JP2012079264A - Image display device and image display method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image display device and the like that, even when there are many images to be list-displayed in one screen, can display the images so that the images do not overlap each other by efficiently using the whole screen.SOLUTION: An image display device comprises: a thumbnail image display determination unit 91 that, based on display size information of a display screen and display size information of each of plural thumbnail images, determines whether thumbnail images to be displayed are displayable on the display screen; a thumbnail image property information acquisition unit 92 that, when the thumbnail images are determined to be not displayable, acquires property information of the thumbnail images to be displayed; and a thumbnail image display control unit 93 that reduces, with respect to a normal size, only thumbnail images reducible with respect to the normal size among the thumbnail images based on the acquired property information, and displays thumbnail images that are not reducible and the reducible thumbnail images reduced with respect to the normal size on the display screen so that they do not overlap each other.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image display device and an image display method for displaying a plurality of thumbnail images on a display screen having a display limit.

  When playing a video or still image with a camcorder, digital still camera, mobile phone, etc., a list of multiple thumbnail images of the video or still image is displayed on a single screen on a display device such as a liquid crystal display device. A general method is to determine a file to be played by designating. In such an image display device that displays a list of a plurality of thumbnail images, the number of thumbnail images displayed as a list on one screen is changed so that a large number of thumbnail images can be displayed as a list on one screen. (See, for example, Patent Document 1), the currently selected thumbnail image is displayed in a large size on the front, and other thumbnail images are displayed in a superimposed manner (see, for example, Patent Document 2). When a part of the display range of the thumbnail image is overlapped and displayed, a display method has been proposed in which a face area or the like in which a face is reflected is used as a protection area so that the protection areas do not overlap each other (for example, patents) Reference 3).

JP 2009-44491 A JP 2007-272701 A JP 2005-202588 A

  However, in the method of Patent Document 1 described above, for example, an image display device such as a camcorder has a small screen size of about 3 inches, so the number of thumbnail images that can be displayed without being overlaid is naturally limited. There is a problem that screen scrolling and page switching are required.

  In addition, although the above-described image display device of Patent Document 2 can display all of a predetermined number of thumbnail images on one screen, the thumbnail image far from the selected thumbnail image is small in size and has the immediately preceding thumbnail. Since the image and the feature region may overlap, there is a problem that the feature of the thumbnail image is not known, and there is a possibility that the thumbnail image cannot be recognized.

  Further, in the above-described image display device of Patent Document 3, since the thumbnail image is displayed so that the feature areas such as the face area do not overlap with each other from the center of the display area, the entire screen cannot be used efficiently. There are challenges.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and even when there are a large number of images to be displayed in a list on one screen, the entire screen can be efficiently used and displayed so as not to overlap. An object is to provide an image display device and an image display method.

  In order to achieve the above object, the image display device according to the present invention is characterized in that, in an image display device that displays a plurality of images on a display screen having a display limit, display size information of the display screen, and a plurality of images Based on each display size information, determination means (91) for determining whether or not an image to be displayed can be displayed on the display screen, and property information for acquiring property information of the image to be displayed When it is determined that the image cannot be displayed by the acquisition unit (92) and the determination unit, a reducible image among the images to be displayed is displayed based on the property information acquired by the property information acquisition unit. The target image to be displayed on the display screen including the reduced image that can be reduced is displayed so as not to overlap the display screen. That the image display control means (93) is to have a.

  The image display method according to the present invention is characterized in that, in an image display method for displaying a plurality of images on a display screen having a display limit, display size information of the display screen and a display size of each of the plurality of images. A step (91) of determining whether or not an image to be displayed can be displayed on the display screen based on the information; a step (92) to acquire property information of the image to be displayed; When it is determined that the image to be displayed cannot be displayed on the display screen, based on the acquired property information, a reducible image is determined from the images to be displayed and reduced at a ratio according to the property information. And displaying a target image to be displayed on the display screen including the reduced image that can be reduced without overlapping the display screen (93).

  According to the image display device and the image display method of the present invention, whether an image to be displayed can be displayed on the display screen based on the display size information of the display screen and the display size information of each of the plurality of images. If it is determined that the image to be displayed on the display screen is not displayable, the property information of the image to be displayed is acquired, and based on the acquired property information, The image that can be reduced with respect to the standard size and the image that cannot be reduced are judged, and only the image that can be reduced is reduced with respect to the standard size, and the display target image is displayed so as not to overlap the display screen. It can be used efficiently and displayed without overlapping images.

1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an image display device according to a first embodiment. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of an image display method that is an operation of the image display device according to the first embodiment. 6 illustrates an example of a feature area detected by a thumbnail image feature area detection unit according to the first embodiment. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of thumbnail information according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the thumbnail image display method displayed without overlapping the conventional thumbnail images. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the characteristic area classification | category process of step S230 shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the display area determination process of step S250 shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a progress of a corkboard-style thumbnail image index according to the image display method of the first embodiment. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a corkboard-style thumbnail image index by the image display method according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example when a cursor is displayed in an example of a corkboard-style thumbnail image index according to the image display method of Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example when a thumbnail image is specified with a cursor in an example of a corkboard-style thumbnail image index according to the image display method of the first embodiment. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of how to divide a display area in the display unit of Embodiment 1, that is, how to divide a feature area in a thumbnail image. FIG. FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an image display device according to a second embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of an image display method that is an operation of the image display device according to the second embodiment. An example in which the thumbnail image non-overlapping display determination unit according to the second embodiment determines that a plurality of thumbnail images cannot be displayed without overlapping in the display area of the display unit is shown. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example in which a reduced display thumbnail image selection unit according to the second embodiment determines whether a thumbnail image to be reduced and displayed. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the thumbnail image reduction display control unit according to the second embodiment reduces and displays only thumbnail images to be reduced.

