Image processing apparatus and method for accepting image signals from a medium or source of a plurality of types to display images of a plurality of frames simultaneously on a screen

• US 6,700,625 B1
• Filed: 05/17/1995
• Issued: 03/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Fujii, Tadashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Harvey, David E.
• Application Number:
  US08/443,307
• Time in Patent Office: 3,212 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.5262, H04/5.265, H04/5.45, H04/5.445, 348/588, 348/564, 348/584, 348/565, 348/566, 348/567, 348/568, 345/603, 345/788, 345/781, 345/800
• US Class Current: 348/588
• 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 2340/0407 Resolution change, inclusive of the use of different resolutions for different screen areas
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00347 with another still picture apparatus, e.g. hybrid still picture apparatus circuits or arrangements for control or supervision between image input and image output device H04N1/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00442 Simultaneous viewing of a plurality of images, e.g. using a mosaic display arrangement of thumbnails
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00453 arranged in a two dimensional array
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/646 Transmitting or storing colour television type signals, e.g. PAL, Lab; Their conversion into additive or subtractive colour signals or vice versa therefor H04N1/642, H04N1/644 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4184 providing storage capabilities, e.g. memory stick
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42646 for reading from or writing on a non-volatile solid state storage medium, e.g. DVD, CD-ROM
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44004 involving video buffer management, e.g. video decoder buffer or video display buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440263 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for displaying on a connected PDA
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8153 comprising still images, e.g. texture, background image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 Digital still camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0087 Image storage device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0089 Image display device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/33378 Type or format of data, e.g. colour or B/W, halftone or binary, computer image file or facsimile data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 : Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/64 : Circuits for processing colour signals H04N9/77 takes precedence; camera processing pipelines for processing colour signals H04N23/84

Abstract

An image processing apparatus and method in which image data stored in storage media of a plurality of different types or output by image signal generating sources of a plurality of different types can be reproduced simultaneously on the same monitor screen. Original image data provided by storage media or image signal generating sources of a plurality of types is converted to reduced image data representing pictures of reduced size. The original image data or the reduced image data is stored in a display memory in an arrangement capable of constructing a split-screen display. A plurality of frames of (reduced) image data read out of different storage media, etc. are stored in the display memory. These items of image data from the display memory are converted to image signals suitable for being displayed, and the image signals are applied to a monitor display unit. As a result, images of a plurality of frames represented by image data provided by storage media or image signal generating sources of a plurality of different types are displayed on one screen simultaneously.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a plurality of types of image data processing means for converting a plurality of digital image data, provided by at least two of a first digital data storage medium, a second digital data storage medium of a different type than said first digital data storage medium, and a first digital image data generating source, said plurality of digital image data having different formats depending on said digital data storage media or digital image data generating source, to respective items of image data in a prescribed format, at least one of said image data processing means having image data expansion means for expanding digital image data when compressed digital image data is provided;

image reduction means for converting digital image data, which is output by one of said plurality of said image data processing means, to reduced digital image data, which represents a reduced image, in accordance with a given reduction ratio;

an image memory capable of storing at least one screen of digital image data;

multiple-screen construction means for storing digital image data, which has been provided by a designated digital data storage medium or digital image data generating source and converted by one of said plurality of said image data processing means, or reduced digital image data reduced by said image reduction means, in said image memory in an arrangement capable of constructing multiple screens;

means for selecting a desired screen arrangement from a plurality of screen arrangements; and

image signal output means for converting, regardless of prescribed format, the digital image data, which has been stored in said image memory, to an image signal of a predetermined format suitable for being displayed, and outputting this image signal in the arrangement selected by said means for selecting the desired screen arrangement.

9. The apparat us as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for selecting a desired screen arrangement having a plurality of frames to be simultaneously displayed.

10. The apparatus as recited in claim 9, further comprising means for partitioning storage areas in said image memory into said plurality of frames.

11. The apparatus as recited in claim 9, further comprising means for outputting said plurality of frames to a display to thereby display said desired screen arrangement.

12. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for selecting a zone in which a frame is to be displayed.

13. The apparatus as recited in claim 12, wherein said means for determining media includes means for selecting an input medium from which the data for the frame in the zone is to be read.

19. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of connectors for connecting said plurality of image processing means and said image signal generating source.

20. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for individually determining medium or source from which image data is to be provided for each of said multiple screens.

