JP2006215966A - Digital image file browsing device, digital image processing device, recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve convenience when viewing digital image files in a storage medium to search for a desired digital image file, and to improve the operability of digital image recording by a direct print technology in regard to a small liquid crystal display part provided in a digital image processing device, a recording device or the like. <P>SOLUTION: In a recording control part 100, in regard to a list display image plane A of a folder FO, for example, when a cursor CU is moved to a position for selecting the folder FO named "May", and while the folder FO named "May" is selected (designated) by the cursor CU, a slide show regarding all digital image files FL in the folder FO named "May" is displayed in the liquid crystal display part 391. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a digital image file browsing apparatus for browsing a digital image file stored in a storage medium, and a digital image processing apparatus and a recording apparatus including the digital image file browsing apparatus.

  A digital image processing apparatus such as a DSC (digital still camera) is directly connected to a recording apparatus such as an ink jet printer, and recording (printing) on a recording material (recording paper) based on a digital image file transmitted from the DSC In other words, a so-called direct printing technique is known in which a digital image file in a memory card is directly read from a memory card slot of a recording apparatus and recording on a recording material is performed. There is the convenience that digital photographs can be easily printed without using an information processing device such as a personal computer, and electronic devices such as inkjet printers and DSCs that are compatible with this direct printing technology are becoming widespread.

  When recording a digital image by connecting the digital image processing device to the recording device, a list of digital image files displayed on the display unit of the digital image processing device by operating the operation unit of the digital image processing device In general, a desired digital image file is selected from among them and a recording execution operation is performed. Further, the recording apparatus alone directly reads a digital image file in the memory card inserted into the memory card slot and executes recording of the digital image. In that case, operate the operation unit of the recording device, browse the list of digital image files in the memory card displayed on the display unit of the recording device, select the desired digital image file and record it An execution operation will be performed.

  By the way, digital image files are stored and classified and organized in a plurality of folders configured in the storage medium regardless of whether they are a storage medium in the digital image processing apparatus or a storage medium such as a nonvolatile memory card. Is common. A folder generally means a storage location for classifying and organizing files. A unique name (folder name) can be given to a folder, and a large number of files can be efficiently managed by putting together a plurality of related files into one folder. Further, by creating a folder in the folder to have a hierarchical structure, the files in the storage medium can be classified and organized hierarchically. That is, there is an advantage that it is possible to easily grasp how the digital image files in the storage medium are classified and arranged, and the location of the desired digital image file can be easily identified.

  However, as the number of folders increases and the folder hierarchy becomes multi-layered, there are disadvantages associated therewith. For example, when a desired digital image file is in a deep hierarchy, the operation cannot be reached unless the folder is repeatedly opened in order from the upper hierarchy, and the operation becomes complicated. In addition, since the list of digital image files in a folder cannot be known unless the folder is opened, if the folder in which the desired digital image file is stored cannot be identified from the folder name, etc. Alternatively, the user is forced to perform an operation such as opening and closing as soon as possible.

  As an example of the prior art for solving such a problem, when a folder is opened, a display area for displaying files in the folder and a display area for displaying files in the child folder of the folder are displayed by the number of child folders. An information processing apparatus provided with a hierarchical display control means for allocating and displaying within a display screen of a display of a personal computer is known (for example, see Patent Document 1). By displaying the inclusive relation between the folder hierarchies and the inclusive relation between the hierarchies and the files in a nested manner, the entire hierarchical structure of the folder is visually expressed, so that a desired file can be easily found.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-54673

  However, it is difficult to obtain the effect of the above prior art unless it is a large display screen such as a display of a personal computer. For example, a digital image processing apparatus such as a DSC (digital still camera), an ink jet printer, etc. The effect is hardly obtained in a small liquid crystal display unit of about several inches mounted on the recording apparatus. In other words, in a small liquid crystal display unit mounted on a digital image processing device or a recording device, the display screen is small, so that a list of multiple folders can be displayed as it is in a complicated folder hierarchy structure, or a folder hierarchy structure can be displayed. Even if a display area for displaying is separately provided, it is not easy to grasp a complicated folder hierarchical structure.

  In addition, when the folder hierarchical structure is complicated, the user who configures the folder itself may not be able to know which folder in which hierarchy the desired digital image file is. In such a case, as described above, a large number of folders are opened in order or gradually, and the operation of checking the inside and closing is repeated. In other words, originally, folders were hierarchized and classified and organized to make it easier to find the desired digital image file, but the more complicated the folder hierarchy, the more inconvenient There is.

