JP2020008874A - Display control device, control method and program of the same - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a display control device that can display much more images in the midst of scrolling.SOLUTION: A display control device is configured to, when displaying a plurality of images with the images arranged on a screen in spatial arrangement order, implement processing for displaying the image for each image; change the image to be arranged on the screen by scrolling; control so as to display the image to be arranged on the screen according to a time-variant display order depending upon a direction of the scrolling of the images undergoing the processing. Herein, the display order is configured to prioritize the image to be arranged on an upstream side in the scrolling direction over the image to be arranged on a downstream side in the scrolling direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a display control device for displaying a plurality of images, a control method thereof, and a program.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, there is a digital device capable of displaying an index such as displaying a plurality of images such as photographs on one screen. In such devices, with the increase in the size and definition of the display screen, the improvement in the processing capacity of the control device, and the increase in the capacity of the recording medium, the number of devices capable of displaying more images at one time has increased. I have.

  Further, an index display in which a plurality of images are displayed at a time is scrolled in an arbitrary direction by operating an operation member such as a button, a lever, a rotary dial, and a touch panel.

  On the other hand, in order to display an image, reading of image data from a recording medium, decoding of image data (including decompression processing if compressed), resizing to a display size, and development to a VRAM For example, physical processing time is required. When a plurality of index displays are performed, a series of these processes is necessary for the number of display images, and the user has to wait for a certain period of time until the display of all images on one screen is completed.

  Therefore, for example, in Patent Document 1, the order in which the images are displayed on the index screen is changed according to the conditions, and the image that the user has browsed so far is displayed first, and the image adjacent to the image is displayed preferentially. A method for doing so is disclosed. As a result, the user can discriminate the images that have been browsed without losing sight even after shifting to the index display.

JP 2001-231005 A

  However, conventionally, when scrolling is performed in the index display, an image to be displayed during scrolling may not be displayed because the processing time required for displaying an image may not be enough. This is more likely to occur as the scroll speed increases and as the number of images displayed at a time increases, and in some cases, almost no images are displayed during scrolling. When almost no images are displayed, it is difficult to know which image has been switched by scrolling, and it is difficult for the user who is performing the scroll operation to determine where to end scrolling. In addition, after the scrolling is stopped, the process waits for the time for displaying the undisplayed image.

  When scrolling is performed in Patent Document 1, an image adjacent to an image that has been displayed up to that time, that is, an image in a direction in which the image disappears by scrolling (a direction in which the image moves) is preferentially displayed. However, since the image adjacent to the image that has been displayed up to that point is no longer the display target earlier than the other images that have been newly displayed during scrolling, processing for displaying while the display is being performed has been difficult. Less likely to be completed than other images. Processing for displaying another image to be newly displayed is also delayed by an amount performed after an image adjacent to the previously displayed image. Therefore, also in Patent Document 1, there is a possibility that a situation may occur in which many images to be displayed during scrolling are not displayed as described above.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to provide a display control device capable of displaying more images during scrolling.

  In order to solve the above problems, a display control device of the present invention is a display control device that arranges and displays a plurality of images on a screen in a spatial arrangement order, and displays the images on the screen for each of the images. Processing means for executing the processing of (a), changing means for changing the image arranged on the screen by scrolling, and changing the image arranged on the screen among the images subjected to the processing, for different times depending on the direction of the scrolling Display control means for controlling display on the screen in accordance with a typical display order, wherein the display order is such that an image arranged on the upstream side in the scroll direction is an image arranged on the downstream side in the scroll direction. Is given priority over

  According to the present invention, it is possible to display more images during scrolling.

2 is a hardware configuration of the digital camera 100. It is a schematic diagram of the relationship between the display VRAM and the buffer memory when scrolling is performed in the index display. It is a schematic diagram of the relationship between the display VRAM and the buffer memory when scrolling is performed in the index display. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing a relationship between a display VRAM and a buffer memory when scrolling is performed in the index display. It is a processing flowchart of an index display. It is a flowchart of a scroll control process. It is a flowchart of a smooth scroll process. It is a flowchart of a process target column control process. It is a schematic diagram of a buffer memory provided with a spare storage area.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<Description of hardware>
FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a digital camera 100 as an example of a display control device to which each embodiment of the present invention can be applied. FIG. 1A is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a digital camera, and FIG. 1B is an external view.

  1, a CPU 101, a nonvolatile memory 102, a memory 103, a display control unit 104, an input unit 105, a drive device 106, a communication I / F 107, an image processing unit 121, and an imaging unit 122 are connected to an internal bus 111. . The units connected to the internal bus 111 can exchange data with each other via the internal bus 111.

  The nonvolatile memory 102 stores constants, various programs, and the like for the CPU 101 to operate. The memory 103 includes, for example, a RAM. The CPU 101 controls each part of the digital camera 100 using the memory 103 as a work memory in accordance with a program stored in the nonvolatile memory 102, for example. The input unit 105 receives a user operation, generates a control signal according to the operation, and supplies the control signal to the CPU 101. The input unit 105 includes buttons (including direction buttons 105-1 arranged in a cross), a rotating wheel 105-2, a touch panel 105-3 as a pointing device, and the like as operation members for receiving a user operation. The touch panel is, for example, an input device configured to output coordinate information according to a position touched on an input unit configured in a plane. As the pointing device, a mouse or a trackball may be used instead of the touch panel. The CPU 101 controls each unit of the digital camera 100 according to a program based on a control signal generated and supplied by the input unit 105 in response to a user operation performed on the input device. This allows the digital camera 100 to perform an operation according to a user operation.

