JP7459349B2 - Display device, display control device, display method and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to display devices such as tablet terminals and related technologies.

When displaying a document on a computer or the like, character strings to be displayed (character strings to be displayed) are generally expanded in the horizontal and vertical directions and arranged in a rectangular shape. More specifically, a maximum number of characters per line is set, and if the character string to be displayed exceeds the maximum number of characters, a line break will occur. By repeating the line break operation in which the remaining characters exceeding the maximum number of characters are placed on the next line and subsequent lines, the character string to be displayed is displayed across multiple lines.

A user who reads such a document sequentially follows the character strings arranged from left to right with their eyes (moving their line of sight from left to right), and when a line break occurs, they move from the right edge to the left edge. and shifted his gaze all at once. Thereafter, the user continues the reading operation within the next line while moving the line of sight from left to right again. Such operations are repeated.

There are also display technologies related to electronic bulletin boards. For example, on an electronic bulletin board, a string of characters moves from the right edge to the left edge. The user reads the document by, for example, observing the center position in the horizontal direction of the electronic bulletin board and sequentially interpreting character strings moving from the right toward the center position.

However, in the technique for reading character strings arranged in a rectangular shape as described above, the character strings in each of a plurality of lines are arranged in a straight line. Since a plurality of lines are arranged in a similar shape to each other, there is a problem that it is difficult to know which line is being read, and the target line of interest may be lost.

Moreover, in the display technology of the electronic bulletin board, at a certain point in time, only a part of the character string corresponding to one line is displayed among the display target character strings having the number of characters corresponding to many lines. Therefore, understanding may not progress unless the contents of the character string that has already been read are memorized, which poses problems such as requiring a certain level of concentration and memory.

With these techniques, it cannot be said that the character string to be displayed is sufficiently easy to read.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a display technique that allows a character string to be displayed to be more easily read.

In order to solve the above problem, the invention of claim 1 is a display control device that dynamically displays a character string, the display control device comprising: an acquisition means for acquiring a display target character string that is a character string to be displayed; and a display control means for controlling a display mode of the display target character string, the display control means arranging the display target character string across a plurality of lines including a focus line that is a main focus line and a first peripheral line and a second peripheral line located around the focus line, the character string in the focus line is arranged linearly in the left-right direction, the character string in the first peripheral line is arranged above the focus line along an upwardly convex virtual arc-shaped curve , and the character string in the second peripheral line is arranged below the focus line along a downwardly convex virtual arc-shaped curve , the display target character string is continuously displayed in the upwardly convex first peripheral line, the focus line, and the downwardly convex second peripheral line, and each character in the display target character string is arranged in a direction from the rear side to the front side in terms of character arrangement in the second peripheral line. and then, after being displayed in the focus row as if moving from the rear side to the front side in terms of the character arrangement, the focus row is displayed so as to move from the rear side to the front side in terms of the character arrangement, and then, after being displayed in the focus row as if moving from the rear side to the front side in terms of the character arrangement, the first peripheral row is displayed so as to move from the rear side to the front side in terms of the character arrangement, so as to move along the upwardly convex arc-shaped virtual curve; when a first character string of the character strings to be displayed is displayed in the first peripheral row, the first character string and a second character string which is a character string subsequent to the first character string of the character strings to be displayed are displayed successively in the first peripheral row and the focus row; and when a third character string of the character strings to be displayed is displayed in the focus row, the third character string and a fourth character string which is a character string subsequent to the third character string of the character strings to be displayed are displayed successively in the focus row and the second peripheral row .

The invention according to claim 2 is the display control device according to the invention according to claim 1, wherein each character in the first peripheral line is such that an angle between each character and the upwardly convex arcuate virtual curve is kept constant. The characters move along the upwardly convex arcuate virtual curve while changing the direction of each character so that each character moves along the upwardly convex arcuate virtual curve, and each character in the second peripheral line The character is characterized in that each character moves along the downwardly convex arc-shaped virtual curve while changing the orientation of each character so that the angle with the virtual curve is kept constant.

According to a third aspect of the invention, in the display control device according to the first or second aspect of the invention, the plurality of rows are displayed so as to fit within a horizontal spindle-shaped area.

The invention of claim 4 is the display control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the average size of the characters in the line of interest is larger than the average size of the characters in the first peripheral line, and The character size is larger than the average size of the characters in the second peripheral line.

The invention according to claim 5 is the display control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, in which, among the plurality of characters in the line of interest, a character arranged at the center of the line of interest is It is characterized by being displayed larger than the characters placed on the sides in the line of interest.

The invention of claim 6 is characterized in that, in a display control device relating to any of the inventions of claims 1 to 5, each character of the string to be displayed is displayed so as to move from the rear side to the front side in terms of character arrangement within each line, and from the rear row to the front row in terms of character arrangement among the multiple lines.

The invention according to claim 7 is a display device, comprising the display control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, and display means for displaying the character string to be displayed. do.

The invention according to claim 8 is a display method, comprising: a) acquiring a display target character string that is a display target character string; and b) displaying the display target character string; In b), the display target character string spans a plurality of lines including a line of interest, which is a line of the main target of attention, and a first peripheral line and a second peripheral line located around the line of interest. The character strings in the line of interest are arranged along a straight line extending in a predetermined direction, and the character strings in the first peripheral line are arranged along an upwardly convex arcuate virtual curve above the line of interest. The character string in the second peripheral line is arranged below the line of interest along a downwardly convex arc-shaped virtual curve, and the character string to be displayed is arranged in the upwardly convex arc-shaped virtual curve. The character string is displayed continuously in the peripheral line, the line of interest, and the second peripheral line in the shape of a downwardly convex arc, and each character in the display target character string is displayed on the rear side with respect to the character arrangement in the second peripheral line. After that, the character is displayed so as to move toward the front side along the downwardly convex arc-shaped virtual curve, and then it is displayed so as to move from the rear side to the front side with respect to the character arrangement in the line of interest. At the same time, the upwardly convex circle is displayed moving from the back side to the front side with respect to the character arrangement in the line of interest, and then the upwardly convex circle is displayed moving from the back side to the front side with respect to the character arrangement in the first peripheral line. are displayed so as to move along an arcuate virtual curve, and at a time when the first character string of the display target character strings is displayed in the first peripheral row, the first character string and the display target character string Among them, a second character string that is a character string following the first character string is successively displayed in the first peripheral line and the attention line, and a third character string of the display target character strings is displayed in the attention line. At the time when the third character string and the fourth character string that is the character string following the third character string among the display target character strings are displayed in the target row and the second peripheral row, It is characterized by being displayed subsequently.

The invention according to claim 9 is the display method according to the invention according to claim 8, in which, for each character in the first peripheral line, an angle between each character and the upwardly convex arcuate virtual curve is kept constant. , each character moves along the upwardly convex arc-shaped virtual curve while changing the direction of each character, and each character in the second peripheral line moves along the downwardly convex arc-shaped virtual curve with each character. The character is characterized in that each character moves along the downwardly convex arc-shaped virtual curve while changing the orientation of each character so that the angle with the curve is kept constant.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the display method according to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the plurality of lines are displayed so as to fit within a horizontally oriented spindle-shaped area.