  In addition, the operation unit of a digital image processing device or recording device is often operated by moving a cursor or the like in the display screen by using the up / down / left / right direction buttons, etc. Compared to mouse operations in a personal computer. The operability is slightly inferior. For this reason, an operation for selecting and opening or closing a folder in a digital image processing apparatus or recording apparatus requires more time than a case where a mouse operation is performed on a large display screen of a personal computer or the like. In addition, a heavy operation burden is imposed on the user.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and the problem is that a small liquid crystal display unit mounted on a digital image processing apparatus, a recording apparatus or the like browses a digital image file in a storage medium. Thus, it is intended to improve convenience when searching for a desired digital image file. It is also intended to improve the operability of digital image recording by the direct print technique.

  In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention includes a folder list, a list of digital image files, a display unit capable of displaying a digital image of a selected digital image file, and an operation for designating an arbitrary folder with a cursor. An operation unit capable of opening a folder designated by a cursor and displaying a digital image of a digital image file designated by a cursor, and a control unit for controlling display of the display unit and operation of the operation unit. A digital image file browsing device for browsing a digital image file stored in a storage medium, wherein the control unit uses a predetermined folder hierarchy in the storage medium as a reference hierarchy, and a folder of the reference hierarchy When a list is displayed and one of the folders in the reference hierarchy is opened, the reference hierarchy in the opened folder is displayed. , Including digital image files in the folder in the lower hierarchy, displays a list of all the digital image file of the open folder, it is a digital image file browsing device, which was characterized by.

  In this way, when a folder in a predetermined hierarchy (reference hierarchy) is opened, the display unit displays the digital image files in the opened folder, as well as in all the folders below the opened folder hierarchy. All digital image files are listed in parallel. That is, when a folder in a predetermined folder hierarchy is opened, it is assumed that the opened folders are virtually not classified or organized by folder hierarchies. A list of digital image files is displayed to the user. Thereby, the user does not need to be aware of the folder hierarchy structure below the predetermined hierarchy, and can seamlessly browse all the digital image files in the folder.

  Therefore, the user only performs an operation on the operation unit to scroll the display screen of the display unit while browsing the list display of digital image files (file name list, thumbnail image list, etc.) displayed on the display unit. Thus, a desired digital image file can be searched from all the digital image files included in the opened folder. Accordingly, it is not necessary to repeatedly open and close the folder while sequentially traversing a folder hierarchy having a complicated hierarchical structure, and a desired digital image file can be quickly found by a simple operation.

  Thus, according to the digital image file browsing device described in the first aspect of the present invention, a desired digital image file can be quickly found with a simple operation, and thus the digital image file browsing device is mounted on a digital image processing device or a recording device. In such a small liquid crystal display unit, it is possible to improve the convenience of browsing a digital image file in a storage medium and searching for a desired digital image file.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a display unit capable of displaying a folder list, a list of digital image files, and a digital image of a selected digital image file, an operation for designating an arbitrary folder with a cursor, and a folder designated with a cursor. An operation unit capable of opening and displaying a digital image of a digital image file designated by a cursor, and a control unit for controlling the display of the display unit and the operation of the operation unit are stored in a storage medium. A digital image file browsing device for browsing a digital image file, wherein the control unit displays a list of folders in the reference hierarchy with a predetermined folder hierarchy in the storage medium as a reference hierarchy, and the reference When any of the folders in the hierarchy is designated as a cursor, A digital image file browsing device that displays a slide show of all digital image files in a folder designated by a cursor, including digital image files in a lower-level folder, while the cursor is designated. .
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect described above, when any one of the folders in the reference hierarchy is designated by the cursor, the control unit is configured to store the reference hierarchy in the folder designated by the cursor. A digital image file browsing device that displays a slide show of all digital image files in the folder designated by the cursor, including digital image files in lower-level folders, while the cursor is designated. is there.

  In this way, while a cursor is specified for an arbitrary folder in the reference hierarchy (such as overlaying the cursor on an arbitrary folder or moving the cursor over an arbitrary folder), the folder is not opened, All the digital image files including the digital image files in the lower hierarchy folder in the folder can be browsed in a slide show. In other words, digital image files in all folders below the folder designated by the cursor can be browsed sequentially without opening each folder.

  Therefore, the user can search for a desired digital image file from all the digital image files included in the folder by browsing the slide show displayed on the display unit without opening the folder. As a result, it is not necessary to repeatedly open and close the folder while sequentially traversing a folder hierarchy having a complicated hierarchical structure, and a desired digital image file can be quickly found with a simple operation.