  When a touch panel is used as the input unit 105, the input unit 105 and the display 110 can be integrally configured. For example, the touch panel is configured so that the light transmittance does not disturb the display of the display 110, and is attached to the upper layer of the display surface of the display 110. Then, the input coordinates on the touch panel and the display coordinates on the display 110 are associated with each other. Thus, a GUI (Graphical User Interface) can be configured as if the user could directly operate the screen displayed on the display 110.

  The display control unit 104 outputs a display signal for causing the display 110 to display an image. For example, a display control signal generated by the CPU 101 according to a program is supplied to the display control unit 104. The display control unit 104 generates a display signal based on the display control signal and outputs it to the display 110. For example, based on a display control signal generated by the CPU 101, the display control unit 104 causes the display 110 to display a GUI screen constituting the GUI.

  The drive device 106 can be loaded with an external storage medium 108 such as a memory card. Under the control of the CPU 101, the drive device 106 reads data from the loaded external storage medium 108 and writes data into the external storage medium 108. . The external storage medium 108 to which the drive device 106 can be mounted is not limited to a semiconductor memory such as a memory card, and a disk recording medium such as a CD, DVD, or hard disk may be mounted on the drive device 106. Reference numeral 202 denotes a slot cover for storing the external storage medium 108. A communication interface (I / F) 107 performs communication with a network 120 such as a LAN or the Internet based on the control of the CPU 101. FIG. 1B illustrates a wired example, but wireless communication may be used.

  The imaging unit 122 includes a shooting lens including a focus lens, a shutter having an aperture function, an imaging device such as a CCD or a CMOS device that converts an optical image into an electric signal, an A / D converter, and the like. The image processing unit 121 performs resizing processing such as decoding, encoding, predetermined pixel interpolation, enlargement and reduction, and color conversion processing on image data from the imaging unit or image data read from the external storage medium 108 or the like.

<Operation description>
Hereinafter, the operation of the present embodiment will be schematically described with reference to FIGS.

  In the present embodiment, when a plurality of images are index-displayed on the display 110 and scrolled up and down, among the newly displayed images, the images arranged at a position far from the image displayed before the scrolling An example in which the display process is performed with priority will be described. In the index display according to the present embodiment, a plurality of images are arranged in a matrix. The positions where the images are arranged in the index display are arranged in a predetermined order such as image file name order, image number order, shooting date and time order, from the left end to the right end of a certain line, and subsequently from the left end to the right end of the next line. Shall be located. If all the images cannot be displayed on one screen, the screen can be scrolled to display the images that are arranged further forward or further behind. In the present invention, the arrangement order (arrangement order) of the images does not always match the temporal display order, as described later.

  First, a display VRAM (display memory) and a buffer memory will be described. The memory 103 has a display VRAM area and a buffer memory area. When displaying an image on the display 110, an image to be displayed is read from the external storage medium 108 or the like, the image is decoded by the image processing unit 121 (including decompression processing if compressed), and the image is converted to a display size. Resize and expand (store) in buffer memory. Hereinafter, at least one of these processes is collectively referred to as a display preparation process. One screen of display data including the image to be displayed on the display 110 among the images developed in the buffer memory is copied and stored in the display VRAM. The display data stored in the display VRAM is displayed on the display 110 via the display control unit 104.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the display VRAM and the buffer memory when scrolling is performed in the index display. FIG. 2A illustrates the state of the display VRAM and the buffer memory in a stationary state before scrolling. In the present embodiment, at the time of index display, 42 images in 6 rows and 7 columns are displayed on one screen. In the following, the image displayed in the Yth row and the Xth column is referred to as an image Y: X for convenience. In this case, as shown in FIG. 2A, the 0th column and the 1st line are larger in the buffer memory by one line before and after the image displayed on one screen (the image stored in the display VRAM). 56 (images 0: 1) to 7th column and 7th row (images 7: 7) are stored. Further, as shown in FIG. 2A, the display VRAM stores 42 images 1: 1 to 6: 7 of the images stored in the buffer memory, the images being displayed on one screen. Be copied. The image copied to the display VRAM is displayed on the display 110 as shown in the display VRAM of FIG. It should be noted that, in addition to the illustrated image of the display VRAM, the image may be displayed so as to be superimposed on another icon or information display.

  FIG. 2B shows the states of the display VRAM and the buffer memory when scrolling upward from the state shown in FIG. 2A. In the display VRAM in FIG. 2B (that is, the display content on the display 110), all the images are moved from the bottom to the top as compared to FIG. 2A. Hereinafter, the scroll direction in this case is referred to as “up” (that is, the moving direction of the image in the scroll is referred to as the scroll direction). In FIG. 2B, part of the image on the first line before scrolling is displayed, and the amount of scrolling is less than one line. When the scroll amount is less than the number of extra lines prepared in the buffer memory (one line before and after in this embodiment), the buffer memory is not updated, and the position of the area copied from the buffer memory to the display VRAM is not updated. , The display position is moved. The copy range indicated by the broken line in FIG. 2B is lower than the copy range before scrolling (the range indicated by the broken line) shown in FIG. 2A by the amount by which the display image is moved upward.

