JP4672108B2 - Information processing apparatus and control method thereof - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates not only to information devices such as personal computers, Japanese word processors, and portable information terminals, but also to all devices including a main display and a sub display such as home appliances and car navigation systems.
[0002]
[Prior art]
With the advancement of information processing devices and software, there is an increasing demand for an interface that is easier for users to use. As software functionality increases, the amount of information provided to users has also increased dramatically. To provide information provision capacity that is commensurate with that, the display device has been increased in size, definition, and multiple display devices. Information processing devices have also appeared.
[0003]
For example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-26382, a single device has a main display and a sub display, and a pointing device such as a touch panel is arranged on the sub display without reducing the display function on the main display side. A technique capable of performing the above is disclosed.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the technique described above still has the following problems.
[0005]
In general, personal computers, etc., which are becoming smaller and cheaper, are not realistic to have a sub-display having a display capability equivalent to or close to that of the main display. For this reason, the sub-display has a smaller display area than the main display, and the resolution and the number of colors are reduced.
[0006]
In recent operating systems and application software that are becoming more graphical interfaces, simply displaying and operating those windows and icons on the sub-display side with poor display capability results in a drop in operability.
[0007]
In the technique described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-26382, a part of menu display or input means is assigned to the sub-display side, so that additional information display or input can be performed without missing the display part on the main display side. However, if it is used without considering the display performance on the sub-display side, the operability will be reduced.
[0008]
In addition, there are pointers on the main display and the sub display respectively, and operating each with one pointing device requires an understanding of which pointer is currently operated by the user, so an operation error is likely to occur. There was a problem.
[0009]
In addition, if there are many menus and icons on the main display side that are subject to display on a sub display with inferior display capability, and all items cannot be displayed on the sub display, items that could not be displayed cannot be operated on the sub display. On the other hand, operability may be impaired.
[0010]
In addition, when a sub-display with inferior display capability is intended to display icons consisting of large images or high-definition images, those images are displayed on the sub-display in a state that is significantly different from the original image. There is a problem that it is difficult to distinguish from the image which icon corresponds to the above.
[0011]
  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a display capability of a sub display in an information processing apparatus including a main display and a sub display having a lower display capability. Information processing device that is easy to input, easy to see and easy to operateAnd control method thereofIs to provide.
[0012]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
  The present inventionIsnewdataFirst display means for displaying
  The first display meansDifferent fromIn an information processing apparatus comprising second display means,
  Menu data storage means for storing menu data to be displayed on the first display means;
  The menu data displayed on the first display means isDisplay capability data of the second display meansChange to a format based onAnd a display control means for displaying on the second display means.Information processing device.
[0013]
  The present inventionIsThe display control means includes theDisplayed on the first display meansOf menu dataAdditional informationIt is characterized by displaying.
[0014]
  AlsoThe present invention provides an information processing apparatus including a first display unit that displays a plurality of windows, and a second display unit that is different from the first display unit.
  Of the windows displayed on the first display means, a window in which all the windows are not displayed is changed to a format based on the display capability data of the second display means,Display on the second display meansProvided with display control meansIt is characterized byInformation processing device.
[0015]
  AlsoThe present invention further comprises pointer control means for displaying a pointer indicating menu data or a window displayed on the first display means and the second display means, and moving the pointer,
  When the pointer displayed on the first display means is moved outside the display area of the first display means by the pointer instruction means,
  The pointer control means moves the pointer to the second display screen,It is characterized by displaying.
[0016]
  AlsoThe present inventionThe display control means includes the menu data.It is determined whether the area size necessary for display of the second display means is larger than the display area size of the second display means. If it is larger, only a part of the area size is displayed on the second display means, and a scroll instruction icon is displayed on the second display means. When the scroll instruction is given, the remaining menu data is displayed.It displays on the said 2nd display means, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.
  According to the present invention, the display control means determines whether the area size necessary for displaying the menu data is larger than the display area size of the second display means, and if so, determines the display area size of each item of the menu. The item is reduced and displayed on the second display unit, and when an item is designated thereafter, the display area size of only the designated item is enlarged and displayed on the second display unit.
