Image displaying apparatus

• US 8,081,252 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2007
• Issued: 12/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Furuya, Shinji, Yamada, Akira, Murai, Akihito, Suzuki, Yuichi, Kitagawa, Kiyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Sinh
• Assistant Examiner(s): MONK, MARK T
• Application Number:
  US11/761,496
• Publication Number:
  US 20070285533A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,652 Days
• Field of Search: 348/222.05, 348/14.07, 34833301-33314, 4820799-376, 455/414.1, 455/416, 455/556.1, 455/556.2, 455/566
• US Class Current: 348/333.12
• 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 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction

Abstract

The image displaying apparatus of the present invention provides a first display mode in which a first display region for one screen image is formed in a display screen, with the short side direction of the display screen aligned with the vertical direction; and a second display mode in which a first display region and a second display region for two screen images are formed in the display screen, with the long side direction of the display screen aligned with the vertical direction, and the first display region and the second display region formed such that they are arranged up and down. According to this configuration, when images are displayed in a double screen, each image can be displayed as large as possible.

Claims

1. An image pickup apparatus that comprises a display portion comprising a substantially rectangular display screen including at least two long sides opposed to each other and two short sides opposed to each other, and that is capable of photographing an image having a substantially rectangular first aspect ratio, in which a direction of two short sides of the image are aligned in a vertical direction, in a position in which a direction of the two short sides of the display screen are aligned with the vertical direction, the image pickup apparatus further comprising:

a control portion that controls a display operation of the display portion,

wherein the control portion is provided with a first double screen display mode and a second double screen display mode;

in the first double screen display mode, a first display region and a second display region for two screen images are formed in the display screen, with a direction of the two long sides of the display screen aligned with the vertical direction, the first display region and the second display region do not overlap and are formed such that they are arranged up and down, and the first display region and the second display region have the same aspect ratio as the first aspect ratio;

and in the second double screen display mode, a third display region and a fourth display region for two screen images are formed in the display screen, with the direction of the two short sides of the display screen aligned with the vertical direction, the third display region and the fourth display region do not overlap and are formed such that they are arranged side by side, and the third display region and the fourth display region have the same aspect ratio as the first aspect ratio.

2. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the control portion is capable of reading out image data from a memory unit in which the image data is recorded, and is capable of displaying images based on the image data read out from the memory unit in the first display region and the second display region, respectively, in the first double screen display mode.

3. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the control portion activates either one of the first display region and the second display region, and performs control to change the image displayed in an activated display region to an image based on another image data stored in the memory unit, the activated display region being the first display region or the second display region activated by the control portion.

4. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein, when the image displayed in the activated display region is changed to the image based on other image data stored in the memory unit, the control portion performs control to display an image other than the image displayed in a deactivated display region, the deactivated display region being the first display region or the second display region not activated by the control portion.

5. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the control portion accepts an instruction to select either of the first display region and the second display region to activate.

6. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein, when an instruction to enlarge or reduce an image is input, the control portion changes the image displayed in either one of the first display region and the second display region that is activated to an enlarged or reduced image.

7. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the memory unit is capable of storing vertically long image data whose long side direction is matched substantially with the direction of gravity, and

in the first double screen display mode, the control portion is capable of displaying an image based on the vertically long image data.

8. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein, in the first double screen display mode, when an instruction to delete image data is input while either of the first display region and the second display region is activated,

the control portion performs control to delete the image data of the image displayed in an activated display region, the activated display region being the first display region or the second display region activated by the control portion.

9. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein, in the first double screen display mode, when an instruction to output image data to an external device is input while either of the first display region and the second display region is activated,

the control portion performs control to output the image data of the image displayed in activated display region to the external device, the activated display region being the first display region or the second display region activated by the control portion.

10. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein a mark is added to specific image data in the image data recorded in the memory unit, and

in the first double screen display mode, the control portion performs control to display an image based on the image data to which the mark has been added in one of the first display region and the second display region, and to display an image based on image data to which the mark has not been added in the other of the first display region and the second display region.

11. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 10,

wherein, when an instruction to set the mark is input while either of the first display region and the second display region is activated, the control portion adds the mark to the image data of the image displayed in an activated display region, and displays an image of the image data to which the mark has been added in a deactivated display region, the activated display region being the first display region or the second display region activated by the control portion and the deactivated display region being the first display region or the second display region not activated by the control portion.

12. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 10,

wherein, when an instruction to remove the mark is input while either of the first display region and the second display region is activated and the image data of the image displayed in an activated display region has the mark, the control portion removes the mark of the image data of the image displayed in the activated display region, and displays an image of the image data from which the mark has been removed in a deactivated display region, the activated display region being the first display region or the second display region activated by the control portion and the deactivated display region being the first display region or the second display region not activated by the control portion.

13. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein, in the first double screen display mode, when an instruction to enlarge image size is input while both or either of the first display region and the second display region are activated,

the control portion performs control to enlarge the image size of the image displayed in an activated display region, the activated display region being the first display region or the second display region activated by the control portion.

14. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 13,

wherein, when enlarging the image size of the image displayed in the activated display region, the control portion is capable of setting a cut-out position to a desired position in the image before the enlarging process.

15. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein, in the second first double screen display mode, when an instruction to output image data to an external displaying device is input,

the control portion performs control to convert the image displayed in the first display region and the image displayed in the second display region into image data that can be displayed simultaneously in the external displaying device, and then performs control to output the image data to the external displaying device.

16. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein, when playing back a moving image file, the control portion displays a moving image based on the moving image file in the first display region, and

when a capture operation is performed while the moving image file is being played back, the control portion performs control to display the captured still image in the second display region.

17. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the control portion performs control to display an on-screen display within the display regions,

in the first double screen display mode, the on-screen display is displayed with the long side direction of the display screen aligned with the vertical direction.

18. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 17,

wherein, in the first double screen display mode, when an instruction to change the storage location of an image file of the image displayed in the display region is input,

the control portion performs control to store the image file into the internal memory when the image file has been stored in the memory medium, and to store the image file into the memory medium when the image file has been stored in the internal memory.

19. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an internal memory capable of storing image data; and

a medium holding unit that removably holds a memory medium capable of storing image data,

wherein, in the first double screen display mode, the control portion performs control to display an image based on the image data stored in the memory medium in one of the first display region and the second display region, and to display an image based on the image data stored in the internal memory in the other of the first display region and the second display region.

20. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an operation portion comprising;

a first direction operation portion;

a second direction operation portion that enables an operation in a direction opposite to the operation direction operable by the first direction operation portion;

a third direction operation portion that enables an operation in a direction substantially orthogonal to the operation directions operable by the first direction operation portion and the second direction operation portion; and

a fourth direction operation portion that enables an operation in a direction opposite to the operation direction operable by the third direction operation portion,

wherein,

in the first double screen display mode, relative to the display direction of the images displayed in the display screen, the first direction operation portion enables an operation instructing rightward movement, the second direction operation portion enables an operation instructing leftward movement, the third direction operation portion enables an operation instructing upward movement, and the fourth direction operation portion enables an operation instructing downward movement.

21. The image pickup apparatus, according to claim 1, wherein in the first double screen display mode, each of the first display region and the second display region is provided for a separate photographed still or moving image.

22. The image pickup apparatus, according to claim 1, wherein the first aspect ratio is 4:

3 or 16;

9.