  Embodiments 1 and 2 of an image display device, an image display method, and an image display program according to the present invention will be described below. In the first and second embodiments described below, thumbnail images obtained by reducing the size of representative images of still images and moving images are displayed as images displayed by the image display device, the image display method, and the image display program according to the present invention. As an example, in the present invention, the image is not limited to a thumbnail image.

(Embodiment 1)
First, the image display device according to the first embodiment, which displays all thumbnail images up to a predetermined number of images on one screen and displays the thumbnail images while overlapping other than the feature regions so that the feature regions of the plurality of thumbnail images do not overlap. An image display method and an image display program will be described. In the following description, the thumbnail image display method according to the first embodiment is called, for example, “corkboard-style thumbnail image display method”, and a display screen on which thumbnail images are displayed as a list by this “corkboard-style thumbnail image display method” Is referred to as a “corkboard-style thumbnail image display index”.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the image display apparatus according to the first embodiment.

  In FIG. 1, the image display apparatus according to the first embodiment includes a processor 1, an input / output control unit 2, a storage unit 3 such as a memory or HDD for storing shooting data such as still images and moving images, and thumbnail images thereof, An input unit 4 such as buttons and switches for a user to input various operation instructions, a display control unit 5, a display unit 6 such as a liquid crystal display (monitor), a main memory 7 and the like are connected to a memory bus or I It is configured to be connected via an internal bus 8 such as an / O bus.

  The processor 1 according to the first embodiment functions as a feature region detection unit, a positional relationship detection unit, and an image display control unit of the present invention, respectively, and a thumbnail image feature region detection unit 11, a thumbnail image positional relationship detection unit 12, and a thumbnail image. A display control unit 13 is included. The thumbnail image feature area detection unit 11, the thumbnail image positional relationship detection unit 12, and the thumbnail image display control unit 13 may be hardware circuits, or the processor 1 may have a program memory (not shown) in the processor 1 or the like. The function performed by executing the image display program of the first embodiment stored in FIG.

  The thumbnail image feature area detection unit 11 detects each feature area from the thumbnail images of the shooting data of still images and moving images stored in the storage unit 3.

  Here, in the “corkboard-style thumbnail image index” that is a display screen displayed by the thumbnail image display method according to the first embodiment, in the case of a still image, an important region in an image such as a single photo, or attention A feature region detection function for detecting a feature region such as a region to be performed is essential, but in the first embodiment, for example, a known face detection function is used as the feature region detection function. Of course, a feature region detection method other than face detection may be used as the feature region detection function. Also, instead of the thumbnail image feature area detection unit 11 detecting the feature area of each thumbnail image, the user may set a feature area for each thumbnail image in advance and register it in the thumbnail information. In this case, the thumbnail image feature area detection unit 11 detects a feature area using a predetermined feature area detection method or a high priority feature area detection method only when there is no feature area set by the user in the thumbnail information. You can also

  The thumbnail image positional relationship detection unit 12 detects the positional relationship of the feature region with respect to the entire thumbnail image in the thumbnail image detected by the thumbnail image feature region detection unit 11. Here, for example, the display screen of the display unit 6 having a display limit is divided into a plurality of display regions, and a plurality of thumbnail images are handled on the display screen of the display unit 6 based on the position of the feature region in each thumbnail image. The positional relationship is detected so as to be classified into the display area group of the position to be operated, and the detailed operation will be described later. In addition, the division | segmentation method which divides | segments the display screen of the display part 6 into a some display area is shown in FIG. 12 mentioned later.

  When the number of thumbnail images exceeds a predetermined non-overlapping displayable number, the thumbnail image display control unit 13 detects a thumbnail image detected by the thumbnail image positional relationship detection unit 12 within a range not exceeding the predetermined maximum displayable number. The display position of the plurality of thumbnail images on the display screen is determined based on the relationship between the position of the feature area with respect to the entire thumbnail image and the area other than the feature area and the position of each feature area with respect to the entire thumbnail image in the plurality of thumbnail images. The feature areas of the plurality of thumbnail images are displayed so as not to overlap. Here, when the number of thumbnail images exceeds a predetermined non-overlable displayable number, a plurality of thumbnails classified into display area groups by the thumbnail positional relationship detection unit 12 within a range not exceeding the predetermined maximum displayable number. The image is arranged in a display area at a corresponding position on the display screen of the display unit 6, and the display is controlled so that the characteristic areas of the plurality of thumbnail images do not overlap each other. Therefore, in the first embodiment, the thumbnail image display control unit 13 is set in advance with two threshold values, ie, a non-overlapping displayable number of thumbnail images and a maximum displayable number. However, the maximum displayable number of sheets is not an essential requirement, and of course, the maximum displayable number of sheets may be omitted and the maximum displayable number of sheets may be unlimited. Here, it is assumed that the maximum displayable number of sheets is set as an initial value and can be changed by the user.

  Here, the threshold value for the number of non-overlapping displayable thumbnail images is the same as in the past, in which a thumbnail image overlaps a plurality of thumbnail images according to the relationship between the display area of one screen of the display unit 6 and the area of one thumbnail image. In general, it is configured so that a plurality of threshold values such as 4, 9, 16, etc. can be selected and set. Therefore, the thumbnail image display control unit 13 has a display area size of the display unit 6 of, for example, N [cm] × M [cm], and the size of one reference thumbnail image is A [cm]. In the case of × B [cm], the number of thumbnail images that can be displayed without overlapping each other is obtained in advance.