  Thus, according to the digital image file browsing device described in the second aspect and the third aspect of the present invention, a desired digital image file can be quickly found with a simple operation. In a small liquid crystal display unit mounted on a device or the like, there is an effect that it is possible to improve convenience when browsing a digital image file in a storage medium and searching for a desired digital image file.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect or the third aspect described above, the control unit performs a predetermined time after the cursor is designated as a slide show for all digital image files in the folder designated by the cursor. It is a digital image file browsing apparatus characterized by starting after elapse.
As described above, since the slide show is started after a predetermined time has elapsed since the cursor was designated, it is possible to prevent a slide show unintended by the user from being accidentally started during the cursor operation. Therefore, since the slide show can be started only for the folder clearly designated by the user and the digital image files in the folder can be browsed, the usability can be further improved.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the second to fourth aspects described above, the control unit displays the slide show in a predetermined display area on a folder designated by a cursor. This is a digital image file browsing device.
In this way, by displaying the slide show in a predetermined display area on the folder designated by the cursor, it is possible to easily grasp which folder is the target of browsing the digital image file in the slide show.

A sixth aspect of the present invention is the digital image file browsing apparatus according to the fifth aspect, wherein the slide show is displayed using thumbnail images of the digital image file.
Thus, by displaying a slide show using thumbnail images of a digital image file, it is not necessary to generate image data of a small digital image for slide show display from the digital image file. Can be reduced.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to sixth aspects described above, the reference hierarchy can be arbitrarily set by the user with the highest folder hierarchy as an initial value. Is a digital image file browsing device characterized by the above.
As described above, by allowing the user to arbitrarily set the hierarchy in which the folder list is displayed (reference hierarchy), it is possible to display a folder list of an arbitrary hierarchy according to the folder hierarchy structure or the like. The user convenience can be further improved.

  An eighth aspect of the present invention is a digital image processing apparatus including the digital image file browsing apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh aspects described above.

  According to the digital image processing device of the eighth aspect of the present invention, in the digital image processing device, it is possible to obtain the effects of the invention according to any one of the first to seventh aspects described above. .

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a digital image file browsing apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh aspects described above, and a digital image of a digital image file selected by the digital image file browsing apparatus. The recording apparatus has a configuration capable of executing recording on a recording material.
According to the recording device according to the ninth aspect of the present invention, in the recording device, the operational effects of the invention according to any one of the first to seventh aspects described above can be obtained. There is an effect that the operability of digital image recording by the direct print technology can be improved.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
First, a schematic configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus as an example of a “recording apparatus” according to the present invention will be described.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an essential part of an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view thereof. FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of a recording system including the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention and an “information processing apparatus”.
The ink jet recording apparatus 50 includes a “main scanning drive unit” that scans the recording paper P in the main scanning direction X by ejecting ink onto the recording paper P as a “recording material”. As shown, a carriage 61 supported by a carriage guide shaft 51 so as to be movable in the main scanning direction X is provided. A recording head 62 and a PW sensor 34 described later are mounted on the carriage 61, and the rotational driving force of the CR motor 63 (FIG. 3) is transmitted by a belt transmission mechanism (not shown) to reciprocate in the main scanning direction X. Move. A platen 52 that defines a gap between the head surface of the recording head 62 and the recording paper P is provided at a position facing the head surface of the recording head 62.
A known capping device 59 is provided outside the one end side of the reciprocating region of the carriage 61 in the main scanning direction X. In a standby state in which recording is not performed, the carriage 61 moves over the capping device 59 and stops, and the head surface of the recording head 62 is sealed by the cap CP provided in the capping device 59. The stop position of the carriage 61 is defined as a home position HP.

  Further, in the ink jet recording apparatus 50, a conveyance driving roller 53 that conveys the recording paper P in the sub-scanning direction Y is used as “sub-scanning driving means” that causes the recording head 62 to scan the recording paper P in the sub-scanning direction Y. And a conveyance driven roller 54 are provided. The conveyance driving roller 53 rotates when the rotation driving force of the PF motor 58 (FIG. 3) is transmitted to the gear, and the recording paper P is conveyed in the sub-scanning direction Y by the rotation of the conveyance driving roller 53. A plurality of transport driven rollers 54 are provided and are individually urged by the transport driving roller 53, and the recording paper P is in contact with the recording paper P when the recording paper P is transported by the rotation of the transport driving roller 53. Rotates following the transport of A coating having a high frictional resistance is applied to the outer peripheral surface of the transport driving roller 53. The recording paper P pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the transport driving roller 53 by the transport driven roller 54 comes into close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the transport driving roller 53 by the frictional resistance of the outer peripheral surface, and rotates in the sub scanning direction by the transport driving roller 53. It is conveyed to. The “recording execution unit” of the inkjet recording apparatus 50 includes the above-described “main scanning driving unit” and “sub-scanning driving unit”, and the recording paper P is placed between the carriage 61 and the platen 52 in the sub-scanning direction Y. Recording is performed on the recording paper P by alternately repeating the operation of transporting the recording head 62 with the transport amount and the operation of ejecting ink from the recording head 62 onto the recording paper P while the recording head 62 is reciprocated once in the main scanning direction X. Is called.