The invention of claim 11 is the display method according to the invention of claim 9 or claim 10, wherein the average size of the characters in the line of interest is larger than the average size of the characters in the first peripheral line, and Characterized by being larger than the average size of characters within a line.

The invention of claim 12 is characterized in that, in the display method of any of the inventions of claims 8 to 11, among the multiple characters in the target line, a character arranged in the center of the target line is displayed larger than characters arranged to the sides of the target line.

The invention of claim 13 is the display method according to any one of claims 8 to 12, wherein each character of the display target character string moves from the rear side to the front side with respect to the character arrangement within each line. At the same time, the display is characterized in that among the plurality of lines, the display moves from a rear line to a front line with respect to the character arrangement.

The invention according to claim 14 is characterized in that it is a program for causing a computer to execute the display method according to any one of claims 8 to 13.

According to the inventions recited in claims 1 to 14 , it is possible to more easily read the character string to be displayed.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an information processing device. It is a diagram in which auxiliary lines are added to the display screen. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a display screen. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a display screen. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a display screen. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a display screen. FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a display screen. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a display screen. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a display screen. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a display screen. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a display screen. It is a figure showing a display screen concerning a modification. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a display screen according to the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a display screen according to a third embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a display screen according to a third embodiment.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

<1. First embodiment>
<1-1. Configuration overview＞
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an information processing device 1. As shown in FIG. The information processing device 1 is configured as a tablet terminal, a smartphone, or the like. Note that the information processing device 1 is not limited to this, and may be a so-called personal computer or the like. The information processing device 1 is also referred to as a display device (and display control device).

The information processing device 1 is communicably connected to other devices (such as a web server and other computers) via a network. The network includes a LAN (Local Area Network), the Internet, and the like. Furthermore, the mode of connection to the network may be a wired connection or a wireless connection.

As shown in the functional block diagram of FIG. 1, the information processing device 1 includes a communication section 4, a storage section 5, an operation section 6, a controller (control section) 9, etc., and operates these sections in a composite manner. By doing so, various functions are realized.

The communication unit 4 can perform network communication via a network. In this network communication, various protocols such as TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) and HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) are used. By using the network communication, the information processing device 1 can exchange various data with a desired destination (web server, other computer, etc.). The communication unit 4 includes a transmitting unit 4a that transmits various data and a receiving unit 4b that receives various data.

The storage unit 5 is composed of a storage device (volatile and/or nonvolatile storage device) such as a semiconductor memory.

The operation unit 6 includes an operation input unit 6a that accepts operation input to the information processing device 1, and a display unit 6b that displays and outputs various information. In this information processing device 1, an operation panel unit is provided as the operation unit 6. The operation panel unit 6c has a touch panel. This touch panel functions as part of the operation input unit 6a and also functions as part of the display unit 6b. The touch panel is configured with various sensors embedded in a liquid crystal display panel, and is capable of displaying various information and accepting various operation inputs (touch operations, etc.) from the operator (user).

The controller (control unit) 9 is a control device that is built into the information processing device 1 and controls the information processing device 1 in an integrated manner.

The controller 9 is configured as a computer system including a CPU, various semiconductor memories (RAM and ROM), and the like. The controller 9 implements various processing units by executing a predetermined program (application program) stored in a storage unit (semiconductor memory, etc.) on an OS (operating system) in the CPU. Note that the program (specifically, the program module group) may be recorded on a portable recording medium such as a USB memory, read from the recording medium, and installed in the information processing apparatus 1. Alternatively, the program may be downloaded via a network or the like and installed in the information processing device 1.

The controller 9 realizes various processing units including a communication control unit 11, an input control unit 12, an acquisition unit 14, and a display control unit 15 by executing the above programs, etc., and controls display operations on the display unit 6b. Functions as a control device, etc.

The communication control unit 11 is a processing unit that cooperates with the communication unit 4 and the like to control communication operations with other communication devices (such as a web server or other computer).

The input control unit 12 is a control unit that controls an operation (operation input operation) of accepting an operation input (touch operation input, etc.) by a user in cooperation with the operation input unit 6a.

The acquisition unit 14 is a processing unit that acquires a character string to be displayed (also referred to as a character string to be displayed).

The display control unit 15 is a processing unit that controls the display operation on the display unit 6b. For example, the display control unit 15 controls the display mode of the character string to be displayed. Specifically, the display control unit 15 divides the character string to be displayed into multiple lines (for example, five lines 71, 72, 73, 74, and 75) and arranges them on the display screen 50 (see FIG. 12, etc.). The display control unit 15 also dynamically displays the character string to be displayed. The display operation of the character string to be displayed will be described in detail next. Note that FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the display screen 50 displayed on the display unit 6b. Also, FIG. 2 is a diagram in which auxiliary lines have been added to the display screen 50 of FIG. 12.

Note that various operations are executed here mainly by executing software programs on the CPU of the controller 9, but the various operations are not limited to this, and various operations may be executed using dedicated hardware or the like. may be done. For example, all or part of the communication control section 11, input control section 12, acquisition section 14, display control section 15, etc. may be realized using one or more dedicated hardware.

<1-2. Display target string>
The user copies the display target character string before (or may be running) the above application program (hereinafter also referred to as a specific application). For example, the user selects a character string displayed on the display screen (not shown) of another application (such as a web browser) running on the information processing device 1 and selects the character string (display target character string). Execute a copy operation (copy operation). In response to the copy operation, the character string to be displayed is temporarily stored in a temporary storage area (such as a clipboard in memory).

Then, the user transitions the specific application to the active state by performing a specified operation.

Then, in response to a specific operation by the user (for example, a long tap operation (an operation of pressing and holding a finger on one spot on the screen (an operation of pressing and holding for a relatively long, predetermined period of time))), the display target string (the display target string that was copied in another application) is pasted into the specific application and imported into the specific application. In this way, the acquisition unit 14 acquires the display target string (acquires a new display target string or updates the display target string). Note that a confirmation screen for confirming whether or not the display target string can be acquired (updated) by pasting may also be displayed immediately after the long tap operation.

Thereafter, in the specific application, the display screen (also referred to as a display image) 50 on the display unit 6b is updated at minute time intervals, and the display target character string is dynamically displayed (see FIGS. 3 to 12, etc.).

First, the configuration of the display screen 50 will be explained focusing on its static configuration.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 12, the display control unit 15 displays the display target character string ("ABCDEFG..." in the figure) in a plurality of lines (here, five lines 71, 72, 73, 74, 75). ). In other words, the display target character string is displayed across the plurality of lines while maintaining its arrangement order. Specifically, in FIG. 12, the first character "A" of the display target character string and the following character string "BCD...RST" are displayed in the top row 75, and the subsequent character string "UVW ...HIJ" is displayed on line 74, and the subsequent character string "KLMNOPQR" is displayed on line 73. Furthermore, the subsequent character string “STU...FGH” is displayed in line 72, and the subsequent character string “IJK...YZA” is displayed in line 71.