  FIG. 2C shows the states of the display VRAM and the buffer memory when exactly one line is scrolled up from the state of FIG. 2A through the state of FIG. 2B. The scrolling further proceeds upward from the state of FIG. 2B, and when the copy range to the display VRAM (the range displayed on the display 110) is just the second to seventh lines, the scroll is further advanced. For example, the image on the eighth line, which is one line ahead, must be displayed. Therefore, at this point, the image in the buffer memory is updated so as to be moved down by one line, the area where the 0th line is stored is overwritten with the image of the 1st line, and the images of the 1st to 8th lines are stored. I do. Since the image on the eighth line is an image that has not been stored in the buffer memory until now, it is read from the external storage medium 108 or the like, and the image processing unit 121 decodes the compressed image and prepares for display such as resizing to the display size. Action is required. Therefore, the data is not immediately stored in the buffer memory, but is stored after being delayed by the time required for the display preparation processing. In the buffer memory of FIG. 2C, since the state at the moment when the scroll has just advanced by one line is shown, the image 8: 1 to 8: 7 on the eighth line has not been stored yet. I have. Hereinafter, it is assumed that a portion indicated by black in the buffer memory indicates that an image to be stored is not yet stored.

  FIG. 3A shows the states of the display VRAM and the buffer memory when scrolling further upward through the states of FIGS. 2A to 2C. The copy range to the display VRAM extends from the first line before the start of scrolling of FIG. 2A to the image on the eighth line counted from the first line, and the copy range indicated by the broken line in the figure is from the end of the second line to the end. It is in the middle of the eighth line. However, since the scrolling progressed earlier than the completion of the display preparation processing for the images 8: 1 to 8: 5 on the eighth line, the images 8: 1 to 8: 5 were not copied to the display VRAM. . Therefore, in this state, the images 8: 1 to 8: 5 are not displayed on the display 110. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the display preparation processing is performed first on an image in which the arrangement order of the images is farther from the image displayed before the scroll in the same row. Therefore, in FIG. 3A described here, the arrangement order of the images is farther than the image 8: 1 from the image 1: 1 to the image 6: 7 displayed in FIG. Display preparation processing is performed in descending order from 7.

  FIG. 3B shows the states of the display VRAM and the buffer memory when the user further scrolls up through the states of FIGS. 2A to 2C and 3A. The copy range to the display VRAM extends from the first line before the start of scrolling in FIG. 2A to the image on the ninth line counted from the first line, and the copy range indicated by the broken line in FIG. It is in the middle of the ninth line. However, since the scrolling progressed faster than the display preparation processing of the images 8: 1 to 8: 5 on the eighth line and the images 9: 1 to 9: 6 on the ninth line, the display VRAM has Images 8: 1 to 8: 5 and 9: 1 to 9: 6 are not copied. As described above, in the present embodiment, if the scrolling proceeds before the display preparation processing of all the images in the same row ends, the display preparation processing of the image of the newly displayed row is performed by the previous preparation. This is performed prior to an image that has not yet been subjected to display preparation processing in a row. In the illustrated example, if the scrolling is advanced before the display preparation processing for all the images in the eighth line is completed, the display preparation processing for the newly displayed ninth line image is still prepared for the eighth line. This is performed prior to an image that has not been processed. By doing so, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the image is not displayed at all for one line because the display preparation processing cannot keep up with the scroll speed, and it is easy to identify to which line the scroll has progressed. ing.

  FIG. 3C shows the states of the display VRAM and the buffer memory when the user further scrolls up through the states of FIGS. 2A to 2C, 3A and 3B. The copy range to the display VRAM extends from the first line before the start of scrolling of FIG. 2A to the eleventh line image, and the copy range indicated by the broken line in the figure is the fifth line and the sixth line. It is between the boundary of the eyes and the middle of the 11th line. In this example, it is faster than the image 8: 1 to image 8: 5 on the eighth line, the images 9: 1 to 9: 6 on the ninth line, and the display preparation processing for one image on the tenth line is completed. Scrolling has progressed to the eleventh line. In this case, the display preparation processing of the image 11: 7, which is a new display target, is prioritized over the display preparation processing of the image 11: 7, over the 10th line in which no display preparation processing has been completed. ing. As described above, in the present embodiment, an image to be newly displayed by scrolling (for example, an image on the 10th line in the figure) is newly displayed by scrolling, compared to an image (for example, an image on the 10th line in the figure) which is closer to the image displayed before scrolling. In the figure, the display preparation processing of the image on the 11th line) is performed earlier in time. In other words, the display preparation processing of the image arranged on the opposite side to the scroll direction (the direction in which the image moves in the scroll) is performed temporally earlier than the image arranged on the scroll direction side. The side opposite to the scroll direction is, in other words, the upstream side with respect to the direction in which the image moves by scrolling. The image once stored in the buffer memory after the display preparation processing is completed is stored in the buffer memory at least as long as the image is within the copy range to the display VRAM, even if scrolling is performed. At the same time, the image is arranged closer to the scroll direction (toward the moving direction of the image; downstream) than to the image arranged closer to the opposite side to the scrolling direction (opposite to the moving direction of the image; upstream side). The image is no longer a display target due to the scrolling movement. Here, “not to be displayed” means that it is not included in the copy range to the display VRAM. In other words, among the images stored in the buffer memory at the same time, the image placed in the row closest to the scroll direction (the most upstream side) has the longest period to be displayed. Therefore, it is most likely that the display preparation process is completed while the display is being performed (while being included in the copy range to the display VRAM). In other words, although the display preparation process is started, before the process is completed, the display preparation process is not included in the copy range to the display VRAM, and the scroll is advanced without being displayed on the display 110. Least likely. As described above, in the present embodiment, among the images included in the copy range to the display VRAM and which have not been subjected to the display preparation processing, the images are closest to the scroll direction (the most opposite side to the moving direction of the image. The image arranged in the row on the upstream side is processed with priority over other images. As a result, it is possible to reduce the possibility that no image is displayed on one screen even if the scroll speed increases.