  The threshold value of the maximum number of thumbnail images that can be displayed is the maximum number of thumbnail images that can be displayed when a plurality of thumbnail images are displayed on one screen of the display unit 6. Here, for example, the threshold value for the non-overlapping displayable number of sheets is set to 9 and the maximum displayable number of sheets is set to 36.

  If the number of still images and video files increases and the number of thumbnail images also increases and cannot be displayed without being superimposed on one screen, that is, if the number of thumbnail images exceeds the threshold for the number of non-overlapping displayable images, The image display control unit 13 automatically switches to the “corkboard-style thumbnail image display method” which is the image display method of the first embodiment. Of course, it may be configured to be switched manually, but here, it is assumed that it is switched automatically.

  Next, an image display method that is an operation of the image display apparatus according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to a flowchart.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of an image display method that is an operation of the image display apparatus according to the first embodiment.

  First, the thumbnail image display control unit 13 of the processor 1 compares the total number of thumbnail images with the threshold value of the non-overlapping displayable number described above, and determines whether the total number of thumbnail images is equal to or less than the non-overlapping displayable number. Is determined (step S200). Here, although it is assumed that there is one thumbnail image for each shooting data such as a still image or a moving image, the present invention is not limited to this.

  Here, when it is determined that the total number of thumbnail images is equal to or less than the number of non-overlapping displayable images (“YES” in step S200), the thumbnail image display control unit 13 performs the conventional thumbnail image display. (Step S210). As a result, when the number of all thumbnail images is less than the number of non-overlapping displayable images, that is, within the number of images that can be displayed without overlapping one screen, the image display control unit 5 controls the thumbnail image display control unit 13 to For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the thumbnail images 30 are displayed on the display unit 6 without being overlapped with each other as usual. FIG. 5 shows a state in which nine thumbnail images 30 that are the number of non-overlapping displayable images are displayed on the display unit 6.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the total number of thumbnail images exceeds the number of images that can be displayed repeatedly (step S200 “NO”), the thumbnail images cannot be displayed on the display unit 6 unless they are overlaid. The thumbnail image feature region detection unit 11 is instructed to detect the feature region.

  Then, the thumbnail image feature area detection unit 11 detects a feature area from all thumbnail images stored in the storage unit 3, for example, as shown in FIG. 3 (step S220), and detects the detected feature area as a thumbnail image position. The data is sent to the relationship detection unit 12.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of a feature area detected by the thumbnail image feature area detection unit 11 according to the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the thumbnail image feature region detection unit 11 in the first embodiment detects feature regions 30 a and 30 b such as faces from the thumbnail image 30. At this time, in the first embodiment, the position of the face portion, which is the feature area, in the thumbnail image 30 and the range, that is, the size of the feature area, are used as thumbnail information for each thumbnail image. Is stored in the storage unit 3 or the like. In the case of the thumbnail image 30 shown in FIG. 3, since two child faces are shown, the thumbnail image feature region detection unit 11 detects two feature regions 30a and 30b.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the thumbnail information 40 according to the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the thumbnail information 40 detected and stored by the thumbnail image feature area detection unit 11 according to the first embodiment is “ID” which is identification information of the thumbnail information 40 and “name” of the thumbnail information 40. org name ”,“ org size ”which is the size of the thumbnail information 40, and“ left top ”,“ bottom right ”,“ top right ”, corresponding positions on the display screen of the display unit 6 based on the position of the feature region, “Position” indicating which of the four display areas of “lower left” and further the display area that extends over the plurality of display areas is classified, and “face” indicating that face detection is used as a feature area detection method detection ”, position size information“ post ”indicating the position of the feature region (for example, center coordinates) and the size in the horizontal and vertical directions Having on & size "and the like. Here, in the case of the thumbnail image 30 shown in FIG. 3, the thumbnail image feature area detection unit 11 detects the two feature areas 30a and 30b. Therefore, for example, the position size information of the first feature area 30a. As center coordinates (192, 112), horizontal and vertical sizes (134, 92), and position size information of another feature region 30b, central coordinates (580, 112), horizontal directions and vertical directions The size (134, 92) is detected and set. Note that it is only necessary to be able to specify the position and size of the feature region, so it is of course possible to set four coordinates instead of the center coordinate of the feature region.

  When the thumbnail image positional relationship detection unit 12 receives information on the feature region of the thumbnail image from the thumbnail image feature region detection unit 11, the thumbnail image positional relationship detection unit 12 detects the positional relationship of the feature region with respect to the entire thumbnail image, and each of the plurality of thumbnail images to be displayed is displayed. Based on the positional relationship of the feature areas in the thumbnail image, the display area 6 is classified into display area groups at corresponding positions on the display screen, and the classification result is set for each thumbnail image (step S230). Here, in the first embodiment, the thumbnail image positional relationship detection unit 11 sets the classification result to, for example, “position” indicating a display area in the thumbnail information 40 of each thumbnail image shown in FIG.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the feature region classification process in step S230 shown in FIG. Here, for convenience of explanation, the characteristic area is described as being classified into, for example, four display areas as shown in FIG.

  First, the thumbnail image positional relationship detection unit 11 determines which feature region in each thumbnail image, that is, the position of the face detected by face detection in the first embodiment, in which of the four classification regions in each thumbnail image, ”,“ Lower right ”area,“ upper right ”area, or“ lower left ”area (step S231), and each thumbnail image is determined based on the determination result. Are classified into an upper left area group (step S232), a lower right area group (step S233), an upper right area group (step S234), and a lower left area group (step S235). Note that the storage destination of the thumbnail information 40 is not limited to the storage unit 13 and may be within the processor 1 or the main memory 8 or the like.