  On the upstream side of the conveyance drive roller 53 in the sub-scanning direction Y, a paper feed tray 57 as a “recording material stacking unit” capable of stacking a large number of recording sheets P is disposed. The paper feed tray 57 is configured to feed (feed) recording paper P such as plain paper or photo paper. In the vicinity of the paper feed tray 57, an ASF (automatic feeding means) that automatically feeds the uppermost recording paper P stacked on the paper feeding tray 57 to the "recording execution means" Auto sheet feeder) is provided. The ASF is an automatic paper feed mechanism having a paper feed roller 57b provided on the paper feed tray 57 and a separation pad (not shown). The paper feed roller 57 b is disposed on one side of the paper feed tray 57. The recording paper guide 57a is provided on the paper feed tray 57 so as to be slidable in the width direction in accordance with the width of the recording paper P. Then, the recording paper P placed on the paper feeding tray 57 is fed by the rotational driving force of the paper feed roller 57b rotated by the transmission of the rotational driving force of the PF motor 58 (FIG. 3) and the frictional resistance of the separation pad. At the time of paper feeding, a plurality of recording papers P are not fed at a time, but only the topmost recording paper P is accurately separated and automatically fed one by one. A paper detector 33 according to a known technique is disposed between the paper feed roller 57b and the conveyance drive roller 53.

On the other hand, as means for discharging the recording paper P after execution of recording, a paper discharge driving roller 55 and a paper discharge driven roller 56 as “discharge driving rollers” are provided. The paper discharge driving roller 55 is rotated by transmission of the rotational driving force of the PF motor 58 (FIG. 3), and the recording paper P after recording is discharged in the sub-scanning direction Y by the rotation of the paper discharge driving roller 55. Is done. The paper discharge driven roller 56 has a plurality of teeth around it, and is a toothed roller sharply sharpened so that the tip of each tooth makes point contact with the recording surface of the recording paper P. The plurality of paper discharge driven rollers 56 are individually urged by the paper discharge driving roller 55, and come into contact with the recording paper P when the recording paper P is discharged by the rotation of the paper discharge driving roller 55. Rotates following paper discharge.
A PF motor 58 (FIG. 3) that rotationally drives the paper feed roller 57b, the conveyance drive roller 53, and the paper discharge drive roller 55, and a CR motor 63 (FIG. 3) that drives the carriage 61 in the main scanning direction will be described later. The recording control unit 100 controls the driving. Similarly, the recording head 62 is driven and controlled by the recording control unit 100 to eject ink onto the surface of the recording paper P. In the ink jet recording apparatus 50, the recording control unit 100 causes the carriage 61 to reciprocate in the main scanning direction X while ejecting ink from the recording head 62 to the recording paper P, and the recording paper P in the sub-scanning direction Y. Recording on the recording paper P is executed while alternately repeating the operation of transporting with the transport amount of.

The recording system 10 including the ink jet recording apparatus 50 and the “information processing apparatus” and the recording control unit 100 as the “recording control apparatus” will be described with reference to FIGS.
The recording control unit 100 includes a ROM 101, a RAM 102, an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit) 103, an MPU 104, a nonvolatile memory 105 as a “nonvolatile storage medium”, a PF motor driver 106, a CR motor driver 107, and a head driver 108. ing. The MPU 104 includes a rotary encoder 31 as a “rotation amount detection unit” that detects the rotation amount of the transport driving roller 53 via the ASIC 103, and a linear encoder 32 as a “carriage movement amount detection unit” that detects the movement amount of the carriage 61. The paper detector 33 for detecting the leading edge and the trailing edge of the conveyed recording paper P, the PW sensor 34 for detecting the edge of the recording paper P in the main scanning direction X, and the ink jet recording apparatus 50 are turned on / off. A power switch 35 for turning off, a recording operation switch 36 for performing a recording start operation on the recording paper P by the “recording execution means”, and an output signal of the operation panel 39 as “setting input means” are input.

