JP2010211211A - Image display device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image display device capable of editing an image without performing complicated operation. <P>SOLUTION: The image display device includes: a flexible image display means 1 including a displayable region; storage means 3 and 5 for storing image data to be displayed on the displayable region of the image display means 1; a detecting means 2 for detecting deflection by folding of the image display means 1; and a control means 6 for displaying the image data by page turn forward or backward, according to the deflection, when the detecting means 2 detects the deflection by folding of the image display means 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image display device used for an electronic book, an electronic notebook, and the like.

  In conventional image display devices, methods for instructing image editing by operating buttons or by using a dedicated pen have been proposed when editing images such as page feed, page return, enlargement / reduction, and layout change. Yes.

  However, such a method using operation buttons and a dedicated pen has a problem that the work is complicated.

  It is an object of the present invention to provide an image display device that can edit an image without performing complicated work.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention detects a deflection of an image display device and edits an image in accordance with the deflection.

  That is, the present invention detects flexible image display means having a displayable area, storage means for storing image data to be displayed in the displayable area of the image display means, and bending due to bending of the image display means. And detecting means for detecting when the image display means is bent due to bending, and a control means for displaying the image data by returning or feeding the page according to the bending. Here, when the deflection on the front side of the image display means is detected, the image data can be paged and displayed. On the other hand, when detecting the deflection that the front side of the image display means becomes a valley, the image data can be displayed in a page-back manner. Alternatively, when the deflection on the right front side of the image display means is detected, the image data can be paged and displayed. On the contrary, when the bending of the front side on the left side of the image display means is detected, the image data can be displayed by returning the page. Further, it is preferable to advance the page feed or page return of the image data when the deflection of the display means is large.

  As the detection means, an optical fiber disposed in the image display means and having a cut, a light source for introducing light into one end of the optical fiber, and a light quantity derived from the other end of the optical fiber are measured. And an optical sensor. A flexible conductive member disposed on the surface of the image display means; a power source connected to both ends of the conductive member via a resistor; and a voltage sensor for detecting a voltage across the resistor. It can also be configured. Furthermore, it can also comprise a plurality of optical sensors arranged on the surface of the image display unit.

Action

  According to the invention, when a user having an image display device bends the image display device by bending, the image data is limited to a predetermined area and is reduced and displayed in accordance with the bending, the layout is changed, or page feed or page is changed. Since it is returned, there is no need to perform complicated operations using buttons or a dedicated pen.

  As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, it is possible to detect the bending of the image display means due to the user's operation and automatically perform image editing according to the detection result, thereby allowing the user to perform a simple operation. Image editing can be performed, and the operational burden on the user can be reduced.

1 is a block diagram of an image display device according to a first reference example of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic enlarged cross-sectional view of an image display unit. The top view which shows arrangement | positioning of a bending detection part. The front view which shows operation | movement of a bending | flexion detection part. The figure which shows the change of the detected light quantity of the optical sensor of the bending detection part by the bending state of an image display part. The top view which shows the area of an image display part. The top view which shows an example of the edit content of an image display part. The top view which shows the example of the edit content of the image display part which concerns on a 2nd reference example. The top view which shows the other example of the edit content of the image display part concerning a 2nd reference example. The top view which shows the further another example of the edit content of the image display part concerning a 2nd reference example. 1 is a perspective view of an image display device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The figure which shows the change of the detected light quantity of the optical sensor of the bending detection part by the bending state of an image display part. The perspective view which shows the other example of a bending detection means. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II of FIG. Sectional drawing which shows the contact state of the flexible conductive member in the state by which the image display part of FIG. 13 was bent. Sectional drawing which shows the modification of the bending | flexion detection means of FIG. The perspective view which shows the further another example of a bending | flexion detection means. II-II sectional view taken on the line of FIG. Sectional drawing which shows the state by which the image display part of FIG. 17 was bent, and the figure which shows the optical sensor detection light quantity in each state. FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view showing a modification of the deflection detection means in FIG. 17.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<First Reference Example>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an image display apparatus according to a first reference example. The image display device includes an image display unit 1 that displays an image, a deflection detection unit 2 that detects deflection of the image display device itself, an input page memory unit 3 that manages input image data in two-dimensional coordinates, The image processing unit 4 includes an editing processing unit 4 that performs image editing processing, an output page memory unit 5 that manages and outputs image data to be output in two-dimensional coordinates, and an overall control unit 6 that controls the above-described units.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the image display unit 1 encloses in a microcapsule 9 a dispersion liquid in which charged pigment particles 8 are dispersed in a dispersion medium 7 dyed in a predetermined color. The first surface of the counter substrate 11 on which the counter electrode 10 is disposed and the first transparent substrate 13 on which the transparent electrode 12 is disposed, and the second surface of the counter substrate 11 on which the counter electrode 14 is disposed. And the second transparent substrate 16 on which the transparent electrode 15 is disposed, are arranged in a two-dimensional arrangement in a row direction and a column direction in an orderly manner. The counter substrate 11, the first transparent substrate 13, and the second transparent substrate 16 have flexibility and can be bent. The counter electrodes 10 and 14 and the transparent electrodes 12 and 15 are divided electrodes arranged corresponding to the individual microcapsules 9. A switch element is provided for each electrode, a selection signal is applied to each row from a matrix driving circuit (not shown), and a control signal and an output from a driving transistor (not shown) are further applied to each column, so that a desired microcapsule 9 is applied. On the other hand, a desired electric field can be applied independently.

