Display device, display method, program, recording medium, and composite image display apparatus

• US 7,880,687 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2006
• Issued: 02/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Tsuyoshi, Kondo, Tetsujiro, Watanabe, Yoshinori
• Primary Examiner(s): Awad; Amr
• Assistant Examiner(s): BOYD, JONATHAN A
• Application Number:
  US11/400,208
• Publication Number:
  US 20060242871A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,758 Days
• Field of Search: 345 11- 13
• US Class Current: 345/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 15/00 Boards, hoardings, pillars, or like structures for notices, placards, posters, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 15/005 for orientation or public information
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 15/0087 including movable parts, e.g. movable by the wind

Abstract

A display device for a composite image display apparatus includes: a self-state acquiring unit configured to acquire information indicating a mounting position of a self device in the composite image display apparatus and a mounting state of the self device; an other-device'"'"'s-state acquiring unit configured to acquire information indicating a mounting position of each of other display devices in the composite image display apparatus and a state of each of the other display devices; and a display controlling unit configured to control display of an image to be displayed on a display section of the self device, on the basis of the information acquired by each of the self-state acquiring unit and the other-device'"'"'s-state acquiring unit.

Claims

1. An interconnection unit for a composite image display apparatus that displays an image by a plurality of display devices that are detachably mounted to a plurality of mounting positions on a plurality of interconnection units, each interconnection unit comprising:

the mounting positions on which the plurality of display devices are detachably mounted, the plurality of interconnection units connected to each other;

self-state acquiring means for acquiring identification information of a display device indicating a mounting position of the display device and a mounting state of the display device mounted on the interconnection unit including the self-state acquiring means;

other-device-state acquiring means for acquiring identification information indicating a mounting position of each of the plurality of display devices and a mounting state of each of the plurality of display devices mounted on another one of the plurality of interconnection units with respect to the interconnection unit including the other-device-state acquiring means; and

display controlling means for controlling display of an image to be displayed on the display device, mounted on the interconnection unit including the display controlling means, on the basis of information acquired by each of the self-state acquiring means and the other-device-state acquiring means, wherein

when the image is a moving image, the display controlling means includes still timing selecting means for selecting a timing for stilling the moving image displayed on the display device on the basis of the connection among the plurality of interconnection units and mounting positions of the plurality of display devices mounted on the another one of the plurality of interconnection units that are oriented in the same direction as the display device.

2. The interconnection unit according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of display devices mounted on the plurality of interconnection units can be oriented to face one of two directions different from each other by 180°

while being mounted on the composite image display apparatus.

3. The interconnection unit according to claim 2, wherein the identification information indicating the mounting state acquired by the self-state acquiring means or the information acquired by other-device-state acquiring means is information indicating whether the display device, mounted on the interconnection unit including the self-state acquiring means, or each of the other display devices, mounted on another one of the plurality of interconnection units with respect to the interconnection unit including the other-device-state acquiring means, is currently mounted at a predetermined position, and an orientation of the display section.

4. The interconnection unit according to claim 3, wherein on the basis of the information acquired by each of the self-state acquiring means and the other-device-state acquiring means, each display device displays an image that is the same as images displayed on the plurality of display devices, mounted on the another one of the plurality of interconnection units, that are oriented in the same direction as the display device.

5. The interconnection unit according to claim 1, wherein the display controlling means includes area/magnification selecting means for selecting an area of the image to be displayed by the display device mounted on the interconnection unit including the display controlling means, and a display magnification for an image corresponding to the area, on the basis of the connection among the plurality of interconnection units and mounting positions of the plurality of display devices mounted on the another one of the plurality of interconnection units that are oriented in the same direction as the display device mounted on the interconnection unit including the display controlling means.

6. The interconnection unit according to claim 1, wherein the preset event occurs each time a predetermined period of time elapses.

7. The interconnection unit according to claim 1, wherein the preset event occurs when display of a specific preset image is detected.

8. The interconnection unit according to claim 1, wherein the preset event occurs upon command from a user.

9. The interconnection unit according to claim 1, wherein the display controlling means includes image kind selecting means for selecting, from among a plurality of kinds of images, an image to be displayed by the display device on the basis of the connection among the plurality of interconnection units and mounting positions of the plurality of display devices mounted on the another one of the plurality of interconnection units that are oriented in the same direction as the display device.

10. The interconnection unit according to claim 1, wherein the display controlling means includes image switching means for forcibly switching the image displayed on the display device on the basis of the connection among the plurality of interconnection units and mounting positions of the plurality of display devices mounted on the another one of the plurality of interconnection units that are oriented in the same direction as the display device and on the basis of a signal transmitted from external equipment connected to the composite image display apparatus.

11. A composite image display apparatus comprising a plurality of the display devices according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10 that are mounted at a plurality of mounting positions on a plurality of interconnection means, the composite image display apparatus displaying an image by the plurality of the display devices.

