Moving cartoon system

Abstract

To provide a moving cartoon system in which each frame of a framed cartoon is animated independently.SOLUTION: A server includes: creation means for acquiring multiple differential images for each cell layered from original framed cartoon data, dividing the differential images into frames to create sequentially changing multi-image data, pasting the multi-image data into the cells of the layer that generates the changes, and then overlaying the cells to create composite cartoon data; registration means for adding relative position data for each frame of the cartoon data in addition to bibliographic data used in search and storing them in a database; reading means for loading the cartoon data specified by a terminal into the terminal via the Internet; and display means for displaying the cartoon data on a terminal screen. The cartoon data performs independent animation for each frame as it is loaded into the terminal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a moving cartoon system in which each frame of a framed cartoon is animated separately. [Background technology]

[0002] Manga (comics) tell a story using pictures and text, and are divided into sections called panels to show the flow of time, and speech bubbles to show the dialogue of the characters. There are also flip books, which make the pictures appear to move by quickly flipping through a stack of consecutive pictures, and animation (videos), which make the pictures appear to move by continuously projecting slightly changing images.

[0003] Furthermore, e-books that are provided as image data rather than paper can be read on tablet computers via the Internet. There are also motion comics (moving comics) in which movement and music are added to comic image data to create a moving image, and GIF animations in which multiple GIF format image data are layered and displayed in sequence.

[0004] As described in Patent Document 1, an invention has been disclosed that provides a page-turning function, making the operation system closer to that of paper media, and creating a comfortable motion comic playback environment even on a low-speed network. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-067253 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, because motion comics are video data, image data is simply displayed sequentially according to the playback time. This means that users read passively, making it difficult for them to read at their own pace, and they have to pause the video or go back to the previous playback position.

[0007] The invention described in Patent Document 1 allows the user to turn pages at their own will, but the video still plays within the page, and once playback ends, it waits for the user to turn the page, which is the same as pausing the video at each page.

[0008] Some services display a list of thumbnail images that show an overview of a video, and when you hover the cursor over one, all or part of the video data plays. However, if multiple unrelated thumbnails play the video at the same time, it becomes difficult to understand and increases the processing load on the computer.

[0009] In manga, the story unfolds by moving frames rather than pages, so if the video plays within the page, it's possible to miss something. Therefore, if the video is animated independently for each frame rather than playing for the entire manga or for each page, the story won't progress on its own.

[0010] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a moving cartoon system in which each frame of a cartoon divided into frames is animated separately. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] In order to solve the above problems, the moving cartoon system of the present invention comprises a creation means in which a server acquires multiple differential images for each cell of layered original data of a cartoon divided into frames, cuts the differential images into frames to create multi-image data that changes sequentially, pastes the multi-image data into the cells of the layer that causes the change, and then overlays the cells to synthesize the data into cartoon data, a registration means that adds relative position data of each frame of the cartoon data and bibliographic data for search purposes and stores the data in a database, a reading means that loads the cartoon data specified from a terminal into the terminal via the Internet, and a display means that displays the cartoon data on the screen of the terminal, and the cartoon data performs independent animation when each frame is loaded into the terminal.

[0012] In the moving cartoon system, the cartoon data is loaded into the memory of the terminal, and each frame is animated when displayed on the screen from the memory. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, by embedding multi-image data that sequentially displays a plurality of images in a loop in each frame of an electronic comic, it is possible to create separate animations in each frame of the comic that is divided into frames.

[0014] The animation repeats for each frame, so the story doesn't move forward on its own, allowing users to read at their own pace. By adding visual effects within the frames, it not only attracts the user's interest but also makes it easier for them to understand the content. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing the overall device configuration of a moving cartoon system according to the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a control device of a server in the moving cartoon system of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the state of a moving cartoon system displayed on a terminal according to the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the process flow of the creating means of the moving cartoon system of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating layer division in the means for creating a moving cartoon system according to the present invention. [Figure 6] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the acquisition of differential images in the creating means of the moving cartoon system of the present invention. [Figure 7] 1 is a diagram illustrating the division of frames in the creating means of the moving cartoon system of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 8] 1 is a diagram illustrating data synthesis in the means for creating a moving cartoon system according to the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a registration means of the moving cartoon system according to the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a moving cartoon system reading means according to the present invention. [Figure 11] 1 is a diagram illustrating a display means of a moving cartoon system according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that components having the same functions will be assigned the same reference numerals, and repeated description thereof may be omitted. [Example]

[0017] First, we will explain the moving cartoon system of the present invention. Figure 1 is a diagram showing the overall device configuration of the moving cartoon system. Figure 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the control device of the server of the moving cartoon system. Figure 3 is a diagram showing the situation displayed on the terminal of the moving cartoon system.

