JP2001282414A - Display device with automatic scroll function - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Problem] To reduce the number of manual operations and scroll a document at a speed suitable for the user. SOLUTION: At the timing when a user issues a one-line reading and scroll instruction of a document on a display screen 1, the document is scrolled and displayed one line at a time. It is detected (step S3). Further, the composition status of the document is detected from the character type, the number of characters, the ratio between the characters and the figures of the document (steps S4 to S7)
The scroll speed is set based on this and the user's character reading speed (step S8). Then, from the image data of the document information, image data for one screen is extracted line by line while shifting the extraction area, and the extracted image data is output to the display unit 12 at a timing corresponding to the previously set scroll speed. Is displayed while scrolling line by line.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a display device for displaying information on a portable information display, a personal computer, a digital broadcast receiver, and the like.
The present invention relates to a display device with an automatic scroll function that can automatically set a scroll speed and scroll a display screen in accordance with the scroll speed.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when a document is read using a display device such as a portable information display, a personal computer, and a teletext receiver, it is necessary to scroll a display image (screen). The user scrolls the screen by operating a scroll bar or a cursor key.

[0003]

However, the method of scrolling by operating a keyboard or a mouse is difficult for a user who is unfamiliar with the operation of a keyboard or a mouse.

[0004] In particular, when continuously reading long information such as a novel published electronically, it is easier to read by paying attention to a specific line on the display screen. Although scrolling is performed in predetermined line units, for example, one line at a time, in accordance with the speed, it is difficult for a user unfamiliar with the operation to scroll by predetermined lines using a mouse or a keyboard. In addition, when long information is read continuously, it is troublesome to manually scroll by a predetermined line, and it is difficult to operate a mouse or a keyboard while watching the screen.

[0005] In addition, there are objects such as an electronic display device in which characters scroll automatically, but they are often difficult to read because they do not match the speed desired by the reader.

Further, in the case of a portable display device or the like, it is difficult to perform a complicated operation, so that the displayable contents are limited to some extent.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional unsolved problem, and a display device with an automatic scroll function capable of automatically performing scroll display at a speed suitable for a user. It is intended to provide.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a display device with an automatic scroll function for displaying input image data and storing document information. Storage means, conversion means for converting document information of the storage means into image data and storing the image data in an image data storage area, and extracting an extraction area from the image data storage area in units of predetermined rows in accordance with a designated scroll direction. Automatic scroll control means for extracting image data for one screen of the display means while shifting, and outputting the image data to the display means at a predetermined timing.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the document information stored in the storage means is converted into image data and stored in the image data storage area, from which the image data corresponding to one screen of the display means is converted. The image data is extracted and output to the display means to display the image data. At this time, the image data corresponding to one screen is extracted while shifting its extraction area by a predetermined line unit, and this is output to the display means at a predetermined timing. That is, if the document is a sentence or the like, the document is extracted while being shifted by, for example, two or three lines. If the document is a map or the like, the document is extracted while being shifted by a predetermined line, that is, a predetermined amount. Therefore, the display means performs display based on the image data at the input timing, so that the document is scrolled and displayed at predetermined intervals in predetermined line units. That is, if the document is a text or the like, The document is scrolled by a predetermined line, and when the document is a map or the like, the document is scrolled and displayed by a predetermined amount.

A display device with an automatic scroll function according to a second aspect of the present invention includes timing setting means for setting an output timing of the image data, and the timing setting means detects a composition state of the document. A composition status detecting means, a scroll instructing means for manually instructing a scroll of a display document displayed on the display means, and a scroll designated from the image data storage area when scrolling is instructed by the scroll instructing means A manual scrolling unit for extracting image data for one screen of the display unit by shifting the extraction area in units of predetermined lines according to the direction and outputting the image data to the display unit, and a scroll instruction interval by the scroll instruction unit is detected. Scroll interval detecting means for In-line character number detecting means for detecting the number of characters in a fixed line, reading speed detection for detecting a character reading speed based on a scroll instruction interval detected by the scroll interval detecting means and an in-line character number detected by the in-line character number detecting means. Means, and timing determining means for determining the output timing in accordance with the configuration status detected by the configuration status detecting means and the character reading speed detected by the reading speed detecting means.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the document is scrolled and displayed in a predetermined line unit at the timing instructed by the scroll instructing means, and a scroll instruction interval by the scroll instructing means at this time is detected.
The number of characters in a predetermined line of the displayed document is detected, and the character reading speed is detected based on these. Also, the number of characters in the document, character type such as Japanese or English, percentage of Japanese and English, or kanji,
The composition status of the document, such as the ratio of katakana and the ratio between figures and characters in the document, is detected.
The output timing is determined based on the document composition status and the character reading speed, and the image data is output to the display unit at the output timing.

