is currently displayed is displayed. It has come to understand. For example, FIG. 2 shows a state where the “unread / recommended” indicator is lit and the shelf surface 11 of “unread / recommended” is selected and displayed. This indicator also serves as a shelf surface selection button 17 described later. Further, operation input buttons 18 for executing each function of the content display device are displayed at the bottom of the screen 20.

  As shown in FIG. 1, when the area 14 displayed on the screen 20 is cut off in the middle of the thumbnail image 12, the thumbnail image 12 is not displayed on the screen 20. Accordingly, all the thumbnail images 12 are displayed on the display screen.

  In the standard mode, the front shelf surface 11 is viewed from a slightly lower position. Therefore, the upper surface of the shelf 13 provided on the shelf surface 11 is displayed on the screen 20. In addition, the size of the upper surface of the shelf 13 displayed on the screen 20 increases as the position of the shelf 13 comes below the screen 20.

  FIG. 2 shows a state in which the thumbnail images 12 are arranged in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction of the shelf surface 11. This is a display method for displaying shelf surfaces corresponding to the categories “unread / recommended”, “recently read books”, and “favorites”.

  Next, a display method of the shelf surface 11 whose category is “subscription” will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram of the screen 20 displaying the shelf surface 11 whose category is “subscription” in the standard mode. As shown in FIG. 3, on the shelf surface 11 for subscription, unlike the case shown in FIG. 2, thumbnail images 12 are arranged in a line in the vertical direction on the left side of the shelf surface 11. Each of these is a thumbnail image of the latest issue of each magazine subscribed to, and the image is such that the latest issue is placed in the magazine rack. Next to the thumbnail image 12, information 15 of the magazine that is subscribed regularly, such as the name of the magazine and the number of the latest issue, is displayed in text, and further next to it, the back number of the magazine is displayed. The selection button 16 is provided.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the screen 20 when the back number of a certain subscription magazine is displayed. When an input operation is performed on the selection button 16 for displaying the back number, the display of the selected magazine rack moves to the upper part of the screen 20, and the thumbnail images 12 ′ of the respective back numbers are arranged and arranged. Transition to a state where a list of magazine back numbers is displayed.

  Next, a method for changing the display content on the screen by moving the bookcase object 10 or its shelf surface in the virtual three-dimensional space will be described.

(Bookcase object rotation)
A method of changing the shelf surface 11 displayed on the screen 20 by rotating the bookcase object 10 around the center axis X (see FIG. 1) in the longitudinal direction of the rectangular parallelepiped in the virtual three-dimensional space in the display screen. explain.

  By a user input operation, the bookcase object 10 can be rotated in the virtual three-dimensional space in the screen 20 with the central axis X as the rotation axis. By rotating the bookcase object 10, the shelf surface 11 that comes to the front can be changed, and the shelf surface 11 displayed on the screen 20 can be changed. Alternatively, the plurality of shelf surfaces 11 can be viewed simultaneously by stopping in the middle of rotation.

  In the present embodiment, the bookshelf object 10 is rotated by performing a flick operation in a direction substantially orthogonal to the rotation axis on a touch panel provided on the display screen. Specifically, the book shelf object 10 is rotated in the same direction as the flick operation direction by the flick operation so that the adjacent shelf surface 11 or the adjacent shelf surface 11 comes to the front and is displayed on the screen 20. Become. Here, the flick operation is an operation by an operation in which a user's finger is brought into contact with the touch panel and then immediately played in an arbitrary direction.

  FIG. 5 is a developed view of the shelf surface 11 of the bookcase object 10 for explanation. A region 14 surrounded by a broken line frame is a portion actually displayed on the screen 20. FIG. 5A shows a display area before rotation, and the shelf surface 11 a corresponding to the “unread / recommended” category is in front and displayed on the screen 20. In this state, when it is desired to display the shelf surface 11b corresponding to the category of “recently read book”, which is the adjacent surface of the shelf surface 11a, the direction opposite to the shelf surface 11b as viewed from the shelf surface 11a (indicated by the arrow A in the figure). Flick in the direction). Thereby, the shelf surface 11b comes to the front, and the shelf surface 11b comes to be displayed on a screen (FIG.5 (b)). Since there is no movement in the vertical direction during the rotation operation, the area 14 displayed on the screen 20 is shifted from the area 14 ′ to the side in a development view.