  According to the present invention, in the case where image data for icon display and text data for character string display corresponding to the icon display image data are stored in the menu data storage means, the display control means uses only the text data. A menu of columns is displayed on the second display means.
  According to the present invention, in the case where image data for icon display is stored in the menu data storage means, the display control means converts the image data based on the display capability data, and the second display means. It is characterized by being displayed.
  The present invention also includes a first display area and a second display area,
  A method of controlling an information processing apparatus for storing menu data to be displayed and displaying menu data in the first display area and the second display area,
  A control method comprising the step of changing the menu data displayed in the first display area into a format based on the display capability data in the second display area and displaying the data in the second display area. is there.
  The present invention also includes a first display area and a second display area,
  A method of controlling an information processing apparatus for displaying a window in the first display area and the second display area,
  Of the plurality of windows displayed in the first display area, a window in which all the windows are not displayed is changed to a format based on the display capability data of the second display means, and the second display area is displayed. A control method comprising the step of displaying.
[0017]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of an information processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[0018]
First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an information processing apparatus according to the present invention. Reference numeral 1 denotes first display means for displaying main information, and reference numeral 2 denotes second display means for displaying additional information. The first display means 1 is a high-resolution liquid crystal display (hereinafter abbreviated as LCD), for example, a display device having a size capable of simultaneously developing 15 inches diagonal, 1024 dots wide, 768 dots wide, 768 dots long, and 16 million colors simultaneously. The second display means 2 is assumed to be a low-resolution monochrome LCD having a size of 7 inches diagonal, 200 dots wide, 16 dots long, and monochrome display. The first display means 1 occupies a large part of the cost of this device, and it is impractical to use a display device having the same performance as the first display means 1 for the second display means 2.
[0019]
Reference numeral 3 is a central processing unit (CPU) that executes programs, and 4 is a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores a part of basic programs such as BIOS (Basic Input Output System) of each device, and fixed data such as fonts and dictionaries. ) 5 is a RAM (Random Access Memory) that stores information necessary for processing of the apparatus, various data, and an expandable program and the like and capable of updating data. Here, the application software 51, image data for displaying menu icons displayed on the first display means 1, text data for displaying a character string menu, menu display format data (pull-down menu, pop-up menu, vertical / horizontal alignment) Menu data 52, operating system 53, pointing device device driver 54, first display device driver 55, second display device driver 56, and other device drivers, and display area size in the second display device 2 Second display means display capability data 57, which is data such as the number of display colors and resolution, is stored, and is loaded from eight internal storage devices 9 or external storage devices 9 to be described later.
[0020]
The menu data 52 may be included in the application software 51, the various device drivers 54 to 56 may be included in the operating system 53, and the second display means display capability data 57 is the second display means device driver 56. May be included.
[0021]
Reference numeral 6 denotes a key input device that accepts key inputs and the like, and reference numeral 7 denotes a pointing device such as a mouse that accepts input of coordinates or the like and a transparent tablet superimposed on the second display means 2. Reference numeral 8 denotes an internal storage device such as a hard disk or flash memory, and reference numeral 9 denotes an external storage device such as a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM, which stores programs to be loaded into the RAM 5 and saved data.
[0022]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a basic functional configuration of the information processing apparatus according to the present invention.
[0023]
The main system 20 including the CPU 3, the RAM 5, and the internal storage device 8 can be divided into functional blocks of application software 51, operating system 53, and various device drivers 54 to 56. The various device drivers include a pointing device device driver 54, a first display device driver 55, a second display device driver 56, and the like. Pointer position information and selection operation information are stored in the pointing device device driver 54. The operating system 53 obtained from the pointing device 7 and receiving the information is stored in the RAM 5. The display contents of the first display means 1 and the second display means 2 are determined by the first display means device driver 55 and the second display means device driver 56, respectively.