  At that time, if there are multiple feature areas in the thumbnail image (for example, family photos with many faces or photos with friends), or if the feature area in the thumbnail image is large (for example, children Etc.), and the characteristic region may straddle a plurality of divided regions. When such a feature region extends over a plurality of divided regions, the thumbnail image positional relationship detection unit 12 displays, for example, a thumbnail image over a plurality of corresponding display regions on the display screen of the display unit 6. Then, it is classified into the plurality of divided regions (step S236). In such a case, it may be classified so that it is displayed near the center. Further, even if there are a plurality of feature areas in the thumbnail image, the process of step S236 can be omitted when determining one feature area by taking the center of gravity of the thumbnail areas.

  The thumbnail image positional relationship detection unit 12 executes such processing until all the thumbnail images of the still image or the moving image stored in the storage unit 3 are completed (step S237 “NO”), When the thumbnail image is finished (step S237 “YES”), the classification process is finished.

  When the classification process is completed, the thumbnail image display control unit 13 first acquires the thumbnail information 40 of the thumbnail image to be displayed on the display unit 6 from the storage unit 3 or the like, and from the “position” of the thumbnail information 40 or the like, The display area that is the classification result is read (step S240), and the display area to be displayed this time is determined from the previously displayed display area on the display screen of the display unit 6, and the display area determination process described in detail in FIG. Step S250). At this time, if there is thumbnail information 40 in which a plurality of display areas are set in step S236 of FIG. 6, in the first embodiment, for example, display is performed from the thumbnail information 40 in which one display area is set. The area is read out, and then read out from the display area of the thumbnail information 40 in which a plurality of display areas with a small number are set.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the display area determination process in step S250 shown in FIG.

  First, the thumbnail image display control unit 13 first determines whether or not the classification result set in “position” or the like of the thumbnail information 40 has one display area, that is, is displayed across a plurality of display areas. (Step S251), and when there is one display area (step S251 “YES”), the display unit 6 determines the display area of the thumbnail image previously displayed on the display unit 6 with reference to the thumbnail information 40 of the thumbnail image displayed previously. (Step S252). Here, in the first embodiment, the display area of the thumbnail image on the display unit 6 corresponds to the positional relationship of the feature areas in the thumbnail image, for example, the display area of the thumbnail image with the feature area at the upper left is set to the upper left. Since the display area is divided into four display areas as shown in FIG. 12A and the next display area is determined based on the previous display area, the thumbnail image display control unit Reference numeral 13 denotes an area in which the previous display area of the thumbnail image on the display screen of the display unit 6 is an “upper left” area, a “lower right” area, or an “upper right” area on the display screen of the display section 6. It is determined whether it is in one of the “lower left” areas.

  In the case of the first embodiment, when the previous display area of the thumbnail image is the “upper left” display area on the display screen of the display section 6, the thumbnail image display control unit 13 sets the display area of the thumbnail image to be displayed this time to “ The display area “lower right” is set (step S253), and the thumbnail image having the characteristic area at the lower right is displayed. If the previous display area is the “lower right” display area on the display screen of the display unit 6, the display area of the thumbnail image to be displayed this time is set to the “upper right” display area (step S254), and the feature area is the upper right. The thumbnail image at is displayed. If the previous display area is the “upper right” display area on the display screen of the display unit 6, the display area of the thumbnail image to be displayed this time is set to the “lower left” display area (step S 255), and the feature area is set to the lower left. A certain thumbnail image is displayed. If the previous display area is the “lower left” display area on the display screen of the display unit 6, the display area of the thumbnail image to be displayed this time is set to the “upper left” display area (step S256), and the feature area is set to the upper left. A certain thumbnail image is displayed.

  On the other hand, when the thumbnail image display control unit 13 determines that a plurality of display areas set in “position” or the like of the thumbnail information 40 are displayed across a plurality of display areas (step S251 “NO”). ), And set to a position across the plurality of display areas (step S257). As described above, when there is thumbnail information 40 in which a plurality of display areas are set in step S236 in FIG. 6, in the first embodiment, for example, a thumbnail in which one display area is set. Since the display area is read out from the information 40 and then read out from the display area of the thumbnail information 40 in which a plurality of display areas having a small number are set, the thumbnail images are displayed in the four display areas in steps S253 to 256. After that, thumbnail image display across a plurality of display areas in step S257 is performed. Note that even if there are a plurality of feature areas in the thumbnail image, the processing of steps S251 and S257 can be omitted when determining the one feature area by taking the center of gravity of the thumbnail areas.

  Then, the thumbnail image display control unit 13 displays the current thumbnail image in the display area of the display unit 6 determined in the display area determination process of step S250 shown in detail in FIG. 7 (step S260). At this time, if it is determined that there is no thumbnail image 30 corresponding to the display area determined in the display area determination process in step S250 based on the thumbnail information 40 acquired in the process in step S240, the thumbnail image is displayed. First, the thumbnail image is displayed in the next display area.

  Then, the thumbnail image display control unit 13 determines whether or not the display process has been completed for all thumbnail images to be displayed on the display unit 6 (step S270), and if completed (step S270 “YES”), The thumbnail image display process ends.

  On the other hand, if the display processing has not been completed for all the thumbnail images to be displayed on the display unit 6 (step S270 “NO”), the thumbnail image display control unit 13 performs the image display method of the first embodiment any more. It is determined whether or not a certain corkboard-style thumbnail image display can be continued (step S280).