  Whether the adjacent shelf surface 11 is displayed by the flick operation or whether the adjacent shelf surface 11 is displayed is determined by the speed of the flick operation. For example, when the flick operation speed is slow, the adjacent shelf surface 11 is displayed (rotation by one surface), and when the flick operation speed is fast, the adjacent shelf surface 11, that is, before rotating. Display the shelf surface 11 on the opposite side of the shelf surface 11 displayed in (2). The manufacturer may appropriately determine which shelf surface 11 is displayed at what speed.

  Further, it is possible to rotate the bookshelf object 10 by performing a drag operation in a direction substantially orthogonal to the rotation axis on the touch panel. Specifically, the book shelf object 10 is rotated in the same direction as the drag direction by the drag operation, and the adjacent shelf surface 11 comes to the front and is displayed. Here, the drag operation is an operation by an operation of moving the user's finger in an arbitrary direction while keeping the finger in contact with the touch panel. The shelf surface 11 to be displayed can be changed by rotating the bookshelf object 10 by a drag operation and releasing the finger from the touch panel when the desired shelf surface 11 is substantially in front. In the present embodiment, when the drag operation is finished in the middle of the rotation to the adjacent shelf surface 11, it is determined whether to further rotate or return the rotation according to the rotation angle up to that time, One of the shelf surfaces 11 is displayed. Until the finger is released from the touch panel, the rotation operation follows the finger movement of the drag operation. Therefore, if the bookshelf object 10 is slightly rotated by the drag operation and the finger is brought into contact with the touch panel as it is, the state where the adjacent shelf surface 11 is displayed halfway can be maintained.

  In addition to changing the shelf surface 11 to be displayed, the shelf surface 11 to be displayed can be changed by operating the shelf surface selection button 17 that can directly specify which shelf surface 11 is displayed. The shelf surface selection button 17 is displayed as an object on the screen, and a button selection operation is input by a touch panel. In this case as well, the state where the bookcase object 10 rotates until the selected shelf surface is displayed is displayed on the screen. The rotation direction at this time can be determined by the previous user operation, the rotation angle, the setting by the manufacturer, and the like.

  Since the category of the book included in each shelf surface is determined and the book shelf can be moved to the intended shelf surface by rotating the shelf, the configuration is very easy for the user to understand. This makes it easier to access the target book.

(Shelf surface scrolling)
A method for changing the display area on the display shelf surface by moving the specific shelf surface 11 of the bookcase object 10 in the longitudinal direction of the rectangular parallelepiped in the virtual three-dimensional space in the display screen will be described.

  The length of each shelf surface 11 in the longitudinal direction of the bookcase object 10 (hereinafter, this direction is referred to as the vertical direction) exceeds the length that can be displayed on the screen of the content display device at one time. Therefore, regarding the shelf surface displayed on the screen, the region actually displayed is only a part of the shelf surface 11 as shown in FIG. In the case illustrated in FIG. 1, the area 14 surrounded by the broken line frame is a portion that is actually displayed on the screen 20, and therefore the other portions of the same shelf surface 11 are not displayed on the screen. Therefore, in the content display device, the position of the area 14 displayed on the screen 20 is changed by moving the shelf surface 11 displayed on the screen 20 in the vertical direction, and the area that has not been displayed so far is displayed on the screen. 20 is displayed. The movement process in the vertical direction of the shelf surface 11 can be executed by a user input operation.

  In the present embodiment, a scroll operation is performed on the touch panel in a direction to be moved, so that the shelf surface is moved in the same direction as the scroll operation direction, and an area that has not been displayed is displayed. . Examples of the scroll operation include a flick operation and a drag operation in the vertical direction. When a flick operation is performed, the movement distance of the shelf surface is determined according to the speed of the flick operation, and the shelf surface moves based on the determination. The manufacturer may appropriately determine how much the shelf surface is moved at what speed. When the drag operation is performed, the shelf surface moves following the drag operation, and the shelf surface movement ends when the finger is released from the touch panel.

  FIG. 6 is a developed view of the shelf surface 11 of the bookcase object 10 for explanation. A region 14 surrounded by a broken line is a region actually displayed on the screen 20. FIG. 6A shows a state before the scroll operation, in which the uppermost part of the shelf surface 11a is displayed. When it is desired to display the lower part of the shelf surface 11a, a scroll operation is performed upward (in the direction of arrow B in the figure) with respect to the shelf surface 11a. As a result, the shelf surface 11a moves upward, and as a result, the area 14 displayed on the screen 20 moves relatively lower than the area 14 ′ displayed before the movement (FIG. 6B). )).