Therefore, for example, when the character reading speed of the user is relatively fast and there are relatively many figures in the Japanese document, the output timing is set so that the output interval of the image data is relatively short. The scroll speed of the document displayed by the means is relatively high, and conversely, the character reading speed of the user is relatively low, and in the case of an English document, the output timing is relatively long. With this setting, the document can be scroll-displayed at a timing suitable for the user.

Further, a display device with an automatic scroll function according to a third aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the display device includes a timing adjusting means for adjusting an output timing of the image data.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the output timing of the image data is adjusted by the timing adjusting means, it is possible to manually adjust the automatic scroll timing of the document by operating the timing adjusting means. Becomes

Further, a display device with an automatic scroll function according to a fourth aspect of the present invention includes a break detecting means for detecting a break of the document, and the automatic scroll control means detects a break by the break detecting means. At this time, output of the image data to the display means is stopped for a predetermined time.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when a break in a paragraph of a sentence or a break such as a headline in a newspaper is detected, the automatic scrolling means stops outputting image data to the display means for a predetermined time. I do. Therefore, the scrolling of the document is temporarily stopped at the break of the paragraph of the sentence or the heading portion, so that the user can recognize the break of the document.

Further, a display device with an automatic scroll function according to a fifth aspect of the present invention includes a duration measuring means for measuring a duration of the automatic scroll display by the automatic scroll control means, wherein the duration is measured by the duration measuring means. The automatic scroll display is stopped when the set duration exceeds a predetermined time set in advance.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the duration of the automatic scroll display of the document is measured, for example, by measuring the elapsed time from the start of the automatic scrolling by the automatic scrolling means. , The automatic scroll display is stopped. Therefore, the user can recognize the passage of time by preventing the document from being scrolled.

A display device with an automatic scroll function according to a sixth aspect of the present invention includes a scroll direction designating means for designating the scroll direction, wherein the scroll direction designating means designates one of up, down, left and right directions. It is characterized in that it can be configured.

In the invention according to claim 6, since the scroll direction can be designated by the scroll direction designation means, it is possible to designate scroll in a desired direction.

Further, in the display device with an automatic scroll function according to claim 7 of the present invention, when the extracted image data is displayed on the display unit, the predetermined area of the display document is displayed when the extracted image data is displayed on the display unit. After being processed into image data to be enlarged and displayed, the image data is output to the display means.

In the invention according to claim 7, the automatic scroll control means converts the extracted image data into image data in which a predetermined area is enlarged when the image data is displayed on the display means. After doing
Since the document is output to the display means, the display document displayed on the display means is displayed with its predetermined area enlarged.

[0023]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external view showing a schematic configuration of a display device with an automatic scroll function according to the present invention. This display device 100 is formed, for example, in a thin rectangular parallelepiped shape that can be gripped by a user, and has one of its wide surfaces. A display screen 1 for displaying an image is formed on the display screen 1. For example, a cursor is moved up and down on the side of the display screen 1, and a scroll direction for instructing a scroll direction of the screen and instructing manual scrolling is provided. Button 2
And a selection button 3 for selecting a display item at a cursor position, a speed change button 4 for changing a scroll speed, and a power switch 5. The scroll button 2, the selection button 3, and the speed change button 4 are configured by, for example, touch buttons, and are configured to be easily operated by a user while holding the display device 100.

As shown in FIG. 2, for example, the display device 100 includes a display unit 12 for displaying input image data and a display device such as the World Wide Web (World).
H of images, documents, etc. searched on dWide Web)
A storage unit 13 for storing document information described in the TML format, and according to an operation instruction by operating the various buttons, specified document information is extracted from the storage unit 13 and can be displayed on the display unit 12. The display control unit 15 converts the image data into one image data and stores the image data in the buffer 14 at a predetermined timing from the image data in the buffer 14 and outputs the image data to the display unit 12 at a predetermined timing. It is configured.

When a scroll speed setting is instructed by a button operation on the initial screen, the display control unit 15 executes a scroll speed setting process, reads out the document information of the specified document from the storage unit 13, and Is converted into image data that can be processed by the display unit 12 and stored in the buffer 14. And
One screen of image data is extracted from the image data and output to the display unit 12. The scroll operation is performed by the subsequent button operation, the operation interval of the scroll operation, and the character configuration status of the display screen 1. The speed is determined and stored in a predetermined storage area.