[0018] As shown in Figure 1, the moving cartoon system 100 is a computer system in which a server 200 installed on the Internet 400 provides cartoon data 600 in response to a request from a user terminal 500 accessed via the Internet 400.

[0019] The Internet 400 is a communication means via a computer information network. The services provided by the moving cartoon system 100 may be implemented by building the server 200 side in the Internet 400 environment using cloud computing.

[0020] Server 200 is a computer equipped with a control device such as a CPU, and has storage means such as database 300 in which manga data 600 is stored. Database 300 is a collection of data, and a management system provides functions such as data storage and retrieval. Manga data 600 is electronic data created by digitizing paper manga or by creating it as image data from scratch.

[0021] The terminal 500 is a client computer owned by a user who receives the service, and includes a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, a tablet computer, etc. The server 200 receives a request from the terminal 500 as an input and outputs a result of the request to the screen of the terminal 500, etc., so that the terminal 500 serves as an input / output means of the server 200.

[0022] Terminal 500 uses application 510 such as a browser to display manga data 600 on the screen. The user searches for the manga they want to read on terminal 500, requests server 200 to send manga data 600, and reads manga data 600 received from server 200 on terminal 500. A dedicated application 510 may be installed for moving manga system 100.

[0023] As shown in Figure 2, the control device of the server 200 has a creation means 210, a registration means 220, a reading means 230, and a display means 240, etc., and executes each process in the moving cartoon system 100 using a storage means 300, a communication means 400, and an input / output means 500, etc.

[0024] Creation means 210 creates cartoon data 600 on server 200. Cartoon data 600 is edited so that each frame of the cartoon is animated separately. Note that cartoon data 600 may be created on a computer other than server 200 and transferred to server 200.

[0025] Animation is image data that appears to move by sequentially switching between still images, but it is different from moving image data that is played in sync with time from start to finish by switching between continuously changing images at high speed, like a video.

[0026] The registration means 220 stores the manga data 600 in the database 300. It also displays a list of the manga data 600 on the terminal 500, extracts the manga data 600 that meets the conditions specified from the terminal 500, and sets an index to search the database 300.

[0027] Reading means 230 reads comic data 600 into terminal 500 via Internet 400. Server 200 acquires comic data 600 requested by terminal 500 from database 300 and transmits it to terminal 500.

[0028] Display means 240 displays cartoon data 600 on the screen of terminal 500. Cartoon data 600 may be temporarily stored in the memory of terminal 500, and only data within the screen range of terminal 500 may be displayed, and when data comes within the screen range from outside the screen range, the data may be read from memory and displayed on the screen.

[0029] 3(a), manga data 600 may be displayed page by page on the screen of application 510 launched on terminal 500. When switching from the page currently displayed on the screen to the next page, manga data 600 for the next page is read and displayed on the screen.

[0030] As shown in Figure 3(b), manga data 600 may be displayed while scrolling within the screen of application 510 launched on terminal 500. If the range currently displayed on the screen is shifted, manga data 600 that has moved from outside the screen range into the range is read and displayed on the screen.

[0031] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the processing flow in the creation means of the moving cartoon system. Fig. 5 is a diagram explaining layer division in the creation means of the moving cartoon system. Fig. 6 is a diagram explaining differential image acquisition in the creation means of the moving cartoon system. Fig. 7 is a diagram explaining frame division in the creation means of the moving cartoon system. Fig. 8 is a diagram explaining data synthesis in the creation means of the moving cartoon system.

[0032] First, the server 200 acquires the original image data 610. The original image data 610 is imported into the server 200 from another computer or the like, and is temporarily stored in a work area such as a memory, and then edited by the creation means 210.