  The movement of the shelf surface 11 in the vertical direction is controlled independently between the shelf surfaces 11. That is, the shelf surface 11 that moves up and down by the scrolling operation is only the shelf surface 11 that is in front and displayed on the screen 20 during the operation. For example, as shown in FIG. 6A, the scroll operation is performed on the shelf surface 11a in a state in which the uppermost portions of the shelf surfaces 11a to 11d are displayed when the shelf surfaces 11a to 11d are displayed. The shelf surface 11a is moved upward and the display area on the shelf surface 11a is moved further downward. At this time, as shown in FIG. 6B, the shelf surface 11 moving upward is only the shelf surface 11a, and the other shelf surfaces 11b to 11d are not changed in the vertical direction. Therefore, in this state, even when the rotation operation is performed on the bookcase object 10 to display the other shelf surfaces 11b to 11d, the uppermost portions of the shelf surfaces 11b to 11d are still displayed on the shelf surfaces 11b to 11d. It has become so. Therefore, even if the shelf surface 11a is scrolled up and down, the other shelf surfaces 11b to 11d are kept in the state when the shelf surface was viewed last time.

  For example, in a state where the top of the shelf surface 11c corresponding to the “favorite” category is displayed, the bookcase object 10 is rotated to move to the “unread / recommended” shelf surface 11a, and the shelf surface 11a is scrolled. Assume that the bottom part is displayed. At this time, when the bookshelf object 10 is rotated again and returned to the shelf surface 11c, if the lower portion of the shelf surface 11c is also displayed, the user performs a scroll operation again to display the uppermost portion of the shelf surface 11c. This is inconvenient for the user. However, in this content display device, when the bookshelf object 10 is rotated again and returned to the shelf surface 11c, the state in which the shelf surface 11c was viewed, that is, the uppermost portion of the shelf surface 11c is displayed. Therefore, when the user redisplays the shelf surface 11c, an excessive operation becomes unnecessary.

(Enlarged, reduced display)
In the state where the shelf surface 11 on the front is displayed on the screen 20, the number of thumbnail images 12 displayed on one screen can be changed. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display pattern of thumbnail images displayed on the screen 20. FIG. 7A shows a state in which 20 thumbnail images 12 are displayed, and FIG. 7B shows a state in which 28 thumbnail images 12 are displayed. If each thumbnail image 12 is displayed to be large, each thumbnail image is easy to see, but the number of thumbnail images 12 that can be displayed on the screen 20 at a time (correlated with the number of shelves 13 that can be displayed at one time) decreases. To do. On the other hand, by displaying the thumbnail images 12 so as to be small, it becomes possible to display many thumbnail images 12 at a time.

  The number of thumbnail images 12 displayed on the screen 20 can be changed by a user input operation. Specifically, by performing a pinch-out operation on the touch panel, the shelf surface 11 is enlarged and each thumbnail image 12 is displayed in a large size. On the other hand, by performing a pinch-in operation on the touch panel, the shelf surface 11 is reduced and each thumbnail image 12 is displayed smaller. Here, the pinch-out operation is an operation in which two fingers of the user are simultaneously brought into contact with the operation surface and the two fingers are opened as they are. The pinch-in operation is an operation in which two fingers of the user are simultaneously brought into contact with the operation surface and the two fingers are closed as they are.

[3. Configuration of Content Display Device 1]
A configuration of the content display device 1 that displays a bookshelf object by the above-described method will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the content display device 1.

  The content display device 1 includes a processing unit 101, an input operation unit 102, a display unit 103, and a memory 120, and the display processing of the bookshelf object is realized by cooperation of these components.

  The processing unit 101 is a means for displaying the bookshelf object 10 and the like on the display unit 103 by executing a program stored in the memory 120. The processing unit 101 uses a CPU (central processing unit), a GPU (graphics processing unit), and the like. Composed.

  The input operation unit 102 is a unit that receives a user operation and outputs a signal, and is configured by a touch panel in the present embodiment. The present invention is not limited to this, and may be a mouse, a keyboard, a button provided for operation, or the like.

  The display unit 103 is a means for visually outputting an electronic book, a thumbnail image, and the like, and is configured by a display device such as an LCD (liquid crystal display).

