1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a display method and display control device for displaying, in accordance with a visual field from a set viewpoint, data objects situated in a three-dimensional virtual space.
2. Description of Related Art
Computers connected to networks, such as the Internet for example, are capable of retrieving massive amounts of diverse information. In addition, as the capacity of storage media increases, even stand-alone information machines have become able to utilize vast amounts of diverse information.
In order to make use of such large amounts of diverse information, GUIs (graphical user interfaces) that employ a desktop metaphor, such as Microsoft Windows™ are being used, as are web browsers such as Microsoft Internet Explorer™ and Netscape Navigator™. These applications display viewing target informational content arranged on a screen in a static and planar manner; and in order to view the informational-content items in turn, succeeding subject matter must be displayed by replacing the subject matter being displayed in the active window, or must be displayed by changing the active attribute of windows being displayed on the screen in an overlapping manner.
When a plurality of informational items is displayed by switching from one display to another, the sense of continuity on the screen is lost, leading to the problem of a 25 user having trouble understanding how the individual contents are related to each other.
In order to solve such problems, an information display method has been proposed (Japanese Pat. App. No. 2001-162322 [filed May 30, 2001]; Laid-Open No. 2000-172248) wherein concatenatedly linked data objects are arranged in a three-dimensional virtual space, and based on a visual field defined in the virtual space, the data objects are displayed on a display screen; and wherein information can be perused by following along links while the display screen is changed uninterruptedly by changing the visual field smoothly.
A conventional technique of this sort will be explained using
In
In display example 301 at (A) in
When a shift-viewpoint instruction is accepted, the display range is changed according to the instruction, transitioning, for example, to the state shown in display example 302 at (B) in
When a further shift-viewpoint instruction is accepted, the state shown in display example 303 at (C) in
In display examples 301 through 304, the data object that occupies the largest area within the display screen is displayed in detail, and the preceding/following relationships of the data objects are set in correspondence with the link modes and displayed. The fact that the display within the field of view always changes smoothly in response to the shift-viewpoint instructions enables a user to follow the links and view the data objects.
The information display method described above readily enables viewing by following concatenatedly linked information, and enables remedying the problem of losing sight of the interrelationships among the informational-content items. However, this method does not take into consideration such matters as: displaying supplemental information in connection with displayed data objects; displaying information in more detail in connection with displayed data objects; providing means for dialogue with a user in situations where required; or executing application programs linked to the display of information and associated with that information.
The present invention offers a configuration that enables viewing a plurality of data objects situated in a virtual space as the visual field defined in the virtual space is changed smoothly; and that at the same time enables: supplemental information in connection with displayed data objects to be displayed; information in connection with displayed data objects to be displayed in more detail; means for dialogue with a user to be provided in situations where required; and application programs linked to the display of information and associated with that information to be executed.
A first aspect of the present invention is a data-object display method for situating a plurality of data objects within a three-dimensional virtual space in which a visual field is defined and displaying, from a set virtual viewpoint, data objects located within the visual field. The data-object display method includes: a step of accepting virtual-viewpoint location changes; a step of continuously changing the visual field based on the virtual-viewpoint location changes, and uninterruptedly changing the display of a data object located within the visual field; a step of distinguishing whether a data object located within the visual field satisfies predetermined geometric conditions for the visual field; and a step of executing, in respect of a data object satisfying the predetermined geometric conditions, a process preset in the data object.
In a second aspect, the invention is the data-object display method according to the first aspect, wherein the process preset in the data object displays a display image different from a virtual-space display image located within the visual field.
A third aspect is the data-object display method according to the second aspect, wherein the a separate image is displayed situated in front of the data object located within the visual field in the virtual space.
In a fourth aspect, the invention is the data-object display method according to the second aspect, wherein a separate image is displayed within a window different from a window in which the data object located within the visual field in the virtual space is displayed.
A fifth aspect of the invention is the data-object display method according to the second aspect, wherein a separate image is displayed within a frame different from, in an identical window with, a frame in which the data object located within the visual field in the virtual space is displayed.
In a sixth aspect, the invention is according to the second aspect, wherein at least one from among a message, a modal dialogue, a modeless dialogue or information related to the data object is displayed.