Of the five rows 71 to 75, the character strings arranged in the center row 73 are arranged linearly in the left-right direction along a straight line (virtual straight line) 67 extending in the left-right direction. More specifically, the character strings arranged in the center row 73 are displayed in a display area 63 (see FIG. 2) that is substantially elliptical in shape and has a long axis in the left-right direction.

Further, the row 74 is arranged above the center row 73. The character strings in row 74 are arranged in an upwardly convex arc shape. In other words, the character strings in the row 74 are arranged along an upwardly convex arc-shaped curve (imaginary curve). Furthermore, row 75 is located above center row 73 and above row 74. The character strings in row 75 are also arranged in an upwardly convex arc shape. The radius of curvature of the arcuate curve on which the character string in row 75 is arranged is smaller than the radius of curvature of the arcuate curve on which the character string in row 74 is arranged. The character strings in rows 74 and 75 are displayed in display areas 64 and 65, which are partial areas of the approximately annular area, respectively.

Further, row 72 is arranged below center row 73. The character strings in row 72 are arranged in a downward convex arc shape. Additionally, row 71 is located below center row 73 and below row 72 . The character strings in row 71 are also arranged in a downward convex arc shape. The radius of curvature of the arcuate curve on which the character string in row 71 is arranged is smaller than the radius of curvature of the arcuate curve on which the character string in row 72 is arranged. The character strings in rows 72 and 71 are respectively displayed in display areas 62 and 61, which are partial areas of the approximately annular area.

The character strings in the plurality of rows 71, 72, 73, 74, and 75 are arranged centered in the horizontal direction. Further, as described above, the upwardly convex arc-shaped rows 74 and 75 are arranged above the row 73, and the downwardly convex arc-shaped rows 72 and 71 are arranged below the row 73. There is. In other words, each character string in rows 74, 75, 72, and 71 is arranged so as to wrap around the character string in row 73 from both sides, upper and lower.

The size (more specifically, the average size) of the characters arranged in the center row 73 of the five rows 71 to 75 is the same as the size (average size) of the characters arranged in the other rows 71, 72, 74, and 75. ) is greater than. Here, the size of each character in the center row 73 (particularly the size of the characters placed near (center) the gaze reference position (described later) 69 in the center row 73) is the same as that of the relatively upper row. It is larger than the size of the characters in 74 and 75 and also larger than the size of the characters in relatively lower peripheral rows 72 and 71. Note that the size is not limited to this, and for example, the size of the leftmost character “K” in the center line 73 may be the same as the size of the character in the line 74, and the size of the rightmost character “R” in the center line 73 may be the same. ” may be the same as the size of the characters in line 72.

Furthermore, each character placed in a line 72 (below the line 73) is displayed larger than the character placed in a line 71 further below the line 72 (at the rear in the character arrangement). . Furthermore, each character placed in a line 74 (above line 73) is displayed larger than the character placed in a line 75 further above that line 74. Simply put, the closer the line is to the center line, the larger the characters in the line are displayed. Conversely, the further a line is from the center line, the smaller the characters within the line are displayed.

In this way, the text in the center line 73 is displayed largest, and the text in each of the other lines is displayed gradually (in stages) smaller as it moves away from the center line.

Also, among the plurality of characters in the line of interest 73, the size of the characters (for example, "N", "O") placed in the center of the line of interest 73 (the part near the gaze reference position (described later) 69) is larger than the size of the characters (for example, "K", "R") arranged on the side (near the left end or right end) in the line of interest 73.

The character string to be displayed is dynamically displayed. Each character of the character string to be displayed moves in the order of line (bottom line) 71, line 72, line (center line) 73, line 74, and line (top line) 75. More specifically, each character in the character string to be displayed is displayed in lines 74 and 75 after being displayed in center line 73. Also, each character in the character string to be displayed is displayed in lines 72 and 71 before being displayed in center line 73. In short, each character of the character string to be displayed moves gradually from bottom line 71 to top line 75 via center line 73, etc. At this time, the multiple characters included in the character string to be displayed are moved and displayed sequentially without breaking the order of their arrangement. Note that the top line 75 is the line furthest "forward" when considering the direction of movement of each character, and the bottom line 71 is also expressed as the line furthest "backward".

Further, each character of the display target character string moves character by character from right to left within each line. Considering the direction of movement of the character string, within each line, the left position is the front position (inline position), and the right position is the rear position (inline position). This embodiment exemplifies a mode in which the display target character string is displayed so as to move character by character toward the front in the character arrangement (character arrangement) (see FIGS. 3 to 12, etc.).

The user basically keeps his eyes on the center row 73 (particularly the center position 69 of the center row 73 in the left-right direction). Then, in the center row 73, by sequentially reading the character string moving from right to left near the center position 69 in the left-right direction, it is possible to sequentially view each character of the display target character string. .

Since the center row 73 is the row that is mainly noticed by the user (the row that is the main target of attention), in this application, the center row 73 is also referred to as the "line of interest". In addition, since the center position 69 in the left-right direction of the center row 73 is the main attention target position (position to be gazed at (reference position)) by the user, the center position is the "attention position" (or the gaze position or gaze position). Also called reference position). Note that on the display screen 50, an indicator 68 (FIG. 2) pointing to the gaze reference position 69 is displayed in red. Although multiple concentric circles are illustrated here as the indicator 68, the indicator 68 is not limited to this and may have other shapes.

On the other hand, rows 71, 72, 74, and 75 are located around the row of interest 73, so they are also referred to as "peripheral rows."

Furthermore, since the lines 74 and 75 are lines that exist around the center line 73 and exist in the front side of the center line 73 (front side in the arrangement direction of the display target character string), they are called "front peripheral lines". ” is also called. Lines 71 and 72 are lines that exist around the center line 73 and on the rear side of the center line 73 (the rear side in the arrangement direction of the character strings to be displayed), so they are also referred to as "backward peripheral lines." It is called.

Lines 74 and 75 are also referred to as "post-arrival character string display lines" because they are lines that display the character string (also referred to as the "post-arrival character string") after reaching the gaze reference position (center position) 69 in the center row (center row) 73. Lines 71 and 72 are also referred to as "pre-arrival character string display lines" because they are lines that display the character string (also referred to as the "pre-arrival character string") before reaching the gaze reference position (center position) 69 in the center row (center row) 73.

Furthermore, as described above, among the plurality of characters in the line of interest 73, the size of the character placed in the center of the line of interest 73 is the same as the size of the character placed on the side of the line of interest 73. It's bigger than that. Therefore, when the display target character string moves, in the center row 73, characters that have not yet reached the gaze reference position 69 are displayed larger as they approach the gaze reference position 69, and the characters that have not yet reached the gaze reference position 69 are displayed larger. The characters that have passed become smaller and smaller as they move away from the gaze reference position 69.

Next, the situation in which the display target character string is dynamically displayed will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 to 12 and the like.

Here, a case will be described in which the display of the display target character string starts from the right end of the row 73 as shown in FIG. 3.

First, as shown in FIG. 3, in the row 73 of the display screen 50 (51), only the first character (here, "A") of the character string to be displayed is displayed. The first character is displayed at the right end position of the row 73 (the right end position of the display area 63). Further, the subsequent character string (for example, 16 characters "BCDEFG...") of the display target character string is displayed in the rear row (rear peripheral row) 72, and the subsequent character string (for example, 20 characters "RSTUV...") are displayed in a row 71 further back.