The known rotary encoder 31 has a rotary scale 311 that rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the conveyance drive roller 53, and a rotary scale sensor 312 that detects slits formed at equal intervals along the outer periphery of the rotary scale 311. (FIG. 2). An output signal of the rotary scale sensor 312 that changes with the rotation of the transport driving roller 53 is output to the MPU 104 via the ASIC 103.
A known linear encoder 32 detects a linear scale 321 disposed in the vicinity of the carriage 61 substantially in parallel with the main scanning direction X and a linear scale that detects slits formed at equal intervals in the linear scale 321 mounted on the carriage 61. And a scale sensor 322 (FIG. 2). An output signal of the linear scale sensor 322 in which the period of the pulse corresponding to the amount of movement of the carriage 61 in the main scanning direction X changes with the moving speed is output to the MPU 104 via the ASIC 103.

  The known paper detector 33 is given a self-returning behavior to a standing posture and protrudes into the conveyance path of the recording paper P so as to be able to rotate only in the conveyance direction (sub-scanning direction Y) of the recording paper P. This detector has a lever that is pivotally supported in the state, and the lever rotates when the tip of the lever is pushed by the recording paper P, whereby the recording paper P is detected (FIG. 2). . The paper detector 33 detects the start end position and the end position of the recording paper P fed from the paper feed roller 57 b, and the detection signal is output to the MPU 104 via the ASIC 103. The PW sensor 34 is configured by a non-contact optical sensor, and detects the end position of the recording paper P in the main scanning direction X (side end position of the recording paper P), and the detection signal is transmitted via the ASIC 103. And output to the MPU 104. Based on the output signals of the paper detector 33 and the PW sensor 34, the MPU 104 calculates the transport position of the recording paper P, the size of the recording paper P, and the like.

A ROM 101, a RAM 102, an ASIC 103, an MPU 104, and a nonvolatile memory 105 are connected to the system bus of the recording control unit 100. The MPU 104 performs arithmetic processing for executing recording control of the ink jet recording apparatus 50 and other necessary arithmetic processing. The ROM 101 stores a recording control program (firmware) necessary for controlling the ink jet recording apparatus 50 by the MPU 104, and various data necessary for processing the recording control program is stored in the nonvolatile memory 105. . The RAM 102 is used as a work area for the MPU 104 and a storage area for recording data.
The ASIC 103 has a control circuit for performing speed control of the PF motor 58 and the CR motor 63 which are DC motors and driving control of the recording head 62. Based on the control command sent from the MPU 104, the output signal of the rotary encoder 31, and the output signal of the linear encoder 32, various calculations for controlling the speed of the PF motor 58 and the CR motor 63 are performed. The motor control signal based on this is sent to the PF motor driver 106 and the CR motor driver 107. Further, based on the recording data sent from the MPU 104, a control signal for the recording head 62 is calculated and generated and sent to the head driver 108 to drive-control the recording head 62.

The ASIC 103 includes a card IF 111, a host IF 112, and a device IF 113 as “information transmission means” that realizes information transmission with a personal computer 301, a digital camera 302, a mobile phone terminal 303, or the like as an “information processing apparatus”.
The card IF 111 realizes a card interface such as a nonvolatile memory card or a PC card inserted into the card slot 200. When a memory card is inserted into the card slot 200, it is possible to read / write data from / to the memory card, and when an infrared communication interface card is inserted into the card slot 200, an infrared communication function such as the mobile phone terminal 303 is provided. An infrared communication interface with an electronic device is realized.
The host IF 112 implements a USB interface with a host device such as a personal computer (PC) 301 connected to the USB connector 37 for connecting the host device. The USB connector 37 is disposed on the back side of the ink jet recording apparatus 50 (FIG. 2).
The device IF 113 implements a USB interface with a USB device such as a digital camera (DSC) 302 connected to the USB connector 38 for device connection. The USB connector 38 is disposed on the front side of the ink jet recording apparatus 50 so that a USB device such as the digital camera 302 can be easily attached and detached (FIG. 2).

  Next, the recording system 10 as a “digital image recording system” according to the present invention will be described.

FIG. 4 is a schematic power system diagram showing the recording system 10 including the ink jet recording apparatus 50 and the digital camera 302.
The digital camera 302 as a “digital image processing device” operates with a DSC battery 131 as a “digital image processing device battery” as a power source, and also operates with a power supply (DC 5 V) from an “external power source”. The DSC battery remaining amount detecting means 132 as the “battery remaining amount detecting means” detects the remaining amount of power of the DSC battery 131 and outputs it to the DSC control unit 130. The DSC external power input detection means 133 detects the presence / absence of an external power input and outputs it to the DSC controller 130. The electric power supplied from the DSC battery 131 or the external power source is supplied to a driving force source such as a DC motor and the DSC control unit 130. A digital image file taken by the user is stored in the image data storage unit 136 configured by a nonvolatile memory or the like. The digital image file selected by the image selection operation by the operation unit 137 via the image data processing unit 135 is displayed on the display unit 138, and the digital image file selected by the recording execution operation is inkjet printed via the USB interface 134. Is sent to the recording device 50.