A seventh aspect of the invention is the data-object display method according to 5 any of the foregoing aspects, wherein the process preset in the data object executes a preset application program.
An eighth aspect of the present invention is an information display device for situating a plurality of data objects within a three-dimensional virtual space in which a visual field is defined and displaying, from a set virtual viewpoint, data objects located within the visual field. The information display device in this aspect of the invention includes: visual-field-data updating means for accepting virtual-viewpoint location changes; object data processing means for continuously changing the visual field based on the virtual-viewpoint location changes, and uninterruptedly changing the display of a data object located within the visual field; process-execute-conditions judging means for distinguishing whether a data object located within the visual field satisfies predetermined geometric conditions for the visual field; and visual-field-shift-linked process-executing means for executing, in respect of a data object satisfying the predetermined geometric conditions, a process preset in the data object.
An ninth aspect of the present invention is an information display device for situating a plurality of data objects within a three-dimensional virtual space in which a visual field is defined and displaying on a display screen, from a set virtual viewpoint, data objects located within the visual field. The information display device herein includes: visual-field-data updating means for accepting virtual-viewpoint location changes; object data processing means for continuously changing the visual field based on the virtual-viewpoint location changes, and uninterruptedly changing the display of a data object located within the visual field; process-execute-conditions judging means for distinguishing whether or not there is a data object located in the display-screen center and occupying a proportion of the display screen that is a predetermined value or more; and visual-field-shift-linked process-executing means for executing a process preset in the data object, based on judgment results from said process-execute-conditions judging.
An tenth aspect of the present invention is an information display device for situating a plurality of data objects within a three-dimensional virtual space in which a visual field is defined and displaying, from a set virtual viewpoint, data objects located within the visual field. The information display device in the aspect of the present invention includes: visual-field-data updating means for accepting virtual-viewpoint location changes; object data processing means for continuously changing the visual field based on the virtual-viewpoint location changes, and uninterruptedly changing the display of a data object located within the visual field; and visual-field-shift-linked process-executing means for executing, if the distance of a data object located in the visual field from the virtual viewpoint becomes a predetermined value, a process preset in the data object.
From the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art.
An information processing device 500, which can be a personal computer, workstation or other type of computer, includes an input device 501, which may be a keyboard, mouse or the like; an information storage device 502, which may be a hard disk, CD-ROM or other information recording device; a network interface 503, which is capable of connecting to the Internet, a LAN or the like; a program-storage unit 504, which may be a ROM, hard disk or the like; a cache data storage unit 505, comprising RAM or other memory; a display device 507, which may be a cathode ray tube, liquid crystal display or the like; a frame memory 506, which stores image data for images displayed on the display device 507; and a data processing unit 510, which generates image data to be displayed on the display device 507.
The data processing unit 510 comprises a CPU and memory, and includes: a process-control module 512, a visual-field-data updating module 511, an object-data processing module 514, visual-field-shift-linked process-executing module 517, and a display-image synthesizing module 519, among other modules. The configuration may be made to have object-data processing modules 514 and visual-field-shift-linked process-executing modules 517 of a number of different kinds, to correspond to types of data objects or types of visual-field-shiftlinked processes; generally, these are realized in a form in which programs stored in the program-storage unit 504 are loaded onto memory and deployed.
Of the elements of the data processing unit 510, the process-control module 512 controls overall processing.
The visual-field-data updating module 511 accepts instructions relating to visual field movement inputted from the input device 501, moves a virtual viewpoint, and continuously shifts visual field data 513 within a virtual space seen from the virtual viewpoint. The display-image synthesizing module 519 synthesizes the partial display images generated by the object-data processing module 514 and visual-field-shift-linked process-executing module 517, respectively, and generates an appropriate display image to be “displayed on the display device 507.
Object data is stored in a data storage unit 530. Object data is information acquired via the network interface 503 or information stored in the information storage device 502, and is present as a plurality of items corresponding to data objects that are candidates for being placed in the virtual space and displayed.
As shown in
The object-data processing module 514 carries out processes relating to a specified type of data object, and includes an object display image generation function unit 515 and a visual-field-shift-linked processing module 516.
