Image display device and method for displaying an image on the basis of a plurality of image signals

• US 8,179,384 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2006
• Issued: 05/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Sakashita, Yukihiko, Miyawaki, Mamoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Lao, Lun-Yi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sadio, Insa
• Application Number:
  US11/468,262
• Publication Number:
  US 20070013686A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,086 Days
• Field of Search: 345/629, 345/753, 345/759, 345/635, 345/204, 345156-157, 345/1.3, 345/2, 345/1, 345/2.3, 345/169, 345173-174
• US Class Current: 345/204
• 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 2320/10 Special adaptations of display systems for operation with variable images
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0407 Resolution change, inclusive of the use of different resolutions for different screen areas
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/20 Details of the management of multiple sources of image data
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

Image signals input via input terminals are selected by a selector. The selected image signals are combined and displayed on the same screen of a display device. The display screen includes one main screen and a plurality of sub screens. In the case where a moving image is displayed on the main screen, images displayed on the sub screens are updated when the moving image displayed on the main screen are in a still state. The modes of the image signals are detected only when they are input for the first time, the process performed upon the image signals input after that is controlled in accordance with information stored in a memory.

Claims

1. A system for displaying images, comprising:

an image display device, comprising;

a plurality of input terminals for inputting a plurality of image signals, respectively;

selection means for selecting an image signal to be displayed as a main image from the plurality of image signals input via said plurality of input terminals;

compression means for compressing the other input image signals not selected by the selecting means, respectively;

combining means for combining the selected image signal and the compressed image signals into a resultant image; and

displaying means for displaying the resultant image on a screen of a display device; and

a plurality of terminal devices connected to the image display device via a wireless network such that an image signal is transmitted to said image display device from each of the plurality of terminal devices, each of the plurality of terminal devices including transmitting/receiving means for transmitting and receiving an image signal or a control signal by means of wireless communication,

wherein, said compression means compresses an image signal which is not selected as the main image with a compression ratio greater than a compression ratio for an image signal selected as the main image, wherein, an image signal period of image signals transmitted from at least two transmitting/receiving means of said plurality of terminal devices is represented by T, a transmission period of an image signal selected as a main image from the image signals combined and displayed on the screen of the display device is represented by ″

c, a number of image signals which are combined and displayed on the same screen of the display device and which are not selected as the main image is represented by n, and a constant k is given, the parameters T, ″

c, n and k are set such that the following equation is satisfied;

″

c=kT/(n+k), and wherein the value of k is determined based on a ratio between an image size of an image signal selected as the main image and an image size of an image signal which is not selected as the main image.

2. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

memory means for storing modes of the respective image signals; and

conversion means for converting the modes of the respective image signals input via the input terminals into a mode suitable for said display device to display the image signals on the basis of the modes stored in said memory means.

3. An image display device, comprising:

a plurality of input terminals for inputting a plurality of image signals via a wireless network from a plurality of terminal devices, respectively;

selection means for selecting an image signal to be displayed as a main image from the plurality of image signals input via said plurality of input terminals;

compression means for compressing the other input image signals not selected by the selection means;

combining means for combining the selected image signal and the other image signals compressed by the compression means into a resultant image; and

displaying means for displaying the resultant image on a screen of a display device;

wherein, said compression means compresses an image signal which is not selected as the main image with a compression ratio greater than a compression ratio for an image signal selected as the main image, wherein, an image signal period of image signals transmitted from at least two transmitting/receiving means of said plurality of terminal devices is represented by T, a transmission period of an image signal selected as a main image from the image signals combined and displayed on the screen of the display device is represented by ″

c, a number of image signals which are combined and displayed on the same screen of the display device and which are not selected as the main image is represented by n, and a constant k is Riven, the parameters T, ″

c, n and k are set such that the following equation is satisfied;

″

c=kT/(n+k), and wherein the value of k is determined based on a ratio between an image size of an image signal selected as the main image and an image size of an image signal which is not selected as the main image.

4. The image display device according to claim 3, further comprising:

memory means for storing modes of the respective image signals; and

conversion means for converting the modes of the respective image signals input via the input terminals into a mode suitable for said display device to display the image signals on the basis of the modes stored in said memory means.

5. A method of controlling an image display device, comprising the steps of:

inputting a plurality of image signals by a plurality of terminals via a wireless network from a plurality of terminal devices, respectively;

selecting an image signal to be displayed as a main image from the plurality of image signals input;

compressing the other input image signals not selected in the selecting step;

combining the selected image signal and the compressed other signals into a resultant image; and

displaying the resultant image on a screen of the image display device wherein, said compressing step compresses an image signal which is not selected as the main image with a compression ratio greater than a compression ratio for an image signal selected as the main image, wherein, an image signal period of image signals transmitted from at least two transmitting/receiving means of said plurality of terminal devices is represented by T, a transmission period of an image signal selected as a main image from the image signals combined and displayed on the screen of the image display device is represented by ″

c, a number of image signals which are combined and displayed on the same screen of the image display device and which are not selected as the main image is represented by n, and a constant k is given, the parameters T, ″

c, n and k are set such that the following equation is satisfied;

″

c=kT/(n+k), and wherein the value of k is determined based on a ratio between an image size of an image signal selected as the main image and an image size of an image signal which is not selected as the main image.

6. A method according to claim 5, further comprising:

storing modes of the respective image signals; and

converting the modes of the respective image signals input via the input terminals into a mode suitable for the image display device to display the image signals on the basis of the modes stored in said storing step.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer-executable program thereon, said program including a process of controlling an image display device, said process comprising the steps of:

inputting a plurality of image signals by a plurality of terminals via a wireless network from a plurality of terminal devices, respectively;

selecting an image signal to be displayed as a main image from the plurality of image signals input;

compressing the other input image signals not selected in the selecting step;

combining the selected image signal and the compressed other signals into a resultant image;

displaying the resultant image on a screen of the image display device;

wherein, said compressing step compresses an image signal which is not selected as the main image with a compression ratio greater than a compression ratio for an image signal selected as the main image, wherein, an image signal period of image signals transmitted from at least two transmitting/receiving means of said plurality of terminal devices is represented by T, a transmission period of an image signal selected as a main image from the image signals combined and displayed on the screen of the display device is represented by ″

c, a number of image signals which are combined and displayed on the same screen of the display device and which are not selected as the main image is represented by n, and a constant k is given, the parameters T, ″

c, n and k are set such that the following equation is satisfied;

″

c=kT/(n+k), and wherein the value of k is determined based on a ratio between an image size of an image signal selected as the main image and an image size of an image signal which is not selected as the main image.