Next, the display is updated after a predetermined time (eg, 0.5 seconds), and the display screen 50 is updated to a screen as shown in FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 4, the first two characters (“AB” in this case) of the character string to be displayed are displayed on the right end side of the row 73 on the display screen 50. Further, the subsequent character string (for example, 16 characters "CDE...") of the display target character string is displayed in the rear row 72, and the subsequent character string (for example, 20 characters "STU ...'') is displayed in row 71 further back. In particular, the character "B" that was displayed on line 72 (more specifically, on the left side) moves forward to line 73 (more on the right side), and moves to line 71 (more specifically, on the right side). The character "R" that was displayed on the left end side moves to the front row 72 (more specifically, on the right end side). Furthermore, each character in each line 72 and line 71 is moved one character to the left.

Then, the same operation is repeated at predetermined time intervals, and the character string to be displayed is moved forward in character units in the character array. More specifically, the display screen 50 in FIG. 5, the display screens 50 in FIG. 6 to FIG. 12, etc. are displayed in sequence.

For example, in the display screen 50 of FIG. 5, the first five characters of the character string to be displayed (here, "ABCDE") are displayed from near the center of line 73 to the right end, and the subsequent characters of the character string to be displayed ("FGH...") are displayed in the rear lines 72 and 71. In particular, the characters "CDE" displayed in line 72 (more specifically, on the left end side) in FIG. 4 move to the front line 73 (more specifically, on the right end side), and the characters "STU" displayed in line 71 (more specifically, on the left end side) in FIG. 4 move to the front line 72 (more specifically, on the right end side). Also, each character in each line 72 and line 71 moves one character to the left. In this way, each character of the character string to be displayed moves one character forward.

On the display screen 50 of FIG. 6, the first eight characters (here, "ABCDEFGH") of the character string to be displayed are displayed from the left end to the right end of the row 73. The other characters also move forward.

In this way, in the screen transition from FIG. 3 to FIG. 6 via FIG. It gradually moves from the rear side (with respect to the character arrangement) of the row 73 (the right end in FIG. 3) to the front side of the row 73 (the left end in FIG. 6). Similarly, in the other lines 72 and 71, the display target character string moves from the rear side (with respect to the character arrangement) to the front side within each line. Also, the character string displayed in the rear row 72 moves toward the front row 73, and the character string displayed in the rear row 71 moves to the (relatively) front row 72. move toward In particular, in the center row 73, the user reads each character of the character string "ABCDE..." which moves from right to left near the gaze reference position 69 in the left-right direction. It is possible to visually recognize them sequentially.

In the display screen 50 of FIG. 7, the first character (here, "A") of the character string to be displayed is displayed at the right end of the front peripheral row 74, and the subsequent character string is displayed in the center row 73 and the rear peripheral row. 72 and 71 are displayed.

In the display screen 50 of FIG. 8, the first two characters (here, "AB") of the character string to be displayed are displayed on the right end side of the front peripheral row 74, and the subsequent character strings are displayed in the center row 73 and the rear peripheral row. Displayed on lines 72 and 71.

In the display screen 50 of FIG. 9, the first eight characters of the string to be displayed (here, "ABCDEFGH") are displayed from near the center to the right end of the front peripheral line 74, and the subsequent characters are displayed in the center line 73 and the rear peripheral lines 72 and 71.

In the display screen 50 of FIG. 10, the first 16 characters of the display target character string (in this case, "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOP") are displayed from the left end to the right end of the front peripheral row 74, and the subsequent character strings are displayed in the center row 73 and It is displayed in the rear peripheral rows 72 and 71.

In this way, in the screen transition from FIG. 7 to FIG. 10 via FIG. It gradually moves from the rear side of the row 74 (the right end side in FIG. 7) to the front side of the row 74 (the left end side in FIG. 10). Similarly, in the other lines 73, 72, and 71, the character strings to be displayed move from the rear side to the front side within each line. Also, the character string displayed in the rear row 73 moves toward the front row 74, and the character string displayed in the rear row 72 moves toward the (relatively) front row 73. The character string displayed in the row 71 on the rear side moves toward the row 72 on the (relatively) front side. In particular, by sequentially reading the character string "...EFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTU..." moving from right to left near the gaze reference position 69 in the left-right direction in the center row 73, the user can Each character can be viewed sequentially.

In the display screen 50 of FIG. 11, the first three characters (in this case, "ABC") of the character string to be displayed are displayed on the right end side of the front peripheral row 75, and the subsequent character strings are displayed on the front peripheral row 74, in the center. It is displayed in row 73 and rear peripheral rows 72 and 71.

In the display screen 50 of FIG. 12, the first 20 characters of the display target character string (in this case, "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST") are displayed from the left end to the right end of the front peripheral row 75, and the subsequent character strings are displayed in the front peripheral row 75. 74, displayed in the center row 73 and the rear peripheral rows 72 and 71.

In this manner, even in the screen transition from FIG. 10 to FIG. 12 via FIG. 11, the display target character string gradually moves from the rear side to the front side within each line. Further, each character of the display target character string moves from the rear row to the front row in the character arrangement among the plurality of rows. In particular, in the center row 73, the user sequentially reads the character string "...UVWXYZABCDEFGHIJKLMNO..." moving from right to left near the gaze reference position 69, thereby reading each character of the character string. It is possible to visually recognize them sequentially.

As described above, each character in the string to be displayed moves from the rear row to the front row in the character arrangement in the relationship between the multiple rows, and also moves within each row from the rear to the front in the character arrangement. In short, the string to be displayed is displayed as if it is moving character by character toward the front of the character arrangement (more specifically, from the central row 73, etc., toward the front peripheral rows) (see Figures 3 to 12, etc.).

Here, "character unit" is used as a term contrasted with "line unit" (described later). The mode of moving in "character units" includes the mode of moving in units of character strings that do not exceed one line (for example, a predetermined number of character strings of one to several characters). In addition, the mode of moving in "character units" includes a mode where multiple images are displayed at minute time intervals (for example, 1/30 (second)) to show how the images move in small width increments smaller than one character. (Video aspect) shall also be included. To put it simply, the mode of moving "character by character" includes the mode of moving each character of the display target character string within a line.

...

<1-3. Effects of embodiment>
In the above embodiment, upwardly convex arc-shaped peripheral rows 74 and 75 are arranged above the linear central row 73, and downwardly convex arc-shaped peripheral rows 74 and 75 are arranged below the linear central row 73. Rows 71 and 72 are arranged. More specifically, the display area 60 (also referred to as a horizontal spindle shape or a rugby ball shape) has a substantially elliptical shape (also referred to as a horizontal spindle shape or rugby ball shape) with a relatively large height at the center in the left and right direction and a relatively small height at both ends in the left and right direction. The display character strings are arranged so that they fit exactly within the area shown in Figure 2).

Here, based on the fact that humans visually recognize objects with two eyeballs lined up in the left and right direction, the human visual field has the characteristic of being relatively long in the left and right direction and relatively short in the vertical direction. There is. Furthermore, the length of the human visual field in the vertical direction is longer at the center in the left-right direction than at both ends in the left-right direction.