In the object-data processing module 514, the object display image generation function unit 515 generates a data object display image based on the current visual field data 513 for a virtual space in which a plurality of data objects are placed. The object display image generation function unit 515, each time a new display image frame is generated, generates a display image for a data object that is to be displayed, based on the visual field data 513, object placement data 532, and object display content data 533, and writes this display image to the frame memory 506 via the display-image synthesizing module 519.
The visual-field-shift-linked processing module 516 refers to the visual field data 513, object placement data 532, and visual-field-shift-linked process content-defining data 534 to control execution of pre-set processes in conjunction with shifting the visual field. This visual-fieldshift-linked processing module 516 includes a process-execute-conditions judging module 521, which based on the visual field data 513, object placement data 532, and visual-field-shiftlinked process content-defining data 534, judges from the geometric relation between visual field and data object whether conditions have been met for executing preset processes in conjunction with visual field movement. The visual-field-shift-linked processing module 516 controls the processes of the visual-field-shift-linked process-executing module 517 based on the determination results of the process-execute-conditions judging module 521.
The visual-field-shift-linked process-executing module 517, in conformance with control functions of the visual-field-shift-linked processing module 516, executes processes designated in the visual-field-shift-linked process content-defining data 534. The visual-field-shift-linked process-executing module 517 includes a visual-field-shift-linked information displaying module 518; and of the processes designated in the visual-field-shift-linked process content-defining data 534, this visual-field-shift-linked information displaying module 518 generates display content for the display device 507, which it writes to the frame memory 506 via the display-image synthesizing module 519.
The configuration as described above enables the display of data objects while smoothly changing the display range by continuously shifting the visual field, in a virtual space in which a plurality of data objects are situated, and enables the execution of information display and like processes when predetermined geometric conditions between the visual field, the data objects in which they are pre-established, are met.
Process Flowchart
The flowchart shown in
When processing commences in Step 5401, visual field data is updated in Step 5402. Specifically, the visual field data 513 is updated by the visual-field-data updating module 511 based on instructions relating to visual field movement inputted from the input device 501.
In Step S403 a frame memory region (506) for depicting a data object based on the visual field in a virtual space is initialized.
In Step S404, based on visual field data and object data, the data object to be displayed is decided. Specifically, based on the current visual field data 513 and object data 531, and giving consideration to distance from viewpoint and link relation with other data objects, a data object that is present within the visual field is selected as the data object to be displayed. A plurality of data objects to be displayed can be selected.
In Step S405, determination is made of whether there are any data objects to be displayed that have not been displayed. If it is determined that there are data objects that have not yet been displayed, control proceeds to Step S406; if it is determined that there are no data objects that have not been displayed, control proceeds to Step 5409.
In Step S406, one data object is selected from among the data objects that have not yet been displayed; based on visual field data 513 and object data 531, a display image of that data object is generated and depicted on the corresponding region of the frame memory 506 via the display-image synthesizing module 519.
In Step S407, it is determined whether the data object selected in Step S406 fulfills the conditions for execution of a visual-field-shift-linked process defined in the visual-field-shift-linked process content-defining data 534. For example, if the data “object is present on an axial line that passes through the center of the display screen, and it appears in a size that is at least one-third of the display screen, it is determined that the conditions for executing the visual-field-shift-linked process are met, and control proceeds to Step S408; if the conditions are not met, control returns to Step S405.
In Step S408, based on the visual field data 513, object placement data 532 and visual-field-shift-linked process content-defining data 534, the visual-field-shift-linked to process is executed. If in the visual-field-shift-linked process content data, there are instructions for information display on the display screen, display content is prepared by the visual-field-shift-linked information displaying module 518 and depicted on the corresponding region in the frame memory 506 via the display-image synthesizing module 519. Thereafter, control proceeds to Step S405.
In Step S409, the contents of the frame memory 506 are outputted to the display device 507.
In Step S410, it is determined whether or not to conduct a process for the next display-image frame. If the process for the next display-image frame is to be conducted, control proceeds to Step S402; if not, control proceeds to Step S411 and the processends.
The geometric relation between a visual field and data object in a three-dimensional virtual space can be represented, for example, as in
A data object 605 placed within a three-dimensional virtual space will have its display conditions changed based on its relationship with a current viewpoint 601. As shown in the figure, the region within a pyramid having the viewpoint 601 as apex is the visual field displayed on the display screen. When the visual field changes because of shift of the viewpoint 601 and changes in the angle of elevation, the position of data object 605 relative to the visual field changes, avid the display screen changes smoothly.