[0024]
The basic operation of determining the display contents on the second display means 2 of the second display means device driver 56 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
[0025]
First, when updating the display items of the second display means 2, display additional information (menu data) is selected (step S 11). This may be selected by the user's operation, may be an instruction from the application software 51, or may be determined by the second display device driver 56 based on past history information. Next, the content of the additional information (menu data) to be displayed is acquired from the application software 51 or the operating system 53 (step S12), and the display content corresponding to the display capability of the second display means 2 is created (step S13). Next, the display on the second display means 2 is actually performed (step S14), and a transition is made to a state waiting for input from the user (step S15).
[0026]
FIG. 4 is an example of a basic display screen in the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 (a) is an example of a display screen in the prior art, and FIG. 4 (b) is the present invention. It is an example of the display screen in.
[0027]
4 (a) and 4 (b), the information processing apparatus has a first display means 1 as a main display and a second display means 2 as a sub display. Application software with a window is displayed. The window 11 is a main window for inputting a main status display and most operation commands, and the window 12 serves as a sub-window that is responsible for the status display and operation icon functions of a part of the application software. Further, the second display means 2 has a horizontally long display area and displays a status display and operation icons that the window 12 has. FIG. 4C is an overall view of the window 12.
[0028]
In the prior art of FIG. 4A, the window 12 is displayed on the second display means 2 without considering the display area, and cannot be displayed at the same time. Therefore, user operability is reduced.
[0029]
In the technique of the present invention shown in FIG. 4B, the icons of the window 12 are displayed in a form that is listed in a horizontal row in accordance with the display area of the second display means 2. The window 12 displays all the information held by the window 12 on the second display unit 2 even when the window 12 is hidden or not displayed by other windows due to the limitation of the display area of the first display unit 1. It is possible.
[0030]
In this embodiment, the case where an icon is displayed on the second display means 2 is described. However, not only the icon but also a character string, a figure, an operation button, etc. on the window 12 can be displayed. An example in that case will be described later.
[0031]
Further, in FIG. 4B, a pointer 71 is present on the first display means 1 and a pointer 72 is present on the second display means 2. The pointer 71 and the pointer 72 can be operated by the pointing device 7 and which pointer is to be operated can be selected by a specific key operation or the like. For example, when the pointer 72 selects an icon on the second display means 2, the same effect as when the corresponding icon on the first display means 1 is selected occurs. That is, by operating the icon on the second display unit 2, the window 12 can be operated regardless of the state on the first display unit 1.
[0032]
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a basic display content creation method in the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and describes step S13 in FIG. 3 in detail.
[0033]
First, the second display device driver 56 substitutes 1 for a variable i (step S101), refers to the menu data acquired in step S12, and changes the i-th operation item to the right of the i-1th operation item. (Step S102). However, when the operation item is the first, it is arranged at the left end of the display area of the second display means 2. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4B, since there is only one line of display area vertically, the operation items are arranged in order from the left to the right in consideration of the display area.
[0034]
Next, i is incremented by 1 (step S103), and it is checked whether i is larger than the total number of target items (step S104). If i is larger, the process proceeds to display update processing (step S105), otherwise returns to step S102. Repeat the process.
[0035]
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a basic operation at the time of pointer selection in the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and will describe step S15 in FIG. 3 in detail.
[0036]
When the user selects with the pointer 71 or the pointer 72 (step S111), it is checked whether or not the position of the pointer is on the second display means 2 (step S112). If it is not on the second display means 2, it is determined that the operation is for the first display means 1, the process for the application of the first display means 1 is performed (step S 117), and the process waits for input (step S 116).
[0037]
In step S112, if it is on the 2nd display means 2, it will be checked whether it is an icon selection (step S113). If the icon is selected, it is handled as an operation on the icon on the first display means 1 corresponding to the icon as a process at the time of icon execution (step S114). Thereafter, the display content is updated (step S115), and the process waits for input (step S116). If the icon is not selected, nothing is performed in this embodiment, and the process returns to the input waiting (step S116).
[0038]
By the above operation, the operation items can be displayed in a format suitable for the display performance of the second display means 2 with inferior display performance without impairing the display area of the first display means 1, and the second display with inferior display performance. Even from the means 2, the application displayed on the first display means 1 can be operated without deteriorating the operability.