  Here, when the thumbnail image display control unit 13 determines that the corkboard-style thumbnail image of the first embodiment cannot be displayed any more (step S280 “NO”), a message to that effect is displayed (step S280). S290), the above thumbnail image display processing is terminated. Here, the thumbnail image display control unit 13 determines whether or not the corkboard-style thumbnail image of the first embodiment can be displayed. The number of thumbnail images already displayed on the display unit 6 is equal to the maximum displayable number. The above is the case or when some error status is detected in the thumbnail image display processing, and furthermore, the feature area of each thumbnail image overlaps in any one of the four display areas of the display unit 6. It may be determined that a corkboard-style thumbnail image cannot be displayed when

  On the other hand, when the thumbnail image display control unit 13 determines that the corkboard-style thumbnail image display, which is the image display method of the first embodiment, can be continued (“YES” in step S280), the above-described step Returning to the process of S240, the subsequent processes are repeated and executed.

  As a result, as in the example shown in FIG. 8, the thumbnail image display control unit 13 first displays the thumbnail image 31 in the “upper left” display area of the display unit 6 and then displays the “lower right” display. Each thumbnail image is displayed as follows: thumbnail image 32 in the area → thumbnail image 33 in the upper right display area → thumbnail image 34 in the lower left display area → thumbnail image 35 in the upper left display area The image is displayed in four display areas of the display unit 6, that is, display areas of "upper left", "lower right", "upper right", and "lower left". Note that this display order is merely an example, and it is a matter of course that the display may be rotated in the reverse direction of the clock, such as upper left → lower left → lower right → upper right → upper left →...

  At that time, as shown in FIG. 8, the thumbnail image display control unit 13 does not overlap the feature regions of the thumbnail images 31 to 35 in each display region of the display unit 6, and further displays each display region of the display unit 6. The display is controlled so as to be shifted from the outer (end) side as close to the corner as possible to the inner side, that is, toward the center of the display unit 6.

  As a result, the thumbnail image display control unit 13 displays the thumbnail image having the feature area at the upper left of the thumbnail image toward the upper left of the display area of the display unit 6 and the thumbnail image having the feature area at the lower right of the thumbnail image at the display unit 6. The thumbnail image having the characteristic area at the upper right of the thumbnail image is displayed at the upper right of the display area of the display unit 6, and the thumbnail image having the characteristic area at the lower left of the thumbnail image is displayed on the display unit 6. Since it is arranged at the lower left of the area, the display area of the display unit 6 is effectively used.

  Also, there are multiple feature areas in the thumbnail image (for example, family photos with many faces, photos with friends, etc.), or when the feature area in the thumbnail image is large (for example, children In some cases, the thumbnail image display control unit 13 may display the display unit as shown in FIG. 9, for example, as shown in FIG. The display screens are arranged so as to straddle a plurality of corresponding display areas on the display screen of 6, that is, to share the plurality of display areas. That is, thumbnail images 36a to 36c having a plurality of feature areas such as family photos and group photos, and thumbnail images 37a to 37c having a large feature area such as a close-up photo of a person's face such as a child have the feature areas. Since it extends over a plurality of display areas, as shown in FIG. 9, it is displayed in an area close to the center across the corresponding display areas on the display screen of the display unit 6. In other words, for example, if the feature is near the center and left and right are empty, according to the ratio of left and right empty, the placement position is set near the center in the left and right direction corresponding to that ratio, or the feature is In the case of vacancy, the arrangement position is set according to the ratio of the empty area, such as setting the arrangement position near the center in the vertical direction corresponding to the ratio of the upper and lower vacancy. If there is a characteristic part in the entire area, it will be arranged near the center as a result.

  As shown in FIG. 9, in the corkboard-style thumbnail image display index of the present embodiment displayed on the display unit 6, as shown in FIG. 10, when a certain thumbnail image 38 is designated or selected with a cursor or the like, a thumbnail is displayed. As shown in FIG. 11, the image display control unit 13 performs control so that the entire thumbnail image 38 designated or selected by the cursor or the like is displayed in the front row.

  Therefore, according to the image display device and the image display method of the first embodiment, the thumbnail images are arranged in the display areas at the corresponding positions on the display screen based on the positional relationship of the important feature areas in each thumbnail image, and Since each thumbnail image is displayed so that the feature areas thereof do not overlap, when a plurality of thumbnail images are displayed as a list on a single screen, the display areas corresponding to the positions of the feature areas in the thumbnail images are displayed. The thumbnail images are arranged and displayed on the screen, so even if there are many thumbnail images to be displayed in a list on one screen, the entire screen can be used efficiently and displayed so that the feature areas of the thumbnail images do not overlap. it can.

  In particular, in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the thumbnail image display control unit 13 does not overlap the feature area of each thumbnail image on the display screen of the display unit 6. Since the display area is displayed so as to be shifted from the outer (end) side as close to the corner as possible to the inner side, that is, toward the center of the display unit 6, the feature area of the thumbnail image can be efficiently used by using the entire screen. It can be displayed so as not to overlap. Therefore, the thumbnail image display method according to the first embodiment is compared with, for example, the conventional technique in which a region other than the feature region is overlapped from the center position described in Patent Document 3 described above. It can be seen that the thumbnail image can be displayed using the entire screen more efficiently.

  As a result, according to the image display device of the first embodiment, when an image file is played back by an image display device such as a digital still camera, a camcorder, a photo frame, or a mobile phone, the entire screen is efficiently used to make a single screen. In addition, while displaying many thumbnail images, it is also possible to recognize the characteristics of a plurality of thumbnail images, so that a desired file can be reproduced quickly and easily.

  In addition, according to the image display method of the first embodiment, for example, it is as if a favorite photo is pasted on the cork board of his / her room, and a unique cork board-like thumbnail image index screen can be realized.