As described above, the shape of the display area 60 within the display screen 50 is spindle-shaped (horizontal spindle shape), and has a shape that matches the visual field characteristics of humans, so that the user can grasp the entire display area 60. It is possible to obtain advantages such as ease of use.

Furthermore, the character strings in the center row (line of interest) 73 are arranged linearly in the left-right direction along the straight line extending in the left-right direction, and the character strings in the front peripheral rows 74 and 75 are arranged in the center row 73. It is arranged in an upwardly convex arc shape on the upper side. Further, each character in the character string to be displayed is displayed in the center row 73 and then displayed in the front peripheral rows 74 and 75.

According to this, the user can visually recognize the character string "ABCDEFGH" displayed in the center row 73 in FIGS. 3 to 6, for example. In particular, in the center row 73, the user reads each character of the character string "ABCDE..." which moves from right to left near the gaze reference position 69 in the left-right direction. It is possible to visually recognize them sequentially. Furthermore, even if a character string that you fail to read (or a character string that you want to reconfirm after the display in the center row 73 is completed) occurs during the display in the center row 73, the display screen 50 (see Fig. It is possible to visually recognize the character string, etc. (for example, "DEF") in the front peripheral lines 74 and 75 in (see FIGS. 9 to 12). Therefore, even if the user does not remember the character string that has already been read, the user can reconfirm the contents of the character string that has already been read. Therefore, compared to the case where only some character strings corresponding to one line out of a large number of strings to be displayed are displayed (in electronic bulletin board display technology, etc.), the user can It can be easily read and understood.

At this time, the character strings in the center row 73 are arranged in a straight line, and the character strings in the front peripheral rows 74 and 75 are arranged in an upwardly convex arc shape. That is, the arrangement shape of the character strings in the center row 73 and the arrangement shape of the character strings in the front peripheral rows 74 and 75 are different from each other. Therefore, the user can easily distinguish between the center row 73 and the front peripheral rows 74 and 75 based on the difference in arrangement shape. More specifically, compared to the case where the character strings in each of multiple lines are arranged in a straight line (in techniques for reading character strings arranged in a rectangular shape, etc.), It is easy to distinguish row 73 from other rows. Therefore, the user is unlikely to lose sight of the central line 73, which is the main target of attention, and can easily read and understand the character string to be displayed. Furthermore, between the linear central row 73 and the upwardly convex arc-shaped front peripheral row 74, there is a larger space especially near the left-right central portion (gazing reference position 69) than in the left-right side portions. Because of this presence, the characters near the gaze reference position 69 in the row 73 appear to be further clearly separated from the other rows 74. Therefore, the visibility of the characters near the gaze reference position 69 in the row 73 is improved.

Further, since the front peripheral rows 74 and 75 are arranged in an upwardly convex arc shape above the center row 73, they have a relatively large height at the center portion in the left and right direction, and have a relatively large height at both ends in the left and right direction. It has a relatively small height in parts. The upper display area 60U (see FIG. 11) configured to cover the center row 73 and the front peripheral rows 74 and 75 corresponds to approximately the upper half of a horizontal spindle shape (horizontally oblong ellipse).

Therefore, since the shape of the display area 60U in the display screen 50 is adapted to the human visual field characteristics (especially the upper half of the visual field), the user can easily grasp the entire display area 60U. It is possible to obtain the advantages of

Furthermore, the character strings in the center row (line of interest) 73 are arranged linearly in the left-right direction along the straight line extending in the left-right direction, and the character strings in the rear peripheral rows 72 and 71 are arranged in the center row 73. It is arranged in a downwardly convex arc shape on the lower side. Furthermore, each character in the character string to be displayed is displayed in the rear peripheral rows 72 and 71 before being displayed in the center row 73.

According to this, for example, in the rear peripheral rows 72 and 71 of the display screen 50 (see FIGS. 8 to 12), the user enters the character string "CDEFGH" to be displayed later on the center row 73 in the center row. It is possible to visually recognize (read ahead) before the actual display at 73. Therefore, the user can read the character string at his or her own pace while finely adjusting the reading speed, and therefore can read the displayed character string relatively easily.

At this time, the character strings in the center row 73 are arranged in a straight line, and the character strings in the rear peripheral rows 72 and 71 are arranged in a downward convex arc shape. That is, the arrangement shape of the character strings in the center row 73 and the arrangement shape of the character strings in the rear peripheral rows 72 and 71 are different from each other. Therefore, it is possible to easily distinguish between the center row 73 and the rear peripheral rows 72 and 71 based on the difference in arrangement shape. More specifically, compared to the case where the character strings in each of multiple lines are arranged in a straight line (in techniques for reading character strings arranged in a rectangular shape, etc.), It is easy to distinguish row 73 from other rows. Therefore, the user is unlikely to lose sight of the central line 73, which is the main target of attention, and can easily read and understand the character string to be displayed.

The rear peripheral rows 72, 71 are arranged in a downwardly convex arc below the central row 73, so that they have a relatively large height in the left-right central portion and a relatively small height at both left-right end portions. The lower display area 60D (see FIG. 10), which is configured to cover the central row 73 and the front peripheral rows 74, 75, is an area that corresponds to approximately the lower half of a horizontal spindle shape (horizontally elongated ellipse).

Therefore, the shape of the display area 60D in the display screen 50 is adapted to the characteristics of human vision (particularly the lower half of the field of vision), which provides the user with the advantage of being able to easily grasp the entire display area 60D.

Furthermore, each character placed in the center line 73 of the five lines 71 to 75 is displayed at a size (font size) larger than the size of the characters placed in the other lines 71, 72, 74, and 75. Ru. Therefore, the user can easily grasp the position of the line 73 of interest and quickly recognize the character string of the line of interest 73. Furthermore, the characters in the center line 73 including the gaze reference position 69 are displayed in a relatively large font size, and the characters in the peripheral lines 72, 71, 74, and 75 other than the center line 73 are displayed in a relatively small font size. , the characters to be focused on can be easily read in large size (can be read with little effort), and it is also possible to look down on a relatively large number of character strings other than the center line 73. In particular, among the plurality of peripheral lines, the font size of lines 71 and 75 that are relatively far from the center line 73 is smaller than the font size of lines 72 and 74 that are relatively close to the center line 73. To put it simply, the character size of the peripheral rows gradually becomes smaller as the character moves away from the center row 73 (the row of interest (or gaze reference position) in the character arrangement of the character string to be displayed). Therefore, it is possible to visually (intuitively) understand the context of character strings and to have an overview of the entire character string.

In addition, the size of characters arranged in the center of the line of interest 73 is larger than the size of characters arranged on either side of the line of interest 73. In short, in the center line 73, characters that have not yet reached the gaze reference position 69 are displayed larger as they approach the gaze reference position 69, and characters that have passed the gaze reference position 69 are displayed smaller as they move away from the gaze reference position 69. Therefore, the user can visually recognize the character string moving from right to left while mainly focusing on the gaze reference position 69, in the most magnified state. This makes it possible to read and understand the text with little effort.

