Multi-media data display device

• US 5,990,898 A
• Filed: 03/17/1997
• Issued: 11/23/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Urano, Naoki
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIZIALI, JEFFREY J
• Application Number:
  US08/818,902
• Time in Patent Office: 981 Days
• Field of Search: 345/329, 345/420, 345/421, 345/428, 345/426, 395/126, 395/119, 395/131, 395/143, 128/653.4, 340/703, 364/518, 434/42
• US Class Current: 345/426
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/00 3D [Three Dimensional] image rendering

Abstract

A multi-media data display device for displaying a plurality of multi-media data items on a display screen is provided. Each of the multi-media data items has geometric data and attributive data defined by positional information in an n-dimensional space. The multi-media data display device includes: a view area setting section for setting a view area from a multi-media data space, in which the plurality of multi-media data items exist, based on access position information having a predetermined dimension, the view area having been selected as including at least one of the plurality of multi-media data items as an object to be displayed, the access position information having been produced within the multi-media data display device or provided from the outside of the multi-media data display device, and a display control section for independently controlling, based on the access position information, a display style of an individual one of the plurality of multi-media data items existing within the selected view area when the individual multi-media data item is displayed on the display screen.

Claims

1. A multi-media data display device for displaying a plurality of multi-media data items on a display screen, each of the multi-media data items having geometric data and attributive data defined by positional information in an n-dimensional space, comprising:

view area setting means for setting a view area from a multi-media data space, in which the plurality of multi-media data items exist, based on data access position information having a predetermined dimension, the view area having been selected as including at least one of the plurality of multi-media data items as an object to be displayed, the data access position information having been produced within the multi-media data display device or provided from outside of the multi-media data display device; and

display control means for independently controlling, based on the data access position information and the n-dimensional space positional information, a display style of an individual one of the plurality of multi-media data items existing within the selected view area, when the individual multi-media data item is displayed on the display screen.

2. A multi-media data display device for displaying a plurality of solid-state objects on a display screen based on basic component data specifying the objects, comprising:

a database for storing display control data setting a display style of an individual one of the objects on the display screen, as well as the basic components data of the object;

view area setting means for setting a view area from an object space, in which the plurality of objects exist, based on data access position information having a predetermined dimension, the view area having been selected as including at least one of the plurality of objects to be displayed, the data access position information having been produced within the multi-media data display device or provided from the outside of the multi-media data display device; and

data calculating means for calculating display style data, representing the display style of the individual one of the objects existing within the selected view area, from a display style data position to be determined by the data access position information in a one-dimensional or multi-dimensional display style data space where the display style data exists, based on positional coordinates in an n-dimensional space and function data used as display control data for defining a correspondence between the display style data position and the display style data,

wherein the display style of the individual object, existing within the view area, on the display screen is independently controlled in accordance with the data access position information.

3. A multi-media data display device according to claim 2, wherein the display style of the individual object is set by a plurality of factors including a display size and a display color depth of the object displayed on the display screen,

the display style data is defined for each of the plurality of factors in a display style data space provided for each of the factors,

the display style data space each includes:

respective dimensions of the object space where the objects exist;

a dimension corresponding to a direction vector in the object space; and

dimensions respectively corresponding to a time, a temperature and a humidity, and

the display control data is comprised of a number of function data for defining a relationship between the display style data corresponding to the plurality of factors setting the display style of the object and the position of the display style data in the display style data space, the number of the function data corresponding to the number of the factors.

4. A multi-media data display device according to claim 3, wherein the data access position information includes a data access vector providing directional information of the individual object in the object space,

the data calculation means calculates display data representing the individual object based on the display style data,

the display data is defined by a display transformation function using, as a first variable, a display parameter which is a constant value specific to the individual object and, as a second variable, a scale factor which is a product of the display style data corresponding to the factors and an intensity constant indicating to what degree the display style data is affected on the display screen, and

the intensity constant is defined by an intensity factor function using, as a variable, an inner product of an intensity normal vector indicating a dependence direction of the display style data and the data access vector in the object space, the intensity normal vector being defined for the individual object by an intensity normal vector transformation function using the display style data position in the display style data space as a variable.

5. A multi-media data display device for displaying a plurality of multi-media data items on a display screen, each of the multi-media data items having geometric data and attributive data defined by positional information in an n-dimensional space, comprising:

view area setting processing circuitry configured to set a view area from a multi-media data space, in which the plurality of multi-media data items exist, based on data access position information having a predetermined dimension, the view area having been selected as including at least one of the plurality of multi-media data items as an object to be displayed, the data access position information having been produced within the multi-media data display device or provided from outside of the multi-media data display device; and

a display controller for independently controlling, based on the data access position information and the n-dimensional space positional information, a display style of an individual one of the plurality of multi-media data items existing within the selected view area, when the individual multi-media data item is displayed on the display screen.

6. A multi-media data display device for displaying a plurality of solid-state objects on a display screen based on basic component data specifying the objects, comprising:

a database for storing display control data setting a display style of an individual one of the objects on the display screen, as well as the basic components data of the object;

view area setting processing circuitry configured to set a view area from an object space, in which the plurality of objects exist, based on data access position information having a predetermined dimension, the view area having been selected as including at least one of the plurality of objects to be displayed, the data access position information having been produced within the multi-media data display device or provided from the outside of the multi-media data display device; and

a processor for calculating display style data, representing the display style of the individual one of the objects existing within the selected view area, from a display style data position to be determined by the data access position information in a one-dimensional or multi-dimensional display style data space where the display style data exists, based on positional coordinates in an n-dimensional space and function data used as display control data for defining a correspondence between the display style data position and the display style data,

wherein the display style of the individual object, existing within the view area, on the display screen is independently controlled in accordance with the data access position information.