When an automatic scroll display of a document is instructed by a button operation on the initial screen, the display control unit 15 executes an automatic scroll display process, reads out document information of the designated document, and displays it on the display unit. The image data is converted into image data that can be displayed at 12 and stored in the buffer 14. Then, based on the scroll speed corresponding to the designated document set in the scroll speed setting process, the image data for one screen is extracted while updating the extraction location line by line, and the extracted image data is output to the display unit 12. Is displayed on the display screen 1 while scrolling one line at a time at the designated scroll speed.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described.
First, in order to set the scroll speed, the scroll button 2 and the selection button 3 are operated to instruct the setting of the scroll speed on the initial screen.

As a result, the display control unit 15 starts the scroll speed setting process shown in FIG. 3, and first displays a list of documents stored in the storage unit 13 (step S1), and the user selects one of them. When the user moves the cursor to a desired document, for example, a Japanese novel published electronically and selects it, the display control unit 15 reads out the document information of the specified document from the storage unit 13. Then, the document information described in, for example, the HTML format or the like is converted into image data that can be processed by the display unit 12 and stored in the buffer 14 (step S2).

Next, the reading speed measurement processing of FIG. 4 is executed (step S3). That is, first, the row number pointer L
And reset the counter n to zero (step S21),
Image data for one screen of the display screen 1 is extracted from the buffer 14 based on the line specified by the line number pointer L (= 0), that is, the beginning of the document, and is output to the display unit 12 (step S22). ). As a result, the display unit 12 performs a display process based on the image data, and the top portion of the document is displayed on the display screen 1.

Then, a timer is started (step S2).
3) measuring the number of characters in the line specified by the line number pointer L based on the specified document information in the storage unit 13;
This is stored in the character number register Cn (step S2).
4).

Since the top of the document is displayed on the display screen 1, the user reads the first line, for example, and operates the scroll button 2 after reading the first line to instruct the screen to scroll downward. .

When the display control unit 15 detects that scrolling is instructed in the process of step S25, the process proceeds to step S26, stops the timer, stores the timer value in the scroll coefficient register Tn, and then resets the timer. (Step S27). Then, the line number pointer L
Then, after incrementing the counter n by “1”, the process goes from step S28 to step S29 to step S22.
Then, based on the value of the line number pointer L, this time, one screen of image data is extracted with reference to a position shifted downward by one line from the previous time, and this is output to the display unit 12 and the timer is set. to start.

As a result, the document is displayed on the display screen 1 by being scrolled downward by one line from the previous time.

Then, the user operates the display screen 1 in the same manner.
When the scroll button 2 is operated at the time when the first line of the document displayed on the screen is read, the timer is stopped, the timer value is stored in the scroll coefficient register Tn, and the number of characters on the first line of the display screen 1 is set. The number is measured and stored in the character number register Cn.

Here, the timer measures the time from when the image data is output to the display unit 12 and the image data is displayed on the display screen 1 until one line is read and the user gives a scroll instruction. Shows the time required for the user to read one line of the sentence.

This process is repeated, and the number of characters and the time required to read the sentence of this line are measured for each line, and when the required number is measured, the process proceeds from step S29 to step S30. Then, for each count value, the value of the register Tn is divided by the value of the character number register Cn, and the character reading speed (Tn / Cn) is calculated. Among these, it is possible to regard that the value of the character number register Cn exceeds a reference value, for example, about 2/3 of the number of characters that can be displayed in one line, that is, it can be considered that a character of one line sentence is described. An average value of the character reading speed is obtained for the line (step S31).

Subsequently, returning to FIG. 3, the process proceeds to step S4, where a character type such as Japanese or English is determined based on the document information designated as the display document. This determination is made based on, for example, information indicating a character code used in the document, which is added to the document information in advance.

Further, based on the designated document information stored in the storage unit 13, the number of characters of the designated document is counted (step S5), and the ratio between the characters of the document and the figure is calculated (step S6). . In this case, since it is a novel, for example, it is determined that the character type is Japanese and the character is only a character and there is no figure, and the number of characters is counted. Then, based on the character type, the number of characters, and the ratio between the characters and the figure of the designated document, the time required to read this document is predicted, and the pattern of the document is classified accordingly (step S7). .