  The memory 120 is a storage medium that stores thumbnail images of a plurality of electronic books. In addition to the content, the memory 120 stores a program executed by the processing unit 101.

  Specifically, the processing unit 101 includes an input processing unit 111, a rotation processing unit 112, a scroll processing unit 113, a display area determination processing unit (determination unit) 114, a thumbnail image deletion processing unit (deletion unit) 115, a thumbnail. An image load processing unit (image reading unit) 116, a three-dimensional processing unit 117, a display processing unit (display control unit) 118, and a book data management unit 119 are provided.

  The input processing unit 111 receives an input signal from the input operation unit 102 and sends operation information by the user to the rotation processing unit 112 or the scroll processing unit 113 in response to the input signal. For example, the input processing unit 111 sends operation information instructing rotation processing such as left / right drag / left / right flick to the rotation processing unit 112, and operation information instructing scroll processing such as up / down drag / up / down flick, etc. To send.

  The rotation processing unit 112 determines a rotation amount according to the operation amount by the user based on the input operation information.

  The scroll processing unit 113 determines the vertical scroll amount according to the user's operation amount based on the input operation information.

  Based on the rotation amount determined by the rotation processing unit 112 or the scroll amount determined by the scroll processing unit 113, the display area determination processing unit 114 displays an area (hereinafter, referred to as the screen 20) to be displayed on the screen 20. (Referred to as a display area). Although details will be described later, the display area determination processing unit 114 determines the priority order of thumbnail images in the bookcase object 10 according to the determined position of the display area. Note that the priority order of thumbnail images means the priority order of thumbnail images to be recorded in the cache 121 (to be loaded / to hold loaded data). The thumbnail image with the highest priority is the load target image, and the thumbnail image with the lowest priority is the deletion target image.

  The thumbnail image deletion processing unit 115 performs processing for deleting (releasing) a thumbnail image that is a deletion target image from the cache.

  The thumbnail image load processing unit 116 loads a thumbnail image that is a load target image from the memory 120 and sends the thumbnail image to the three-dimensional processing unit 117. The loaded thumbnail image is transferred to the cache and recorded. The thumbnail image load processing unit 116 is preferably configured as a part of the CPU.

  The three-dimensional processing unit 117 performs a series of graphics processing such as coordinate conversion, clipping, and texture mapping in order to draw a thumbnail image. Note that the three-dimensional processing unit 117 is preferably configured as a part of the GPU.

  The display processing unit 118 writes the graphics data that has been subjected to the graphics processing to the frame buffer, and then sequentially reads the data and sends it to the display unit 103 such as a display.

  The book data management unit 119 collectively manages data related to books such as book IDs.

  In addition, although not shown in FIG. 8, the content display apparatus 1 includes a cache 121 and a stack 122 between the thumbnail image load processing unit 116 and the three-dimensional processing unit 117. The cache 121 is a storage area having a smaller capacity and higher speed than the memory 120, and is preferably configured in the GPU. The stack 122 is a storage area for storing a book ID to be loaded in a last-in first-out structure, and may be configured either inside or outside the CPU.

[4. (Bookcase object display processing)
Next, the book shelf object display process executed in the content display apparatus 1 will be described.

  A person skilled in the art who understands the above contents of the display method of the bookshelf object in the content display device 1 can apply a known technique such as OpenGL (Open Graphics Library) to apply the bookshelf object 10 and each shelf surface 11. Display, rotation of the bookcase object 10 and its display, scroll movement of the shelf surface 11 and its display, and the like. Therefore, a description of a specific data processing method and management method in each processing unit and each management unit for realizing these displays is omitted.

  Therefore, in the following, when the content display device 1 displays the display area of the bookcase object 10, a procedure for reading (loading) the thumbnail image from the memory 120 in order to display the thumbnail image arranged in the display area. The explanation will be centered. Here, loading means processing for transferring a thumbnail image from the memory 120 to the cache 121 in the GPU. The thumbnail image transferred to the cache 121 can be used with OpenGL.

  For example, when the display area of the bookshelf object 10 is determined, the content display apparatus 1 checks whether or not the thumbnail images arranged in the display area, that is, the thumbnail images to be displayed on the screen 20 are stored in the cache 121. To do. When the thumbnail image to be displayed is already stored in the cache 121, the thumbnail image is transferred from the cache 121 without being loaded from the memory 120. On the other hand, if the thumbnail image to be displayed is not stored in the cache 121, the thumbnail image must be loaded from the memory 120.