  Further, according to the image display device of the first embodiment, there are a plurality of feature areas in the thumbnail image (for example, family photos with many faces and photos with friends), or thumbnail images. In the case where the feature area is large (for example, a close-up photo of a child or the like), the thumbnail image display control unit 13 may extend over a plurality of display areas in the thumbnail image. 9 are arranged so as to extend over a plurality of corresponding display areas on the display screen of the display unit 6, that is, to share the plurality of display areas. Therefore, thumbnail images having a plurality of characteristic areas or a large characteristic area are shown in FIG. As shown in the display example shown, the image display unit 6 is displayed at a position close to the center, and in this respect as well, a plurality of efficient high-efficiency items that take advantage of the number and size of the feature regions are used. It can be arranged thumbnails images.

  In the description of the first embodiment, the method of dividing the display area on the display unit 6, that is, how to divide the feature area in the thumbnail image, as shown in FIG. In the above description, the vertical and horizontal lines are drawn and divided into four display areas, upper left, upper right, lower left, and lower right, and displayed from the end (outer) side of each area toward the center. Then, not limited to this, how to divide the display area in the display unit 6, that is, how to divide the feature area in the thumbnail image, for example, as shown in FIG. They may be connected by lines and displayed from the end (outside) side of the four display areas on the left, right, top, and bottom toward the center, and further, as shown in FIG. Fig. 12 (a) and Fig. 12 (b) are combined. In addition, it is divided into eight display areas, upper left, upper left, upper right, upper right, upper left, lower left, lower right, and lower right, and displayed from the end (outer) side of each area toward the center. Of course, it is good even if you do it.

  Further, in the description of the first embodiment, the thumbnail image display control unit 13 is set in advance with two threshold values, that is, a non-overlapping displayable number of thumbnail images and a maximum displayable number, as shown in FIG. When the number of thumbnail images displayed as a list in the unit 6 exceeds the maximum number of displayable images, the corkboard-style thumbnail image display method, which is the image display method of the first embodiment, is executed until the maximum displayable number is reached. However, in the present invention, the present invention is not limited to this, and the corkboard-style thumbnail image display method that is the image display method of the first embodiment is executed from the first page without setting the threshold for the number of non-overlapping displayable sheets. Of course, the thumbnail image display process may be terminated when there is no display area to display without overlapping the feature areas without setting the threshold for the maximum number of displayable images. .

  In the first embodiment, the well-known face detection adopted in recent years in digital still cameras is adopted as a feature region detection method. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a feature region other than a face is detected. You may do it. For example, for a user who only shoots landscape images, the display area cannot be displayed separately according to the position of the feature area by face recognition, so in such a case, based on the result of detecting the high frequency component of the image data, Of course, it may be based on the magnitude of the change in luminance, or other known feature region detection methods may be used. Furthermore, priority is provided, and the first feature region detection is the face detection, the first feature When area detection is added, the second feature area is set to other than face detection, and when the feature area cannot be detected by face detection as the first feature area detection, the second and subsequent processes are set. Of course, it is possible to detect and set the feature region by the feature region by detecting the feature region.

(Embodiment 2)
In the first embodiment, when the number of thumbnail images to be displayed as a list on one screen exceeds the number that can be displayed without overlapping thumbnail images, the feature areas of the thumbnail images do not overlap. However, in the second embodiment, when the number of images that can be displayed repeatedly is exceeded, as in the first embodiment, the method immediately switches to the above-described corkboard-style thumbnail image display method. Instead of automatically or manually switching to the corkboard-style thumbnail image display method, before that, determine whether to reduce the thumbnail image to the standard size and the reduction ratio for each thumbnail image based on the property information of the thumbnail image to be displayed. The first feature is that thumbnail images that can be reduced with respect to the standard size are reduced and displayed so as not to overlap. Is shall. Even if the thumbnail images that can be reduced based on the property information are reduced, the thumbnail images that can be reduced with respect to the standard size are reduced and displayed. If it exceeds, the same corkboard-style thumbnail image display method as in the first embodiment is switched automatically or manually. In the second embodiment, two threshold values of the non-overlapping displayable number of sheets are set. Therefore, in order to distinguish them, the thumbnail images used in the first embodiment are also overlapped without being reduced with respect to the standard size. The number of non-overlapping displayable images that can be displayed without being referred to as the first non-overlapping displayable number of images, and thumbnail images that can be reduced with respect to the standard size peculiar to the second embodiment are reduced to the standard size and are not overlapped. The displayable non-overlapping displayable number is referred to as a second non-overlapping displayable number.

  FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the image display apparatus according to the second embodiment.

  Compared with the image display device of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the image display device of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 13 newly includes a thumbnail image display determination unit 91 and a thumbnail image property information acquisition unit. 92, except that the function of the thumbnail image display control unit 93 is different, and the other components other than the thumbnail image feature region detection unit 11, the thumbnail image positional relationship detection unit 12, and the processor 9 are included. Is the same as the image display apparatus of the first embodiment shown in FIG. Therefore, the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment shown in FIG.

  Based on the display size information of the display screen and the display size information of each of the plurality of thumbnail images, the thumbnail image display determination unit 91 determines whether or not the thumbnail image to be displayed can be displayed on the display screen without overlapping. Is to judge. That is, the thumbnail image display determining unit 91 determines whether or not the number of thumbnail images to be displayed on the display screen exceeds the first non-overlapping displayable number. The function of the thumbnail image display determination unit 91 is provided in the thumbnail image display control unit 13 in the first embodiment, and thus may be provided in the thumbnail image display control unit 93 in the second embodiment. good.

  The thumbnail image property information acquisition unit 92 acquires property information of a thumbnail image to be displayed. This property information will be described later.