[0039]
Second Embodiment FIG. 7 is an example of a display screen of an information processing apparatus that is a second embodiment of the present invention. The basic configuration and basic operation of the information processing apparatus in the second embodiment are the same as those of the information processing apparatus in the first embodiment shown in FIGS.
[0040]
FIG. 7A shows a state in which the window 12 and the pointer 73 are displayed on the first display means 1. When the pointing device 7 is operated to move the pointer 73 outside the display area range of the first display means 1, for example, downward, the pointer 73 is displayed on the second display means 2 as shown in FIG. Conversely, when the pointer is moved outside the display area range of the second display means 2, it is displayed on the first display means 1.
[0041]
In this way, one pointer can be shared by the first display means 1 and the second display means 2, and the first display means 1 and the second display means 2 can behave as if they are continuous display areas. .
[0042]
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the information processing apparatus in the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 illustrates an operation at the time of movement by the pointer of the information processing apparatus having a pointer capable of moving the plurality of display means in FIG. 7, and describes step S15 in FIG. 3 in detail.
[0043]
When the user moves the pointer 73 (step S121), it is checked whether the position of the pointer 73 is on the second display means 2 (step S122). If it is on the second display means 2, it is checked whether the pointer 73 is located at the top (step S123). If it is not at the top, the position of the pointer 73 is placed on the first display means 1 as it is. It moves (step S124) and returns to waiting for input (step S125).
[0044]
If the position of the pointer 73 is on the first display means 1, it is checked whether the pointer 73 is positioned at the bottom (step S126). If the position is not at the bottom, the position of the pointer 73 is set to the first position. It moves onto the display means 1 (step S127) and returns to waiting for input (step S125).
[0045]
With the above operation, when the pointer is moved out of the display area range, the pointer can be switched and moved so as to move among a plurality of display means within one display means. It can also be performed by a specific key operation, a specific combination of a plurality of key presses, a button on a pointing device, or the like.
[0046]
[Third Embodiment] FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the entire apparatus of an information processing apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention. Here, a personal computer will be described as an example of an embodiment. The basic configuration and basic operation of the information processing apparatus in the third embodiment are the same as those of the information processing apparatus in the first embodiment shown in FIGS.
[0047]
The personal computer 91 is equipped with two display means, the first display means 1 and the second display means 2. As a pointing device, a mouse 74 and a touch panel 75 are provided on the second display means 2. The mouse 74 operates a pointer on the first display means 1, and the touch panel 75 operates a pointer on the second display means 2. The two pointers can operate independently for each operation. Therefore, each operation can be performed without depending on the state of each display means.
[0048]
The pointer on the touch panel 75 is moved by sliding the touch panel 75 while the finger is touched, and the pointer is also moved in conjunction with the amount of movement of the finger. This can be done by touching it twice in a row. For example, even when the pointer on the first display unit 1 cannot be operated by application software for playing back moving images, for example, additional information and operation icons of application software for confirming incoming e-mail are displayed on the second display unit 2. By operating the touch panel 75, it is possible to confirm the incoming e-mail while playing the moving image.
[0049]
FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of the information processing apparatus in the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 shows the operation when the pointer is selected in FIG. 9, and describes step S15 in FIG. 3 in detail.
[0050]
When the user selects the pointer with the mouse 74 or the pointing device of the touch panel 75 (step S131), it is checked whether the selection is made with the pointer on the second display means 2, that is, the selection with the touch panel 75 (step S132). If it is not the selection by the touch panel 75, it will process that it is operation to the 1st display means 1 by the mouse | mouth 74 (step S137), and will transfer to input waiting (step S136). If it is selection by the touch panel 75, it will be operation to the 2nd display means 2, and it will be checked whether it is selection of the icon of the 2nd display means 2 (step S133). If the icon is selected, it is handled as an operation on the icon on the first display means 1 corresponding to the icon as a process at the time of executing the icon (step S134). Thereafter, the display content is updated (step S135), and the process waits for input (step S136). If no icon is selected, nothing is performed in this embodiment, and the process returns to the input waiting (step S136).
[0051]
In the present embodiment, the touch panel 75 is used as the pointing device of the second display unit 2. However, when a device that does not need to display a pointer on the display unit such as a touch panel is used as the pointing device, the pointer is used. It does not have to be displayed.
