Video apparatus with zoom-in magnifying function

• US 6,850,689 B1
• Filed: 01/15/1999
• Issued: 02/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Maxell, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi ULSI Systems Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Takahashi, Yuzuru, Ozawa, Tsugutaro
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HUY THANH
• Application Number:
  US09/231,798
• Time in Patent Office: 2,209 Days
• Field of Search: 386/46, 386/95, 386/125, 386/126, 345/835, 345/660, 345/667, 707/500.1, 348/333.5
• US Class Current: 386/230
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0407 Resolution change, inclusive of the use of different resolutions for different screen areas
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/045 Zooming at least part of an image, i.e. enlarging it or shrinking it
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42212 Specific keyboard arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440263 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for displaying on a connected PDA
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/14 Picture signal circuitry for video frequency region cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors, or control thereof H04N23/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/91 Television signal processing therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/16 Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems

Abstract

A picture to be reproduced and displayed on a television monitor (10) is discerned as a plurality of partitioned areas in correspondence to keys labeled “1” to “9” disposed on a remote control unit (R). After having zoomed in a picture in a partitioned center area by operating a zoom key disposed on the remote control unit, a partial picture in a partitioned area corresponding to a given one of the keys “1” to “9” is zoomed in with a desired magnification factor in response to operation of the given key. Position of the zoomed-in partial picture on a full screen and the magnification factor thereof can be visually recognized by displaying cursors correspondingly.

Claims

1. An image apparatus equipped to read out image data as original data from a recording medium and display a zoomed-in magnified picture on a screen of a picture displaying unit on the basis of said image data as the original data, said image apparatus comprising:

a plurality of zoom-in area designating keys disposed at least on either one of a main body of said image apparatus or a remote control unit therefor;

a storage storing correspondence relations, respectively, between said plurality of zoom-in area designating keys and zoom-in areas resulting from partition of a pre-zoom picture being displayed on said screen from said image data as the original data, into a plurality of picture areas on said screen; and

an image data processor designed such that when a second given one of said zoom-in area designating keys is operated in a state where a first zoom-in picture of a zoom-in area corresponding to a first given one of said zoom-in area designating keys is being displayed, with said second given one zoom-in area designating key differing from said first given zoom-in area designating key, an intervening zoomed-in picture is transitionally displayed which differs from said first zoomed-in picture and a second zoomed-in picture of a zoom-in area corresponding to said second given zoom-in area designating key, in precedence to displaying on said screen said second zoomed-in picture of the zoom-in area corresponding to said second zoom-in area designating key operated.

2. An image apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said image data processor is designed such that said intervening zoomed-in picture is a picture area of the pre-zoom picture displayed on said screen, which lays at least partially between an area corresponding to said first zoomed-in picture and an area corresponding to said second zoomed-in picture of the pre-zoom picture.

3. An image apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said image data processor is designed such that said intervening zoomed-in picture is a picture area of the pre-zoom picture displayed on said screen, which at least partially lays between an area corresponding to said first zoomed-in picture and an area corresponding to said second zoomed-in picture of the pre-zoom picture, and which at least partially includes an overlapping portion of at least one of the area corresponding to said first zoomed-in picture and the area corresponding to said second zoomed-in picture.

4. An image apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said image data processor is designed such that when said second given one zoom-in area designating key is operated, a plurality of intervening zoomed-in pictures are transitionally displayed in sequence, which differ from said first zoomed-in picture and said second zoomed-in picture of a zoom-in area corresponding to said second given zoom-in area designating key, in precedence to displaying on said screen said second zoomed-in picture of the zoom-in area corresponding to said second zoom-in area designating key.

5. An image apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said image data processor is designed such that a culmination of displaying of said first zoomed-in picture, said plurality of intervening zoomed-in pictures and said second zoomed-in picture results in zoomed-in pictures of all picture areas of the pre-zoom picture being once displayed.

6. An image apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said image data processor is designed such that said plurality of intervening zoomed-in pictures are picture areas of the pre-zoom picture displayed on said screen, which lay at least partially between an area corresponding to said first zoomed-in picture and an area corresponding to said second zoomed-in picture of the pre-zoom picture.

7. An image apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said image data processor is designed such that said plurality of intervening zoomed-in pictures are picture areas of the pre-zoom picture displayed on said screen, which lay at least partially between an area corresponding to said first zoomed-in picture and an area corresponding to said second zoomed-in picture of the pre-zoom picture, and at least one intervening zoomed-in picture of said plurality of intervening zoomed-in pictures at least partially includes an overlapping portion of at least one of the area corresponding to said first zoomed-in picture and the area corresponding to said second zoomed-in picture.

8. An image apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said image data processor is designed such that said plurality of intervening zoomed-in pictures are picture areas of the pre-zoom picture displayed on said screen, which lay along a predetermined path on the pre-zoom picture, leading from an area corresponding to said first zoomed-in picture to an area corresponding to said second zoomed-in picture of the pre-zoom picture.