  When the thumbnail image display control unit 93 determines that the number of thumbnail images to be displayed in a list on one screen is larger than the first displayable number that can be displayed without duplication, the thumbnail image display control unit 91 Based on the property information of the thumbnail image to be displayed acquired by the thumbnail image positional relationship detection unit 12, whether or not the thumbnail image can be reduced with respect to the standard size is determined and the thumbnail image that can be reduced is reduced with respect to the standard size. Display so as not to overlap. Here, the reduction of the thumbnail image may be performed by directly reducing the thumbnail image or by reducing the thumbnail image itself and the main image stored therein. Of course, the main image may be further reduced from the standard size of the thumbnail image, and only the thumbnail image to be reduced and displayed may be reduced to be smaller than the standard size. If the second non-overlapping displayable number of images that can be displayed without being overlapped cannot be displayed unless they are still overlapped, the thumbnail image display control unit 93 displays the same corkboard style as in the first embodiment. Switch to thumbnail image display automatically or manually based on user operation.

  As in the first embodiment, the thumbnail image display determination unit 91 and the like constituting the processor 9 may have a hardware circuit configuration, or the processor 9 is stored in a program memory (not shown) in the processor 9 or the like. Alternatively, it may be a function achieved by executing the image display program of the second embodiment.

  Next, the operation of the image display apparatus according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to a flowchart.

  FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the operation of the image display apparatus according to the second embodiment, that is, the image display method according to the second embodiment. The same steps as those in the operation of the image display apparatus according to the first embodiment shown in FIG.

  In the second embodiment, first, the thumbnail image display determination unit 91 does not superimpose the thumbnail image to be displayed on the display screen based on the display size information of the display screen and the display size information of each of the plurality of thumbnail images. It is determined whether or not display is possible (step S1400). For this reason, the thumbnail image display determination unit 91 can display, as a reference, how many thumbnail images of a standard size can be displayed without being overlaid on the entire size of the display screen size N [cm] × M [cm]. The first non-overlapping displayable number as a threshold is set in advance. Here, the first non-overlapping displayable number of sheets is, for example, nine as in the first embodiment. Further, the second non-overlapping displayable number of sheets is, for example, 16 sheets which is equal to or less than the maximum displayable number of sheets.

  If the number of thumbnail images displayed on the display unit 6 is less than or equal to the first non-overlapping displayable number (step S1400 “YES”), the thumbnail image display control unit 93 is the same as in the first embodiment. Then, the conventional thumbnail image display is performed (step S210).

  On the other hand, for example, as shown in FIG. 15, nine thumbnail images 30 that are the first non-overlapping displayable number are already displayed on the display unit 6, and four thumbnail images 30 are added. If the image is to be displayed, the thumbnail image display determining unit 91 determines that the number of thumbnail images to be displayed on one screen has exceeded the first non-overlapping displayable number (step S1400 “NO”).

  Then, the thumbnail image property information acquisition unit 92 acquires property information of the thumbnail image to be displayed (step S1410), and passes the acquired property information to the thumbnail image display control unit 93. The thumbnail image property information acquisition unit 92 acquires the property information of the thumbnail image to be displayed because the number of thumbnail images that the thumbnail image display determination unit 91 should display on one screen is the first non-overlapping displayable number. Of course, it is good even before judging that it exceeded.

  Upon receiving the property information from the thumbnail image property information acquisition unit 92, the thumbnail image display control unit 93, based on the property information, among thumbnail images to be displayed, thumbnail images that can be reduced with respect to the standard size, It is determined that the thumbnail image is impossible, and only the thumbnail image that can be reduced is reduced, and the display target image is displayed so as not to overlap the display screen (step S1420).

  Here, based on the property information received from the thumbnail image property information acquisition unit 92, the thumbnail image display control unit 93 determines the property of the thumbnail image, the type of thumbnail image, the number of thumbnail images to be displayed, and the user instruction. For example, the size A [cm] × B [cm] of each thumbnail image to be displayed can be changed in multiple stages.

  Therefore, when the number of thumbnail images to be displayed on one screen exceeds the first non-overlapping displayable number, the thumbnail image display control unit 93, for example, among the thumbnail images based on the property information of the thumbnail images. For example, the size of the face, for example, the face size is determined in the entire thumbnail image, and based on the ratio, as shown in FIG. 16, the thumbnail image cannot be reduced relative to the standard size group 39a. And a group 39b that can be reduced. This is because the size of the thumbnail image size A [cm] × B [cm] is set to the standard size when the ratio of the size of the face which is a characteristic part in the thumbnail image is large in the whole thumbnail image. This is because the feature can be read by the user even if the image is further reduced.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 16, only the thumbnail image of the group 39b in which the thumbnail image can be reduced with respect to the standard size, the thumbnail image display control unit 93 is the size of the characteristic part in the thumbnail image with respect to the size of the display screen. The larger the ratio, the larger the reduction ratio of the thumbnail image size A [cm] × B [cm], so that a larger number is displayed.

  For example, there is one face in the thumbnail image, and it can be reduced to 1/2 when the vertical length of the face is 80% of the vertical size of the image, and 2 when the length is 60%. It is determined that it can be reduced to / 3, and when 50%, it can be reduced to 4/5.

  When there are multiple faces, the reduction ratio may be determined for the smallest face size, and the face size that exists at the edge of the thumbnail image is not targeted, and exists at the center of the thumbnail image. The reduction rate may be determined with respect to the size of the face to be played.

  If character information is present in the thumbnail image, the reduction ratio may be determined so that the size of the character information does not become too small.

  The determination of the reduction rate is intended to be visible to the user, and therefore the user may be able to change the reduction rate according to the user's visual acuity and environmental conditions such as external light when viewing.

  In addition, since the actual display size of the thumbnail image and the resolution of the image to be displayed differ depending on the display device, the reduction ratio may be changed as appropriate, and when displayed on a display device built in a camcorder or the like, The reduction rate may be changed when displaying on a display device connected to the external output terminal from a camcorder or the like.