[0052]
[Fourth Embodiment] FIG. 11 is an example of a display screen of an information processing apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. (A) and (b) are examples of a display screen in the prior art. ), (D), (e), (f) are examples of the display screen in the present invention. The basic configuration and basic operation of the information processing apparatus in the fourth embodiment are the same as those of the information processing apparatus in the first embodiment shown in FIGS.
[0053]
Conventionally, when the menu of the application software is displayed as in the screen (a), when the “menu 3” on the window 11 is selected by the pointer, the pull-down menu 13 is displayed as in the screen (b). The additional information such as a more detailed menu is displayed.
[0054]
In the present embodiment, such additional information of application software is displayed on the second display means 2. On the screen (c), “menu 1”, “menu 2”, and “menu 3”, which are menus of application software, are displayed. Screen (d) shows the display contents when “Menu 3” is selected by pointer 76 on screen (c). Since the display area of the second display means 2 is insufficient to display all of “Menu 3-A” to “Menu 3-H” in the pull-down menu of the screen (b), “Menu 3-A” to Only “Menu 3-D” is displayed, and the right scroll button A is arranged on the right side.
[0055]
When the right scroll button A is selected by the pointer 76, the display contents are sequentially scrolled to the left side, and the left scroll button B is also arranged on the left side as shown in the screen (e). If the left scroll button B is selected, the display contents are reversed. Scrolls to the right.
[0056]
Further, when the right scroll button A is continuously selected and there is no information to be newly displayed, the right scroll button A is not displayed as in the screen (f). Further, the screen (d) is in a state where the left scroll button B is not displayed because there is no information displayed by the left scroll button B.
[0057]
FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a display content creation method in the information processing apparatus according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, which explains step S13 in FIG. 3 in detail.
[0058]
First, the second display device driver 56 substitutes 1 for a variable i (step S141), and the i-th operation item is the right side of the i-1th operation item with reference to the second display device display capability data 57. It is determined whether or not it can be arranged (step S142). If it can be arranged, the i-th operation item is arranged on the right side of the (i-1) -th operation item with reference to the menu data acquired in step S12 (step S143). However, when the operation item is the first, it is arranged at the left end of the display area of the second display means 2.
[0059]
Next, i is incremented by 1 (step S144), and it is checked whether i is larger than the total number of target items (step S145). If i is larger, the process proceeds to display update processing (step S146). Otherwise, the process returns to step S142. Repeat the process.
[0060]
If the operation item cannot be arranged in step S142, a right scroll button is arranged at the right end (step S147), and the process proceeds to step S146 to perform display update processing.
[0061]
FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the operation of the information processing apparatus in the fourth embodiment of the present invention. The operation at the time of pointer selection in FIG. 11 is shown, and step S15 of FIG. 3 will be described in detail.
[0062]
When the user selects with the pointer 76 (step S151), it is checked whether the position of the pointer 76 is on the second display means 2 (step S152). If it is not on the second display means 2, the process is performed as an operation to the first display means 1 (step S150), and input is waited (step S160).
[0063]
If it is on the second display means 2, it is checked whether the position of the pointer 76 is the right scroll button A (step S153). If so, the display screen is scrolled one item to the left (step S154), and the leftmost side. The left scroll button B is added (step S155), and it is further checked whether there is an undisplayed item on the right side (step S156). If there is none, the right scroll button A is added to the rightmost side as it is (step S157), and the process waits for input (step S160).
[0064]
In step S153, if the position of the pointer is not the right scroll button A, it is next checked whether it is the left scroll button B (step S161). If so, the display screen is scrolled to the right by one item (step S162), a right scroll button A is added to the rightmost side (step S163), and it is confirmed whether there are any undisplayed items on the left side (step S164). If there is not, the left scroll button B is added to the left side as it is (step S165), and the process waits for input (step S160).
[0065]
In step S161, if it is not the left scroll button B, it is checked whether the icon is selected (step S166). If the icon is selected, it is handled as an operation on the icon on the first display means 1 corresponding to the icon as a process at the time of executing the icon (step S167). Thereafter, the display contents are updated (step S168), and the process returns to waiting for input (step S160). If no icon is selected, nothing is performed in this embodiment, and the process returns to the input wait (step S160).
