JP3834849B2 - Image control apparatus and method - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image control apparatus and method, and in particular, generates a menu image so that a menu item arranged along a closed curved surface formed of a polygonal plane is viewed from the center of the closed curved surface, and the image is displayed. The present invention relates to a display image control apparatus and method.
[0002]
[Prior art]
The most commonly used graphical user interface (GUI) is a graphical user interface that displays menu items as bitmap data (two-dimensional data) on a CRT display. is doing. In such a GUI, by selecting one menu item from a plurality of menu items arranged in a plane, a function corresponding to the menu item is executed by a predetermined program.
[0003]
For example, the menu shown in FIG. 22 is an example of a GUI based on bitmap data displayed by a character generator. In such a menu, each character string that is a menu item is generated, and the generated character strings are listed in a plane and displayed on the screen. In this example, a predetermined character is treated as a cursor, the cursor is moved, one of the menu items (character string) is selected, and a function to be executed is selected.
[0004]
In addition, in the menu shown in FIG. 23, button-shaped menu items are generated from bitmap data, the generated menu items are displayed in a two-dimensional manner, and the menu items are displayed using an input device such as a mouse. Move the cursor on the screen, select one of the menu items (buttons), and select the function to be executed.
[0005]
In GUIs that display menu items in a plane, such as these menus, when the number of menu items that cannot be displayed on the screen is displayed to the user, the number of menu items that can be displayed first is displayed. All menu items are displayed to the user by a method such as displaying and displaying the remaining menu items on a new screen or scrolling the screen.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in such a two-dimensional (planar) GUI, when searching for a desired menu item, the menu item located at the end of the menu is displayed, and if the desired menu item is not found, the original menu item is temporarily restored. There is a problem that a desired menu item has to be searched again in the reverse direction by returning to the position.
[0007]
In addition, since the menu item selection operation becomes complicated due to the presence of the end of the menu in this way, a three-dimensional (three-dimensional) GUI is constructed, and the end of the menu is connected to the end of the menu item. It may be possible to simplify the selection operation.
[0008]
For example, as shown in FIG. 24, using a virtual reality (VR) that faithfully reproduces a three-dimensional real space, and using a computing device (CPU) with excellent graphic ability, menu items can be displayed. It is conceivable to arrange menu items so that they are continuous in any direction and use it as a user interface, but the space of the menu to be constructed becomes too complicated, and the operability when selecting menu items is poor It has a problem.
[0009]
The present invention has been made in view of such a situation. In a menu having a hierarchical structure, a plurality of menu items are displayed along a closed curved surface formed of a polygonal plane, and an operation that is easy to understand intuitively. Makes it possible to select one of the menu items.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The image control device according to claim 1 generates a menu image so that menu items are arranged in association with each other along a plurality of continuous planes constituting the polyhedron, and the plane constituting the polyhedron is viewed from the inside of the polyhedron. A generating unit; an output unit that outputs a menu image generated by the generating unit; and a selecting unit that selects one of the menu items . The generating unit is arranged along a plane that forms a polyhedron. A menu image in which menu items are sequentially moved is generated in response to an operation input instructing the entire rotation, and the selection means selects a menu item displayed at a predetermined position of the menu image .
[0011]
The image control method according to claim 2, wherein the menu items are arranged in association with each other along a plurality of continuous planes constituting the polyhedron, and the menu image is generated so that the plane constituting the polyhedron can be viewed from the inside of the polyhedron. , When the generated menu image is output and an operation input instructing rotation of the entire menu item arranged along the plane constituting the polyhedron is received, a menu image in which the menu items are sequentially moved is further generated, Further, the generated menu image is output, and one of the menu items displayed at a predetermined position of the menu image is selected.
[0012]
In the image control device according to claim 1, the generation unit arranges the menu items in association with each other along a plurality of continuous planes constituting the polyhedron, and looks at the plane constituting the polyhedron from the inside of the polyhedron . A menu image is generated, and a menu image is generated by sequentially moving the menu item in response to an operation input instructing rotation of the entire menu item arranged along the plane constituting the polyhedron. The menu image generated by the means is output, and the selection means selects a menu item displayed at a predetermined position of the menu image .
[0013]
The image control method according to claim 2, wherein menu items are arranged in association with each other along a plurality of continuous planes constituting the polyhedron, and a menu image is generated so that the plane constituting the polyhedron can be viewed from the inside of the polyhedron. In addition, in response to an operation input that instructs rotation of the entire menu item arranged along the plane constituting the polyhedron, a menu image is generated by sequentially moving the menu item, and the generated menu image is output. A menu item displayed at a predetermined position of the menu image is selected.