  The inkjet recording apparatus 50 is connected to the digital camera 302 via the device IF 113 as “information transmission means” so as to be able to transmit information to the USB, and based on the digital image file transmitted from the digital camera 302, the recording paper Perform recording to P. The ink jet recording apparatus 50 operates with a printer battery 121 as a “recording apparatus battery” as a power source, and also operates with a power supply (DC 20 V) from an “external power source”. The printer battery remaining amount detecting unit 122 as “battery remaining amount detecting unit” detects the remaining amount of power of the printer battery 121 and outputs it to the recording control unit 100.

  The printer external power input detection means 123 detects the presence or absence of external power input and outputs it to the recording control unit 100. The power supplied from the printer battery 121 or an external power source is supplied to a driving force source such as the PF motor 58 and the CR motor 63, and the power converted by the DC-DC converter 124 (DC 20V → DC 5V) is recorded and controlled. Supplied to the unit 100. An operation of reading a digital image file from a “storage medium” such as a nonvolatile memory card inserted into the card slot 200 and executing recording (direct printing) is performed on the operation panel 39.

  Next, a “digital image file browsing device” constituted by the recording control unit 100 and the operation panel 39 will be described.

FIG. 5 schematically shows an example of a “folder hierarchical structure” of a “storage medium” such as a nonvolatile memory card in which digital image files are stored.
Here, the non-volatile memory card inserted in the memory card slot 200 includes a plurality of folders FO in the “folder hierarchical structure” shown in FIG. 5, and each folder FO contains a digital image file. FL is stored.
A folder FO with a folder name “2004” includes a plurality of folders FO including a folder FO with folder names “January” to “June” and digital image files FL with file names “File0001” to “File0003”. And a plurality of digital image files FL are stored.

  Also, in the folder FO with the folder name “June”, the folder names “1 day”, “10 days”, “20 days”, “30 days” and the like, and the file names “File 0601” to “File 0603”. A plurality of folders FO including digital image files FL such as are configured, and a plurality of digital image files FL are stored. Similarly, a plurality of folders FO and a plurality of digital image files FL are stored in the folder FO having other folder names “January” to “May”.

  Furthermore, in the folder FO with the folder name “30 days”, folder FOs and files such as folder names “XXXXXX”, “XXXXXX”, “△△△△”, “□□□□”, etc. A plurality of folders FO including digital image files FL such as names “File1207” and “File5301” are configured, and a plurality of digital image files FL are stored. Similarly, a plurality of folder FOs and a plurality of digital image files FL are stored in the folder FOs such as other folder names “1 day”, “10 days”, “20 days”, and the like. .

FIG. 6 is a plan view schematically showing the operation panel 39, and shows a first embodiment of the “digital image file browsing device” (recording control unit 100, operation panel 39).
A liquid crystal display unit 391 as a “display unit” of the operation panel 39 displays a predetermined folder hierarchy in the nonvolatile memory card having the folder hierarchy structure shown in FIG. ", A list of folders FO of the" reference hierarchy "is displayed. In this embodiment, the “reference hierarchy” is set to a folder hierarchy in which folder FOs such as folder names “January” to “June” are configured. Therefore, a list of folder FOs such as folder names “January” to “June” is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 391 (FIG. 6A).
The “reference hierarchy” can be arbitrarily set by the user with the highest folder hierarchy as an initial value. Since a folder list of an arbitrary hierarchy can be displayed according to the folder hierarchy structure and the like, user convenience can be further improved.

  An operation for designating an arbitrary folder FO with the cursor CU, an operation for opening the folder FO designated with the cursor CU, and an operation for displaying a digital image of the digital image file FL designated with the cursor CU are performed on the operation panel 39 with “ The operation is performed by operating the cursor operation button 393 and other various operation buttons in the recording operation unit 392 as an “operation unit”, and the operation is reflected on the liquid crystal display unit 391 via the recording control unit 100. The cursor operation button 393 includes four buttons, an upper button U, a lower button D, a left button L, and a right button R, so that an operation for moving the cursor CU in the display screen of the liquid crystal display unit 391 up, down, left and right is possible. ing.

  For example, when the recording operation unit 392 performs an operation for opening the folder FO with the folder name “May” on the folder FO list display screen (FIG. 6A), the recording control unit 100 displays the folder name “May. All the digital image files FL in the folder FO are displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 391 as a list. In the liquid crystal display unit 391, the digital image files FL in all folders in the lower hierarchy of the folder FO with the folder name “May” including the digital image file FL in the folder FO with the folder name “May” are stored. As shown in the figure, all are displayed in parallel as a list (FIG. 6B).

