IMAGE DISPLAY DEVICE AND METHOD FOR DISPLAYING AN IMAGE ON THE BASIS OF A PLURALITY OF IMAGE SIGNALS

• US 20070013686A1
• Filed: 08/29/2006
• Published: 01/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Miyawaki, Mamoru, Sakashita, Yukihiko
• Granted Patent: US 8,179,384 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/10 Special adaptations of display systems for operation with variable images
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0407 Resolution change, inclusive of the use of different resolutions for different screen areas
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/20 Details of the management of multiple sources of image data
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

Image signals input via input terminals are selected by a selector. The selected image signals are combined and displayed on the same screen of a display device. The display screen includes one main screen and a plurality of sub screens. In the case where a moving image is displayed on the main screen, images displayed on the sub screens are updated when the moving image displayed on the main screen are in a still state. The modes of the image signals are detected only when they are input for the first time, the process performed upon the image signals input after that is controlled in accordance with information stored in a memory.

Claims

1-36. -36. (canceled)

37. A system for displaying images, comprising:

an image display device, comprising;

a plurality of input terminals for inputting a plurality of image signals, respectively;

selection means for selecting an image signal to be displayed as a main image from the plurality of image signals input via said plurality of input terminals;

compression means for compressing the other image signals not selected by the selecting means, respectively;

combining means for combining the selected image signal and the compressed image signals into a resultant image; and

displaying means for displaying the resultant image on a screen of a display device; and

a plurality of terminal devices connected to the image display device via a wireless network such that an image signal is transmitted to said image display device from each of the plurality of terminal devices, each of the plurality of terminal devices including transmitting and receiving means for transmitting and receiving an image signal or a control signal by means of wireless communication,

wherein, said compression means compresses an image signal which is not selected as the main image with a compression ratio greater than a compression ratio for an image signal selected as the main image.

38. The system according to claim 37, further comprising:

memory means for storing modes of the respective image signals; and

conversion means for converting the modes of the respective image signals input via the input terminals into a mode suitable for said display device to display the image signals on the basis of the modes stored in said memory means.

39. The system according to claim 37, wherein said image display device further comprises decision means for determining one of the plurality of terminal devices as a master terminal device and the remaining terminal devices as slave terminal devices,

wherein, an image signal transmitted from the terminal determined as the master terminal device by said decision means is selected as the main image signal among the image signals which are combined and displayed on the screen of said display device.

40. An image display device, comprising:

a plurality of input terminals for inputting a plurality of image signals via a wireless network from a plurality of terminal devices, respectively;

selection means for selecting an image signal to be displayed as a main image from the plurality of image signals input via said plurality of input terminals;

compression means for compressing the other image signals not selected by the selection means;

combining means for combining the selected image signal and the other image signals compressed by the compression means into a resultant image; and

displaying means for displaying the resultant image on a screen of a display device.

41. The image display device according to claim 40, further comprising:

memory means for storing modes of the respective image signals; and

conversion means for converting the modes of the respective image signals input via the input terminals into a mode suitable for said display device to display the image signals on the basis of the modes stored in said memory means.

42. The image display device according to claim 40 further comprising decision means for determining one of the plurality of terminal devices as a master terminal device and the remaining terminal devices as slave terminal devices,

wherein, an image signal transmitted from the terminal determined as the master terminal device by said decision means is selected as the main image signal among the image signals which are combined and displayed on the screen of said display device.

43. An image display control device for displaying images on a screen of a display device, comprising:

a plurality of input terminal for inputting a plurality of image signals, respectively;

providing means for providing modes of the respective image signals;

conversion means for converting each of the image signals input via the input terminals into a signal suitable for said display device to display the image signals on the basis of the provided modes;

combining means for combining the image signals converted by said conversion means into a resultant image; and

output means for outputting the resultant image to the display device.

44. An image display control device according to claim 43, further comprising:

selection means for selecting an image signal to be displayed as a main image from the plurality of image signals input via said plurality of input terminals; and

updating means for updating the other images displayed on the screen of the display device at a predetermined timing.