24. The image processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of screen arrangements include at least one of a two frame by two frame arrangement, a three frame by three frame arrangement, and a four frame by four frame arrangement.

27. The image processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of screen arrangements have different numbers of images simultaneously displayed.

2. An image processing method comprising the steps of:

converting a plurality of image data, which are provided by at least two of a first digital data storage medium, a second digital data storage medium of a different type than said first digital data storage medium, and a first digital image data generating source, and having different formats depending on said digital data storage media or digital image data generating source, to respective items of image data in a prescribed format, and expanding digital image data when compressed digital image data is provided;

storing image data provided by a designated storage medium or image data generating source and converted to a prescribed format, or reduced digital image data obtained by converting this digital image data to reduced digital image data representing a reduced digital image, in an image memory in an arrangement capable of constructing multiple screens;

selecting a desired screen arrangement from a plurality of screen arrangements; and

converting, regardless of prescribed format, the plurality of digital image data, which has been stored in said image memory, to an image signal of a predetermined format suitable for being displayed, and outputting this image signal in the arrangement selected by said means for selecting the desired screen arrangement.

4. The method as recited in claim 2, further comprising selecting a desired screen arrangement having a plurality of frames to be simultaneously displayed.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, further comprising partitioning storage areas in said image memory into said plurality of frames.

6. The method as recited in claim 4, further comprising outputting said plurality of frames to a display to thereby display said desired screen arrangement.

7. The method as recited in claim 2, further comprising selecting a zone in which a frame is to be displayed.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein said selecting step includes selecting an input medium from which the data for the frame in the zone is to be read.

21. The method as recited in claim 2, further comprising individually determining media or sources from which image data is to be provided for each of said multiple screens.

25. The image processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the plurality of screen arrangements include at least one of a two frame by two frame arrangement, a three frame by three frame arrangement, and a four frame by four frame arrangement.

28. The image processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the plurality of screen arrangements have different numbers of images simultaneously displayed.

3. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a plurality of types of image data processing circuits for converting a plurality of digital image data, provided by at least two of a first digital data storage medium, a second digital data storage medium of a different type than said first digital data storage medium, and a first digital image data generating source, and having different formats depending on said digital data storage media or digital image data generating source, to respective items of digital image data in a prescribed format, at least one of said image processing circuits having an image data expansion circuit for expanding digital image data when compressed digital image data is provided;

an image reduction circuit for converting digital image data, which is output by one of said plurality of said digital image data processing circuits, to reduced digital image data, which represents a reduced image, in accordance with a given reduction ratio;

an image memory capable of storing at least one screen of digital image data;

a multiple-screen construction circuit for storing digital image data, which has been provided by a designated digital data storage medium or digital image data generating source and converted by one of said plurality of said digital image data processing circuits, or reduced digital image data reduced by said image reduction circuit, in said image memory in an arrangement capable of constructing multiple screens;

a selecting circuit for selecting a desired screen arrangement from a plurality of screen arrangements; and

an image signal output circuit for converting, regardless of prescribed format, the digital image data, which has been stored in said image memory, to an image signal of a predetermined format suitable for being displayed, and outputting this image signal in the arrangement selected by the circuit for selecting the desired screen arrangement.

14. The apparatus as recited in claim 3, further comprising an arrangement input receiving a desired screen arrangement having a plurality of frames to be simultaneously displayed and supplying said desired screen arrangement to said multiple-screen construction circuit.

15. The apparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein said multiple screen construction circuit partitions said image memory into said plurality of frames.

16. The apparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein said multiple-screen construction circuit outputs said desired screen arrangement, without any frame content information, to a display to thereby display said desired screen arrangement.

17. The apparatus as recited in claim 3, further comprising a zone input receiving a zone of a display in which a frame is to be displayed.

18. The apparatus as recited in claim 17, wherein said a media input receives an input medium from which the data for the frame in the zone is to be read.

22. The apparatus as recited in claim 3, further comprising a plurality of connectors for connecting said plurality of image processing circuits and said image signal generating source.

23. The apparatus as recited in claim 3, further comprising a media input which individually determines media or sources from which image data is to be provided for each of said multiple screens.

26. The image processing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the plurality of screen arrangements include at least one of a two frame by two frame arrangement, a three frame by three frame arrangement, and a four frame by four frame arrangement.

29. The image processing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the plurality of screen arrangements have different numbers of images simultaneously displayed.