Display device

Abstract

To provide a display device with which, when changing the image to display, it is possible to suppress the electric energy needed for rewriting the image.SOLUTION: A display device 100 comprises a display sequence determination unit 15, a display unit 11, and an image rewrite unit 12. The display sequence determination unit 15 determines the display sequence of a plurality of images. The display unit 11 sequentially displays the plurality of images in the display sequence determined by the display sequence determination unit 15. When changing the images displayed to the display unit 11 to the images in a next display sequence, the image rewrite unit 12 rewrites at least some of the images displayed to the display unit 11 and thereby changes the images displayed to the display unit 11 to the images in the next display sequence. The display sequence determination unit 15 determines the display sequence on the basis of rewriting costs needed by the image rewrite unit 12 when changing the plurality of images.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a display device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a display device that displays an image. The display device of Patent Document 1 changes the displayed image to a different image by rewriting at least a part of the screen that displays the image. Such a display device shortens the time required to change the display, for example, by rewriting only the parts that are different between the image before and after the display change. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-047759 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the display device of Patent Document 1 does not take into consideration the rewriting cost when rewriting the screen. Here, the rewriting cost is an index that has a positive correlation with the amount of power required by the display device to rewrite the screen. In other words, the display device of Patent Document 1 does not change the display while taking into consideration the amount of power required when changing an image. For this reason, when multiple images are displayed sequentially, there is a problem that the amount of power required when all images are displayed increases depending on the order in which the images are displayed.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a display device that can sequentially display a plurality of images and reduce the amount of power required to display all of the images. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, a display device includes a display order determination unit, a display unit, and an image rewriting unit. The display order determination unit determines a display order of a plurality of images. The display unit sequentially changes and displays the plurality of images in the display order determined by the display order determination unit. When changing the image displayed on the display unit to an image with the next display order, the image rewriting unit changes the image displayed on the display unit to an image with the next display order by rewriting at least a part of the image displayed on the display unit. The display order determination unit determines the display order based on a rewriting cost required by the image rewriting unit when changing the plurality of images. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, a display device can be provided that can reduce the amount of power required to display all images by determining the display order of multiple images based on the rewriting cost when changing the image to be displayed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a display device according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example in which images before and after modification are not similar to each other. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example in which images before and after modification are similar to each other; [Figure 4] 5 is a flowchart showing a process of the display device according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a display device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing a process of the display device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a display device according to a third embodiment. [Figure 8] 11 is a flowchart showing a process of the display device according to the third embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a display device according to a fourth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference characters and description thereof will not be repeated.

[0010] [Embodiment 1] A display device 100 according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 3. Fig. 1 is a diagram that shows a schematic diagram of the display device 100 according to the first embodiment. Fig. 2 is a diagram that shows an example in which images before and after modification are not similar. Fig. 3 is a diagram that shows an example in which images before and after modification are similar.

[0011] 1, the display device 100 includes a display device 1 and a server device 2. The display device 1 displays an image based on image data, etc. The server device 2 transmits the image data, etc. to the display device 1 wirelessly.

[0012] The display device 1 is installed, for example, in a busy street, and is used to display advertisements and other images at a size of about 10 to 30 inches. Such a display device 1 often displays a plurality of images. Thus, the display device 1 displays a plurality of images in a predetermined display order. Here, the display device 1 requires power to change the displayed image to another image. Meanwhile, in a busy street, it is often difficult to secure a power source for supplying power to the display device 1. Thus, if the amount of power consumed by the display device 1 can be kept low, the display device 1 can continue to display a plurality of images for a long period of time.

[0013] The display device 1 has a display unit 11, an image rewriting unit 12, a receiving unit 13, a display side storage unit 14, a display side control unit 15, and a power supply unit 16. The display unit 11 displays an image. The image rewriting unit 12 rewrites at least a part of the image displayed on the display unit 11. The receiving unit 13 receives information such as image data from the server device 2. The display side storage unit 14 stores information such as image data received from the server device 2. The display side control unit 15 refers to the image data stored in the display side storage unit 14. In addition, the display side control unit 15 controls the image rewriting unit 12 so that the display unit 11 displays an image corresponding to the image data stored in the display side storage unit 14. The power supply unit 16 supplies power to the image rewriting unit 12, the receiving unit 13, the display side storage unit 14, and the display side control unit 15.

[0014] The power supply unit 16 is, for example, a battery or a solar panel. The display device 100 having such a power supply unit 16 has an advantage that it can be used for a certain period of time even in a place where a power source capable of continuously supplying power cannot be secured.

[0015] Display unit 11 sequentially changes and displays a plurality of images. Fig. 1 shows image A as an example of an image displayed by display unit 11. Display unit 11 maintains the state in which the image is displayed for a certain period of time without consuming power.