  Here, since the cache 121 is a high-speed and small-capacity memory, data transfer to the processing unit 101 can be performed at high speed. That is, if the thumbnail image to be displayed is stored in the cache 121, data is exchanged between the processing unit 101 and the cache 121 at high speed, and the display processing of the bookshelf object is performed in a short time.

  However, since the number of thumbnail images that can be recorded in the cache 121 is limited, if the content stored in the memory 120 has a high image quality or the number of the thumbnail images is large, It is difficult to record in the cache 121. Therefore, the content display device 1 according to the present embodiment determines the priority order of thumbnail images to be recorded in the cache 121 based on the structure of the bookcase object 10 at the timing when the display area of the bookcase object 10 is determined.

(Thumbnail image priority)
The priority order of thumbnail images to be recorded in the cache 121 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11 show development views of the bookshelf object 10.

  In the following description, the priority order of thumbnail images to be loaded into the cache 121 or to hold the loaded data is simply referred to as “thumbnail image priority order”. Further, the four shelf surfaces of the bookcase object 10 are referred to as a shelf surface A, a shelf surface B, a shelf surface C, and a shelf surface D, respectively. For convenience of explanation, it is assumed that any number of thumbnail images are arranged on each of the shelf surfaces A to D, and the thumbnail images arranged on each of the shelf surfaces A to D have no difference in arrangement according to the category.

  First, the priority order of thumbnail images at the timing when the area 14 shown in FIG. 9 is determined as the display area as a result of the content display device 1 rotating the bookshelf object 10 or scrolling the shelf surfaces A to D vertically will be described. .

  In FIG. 9, each of the shelf surfaces A to D is in a state of being scrolled upward from the state in which the uppermost portion is displayed, and the region 14 is located on the shelf surface A.

  As shown in FIG. 9, when the area 14 is determined as the display area, the thumbnail image 12-1 arranged in the area 14 is determined as the thumbnail image with the highest priority. Thereby, if the thumbnail image 12-1 is not recorded in the cache 121, it is preferentially loaded and recorded in the cache 121. Hereinafter, the thumbnail image with the highest priority is also referred to as a load target image.

  Also, as shown in FIG. 9, when the area 14 is determined as the display area, the thumbnail image 12-2 that may be arranged in the display area to be determined next is the thumbnail with the second highest priority. Determined as an image. The “next display area to be determined” is determined when it is assumed that the next operation (scroll operation or rotation operation) is performed in a state where the determined area 14 is displayed on the screen. It means the display area of the schedule. The thumbnail image 12-2 determined to have the second priority order is not subjected to either loading or deletion processing. That is, if it is already stored in the cache 121, it may be left as it is, and if it is not recorded in the cache 121, it may not be loaded.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9, when the area 14 is determined as the display area, the thumbnail image 12-3 that is not likely to be arranged in the display area to be determined next is the thumbnail image having the lowest priority. It is determined. As a result, the thumbnail image 12-3 is deleted if it is already stored in the cache 121, and is not loaded if it is not recorded in the cache 121. Hereinafter, the thumbnail image with the lowest priority is also referred to as a deletion target image.

  In FIG. 9, the number of thumbnail images 12-2 on the shelf surface A preferably depends on the maximum scroll amount by a single flick operation. Specifically, from the thumbnail image adjacent to the current area 14 to the thumbnail image arranged in the next display area determined when the shelf surface is moved to the maximum by the next flick operation, The thumbnail image 12-2 on the shelf surface A is displayed. In this case, the thumbnail image 12-3 on the shelf surface A is a thumbnail image located on the far side from the “next display area” from the current area 14.

  The priority order of thumbnail images in the present embodiment changes dynamically every time the display area of the bookcase object 10 is determined, that is, every time the bookcase object 10 is rotated or each shelf surface A to D is scrolled up and down.

  For example, when the display area moves from the shelf surface A to the shelf surface B by rotating the bookcase object 10 from the state shown in FIG. 9, the priority order of the thumbnail images changes to the state shown in FIG.

  Further, when the shelf surface A of the bookshelf object 10 is scrolled from the state shown in FIG. 9 and the display area moves relatively downward, the priority order of the thumbnail images changes to the state shown in FIG.

