JPH02236610A - Display device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce the manipulated variable of a pointing device to designate the change of cursor position information by providing a cursor position information change means which changes the cursor position information stored in a position memory to position information representing a boundary located at a side opposite to the boundary. CONSTITUTION:The cursor position information change means 35 is provided which changes the cursor position information stored in the position memory 31 to the position information representing the boundary being located at the side opposite to the boundary when the pointing device 33 designates the change of the cursor position information toward the outside the boundary at a state where a boundary position discrimination means 34 discriminates whether or not the cursor position information stored in the position memory 31 is information representing the boundary position of the display area of a cursor. Thereby, it is possible to save time and labor to move the cursor between upper and lower ends, and between right and left ends.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION "Field of Industrial Application" The present invention relates to a display device that controls movement of a cursor using a pointing device such as a mouse or a joystick.

``Prior Art'' Pointing devices such as mice play a major role in performing various operations on computers, especially workstations.

FIG. 10 shows an example of a display on a workstation display.

In this example, the display 11 is of high resolution and large size, and there are three windows 12 to 14 on this display screen.
is set. For example, a text is being created in the first window 12, and references are displayed in the second window 13. In the third window, the image is being edited. In such a case, the cursor 15 is frequently moved between the windows 12 to 15 on the display 11 to specify an area and manually input commands.

FIG. 11 is for explaining cursor movement control when a mouse is used as a pointing device. The mouse 21 is placed, for example, on a pad 22 of a desk. When the operator moves the mouse 21 in the direction in which the cursor is to be moved, the amount of movement is converted into a signal representing the amount of movement in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, and is sent to the control section of the workstation. Based on this signal, the control section recognizes the moving distance in the right direction of the X-axis and the direction of the Y-axis, and changes the current position coordinates of the cursor in accordance with the amount of movement. In this way, the position coordinates of the cursor that change every moment are displayed on the display.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] Pointing devices such as a mouse, unlike cursor keys, have the characteristic that they themselves display the current position of the cursor to some extent. For example, if a mouse is moved on a desk in a 1:1 relationship with the display screen, its position will almost always correspond to the position on the display screen.

Furthermore, similar measures can be taken for the joystick as well, depending on the stick's tilt direction and tilt angle. Therefore, in such a pointing device, in order to move the cursor displayed at one end of the screen to the other end, it is literally necessary to move the cursor by that amount.

For example, in the case of the display contents shown in Fig. 10, such a situation occurs when moving the cursor 15 displayed in the first window l5 to the second window l3, or vice versa. This occurred frequently and caused a decrease in work efficiency.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a display device that can quickly move a cursor placed near one end of a display screen to near the other end, such as when moving a cursor to another window in a multi-window system. Our goal is to provide the following.

"Means for Solving the Problem" In the present invention, as shown in principle in FIG. A display 32 displays a cursor at the position represented by the information, a pointing device 33 such as a mouse instructs to change the cursor position information, and a cursor position information stored in the position memory 31 displays the cursor on the display. A boundary position determining means 34 determines whether the information represents the boundary position of the area, and the pointing device 3 is operated in a state where the boundary position determining means 34 determines that the information represents the boundary position of the cursor display area.
3 instructs to change the cursor position information toward the outside of the boundary, cursor position information changing means for changing the cursor position information stored in the position memory 31 to position information representing a boundary located opposite to this boundary. 35 in the display device.

That is, in the present invention, when the cursor is brought to the top edge of the display screen using a pointing device such as a mouse and you try to move it further upwards, the position information of this cursor is switched from the top edge of the display screen to the bottom edge, and when the reverse is the case, the cursor is displayed. Switch from the bottom edge of the screen to the top edge. This saves the effort of moving the cursor between the top and bottom edges of the display screen. Similarly, if you try to move the cursor further to the right with the pointing device disabled while the cursor is at the right edge of the display screen, the cursor position information will switch from the right edge of the display screen to the left edge, and vice versa. The display can be switched from the left edge of the screen to the right edge. In this case as well, it is possible to save the effort of moving the cursor between the right and left ends of the display screen.

"Example" Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to Examples.

FIG. 2 shows an outline of the circuit configuration of a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The display device is equipped with a CPU (central processing unit) 41, and is connected to the following parts through a bus 42 such as a data bus.

(i> Working memory 43: Random memory for temporarily storing programs for controlling this display device and data necessary for various operations.
This is access memory.

(ii) External storage device 44: Consists of a storage medium such as a hard disk that stores the above-mentioned program for this display device, and a drive control device for the storage medium. The external storage device 44 can also store created documents, edited image information, and the like.

(iii) Keyboard 45: Used to input data necessary for operations and input characters. In this embodiment, a first mode key and a second mode key for setting a mode for controlling the movement of the cursor, and a release key for canceling the mode setting etc. are arranged on the keyboard 45. A mouse 46 as a pointing device is connected to this keyboard 45. In this embodiment, the cursor is moved by a movement operation of the mouse 46.

(iv) Display control device 47: The display control device 47 performs control for displaying image information on a high-resolution display 48.

(v) Communication control device 49: Used to receive documents and image information from other devices (not shown) through the line 5l, and to send edited image information to a printer (not shown) for printing. .

FIG. 3 shows three modes that can be set by moving the cursor on this display device. CPU4
1 is a working memory 43 used to control cursor movement.
Check the mode registration area (not shown) inside. Then, if the first mode is registered in this mode registration area (step ■: Y), the first mode is executed (
Step ■). The first mode will be explained later in conjunction with FIG. This first mode is registered each time the operator presses the first mode key on the keyboard 45. At this time, the previous mode is canceled.