[0016] The image rewriting unit 12 rewrites at least a part of the image displayed on the display unit 11 by consuming power. This changes the image displayed on the display unit 11 to another image. The area of ​​the part of the display unit 11 that the image rewriting unit 12 can rewrite has a positive correlation with the amount of power consumed by the image rewriting unit 12. In other words, the larger the area of ​​the part that needs to be rewritten when changing the image displayed on the display unit 11 to another image, the larger the amount of power consumed by the image rewriting unit 12. For this reason, when the images before and after the change are similar, the image area or number of pixels when rewriting the image on the display unit 11 is smaller than when the images before and after the change are dissimilar, so the amount of power consumed by the image rewriting unit 12 is smaller.

[0017] The difference between an example where the images before and after the change are not similar and an example where the images before and after the change are similar will be specifically described with reference to Figures 2 and 3. First, an example where the images before and after the change are not similar is shown in Figure 2.

[0018] In Fig. 2, the image before the change is called image A, and the image after the change is called image B. Here, image B is not similar to image A. In Fig. 2, the different parts of image A and image B are enclosed in a single rectangular frame and shown as difference AB.

[0019] On the other hand, an example in which images before and after modification are similar is shown in Fig. 3. In Fig. 3, the image before modification is image A, and the image after modification is image C. Here, image C is similar to image A. In Fig. 3, different parts of images A and C are enclosed in rectangular frames and shown as difference AC. Since images A and C are similar, difference AC is a portion enclosed by multiple rectangular frames, and the area of ​​each rectangular frame included in difference AC is smaller than the area of ​​the rectangular frame of difference AB.

[0020] Comparing the difference AB and the difference AC, the area of ​​the rectangular frame of the difference AB is larger than the sum of the areas of all the rectangular frames included in the difference AC. Therefore, when image C is displayed after image A, the area of ​​the part to be rewritten is smaller than when image B is displayed after image A, and the amount of power consumed by the image rewriting unit 12 is also smaller.

[0021] 1, the number of pixels in the portion rewritten by the image rewriting unit 12 also has a positive correlation with the amount of power consumed by the image rewriting unit 12. Here, a pixel means the smallest unit constituting an image. The more pixels the image rewriting unit 12 rewrites, the greater the amount of power consumed by the image rewriting unit 12.

[0022] Since the display on the display unit 11 is changed by the image rewriting unit 12, the display unit 11 and the image rewriting unit 12 are often of an integrated structure. An example of an integrated structure of the display unit 11 and the image rewriting unit 12 is electrophoretic electronic paper. Hereinafter, electrophoretic electronic paper will be simply referred to as "electronic paper."

[0023] The electronic paper comprises a screen for displaying images and electrodes arranged along the screen. The screen and electrodes of the electronic paper correspond to the display unit 11 and the image rewriting unit 12, respectively. When the electrodes form an electric field on the screen, the part of the image displayed on the screen where the electric field is formed is rewritten, and the display on the screen is changed. Then, even after the electrodes no longer form an electric field, the screen maintains the state of displaying the changed image for a certain period of time without consuming power.

[0024] Unlike liquid crystal panels, electronic paper that displays images like the above can display multiple images using only a small amount of power. Therefore, electronic paper has the advantage of being usable in places such as urban areas where power sources cannot be secured. Although electronic paper is mainly of the black and white type, by using RGB color film, it is possible to display colors other than black and white, making it possible to display colorful advertisements that will leave a lasting impression on people.

[0025] As described above, the receiving unit 13 receives information such as image data from the server device 2. The information received by the receiving unit 13 includes information on the display order of images in addition to image data. The receiving unit 13 is a wireless communication device, and includes, for example, a network interface controller (NIC) that communicates according to a predetermined communication protocol. The predetermined communication protocol is, for example, the TCP / IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol) protocol suite (i.e., the Internet Protocol Suite).

[0026] Display-side storage unit 14 includes a storage device and stores information such as image data received by receiving unit 13, and computer programs. Specifically, display-side storage unit 14 includes a main storage device such as a semiconductor memory, and an auxiliary storage device such as a semiconductor memory, a solid-state drive, and a hard disk drive. Display-side storage unit 14 may also include removable media.

[0027] The display-side control unit 15 includes a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The processor of the display-side control unit 15 executes a computer program stored in the storage device of the display-side storage unit 14 to control the image rewriting unit 12 and the display-side storage unit 14.