<1-4. Other operations etc.>
In the above specific application program, the user can give various operation instructions using touch operations.

While the above-mentioned display operation continues, the user can temporarily stop the dynamic display by performing a "tap operation" (an operation of pressing down on one place on the screen for a shorter period than a long tap operation). It is possible to stop. For example, if a tap operation is performed while the dynamic display continues from the screen 50 in FIG. 4 to the screen 50 in FIG. 6 (during the transition from the screen 50 in FIG. 4 to the screen 50 in FIG. 6), , the state in which the screen 50 of FIG. 5 is displayed continues. That is, the dynamic display is temporarily stopped while the screen of FIG. 5 is displayed. Such a pause operation is particularly useful when the user wants to slowly view a specific character string.

During the above-mentioned display operation in which the characters move leftward (from right to left), if a leftward drag operation is applied, the character movement speed (leftward movement speed) increases, and if a rightward drag operation is applied, the character movement speed (leftward movement speed) decreases. In short, it is possible to adjust the "playback speed" of the moving image for displaying character strings. The amount of change in the character movement speed can be adjusted based on the amount of movement and speed of the drag operation. By such a speed adjustment operation (playback speed adjustment operation), the user can read the document at a desired speed. Also, if a rightward drag operation is continued while the characters are moving leftward as in the above-mentioned operation, the character movement speed gradually decreases and becomes zero at a certain point. Such an operation can also pause the dynamic display. Also, if a rightward drag operation is applied after the character movement speed becomes zero, the character movement speed is changed to "negative" (reverse), and each character now moves rightward. In other words, "reverse playback" is performed. For example, state transitions (screen transitions in the opposite direction to the normal operation described above) occur from the state in Figure 10 to each of the states in Figures 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, and 3 in this order. During the "reverse playback operation" in which the characters move rightward, if a rightward drag operation is performed, the speed at which the characters move rightward increases, and if a leftward drag operation is performed, the speed at which the characters move rightward decreases.

Further, when an upward drag operation is applied, the characters to be displayed in the center line 73 are updated line by line, and a "line feed" operation is executed. Specifically, a predetermined number of characters at the beginning (front side) of the rear peripheral line 72 are moved to the center line 73 and displayed, and the character string that was previously displayed in the center line 73 is moved to the front side. Move to peripheral rows 74 and 75. Furthermore, the character strings that were previously displayed in the front peripheral rows 74 and 75 are moved further to the front. Further, the character string subsequent to the updated display target character in the center row 73 is displayed in the backward peripheral rows 72 and 71 in a state of being moved to the front.

For example, the screen transition from FIG. 6 to FIG. 9 occurs instantly. Specifically, a predetermined number of characters (e.g., the eight characters "IJKLMNOP") at the beginning (front) of the rear peripheral row 72 are moved to and displayed in the center row 73, and the character string (the character string "ABCDEFGH" in units of rows) that was previously displayed in the center row 73 is moved to the front peripheral rows 74 and 75. In addition, the character string "QRS..." following the updated display target character in the center row 73 is displayed in a state of being moved forward in the rear peripheral rows 72 and 71.

In this way, when an upward drag operation is applied, a "line feed" action is realized. According to the line feed operation, it is possible to perform "skipping" and the like.

Conversely, when a downward drag operation is applied, an operation in the opposite direction to the operation when an upward drag operation is applied (a "line return" operation) is realized. Specifically, a predetermined number of characters (e.g., 8 characters) on the last (rear) side of the front peripheral row 74 are moved to the center row 73 and redisplayed, and the characters previously displayed in the center row 73 are moved to the center row 73 and redisplayed. The character string (character string in line units) that was previously displayed is moved to the rear peripheral line 72. Further, other character strings that had been displayed in the rear peripheral rows 72 and 71 are moved further to the rear. In addition, other character strings displayed in the front peripheral rows 74 and 75 are also moved further to the rear. In this way, when a downward drag operation is applied, a "line return" action is realized. According to the line return operation, it is possible to display a missed character string (a character string already moved to the previous line) in the center line 73 or the like and read it again.

Furthermore, when a two-finger pinch-out operation is applied, an enlargement operation (an operation of increasing the character size of each character while reducing the number of characters in each line) is performed. Conversely, when a two-finger pinch-in operation is applied, a reduction operation (an operation that reduces the character size of each character while increasing the number of characters in each line) is performed. According to such a character size adjustment operation, the user can visually recognize the character string at a desired size.

In addition, by performing the long tap operation as described above, the string to be displayed is updated. Specifically, after performing a copy operation of another string in another application program, etc., by performing a long tap operation in the specific application, the other string can be set as the new string to be displayed.

<2. Second embodiment>
In the first embodiment, in the center line 73, the size of each character in the line gradually becomes smaller as it moves away from the gaze reference position 69, while in the lines 71, 72, 74 other than the center line 73, , 75 exemplifies a mode in which the size of each character within a line is constant. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, each character in the center line 73 is displayed gradually smaller as its arrangement position within the display target character string moves away from the gaze reference position 69 in the line of interest, and each character in the line other than the center line 73 is Also in lines 71, 72, 74, and 75, each character in each line is displayed gradually smaller as its arrangement position within the display target character string moves away from the gaze reference position 69 in the line of interest. You can. In the second embodiment, such an aspect will be explained. The second embodiment is a modification of the first embodiment. Below, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

Figure 14 is a diagram showing a display screen 50 (also referred to as 50B) according to the second embodiment. As shown in Figure 14, the size of the characters gradually changes within each of the rows 71, 72, 74, and 75 other than the central row 73.

For example, each character of the character string "BCDEFGHIJ" in the row 72 is displayed gradually smaller from the left end (front side of the character string) to the right end (backward side of the character string) of the row 72. That is, within the line 72, the character size of the characters decreases as you go to the right. Specifically, the leftmost character "B" in row 72 has the largest size in that row. The character "C" to the right of the character "B" is displayed smaller than the character "B", and the character "D" to the right of the character "C" is displayed smaller than the character "C". be done. Similarly, the character to the right of a certain character in a line is displayed smaller than that character. Further, as the arrangement position of each character in the row 72 moves to the right, the arrangement position of each character in the display target character string becomes further away from the gaze reference position 69. In this way, each character in the row 72 is displayed gradually smaller as its arrangement position within the character string to be displayed moves away from the gaze reference position 69 in the row of interest.

The same goes for line 71, and the character string "KLMNOPQRSTU" in line 71 is displayed gradually smaller from the left end (front side of the character string) to the right end (backward side of the character string) of the row 71. Ru. That is, each character in the row 71 is displayed gradually smaller as its arrangement position within the character string to be displayed moves away from the gaze reference position 69 in the row of interest.

Further, as described above, in the row 73, the size of the characters decreases as they move away from the center gaze reference position 69 toward the right end. That is, each character "XYZA" in the row 73 is displayed gradually smaller as its arrangement position within the display target character string moves away from the gaze reference position 69 in the row of interest.

In this way, regarding the relationship between the characters in each line 73, 72, 71, each character gradually becomes smaller as its arrangement position within the string to be displayed moves away from the gaze reference position 69 within the line of interest. Is displayed. Conversely, each character in the rows 71, 72, and 73 is displayed gradually larger as its arrangement position within the display target character string approaches the gaze reference position 69 within the row of interest.