  Assuming that the pigment particles 8 are negatively charged, on the transparent substrate 13 side of the surface, when the transparent electrode side 12 is applied positively and the counter electrode 10 side is applied negatively, the pigment particles 8 migrate to the transparent electrode 12 side. On the other hand, when applied in reverse, the pigment particles 8 migrate to the counter electrode 10 side. As a result, when viewed from the transparent electrode 12 side, an image is displayed as a whole by the microcapsules 9 in which the color of the pigment particles 8 can be seen and the microcapsules 9 in which the color of the dispersion medium 7 can be seen. The back side of the second transparent substrate 16 is also displayed in the same manner.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the bending detection unit 2 introduces light into one end of each of the three optical fibers 17A, 17B, and 17C that are folded back into a U-shape and have different lengths. It consists of light emitting sources 18A, 18B, 18C such as LEDs, and optical sensors 19A, 19B, 19C for detecting the amount of light from the other ends of the optical fibers 17A, 17B, 17C. The optical fibers 17A, 17B, and 17C are arranged in parallel on one end side (the left side in the first reference example) of the image display unit 1. Here, the optical fiber 17A has a length from the lower end of the image display unit 1 to the third fold line a, and a minute cut 20A is formed at a position corresponding to the fold line a. The optical fiber 17B has a length from the lower end of the image display unit 1 to the second fold line b, and a minute cut 20B is formed at a position corresponding to the fold line b. The optical fiber 17C has a length from the lower end of the image display unit 1 to the first crease c, and a minute notch 20C is formed at a position corresponding to the crease c.

  In the state where the image display unit 1 is substantially flat, as shown in FIG. 4A, the light introduced into the optical fibers 17A, 17B, and 17C from the light emitting sources 18A, 18B, and 18C is transmitted to the optical fibers 17A, 17B, and 17C. The light travels through 17C and reaches the optical sensors 19A, 19B, and 19C, and detects almost 100% of the light amount of the light sources 18A, 18B, and 18C. However, when the image display unit 1 is bent (bent) at any of the folds 20, the optical fibers 17A, 17B, and 17C are also bent, and as shown in FIG. Since the notches 20A, 20B, and 20C at positions corresponding to the folds a, b, and c are opened, light introduced from the light emission sources 18A, 18B, and 18C leaks into the optical fibers 17A, 17B, and 17C, and the optical sensors 19A, 19A, The amount of light detected by 19B and 19C decreases. As described above, how much the image sensor 1 is bent at which position of the image display unit 1 is detected based on the amount of light detected by the optical sensors 19A, 19B, and 19C.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 5A, when the image display unit 1 is not bent, there is no light leaking from the optical fibers 17A, 17B, and 17C, so that the light amounts of the optical sensors 19A, 19B, and 19C are large. As shown in FIG. 5B, when the image display unit 1 is bent at the crease c, light leaks from the notch 20C of the optical fiber 17C. Therefore, the amount of light detected by the optical sensor 19C is the other two optical fibers. It becomes smaller than 17B and 17C. As shown in FIG. 5C, when the image display unit 1 is bent at the crease b, light leaks from the notch 20B of the optical fiber 17B. Therefore, the light detection amount of the optical sensor 19B is the other two optical fibers. It becomes smaller than 17A and 17C. In this way, by determining whether or not the amount of light detected by each of the optical sensors 19A, 19B, and 19C is smaller than a predetermined threshold value, the image display unit 1 is bent at any of the folds a, b, and c. It can be detected.