[0033] The original image data 610 is image data of a manga printed on paper that has been imported into a computer using an image scanner or the like, or image data that has been drawn in manga format on a computer using a graphics editor or the like. The original image data 610 may be connected as a whole or divided into pages, but the area within it is divided into multiple frames, and each frame is filled with backgrounds, characters, dialogue, etc. to create each scene, and the story progresses by following these frames in order.

[0034] In the creation means 210, the server 200 acquires a plurality of differential images for each cell of the layered original image data 610 of the framed cartoon, cuts up the differential images into frames to create sequentially changing multi-image data, pastes the multi-image data into the cells of the layer that causes the change, and then overlays the cells to synthesize the cartoon data 600.

[0035] 4, the creation means 210 executes processing through steps such as layer division S001, differential image acquisition S002, frame area setting S003, image segmentation S004, multi-image creation S005, data pasting S006, and layer compositing S007. The registration means 220 executes processing through steps such as frame position setting S008 and bibliographic information setting S009.

[0036] 5, in layer division S001, original image data 610 is divided into layers according to the type of image data, such as background data 620, character data 630, and dialogue data 640. Layers are layers of transparent sheets, like cel drawings, and a single image is formed by drawing on multiple layers and overlaying them.

[0037] If you are importing from a paper comic, you can use image processing to extract each type of image and separate them into layers. You can also use AI (artificial intelligence). AI is a neural network that learns by classifying big data. If you are creating it from scratch using a graphics editor, you can simply draw it in layers.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 6, in differential image acquisition S002, background data 620a, character data 630a, and dialogue data 640a are acquired as differential image data that have been changed for each layer from cell image data such as background data 620, character data 630, and dialogue data 640.

[0039] The differential image data may be prepared separately from the original image data 610, and the number of images may vary depending on the changing movement pattern. Note that the movement pattern may also be generated automatically using AI, for example, if it is a simple one, such as blinking of the eyes.

[0040] For example, background data 620a may be three images of clouds flowing from left to right in the bottom frame, character data 630a may be two images of a person speaking in the top right frame, and dialogue data 640a may be four images of dialogue changing in the top left frame.

[0041] The movement within the frame is only for visual effect and has no relation to the progression of the story. This way, the story does not progress on its own, and the user can move on to the next frame at their own pace while understanding the content.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 7, in frame area setting S003 for dividing the frames, frames with changes are identified for differential image data such as background data 620a, character data 630a, and dialogue data 640a, and the relative coordinates are acquired to set the frames as frame areas.

[0043] In the image segmentation S004 for segmenting frames, frames with changes in the differential image data are extracted, and background data 620b, character data 630b, and dialogue data 640b are created as frame image data. If there are changes in multiple frames, they are created separately for each frame. Image data can be created to the size of the frame area, or the rest of the frame area can be made transparent, so that there is nothing other than that frame. Note that, as long as it is within the frame area, image data can be limited to the range where the image changes.

[0044] In the multi-image creation S005 for frame division, background data 620c, character data 630c, dialogue data 640c, etc. are created as multi-image motion image data organized so that the motion patterns of the frame image data are displayed in order as frames.

[0045] For example, unlike GIF animation, which is video data in which a rectangular playback area is allocated and the video is played from start to finish, multiple image data are displayed independently and in sequence for each frame, even if the frame area has a complex shape other than a rectangle.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 8, in data pasting S006 for data synthesis, background data 620d, character data 630d, and dialogue data 640d are created as layer image data by pasting motion image data, that is, background data 620c, character data 630c, and dialogue data 640c, onto the frame areas of background data 620, character data 630, and dialogue data 640 for each layer.

[0047] Note that background data 620c, character data 630c, and dialogue data 640c may overlap in the same frame. It is necessary to separate the areas within the frame or make areas other than the moving area transparent, but it is also possible to make different movements within the frame.

[0048] In layer synthesis S007 of data synthesis, layer image data is overlaid to create synthesized data 650. For example, person data 630d is overlaid on background data 620d, and dialogue data 640d is overlaid on person data 630d. The empty areas are transparent, but in the overlapping areas, the upper image data is visible and the lower image data is hidden behind it.

[0049] Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating a registering means of the moving cartoon system, Fig. 10 is a diagram illustrating a reading means of the moving cartoon system, and Fig. 11 is a diagram illustrating a display means of the moving cartoon system.