That is, for example, if the character type is Japanese only, the number of characters is relatively small, and the ratio of figures is relatively large, the time required to read this document can be relatively short. On the other hand, if the character type is English, the number of characters is relatively large, and the ratio of characters is relatively large compared to the figure, the group is classified into the group with a long required time.

For example, when a document is determined to require a medium time, a result of the determination is
The scroll speed is determined based on the average value of the character reading speed previously detected in step S31 (step S31).
8). The setting of the scroll speed is, for example, classified into a group having a short required time, and when the character reading speed is relatively high, the scroll speed is set to a value at which the scroll speed is relatively high. When the character reading speed is relatively low, the scroll speed is set to a relatively low value. Note that the scroll speed specifies a time Δt from the previous output of image data to the next output of image data.

In this case, for example, when the scroll speed is Δt
₁ , Δt_Two , Δt_Three , Δt_Four , Δt _Five Divided into 5 stages
Δt₁ Is the fastest, Δt_Five Is the slowest,
If the scroll speed is medium Δt_Three Is set as
Then, the set scroll speed is equal to the “novel” screen.
Identification information indicating that it is a roll speed is added
For example, it is stored in a predetermined storage area of the storage unit 13. This
Then, the setting of the scroll speed is completed. Next, the initial image
Button operation on the screen to select the automatic scroll display.
Select.

When the display control unit 15 detects that the automatic scroll display has been instructed by the button operation, the display control unit 15 shown in FIG.
The automatic scroll display process shown in FIG.

First, in step S41, the storage unit 1
A list of the documents stored in No. 3 is displayed. Accordingly, when the user performs a button operation and selects “novel” for which the scroll speed has been previously set as the display document, the process proceeds to step S42 to read out the document information of the specified document from the storage unit 13. This is converted into image data that can be processed by the display unit 12 and stored in the buffer 14.

Then, the process shifts to step S43 to perform an initial setting process. That is, a continuous timer for measuring the duration of the automatic scrolling is started, the scrolling speed is set in the scrolling speed setting process, and the scrolling speed of the designated document stored in a predetermined storage area, in this case, the “novel” is read out.
Further, the line number pointer L is set to an initial value, that is, L = 0.

At this time, if the scroll speed is not set, a preset default value or the like may be set, or a message prompting the user to set the scroll speed may be displayed.

Then, image data for one screen is extracted from the buffer 14 based on the value of the line number pointer L, and is output to the display unit 12. Further, a scroll timer is started (step S44).

As a result, the display unit 12 displays the input image data on the display screen 1, that is, the display screen 1 displays a sentence of one screen from the beginning of the document.

Subsequently, in the display control unit 15, the storage unit 13
It is determined whether or not the line corresponding to the line number point L is a text delimiter based on the designated document information stored in the document (step S45). This determination is, for example,
The beginning of the line specified by the line number pointer L is blank for one character and the end of the previous line is a reading point, or the line before the line specified by the line number pointer L is a blank line, and The line number pointer L is determined based on whether the character size differs between the line specified by the line number pointer L and the lines before and after the line number.
It is determined whether or not the line corresponding to is a break point such as a heading or the beginning of a paragraph.

Next, the line number pointer L is updated according to the scroll direction specified by the button operation (step S46). For example, if the downward direction is designated as the scroll direction, the line number pointer L is incremented by "1", and if the upward direction is designated, the line number pointer L is decremented by "1".

Then, the flow shifts to step S47, where it is determined whether or not a break has been detected in the processing in step S45.
In this case, since it is the beginning of the sentence, it is determined that the sentence is not a break of the sentence, and the process proceeds to step S48, where the image data for one screen is stored in the buffer
4 and outputs the extracted image data to the display unit 12 when the timer value of the scroll timer reaches the scroll speed Δt ₃ set in the process of step S3.

Next, the flow shifts to step S50, where it is determined whether or not a speed change instruction has been issued by the speed change button 4. If the speed change instruction has not been issued, step S5 is performed.
The process proceeds to step S2 to determine whether the continuation timer has timed out. If the time has not expired, the process proceeds to step S53 to determine whether the document display end operation has been performed by a button operation. When the end operation has not been performed, the process returns to step S45.

Then, as long as the speed change button 4 is not operated, the continuation timer has not expired, and the scroll direction is not changed, it is not a text break.
The line number pointer L is incremented by "1", and image data based on the line number pointer L is sequentially extracted from the buffer 14 and output to the display unit 12 at a timing corresponding to the scroll speed Δt ₃ .