  That is, when a folder FO in a predetermined folder hierarchy (reference hierarchy) is opened, it is assumed that the folder FO is virtually not classified or organized by folder hierarchies, and all folders in the lower hierarchy of the folder FO are displayed. A list of digital image files FL is displayed to the user. The user operates the operation unit to scroll the display screen of the liquid crystal display unit 391 while viewing the list display (file name list, thumbnail image list, etc.) of the digital image file FL displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 391. By simply performing the above, all the digital image files FL including the digital image files in the lower hierarchy folder in the folder FO can be browsed seamlessly to find the desired digital image file FL.

  When the cursor CU is moved to select a desired digital image file FL from the list of digital image files FL and a predetermined enlargement display operation is performed, a digital image of the selected desired digital image file FL (for example, File 1207) is displayed. The image is enlarged and displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 391. If a recording execution operation such as pressing the recording operation switch 36 is performed, recording of a digital image on the recording paper P based on the selected desired digital image file FL is executed.

FIG. 7 is a plan view schematically showing the operation panel 39, showing a second embodiment of the “digital image file browsing device” (recording control unit 100, operation panel 39).
Until the list of folder FOs such as folder names “January” to “June” is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 391, the description is omitted because it is the same as the first embodiment (FIG. 7A).
The recording control unit 100 moves the cursor CU to a position for selecting the folder FO with the folder name “May” on the folder FO list display screen (FIG. 7A), for example, and sets the folder name “May”. While the folder FO is selected by the cursor CU (cursor designation), a slide show of all the digital image files FL including the digital image files in the lower hierarchy folder of the folder FO with the folder name “May” is displayed on the liquid crystal display. This is displayed on the part 391.

  Here, the slide show is to automatically and sequentially display the digital images of the digital image file FL while switching the digital images to be displayed every predetermined time (for example, about 3 to 5 seconds). A slide show may be displayed in order from the latest digital image file FL or the first (oldest) digital image file FL, or the attributes (file name, file size) specified by the user. The slide show may be displayed in the order based on the above.

  As shown in the figure, for the digital image files FL in all the folders below the folder FO with the folder name “May”, including the digital image file FL in the folder FO with the folder name “May”, the folder name “ The slide show is executed within a predetermined display area (inside the cursor CU) on the “May” folder FO. (FIG. 7B). That is, the digital image files in all the folders below the folder FO with the folder name “May” selected by the cursor CU can be viewed as a slide show without opening the folder FO with the folder name “May”. can do.

  Therefore, the user browses the slide show displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 391 to open all the digital image files FL including the digital image files in the lower hierarchy folder of the folder FO without opening the folder FO. A desired digital image file FL can be searched from among them. If the desired digital image file FL is not displayed in the slide show, the slide show can be similarly viewed for the other folder FO by simply moving the cursor CU to the other folder FO. When a predetermined file selection operation or the like is executed when the desired digital image file FL is displayed as a slide show, the folder FO storing the digital image file FL is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 391, and the digital image file FL is displayed. Is displayed with the cursor CU selected. Alternatively, the digital image of the desired digital image file FL may be enlarged and displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 391 as it is. If a recording execution operation such as pressing the recording operation switch 36 is performed, recording of a digital image on the recording paper P based on the selected desired digital image file FL is executed.

  The slideshow start timing may be started after a predetermined time (for example, about 2 seconds) has elapsed since the cursor CU is moved to and selected from an arbitrary folder FO. It is possible to prevent a slide show unintended by the user from being accidentally started during the operation of the cursor CU, and to improve usability. In this case, a slide show may be displayed using thumbnail images of the digital image file FL. Since it is not necessary to generate image data of a small digital image for slide show display from the digital image file FL, the processing load of the recording control unit 100 due to the slide show can be reduced. Furthermore, the display of the digital image in the slide show may be displayed on the entire screen of the liquid crystal display unit 391 (full screen display).

  In this way, the user does not need to be aware of the folder hierarchical structure, and can seamlessly browse all the digital image files FL in the folder FO. Since it is possible to quickly find a desired digital image file FL with a simple operation, the convenience of searching for the desired digital image file FL by browsing the digital image file FL in the nonvolatile memory card of the card slot 200 is improved. Can be made. Thereby, it is possible to improve the operability of digital image recording by the direct printing technique for recording a desired digital image file FL in the nonvolatile memory card onto the recording paper P.