  Although FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate an example of scrolling upward, it goes without saying that scrolling downward is also possible. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the display VRAM and the buffer memory when scrolling downward.

<Processing procedure>
Next, a procedure of processing for realizing the above-described operation will be described in detail with reference to flowcharts of FIGS. The flowcharts of FIGS. 5 to 8 are realized by the CPU 101 expanding a program recorded in the nonvolatile memory 102 into a work memory area of the memory 103 and executing the program, and controlling each unit of the digital camera 100.

  First, the meanings of terms used in the description of the flowcharts in FIGS.

  Display order: Indicates whether the temporal priority order for performing the display preparation processing is the order from the upper row to the lower row of the matrix displayed on the display 110 or the order from the lower row to the upper row. variable. The variable changes depending on the scroll direction, and is stored in the memory 103.

  Processing target row (processing target column): a variable indicating the row (column) of the arrangement position of the image to be subjected to the display preparation processing and added to the buffer memory at a certain time. Since the arrangement of the images is uniquely determined by information such as the image file name, file number, and shooting date and time, if the arrangement position in the index display is known, the image can be uniquely specified by comparing it with the arrangement order of the images. Stored in the memory 103.

  Line Offset: A variable (integer value) for indicating a position where the range to be copied from the buffer memory to the display RAM is shifted by one line or less in order to make scrolling a smooth animation finer than one line unit. Stored in the memory 103.

Specified value of line Offset: a constant indicating the number of times the display is updated for animation while scrolling exactly one line. In other words, a constant indicating the value of the row Offset when just shifted by one row. It is stored in the nonvolatile memory 102 in advance. If the specified value of the row Offset is large, the animation becomes thinner, and if the specified value is small, the animation becomes coarser. The following equation is satisfied.
[Moving amount of display image on display screen in one display update in animation] = [Number of vertical lines of display VRAM and buffer memory required to display one line] / [Rules Offset definition] value]

  Scroll counter: A variable that indicates the number of lines to scroll further at a certain point. The addition or subtraction is performed according to the operation of the user who instructs to scroll the screen. When scrolling is actually performed, the number of scrolled lines is added or subtracted.

  Animation timer: A timer that counts the cycle until the display is updated once in scrolling. Generally, the frame rate is represented by the reciprocal. As this value decreases, the frame rate of the animation increases, but the load on the system also increases. (This cycle is a constant, about several tens of msec)

<Index display processing (FIG. 5)>
FIG. 5 is an overall flowchart of the index display. When the mode for displaying an image is switched to the index display mode based on a user operation or the like, index display is started.

  In S501, first, the CPU 101 initializes variables, and sets display order = from top to bottom, processing target row = top end of the copy range to the display VRAM, processing target column = left end in the same row, row Offset = 0. It is set and stored in the memory 103.

  In S502, the CPU 101 determines whether to end the index display. When the power of the digital camera 100 is turned off or an operation for switching to a mode other than the index display is received, it is determined that the index display is to be terminated, the index display is terminated, and the processing in FIG. 5 is terminated. In particular, when an instruction to end the index display is not received, it is determined that the index display is not to be ended, and the process proceeds to S503.

  In S503, the CPU 101 performs a scroll control process. Details of this processing will be described later with reference to FIGS. In this processing, processing to determine the number of lines to be scrolled, processing to determine the display order of images, processing to actually scroll, and processing target rows (columns) are determined from the progress of scrolling and the progress of display preparation processing. Processing and the like are included.

  In step S504, the CPU 101 determines whether all the images included in one screen currently being displayed are displayed. That is, this is a determination as to whether or not display preparation processing for all images to be copied to the display VRAM has been completed. If it is determined that all are displayed, the process returns to S502, and if it is determined that all are not displayed, the process proceeds to S505.

  In S505, the CPU 101 determines whether or not the display preparation processing of the image for which the display preparation processing has been started has ended. If it is determined that the display preparation process has not been completed, the process returns to S502, and if it is determined that the display preparation process has been completed, the process proceeds to S506.

  In S506, the CPU 101 adds the image for which the display preparation processing has been completed to the buffer memory. As a result, a new image is displayed on the display 110 when the display VRAM is updated in S708 and S709 of FIG. When the scrolling is stopped and the animation timer stops operating, every time the display preparation processing of the image that has not been stored is completed and added to the buffer memory, the image is transferred from the buffer memory to the display VRAM regardless of the animation timer. Shall be copied. As a result, the images added after finishing the display preparation processing after the scroll is stopped are sequentially displayed on the display 110.

  In step S <b> 507, the CPU 101 starts display preparation processing for an image to be arranged at the current position of the processing target row and the processing target column. The display preparation processing is performed in cooperation with the image processing unit 121 and the like, and is performed in parallel with the processing after S507. That is, the process proceeds to S508 even if the display preparation process has not been completed.

  In S508, the CPU 101 performs a process target column control process for determining a new process target column. Details of the processing target column control processing will be described later with reference to FIG.

<Scroll control processing (FIG. 6)>
Next, the scroll control processing will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. The scroll control processing in FIG. 6 is a detail of the processing in S503 in FIG. 5 described above.