12. A display method for an interconnection unit for a composite image display apparatus that displays an image by a plurality of display devices that are detachably mounted to a plurality of mounting positions on a plurality of interconnection units, the display method comprising:

connecting the plurality of interconnection units to each other;

mounting the plurality of display devices detachably on the plurality of interconnection units;

acquiring self-state identification information of a display device indicating a mounting position of the display device and a mounting state of the display device mounted on the interconnection unit acquiring the self-state identification information;

acquiring other-device-state information indicating a mounting position of each of the plurality of display devices and a mounting state of each of the plurality of display devices mounted on another one of the plurality of interconnection units with respect to the interconnection unit acquiring the other-device-state information; and

controlling display of an image to be displayed on the display device, mounted on the interconnection unit controlling the display, on the basis of information acquired in the acquiring self-state information and the acquiring other-device-state information, wherein

when the image is a moving image, the controlling the display includes selecting a timing for stilling the moving image displayed on the display device on the basis of the connection among the plurality of interconnection units and mounting positions of the plurality of display devices mounted on another one of the plurality of interconnection units that are oriented in the same direction as the display device.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having embedded therein instructions, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to execute a method for causing display processing by an interconnection unit for a composite image display apparatus that displays an image by a plurality of display devices that are detachably mounted to a plurality of mounting positions on a plurality of interconnection units, the method comprising:

connecting the plurality of interconnection units to each other;

mounting the plurality of display devices detachably on the plurality of interconnection units;

controlling acquisition of self-state identification information of a display device indicating a mounting position of the display device and a mounting state of the display device mounted on the interconnection unit acquiring the self-state identification information;

controlling acquisition of other-device-state information indicating a mounting position of each of the plurality of display devices and a mounting state of each of the plurality of display devices mounted on another one of the plurality of interconnection units with respect to the interconnection unit acquiring the other-device-state information; and

controlling display of an image to be displayed on the display device, mounted on the interconnection unit controlling the display, on the basis of the information acquired in the controlling acquisition of self-state information and the controlling acquisition of other-device-state information, wherein

when the image is a moving image, the controlling the display includes selecting a timing for stilling the moving image displayed on the display device on the basis of the connection among the plurality of interconnection units and mounting positions of the plurality of display devices mounted on another one of the plurality of interconnection units that are oriented in the same direction as the display device.

14. An interconnection unit for a composite image display apparatus that displays an image by a plurality of display devices that are detachably mounted to a plurality of mounting positions on a plurality of interconnection units, each of the interconnection units comprising:

the mounting positions on which the plurality of display devices are detachably mounted, the plurality of interconnection units being connected to each other;

a self-state acquiring unit configured to acquire identification information of a display device indicating a mounting position of the display device and a mounting state of the display device mounted on the interconnection unit including the self-state acquiring unit;

an other-device-state acquiring unit configured to acquire identification information indicating a mounting position of each of the plurality of display devices and a mounting state of each of the plurality of display devices mounted on another one of the plurality of interconnection units with respect to the interconnection unit including the other-device-state acquiring unit; and

a display controlling unit configured to control display of an image to be displayed on the display device, mounted on the interconnection unit including the display controlling unit, on the basis of information acquired by each of the self-state acquiring unit and the other-device-state acquiring unit, wherein

when the image is a moving image, the display controlling unit includes a still timing selecting unit to select a timing for stilling the moving image displayed on the display device on the basis of the connection among the plurality of interconnection units and mounting positions of the plurality of display devices mounted on the another one of the plurality of interconnection units that are oriented in the same direction as the display device.

15. The interconnection unit according to claim 14 , wherein the preset event occurs each time a predetermined period of time elapses.

16. The interconnection unit according to claim 14 , wherein the preset event occurs when display of a specific preset image is detected.

17. The interconnection unit according to claim 14 , wherein the preset event occurs upon command from a user.

18. An apparatus for displaying an image from a plurality of display devices that are detachably mounted at a plurality of mounting positions on a plurality of interconnection units, the apparatus comprising:

a plurality of interconnection units connected to each other, the plurality of interconnection units having the mounting positions on which the plurality of display devices are detachably mounted, and

each of the plurality of interconnection means including,

a first acquiring unit configured to acquire identification information of a first device indicating a mounting position of the first device and a mounting state of the first device mounted on the interconnection unit including the first acquiring unit;

a second acquiring unit configured to acquire identification information indicating a mounting position of each of the plurality of display devices and a mounting state of each of the plurality of display devices mounted on another one of the plurality of interconnection units with respect to the interconnection unit including the second acquiring unit; and

a display controlling unit configured to control display of an image to be displayed on the display device, mounted on the interconnection unit including the display controlling unit, on the basis of information acquired by the first acquiring unit and the second acquiring unit, wherein

when the image is a moving image, the display controlling unit includes a still timing selecting unit to select a timing for stilling the moving image displayed on the display device on the basis of the connection among the plurality of interconnection units and mounting positions of the plurality of display devices mounted on the another one of the plurality of interconnection units that are oriented in the same direction as the display device.