The determination of whether condition have been met for execution of the visual-field-shift-linked process, said determination to be made in the process-execute conditions judging module 521, can be determination of whether the relationship between visual field coordinate system 603 having viewpoint 601 as its origin and local coordinate system 604 having as its origin the central point of data object 605 meets specific conditions.
Data Object Link Structure
One example of the link structure of data objects to be displayed will be explained using the schematic diagram of
Visual-field-shift-linked processes 221 through 226 are attendant on data objects 201 through 206 concatenatedly linked by links 212 through 216.
In the example shown, links 212 and 213 for data objects 202 and 203 are provided in data object 201, attendant on which is a visual-field-shift-linked process 221 for displaying a message. Links 214 and 215 for objects 204 and 205 are provided in data object 202, attendant on which is a visual-field-shift-linked process 222 for displaying a modal dialogue.
A visual-field-shift-linked process 223 for activating application X is attendant on data object 203. A link 216 for data object 207 is provided in data object 204, attendant on which is a visual-field-shift-linked process 224 for displaying document A in a different window.
A visual-field-shift-linked process 225 for displaying a modeless dialogue is attendant on data object 205. A visual-field-shift-linked process 226 for displaying 25 document B in a different window is attendant on data object 206.
When data objects 201 through 206, which are to be displayed, meet predefined conditions for execution of visual-field-shift-linked processes 221 through 226, these visual-field-shift-linked processes 221 through 226 are executed.
In display example 311 at (A) in
Display example 312 at (B) in
Display example 313 at (C) in
Display example 321 at (A) in
The display example 322 at (B) in
When the proper password is inputted in the modal dialogue 232 of the display example 322 and the OK function button is clicked, visual-field-shift-linked process-executing module 517 ceases to block visual field movement instructions, and movement of visual field becomes possible again, and data objects 204 and 205 linked from data object 202 can now be displayed. This brings about the state shown in display example 323 at (C) in
In display example 331 at (A) in
The display example 332 at (B) in
The display example 333 at (C) in
The display example 334 at (D) in
In the display example 341 at (A) in
In display example 351 at (A) in
The display example 352 at (B) in
The display example 353 at (C) in
The display example 354 at (D) in
In the display example 361 at (A) in
The display example 362 at (B) in
The display example 363 at (C) in
The display example 364 at (D) in
In the display example 371 at (A) in
The display example 372 at (B) in
As shown at (C) in
Other Embodiments
In the above-described embodiments, determination of whether conditions for execution of the visual-field-shift-linked processes have been met is based on the geometric relationship between the visual field and the various data objects; other conditions, however, may be used. For example, priority values may be computed for all data objects to be displayed, the data object with the highest priority value is deemed the representative object, and determination of whether execution conditions have been met for the visual-field-shift-linked processes is made only for the representative object. Alternatively, conditions may be set that are unrelated to visual field movement.
For example, when a data object is positioned in the middle of the screen, and the size at which it appears is at least a predetermined proportion of the screen width (for example, at least one third), the visual-field-shift-linked process is executed. In such a case, if there are a plurality of data objects that meet execution conditions, priority in execution can be given starting those data objects that have a low order in the link relationship.
The present invention allows the viewing of multiple data objects placed in a virtual space as a visual field defined in that virtual space is fluidly shifted; the present invention also allows the display of additional information relating to a data object to be displayed, provides means for when dialogue with a user is required, and allows for the execution of application programs linked to data objects and related thereto.
Only selected embodiments have been chosen to illustrate the present invention. To those skilled in the art, however, it will be apparent from the foregoing disclosure that various changes and modifications can be made herein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined, in the appended claims. Furthermore, the foregoing description of the embodiments according to the present invention is provided for illustration only, and not for limiting the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2001-363240 | Nov 2001 | JP | national |
The present application claims priority under 35 USC §119 from Japanese Patent Publication No. 2001-363240, filed Nov. 28, 2001, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The present application is a continuation of U.S. application No. Ser. No. 10/083,540 filed Feb. 27, 2002, which has been allowed, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 10083540 | Feb 2002 | US |
Child | 10972392 | Oct 2004 | US |