Therefore, by displaying the image data input by the display unit 12, the document is scrolled and displayed on the display screen 1 line by line at a predetermined timing corresponding to the scroll speed. At this time, the scroll speed is set according to the character reading speed of the user by reading the document by executing the scroll speed setting process. Therefore, the document is scrolled at a timing corresponding to the reading speed of the user. Will be.

Therefore, the scroll timing is not too early or too late, and the scrolling is performed sequentially at an appropriate timing according to the reading speed of the user. Therefore, the user needs to manually perform the scroll operation. Moreover, it is possible to read comfortably without having to move the line of sight up and down on the display screen 1.

From this state, the display position of the document advances, and, for example, when a blank line is inserted for a section break or the like, in the process of step S45, for example, the previous line becomes a blank line. Also, it is detected that the head of the line corresponding to the line number pointer L is a single character space or the like, and it is detected that the line is a delimiter.
7 proceeds to step S49 through, when the timer value reaches the scroll speed in this case Delta] t ₃ + alpha obtained by adding a predetermined downtime alpha to Delta] t ₃ is set current scroll timer, image data display section 12 Is output to

Then, if no blank line is detected, the process proceeds from step S45 to step S48 via steps S46 and S47, and the image data is displayed on the display unit at a timing corresponding to the scroll speed Δt ₃ specified by the user. 12 is output.

Therefore, from the state where the document is scrolled and displayed at the predetermined scroll speed Δt ₃ on the display screen 1, after the screen is stopped for a predetermined time α longer than before when a break is detected. , Scrolling is resumed, and the display is started from the paragraph following the break, and thereafter, the scroll display is performed according to the scroll speed Δt ₃ .

Therefore, since the pause is made at the time of a paragraph break, the user can recognize that the sentence is a break. Therefore, when the automatic scroll display is performed, the display screen 1 is updated at a relatively short interval, and it is difficult to visually recognize the text break. However, when the text break is detected, Since the user is temporarily stopped at that time, the user can easily recognize the break of the sentence.

From this state, the user presses the speed change button 4
Is operated, for example, when an operation of increasing the scroll speed is performed, this is detected in the process of step S50. Therefore, in the process of step S51, the scroll speed is updated by a predetermined amount in a direction of increasing the speed from the present. In this case, for example, Δt
It is updated from ₃ to Δt ₂ which is faster.

Therefore, since the scroll speed becomes faster, in the process of step S48, image data is output to the display unit 12 at shorter intervals than before. This means that the display screen 1 is updated at shorter intervals, that is, the scroll speed of the document is increased.

[0061] Conversely, when the operation to slow the scrolling speed is performed, a predetermined amount updated in a direction to slow the scroll speed in the process of step S51, is updated from the case e.g. Delta] t ₃ more speeds slower Delta] t ₄ From step S
When the image data is output to the display unit 12 based on the scroll speed Δt ₄ in the process of 48, the image data is output at a longer interval than before, that is, the display screen 1 is It is updated at long intervals, that is, the document scrolling speed becomes slow.

Then, from this state, when a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the automatic scroll display and the continuation timer times out, this is detected in step S52, and the routine goes to step S54. When neither button operation is performed, the state is maintained, and the document is in a state where scrolling is stopped.

Therefore, the user can recognize that a predetermined time has elapsed since the automatic scroll display was started because the document stopped scrolling. Therefore, for example, by setting the time-up time of the continuation timer to the riding time of the train when commuting, even if the user is absorbed in reading, etc., the user can stop the automatic scrolling display and get off at the station Can be recognized that is approaching.

The time-up time of the continuation timer may be set, for example, by operating a button. Alternatively, several patterns of the time-up time may be set in advance, and the time-up time may be selected from these. Good.

Then, when the user performs a restart operation by performing a button operation from this state, the process shifts from step S54 to step S55, resets the continuation timer and starts again, and then returns to step S45 to continue automatic scrolling. Display.

At this time, if the user performs a document display ending operation instead of a resuming operation, the process shifts from step S52 to step S56 via step S54 to end the process.

When the user performs an end operation in the state where the automatic scroll display is being performed, this is detected in step S53, and the processing is ended.

Subsequently, when another document is to be scroll-displayed, a scroll speed setting process is executed in the same manner as described above, and the designated document is displayed.
The character reading speed is detected according to the timing of the scroll operation by the user. At this time, for example, if the document is a document such as an English paper and the reading speed is relatively slow, the scroll speed is set accordingly.