[0028] After the receiving unit 13 receives the image data, the display-side control unit 15 controls the image rewriting unit 12 so that the image displayed on the display unit 11 becomes an image corresponding to the image data received by the receiving unit 13. As described above, the image rewriting unit 12 can change the display of the display unit 11 by rewriting at least a part of the display of the display unit 11. Therefore, the image rewriting unit 12 does not need all the image data of the changed image to change the display of the display unit 11, and can change the display of the display unit 11 to a desired changed image if there is data of a part of the changed image data that is different before and after the change. Therefore, the display-side control unit 15 controls the image rewriting unit 12 based on the image data of the part of the changed image data that is different before and after the change.

[0029] Specifically, when image A is displayed on display unit 11 shown in FIG. 1, image C is displayed on display unit 11 if image rewriting unit 12 rewrites the portion of display unit 11 corresponding to difference AC (see FIG. 3). For this reason, display-side control unit 15 controls image rewriting unit 12 so as to rewrite only the portion of the display on display unit 11 that is different before and after the change. As a result, the amount of power consumed by image rewriting unit 12 can be kept low compared to when the entire display unit 11 is rewritten. After the image is changed, the display on display unit 11 is changed sequentially at the timing when receiving unit 13 receives new image data.

[0030] In the above description, when the storage capacity of the display-side storage unit 14 is sufficiently large, the display device 1 can receive all image display data including all image data to be displayed on the display unit 11, the display period of each image corresponding to the image data, and the display order of the images corresponding to the image data. In this case, for example, the receiving unit 13 receives all image display data. The display-side storage unit 14 stores all image display data received by the receiving unit 13. The display-side control unit 15 refers to all image data stored in the display-side storage unit 14 and controls the image rewriting unit 12 to display an image corresponding to the image data with the first display order on the display unit 11. The display-side control unit 15 controls the image rewriting unit 12 to display an image corresponding to the image data with the second display order on the display unit 11 after the display period set for the image data with the first display order has elapsed. The display-side control unit 15 also controls the image rewriting unit 12 to display an image with a display order one step lower than the image displayed on the display unit 11 after the display period of each of the image data with the second and subsequent display orders has elapsed.

[0031] The server device 2 is a computer installed in a location away from the display device 1, such as an indoor room, and wirelessly transmits information such as image data to the display device 1. This has the advantage that a user can select an image to be displayed on the display device 1 from a location away from the display device 1. Also, since it is easy to secure a power source in an indoor room, unlike in the city, the server device 2 can perform calculations that consume a large amount of power. Here, the calculations are calculations that are generally performed by a computer, including creating the display order of images, calculating the rewriting costs, temporarily storing them, and comparing the rewriting costs.

[0032] The server device 2 has an input unit 21, a server-side storage unit 22, a transmission unit 24, and a server-side control unit 23. Data such as an image to be displayed on the display unit 11 of the display device 1 is input to the input unit 21 by a user of the display device 100. The server-side control unit 23 controls the server-side storage unit 22 and the transmission unit 24 so as to transmit the image data input to the input unit 21 to the display device 1.

[0033] The input unit 21 is, for example, an input device such as a mouse or a keyboard attached to the information communication terminal.

[0034] The server-side storage unit 22 includes a storage device, and stores information such as image data input to the input unit 21, and computer programs. The server-side storage unit 22 in Fig. 1 stores image data of images A, B, C, D, E, and F. The server-side storage unit 22 includes, for example, a main storage device such as a semiconductor memory, and an auxiliary storage device such as a semiconductor memory, a solid-state drive, and a hard disk drive. The server-side storage unit 22 may include removable media.

[0035] The server-side control unit 23 includes a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The processor of the server-side control unit 23 executes a computer program stored in the storage device of the server-side storage unit 22 to determine the display order of multiple images stored in the server-side storage unit 22. The server-side control unit 23 also controls the server-side storage unit 22 and the transmission unit 24. The server-side control unit 23 is an example of the "display order determination unit" of the present invention.

[0036] In order to determine the display order of a plurality of images, the server-side control unit 23 creates a display order of images to be displayed on the display unit 11. The server-side control unit 23 calculates a rewrite cost for the created display order of images. Here, the rewrite cost is an index that has a positive correlation with the amount of power required to rewrite images displayed on the display unit 11, and is calculated from two pieces of image data that are adjacent in display order.

[0037] The server-side control unit 23 determines the display order of the multiple images based on the rewriting cost required by the image rewriting unit 12 when changing the multiple images. Therefore, the server-side control unit 23 can determine the display order of the images to be displayed on the display unit 11 so as to keep the amount of power consumed by the image rewriting unit 12 to display all the images low.