[0066]
With the above operation, all additional information that does not fit in the display area of the second display means 2 can be displayed and selected by a user operation. In this embodiment, scrolling of display contents is started by selecting a scroll button. However, the present invention is not limited to this method. For example, even when the pointer is moved to a specific area on the screen or a specific key is pressed. The present invention is feasible and does not limit the operation method.
[0067]
[Fifth Embodiment] FIG. 14 is an example of a display screen of an information processing apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. The basic configuration and basic operation of the information processing apparatus in the fifth embodiment are the same as those of the information processing apparatus in the first embodiment shown in FIGS.
[0068]
14 (c), (d), (e), and (f) display the additional information of the application software displayed as shown in FIGS. 11 (a) and 11 (b) on the second display means 2. Is the case. On the screen (c), “menu 1”, “menu 2”, and “menu 3”, which are menus of application software, are displayed. The screen (d) shows the display contents when “Menu 3” is selected by the pointer 77 on the screen (c). Since the display area of the second display means 2 is insufficient to display all of “Menu 3-A” to “Menu 3-H” in the pull-down menu of FIG. 11B, “Menu 3-A”. "Menu 3-C" and "Menu 3-E" to "Menu 3-H" are abbreviated displays "A" to "C" and "" to "H" representing only a part of the respective character strings. Only “Menu 3-D” selected by the pointer 77 is displayed.
[0069]
When the pointer 77 is moved and positioned on “E” and “F”, only the respective items are displayed as shown in the screens (e) and (f).
[0070]
FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a display content creation method in the information processing apparatus according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention, and will describe step S13 in FIG. 3 in detail.
[0071]
First, the second display device driver 56 substitutes 1 for a variable i (step S171), and refers to the second display device display capability data 57 to determine whether all operation items can be displayed (step S172). . If it can be displayed, the i-th operation item is arranged on the right side of the i-1th operation item with reference to the menu data acquired in step S12 (step S173). However, when the operation item is the first, it is arranged at the left end of the display area of the second display means 2. Next, i is incremented by 1 (step S174), and it is checked whether i is larger than the total number of target items (step S175). If there is more, the process proceeds to the display update process (step S176), otherwise the process returns to step S173. Repeat the process.
[0072]
If it is determined in step S172 that all the operation items cannot be arranged, it is further determined whether or not the i-th operation item is selected (step S181). If it is selected, the i-th operation item is arranged on the right side of the (i-1) -th operation item (step S182), i is increased by 1 (step S183), and i is checked whether it is larger than the total number of items. If there are more, the process proceeds to the display update process (step S176). If not, the process returns to step S181 to repeat the process.
[0073]
If the i-th operation item is not selected in step S181, the i-th operation item is reduced and placed on the right side of the i-1th operation item (step S185), and the process continues to step S183.
[0074]
FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the operation of the information processing apparatus in the fifth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 14 shows an operation at the time of moving the pointer in FIG. 14, and describes step S15 in FIG. 3 in detail.
[0075]
When the user moves the pointer 77 (step S191), it is checked whether the position of the pointer 77 is on the second display means 2 (step S192). If it is not on the second display means 2, processing is performed assuming that the operation is for the first display means 1 (step S197), and the process waits for input (step S196). If it is on the second display means 2, it is checked whether the position of the pointer 77 is on the icon (step S193). If it is not on the icon, the process proceeds to input waiting (step S196). If it is on the icon, all icons on the position of the pointer 77 are displayed (step S194), and icons other than the position of the pointer 77 are displayed in a shortened display (step S195). The process waits for input (step S196).
[0076]
With the above operation, it is possible to display more items by changing the display content of each item in accordance with the size of the display area of the second display means 2, and it is also possible to easily confirm the item at the time of selection. In this embodiment, “menu 3-A” through “menu 3-H” are associated with “A” through “H”. However, since all the first characters of each item are “me”, Although “A” to “H” having different items are displayed, of course, the present invention is not limited to this method and can be realized.