[0014]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of a video on demand (VOD) service system using an embodiment of an image control apparatus of the present invention.
[0015]
The video server 1 provides various types of programs to each recipient. The video server 1 provides a program by transmitting a program via the transmission device 2 and the broadcasting satellite 3 (satellite broadcasting such as BS and CS), or by cable distribution such as cable broadcasting or terrestrial broadcasting.
[0016]
The set-top box 4-1 (generation means) receives programs transmitted from the broadcasting satellite 3, and displays images of those programs on the image display device 5 in accordance with user operations. Similarly, the set-top box 4-2 (generating unit) receives programs provided by cable distribution, terrestrial waves, and the like, and causes the image display device 5 to display images of those programs in accordance with user operations.
[0017]
FIG. 2 shows a configuration example of an embodiment of the image control apparatus of the present invention. This configuration example includes a set top box 4 (generation means), an image display device 5 (output means), and a controller 6 (selection means). The set top box 4 receives the data transmitted from the video server 1, and the user operates the controller 6 to display the data on the image display device 5.
[0018]
FIG. 3 shows a configuration example of the controller 6 in the embodiment of FIG. The controller 6 includes up / down / left / right buttons 21 to 24, L button 25, R button 26, U button 27, D button 28, information button 29, and reset button 30, and the user operates these buttons 21 to 30. Thus, the menu item is selected in the menu displayed on the image display device 5.
[0019]
FIG. 4 shows a configuration example of the set top box 4 (4-1, 4-2) shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. This embodiment includes a receiving circuit 41, which receives a program distributed from the video server 1 and supplies it to the CPU 43 via the interface 42. The CPU 43 stores this data in the hard disk (HD) 46 as necessary.
[0020]
The CPU 43 processes the selection operation in the menu according to the image control signal from the controller 6 based on the program stored in the ROM 44, and displays an image corresponding to the selection operation on the image display device 5 via the interface 42. Let When the CPU 43 performs such processing, the RAM 45 temporarily stores programs and data.
[0021]
The CPU 43 includes a graphic CPU for game machines (eg, a GPU (Graphical Processing Unit) as a processing device for Sony PlayStation (trademark), which can perform three-dimensional drawing in real time at a low price, and more. A high-performance GPU-A or the like is used. Further, a general-purpose CPU to which a graphic function is added can be used instead of such a CPU.
[0022]
FIG. 5 shows an example of a hierarchical structure of programs provided by the VOD service. In this example, the category of the movie (Movie) provided by the VOD service is further classified into 30 categories in addition to Nature, Drama, Action, and Comedy. In the comedy, there are currently four movies, movie 1 to movie 4. New arrival information is added to the nature, action, and comedy.
[0023]
FIG. 6 shows an example of the configuration of the entire menu. In this menu, a plurality of hexagonal menu items are arranged in a cylindrical shape, and these menu items are assigned to nature, drama, action, and comedy, respectively. Correspondingly, a title or symbol of information of the menu item is displayed in the center of the menu item as a bitmap.
[0024]
In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, a three-dimensional closed surface in which the area of each surface is the same or almost equal regardless of the position is displayed as a menu. The menu items are arranged along these closed curved surfaces, and the menu items are displayed on the image display device 5 so that each surface can be viewed from the center of these closed curved surfaces. Such a three-dimensional shape includes a regular tetrahedron (composed of a triangle), a regular hexahedron (composed of a tetragon), a regular dodecahedron (composed of a pentagon), and a regular icosahedron (3 In addition to a regular polyhedron such as a polygon), there is a three-dimensional shape like a soccer ball in which a regular pentagonal surface and a regular hexagonal surface are combined.
[0025]
Arranging menu items on such a polyhedron increases the degree of freedom in selecting the menu item, which is advantageous, for example, when arranging menu items of many categories in association with each other.
[0026]
However, when using such a closed curved surface, if a sphere having a rectangular surface as shown in FIG. 7C is used, the area of the display surface (one rectangle) decreases as the axis of the sphere approaches, Since it is difficult to display the menu item, it is preferable to use a closed curved surface formed of polygons having the same area as shown in FIGS. 7 (a) and 7 (b).
[0027]
6 and 7 show the entire menu. When the menu is actually displayed, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, the user can look at the outside from the center of these closed surfaces. Only the number of menu items that are always easy to select are displayed on the image control device 5.
[0028]
Next, the menu item selection operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 9 and the image display examples of FIGS.