45. An image display control device according to claim 43, further comprising:

detection means for detecting whether there is an input image signal for each of the plurality of input terminals; and

control means for controlling said conversion means and said combining means so as not to perform said conversion and said combining process for an input terminal which is detected, by said detection means, as inputting no image signal.

46. An image display control device according to claim 44, further comprising signal generation means for generating a signal at predetermined periodic intervals,

wherein the timing is given when the signal is generated by said signal generation means at the predetermined periodic intervals.

47. An image display control device according to claim 44, further comprising still state detection means for, when the main image is a moving image, detecting a period of time during which the moving image is in a still state over a predetermined length of time or longer, on the basis of the selected image signal,

wherein said updating means updates the other images displayed on said screen of said display device on the basis of the detection by said still state detection means.

48. An image display control device according to claim 44, further comprising an operation control unit which is operated by a user, wherein the timing is given when said operation control unit is operated by the user.

49. A method of controlling an image display device, comprising the steps of:

inputting a plurality of image signals by a plurality of terminals via a wireless network from a plurality of terminal devices, respectively;

selecting an image signal to be displayed as a main image from the plurality of image signals input;

compressing the other image signals not selected in the selecting step;

combining the selected image signal and the compressed other signals into a resultant image; and

displaying the resultant image on a screen of the image display device.

50. A method according to claim 49, further comprising:

storing modes of the respective image signals; and

converting the modes of the respective image signals input via the input terminals into a mode suitable for the image display device to display the image signals on the basis of the modes stored in said storing step.

51. A method according to claim 49, further comprising determining one of the plurality of terminal devices as a master terminal device and remaining terminal devices as slave terminal devices,

wherein, an image signal transmitted from the terminal determined as the master terminal device in said determining step is selected as the main image signal among the image signals which are combined and displayed on the screen of the image display device.

52. A method of controlling an image display device, comprising the steps of:

inputting a plurality of image signals by a plurality of terminals, respectively;

providing modes of the respective image signals;

converting each of the image signals into a signal suitable for said image display device to display the image signals on the basis of the provided modes;

combining the image signals converted in said converting step into a resultant image; and

outputting the resultant image to the image display device.

53. A method according to claim 52, further comprising:

selecting an image signal to be displayed as a main image from the plurality of image signals; and

updating the other images displayed on the screen of the display device at a predetermined timing.

54. An method according to claim 52, further comprising the steps of:

detecting whether there is an input image signal for each of the plurality of input terminals; and

controlling said converting step and said combining step so as not to perform said converting and combining process for an input terminal which is detected, in said detecting step, as inputting no image signal.

55. A method according to claim 53, further comprising generating a signal at predetermined periodic intervals,

wherein the timing is given when the signal is generated in said generating step at the predetermined periodic intervals.

56. A method according to claim 53, further comprising, when the main image is a moving image, detecting a period of time during which the moving image is in a still state over a predetermined length of time or longer, on the basis of the selected image signal,

wherein said updating step updates the other images displayed on said screen of said image display device on the basis of the detection in said detecting step.

57. A storage medium storing a computer-executable program thereon, said program including a process of controlling an image display device, said process comprising the steps of:

inputting a plurality of image signals by a plurality of terminals via a wireless network from a plurality of terminal devices, respectively;

selecting an image signal to be displayed as a main image from the plurality of image signals input;

compressing the other image signals not selected in the selecting step;

combining the selected image signal and the compressed other signals into a resultant image; and

displaying the resultant image on a screen of the image display device.

58. A storage medium storing a computer-executable program thereon, said program including a process of controlling an image display device, said process comprising the steps of:

inputting a plurality of image signals by a plurality of terminals, respectively;

providing modes of the respective image signals;

converting each of the image signals into a signal suitable for said image display device to display the image signals on the basis of the provided modes;

combining the image signals converted in said converting step into a resultant image; and

outputting the resultant image to the image display device.