[0077]
[Sixth Embodiment] FIG. 17 is an example of a display screen of an information processing apparatus according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. The basic configuration and basic operation of the information processing apparatus in the sixth embodiment are the same as those of the information processing apparatus in the first embodiment shown in FIGS.
[0078]
FIG. 17 shows an operation example of screen display of application software, and items corresponding to the icons A, B and C on the window of the first display means 1 are also displayed on the second display means 2. The items displayed on the second display means 2 are the pop-up help 14 displayed in order to explain the function of the character attribute and character information of each corresponding icon, for example, when the pointer is moved over the icon. Character information such as is used as a display item instead of an icon image.
[0079]
In FIG. 17, the icons A, B, and C respectively hold pop-up help information “file save”, “print”, and “enlarged display”, so that the second display unit 2 displays those character strings. Listed as items. This is because the display area of the second display means 2 is inferior to that of the first display means 1 and the icon image cannot be displayed as it is on the second display means 2 or is displayed on the second display means 2. This is effective when the image is crushed and cannot be distinguished.
[0080]
Further, the information displayed on the second display means 2 is not limited to character information. For example, image information may be displayed.
[0081]
FIG. 18 is an example of a display screen when image information is displayed on the second display means 2. This is an example of screen display operation of application software, and image information of items corresponding to the icons A, B and C on the window 11 of the first display means 1 is displayed on the second display means 2. The items displayed on the second display means 2 include the corresponding icon images, such as the display area size, resolution, number of colors, and the like (see the second display means display capability data 57). ) To display the processed image.
[0082]
For example, when the display performance of the second display means 2 is significantly inferior to that of the first display means 1, in FIG. 18, the contour is extracted from the fine icon A image, the image size is reduced, and the image is converted into a monochrome binary image. Thus, an image of the icon D that can be identified by the second display means 2 is obtained. The icon D, icon E, and icon F on the second display means 2 correspond to the icon A, icon B, and icon C, respectively, and the user can select an icon on the second display means 2 that has poor display ability according to the present invention. The icons can be identified and the icons can be operated.
[0083]
FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing the operation of the information processing apparatus according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention, which explains in detail the display content creation method in step S13 of FIG.
[0084]
In the present embodiment, the second display means 2 is about 16 dots long, has only a display area of one line in the character string, and has only two monochrome colors, and this information is the second display means display capability data. 57.
[0085]
First, the second display device driver 56 substitutes 1 for a variable i (step S201), and uses the menu data 52 to determine whether the i-th target item is represented by a character string or an image. A check is made with reference to (step S202). If the target is a character string, the process proceeds to (step S203). If the target is an image, it is checked whether the item has character information such as pop-up help (step S208), and has character information. Even in this case, the process proceeds to step S203, and an operation item that is converted into an icon using the obtained character string is created.
[0086]
If there is no character information in step S208, the size of the image data is compared with the size of the display area (step S209). If the image is small, nothing is done. If the image is large, the size is adjusted to the display area. That is, the image data is reduced to a size of 16 dots vertically (step S210), and the process proceeds to step S211.
[0087]
Further, it is compared whether the number of colors of the image is larger than the number of colors (monochrome two colors) of the second display means 2 (step S211), and if it is equal or less, nothing is done. (Step S212), and an operation item that is converted into an icon based on the image is created (step S213).
[0088]
The operation items created in step S203 and step S213 are arranged on the right side of the i-1th operation item (step S204). However, when the created operation item is the first, it is arranged at the left end of the display area of the second display means 2. In this embodiment, since there is only one line of display area in the vertical direction, the operation items are arranged in order from the left to the right in consideration of the display area.
[0089]
Next, i is incremented by 1 (step S205), and it is checked whether i is greater than the total number of target items (step S206). If i is larger, the process proceeds to display update processing (step S207), and if not, the process returns to step S202. repeat.
[0090]
By the above operation, even when the content displayed on the second display means 2 is image information, only the added character information is displayed on the second display means 2 or the image information is also displayed on the second display means 2. It can be displayed after processing such as reduction, color reduction, contour extraction, etc. in a displayable state.