[0038] As an example, the rewriting cost is the image area or number of pixels rewritten by the image rewriting unit 12. In other words, the rewriting cost is the area or number of pixels of the part that differs between two images adjacent in display order. Therefore, the smaller the rewriting cost, the smaller the area or number of pixels of the part that differs between two images adjacent in display order. As a result, the server-side control unit 23 can keep the amount of power consumed by the image rewriting unit 12 low by determining the image display order so as to keep the rewriting cost low.

[0039] Another example of the rewriting cost is the amount of power consumed by the image rewriting unit 12. With such a rewriting cost, the server-side control unit 23 can determine the display order of the images so as to keep the amount of power consumed by the image rewriting unit 12 low.

[0040] The server-side control unit 23 creates a plurality of display order patterns P, and determines the display order of the images by selecting, from the plurality of display order patterns P, the display order pattern P with the smallest sum of rewriting costs. Specifically, the server-side control unit 23 calculates the rewriting costs for all images that are adjacent to each other in the display order for each of the plurality of created display order patterns P, and calculates the sum of the calculated rewriting costs. The server-side control unit 23 selects, from the created display order patterns P, the display order pattern P with the smallest sum of rewriting costs, and determines it as the display order of the images. As a result, the amount of power consumed by the image rewriting unit 12, which rewrites the display of the display unit 11 according to the display order of the images determined by the server-side control unit 23, is smallest for all image display order patterns P created by the server-side control unit 23.

[0041] The server-side control unit 23 creates all possible display order patterns P for the order in which a plurality of images are to be displayed on the display unit 11. Therefore, the server-side control unit 23 can select a display order that minimizes the rewriting cost from among all possible display order patterns P for the order in which a plurality of images are to be displayed.

[0042] 1, the server-side storage unit 22 stores six pieces of image data, from image A to image F. There are 720 possible display sequence patterns P when the six images, from image A to image F, are randomly arranged. The server-side control unit 23 creates all 720 display sequence patterns P.

[0043] The display order pattern P created by the server-side control unit 23 includes, for example, a display order pattern PA and a display order pattern PB. When comparing the display order pattern PA and the display order pattern PB, the difference between two adjacent images in all image data included in the display order pattern PB is smaller than that in the display order pattern PA. In other words, the total rewriting cost of the display order pattern PB is smaller than the total rewriting cost of the display order pattern PA.

[0044] The server-side control unit 23 also compares the sum of the rewriting costs of the display order pattern PA and the 718 display order patterns P other than the display order pattern PB with the sum of the rewriting costs of the display order pattern PB. If the server-side control unit 23 determines that the rewriting cost of the display order pattern PB is the smallest among all 720 display order patterns P, it selects the display order pattern PB and determines it as the display order of images to be displayed on the display unit 11. As a result, the amount of power consumed by the image rewriting unit 12, which rewrites the display of the display unit 11 according to the display order of images determined by the server-side control unit 23, is the smallest among all the assumed display order patterns P.

[0045] Furthermore, the server-side control unit 23 can also create some of the display order patterns among all the display order patterns P that are assumed as the order in which a plurality of images are to be displayed on the display unit 11. Specifically, when six images are to be displayed, there are 720 possible display order patterns P. The server-side control unit 23 creates display order patterns P, for example, up to 10 of the 720 possible display order patterns P. As a result, the amount of calculation by the server-side control unit 23 is reduced, and the time required for the server-side control unit 23 to determine the display order can be kept low.

[0046] As described above, the server-side control unit 23 selects either all of the expected display sequence patterns P or a portion of the expected display sequence patterns P, and which one to select is determined, for example, based on the number of images to be displayed on the display unit 11. Specifically, when the number of images to be displayed on the display unit 11 is equal to or greater than a threshold, a portion of the display sequence pattern P is created. On the other hand, when the number of images to be displayed on the display unit 11 is less than the threshold, all of the display sequence patterns P are created. The threshold for the number of images to be displayed on the display unit 11 is determined based on the processing capacity, such as the processing speed, of the server-side control unit 23.

[0047] The server-side control unit 23 controls the transmission unit 24 to transmit each image to the reception unit 13 of the display device 1 at the timing when the image is to be displayed on the display unit 11 of the display device 1 according to the determined display order. Here, as described above, a change in the display on the display unit 11 is sufficient if there is image data of the part of the image that is different before and after the change. Therefore, the server-side control unit 23 controls the transmission unit 24 to send only the image data of the part of the image data that is different before and after the change. Furthermore, the display order of the images is determined based on the rewrite cost. Therefore, if a display order that keeps the rewrite cost low is used, the part of the image that is different before and after the change can be kept small. As a result, the capacity of the image data transmitted by the transmission unit 24 can be kept low.