  In step S601, the CPU 101 determines whether an input of a scroll instruction from a user has been received. In the present embodiment, scrolling can be performed in any direction, upward or downward, depending on the manner of instructing scrolling. For example, when the upper button of the direction buttons arranged in a cross included in the input unit 105 is pressed, scrolling in the downward direction (scrolling to move the position of the displayed image downward. Above the currently displayed image) (This is a scroll for browsing the image arranged in the.). Conversely, when the down button is pressed, scrolling upwards (scrolling to move the position of the displayed image up. Scrolling to browse the images located below the currently displayed image A)). If it is possible to perform a scroll instruction on the touch panel, it is assumed that the user has received an instruction of scrolling upward from an operation of tracing the touch panel from bottom to top, and an instruction of scrolling downward from an operation of tracing from top to bottom. The operation of rotating the rotating wheel may be one in which an instruction to scroll according to the direction of rotation is received. If it is determined that the input of the scroll instruction has been received, the process proceeds to S602, and if it is determined that the input of the scroll instruction has not been received, the process proceeds to S610.

  In S602, the CPU 101 determines whether or not the scroll instruction received in S601 is an instruction to scroll downward. If the user has instructed scrolling in the downward direction, the process proceeds to S603. Otherwise, the user has instructed scrolling in the upward direction, and the process proceeds to S604.

  In step S603, the CPU 101 decreases the value of the scroll counter by an amount corresponding to the operation amount of the operation in which the scroll instruction received in step S601 is performed. For example, if the up button is pressed once among the direction buttons, the value of the scroll counter is reduced by one. In the case of an operation of tracing the touch panel from top to bottom, the value of the scroll counter is reduced by the number corresponding to the tracing distance. When the scroll counter becomes a negative value, the scroll counter is scrolled down by the number of lines indicated by the absolute value of the scroll counter by the processing described below (the displayed image moves down and is hidden above the screen before scrolling. The image of the line that was not displayed is displayed.) In step S604, the CPU 101 increases the value of the scroll counter by an amount corresponding to the operation amount of the operation in which the scroll instruction received in step S601 is performed. This is upside down processing of S603. As a result, when the scroll counter becomes a positive value, the screen is scrolled upward by the number of lines indicated by the scroll counter by the processing described later. (The displayed image moves up, and the image of the row that was hidden and displayed at the bottom of the screen before scrolling is displayed).

  In S605, the CPU 101 determines whether or not the value of the scroll counter is equal to or less than zero. If the value of the scroll counter is a negative value, the scroll direction is downward. Conversely, if the value of the scroll counter is a positive value, the scroll direction is upward. If it is determined that the value of the scroll counter is equal to or less than zero, the process proceeds to S606, and if the value of the scroll counter is a positive value, the process proceeds to S607.

  In step S <b> 606, the CPU 101 sets the display order, which is the priority order in which the display preparation processing is performed, from the top row to the bottom row of the matrix displayed on the display 110, and stores the same in the memory 103. Here, the priority order of the upper row, which is the direction opposite to the downward direction in which the image moves by the downward scroll, is increased.

  In step S <b> 607, the CPU 101 sets the display order from the bottom row to the top row of the matrix displayed on the display 110, and stores it in the memory 103, contrary to the step S <b> 606. Here, the priority order of the lower row, which is the direction opposite to the upward direction in which the image moves by the upward scroll, is increased.

  In S608, the CPU 101 determines whether the animation timer is operating. That is, it is determined whether or not scrolling is being performed. If it is determined that the animation timer is not running (not in the middle of scrolling), the process proceeds to S609, where the animation timer is started to execute scrolling according to the scroll instruction received in S601, and the process of FIG. 6 is exited. To step S504 in FIG. On the other hand, if it is determined that the animation timer is in operation (during scrolling), the process proceeds to S610.

  In S610, the CPU 101 performs a smooth scroll process. The smooth scroll process is a process of executing a smooth animation scroll by shifting a portion to be read from the buffer memory into the display VRAM by an amount corresponding to the row offset every time the animation timer times out. Details of the smooth scroll processing will be described later with reference to FIG.

  In S611, the CPU 101 determines whether the row Offset is zero. If it is determined that the row Offset is zero, the process proceeds to S612. The case where the row Offset is zero is a state in which the image group displayed in the index display is displayed at a position defined as exactly an integer number of rows. On the other hand, if it is determined that the row Offset is not zero, the process exits the process of FIG. 6 and proceeds to S504 of FIG. The case where the row Offset is not zero means that the image group displayed in the index display is displayed at a position shifted from the position exactly corresponding to the integer number of rows by the amount of the line Offset. In the middle of scrolling, the animation timer is running.

  In S612, the CPU 101 determines whether or not the scroll counter is zero. This is a determination of whether or not to further scroll when the display position of the image group displayed in the index display is exactly the position corresponding to an integer. If it is determined that the scroll counter is zero, it is not necessary to perform any more scrolling, and the process exits the process of FIG. 6 and proceeds to S504. If it is determined that the scroll counter is not zero, the flow advances to S613 to perform processing for scrolling one more line.

  In step S <b> 613, the CPU 101 determines whether the display order stored in the memory 103 is set in the order from the upper row to the lower row. If the order is set from the upper row to the lower row, the process proceeds to S614; otherwise, the process proceeds to S615 if the order is set from the lower row to the upper row.

  In step S614, as another downward line is scrolled, the display preparation process for the line newly entering by scrolling is prioritized over the line for which the display preparation process was being performed at that time. And the processing target column is updated, and one value of the scroll counter is consumed. The CPU 101 sets the processing target row to the top row of the images displayed on the display 110, that is, the top row of the images included in the copy range from the buffer memory to the display VRAM, and stores the same in the memory 103. Further, the processing target column is set to the leftmost column in which no image is displayed in the row, and stored in the memory 103. Then, the value of the scroll counter is increased by one so as to consume one scroll counter.