Further, similarly to the first embodiment, the further away the line is from the center line 73, the smaller the characters in the line are displayed. Specifically, each character placed in the rear peripheral row 72 is displayed smaller than the character placed in the front row 73 of the row 72, and each character placed in the rear peripheral row 71 is displayed smaller than the character placed in the row 73 in front of the row 72. The characters are displayed smaller than the characters arranged in the row 72 in front of the row 71 concerned.

In this way, each character in rows 71, 72, and 73 has its arrangement position within the display target character string (from the gaze reference position 69 in the line of interest to ) The screen will gradually become smaller as you move away from it.

Similarly, regarding the relationship between the characters in each line 75, 74, 73, each character's arrangement position within the displayed character string moves away from the gaze reference position 69 in the line of interest (towards the front). The display gradually becomes smaller.

Specifically, in line 73, the size of the characters decreases as they move away from the central gaze reference position 69 toward the left end (front). Furthermore, the characters of the character string "LMNOPQRST" in line 74 are displayed gradually smaller from the right end (the character "T" at the rear) to the left end (the character "L" at the front) of line 74. Furthermore, the characters of the character string "ABCDEFGHIJK" in line 75 are displayed gradually smaller from the right end (the character "K" at the rear) to the left end (the character "A" at the front) of line 75.

In this way, regarding the relationship between the characters in each line 73, 74, 75, each character gradually becomes smaller as its arrangement position within the string to be displayed moves away from the gaze reference position 69 within the line of interest. Is displayed. Conversely, each character in rows 75, 74, and 73 is displayed gradually larger as its arrangement position within the display target character string approaches the gaze reference position 69 within the row of interest.

Further, similarly to the first embodiment, the further away the line is from the center line 73, the smaller the characters in the line are displayed. Specifically, each character placed in the front peripheral row 74 is displayed smaller than the character placed in the center row 73 (behind the row 74), and each character placed in the front peripheral row 75 is displayed smaller. Each character is displayed smaller than the characters placed in the row 74 after the row 75 in question.

In this way, the characters in lines 75, 74, and 73 are displayed gradually smaller as their arrangement position in the string to be displayed moves further away (forward) from the gaze reference position 69 in the line of interest, even in relation to the lines to which they belong.

Therefore, the size of each character gradually becomes smaller as it moves away from the gaze reference position 69 in both the relationships between the lines to which it belongs and the relationships between characters within the line to which it belongs (gazing reference point). (It gradually becomes larger as it approaches position 69).

In the second embodiment as well, the display target character string is dynamically displayed as in the first embodiment. Each character of the character string to be displayed moves in the order of row (bottom row) 71, row 72, row (center row) 73, row 74, and row (top row) 75. Further, each character of the display target character string moves character by character from right to left within each line.

According to the above aspects, effects similar to those of the first embodiment can be obtained. Further, each character of the display target character string is displayed smaller as its arrangement position within the display target character string moves away from the gaze reference position 69 in the center row 73. Conversely, each character of the display target character string is displayed larger as its arrangement position within the display target character string approaches the gaze reference position 69 in the center row 73. Therefore, the size of each character is changed according to its arrangement position within the display target character string, so the arrangement distance from the gaze reference position 69 to each character (the degree of distance of each character from the gaze reference position 69) ), it is possible to visually recognize each character other than the characters near the gaze reference position 69.

<3. Third embodiment>
In each of the above embodiments, a dynamic display mode has been exemplified in which each character of a string to be displayed moves between multiple lines from a rear row to a front row in terms of the character arrangement, and also moves within each line from a rear row to a front row in terms of the character arrangement (in short, each character moves character by character), but this is not limited to this.

For example, each character of the string to be displayed may be displayed so that it moves "line by line" from a back row to a front row (a row at the top of the screen) in terms of the character arrangement between multiple lines, rather than moving from back to front within each line. In the third embodiment, such an aspect will be described.

In this third embodiment, for example, the maximum number of characters in one line (8 characters in FIG. 15) is set, and the display target character string is divided into multiple lines and arranged according to the maximum number of characters (in FIG. 15). In the display screen 50 (50C) of FIG. 15, the 8-character string "ABCDEFGH" is arranged in the top row (first row) 75, and the next 8-character string "IJKLMNOP" is arranged in the next row 74. The next eight character string "QRSTUVWX" is placed in the center row 73. Furthermore, the next eight-character string "YZABCDEF" is arranged in the next row 72, and the next eight-character string "GHIJKLMN" is arranged in the bottom row (last row) 71.

After a certain period of time (for example, 1 second) has elapsed after the screen 50 (50C) in FIG. 15 is displayed, the screen 50 (50C) as shown in FIG. 16 is displayed.

In the screen 50 of FIG. 16, the character strings in each line of the screen 50 of FIG. 15 are displayed in a state where they are moved line by line upward (toward the front in the relationship between the lines).

Specifically, the character string displayed on line 75 is no longer displayed, the character string “IJKLMNOP” displayed on line 74 is displayed on line 75, and the character string “QRSTUVWX” displayed on line 73 is ” is displayed on line 74. Additionally, the character string "YZABCDEF" displayed on line 72 is displayed on line 73, the character string "GHIJKLMN" displayed on line 71 is displayed on line 72, and subsequent character strings that have not been displayed yet are displayed. “OPQRSTUV” is displayed on line 71.

Thereafter, the character strings in each line move upward in a line-by-line manner every time a certain period of time elapses.

In this way, the character string to be displayed may be moved between a plurality of lines from the rear row to the front row in the character arrangement on a "line-by-line" basis.

Here, "line by line" is used as a term that is contrasted with "character by character". The mode of moving "line by line" includes a mode in which the display position of each line moves up and down while the character string (number and type of characters) that composes each line remains unchanged. The mode of moving "line by line" also includes a mode (moving mode) in which multiple images are displayed at intervals of a very short time (for example, 1/30 (seconds)) to show the state of moving in increments of a very small height that is smaller than one line. Specifically, multiple images that smoothly connect the screen 50 of FIG. 15 and the screen 50 of FIG. 16 may be displayed at very short time intervals between the screens. In detail, the character strings of each of the lines 71 to 75 may be displayed so as to gradually move (upward (strictly speaking, diagonally upward)) a very short distance less than one line. In other words, the screen transition from the screen 50 of FIG. 15 to the screen 50 of FIG. 16 may be performed in a moving mode (moving mode display mode).

<4. Variations, etc.>
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the contents described above.

For example, in each of the embodiments described above, an example is given in which the size of the character at the center is larger than the size of the characters at both ends in the row 73, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in the first embodiment, the size of each character in the row 73 may be the same as shown in FIG. 13. The same applies to the third embodiment (see FIG. 15), and the plurality of characters (eight characters in this case) arranged in the center row 73 may all have the same character size.

In addition, in each of the above embodiments, two front peripheral rows 74, 75 are provided above the central row 73, and two rear peripheral rows 72, 71 are provided below the central row 73 (see FIG. 2), but this is not limited to this.