[0048] The transmission unit 24 transmits image data of the part of the changed image data that is different before and after the change to the display device 1. The display device 1 displays the changed image at the timing of receiving the image data from the transmission unit 24. Note that the transmission unit 24 is a communication device similar to the reception unit 13, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0049] Also, as explained above, server device 2 transmits image data corresponding to an image to be displayed on display device 1 to display device 1 at the timing when the image is to be displayed on display device 1. However, if the storage capacity of display-side storage unit 14 of display device 1 is large enough to store all image display data, server-side control unit 23 can also perform different control over transmission unit 24.

[0050] As an example of a case where the storage capacity of the display-side storage unit 14 is sufficient, the server-side control unit 23 may control the transmission unit 24 to transmit the all image display data described above. As a result, the display device 1 that has received the all image display stores the all image display data in the display-side storage unit 14. The all image display data includes information on the image data, the display period of the image data, and the display order of the image data. Therefore, the display-side control unit 15 can control the image rewriting unit 12 to display all images to be displayed on the display unit 11 on the basis of the all image display data stored in the display-side storage unit 14. The display on the display unit 11 is changed sequentially by the image rewriting unit 12 sequentially rewriting the display on the display unit 11 under the control of the server-side control unit 23. As a result, the server device 2 does not need to transmit information such as image data to the display device 1 every time the display is changed on the display unit 11, and the number of times information is transmitted from the server device 2 to the display device 1 is reduced. Therefore, the display device 100 can be used without problems even in an environment where communication between the server device 2 and the display device 1 is intermittently interrupted.

[0051] As another example of a case where the storage capacity of the display-side storage unit 14 is sufficient, the display-side storage unit 14 may store all image data corresponding to images to be displayed on the display unit 11 in advance, except for information on the display order of the image data. In this example, the server-side control unit 23 controls the transmission unit 24 to transmit only the information on the display order of the images. The display-side control unit 15 controls the image rewriting unit 12 to display images corresponding to the image data stored in the display-side storage unit 14, according to the information on the display order of the images received by the reception unit 13. The image rewriting unit 12 sequentially rewrites the display on the display unit 11 according to the received display order. Thus, the display on the display unit 11 is sequentially changed. As a result, the information transmitted from the server device 2 to the display device 1 is only the display order of the images, and the amount of information transmitted is smaller than that when image data is transmitted. As a result, the display device 100 can be used without any problems even in a place where the communication environment is such that a large amount of information cannot be transmitted.

[0052] Next, the processing of the display device 100 according to the embodiment 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 1 and Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the processing of the display device 100 according to the embodiment 1. The processing of the display device 100 includes steps S1 to S12.

[0053] In step S1, the server-side control unit 23 determines whether or not the number of images stored in the server-side storage unit 22 is equal to or greater than a threshold value.

[0054] Next, if an affirmative determination (Yes) is made in step S1, the process proceeds to step S2.

[0055] Next, in step S2, the server-side control unit 23 creates a part of the display order patterns P out of all the display order patterns P for the multiple images stored in the server-side storage unit 22. Next, the process proceeds to step S3.

[0056] On the other hand, if a negative determination (No) is made in step S1, the process proceeds to step S9. Next, in step S9, the server-side control unit 23 creates all display order patterns P for the multiple images stored in the server-side storage unit 22. Next, the process proceeds to step S3.

[0057] Next, in step S3, the server-side control unit 23 calculates the sum of the rewriting costs for each of the created display order patterns P.

[0058] Next, in step S4, the server-side control unit 23 selects the display order pattern P with the smallest total rewrite cost from among the created display order patterns P, and determines it as the display order of the images. Note that the server-side control unit 23 does not necessarily need to select the display order pattern P with the smallest rewrite cost, but may refer to various conditions and select a display order pattern P with a rewrite cost that matches those conditions. In this way, the server-side control unit 23 can flexibly select a display order pattern P in accordance with the conditions to be referred to. The various conditions can be input in advance by the user to the input unit 21, for example, and stored in the server-side storage unit 22, so that the server-side control unit 23 can refer to them from the server-side storage unit 22.

[0059] Next, in step S5, the server-side control unit 23 determines a period for displaying each of the multiple images. The period for displaying the images is determined by the server-side control unit 23, for example, in accordance with a computer program executed by the server-side control unit 23.

[0060] Next, in step S6, the server-side control unit 23 determines whether the display-side storage unit 14 can store all of the image display data. The determination as to whether the display-side storage unit 14 can store image data may be made in any manner. For example, information indicating that the display-side storage unit 14 can store all of the image display data may be stored in advance, and the server-side control unit 23 may make the determination by referring to that information. If a negative determination (No) is made in step S6, that is, if the server-side control unit 23 determines that the display-side storage unit 14 cannot store all of the image display data, the process proceeds to step S7.