  In step S615, as another upward line is scrolled, the display preparation process for the line newly entering by scrolling is prioritized over the line for which the display preparation process was being performed at that time. And the processing target column is updated, and one value of the scroll counter is consumed. The CPU 101 sets the processing target line to the lowermost line of the image displayed on the display 110, that is, the lowermost line of the image included in the copy range from the buffer memory to the display VRAM, and stores it in the memory 103. Further, the processing target column is set to the rightmost column in which no image is displayed in the row, and stored in the memory 103. Then, the value of the scroll counter is reduced by one so as to consume one scroll counter.

  When the processing in S614 or S615 is completed, the processing exits from the processing in FIG. 6 and proceeds to S504 in FIG.

<Smooth scroll processing (Fig. 7)>
Next, the details of the smooth scroll processing will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. The smooth scroll processing of FIG. 7 is the details of the processing of S610 of FIG. 6 described above.

  In S701, the CPU 101 determines whether or not the animation timer is operating. If it is determined that the animation timer is not running, it is not necessary to perform scrolling animation display, so the processing exits from FIG. 7 and proceeds to S611 in FIG. If it is determined that the animation timer is running, the process proceeds to S702.

  In S702, the CPU 101 determines whether the animation timer has timed out. If it is determined that the animation timer has not timed out, there is no need to update the display yet, so the processing exits from FIG. 7 and proceeds to S611 in FIG. If it is determined that the animation timer has timed out, it is necessary to update the display, and the process advances to step S703.

  In S703, the CPU 101 determines whether or not the row Offset is zero. When the row Offset is not zero, the image group displayed in the index display is displayed at a position shifted by exactly the row offset from the position exactly corresponding to an integer number of rows, and is in the middle of scrolling. Therefore, if it is determined that the row Offset is not zero, the process proceeds to S705, and the animation timer is restarted to measure the time until the next display update. On the other hand, if the row Offset is zero, the process proceeds to S704.

  In S704, the CPU 101 determines whether or not the scroll counter is zero. When the line Offset is zero and the scroll counter is also zero, the image group is displayed at exactly the position corresponding to an integer number of lines, and there is no need to scroll any more lines, so the display update for animation is not performed. , And goes to S611 in FIG. On the other hand, if the scroll counter is not zero, it is necessary to perform further scrolling, and the process proceeds to S705.

  In step S705, the CPU 101 restarts the animation timer to measure the time until the next display update for the animation.

  In S706, the CPU 101 determines whether or not the display order stored in the memory 103 is set in the order from the upper row to the lower row. If the order is set from the upper row to the lower row, the process proceeds to S707. Otherwise, that is, if the order is set from the lower row to the upper row, the process proceeds to S708. Note that this determination is a step for determining the scroll direction in order to make the direction in which the row Offset is shifted match the scroll direction. Therefore, instead of determining the display order, it may be determined whether the scroll counter is equal to or less than zero.

  In step S707, the CPU 101 reduces the row offset by one so as to move the image group displayed as the animation of the scrolling in the downward direction one step downward. Then, the display VRAM is updated by shifting the copy range from the buffer memory to the display VRAM by the updated row Offset value. Here, the one-step copy range is shifted in the direction of the upper row. As described above, the one-step shift amount is [movement amount (number of lines) of the display image on the display screen in one display update in the animation] = [display VRAM and display line necessary for displaying one line. [Number of vertical lines in buffer memory] / [prescribed value of row offset]. With this processing, the display on the display 110 is updated.

  In step S708, contrary to step S707, the CPU 101 increases the row Offset by one so as to move the image group displayed as an animation of upward scrolling by one step. Then, the display VRAM is updated by shifting the copy range from the buffer memory to the display VRAM by the updated row Offset value. Here, the one-step copy range is shifted in the direction of the lower row. With this processing, the display on the display 110 is updated.

  In S709, the CPU 101 determines whether or not the absolute value of the row Offset has reached a specified value. If it is determined that the specified value has been reached, the process proceeds to S710. The case where the specified value is reached is a case where scrolling of exactly one line is performed. If the predetermined value has not been reached, the process exits the process of FIG. 7 and proceeds to S611 of FIG.

  In step S710, the CPU 101 sets the row Offset to zero, and sets the shift amount of the copy range from the buffer memory to the display VRAM to zero. At the same time, the image in the buffer memory is updated to be moved down one line or moved up one line in accordance with the scroll direction. However, as described with reference to FIG. 2 (c), an image to be newly taken into the buffer memory along with the update requires time for display preparation processing, and is not immediately stored. Is stored.

  When the process of S710 is completed, the process exits the process of FIG. 7 and proceeds to S611 of FIG.

<Process target column control process (FIG. 8)>
Next, details of the processing target column control processing will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. The processing target column control processing in FIG. 8 is the details of the processing in S508 in FIG. 5 described above.

  In step S801, the CPU 101 determines whether the display order stored in the memory 103 is set in the order from the upper row to the lower row. If the order is set from the upper row to the lower row, the process proceeds to S802; otherwise, the process proceeds to S807 if the order is set from the lower row to the upper row.

  In step S802, the CPU 101 determines whether the processing target column stored in the memory 103 is at the right end. If it is at the right end, the process proceeds to S805; otherwise, the process proceeds to S803.