Therefore, when the automatic scroll display process is performed and the automatic scroll display is performed, the document is scrolled at a relatively slow timing. Even if it takes longer than a Japanese novel,
You will be scrolled when you read the English sentence.

As described above, the time required for the user to read the document is measured in advance, the scroll speed is set based on the measured time, and the document is scrolled and displayed at the set scroll speed. ,
The document can be scroll-displayed at an appropriate timing according to the reading speed of the user. Therefore, the user does not need to perform an operation of manually scrolling the display screen.

In particular, in the case of a portable display device, it is difficult to perform complicated button operations. However, in the above-described embodiment, once the scroll speed is set, almost no manual operation is required. It is.

Further, since the scroll speed is set for each document, and the user actually reads the document and sets the scroll speed based on the required time, the scroll speed must be set accurately. Can be.

Further, since the scroll speed is set based on the character type, the number of characters, the ratio between the figure and the character in the document, etc., it is possible to accurately set the scroll speed according to the structure of the document. it can.

Further, since scrolling can be performed in units of one line, the user can perform reading without moving his / her gaze in the display screen. For example, in a congested vehicle or the like, a part of the display screen 1 is not displayed. Even if the image is hidden by this, it can be reliably read because it is scrolled sequentially.

Further, when a break, such as a sentence break or a newspaper headline, is detected, scrolling is stopped for a certain period of time, so that it is easy to recognize that a paragraph has been broken in a sentence. In the case of a newspaper or the like, the content of the article can be easily grasped from the headline, which is effective.

Further, the scrolling is stopped when a predetermined time-up time has elapsed since the start of the automatic scrolling display. Therefore, even if the user is enthusiastic about reading, the setting time of the continuation timer can be adjusted appropriately. By setting such a value, it is possible to recognize that the getting-off station is approaching at the time of commuting, for example. Further, when the user continues reading for a predetermined time, scrolling is forcibly stopped, so that reading can be stopped at an appropriate timing, and fatigue due to long-time use can be reduced. In particular, when the time is up, scrolling is not restarted unless a manual operation is performed thereafter, that is, reading can be forcibly stopped, which is effective.

In the above embodiment, the case where the document is scrolled in the vertical direction and the horizontally written document is read has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this.
It is also possible to read a vertically written document, a horizontally written document that does not fit on a display screen, or the like.

In this case, when scrolling in the left-right direction, a column pointer indicating the position in the left-right direction is provided, the column pointer is made to correspond to the document column, and the column pointer is sequentially updated according to the scroll direction. It is sufficient to extract image data for one screen based on this. When scrolling up, down, left and right,
What is necessary is just to extract the image data for one screen based on the position determined by the column pointer and the row number pointer.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, a case has been described in which scrolling is performed in units of one line. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and scrolling may be performed in units of two or more lines.

The scroll unit may be changed according to the contents of the document. For example, when checking whether the downloaded homepage is the desired homepage, scrolling in units of a plurality of lines is easier to see than scrolling one line at a time. When a text such as a novel or a newspaper is displayed, the text may be scrolled line by line in order to read line by line. Further, a screen for setting a scroll unit is provided, and the user sets the scroll unit according to the content of the document, updates the number-of-lines pointer L based on the set scroll unit, and sets the scroll designated by the user. You may make it scroll by a unit.

In the above embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to a portable display device has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this case, and the present invention can be applied to a display device such as a personal computer and a digital broadcast receiver. it can.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, in the automatic scroll display processing, the case where zero is set as the initial value of the line number pointer L in the processing of step S43 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. When ending the document display, the line number pointer L at that time
Is stored in a predetermined storage area in association with the document, and when displaying the document, the line number pointer information is read out, and the value of the line number pointer L is set as an initial value. The document can be displayed from the continuation of the previous time.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case has been described in which the scroll is stopped for a certain period of time when the separation portion comes to the first line of the display screen. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The case in which the display is performed in correspondence with the number pointer L has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the line detection process is performed on the display screen 1 for a line corresponding to a position where the user can easily read the line of sight and relatively read. The scrolling may be stopped for a certain time when there is a break in the position of the user's line of sight.

In the above embodiment, the case where the scroll speed is divided into five stages has been described, but the scroll speed can be set arbitrarily.

In the above-described embodiment, a case has been described in which a pause is detected when a break is detected. For example, a pause button is provided, and when this pause button is operated, The scrolling may be stopped for a certain time.

