IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS, IMAGE DISPLAYING METHOD, AND IMAGE DISPLAYING PROGRAM

• US 20100110228A1
• Filed: 09/14/2009
• Published: 05/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ozawa, Hiroyuki, Akagawa, Satoshi, Furue, Nobuki, Iwase, Ayako
• Granted Patent: US 8,373,788 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/231.200
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/54 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

An image processing apparatus includes: an image display device; an instruction position detecting unit to accept, via an operating screen having multiple operating areas provided to a display screen of the image display device, instructions from a user and detect and output the position of the instruction operation on the operating face; a storage unit to store and hold image data; and a display control unit to control display of an image according to the image data stored and held in at least the storage unit on the image display device; wherein, if the user performs a tracing operation on the operating face, the display control unit controls the display of the image on the display screen of the image display device so as to change, according to the operated operating area and direction of operation that is distinguished based on the detecting output from the instruction position detecting unit.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

an image display device;

instruction position detecting means configured to accept, by way of an operating screen having a plurality of operating areas provided as to a display screen of said image display device, an instruction operation from a user and detect and output the instruction position of said instruction operation as to said operating face;

storage means configured to store and hold image data; and

display control means configured to control so as to display an image according to said image data stored and held in at least said storage means on said image display device;

wherein

in the case that a tracing operation to trace said operating face is performed by the user, said display control means controls the display of the image to be displayed on said display screen of said image display device so as to be changed, according to the operated operating area and direction of operation that is distinguished based on the detecting output from said instruction position detecting means.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said storage means stores and holds and manages image data by date and by event;

wherein one of the plurality of operating areas is an operating area of information relating to dates;

and wherein, in the case that a tracing operation is performed as to the operating area of information relating to said dates, said display control means displays an image having information relating to a different date from the time of operation, according to the operating direction.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said storage means stores and holds and manages image data by date and by event;

wherein one of the plurality of operating areas is an operating area of information relating to events;

and wherein, in the case that a tracing operation is performed as to the operating area of information relating to said events, said display control means displays an image having information relating to a different event from the time of operation, according to the operating direction.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein another one of the plurality of operating areas is an operating area of information relating to images;

and wherein, in the case that a tracing operation is performed as to the operating area of images, said display control means controls so as to display a different image, according to the operating direction.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in the case that an instruction operation is performed as to one within said plurality of operating areas while a tracing operation is performed as to another one within said plurality of operating areas, said display control means controls an image so as to display having information that matches the information correlated to the operating area in which the instruction operation is performed at the point-in-time of the instruction operation, while having information different from the information correlated to the operating area in which the tracing operating is performed at the point-in-time of the tracing operation, according to the direction of the tracing operation.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in the case that one of said plurality of operating areas is an operating area regarding images, and an instruction operation is performed as to said operating area regarding images, while a tracing operation is performed as to one other within said plurality of operating areas, said display control means controls an image so as to display, having information that is similar to the relevant image, and that differs from the information that is correlated to the operating area in which a tracing operation is performed at the point-in-time of the tracing operation, according to the direction of the tracing operation, based on analysis results of the image displayed on a display screen of said image display device at the position wherein the instruction operation is performed in the point-in-time of the instruction operation.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in the case that an instruction operation is performed as to a plurality of operating areas within said operating areas while a tracing operation is performed as to another one within said plurality of operating areas, said display control means controls an image so as to display having information that matches the information correlated to each of the plurality of operating areas in which the instruction operation is performed at the point-in-time of the instruction operation, while having information different from the information correlated to the operating area in which the tracing operating is performed at the point-in-time of the tracing operation, according to the direction of the tracing operation.

8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in the case that an instruction operation is performed as to a plurality of operating areas within said operating areas while a tracing operation is performed as to another one within said plurality of operating areas, said display control means controls an image so as to display having information that matches one of the information correlated to each of the plurality of operating areas in which the instruction operation is performed at the point-in-time of the instruction operation, while having information different from the information correlated to the operating area in which the tracing operating is performed at the point-in-time of the tracing operation, according to the direction of the tracing operation.

9. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

information display control means wherein, in the case that an instruction operation is performed as to one within said plurality of operating areas, or in the case that an instruction operation is performed and that information corresponding to the operating area is displayed, the display is displayed so as to be conspicuous, and wherein in the case that information corresponding to the operating area is not displayed, to display information corresponding to the operating area.

10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said display control means controls an image to be displayed on said display screen of said image display device so as to change, with consideration for one or both of the distance and speed of the tracing operation that is recognized based on detecting output from said instruction position detecting means.

11. An image processing method comprising the steps of:

accepting of operating input from a user by way of instruction position detecting means including an operating screen having a plurality of operating areas provided as to the display screen of an image display device, to accept an instruction operation from a user, and detect and output the instruction position of said instruction operation as to said operating face; and

display controlling, wherein, in the case of having received a tracing operation of said operating screen by the user in said accepting, display control means that control the image according to the image data stored and held in the storage means so as to display on said image display device, distinguish the operating area and operating direction of the operation based on the detecting results from said instruction position detection means, and control the image to be displayed on said display screen of said image display device according to said distinguishing results, so as to change.

12. An image display program to cause a computer of an image processing device to execute a method comprising the steps of:

accepting of operating input from a user by way of instruction position detecting means that has an operating screen having a plurality of operating areas provided as to the display screen of an image display device, to accept an instruction operation from a user, and detect and output the instruction position of said instruction operation as to said operating face; and

display controlling, wherein, in the case of having received a tracing operation of said operating screen by the user in said accepting, the display control means that control the image according to the image data stored and held in the storage means so as to display on said image display device, distinguish the operating area and operating direction of the operation based on the detecting results from said instruction position detection means, and control the image to be displayed on said display screen of said image display device according to said distinguishing results, so as to change.

13. An image processing apparatus comprising:

an image display device;

an instruction position detecting unit configured to accept, by way of an operating screen having a plurality of operating areas provided as to a display screen of said image display device, an instruction operation from a user and detect and output the instruction position of said instruction operation as to said operating face;

a storage unit configured to store and hold image data; and

a display control unit configured to control so as to display an image according to said image data stored and held in at least said storage unit on said image display device;

wherein

in the case that a tracing operation to trace said operating face is performed by the user, said display control unit controls the display of the image to be displayed on said display screen of said image display device so as to be changed, according to the operated operating area and direction of operation that is distinguished based on the detecting output from said instruction position detecting unit.

14. An image processing method comprising the steps of:

accepting of operating input from a user by way of an instruction position detecting unit that has an operating screen having a plurality of operating areas provided as to the display screen of an image display device, to accept an instruction operation from a user, and detect and output the instruction position of said instruction operation as to said operating face; and

display controlling, wherein, in the case of having received a tracing operation of said operating screen by the user in said accepting, a display control unit that controls the image according to the image data stored and held in a storage unit so as to display on said image display device, distinguishes the operating area and operating direction of the operation based on the detecting results from said instruction position detection unit, and controls the image to be displayed on said display screen of said image display device according to said distinguishing results, so as to change.

15. An image display program to cause a computer of an image processing device to execute a method comprising the steps of:

accepting of operating input from a user by way of an instruction position detecting unit that has an operating screen having a plurality of operating areas provided as to the display screen of an image display device, to accept an instruction operation from a user, and detect and output the instruction position of said instruction operation as to said operating face; and

display controlling, wherein, in the case of having received a tracing operation of said operating screen by the user in said accepting, a display control unit that controls the image according to the image data stored and held in a storage unit so as to display on said image display device, distinguishes the operating area and operating direction of the operation based on the detecting results from said instruction position detection unit, and controls the image to be displayed on said display screen of said image display device according to said distinguishing results, so as to change.