  In step S <b> 803, the CPU 101 sets the processing target column to the column immediately to the right of the currently set column, and stores the column in the memory 103. Next, in S804, the CPU 101 determines whether an image is already displayed at the position of the set processing target column. Specifically, it is determined whether or not an image for which display preparation processing has already been completed is stored at the position of the set processing target column on the buffer memory. If it is determined that the image is already displayed, the process proceeds to S805, and if it is determined that the image is not displayed, the process exits the processing of FIG. 8 and proceeds to S502 of FIG. If it is determined that the image is not displayed, the processing target column set in S803 becomes a column to be subjected to the next display preparation process as it is (if the scroll does not advance).

  S805 is a process to be performed when the processing target column is determined to be the right end in S802 or when an image is already displayed in the processing target column in S804. That is, since the display preparation processing has been completed for all the images of the processing target row at that time, processing for updating the processing target row is performed. In step S805, the CPU 101 determines whether the processing target row stored in the memory 103 is at the lower end of the copy range to the display VRAM. If it is at the lower end, all the images on the current screen have been subjected to the display preparation processing, and there is no more image to be subjected to the display preparation processing until scrolling proceeds. Therefore, the processing exits from the processing in FIG. 8 and proceeds to S502 in FIG. If it is determined that the line is not at the lower end, the process proceeds to S806, in which the CPU 101 sets the line to be processed one line below the current line to be processed and stores it in the memory 103. Then, the processing target column is set to the leftmost column in which no image is displayed in the processing target row, and stored in the memory 103. Thereafter, the process exits from the process in FIG. 8 and proceeds to S502 in FIG.

  On the other hand, the processing of S807 to S811 is processing in the case where the scroll direction is opposite to the processing of S802 to 806.

  In S807, the CPU 101 determines whether or not the processing target column stored in the memory 103 is at the left end. If it is at the left end, the process proceeds to S810; otherwise, the process proceeds to S808.

  In step S <b> 808, the CPU 101 sets the column to be processed to a column one column to the left of the currently set column, and stores the column in the memory 103. Next, in step S809, the CPU 101 determines whether an image has already been displayed at the position of the set processing target column. Specifically, it is determined whether or not an image for which display preparation processing has already been completed is stored at the position of the set processing target column on the buffer memory. If it is determined that the image is already displayed, the process proceeds to S810, and if it is determined that the image is not displayed, the process exits the processing of FIG. 8 and proceeds to S502 of FIG. If it is determined that the image is not displayed, the processing target column set in S808 becomes the column for which the next display preparation process is to be performed as it is (if the scroll does not advance).

  S810 is processing to be performed when the processing target column is determined to be the left end in S807, or when an image is already displayed in the processing target column in S809. That is, since the display preparation processing has been completed for all the images of the processing target row at that time, processing for updating the processing target row is performed. In S810, the CPU 101 determines whether or not the processing target row stored in the memory 103 is at the upper end of the copy range to the display VRAM. If it is at the upper end, the display preparation processing has been completed for all the images on the current screen, and there is no more image to be subjected to the display preparation processing until scrolling proceeds. Therefore, the processing exits from the processing in FIG. 8 and proceeds to S502 in FIG. If it is determined that the line is not at the upper end, the process advances to step S <b> 811, and the CPU 101 sets the line to be processed one line above the current line to be processed and stores it in the memory 103. Then, the processing target column is set to the rightmost column in which no image is displayed in the processing target row, and stored in the memory 103. Thereafter, the process exits from the process in FIG. 8 and proceeds to S502 in FIG.

  Although not shown in each of the flowcharts described above, an instruction to stop scrolling may be received from the user via the input unit 105. For example, before S601 in FIG. 6, a step of determining whether a scroll stop instruction from the user has been received is provided. If a scroll stop instruction has not been received, the process proceeds to S601. If a scroll stop instruction has been received, the scroll counter is set to zero and the process proceeds to S601. By doing so, the user can stop scrolling at an arbitrary timing while viewing the image displayed during scrolling.

  In each of the above-described flowcharts, an example has been described in which scrolling is realized by a smooth animation that updates the display with a movement amount of less than one line. However, such smoothing is not essential, and scrolling may be performed in units of one line. Absent. In that case, the specified value of the row Offset may be set to 1.

  The operations described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4 are realized by the processes of FIGS. 5 to 8 described above. According to the processing of FIGS. 5 to 8, as described in FIGS. 2 to 4, a new line is displayed by scrolling while the display preparation processing of the image arranged at a certain point in time is being performed. In this case, the display preparation processing of the image of the new line is performed with priority. As a result, the possibility that no image is displayed on one screen even when the scroll speed increases is reduced, and more images can be displayed even during scrolling. Further, within the same line, display preparation processing is performed with priority given to an image farther from the image displayed before scrolling than the image displayed before scrolling according to the scroll direction. This allows the user to quickly confirm which range of images is currently displayed on the display screen during scrolling. Therefore, it is easy for the user performing the scroll instruction operation to determine where to stop scrolling. Also, since more images can be displayed during scrolling, the number of images not yet displayed is small. Therefore, the processing time from stopping scrolling to displaying all the images that have not been displayed is reduced. That is, the user waits less time until all the images are displayed after the scrolling is stopped.

  In the above description, an example in which scrolling is performed in the up-down direction has been described. However, it is needless to say that the present invention can be applied to scrolling in the left-right direction. Furthermore, the present invention can be applied to a case where scrolling is possible in any direction including an oblique direction. In this case, by performing processing to display an image newly included in the display range by scrolling in preference to an image included in the display range before the display range is changed by scrolling, the above-described embodiment is performed. It has the same effect as.