Further, for example, a skip button may be provided, and when the skip button is operated, the scroll may be made to scroll more than a normal scroll amount, for example, about 1/3 of the display screen. By doing so, it is possible to perform an uninteresting article, oblique reading, or the like. For example, when searching for a desired description portion in a document, or when the downloaded homepage is the target content This is effective when searching for whether or not.

In the above embodiment, the case where the scroll button 2, the selection button 3, and the speed change button 4 are constituted by touch buttons has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be constituted by, for example, push button switches. Alternatively, a voice recognition device capable of voice recognition may be provided, and various operations may be instructed by voice.

In the above embodiment, the case where the scroll speed is set based on the character type, the number of characters, and the ratio between the figure and the character has been described.
If the character type is Japanese, the scroll speed may be set based on the ratio of kana, kanji, katakana, etc., and when English and Japanese are mixed, the mixing ratio is set. It may be set in consideration of the above, or may be classified based on the line feed width of the character, the display character size, and the like, and set based on these. In short, the reading speed of the user is affected. If this is the case, the scroll speed may be set in consideration of this.

In the above embodiment, the case where the scroll speed is set for each document has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this.
Contents of the document to be displayed, such as the number of characters, the ratio of characters to figures in the document, the type of characters used, etc., or the display contents of the document, such as the document type such as maps, novels, papers, English texts, etc. However, if the document is similar to a document for which a scroll speed has already been set, the scroll speed of a document having a similar document configuration may be used as the scroll speed of a document to be newly displayed.

For example, when the scroll speed is set, the display contents of the document and the scroll speed are stored in a predetermined storage area in association with each other, and the display contents of the document to be newly displayed are stored. May be searched for and used as the scroll speed.

In the above-described embodiment, the case has been described where the automatic scrolling is stopped when the continuation timer expires after the automatic scrolling display is started. However, the present invention is not limited to this. , A message notifying that the stop station is approaching, or a message warning the user to stop reading and rest their eyes, etc. may be displayed. May be displayed.

Further, in the above embodiment, the case where a novel electronically published as a document is applied has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, information of a homepage downloaded by a computer or the like is transferred to the storage unit 13. , It is possible to refer to this,
In short, any document stored in the storage unit 13 can be applied.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the reading speed measuring process is described in the case where the head of the document is displayed and the reading speed is measured based on the reading time of this portion. The reading speed can be measured based on an arbitrary location, without being limited thereto. For example, a representative written portion of a document suitable for measuring the reading speed is displayed, and the reading speed is measured based on the written portion. You may do so.

Further, in the above embodiment, when the automatic scroll display is performed, for example, when the scroll button 2 is operated, the scroll may be manually performed according to the operation of the button.

In the above embodiment, for example,
The document may be enlarged and displayed in a specific area such as an area where the user of the display screen easily fixes the eyes. That is, for example, when the image data for one screen is extracted from the buffer 14 based on the value of the line number pointer L in the process of step S44, the predetermined area on the display screen of the display unit 12 is enlarged and displayed. After processing the image data, the image data may be output to the display unit 12. By doing so, only the document in a predetermined area of the display screen is enlarged and displayed on the display unit 12.

Therefore, even when the display screen of the display unit 12 is small and characters are required to be relatively small to display a document, a predetermined area of the display screen is enlarged and displayed. , The user can easily read the characters.

Further, in the case of a document or the like in which a map or characters and figures are mixed, the structure of the document can be easily grasped by referring to the entire display screen, and the reference can be made to the document by referring to a predetermined area. The contents of the description can also be read.

In the above embodiment, the display unit 1
2 corresponds to the display means, the storage unit 13 corresponds to the storage means, and converts the document information of the document designated by the display control unit 15 into image data and
4 corresponds to the conversion means, the automatic scroll display processing of FIG. 5 corresponds to the automatic scroll control means, the scroll speed setting processing of FIG. 3 corresponds to the timing setting means, and steps S4 to S7 of FIG. Corresponds to the configuration status detecting means, the scroll button 2 corresponds to the scroll instructing means, and steps S22 and S2 in FIG.
When the scroll operation is performed in step S5, the process proceeds to step S28 via step S27, and the process of incrementing the number-of-rows pointer L corresponds to manual scrolling means. The processes of steps S23 and S26 correspond to scroll interval detecting means. The processing of S24 corresponds to the number of characters in line detection means, the processing of steps S30 and S31 corresponds to the reading speed detection means, the processing of step S8 of FIG. 3 corresponds to the timing determination means, and the speed change button 4 and the processing of FIG. The processing in steps S50 and S51 corresponds to the timing adjustment means, the processing in step S45 in FIG. 5 corresponds to the break detection means, the continuation timer started in step S43 in FIG. Reference numeral 2 corresponds to scroll direction designation means.