  FIG. 17 shows that the thumbnail image of the group 39b that can be reduced by the thumbnail image display control unit 93 of the second embodiment is reduced to the standard size, and the thumbnail image of the group 39a that cannot be reduced is displayed on the display unit 6 in the standard size. It is a figure which shows the displayed example.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 17, the nine thumbnail images of the group 39b that can be reduced with respect to the standard size are reduced with respect to the standard size and are displayed smaller than the thumbnail images of the group 39a that cannot be reduced. In FIG. 17, the nine thumbnail images of the group 39b that can be reduced with respect to the standard size are reduced and displayed at the same scale, but based on the ratio of the face size that is a characteristic part in the thumbnail image. Thus, the scale factor may be changed for each thumbnail image that can be scaled so that the larger the scale factor, the larger the scale factor. As a result, as shown in FIG. 17, even when the number of thumbnail images to be displayed on one screen exceeds the first non-overlapping displayable number 9 and is displayed 13, the thumbnail images are displayed without being overlapped. It becomes possible.

  Here, when the number of thumbnail images to be displayed on one screen exceeds the first non-overlapping displayable number, the thumbnail image display control unit 93, for example, the entire thumbnail image based on the property information of the thumbnail image. In the above description, the thumbnail image is reduced and displayed based on the proportion of the feature portion such as the size of the face. However, the thumbnail image may be reduced based on the type of the thumbnail image. . For example, when the frequency component of a thumbnail image is measured and the high frequency component is large, there are many fine images, and when the thumbnail image is reduced, there is a high possibility that the user will not be able to make a determination. On the other hand, when the high-frequency component is small, that is, when the image has a low frequency, there are few fine images, and it is highly possible that the user can easily judge even when the image is reduced. Similarly, when the luminance distribution of the thumbnail image is measured and the luminance component distribution is concentrated in a dark region and a bright region, there is a tendency for a backlight image, and the user determines from the luminance difference. On the other hand, if the distribution of the luminance component is flat, the feature is not clear and the user is likely to be difficult to judge. However, it may be configured not to be reduced.

  Then, the thumbnail image display control unit 93 of the second embodiment exceeds the first non-overlapping displayable number (step S1400 “NO”), and the thumbnail image properties as described above. Even if thumbnail images that can be reduced based on the information are reduced and displayed (step S1420), they cannot be displayed unless they are overlapped, that is, when the second non-overlapping displayable number is exceeded (step S1430 “NO”). Then, the process proceeds to step S220, and the display is automatically or manually switched to the corkboard-style thumbnail image display of the first embodiment described above. Note that the corkboard-style thumbnail image display processing in steps S220 to S290 is the same as that in the first embodiment shown in FIG. However, when the thumbnail image display control unit 93 of the second embodiment executes the corkboard-style thumbnail image display of the first embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the group 39b that can be reduced with respect to the standard size is displayed. The corkboard-style thumbnail image display of the first embodiment may be executed while only the thumbnail image is reduced with respect to the standard size, or the group 39b that can be reduced with respect to the standard size as in the first embodiment. The corkboard-style thumbnail image display of the first embodiment may be executed without reducing the thumbnail image with respect to the standard size. Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the corkboard-style thumbnail image display process of the first embodiment in steps S220 to S290 may not be executed.

  Therefore, according to the image display device and the image display method of the second embodiment, the number of thumbnail images to be displayed as a list on one screen exceeds the first non-overlapping displayable number that can be displayed without overlapping thumbnail images. In this case, instead of immediately or automatically switching to the corkboard-style thumbnail image display method of the first embodiment, whether or not the thumbnail image can be reduced to the standard size for each thumbnail image based on the property information of the thumbnail image to be displayed. And by determining the reduction ratio, only thumbnail images that can be reduced relative to the standard size are displayed so that they do not overlap with thumbnail images that can be reduced relative to the standard size and cannot be reduced relative to the standard size. In other words, when the second non-overlapping displayable number is exceeded, the corkboard-style thumbnail image display method of the first embodiment is used. Since there are many thumbnail images to be displayed in a list on a single screen, only thumbnail images that can be reduced using the properties of thumbnail images are reduced before shifting to corkboard-style thumbnail image display. Thus, the thumbnail images can be displayed so as not to overlap each other.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,9 Processor 11 Thumbnail image characteristic area detection part 12 Thumbnail positional relationship detection part 13, 93 Thumbnail image display control part 91 Thumbnail image display judgment part 92 Thumbnail image property information acquisition part 2 Input / output control part 3 Storage part 4 Input part 5 Display control unit 6 Display unit 7 Main memory 8 Internal bus

Claims (2)

In an image display device that displays a plurality of images on a display screen having a display limit,
Determining means for determining whether an image to be displayed can be displayed on the display screen based on display size information of the display screen and display size information of each of a plurality of images;
Property information acquisition means for acquiring property information of an image to be displayed;
When it is determined that the image cannot be displayed by the determination unit, based on the property information acquired by the property information acquisition unit, a reducible image is determined from the images to be displayed, and the property information is obtained. An image display control means for displaying a target image to be displayed on the display screen including the reduced image that can be reduced and reduced so as not to overlap the display screen.
An image display apparatus. In an image display method for displaying a plurality of images on a display screen having a display limit,
Determining whether an image to be displayed can be displayed on the display screen based on display size information of the display screen and display size information of each of a plurality of images;
Obtaining property information of an image to be displayed;
When it is determined that the image to be displayed cannot be displayed on the display screen, the image to be displayed is determined based on the acquired property information, and a reducible image is determined at a ratio according to the property information. Reducing and displaying a target image to be displayed on the display screen including the reduced image that can be reduced so as not to overlap the display screen;
An image display method comprising:

Images