  Table 1 shows the detection result of the deflection detection unit 2 and the contents of the editing process corresponding to the deflection. Here, the folded state of each of the folds a, b, c is indicated by ◯ when it is bent, and by × when it is not bent. Areas 1, 2, 3, and 4 indicate display areas in which the image display area 21 is limited by the fold lines a, b, and c, as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 7 shows an example of a folding position and an image displayed at that time. FIG. 7A shows a state in which there is no bending, and the image data is displayed without being reduced or scaled. FIG. 7B shows a state in which a quarter of the crease c is bent from the bottom, and the areas 1, 2, and 3 restricted above the crease c are displayed by reducing the image data by 75%. In the area 4 restricted below the crease c, the image data is reduced by 25% and displayed. FIG. 7 (c) shows a state in which a quarter is folded from the top at the crease a and a quarter from the bottom is folded at the crease c, and is limited to above the crease a and below the crease c. The areas 1 and 4 are displayed with the image data reduced by 25%, and the areas 2 and 3 limited to the center between the creases a and c are displayed with the image data reduced by 50%. FIG. 7 (d) shows a state in which a quarter of the crease a is from the top, a half of the fold is b from the top, and a quarter of the crease c is from the bottom. In the restricted areas 1, 2, 3, and 4, the image data is reduced by 25% and displayed.

  The operation of the image display apparatus having the above configuration will be described. Image data transferred from the outside is stored in the input page memory unit 3. In the input page memory unit 3, the image data is managed by two-dimensional coordinates, edited by the editing processing unit 4, managed by the output page memory unit 5 by two-dimensional coordinates, and displayed on the image display unit 1. On the other hand, when the bending state of the image display unit 1 is detected by the optical sensors 19 </ b> A, 19 </ b> B, 19 </ b> C of the bending detection unit 2, the bending information is transferred to the overall control unit 6. The overall control unit 6 transfers the bending information to the editing processing unit 4, performs image editing in accordance with the bending information, transfers the edited image data to the output page memory unit 5, and further transfers it to the image display unit 1. Output. As a result, an image that has been edited according to the bent state is displayed on the image display unit 1.

  In other words, the image display area is limited according to the folding position of the image display unit 1, and the image data is reduced and displayed in each limited area, so that the user can view the full screen in any of the folded areas. . Thus, the image can be easily reduced by simply folding the image display device 1. Therefore, even if the image display unit 1 is folded in a crowded train, the entire display can be viewed.

  In the first reference example, the bending of the image display unit 1 in the horizontal direction is detected. Instead, the bending in the vertical direction is detected, or the bending in both the horizontal direction and the vertical direction is detected. The image may be reduced and displayed according to the bent state.

<Second Reference Example>
In the first reference example, an image is reduced and displayed in an area restricted by bending. In the second reference example, a layout of an area restricted by bending is displayed. The block diagram of the image display device of the second reference example and its deflection detection unit are substantially the same as those of the first reference example, and the description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 8 shows an example of the layout change process. FIG. 8A shows a state without bending, and the image data is displayed without being changed. FIG. 8B shows a case where the display is folded at a quarter position from the right. The displayable area is limited to the wider area of the both sides of the fold, and the character information is not interrupted by the fold. In this way, it is folded back to the next line and displayed in the displayable area, and the character information is moved downward accordingly, but is not reduced.

  FIG. 9 shows another example of the layout change process. In this example, the image display unit 1 displays images on both the front and back sides. Further, the deflection detection unit 2 is also provided on both surfaces, and detects which side is bent into a valley or a mountain at which position. That is, when the front surface is bent so as to be convex, the cuts 20A, 20B, and 20C of the optical fibers 17A, 17B, and 17C on the front surface are opened, and the cuts of the optical fibers on the back surface that are not shown are closed. , 19C is small and the back light sensor has a large light amount, it can be detected that the front is bent into a peak, and vice versa.