[0061] Next, in step S7, the server-side control unit 23 sequentially transmits the image data according to the determined display order. Here, the server-side control unit 23 transmits the image data that is one level lower in the display order at the timing when the display period set for the transmitted image data has elapsed.

[0062] Next, in step S8, the display-side control unit 15 controls the image rewriting unit 12 to display an image corresponding to the received image data at the timing when the receiving unit 13 receives the image data sequentially transmitted from the transmitting unit 24 of the server device 2. The image rewriting unit 12 rewrites at least a part of the display on the display unit 11, and changes the image displayed on the display unit 11 to an image corresponding to the image data received by the receiving unit 13. Then, the process ends when all images to be displayed on the display unit 11 are displayed.

[0063] If the determination in step S6 above is affirmative (Yes), that is, if the server-side control unit 23 determines that the display-side storage unit 14 is capable of storing all of the image display data, the process proceeds to step S10.

[0064] In step S10, the server-side control unit 23 controls the transmission unit 24 to transmit all image display data to the display device 1.

[0065] Next, in step S11, display-side control unit 15 controls display-side storage unit 14 to store all of the image display data received by receiving unit 13. Display-side storage unit 14 stores all of the image display data received by receiving unit 13.

[0066] Next, in step S12, the display side control unit 15 controls the image redrawing unit 12 to change the display of the display unit 11 according to the display order of the images and the display period of each image. Therefore, the display of the display unit 11 is changed according to the display order and the display period of each image. After this, the process ends.

[0067] [Embodiment 2] A display device 200 according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a diagram that illustrates a schematic configuration of the display device 200 according to the second embodiment. The display device 200 according to the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment mainly in the creation of a display order pattern P in the server-side control unit 23. The following mainly describes the differences between the second embodiment and the first embodiment.

[0068] 5 selects a first image V1 to be displayed first in the display order on the display unit 11 from among multiple images stored in the server-side storage unit 22. The server-side control unit 23 determines the display order by repeatedly executing a process of selecting, as the next image in the display order, an image that requires the image rewriting unit 12 to minimize the rewriting cost required when changing the image displayed on the display unit 11 to the next image in the display order from the multiple images, starting with the first image V1.

[0069] Specifically, the server-side control unit 23 arbitrarily selects the first image V1 to be displayed on the display unit 11 at the first position in the display order from among the multiple image data stored in the server-side storage unit 22. Then, the server-side control unit 23 selects images to be displayed at the second position or later from among the multiple images other than the first image V1 stored in the server-side storage unit 22. As the second image V2 to be displayed at the second position, image data other than the first image V1 stored in the server-side storage unit 22 that has the smallest rewrite cost between the first image V1 and the image data is selected. Similarly, image data to be selected at the third position or later is selected that has the smallest rewrite cost between the image data one position higher in the display order. By making such a selection for all image data to be displayed on the display unit 11, the server-side control unit 23 creates a display order pattern P1. The server-side control unit 23 determines the display order pattern P1, which is one created display order pattern P, as the display order of the images. As a result, the server-side control unit 23 does not need to create all display order patterns P that can be created by randomly arranging image data, and the time required for the server-side control unit 23 to determine the display order can be shortened.

[0070] Also, although the server-side control unit 23 has been described as creating one display sequence pattern P1, it may create multiple display sequence patterns P1. As a result, when the server-side control unit 23 creates a part of the display sequence patterns P that can be created by randomly arranging image data, there is a high possibility that the created multiple display sequence patterns P1 will include a display sequence pattern P1 with the smallest rewrite cost and the same or similar rewrite cost among all the display sequence patterns P that can be created by randomly arranging image data.

[0071] Also, it has been explained that the server-side control unit 23 arbitrarily selects the first image V1 from multiple image data stored in the server-side storage unit 22. However, a rule for selecting the first image V1 may be written in advance in a computer program executed by the server-side control unit 23, and the server-side control unit 23 may select the first image V1 according to the rule for selecting the first image V1 included in the computer program.

[0072] Next, the processing of the display device 200 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5 and Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the processing of the display device 200 according to the second embodiment. The processing of the display device 200 includes steps S100 to S111.

[0073] First, in step S100, the server-side control unit 23 determines whether the number of images stored in the server-side storage unit 22 is equal to or greater than a threshold value, similar to step S1 described in the processing of the first embodiment shown in Fig. 4. If the determination in step S100 is affirmative (Yes), the processing proceeds to step S101.

[0074] In step S101, the server-side control unit 23 arbitrarily selects a first image V1 from the multiple images stored in the server-side storage unit 22.

[0075] Next, in step S102, the server-side control unit 23 creates a display order pattern P1 by selecting, from multiple images other than the first image V1 stored in the server-side memory unit 22, images to be placed second or later in the display order, starting from the first image V1 as the first image, based on the rewrite cost.