  Although the buffer memory described above has a storage area one row above and below the number of rows displayed on the display 110, a spare storage area for more rows may be provided. In this case, after the CPU 101 determines in step S504 in FIG. 5 that the display of all the images has been completed, the display preparation processing for the images to be stored in the spare area is continued. FIG. 9 shows an example in which the buffer memory is provided with a storage area three rows above and below the number of rows displayed on the display 110. When the row Offset is zero, the range copied on the display VRAM is the visible storage area, the storage area prepared for the spare three rows above it is the upper spare storage area, and the storage area prepared for the spare three rows below Is referred to as a lower spare storage area. For images stored in the visible storage area, display preparation processing is performed in the order described with reference to FIGS. Thereafter, display preparation processing is performed with priority given to the image of the line that will be newly displayed when scrolling in the same direction as it is, and stored in the spare storage area. For example, when scrolling upward, an animation in which an image enters from below is displayed on the display 110, that is, an image in a lower row is newly displayed. Therefore, after storing the image for which the display preparation processing has been completed in the visible storage area, an image is first added to the lower auxiliary storage area before the image stored in the upper auxiliary storage area. Conversely, when scrolling downward, an image is added to the upper spare storage area before the lower spare storage area. As a result, it is possible to further reduce disconnection of the image display immediately after the start of scrolling. Here, the size of the spare storage area is set to half the size of the visible storage area for the sake of convenience, but the size does not matter in accordance with the memory condition of the system.

  Note that a function of switching a plurality of images displayed in the index display without scrolling may be added. For example, there may be a function that can switch the image from the first line to the sixth line displayed on one screen to the image from the seventh line to the twelfth line without scrolling. In that case, the display preparation processing may be performed in a different order from the scrolling. For example, at the time of image switching without scrolling, if the display preparation process is performed with priority given to the image arranged closer to the image displayed before switching, it is determined whether the switching has been performed in that direction. It will be easier. For example, when the image from the first line to the sixth line is switched to the image from the seventh line to the twelfth line without scrolling, the display preparation processing is started from the seventh line. When the image on the first to sixth lines is switched to the image on the fifth to zeroth lines, the display preparation process starts from the zeroth line. On the other hand, when a plurality of images displayed in the index display are switched without scrolling, as in the case of scrolling, the display preparation processing is performed first on the image whose arrangement order is far from the previously displayed image. It may be performed. By doing so, it is possible to quickly confirm the range of the image after switching including the image, and it is easy to determine whether switching should be performed.

  Further, the number of displayed images in the index display is not limited to the above example. The number of images to be displayed at a time may be switched. For example, in the examples of FIGS. 2 to 4, six rows and seven columns are displayed, but the number may be switched to another number such as three rows and three columns or ten rows and ten columns. When switching to another number, the display preparation processing may be performed in an order different from that in scrolling. For example, when switching the number of images, if the display preparation process is performed with priority given to the image whose arrangement order is closer to the image selected so far, the image selected before the switching will not be lost even after the switching. Can be determined.

  Furthermore, although the present invention has been described in detail based on the preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, and various forms that do not depart from the gist of the present invention are also included in the present invention. included. Furthermore, each of the above-described embodiments is merely an embodiment of the present invention, and the embodiments can be appropriately combined. Although the processing in each of the above-described flowcharts has been described as being performed by the CPU 101, the processing is not limited to this, and the processing may be performed by a plurality of hardware sharing the processing.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to a digital camera has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this example. That is, the present invention is applicable to any display control device capable of scrolling a plurality of images, such as a personal computer, a PDA, a mobile phone terminal, a portable image viewer, a printer device with a display, a digital photo frame, a game machine, and a music player. It is.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention is also realized by executing the following processing. That is, software (program) that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or an apparatus via a network or various storage media, and a computer (or a CPU or an MPU) of the system or the apparatus reads out the program code and This is the process to be performed. In this case, the program and a storage medium storing the program constitute the present invention.

Claims (7)

A display control device that arranges and displays a plurality of images on a screen according to a spatial arrangement order,
Processing means for executing a process for displaying on the screen for each image;
Changing means for changing an image arranged on the screen by scrolling,
Display control means for controlling an image arranged on the screen among the images subjected to the processing to be displayed on the screen in accordance with a temporal display order that varies depending on the scroll direction,
The display control device according to claim 1, wherein the display order is such that an image arranged on the upstream side in the scroll direction has priority over an image arranged on the downstream side in the scroll direction.   The display according to claim 1, wherein the image is not displayed on the screen when the image reaches the order displayed on the screen in the display order earlier than the execution of the processing of the image ends. Control device.   The display control device according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit executes the processing for each of the images in the display order.   When the direction of the scroll is from top to bottom of the screen, the image moves from top to bottom on the screen, and when the direction of the scroll is from bottom to top of the screen, The display control device according to claim 1, wherein the image moves from bottom to top on the screen. The display control means, when the scroll direction is a direction from the top to the bottom of the screen, gives priority to an image arranged at an upper end in the screen over an image arranged at a lower end in the screen. To display on the screen,
When the scroll direction is from the bottom to the top of the screen, an image arranged at a lower end in the screen is displayed on the screen in preference to an image arranged at an upper end in the screen. The display control device according to claim 4, wherein: A control method of a display control device that arranges and displays a plurality of images on a screen according to a spatial arrangement order,
Performing a process for displaying on the screen for each image;
Changing an image arranged on the screen by scrolling;
Controlling the image to be displayed on the screen among the images subjected to the processing to be displayed on the screen according to a temporal display order that differs depending on the scroll direction,
In the control method, the display order may be such that an image arranged on the upstream side in the scroll direction has a higher priority than an image arranged on the downstream side in the scroll direction.   A program that causes a computer to function as each unit of the display control device according to claim 1.

Images