9. An image apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein said image data processor is designed such that a culmination of displaying of said first zoomed-in picture, said plurality of intervening zoomed-in pictures and said second zoomed-in picture results in zoomed-in pictures of all picture areas of the pre-zoom picture being once displayed.

10. An image apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein at least one intervening zoomed-in picture of said plurality of intervening zoomed-in pictures at least partially includes an overlapping portion of at least one of the area corresponding to said first zoomed-in picture and the area corresponding to said second zoomed-in picture.

11. A method to operate an image apparatus equipped to read out image data as original data from a recording medium and display a zoomed-in magnified picture on a screen of a picture displaying unit on a basis of said image data as the original data, said method comprising:

using ones of a plurality of zoom-in area designating keys disposed at least on either one of a main body of said image apparatus or a remote control unit therefore to designate zoom operations;

referencing stored correspondence relations, respectively, between said plurality of zoom-in area designating keys and zoom-in areas resulting from partition of a pre-zoom picture being displayed on said screen from said image data as the original data, into a plurality of picture areas on said screen;

outputting data for a first zoom-in picture of a zoom-in area corresponding to a first given one of said zoom-in area designating keys; and

when a second given one of said zoom-in area designating keys is operated in a state where data for a first zoom-in picture of a zoom-in area corresponding to a first given one of said zoom-in area designating keys is being outputted, with said second given one zoom-in area designating key differing from said first given zoom-in area designating key, outputting to transitionally display an intervening zoomed-in picture which differs from said first zoomed-in picture and a second zoomed-in picture of a zoom-in area corresponding to said second given zoom-in area designating key, in precedence to outputting to display on said screen said second zoomed-in picture of the zoom-in area corresponding to said second zoom-in area designating key operated.

12. A method as claimed in claim 11, wherein said intervening zoomed-in picture is a picture area of the pre-zoom picture displayed on said screen, which lays at least partially between an area corresponding to said first zoomed-in picture and an area corresponding to said second zoomed-in picture of the pre-zoom picture.

13. A method as claimed in claim 11, wherein said intervening zoomed-in picture is a picture area of the pre-zoom picture displayed on said screen, which at least partially lays between an area corresponding to said first zoomed-in picture and an area corresponding to said second zoomed-in picture of the pre-zoom picture, and which at least partially includes an overlapping portion of at least one of the area corresponding to said first zoomed-in picture and the area corresponding to said second zoomed-in picture.

14. A method as claimed in claim 11, wherein when said second given one zoom-in area designating key is operated, data for a plurality of intervening zoomed-in pictures for transitional display are outputted in sequence, which differ from said first zoomed-in picture and said second zoomed-in picture of a zoom-in area corresponding to said second given zoom-in area designating key, in precedence to outputting of data for display on said screen of said second zoomed-in picture of the zoom-in area corresponding to said second zoom-in area designating key.

15. A method as claimed in claim 14, wherein a culmination of displaying of said first zoomed-in picture, said plurality of intervening zoomed-in pictures and said second zoomed-in picture results in zoomed-in pictures of all picture areas of the pre-zoom picture being once displayed.

16. A method as claimed in claim 14, wherein said plurality of intervening zoomed-in pictures are picture areas of the pre-zoom picture displayed on said screen, which lay at least partially between an area corresponding to said first zoomed-in picture and an area corresponding to said second zoomed-in picture of the pre-zoom picture.

17. A method as claimed in claim 14, wherein said plurality of intervening zoomed-in pictures are picture areas of the pre-zoom picture displayed on said screen, which lay at least partially between an area corresponding to said first zoomed-in picture and an area corresponding to said second zoomed-in picture of the pre-zoom picture, and at least one intervening zoomed-in picture of said plurality of intervening zoomed-in pictures at least partially includes an overlapping portion of at least one of the area corresponding to said first zoomed-in picture and the area corresponding to said second zoomed-in picture.

18. A method as claimed in claim 14, wherein said plurality of intervening zoomed-in pictures are picture areas of the pre-zoom picture displayed on said screen, which lay along a predetermined path on the pre-zoom picture, leading from an area corresponding to said first zoomed-in picture to an area corresponding to said second zoomed-in picture of the pre-zoom picture.

19. A method as claimed in claim 18, wherein a culmination of displaying of said first zoomed-in picture, said plurality of intervening zoomed-in pictures and said second zoomed-in picture results in zoomed-in pictures of all picture areas of the pre-zoom picture being once displayed.

20. A method as claimed in claim 18, wherein at least one intervening zoomed-in picture of said plurality of intervening zoomed-in pictures at least partially includes an overlapping portion of at least one of the area corresponding to said first zoomed-in picture and the area corresponding to said second zoomed-in picture.