  As shown in the upper part of FIG. 9, images are displayed in accordance with the image data in the image display areas on the front and back surfaces, respectively, and as shown in the lower part of the figure, it is folded so that the table becomes a valley with a quarter fold from the bottom. As shown in the middle figure, the image display area on the front surface folded into the valley is displayed without changing the layout, and the back surface folded into the mountain is displayed with the image data rotated by 180 °. To do. Thereby, as shown in the lower figure, the image of the back surface folded back to the front surface side can be simultaneously viewed from above.

  FIG. 10 shows still another example of the layout change process and shows a modification of FIG. In this example, as shown in the middle figure, only the image data in a quarter of the area from the bottom of the back surface that is folded back to the front surface is rotated 180 ° and displayed. Thereby, as shown in the lower figure, the image of the back surface folded back to the front surface side can be simultaneously viewed.

  Note that the first reference example and the second reference example may be combined to simultaneously reduce the image and change the layout. That is, in the lower diagram of FIG. 10, the image data of the front surface is reduced and displayed in the surface area where the surface is visible, and the image data of the back surface is rotated 180 ° and reduced in the area of the back surface folded back to the front surface. The entire image data on the front and back surfaces can be viewed at the same time.

<Embodiment of the present invention>
FIG. 11 shows an image display apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. This image detection apparatus has substantially the same block configuration as that of the first reference example except that the arrangement of the deflection detection unit 2 and the content of the editing process are page feed. Use the block diagram.

  The deflection detection unit 2 includes an optical fiber 17 having a cut 20 formed in the same manner as the first reference example, a light source 18, and an optical sensor 19, and in the left-right direction at the center of the right half of the image display area 21. It is arranged. As shown in FIG. 12A, when the image display unit 1 is not bent, the cut 20 of the optical fiber 17 is closed, so that the amount of light detected by the optical sensor 19 is large. As shown in FIG. 12B, when the image display unit 1 is weakly bent, the notch 20 of the optical fiber 17 is slightly opened and the light is slightly leaked. Since it becomes smaller, the presence of page feed (slow feed speed) is detected. As shown in FIG. 12 (c), when the image display unit 1 is strongly bent, the notch 20 of the optical fiber 17 is wide open and a large amount of light leaks, so that the amount of light detected by the optical sensor 19 exceeds the predetermined threshold 2. Since it becomes smaller, the presence of page feed (fast feed speed) is detected.

  The operation of the image display apparatus having the above configuration will be described. Image data transferred from the outside is stored in the input page memory unit 3. In the input page memory unit 3, the image data is managed by two-dimensional coordinates, edited by the editing processing unit 4, managed by the output page memory unit 5 by two-dimensional coordinates, and displayed on the image display unit 1. On the other hand, when the bent state of the image display unit 1 is detected by the optical sensor 19 of the bent-out unit 2, the bending information is transferred to the overall control unit 6. The overall control unit 6 transfers the bending information to the editing processing unit 4, performs page feed at a feed speed corresponding to the bending information, transfers the image data of the next page to the output page memory unit 5, and further images Output to the display unit 1. As a result, an image that has been paged according to the folded state is displayed on the image display unit 1.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 12A, when the image display unit 1 is hardly bent, that is, when the light amount of the optical sensor 19 is equal to or greater than the threshold value 1, image data stored in the output page memory unit 5 is stored. No changes are made. As shown in FIG. 12B, when the image display unit 1 is bent to some extent, that is, when the detected light quantity of the optical sensor 19 is not less than the threshold value 2 and not more than the threshold value 1 (threshold value 2 <threshold value 1), the output page memory unit 5 Are sequentially sent at a predetermined speed V1 in units of pages. As shown in FIG. 12C, when the image display unit 1 is more strongly bent, that is, when the light amount detected by the optical sensor 19 is less than or equal to the threshold value 2, the image data stored in the output page memory unit 5 is page unit. The data are sequentially sent at a predetermined speed V2 (V1 <V2). As a result, the user can turn the page only by bending the image display unit 1 with an operation of turning the page when actually reading a book.

  In the above-described embodiment, only page turning is performed. In addition to the surface deflection detection unit 2 of the image display unit 1, the image display unit 1 detects that the front surface is bent into a valley on the back side. A bending detection unit may be provided so that page feed is performed when the image display unit 1 is bent into a mountain, and page return is performed when the image display unit 1 is folded into a valley. Alternatively, a deflection detection unit is provided in the left half of the image display unit 1 in the same manner as the deflection detection unit 2 of the right half. If the right side of the image display unit 1 is bent into a mountain, the page is fed. You may make it return.