[0091]
As mentioned above, the content in embodiment mentioned so far is not limited to the said description, unless the main point of this invention is changed.
[0092]
【The invention's effect】
In the information processing apparatus according to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.
[0093]
It has basic first display means and auxiliary second display means, and displays additional information such as the operating state of application software and executable operation items in a format suitable for this on the second display means. Therefore, the first display means can display without damaging the display area, and when additional information on the second display means is selected by the input means, an operation corresponding to the selected item is performed on the application software. An effect equivalent to that of a thing can be generated.
[0094]
In addition, by having a common input means among a plurality of display means, it is possible to freely move between each display means and select the contents of any display means, so that each intuitive display environment as a continuous display area It is easy to grasp the input and can further improve the operability.
[0095]
In addition, since the first display means and the second display means have dedicated input means, the second display means can be operated independently of the state of the first display means.
[0096]
Further, when all of the additional information cannot be displayed on the second display means, a part of the additional information is displayed and the remaining undisplayed portion is displayed by scrolling or switching. Even on the display means, the operation can be easily performed without reducing the operability.
[0097]
Further, when all the additional information cannot be displayed on the second display means, a part of the additional information is displayed, and only the items designated by the input means are displayed, so that the display performance is inferior. Even on the display means, it is possible to improve the operability by improving the list.
[0098]
Further, even if the information displayed on the second display means is image information that is difficult to handle in terms of display performance, the added character information is displayed, or the image information is processed so that it can be displayed on the second display means. Then, various information can be displayed in an easy-to-see manner even by the second display means having inferior display performance.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an information processing apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a basic functional configuration of an information processing apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a basic operation for determining display contents on the second display means 2;
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a basic display screen of the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a basic display content creation method in the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the information processing apparatus in the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the information processing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the information processing apparatus according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing an entire apparatus of an information processing apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the information processing apparatus according to the third exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the information processing apparatus according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a display content creation method in the information processing apparatus according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the information processing apparatus according to the fourth exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the information processing apparatus according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a display content creation method in the information processing apparatus according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the operation of the information processing apparatus in the fifth embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the information processing apparatus according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the information processing apparatus according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing the operation of the information processing apparatus in the sixth example of the present invention;
[Explanation of symbols]
1 First display means
2 Second display means
3 CPU
4 ROM
5 RAM
6 Key input device
7 Pointing device
8 Internal storage
9 External storage device
20 Main system
51 application software
52 Menu data
53 Operating System
54 Device drivers for pointing devices
55 Device driver for first display means
56 Device driver for second display means
57 Second display means display capability data

Claims (2)

In an information processing apparatus comprising first display means for displaying menu data and second display means different from the first display means,
Menu data storage means for storing menu data to be displayed on the first display means;
The menu data is changed to a format based on the display capability data of the second display means, and is provided with display control means for displaying on the second display means,
The menu data storage means includes, as the menu data to be displayed on the first display means, a menu list having a plurality of menus and a lower operation item list having a plurality of lower operation items corresponding to each of the menus. Remember,
The display control means includes
Either one of the menu list and the lower operation item list is displayed on the second display means so that the menu or the operation item can be selected .
When image data for icon display and text data for character string display corresponding to the image data are stored in the menu data storage means, a menu based on the character string is displayed on the second display means using only the text data. An information processing apparatus characterized by:   An information processing apparatus comprising: first display means for displaying menu data; second display means different from the first display means; and menu data storage means for storing menu data to be displayed on the first display means. In the control method, the menu data storage means includes, as the menu data to be displayed on the first display means, a menu list having a plurality of menus and a plurality of lower-level operation items corresponding to the menus. It stores a list of subordinate operation items,
  Changing the menu data into a format based on the display capability data of the second display means, and displaying it on the second display means,
  In the displaying step,
  Either one of the menu list and the lower operation item list is displayed on the second display means so that the menu or the operation item can be selected.
  When image data for icon display and text data for character string display corresponding to the image data are stored in the menu data storage means, a menu based on the character string is displayed on the second display means using only the text data. A control method characterized by:

Images