[0076] Next, in step S103, the server-side control unit 23 determines the created display order pattern P1 as the display order of the images.

[0077] Next, the process proceeds to step S104. The process from step S104 onwards is the same as the process from step S5 onwards described in the process of embodiment 1 shown in Fig. 4, and therefore the description will be omitted. Here, each process from step S104 to step S111 corresponds to each process from step S5 to step S12.

[0078] [Embodiment 3] A display device 300 according to a third embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a diagram that illustrates the display device 300 according to the third embodiment. The display device 300 according to the third embodiment differs from the first embodiment mainly in the creation of a display order pattern P in the server-side control unit 23. The following mainly describes the differences between the third embodiment and the first embodiment.

[0079] 7 divides all of the multiple images stored in the server-side storage unit 22 into multiple groups G. The server-side control unit 23 determines the display order of the multiple images included in each group G based on the rewriting cost for each of the multiple divided groups G. This determines the display order of all of the multiple images.

[0080] Specifically, the server-side control unit 23 arbitrarily divides the multiple image data stored in the server-side storage unit 22 into multiple groups G for each image data. The server-side control unit 23 arranges the image data divided into each group G based on the rewriting cost within the multiple groups G. For example, the image data divided into the multiple groups G are arranged so that the sum of the rewriting costs is minimized within each group G. In addition to arranging the image data within all groups G, the server-side control unit 23 arbitrarily arranges the multiple groups G to create one display sequence pattern P. As a result, when the server-side control unit 23 creates a part of the display sequence pattern P that can be created by randomly arranging the image data, the created multiple display sequence patterns P are more likely to include a display sequence pattern P with the minimum rewriting cost among all display sequence patterns P that can be created by randomly arranging the image data, and a display sequence pattern P with the same or approximately the same rewriting cost.

[0081] Also, it has been explained that the server-side control unit 23 creates one display sequence pattern P by arranging a plurality of groups G in an arbitrary order. However, the arrangement of the plurality of groups G may also be determined based on the rewriting cost. For example, a group G that is arranged one behind the group G may be selected based on the rewriting cost between an image that is to be last in the display sequence in one group G and an image that is to be first in the display sequence in the other groups G. As a result, when creating a part of the display sequence pattern P that can be created by randomly arranging image data, the possibility that the display sequence pattern P that is created includes a display sequence pattern P with the smallest rewriting cost and the same or approximately the same rewriting cost among all the display sequence patterns P that can be created by randomly arranging image data becomes even higher.

[0082] Next, the processing of the display device 300 according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 7 and Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing the processing of the display device 300 according to the third embodiment. The processing of the display device 300 includes steps S200 to S212.

[0083] First, in step S200, the server-side control unit 23 determines whether the number of images stored in the server-side storage unit 22 is equal to or greater than a threshold value, similar to step S1 described in the processing of embodiment 1 shown in Fig. 4. If the determination in step S200 is affirmative (Yes), the processing proceeds to step S201.

[0084] Next, in step S201, the server-side control unit 23 divides the multiple images stored in the server-side storage unit 22 into multiple groups G.

[0085] Next, in step S202, the server-side control unit 23 creates a display order pattern P based on the rewrite costs within the divided group G and between the groups G.

[0086] Next, the process proceeds to step S203. The process from step S203 onwards is the same as the process from step S3 onwards described in the process of embodiment 1 shown in Fig. 4, and therefore the description will be omitted. Here, each process from step S203 to step S212 corresponds to each process from step S3 to step S12.

[0087] [Embodiment 4] A display device 400 according to the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is a diagram that shows a schematic diagram of the display device 400 according to the fourth embodiment. In the display device 100 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the display device 200 according to the second embodiment shown in FIG. 5, and the display device 300 according to the third embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the display device 1 and the server device 2 are separate and each performs a different function. However, the display device 400 shown in FIG. 9 is different from the first to third embodiments mainly in that the function of the display device 1 (see FIG. 1, FIG. 5, and FIG. 7) and the function of the server device 2 (see FIG. 1, FIG. 5, and FIG. 5) are integrated. Hereinafter, the differences between the fourth embodiment and the first to third embodiments will be mainly described.

