Image Display Device Thumbnail Aspect Ratio Uniformity

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Solution Overview

Problem

Image lists using thumbnail images from Exif format files often result in blanks due to mismatched aspect ratios and sizes, degrading visibility, and existing solutions that use main images to display square-shaped images incur high processing loads and memory requirements.

Innovation Solution

An image display device and method that extracts thumbnail images, resizes them to a predetermined aspect ratio, and centers them to generate square-shaped images of uniform size, eliminating blanks and improving visibility while maintaining high-speed processing with small data sizes.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Speed

If thumbnail images with fixed aspect ratio 4:3 are used to display image lists, then processing speed is improved and data size is reduced, but blanks are formed around images with mismatched aspect ratios degrading visibility

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprocessing speedVSAvoidimage uniformity
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSShape

Solution Approach 1:

The thumbnail image is segmented into multiple rectangular regions based on the actual aspect ratio of the main image. This segmentation allows the display to fill the entire thumbnail area without blanks by dividing and rearranging image portions, thus resolving the contradiction between maintaining fixed thumbnail size for fast processing and achieving uniform image display without blanks.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The aspect ratio parameter of the displayed image is dynamically changed based on the original image's aspect ratio. Instead of forcing all thumbnails to aspect ratio 4:3, the system adjusts the display parameters to match the original image dimensions, eliminating blanks while keeping the thumbnail container size fixed for efficient processing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Shape

If main images are used to generate square-shaped images for display, then visibility is improved, but processing load and memory requirements increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveimage uniformityVSAvoidmemory capacity
Core Design Contradiction:
ShapeVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of using the full main image, the system creates a simplified copy in the form of a thumbnail with segmented rectangular regions. This copy contains only the essential visual information needed for display, using minimal memory while maintaining the ability to present uniform square-shaped images without requiring large memory capacity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses lightweight thumbnail images as disposable representations rather than retaining or processing heavy main images. These thumbnails are generated quickly, used for display purposes, and do not require persistent storage in memory, thus reducing memory requirements while achieving uniform image presentation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

Data Source

PatentEP2627081B1Image display device, image list display method, and image list display program
Publication Date: 2021.07.28 NEC CORP
  • EP2627081B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2627081B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2627081B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

To display an image list stored in a memory with good visibility and to display the image list at high speed, an image display device reads an image file in an Exif (a registered trademark) format, extracts a thumbnail image included in the image file in the Exif (a registered trademark) format, and generates a displayed image having a predetermined size and a square shape, thus displaying it in the image list. It is possible to improve visibility in displaying the image file aligning square-shaped displayed image having the same size while precluding blanks. It is possible to perform high-speed processing in producing an image list using thumbnail images included in image files in the Exif format (a registered trademark).