Further, it goes without saying that the third embodiment of the “digital image file browsing device” (recording control unit 100, operation panel 39) can be implemented by combining the first embodiment and the second embodiment. Yes.
Furthermore, as another embodiment, the liquid crystal display unit 391 and the recording operation unit 392 of the operation panel 39 of the ink jet recording apparatus 50 described above may be used as the operation unit 137 and the display unit 138 of the digital camera 302 as they are. Effects similar to those of the ink jet recording apparatus 50 according to the present invention can also be obtained in a digital image processing apparatus such as the digital camera 302.
Furthermore, as another embodiment, the present invention can be implemented in an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer. This is particularly effective in a small information processing apparatus such as a cellular phone terminal 303 (FIG. 3) or a PDA (Personal Digital Assistance) or a small notebook personal computer with a small display.
Furthermore, the browsing target is not limited to the digital image file FL, and the present invention can be implemented for the purpose of browsing a document file or the like.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the invention described in the claims, and these are also included in the scope of the present invention. Needless to say.

1 is a schematic plan view of an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention. 1 is a schematic side view of an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a recording system. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a recording system. The figure which showed typically the folder hierarchy structure of the non-volatile memory card. The figure which showed 1st Example of the "digital image file browsing apparatus." The figure which showed 2nd Example of the "digital image file browsing apparatus."

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Recording system, 36 Recording operation switch, 39 Operation panel, 50 Inkjet recording apparatus, 51 Carriage guide shaft, 52 Platen, 53 Conveyance driving roller, 54 Conveyance driven roller, 55 Discharged driving roller, 56 Discharged driven roller, 57 Paper feed tray, 57b paper feed roller, 58 PF motor, 59 capping device, 61 carriage, 62 recording head, 63 CR motor, 100 recording control unit, 101 ROM, 102 RAM, 103 ASIC, 104 MPU, 105 nonvolatile memory, 106 PF motor driver, 107 CR motor driver, 108 head driver, 200 card slot, 301 personal computer, 302 digital camera, 303 mobile phone terminal, 391 liquid crystal display unit, 392 recording operation unit 393 Cursor operation buttons, P recording paper, X main scanning direction, Y sub-scanning direction

Claims (9)

A display unit capable of displaying a folder list, a list of digital image files, and a digital image of the selected digital image file;
An operation unit capable of performing an operation for designating a cursor for an arbitrary folder, an operation for opening a folder designated by the cursor, and an operation for displaying a digital image of a digital image file designated by the cursor;
A control unit for controlling display of the display unit and operation of the operation unit,
A digital image file browsing device for browsing a digital image file stored in a storage medium,
The control unit displays a list of folders in the reference hierarchy with a predetermined folder hierarchy in the storage medium as a reference hierarchy;
When any folder in the reference hierarchy is opened, all digital image files in the opened folder, including digital image files in folders below the reference hierarchy in the opened folder, are displayed. A digital image file browsing device characterized by displaying a list. A display unit capable of displaying a folder list, a list of digital image files, and a digital image of the selected digital image file;
An operation unit capable of performing an operation for designating a cursor for an arbitrary folder, an operation for opening a folder designated by the cursor, and an operation for displaying a digital image of a digital image file designated by the cursor;
A control unit for controlling display of the display unit and operation of the operation unit,
A digital image file browsing device for browsing a digital image file stored in a storage medium,
The control unit displays a list of folders in the reference hierarchy with a predetermined folder hierarchy in the storage medium as a reference hierarchy;
When any of the folders in the reference hierarchy is designated by the cursor, the digital image files in the folder lower than the reference hierarchy in the folder designated by the cursor are also included in the folder designated by the cursor. A digital image file browsing device, characterized in that a slide show of all digital image files is displayed while a cursor is designated. 2. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein when any of the folders in the reference hierarchy is designated by a cursor, the control unit also includes a digital image file in a folder lower than the reference hierarchy in the folder designated by the cursor. A digital image file browsing apparatus, wherein a slide show of all digital image files in a folder designated by the cursor is displayed while the cursor is designated. 4. The digital image file browsing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control unit starts a slide show for all digital image files in a folder designated by a cursor after a predetermined time has elapsed since the cursor was designated. . 5. The digital image file browsing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control unit displays the slide show in a predetermined display area on a folder designated by a cursor. 6. 6. The digital image file browsing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the slide show is displayed using thumbnail images of the digital image file. The digital image file browsing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reference hierarchy can be arbitrarily set by a user with an uppermost folder hierarchy as an initial value. A digital image processing apparatus comprising the digital image file browsing apparatus according to claim 1. The digital image file browsing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the digital image file selected by the digital image file browsing device has a configuration capable of recording on a recording material. A recording apparatus characterized by that.

Images