JP2624472B2 - Image file device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image file for searching for desired image information from image information stored in an image storage device and displaying the searched image information on a display screen. It concerns the device.

[Conventional technology]

2. Description of the Related Art An image file device that stores a large amount of image information in a storage device such as an optical disk or a magnetic disk, retrieves desired image information from the stored image information, and displays an image has been put into practical use. This image file device is provided with an image display control circuit for performing image display control, and is configured to display searched image information on a screen as images of various magnifications.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a conventional image display control device of an image file device. A reduction ratio of image information to be displayed is instructed to the screen dividing circuit 1 via an input device such as a keyboard device. The screen dividing circuit 1 divides the screen equally according to the reduction magnification, defines the number of displayable images that can be displayed on one screen, and outputs the number of displayable images to the start address setting circuit 2 and the reduced image information transfer circuit 3. Therefore, for example, when the display is reduced to 1/16, one screen is divided into 16, and 16 display areas are defined, and a display position number is assigned to each display area. The address setting circuit sets a display address of a display area where an image is displayed based on a display position number designating a display area input by an operator via an input device and display number information supplied from the image dividing circuit 1. The address information is supplied to the reduced image information transfer circuit 3. Further, the reduced image information transfer circuit 3 sets the image to be displayed retrieved from the image storage device (not shown) as the designated reduced image, and reduces the reduced image information based on the address information supplied from the address setting circuit 2. And the image is displayed.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

In the above-described conventional image file apparatus, the display position and the display magnification on the screen are uniquely fixed according to the reduction magnification displayed on the display screen, so that images of various display magnifications (image sizes) can be stored. It could not be displayed anywhere on the screen. That is, for example, when trying to display a 1/16 reduced image, 1 /
The image reduced to 16 had to be displayed, and images with various display magnifications could not be displayed at arbitrary positions.

However, there are many cases where it is desired to display images of various magnifications at an arbitrary position on the screen depending on the use or purpose of use of the image file device. In many cases, it is often desirable to display an image displaying the entirety and an enlarged image of a specific affected part in parallel.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an image file device which can eliminate the above-mentioned disadvantages and display images of various display magnifications at arbitrary positions on a screen.

[Means and actions for solving the problems]

An image file device according to the present invention searches for desired image information from image information stored in an image storage device, and displays the searched image information on a display screen. A cursor for instructing a position on the display screen; a cursor address detecting means for detecting a position address of the cursor; a magnification inputting means for inputting a display magnification; and dividing the display screen into equal parts based on the input display magnification.
Screen dividing means for defining a plurality of display areas; equally-divided address setting means for setting addresses of the respective display areas; switching by a selection signal input by an operator; designated by the detected cursor address Selecting means for selecting either the address of the displayed display area or the position address of the detected cursor, and the display area changes according to the input display magnification based on the address selected by the selecting means. Means for displaying, on a display screen, a display frame for specifying a display area of image information to be displayed; and performing magnification processing on the image information to be displayed based on the input display magnification. Means for transferring data within the display frame.

According to the present invention, by using the display frame that cooperates with the cursor and changes the display area according to the display magnification, not only the image of the desired display magnification can be displayed at the desired position but also the equal division. Since either the address of the designated display area or the cursor address can be selected, it is also possible to display in the fixed equally divided area. By enabling such a switching operation, the display operation can be switched according to the purpose of use or application,
The degree of freedom of the display operation is further improved.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of an image display control circuit of an image file device according to the present invention. In this example, based on the display area of the entire display screen, images of various display areas (display magnifications) are displayed. For example, when the image is reduced to 1/16, it is 1/16 of the reference display area. Is reduced and displayed on the display screen. In the present invention, image display is performed using a cursor that indicates the display position of the image information to be displayed on the display screen, and a display frame that indicates the display area of the image information to be displayed in cooperation with the cursor. The operator instructs the input instruction device 11 via an input device (not shown) such as a keyboard to display an image at a predetermined display magnification. Input display device
Reference numeral 11 serves to select an icon on the screen and to command a display magnification, a display position, a display method, and the like to various circuits described later. First, the input display magnification is divided into a screen division circuit 12 and a display frame display circuit. Output to 13 respectively. The screen dividing circuit 12 equally divides the display screen according to the input display magnification and defines the number of displayable images, and outputs the number of displayable images to the equally divided address setting circuit 14 and the image data transfer circuit 15, respectively. Further, the operator inputs the position of the cursor to the input instruction device 11, and the input instruction device 11 outputs the amount of movement of the cursor to the cursor address detection circuit 16. The cursor address detection circuit 16 detects the position address of the cursor based on the reference coordinates, and outputs the detected cursor address to the equally divided address setting circuit 14 and the display frame address setting circuit 17, respectively. The equal division address setting circuit 14 forms the top address of the display area designated by the cursor among the equally divided display areas based on the cursor address and the number of displayable images, and uses this top address as the selector 18.
Output to The display frame address setting circuit 17 forms the head address of the display frame based on the detected cursor address. The display frame address setting circuit 17 shows the correspondence between the display frame and the cursor input from the input device (not shown) via the processor. The head address of the display frame is formed based on the address and output to the selector 18. As the correspondence, the cursor can be positioned at the center of the display frame, or the cursor can be positioned at the edge of the display frame. Therefore, the display frame address setting circuit 17 outputs the head address of the display frame that is integrated with the cursor position. Therefore, when the cursor moves, address information is output such that the display frame also moves with the movement of the cursor. The selector 18 selects either the address information from the equally divided address setting circuit 14 or the address information from the display frame address setting circuit 17 according to the selection signal supplied from the input instruction device 11, and displays the display frame display circuit 13 and the image information. Output to the transfer circuit 15 respectively. The display frame display circuit 13 displays a display frame of a predetermined size on the screen based on the address information supplied from the selector 18 and the display magnification supplied from the input instruction device 11.
Further, the image information transfer circuit 15 reduces the searched image information according to the display magnification supplied from the screen division circuit 12, and based on the address information and the display magnification supplied from the selector 18, the transfer destination address, that is, Display frame display circuit
The display area address in the display frame formed in step 13 is obtained, and the reduced image information is transferred.

