Image processing device image processing program and image processing method

• US 20050168566A1
• Filed: 03/03/2003
• Published: 08/04/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Japan Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Takashima, Kouichiro, Tada, Naoki
• Granted Patent: US 7,751,650 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/14.10
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/24 Constructional details thereof, e.g. game controllers with detachable joystick handles
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5378 for displaying an additional top view, e.g. radar screens or maps using two or more virtual cameras concurrently A63F13/5252
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1615 with several enclosures having relative motions, each enclosure supporting at least one I/O or computing function constructional details of portable telephones comprising a plurality of mechanically joined movable body parts H04M1/0206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0362 with detection of 1D translations or rotations of an operating part of the device, e.g. scroll wheels, sliders, knobs, rollers or belts
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning

Abstract

The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and an image processing program, and an image processing method for making various operations be performed more comfortably. A rotation input section 14 is provided substantially at the center of a mobile phone 1. When the rotation input section 14 is rotated in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction, an image displayed on a display section 13 is rotated to be displayed. In addition, when the rotation input section 14 is pressed at an upper, lower, left or right portion thereof toward inside of the mobile phone 1, a display range of the image displayed on the display section 13 is switched. For example, in a case where a map is displayed, the map is rotated when the rotation input section 14 is rotated, and the map is scaled up/down when a predetermined position of the rotation input section 14 is pressed. The present invention may be applied to mobile phones.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus characterized by having:

operation means rotatable around a rotation axis and having a rotation body which can be pressed in a direction substantially in parallel with the rotation axis;

rotation detection means for detecting rotation of said rotation body;

press detection means for detecting a press of said rotation body; and

display control means for controlling display of an image, and characterized in that said display control means rotates and displays said image in accordance with the rotation of said rotation body detected by said rotation detection means and switches and displays the said image in accordance with a result of detection by said press detection means.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that:

said press detection means is capable of detecting the press at a plurality of points of said rotation body, and

said display control means is moves and displays said image corresponding to a position where said press detection means detects the press.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that:

said press detection means can detect a press of said rotation axis, and

said display control means performs predetermined processing on said image when said press detection means detects the press of said rotation axis.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, characterized by having a rotation mode for rotating said image and a resize mode for changing a size of said image.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that said display control means performs:

processing of rotating and displaying said image in accordance with the rotation of said rotation body detected by said rotation detection means in a case where a mode of said image processing apparatus is the rotation mode, and

processing of scaling up/down said image in accordance with the rotation of said rotation body detected by said rotation detection means in a case where the mode of said image processing apparatus is the resizing mode.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, characterized by further having timer means for measuring a time period for which said rotation axis is pressed, and characterized in that said display control means switches said processing on the basis of the time period for which said rotation axis is pressed measured by said timer means when said press detection means detects the press of said rotation axis.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 4, characterized by further having timer means for measuring a time period for which said rotation axis is pressed, and characterized in that, when said press detection means detects the press of said rotation axis, said display control means confirms said processing in a case where the time period for which said rotation axis is pressed measured by said timer means is shorter than a predetermined time period, and performs processing of switching a mode of said image processing apparatus from said rotation mode to said resize mode in a case where the time period for which said rotation axis is pressed measured by said timer means is longer than said predetermined time period.

8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said display control means controls displaying of a planar image as said image and displays said planar image after rotating in a counterclockwise direction or a clockwise direction around a center of the image in accordance with the rotation of said rotation body detected by said rotation detection means.

9. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said display control means controls displaying of a three-dimensional image in a virtual space as said image and displays said three-dimensional image after rotating in a horizontal plane in said virtual space setting a current position in said virtual space as reference in accordance with the rotation of said rotation body detected by said rotation detection means.

10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that:

said press detection means is capable of detecting the press at a plurality of points of said rotation body, and

said display control means is scales up/down and displays said three-dimensional image corresponding to a position where said press detection means detects the press.

11. An image processing program executed by a computer which controls an image processing apparatus having:

operation means rotatable around a rotation axis and having a rotation body which can be pressed in a direction substantially in parallel with the rotation axis,

rotation detection means for detecting rotation of said rotation body,

press detection means for detecting press of said rotation body, and

display control means for controlling display of an image, said image processing program is characterized by including the steps of;

rotating and displaying the said image in accordance with rotation of said rotation body detected by said rotation detection means, and

switching and displaying the said image in accordance with a result of the detection by said press detection means.

12. An image processing method performed by an image processing apparatus having:

operation means rotatable around a rotation axis and having a rotation body which can be pressed in a direction substantially in parallel with the rotation axis,

rotation detection means for detecting rotation of said rotation body,

press detection means for detecting press of said rotation body, and display control means for controlling display of an image, said image processing method characterized by including the steps of;

rotating and displaying said image in accordance with the rotation of said rotation body detected by said rotation detection means, and

switching and displaying said image in accordance with a result of the detection by said press detection means.