  As described above, it can be said that the priority order of thumbnail images is determined based on the structure of the bookcase object 10.

(Example of bookcase object display processing)
Next, an example of display processing of the bookshelf object 10 executed in the content display device 1 will be described below with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing when the content display device 1 changes the display content on the screen.

  First, it is assumed that the user rotates the bookcase object 10 with respect to the input operation unit 102. The input processing unit 111 receives a signal from the input operation unit 102 and outputs the operation information to the rotation processing unit 112 (step S1).

  The rotation processing unit 112 performs a process of determining the rotation amount according to the operation amount of the user. Next, the display area determination processing unit 114 determines an area (display area) displayed on the screen 20 in the bookcase object 10 according to the rotation amount determined by the rotation processing unit 112 (step S2). As a result, the display area moves from the area 14 of the shelf surface A shown in FIG. 9 to the area 14 of the shelf surface B shown in FIG.

  In step S2 described above, the display area determination processing unit 114 determines a display area and automatically determines (changes) the priority order of thumbnail images. Specifically, the priority order of thumbnail images in the determined area (previous second) is changed to the first order, and the priority order of thumbnail images in the previous display area (previous first) is changed to the second order. In addition, on the shelf surface on which the previous display area is located, the priority order (previous second) of the thumbnail images outside the previous display area is changed to the lowest order.

  After step S2, if the thumbnail image with the lowest priority is recorded in the cache 121 based on the determined priority order of the thumbnail image, the thumbnail image deletion processing unit 115 deletes it from the cache 121 ( Step S3).

  Next, the three-dimensional processing unit 117 starts drawing for displaying the bookcase object 10 (step S4).

  After the drawing process is started by the three-dimensional processing unit 117, the display area determination processing unit 114 checks whether or not the thumbnail image with the first priority is recorded in the cache 121 (step S5). For example, the confirmation may be performed using a book ID managed by the book data management unit 119.

  When the thumbnail image with the highest priority exists in the cache 121 (Yes in step S5), the display area determination processing unit 114 acquires the thumbnail image from the cache 121 and outputs the thumbnail image to the three-dimensional processing unit 117. (Step S6). Next, the three-dimensional processing unit 117 draws the input thumbnail image and outputs it to the display processing unit 118 (step S7).

  On the other hand, if the thumbnail image with the highest priority does not exist in the cache 121 (No in step S5), the display area determination processing unit 114 loads the thumbnail image from the memory 120 and records it in the cache 121. The data is output to the three-dimensional processing unit 117 (step S8). The load process will be described later.

  The three-dimensional processing unit 117 performs processing for indicating that the thumbnail image being loaded is “loading” on the screen 20, and outputs the data subjected to the processing to the display processing unit 118 (step S9). ). In addition, the three-dimensional processing unit 117 draws a thumbnail image that has been loaded and outputs the thumbnail image to the three-dimensional processing unit 117.

  Here, the three-dimensional processing unit 117 may draw the previous display area and the display area determined this time on the same screen while the bookcase object 10 is rotating.

  Next, the display processing unit 118 writes the input data to a frame buffer (not shown), sequentially reads the data, and outputs it to the display unit 103 (step S10). Accordingly, the display unit 103 can change the display content on the screen in accordance with a user operation.

  According to the above processing, the content display device 1 dynamically changes the priority order of thumbnail images at the timing when the display area is determined, loads the thumbnail image (display image) with the highest priority order, and sets the priority order. The lowest thumbnail image (image to be deleted) can be deleted.

  For example, once loaded thumbnail images are recorded in the cache 121 unless determined as deletion target images. For this reason, as the bookcase object 10 is repeatedly rotated or the shelf surface is scrolled, thumbnail images that may be arranged in the next display area are recorded in the cache 121. Therefore, the content display device 1 can improve the speed of the processing for displaying the thumbnail image by exchanging data with the cache 121 when the next display area is determined. In addition, since thumbnail images that are not likely to be arranged in the next display area are deleted from the cache 121 as deletion target images, the cache 121 can be used efficiently.

  The loading state of thumbnail images in the above-described display operation of the bookcase object 10 will be described using a specific example.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a loading state of thumbnails when the display area moves relatively from the shelf surface A to the shelf surface B. In FIG. 13, 12a indicates a loaded thumbnail image, 12b indicates a loaded thumbnail image, and 12c indicates an unloaded or deleted thumbnail image.