[0099]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention,
According to the display device with automatic scrolling, image data for one screen of the document is extracted while being shifted by a predetermined line unit, and is output to the display unit at a predetermined timing. Can be automatically scrolled and displayed.

According to the display device with automatic scrolling of the present invention, the composition state of the document and the character reading speed of the user are detected, and the output timing of the image data to the display unit is determined based on these. Since the setting is made, the document can be scroll-displayed at a timing suitable for the user.

According to the display device with the automatic scroll function according to the third aspect, the document can be scroll-displayed at a desired speed by adjusting the output timing of the image data by the output timing adjusting means.

Further, according to the display device with the automatic scroll function according to the fourth aspect, the scrolling is stopped for a predetermined time when a document break is detected. The person can easily grasp the contents of the article.

According to the display device with the automatic scroll function according to the fifth aspect, the automatic scrolling is stopped when a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the automatic scrolling. Can be recognized.

Further, according to the display device with the automatic scroll function according to the sixth aspect, since the scroll direction can be designated in any of the upper, lower, left and right directions, the document can be scroll-displayed in a desired direction.

Further, according to the display device with the automatic scroll function according to the seventh aspect, since the predetermined area of the display document displayed on the display means can be enlarged and displayed, the user can enlarge and display the predetermined area. Documents can be read by referring to characters, and
By referring to an area other than the predetermined area, the rough contents of the document can be grasped.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view illustrating an example of a display device to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a system configuration of the display device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of a scroll speed setting process.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of a reading speed measurement process.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of an automatic scroll display process.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 scroll button 3 selection button 4 speed change button 12 display unit 13 storage unit 14 buffer 15 display control unit

Claims (7)

[Claims] A display unit for displaying input image data; a storage unit for storing document information; a conversion unit for converting document information in the storage unit into image data and storing the image data in an image data storage area; Automatically extracting, from the image data storage area, image data for one screen of the display means while shifting the extraction area in predetermined line units in accordance with a designated scroll direction, and outputting the image data to the display means at a predetermined timing. A display device with an automatic scroll function, comprising: a scroll control unit. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a timing setting unit configured to set an output timing of the image data, wherein the timing setting unit detects a configuration status of the document; Scroll instructing means for manually instructing scrolling, and, when scrolling is instructed by the scroll instructing means, the display means shifting an extraction area by a predetermined line unit from the image data storage area in accordance with a specified scroll direction. Manual scrolling means for extracting image data for one screen and outputting the image data to the display means, scroll interval detecting means for detecting a scroll instruction interval by the scroll instruction means, and determining the number of characters in a predetermined line of the display document. Means for detecting the number of characters in a line to be detected; Reading speed detecting means for detecting a character reading speed based on the scroll instruction interval detected by the rule interval detecting means and the number of in-line characters detected by the in-line character number detecting means; and the configuration status detected by the configuration status detecting means. 2. The display device with an automatic scroll function according to claim 1, further comprising: timing determining means for determining the output timing in accordance with a character reading speed detected by the reading speed detecting means. 3. The display device with an automatic scroll function according to claim 1, further comprising timing adjustment means for adjusting the output timing of the image data. 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a break detecting means for detecting a break in the document, wherein the automatic scroll control means comprises:
4. The automatic scroll function according to claim 1, wherein output of image data to said display means is stopped for a predetermined time when said break detection means detects a break. Display device. 5. A continuous time measuring means for measuring a duration of an automatic scroll display by said automatic scroll control means, wherein said automatic scrolling is performed when the duration measured by said continuous time measuring means exceeds a predetermined time set in advance. The display device with an automatic scroll function according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the display is stopped. 6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a scroll direction designating means for designating said scroll direction, wherein said scroll direction designating means is capable of designating any one of upper, lower, left and right directions. The display device with an automatic scroll function according to any one of the above. 7. The automatic scroll control unit processes the extracted image data into image data in which a predetermined area of a displayed document is enlarged and displayed when displayed on the display unit, and outputs the image data to the display unit. The display device with an automatic scroll function according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the display device has an automatic scroll function.