[0088] As shown in FIG. 9, the display device 400 according to the fourth embodiment includes a display unit 11, an image rewriting unit 12, a power supply unit 16, a storage unit 31, and a control unit 32. The display device 400 according to the fourth embodiment includes a display unit 11 and an image rewriting unit 12, similar to the display device 100 according to the first embodiment (see FIG. 1), the display device 200 according to the second embodiment (see FIG. 5), and the display device 300 according to the third embodiment (see FIG. 7). On the other hand, the display device 400 according to the fourth embodiment is different from the first to third embodiments in the target to which the power supply unit 16 supplies power. The display device 400 according to the fourth embodiment is different from the first to third embodiments in that the display device 400 includes a storage unit 31 having the functions of the display-side storage unit 14 and the server-side storage unit 22 of the first to third embodiments shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 5, and FIG. 7, and a control unit 32 having the functions of the display-side control unit 15 of the display device 100 according to the first embodiment and the server-side control unit 23. Furthermore, the display device 400 of embodiment 4 differs from embodiments 1 to 3 in that it does not have a receiving unit 13 and a transmitting unit 24 because the functions of the display device 1 shown in Figures 1, 5, and 7 and the functions of the server device 2 are integrated together, and therefore there is no need to send or receive image data, etc.

[0089] The power supply unit 16 of the fourth embodiment supplies power to the image rewriting unit 12, the storage unit 31, and the control unit 32.

[0090] The storage unit 31 stores all image display data. The specific configuration of the storage unit 31 is similar to that of the display-side storage unit 14 (see FIGS. 1, 5, and 7) or the server-side storage unit 22 (see FIGS. 1, 5, and 7), and therefore will not be described.

[0091] The control unit 32, like the server-side control unit 23 (see Figs. 1, 5, and 7) described above, creates a display order pattern P of a plurality of images to be displayed on the display unit 11, and selects and determines the display order of a plurality of images to be displayed on the display unit 11 from the created display order pattern P. The creation of the display order pattern P and the determination of the display order are similar to those described in the server-side control unit 23 (see Figs. 1, 5, and 7) of the first to third embodiments, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted. The control unit 32 also controls the image rewriting unit 12, like the display-side control unit 15 (see Figs. 1, 5, and 7).

[0092] The display device 400 of the fourth embodiment integrates the functions of the display device 1 (see Figs. 1, 5, and 7) and the server device 2 (see Figs. 1, 5, and 7), so that the number of devices to be installed can be one. This has the advantage that it only needs to be installed in one place. Furthermore, as in the first to third embodiments, the display order of images is determined based on the rewriting cost, so there is also the advantage that the amount of power consumed when images are displayed sequentially can be kept low.

[0093] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit of the present invention. The drawings are mainly schematic illustrations of each component for ease of understanding, and the thickness, length, number, spacing, etc. of each component shown in the drawings are different from the actual ones due to the convenience of drawing. In addition, the material, shape, dimensions, etc. of each component shown in the above embodiments are merely examples and are not particularly limited, and various modifications are possible within a range that does not substantially deviate from the configuration of the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0094] INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention provides a display device and has industrial applicability. [Explanation of symbols]

[0095] 1: Display device 2: Server device 11: Display section 12: Image rewriting section 23: Server side control section 32: Control section 100:Display device 200:Display device 300:Display device 400:Display device

Claims

1. a display order determination unit that determines a display order of a plurality of images; a display unit that sequentially changes and displays the plurality of images in the display order determined by the display order determination unit; an image rewriting unit that, when changing the image displayed on the display unit to the image next in the display order, changes the image displayed on the display unit to the image next in the display order by rewriting at least a part of the image displayed on the display unit; A display device comprising: The display order determination unit determines the display order based on the rewriting cost required by the image rewriting unit when changing the multiple images, creates multiple display order patterns, and selects the display order pattern with the smallest sum of the rewriting costs from among the multiple display order patterns as the display order, thereby determining the display order.

2. The display device according to claim 1 , wherein the rewriting cost is power consumed by the image rewriting unit.

3. The display device according to claim 1 , wherein the rewriting cost is an image area or a number of pixels to be rewritten by the image rewriting unit.

4. The display device according to claim 1 , wherein the display order determination unit creates all possible display order patterns for the order in which the plurality of images are to be displayed on the display unit.

5. The display device according to claim 1 , wherein the display order determination unit creates a part of all possible display order patterns as an order in which the plurality of images are to be displayed on the display unit.

6. The display order determination unit is 4. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the display order is determined by repeatedly executing a process of selecting a first image from the plurality of images to be displayed first on the display unit, setting the first image as a first image, and selecting an image as the next image in the display order that minimizes the rewriting cost required by the image rewriting unit when changing and displaying an image displayed on the display unit from the plurality of images as the next image in the display order.

7. The display order determination unit is 7. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the display order of the entire plurality of images is determined by dividing the entire plurality of images into a plurality of groups, and determining a display order within the group of the plurality of images contained in the group based on the rewriting cost required by the image rewriting unit when changing and displaying the plurality of images for each of the plurality of groups.

Images