[0029]
First, when the apparatus is turned on, the CPU 43 displays an opening screen as shown in FIG. 10 on the image display device 5 in step S1 of FIG. 9, and further, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, The images entering the building are displayed sequentially.
[0030]
Next, in step S2, as shown in FIG. 13, when a menu item in the top layer is displayed and the menu item has new arrival information in the VOD service, a small object is placed around the menu item 61. An image of the (object) 62 orbiting is also displayed at the same time. This uses the movement of organisms such as birds and insects gathering in flowers and food as a metaphor. For example, in FIG. 13, there may be new information in the menu items MUSIC and NATURE. Recognize.
[0031]
In step S3, the user operates the controller 6 to select one menu item from this menu. At this time, the left and right buttons 23 and 24 (detailed operation) or the LR buttons 25 and 26 (large-scale operation) are operated to rotate the entire menu item in the left or right direction finely or greatly, so that it is displayed on the screen. In, menu items are displayed in order. In addition, the menu items are displayed one after another by rotating the entire menu in the vertical direction with the U button 27 and the D button 28. Then, the rotation is stopped by releasing the operation button at a predetermined timing, and the desired menu item is arranged at the center of the screen to select the menu item (in the example of FIG. 13, NATURE is selected). )
[0032]
Therefore, in this embodiment, the menu item can be selected without requiring a cursor as used in the conventional GUI. The selected menu item changes its display color to a color (for example, yellow) different from that of the other items, and further moves differently from the other menu items. For example, a menu item that is not selected (located outside the center) moves slightly up and down to float, whereas a menu item that is selected (centered) is vertically With the central axis of the direction as a fulcrum, it rotates in the left-right direction within a predetermined range (a range where the characters on the surface can be seen). In this way, the selected menu item can be intuitively identified.
[0033]
If it is determined in step S4 that the information button 29 is pressed while a menu item having new arrival information is selected, the process proceeds to step S5, and a preview of the information (for example, a trailer) is shown in FIG. Is displayed. When the information button 29 is pressed again, the original screen (FIG. 13) is restored. Therefore, the user can see only a preview of newly arrived information by performing such an operation.
[0034]
Next, when it is determined in step S6 that the forward button (right button) 24 has been pressed, in step S7, the CPU 43 determines whether the selected menu item has a hierarchy, and the lower hierarchy. In step S8, the process proceeds to that hierarchy. In this case, since NATURE has a lower hierarchy, the process proceeds to that hierarchy in step S8, returns to step S2, and displays the menu items of that hierarchy.
[0035]
When proceeding to the lower hierarchy, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, an image is displayed in which the selected menu item is approached and the door is opened and zoomed in as shown in FIG. By having a hierarchical structure in the depth direction in this way, when moving between hierarchies, it can be naturally expressed to the user that “move toward the purpose”.
[0036]
When moving to the lower hierarchy in step S8, in step S2, the CPU 43 causes the image display device 5 to display the menu of that hierarchy, as shown in FIG. In step S3, the user operates the controller 6 to further select a menu item. For example, although ALASKA is selected in the example of FIG. 18, the controller 6 is operated to select the menu item WING as shown in FIG.
[0037]
When the forward button 24 is further operated, it is determined in step S7 whether or not the menu item WING has a lower hierarchy. In this example, the menu item WING does not have a lower hierarchy (that is, there is a movie corresponding to the menu item WING), and thus the process proceeds to step S12.
[0038]
In step S12, first, as in the case of proceeding to the next layer, as shown in FIG. 20, an image for zooming in by opening the door is displayed. Then, an image corresponding to the menu item WING transmitted from the video server 1 is received by the receiving circuit 41 and then displayed on the image display device 5 by the CPU 43.
[0039]
If it is not determined in step S6 that the forward button (right button) 24 has been pressed and it is determined in step S9 that the backward button (left button) 23 has been pressed, the process proceeds to step S10 and the current level is entered. On the other hand, it is determined whether or not an upper hierarchy exists. If an upper hierarchy exists, the process returns to that hierarchy in step S11. When returning to the upper layer, the image zooms out and the image that the door closes is displayed. Then, the process returns to step S2 to display the menu items in the layer.
[0040]
If it is determined in step S10 that no upper hierarchy exists, the process returns to step S3. That is, in this case, no particular processing is performed. In step S6 and step S9, the forward button (right button) 24 and the backward button (left button) 23 are not operated, and the process returns to step S3 to select a new menu item.
[0041]
As shown in FIG. 21, when a predetermined program is received, the control bar 81 for performing operations such as reproduction of displayed images is pressed by any of the operation buttons 21 to 29 of the controller 6. Is displayed when The control bar 81 is erased while the image is being reproduced so as not to disturb the image to be reproduced.