  First, as shown on the left side of FIG. 13, it is assumed that the area 14 determined as the display area exists at an arbitrary position on the shelf surface A. Here, it is assumed that the thumbnail images arranged in two stages above the area 14 are recorded in the cache 121.

  Next, when a user operation for rotating the bookcase object 10 is performed, the display area 14 is relatively moved from the shelf surface A to the shelf surface B as shown in the middle of FIG. At this time, the thumbnail image in the display area 14 on the shelf surface B is loaded as a load target image. If the loading is not completed before the display area 14 of the shelf surface B is displayed, it is shown that the loading is in progress. In addition, the thumbnail images arranged in the upper two levels on the shelf surface A above the previous display area 14 ′ are deleted from the cache 121 as images to be deleted.

  Finally, as shown on the right side of FIG. 13, all thumbnail images in the display area 14 of the shelf surface B are loaded and displayed on the screen.

(About load processing)
Next, the load process (step S8) in the display process of the bookcase object 10 described above will be described more specifically with reference to FIG. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a processing flow when the content display device 1 loads a thumbnail image.

  As illustrated in FIG. 14, when the thumbnail image with the highest priority does not exist in the cache 121, the display area determination processing unit 114 stores the book ID corresponding to the thumbnail image in the stack 122. The stack 122 hierarchically manages book IDs corresponding to thumbnail images waiting to be loaded in a stack format.

  Next, the image loader 123 in the thumbnail image load processing unit 116 sequentially loads the thumbnail images corresponding to the book IDs stored in the stack 122 from the memory 120. The thumbnail image load processing unit 116 records the loaded thumbnail image in the cache 121 and outputs it to the three-dimensional processing unit 117.

  According to the above processing, it is possible to preferentially load thumbnail images with high priority.

(Flow of load processing and deletion processing)
FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a flow of thumbnail image loading processing and deletion processing for each timing at which the display area is determined in the display processing of the bookcase object 10.

  In FIG. 15, steps S11 to S14 show a load process and a delete process that are performed when the bookcase object 10 is rotated counterclockwise. Steps S21 to S24 show load processing and deletion processing performed when the bookcase object 10 is rotated clockwise. Steps S31 to S34 show a loading process and a deleting process that are performed when scrolling the shelf surface in each of the shelf surfaces A to D. Each step is executed by the display processing of the bookcase object 10 described above.

  Therefore, the content display device 1 according to the present embodiment can suitably realize real-time display processing even when any region of the bookcase object is determined as the display region.

[5. Others]
(Modification)
In the display processing of the bookcase object 10 described above, it is described that neither the load processing nor the deletion processing is performed on the thumbnail image having the second highest priority, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, depending on the total number of thumbnail images and the capacity of the cache 121, the thumbnail image with the second highest priority order may be set as the target to be loaded after loading the thumbnail image with the highest priority order. Thereby, processing with higher real-time property can be realized.

  Further, the content display device 1 can be connected to an external storage device (external memory) via an input / output interface, and can be connected to an external network such as the Internet via a network communication device. The content display device 1 can acquire electronic book and thumbnail image data from the external memory or the external network to the memory 120.

  The content display device according to the present embodiment is intended as an electronic book terminal for browsing an electronic book. However, the content display device is not limited to this, and may be a mobile phone, a smart phone, a mobile terminal such as an electronic dictionary, or a terminal device such as a personal computer equipped with a monitor.

  In the present embodiment, the description is given using the thumbnail image of the electronic book. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a thumbnail image, an icon, or the like representing the content of other media may be used.

  In the present embodiment, the thumbnail image is a plane object, but the present invention is not limited to this, and may be a 3D object that is not a plane. For example, a 3D object that represents the thickness of a book may be used. In this case, the above priority order can be applied not only to the loading of thumbnail images but also to the loading of data such as object-specific three-dimensional information.

(Program and recording medium)
An object of the present invention is to supply a recording medium in which the program code of the above program is recorded so as to be readable by a computer to the content display device 1, and the content display device 1 reads and executes the program code recorded on the recording medium. Can also be achieved.

  Examples of the recording medium include a tape system such as a magnetic tape and a cassette tape, a magnetic disk such as a floppy (registered trademark) disk / hard disk, and an optical disk such as a CD-ROM / MO / MD / DVD / CD-R. Card system such as IC card, IC card (including memory card) / optical card, or semiconductor memory system such as mask ROM / EPROM / EEPROM / flash ROM.