For example, a single front peripheral row may be provided, or three or more front peripheral rows may be provided. Similarly, a single rear peripheral row may be provided, or three or more rear peripheral rows may be provided.

Further, while the front peripheral rows (74, 75, etc.) are provided above the center row 73, the rear peripheral rows (72, 71, etc.) are not provided below the center row 73. good. In other words, each character of the display target character string is sequentially displayed in this line order in the front peripheral rows (74, 75, etc.) and the center row 73, but is not displayed in the rear peripheral rows. You can do it like this.

Alternatively, rear peripheral rows (72, 71, etc.) are provided below the center row 73, while front peripheral rows (74, 75, etc.) are not provided above the center row 73. good. In other words, each character of the display target character string is not displayed in the front peripheral row, but is displayed sequentially in this row order in the center row 73 and the rear peripheral rows (72, 71, etc.). You can do as you like.

Further, in each of the embodiments described above, an information processing device configured integrally with a display section is exemplified as a display device (a display device including a display control device), but the information processing device is not limited thereto. For example, the same idea as above may be realized by an information processing device with a separate display section (an information processing device without a display section) and a display device with a display section. Note that in this case, an information processing device that does not have a display unit may function as a display control device or the like.

1 Information processing equipment (display equipment, etc.)
50 Display screen (display image)
60 Display area 60D (lower) display area 60U (upper) display area 69 Gaze reference position 72, 71 Back peripheral row 73 Center row 74, 75 Front peripheral row

Claims (14)

A display control device that dynamically displays a character string, comprising:
An acquisition means for acquiring a display target character string that is a character string to be displayed;
A display control means for controlling a display mode of the character string to be displayed;
Equipped with
the display control means arranges the character string to be displayed across a plurality of lines including a line of interest that is a main line of interest and a first peripheral line and a second peripheral line located around the line of interest;
the character string in the line of interest is arranged linearly in the left-right direction,
the character string in the first peripheral line is arranged above the line of interest along an upwardly convex arc-shaped virtual curve ,
the character string in the second peripheral line is arranged below the line of interest along a downwardly convex arc-shaped virtual curve ,
the display target character string is displayed continuously in the first peripheral line having an upward convex arc shape, the target line, and the second peripheral line having a downward convex arc shape,
Each character in the string to be displayed is
The character is displayed in the second peripheral row so as to move from the rear side to the front side in the character arrangement along the downwardly convex arc-shaped virtual curve , and then the character is displayed in the target row so as to move from the rear side to the front side in the character arrangement ,
the character is displayed in the target row so as to move from the rear side to the front side in the character arrangement , and then the character is displayed in the first peripheral row so as to move from the rear side to the front side in the character arrangement along the upwardly convex arc-shaped virtual curve ,
when a first character string among the display target character strings is displayed on the first peripheral line, the first character string and a second character string that is a character string following the first character string among the display target character strings are displayed successively on the first peripheral line and the target line,
a fourth character string which is a character string following the third character string among the character strings to be displayed, and which is a character string that follows the third character string among the character strings to be displayed, being displayed successively in the focused line and the second peripheral line. The display control device according to claim 1,
Each character in the first peripheral line is arranged so that the upwardly convex curve is changed while the direction of each character is changed so that the angle between each character and the upwardly convex arcuate virtual curve is kept constant. Move along an arc-shaped virtual curve,
Each character in the second peripheral line is arranged in the downwardly convex direction while changing the orientation of each character so that the angle between each character and the downwardly convex arcuate virtual curve is kept constant. A display control device characterized by moving along an arcuate virtual curve. The display control device according to claim 1 or 2,
A display control device, characterized in that the multiple rows are displayed so as to fit within a horizontal spindle-shaped area. The display control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
A display control device characterized in that the average size of characters in the line of interest is larger than the average size of characters in the first peripheral line and larger than the average size of characters in the second peripheral line. The display control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
A display control device characterized in that, among a plurality of characters in the line of interest, a character arranged in a central part of the line of interest is displayed larger than a character arranged in a side part of the line of interest. The display control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 ,
Each character of the character string to be displayed moves from the rear side to the front side with respect to the character arrangement within each line, and also moves from the rear side line to the front side line with respect to the character arrangement among the plurality of lines. A display control device characterized in that the display is displayed as follows. A display control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 ,
Display means for displaying the display target character string;
A display device comprising: A display method comprising:
a) obtaining a display target string, the display target string being a string of characters;
b) displaying the character string to be displayed;
Equipped with
In the step b),
the display target character string is arranged across a plurality of lines including a target line which is a main target line and a first peripheral line and a second peripheral line located around the target line ,
The character string in the target line is arranged along a straight line extending in a predetermined direction,
the character string in the first peripheral line is arranged above the line of interest along an upwardly convex arc-shaped virtual curve ,
the character string in the second peripheral line is arranged below the line of interest along a downwardly convex arc-shaped virtual curve ,
the display target character string is displayed continuously in the first peripheral line having an upward convex arc shape, the target line, and the second peripheral line having a downward convex arc shape,
Each character in the string to be displayed is
The character is displayed in the second peripheral row so as to move from the rear side to the front side in the character arrangement along the downwardly convex arc-shaped virtual curve , and then the character is displayed in the target row so as to move from the rear side to the front side in the character arrangement ,
the character is displayed in the target row so as to move from the rear side to the front side in the character arrangement , and then the character is displayed in the first peripheral row so as to move from the rear side to the front side in the character arrangement along the upwardly convex arc-shaped virtual curve ,
when a first character string among the display target character strings is displayed on the first peripheral line, the first character string and a second character string that is a character string following the first character string among the display target character strings are displayed successively on the first peripheral line and the target line,
a fourth character string which is a character string following the third character string among the character strings to be displayed, being displayed successively in the focused line and the second peripheral line at a time when the third character string among the character strings to be displayed is displayed in the focused line and the second peripheral line. The display method according to claim 8,
Each character in the first peripheral line is arranged so that the upwardly convex curve is changed while the direction of each character is changed so that the angle between each character and the upwardly convex arcuate virtual curve is kept constant. Move along an arc-shaped virtual curve,
Each character in the second peripheral line is arranged in the downwardly convex direction while changing the orientation of each character so that the angle between each character and the downwardly convex arcuate virtual curve is kept constant. A display method characterized by moving along an arcuate virtual curve. The display method according to claim 9,
A display method characterized in that the plurality of lines are displayed so as to fit within a horizontal spindle-shaped area. The display method according to claim 9 or 10 ,
A display method characterized in that the average size of characters in the line of interest is larger than the average size of characters in the first peripheral line and larger than the average size of characters in the second peripheral line. The display method according to any one of claims 8 to 11 ,
A display method characterized in that, among a plurality of characters in the line of interest, a character arranged in a central part of the line of interest is displayed larger than a character arranged in a side part of the line of interest. The display method according to any one of claims 8 to 12 ,
Each character of the character string to be displayed moves from the back side to the front side with respect to the character arrangement within each line, and also moves from the back side line to the front side line with respect to the character arrangement among the plurality of lines. A display method characterized by being displayed as shown. to the computer,
A program for executing the display method according to any one of claims 8 to 13 .

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