[0042]
When one of the buttons on the control bar 81 is selected by operating the left button 23 or the right button 24, processing corresponding to each button is performed. When the leftmost button 81-1 in the figure is operated, the program is interrupted and the program returns to the next higher level (or may return to the state shown in FIG. 10). When the button 81-2 is operated, the position returns to the previous index position, and when the button 81-3 is operated, the high-speed reverse playback state (rewind state) is entered. The button 81-4 is operated at the start of reproduction.
[0043]
The button 81-5 is operated during high-speed forward playback (fast forward), and the button 81-6 is operated when proceeding to the next index position. The button 81-7 is operated during frame-by-frame playback.
[0044]
When the reset button 30 is pressed by the user, the menu item selection operation performed at that time is reset, and the process returns to step S1 so that the selection operation can be performed again from the beginning.
[0045]
As described above, the user can display a desired image on the image display device 5 by operating the controller 6.
[0046]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the image control apparatus and method of the present invention, the menu items are arranged in association with each other along a plurality of continuous planes constituting the polyhedron, and the plane constituting the polyhedron is viewed from the inside of the polyhedron. A menu image is generated by sequentially moving menu items in response to an operation input that generates a menu image and instructs rotation of the entire menu item arranged along a plane constituting the polyhedron. Since an image is output and a menu item displayed at a predetermined position of the menu image is selected, an operation method that is easy to understand intuitively by humans is realized, and operability when selecting a menu item is improved. Can do.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an embodiment of a VOD service system.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an embodiment of an image control apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a controller 6 in FIG. 2;
4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the set top box 4 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hierarchical structure of movies provided in the VOD service of FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an entire menu item.
FIG. 7 is a photograph of a halftone image displayed on a display showing an example of an arrangement shape of menu items displayed in the embodiment of FIG. 2;
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a display example of menu items in the embodiment of FIG. 2;
FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the embodiment of FIG. 2;
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed when a menu item is selected in the embodiment of FIG.
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed when a menu item is selected in the embodiment of FIG.
12 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed when a menu item is selected in the embodiment of FIG.
FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed when a menu item is selected in the embodiment of FIG.
FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed when a menu item is selected in the embodiment of FIG.
FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed when a menu item is selected in the embodiment of FIG.
FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed when a menu item is selected in the embodiment of FIG.
FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed when a menu item is selected in the embodiment of FIG.
18 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed when a menu item is selected in the embodiment of FIG.
FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed when a menu item is selected in the embodiment of FIG.
FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed when a menu item is selected in the embodiment of FIG.
FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed when a menu item is selected in the embodiment of FIG.
FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating an example of a conventional two-dimensional GUI.
FIG. 23 is a photograph of a halftone image displayed on a display showing an example of a conventional two-dimensional GUI.
FIG. 24 is a photograph of a halftone image displayed on a display showing an example of a conventional three-dimensional GUI.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Video server 2 Transmission apparatus 3 Broadcasting satellite 4,4-1,4-2 Set top box 5 Image display apparatus 6 Controllers 21 to 24 Up / down / left / right button 25 L button 26 R button 27 U button 28 D button 29 Information button 30 Reset Button 41 Reception circuit 42 Interface 43 CPU
44 ROM
45 RAM
46 Hard disk 61 Menu item 62 Object 81 Control bar

Claims (2)

In an image control device that controls display of a menu image,
Generating means for generating the menu image so that menu items are arranged in association with each other along a plurality of continuous planes constituting the polyhedron, and the plane constituting the polyhedron is viewed from the inside of the polyhedron ;
Output means for outputting the menu image generated by the generating means;
Selecting means for selecting one of the menu items ;
The generating means generates the menu image in which the menu items are sequentially moved in response to an operation input instructing rotation of the entire menu item arranged along the plane constituting the polyhedron,
The image control apparatus , wherein the selection unit selects the menu item displayed at a predetermined position of the menu image . In an image control method for controlling display of a menu image,
A menu item is arranged in association with a plurality of continuous planes constituting the polyhedron, and the menu image is generated so as to view the plane constituting the polyhedron from the inside of the polyhedron ,
Output the generated menu image,
When receiving an operation input for instructing rotation of the entire menu item arranged along the plane constituting the polyhedron, the menu image in which the menu item is sequentially moved is generated,
Furthermore, the generated menu image is output,
One of the menu items displayed at a predetermined position of the menu image is selected.

Images