Next, the cursor displayed on the display screen, the display frame, and the displayed image information will be described. First, an example in which an arbitrary display area is selected from a plurality of equally divided display areas and an image is displayed will be described. In this example, the display is reduced to 1/16, and when the operator inputs a display magnification of 1/16, 16 display areas 20a to 20p are formed on the display screen 20 as shown in FIG. 2A. You. When the operator instructs to select the address information from the equally divided address setting circuit 14 via the input device, the display frame display circuit 13 displays the display magnification from the input instruction device 11 and the display magnification from the equally divided address setting circuit 14. A display frame 22 is displayed in a display area 20f designated by the cursor 21 based on the start address. That is, by arbitrarily moving the cursor 21, the boundaries of the display area including the cursor 21 are sequentially displayed as the display frame 22. After designating a desired display area with the cursor 21, the image information transfer circuit 15 is activated by an activation signal from the input instruction device 11, and as shown in FIG.
Image information 23 (shown by oblique lines) reduced to 16 is displayed in the display frame 22. When the display operation is completed, a display end signal is output from the image information transfer circuit 15 to the equally divided address setting circuit 14, and the equally divided address setting circuit 14 forms the top address of the display area 20g adjacent to the displayed display area. Then, the head address is output to the display frame display circuit 13 via the selector 18 to display the display frame 22. With such a configuration, the operator can select a desired display position while moving the cursor 21 displayed on the display screen 20 on the screen, thereby improving operability.

Next, an example in which an image is displayed at an arbitrary position on the display screen 20 will be described. From the state in which the image 23, the display frame 22, and the cursor 21 are displayed on the display screen 20 as shown in FIG. 3, another image reduced to 1/16 is displayed at an arbitrary position. First, the operator instructs the selector 18 to select the address information from the display frame setting address circuit 17 via the input device. When the start address from the display frame address setting circuit 17 is supplied to the display frame display circuit 13, the display frame 22 having a display area of 1/16 is displayed at a position corresponding to the position of the cursor 21, so that the operator can When the cursor 21 is moved while observing the display screen, the display frame 22 moves in the same direction as the cursor 21 moves. Therefore, if the operator moves the cursor to move the display frame 22 to a desired display position and then inputs a start signal, the searched image information 24 is displayed in the display frame 22. In this way, the cursor indicating the display position and the display frame cooperate, so that the operator can display an image at an arbitrary position while watching the display screen.

Next, a case where various types of image information having different display areas are displayed on the display screen will be described. For example, when a 1/16 reduced image 23 is displayed as shown in FIG.
An example will be described in which the reduced image is displayed at equally divided display positions. The operator switches the display magnification from 1/16 to 1/64 via a display magnification switching device (not shown).
The address information selected by
Select to output from. The screen division circuit 12
In response to this, the display screen is equally divided into 1/64, and 64 displayable images are output to the equally divided address setting circuit 14, and
The image information transfer circuit 15 is controlled to have a display magnification of 1/64. When the operator moves the cursor 21 displayed on the display screen 20 to a desired position, the address of the cursor 21 is detected and supplied to the equal-divided address setting circuit 14, where the equal-divided address setting circuit 14 reaches the desired position. The start address of the display area specified by the moved cursor 21 is formed, and this start address is supplied to the display frame display circuit 13 via the selector 18. The display frame display circuit 13 displays the display frame 22 reduced to 1/64 based on the display magnification command of 1/64 supplied from the input instruction device 11 and the start address. When the start signal is input, the image information 24 reduced to 1/64 is displayed in the display area in the display frame 22 as shown in FIG. 4B, and the display frame is displayed in the display area adjacent to the image 24. 22 and the cursor 21 will be displayed. Also, the display screen
In the case of displaying an image at an arbitrary position 20, if the operator switches the display magnification and the selector 18 and moves the cursor 21 to a desired position as shown in FIG. 5, the display is reduced to 1/64. Since the frame 22 also moves with the movement of the cursor, if the cursor 21 is moved to a desired position and an activation signal is input, the image reduced to 1/64 in the display frame 22 having a display area of 1/64 is displayed. 24 can be displayed. As described above, since the size of the display frame and the reduction ratio in the image transfer circuit correspond to each other according to the switching of the display magnification, an image having a desired display magnification can be freely displayed.