  Moreover, in the above reference example and embodiment, as the bending detection means 1, the optical fibers 17A, 17B, 17C, 17 having the cuts 20A, 20B, 20C, 20, the light emission sources 18A, 18B, 18C, 18 and the optical sensor 19A. , 19B, 19C, and 19 but is not limited thereto, and may be one that electrically detects deflection. Hereinafter, examples of other deflection detecting means will be described.

  13 includes a flexible conductive member 22 disposed at an end of the image display unit 1 in a direction perpendicular to the fold line (horizontal direction), and a resistor 23 at both ends of the flexible conductive member 22. And a voltage sensor 25 for detecting the voltage at both ends of the resistor 23. As shown in FIG. 14, the flexible conductive member 22 is embedded so that one surface is exposed on the surface of the image display unit 1. The flexible conductive member 22 functions as a variable resistor. That is, as shown in FIG. 15, when the image display unit 1 is bent, arbitrary points of the flexible conductive member 22 (for example, points A and B in FIG. 13) come into contact with each other. The resistance value changes, and the potential difference between both ends of the resistance fluctuates. By associating the bending position with the voltage in advance, the deflection and position of the image display unit 1 can be detected by the detection voltage of the voltage sensor 25. In addition, as shown in FIG. 16, by burying the flexible conductive member 22 on both the front surface and the back surface of the image display unit 1, it is detected which surface of the image display unit 1 is bent into a mountain or a valley. can do.

  17 includes a plurality of optical sensors 26A, 26B, 26C, and 26D that are arranged at regular intervals in the direction orthogonal to the crease at the end of the image display unit 1. These optical sensors 26A, 26B, 26C, and 26D are embedded on the surface of the image display unit 1 so that their detection surfaces are exposed as shown in FIG. When the image display unit 1 is bent, the amount of light detected by the optical sensors 26A, 26B, 26C, and 26D covered by the bent portions is reduced. That is, as shown in FIG. 19A, when there is no bending, the detected light amount of each sensor 26A, 26B, 26C, 26D is large, but the bending amount is small as shown in FIG. When only the optical sensor 26D is covered with the bent portion, the optical sensors 26A, 26B, and 26C have a large amount of detected light, but the optical sensor 26D has a small amount of detected light. Further, as shown in FIG. 19 (c), when the amount of bending is large and the optical sensors 26B, 26C, and 26D are covered with the bent portions, the optical sensor 26B has a large amount of detected light, but the optical sensors 26B, 26C, and 26D. The detected light quantity is small. In this way, the deflection and position of the image display unit 1 can be detected. As shown in FIG. 20, by embedding the optical sensors 26A, 26B, 26C, and 26D on both the front surface and the back surface of the image display unit 1, either surface of the image display unit 1 is bent into a mountain or a valley. It can be detected.

  In the above reference examples and embodiments, the electrophoretic type is used as the image display unit, but the present invention is not limited to this and can be applied to a liquid crystal display device.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image display part 2 Deflection detection part 3 Input page memory part 4 Editing process part 5 Output page memory part 6 Overall control part

Claims (7)

Flexible image display means having a displayable area;
Storage means for storing image data to be displayed in the displayable area of the image display means;
Detecting means for detecting bending due to bending of the image display means;
An image display apparatus, comprising: a control unit that displays the image data by returning the page or feeding the page according to the deflection when the detecting unit detects a bending due to the bending of the image display unit.   2. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means displays the image data by page-feeding when detecting a deflection in which the front side of the image display means is a mountain.   3. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit displays the image data in a page-back manner when detecting a deflection in which the front side of the image display unit becomes a valley. 4.   2. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means displays the image data by page-turning when detecting a bending where the right front side of the image display means is a mountain.   5. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit displays the image data by returning the page when detecting a bending in which the left front side of the image display unit is a mountain.   The image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit accelerates page feed or page return of image data when the display unit is largely bent.   The detection means is disposed in the image display means, and has an optical fiber having a cut, a light source for introducing light into one end of the optical fiber, and light for measuring the light quantity derived from the other end of the optical fiber. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a sensor.

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