  Further, the program code may be supplied to the content display device 1 via the communication network 260 connected to the network communication device. The communication network is not particularly limited. For example, the Internet, intranet, extranet, LAN, ISDN, VAN, CATV communication network, virtual private network, telephone line network, mobile communication network, satellite communication. A net or the like is available. Further, the transmission medium constituting the communication network is not particularly limited. For example, even in the case of wired such as IEEE 1394, USB, power line carrier, cable TV line, telephone line, ADSL line, etc., infrared rays such as IrDA or remote control, Bluetooth ( (Registered trademark), 802.11 wireless, HDR, mobile phone network, satellite line, terrestrial digital network, and the like can also be used. The present invention can also be realized in the form of a computer data signal embedded in a carrier wave in which the program code is embodied by electronic transmission.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope shown in the claims. That is, embodiments obtained by combining technical means appropriately modified within the scope of the claims are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  The present invention can be suitably used for an electronic book browsing apparatus or the like.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Content display apparatus 10 Bookshelf object 11 Shelf surface 12 Thumbnail image 13 Shelf 14 Display area (display part)
20 screen 101 processing unit 102 input operation unit 103 display unit 111 input processing unit 112 rotation processing unit 113 scroll processing unit 114 display area determination processing unit (determination means)
115 Thumbnail image deletion processing unit (deleting means)
116 Thumbnail image load processing unit (image reading means)
117 Three-dimensional processing unit 118 Display processing unit (display control means)
119 Book data management unit 120 Memory (first memory)
121 cache (second memory)
122 Stack 123 Image loader

Claims (9)

Display control means for displaying a part of a three-dimensional object in which a plurality of images representing content are arranged on the screen;
Determining means for determining a display part of the three-dimensional object to be displayed on the screen, and determining a priority order of the image according to the determined position of the display part;
Image reading means for reading the image from a first memory in which the image is recorded, so that the display control means can display the image;
A second memory for recording an image read by the image reading means;
Deleting means for deleting the image recorded in the second memory from the second memory,
The image reading means reads an image not recorded in the second memory among the images determined to have the highest priority every time the determining means determines the display portion and the priority.
The deletion means determines the image recorded in the second memory among the images determined at the lowest priority every time the determination means determines the display portion and the priority. A content display device, wherein the content display device is deleted from a memory. The priority order is divided into three levels.
The determination means is
Determine the image placed in the determined display part to the highest priority,
Decide the image with the lowest priority that is unlikely to be placed in the display area to be determined next,
2. The content display device according to claim 1, wherein, among the plurality of images, an image other than an image determined to have the highest priority or the lowest priority is determined to have the second highest priority. .   3. The content display device according to claim 2, wherein the deleting unit does not perform processing on the image determined to have the second highest priority. The plurality of images are arranged on each side surface of the polygonal column formed by the three-dimensional object so as to form a row in each of the longitudinal direction of the side surface and the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction,
The image that is not likely to be arranged in the next determined display portion is different from the image arranged in the determined display portion both in the longitudinal direction of the side surface and in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction. The content display device according to claim 1, further comprising an image arranged in a row. The display portion to be determined next is a display area that is determined by the determination means in response to one operation by the user,
An image that is not likely to be placed in the next determined display portion may be placed in the next determined display portion from the determined display portion on the side surface on which the determined display portion is located. 5. The content display device according to claim 1, further comprising an image arranged on a farther side than an image having a gap.   The content display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the content is an electronic book, and the image is a thumbnail image of the electronic book. A display method for displaying a part of a three-dimensional object in which a plurality of images representing content are arranged on a side surface of a polygonal column on a screen,
Determining a display part of the three-dimensional object to be displayed on the screen, and determining a priority order of the images according to the determined position of the display part;
After the determining step, image reading that reads, from the first memory in which the image is recorded, an image that is determined not to be recorded in the second memory among the images determined to have the highest priority, to a displayable state Process,
A storing step of storing the image read by the image reading step in the second memory;
And a deletion step of deleting, from the second memory, an image recorded in the second memory among the images determined to have the lowest priority after the determination step. Method.   A content display program for causing a computer to function as the content display device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the content display program causes the computer to function as each of the means.   A computer-readable recording medium on which the content display program according to claim 8 is recorded.

Images