[0050] 9, in the frame position setting S008 in the registration means 220, the server 200 sets the relative position of each frame in the composite data 650 as position data 670. For example, the coordinates of the upper left frame are set as position 670a, the coordinates of the upper right frame are set as position 670b, and the coordinates of the lower frame are set as position 670c.

[0051] The composite data 650 is then read into the terminal 500, and the range to be displayed on the screen is set. For example, if the data is to be displayed on the screen of the terminal 500 in page units, positions 670a, 670b, and 670c can be set as one display unit. Also, if the data is to be displayed on the screen while being scrolled vertically on the terminal 500, the horizontally aligned positions 670a and 670b can be set as the first display unit 650a, and the position 670c below can be set as the second display unit 650b.

[0052] In the bibliographic information setting S009 in the registration means 220, bibliographic data 660 such as the title and author of the manga is added to the composite data 650 as information for searching on the terminal 500, and the data is then saved and accumulated in the database 300 as manga data 600.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 10, in the reading means 230 , the server 200 extracts the comic data 600 specified by the terminal 500 from the database 300 and causes the terminal 500 to read the comic data 600 via the Internet 400 .

[0054] For example, when vertical scrolling is performed on the display in application 510, first, display units 650a and 650b are displayed on the screen, and display unit 650c is hidden outside the screen range. Display unit 650c can be temporarily stored in a memory such as cache memory or VRAM so that it is displayed as soon as it enters the screen range.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 11, display means 240 displays cartoon data 600 on the screen of terminal 500, and each frame of cartoon data 600 is animated independently using different multi-image data.

[0056] The movement of each frame may start when the comic data 600 is loaded from the server 200 onto the terminal 500, or may not start outside the display range of the screen of the terminal 500 and start when it enters the display range. The determination may be made based on whether the coordinates indicated by the position data 670 are within the display range. A frame may have a rectangular frame, or may be circular, trapezoidal, or polygonal, or may even have no frame at all. For example, the upper left corner may be set as the position data 670.

[0057] When the manga data 600 is scrolled vertically, if the part hidden at the top or bottom of the screen is loaded into memory or the like before operation is started, operation can continue smoothly even if the display range is shifted slightly. Manga data 600 can be scrolled smoothly by not loading all of it at once, but sequentially storing it temporarily in memory or the like as it is displayed. Portions that have already gone off-screen can also be temporarily stored in memory or the like, with the possibility of returning, and then sequentially released from memory or the like.

[0058] For example, if display units 650b and 650c are within the screen of application 510, display units 650a and 650d may be stored in memory or the like so that they are already in operation when they enter the screen. The portion below display unit 650d is loaded when display unit 650d is displayed on the screen, and the portion above display unit 650a is released when display unit 650a leaves the screen.

[0059] According to the present invention, by embedding multi-image data that sequentially displays a plurality of images in a loop in each frame of an electronic comic, it is possible to create separate animations in each frame of the comic that is divided into frames.

[0060] The animation repeats for each frame, so the story doesn't move forward on its own, allowing users to read at their own pace. By adding visual effects within the frames, it not only attracts the user's interest but also makes it easier for them to understand the content.

[0061] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these. [Explanation of symbols]

[0062] 100: Moving Manga System 200:Server 210: Creation method 220: Registration method 230: Reading method 240:Display means 300: Database (storage means) 400: Internet (communication means) 500: Terminal (input / output means) 510: Application 600: Manga data 610: Original drawing data 620: Background data 630:Personal data 640: Dialogue data 650: Synthetic data 650a~d: Display units 660: Bibliographic data 670: Location data 670a~c:Position

Claims

1. A server acquires multiple differential images for each cell of the layered original image data of the framed comic, divides the differential images into frames to create sequentially changing multi-image data, pastes the multi-image data into the cells of the layer that causes the change, and then overlays the cells to synthesize the data into comic data; a registration means for storing the comic data in a database after adding relative position data of each frame of the comic data and bibliographic data for search purposes; a reading means for reading the manga data designated by the terminal into the terminal via the Internet; a display means for displaying the comic data on the screen of the terminal; The cartoon data performs independent animation when each frame is loaded into the terminal. A moving cartoon system characterized by the above.

2. The comic data is read into the memory of the terminal, and each frame is animated when displayed on the screen from the memory.

2. The moving cartoon system of claim 1.

Images