FIG. 6 shows an example in which a plurality of reduced images having different display areas are displayed on the display screen 20 using the address information output from the equal division address setting circuit 14. In this example, one
A 1/4 reduced image 31, two 1/16 reduced images 32, two 1/36 reduced images 33 and three 1/64 reduced images are displayed. Thus, images of various magnifications can be displayed according to the display magnification setting stage.

FIG. 7 shows an example in which a plurality of images of various display magnifications are displayed at arbitrary positions on the display screen 20 using the address information from the display frame address setting circuit 17.

FIG. 8 shows an example in which another image with a different display magnification is displayed on the display area where the image is already displayed, using the address information from the display frame address setting circuit 17. In this case, if the cursor is arbitrarily moved over the area where the image is displayed, and when the start signal is issued, the image signal already displayed in the display frame is deleted and new image information is transferred, so that the image can be easily overlapped. Can be combined.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the start address of the selected display area is used as the address information indicating the display position. However, the address information is not limited to the start address and may be any address information indicating the display area. Various addresses can be used.

〔The invention's effect〕

 The effects of the present invention are summarized as follows.

(1) Using a cursor for displaying the display position of the image to be displayed on the screen, moving the cursor freely on the screen to determine the display position, and moving in conjunction with the movement of the cursor in cooperation with the cursor. Since a display frame designating a display position and a display area is displayed on the screen, an image having a desired display magnification can be displayed at an arbitrary position on the display screen.

(2) Since the size of the display frame is associated with the image reduction ratio in the image transfer circuit, a plurality of pieces of retrieved image information can be displayed at desired display positions at various display magnifications.

(3) The operator only needs to sequentially display the searched image information in the display frame while watching the display frame displayed on the display screen, and the operability of the image file device is improved.

(4) Since the address information of the cursor and the address information of the equally divided display area designated by the cursor are switched by the selector, an image can be displayed at any position on the display screen and a plurality of fixed images can be displayed. You can also select the desired display area from the display area of
Therefore, the image can be displayed at an arbitrary display position or an image can be displayed at a fixed display position according to the purpose of use or application.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of an image display control circuit used in an image file device according to the present invention. FIGS. 2a and 2b show an image display using address information from an equally divided address setting circuit. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a display state on the screen in the case where FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a display state on the screen when displaying an image using address information from the display frame address setting circuit; FIGS. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a display state on a screen when a plurality of images having different display magnifications are displayed using the address information from the equal division address setting circuit. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the display state using the address information from the display address setting circuit. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state of a screen when displaying a plurality of images having different display magnifications. FIG. 6 shows a case where reduced images of four types of display magnifications are displayed using address information from an equal division address setting circuit. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state of the screen, FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state of the screen when an image of three types of display magnifications is displayed at an arbitrary position using address information from the display frame address setting circuit, FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a display state of a screen when images are displayed so as to overlap each other using address information from a display frame address setting circuit. FIG. 9 is a configuration of an image display control device used in a conventional image file device. FIG. 11 ... input instruction device, 12 ... screen division circuit 13 ... display frame display circuit 14 ... equally divided address setting circuit 15 ... image information transfer circuit 16 ... cursor address detection circuit 17 ... display frame address setting circuit 18 ... Selector, 20 ... Display screen 21 ... Cursor, 22 ... Display frame 23,24 ... Image

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. An image file apparatus for searching for desired image information from image information stored in an image storage device and displaying the searched image information on a display screen, wherein a display position of the image information to be displayed is displayed. A cursor for pointing on the screen, a cursor address detecting means for detecting a position address of the cursor, a magnification inputting means for inputting a display magnification, and a display screen divided equally based on the input display magnification, and Screen division means for defining a display area; equally divided address setting means for setting an address of each display area; and a display designated by the detected cursor address, which is switched by a selection signal input by an operator. Selecting means for selecting either the address of the area or the position address of the detected cursor; Means for displaying, on a display screen, a display frame that changes a display area according to the input display magnification based on the input address and specifies a display area of image information to be displayed; and Means for performing magnification processing based on the input display magnification and transferring the image information subjected to the magnification processing into the display frame.