On the other hand, if the operator presses the second mode key,
The previous mode is canceled and the second mode is registered. In this case (step ■; Y), the second mode is executed (step ■). The second mode will be explained later in conjunction with FIG.

When the operator does not select any mode (step 2: N), the normal mode is initially registered in the mode registration area. If the release key is pressed while another mode is registered, the previous mode is canceled and the normal mode is registered. In the normal mode, the normal movement control of the cursor that has been carried out in the past is executed (step ■).In other words, the cursor is controlled in movement according to the amount of movement of the mouse 46, and instantly moves from one end of the display screen to the other. Never move to.

In contrast, FIG. 4 shows a state in which the first mode is executed. In this first mode, display screen 5
When the cursor 56 that has been moved to the right end of 5 is moved further to the right with the mouse 46, the cursor 57
It suddenly appears on the left edge of the screen as shown in the image below. In the opposite case, the cursor 57 suddenly becomes the cursor 56.
will be displayed as. The same applies to the vertical direction of the display screen 55, and when the cursor 58 that has moved to the top of the display screen 55 attempts to move further upward with the mouse 46, it is suddenly displayed at the bottom of the screen as shown as a cursor 59. . In the opposite case, the cursor 59 is suddenly displayed as the cursor 58.

The setting of this first mode can be done, for example, on the display screen 55 in FIG.
This is effective when attempting to quickly move the cursor 57, which has been moved within the window 61 located near the left end of the display screen 55, to the window 62 located near the right end of the display screen 55.

FIG. 5 shows a state in which the second mode is executed. This second mode is used when a window is set up on the display screen and the cursor is quickly moved from one end to the other within the window. In this FIG. 5, there are two windows 6 on the display screen 55.
4 and 65 are displayed, but each window 6
4 and 65, cursor movement control is performed. For example, the cursor 6 displayed at the left end of the first window 64
6 is suddenly displayed as a cursor 65 at the right end of this window 64 when the mouse 46 is further moved to the left. Similarly, if you try to move the cursor 67 placed at the top of the first window 64 further upwards,
A cursor 68 is suddenly displayed at the bottom of this window 64.

That is, this second mode allows individual windows 64,
65 is relatively large or when the cursor movement speed is slow even within one window due to image processing or the like.

Note that the operator can move the power sol more effectively by properly using the mode key and release key on the keyboard 45. For example, if you are performing work such as image editing in the first window 64, select the second mode, and when switching to the second window 65, register in the first mode, for example. change. Then, for example, the cursor 66 is moved to the left, instantaneously moved from the left end to the right end of the display screen 55 to become a cursor 69, and this is further moved to the left to become a second cursor.
can be placed at a desired position within the window 65.

FIG. 6 shows a state in which the first mode is executed.

The CPU 41 monitors whether an instruction to change the cursor position is given (step 2 in FIG. 6). When the operator moves the mouse 46 (Y), the CPU 41 reads the current cursor position from a position memory area (not shown) in the working memory 43 when the cursor has been moved by the unit movement amount, adds the movement amount, and displays the result after the movement. Calculate the position of (step ■). Then, it is determined whether this exceeds the limit of movement in relation to the display screen (step 2).

FIG. 7 is for explaining the movement limit of the cursor. The X coordinate corresponding to the left edge of the display screen 55 is x1
Let the X coordinate corresponding to the right end be x2. Further, the Y coordinate corresponding to the upper end of the display screen 55 is designated as Y, and the Y coordinate corresponding to the lower end is designated as Y. What is the limit of movement?
Is the value of the X coordinate after the calculation smaller than xl or x2
, and the value of the Y coordinate after the X coordinate is Y1
There are four cases in total: smaller than Y, or larger than Y.

When any of these cases apply (Y), only the corresponding coordinate values in the position memory area are changed (step ■). In other words, (a) If the value of the X coordinate after the calculation is smaller than xl, it will be changed to x2. Also, if the value of the X coordinate after the calculation is larger than x2, this will be changed to (c) If the value of the Y coordinate after the calculation is smaller than Y, it is changed to Y2. Also, (2) If the value of the Y coordinate after the calculation is smaller than Y2. For large valleys, this is changed to Y.

On the other hand, if the movement limit has not been reached in step (2) (N), the calculated coordinate values become new coordinate values in the position memory (step (2)).

In this way, when the position memory area is rewritten in step (2) or (2), a cursor is newly displayed at the rewritten coordinates (step (2)).

The control for the first mode has been explained above, but the control for the second mode has been explained.
In the case of the mode, it is sufficient to rewrite the displacement limit values X, , X2, Y, $, and Y shown in FIG. 7 in accordance with the currently displayed cursor window.

In the embodiment described above, three modes are provided for the movement of the cursor, so in addition to control for moving the cursor from one end to the other for each display screen, such control can be performed for each window. Furthermore, when performing work such as creating an image on the display screen or near the edge of a window, it is also possible to control the movement of the cursor in the normal mode as conventionally done. By setting multiple modes for cursor movement control in this way, the cursor can reach the desired position more quickly.For example, even when the mouse movement range on a desk is limited,
This has the effect of eliminating the need to divide the movement into several parts.

In addition, in the embodiment, no particular explanation was given regarding which stage of data processing the cursor movement control is performed. In a data processing system in which applied devices such as input devices and display devices are connected to a basic control device that processes data related to these devices, (a) before the movement data of the pointing device is input to the basic control device; There are two ways to do this, and there are ways to do this at the stage where the pointing device movement data is sent to the application. The present invention is applicable in either case.

FIG. 8 shows the former method, in which the movement data output from the pointing device 71 is
Input device such as keyboard @72 and input/output control device 73
The cursor position information is then input to the pointing device control device 74A in the basic control device 74, where the cursor position information is recognized.

Based on this position information, the basic control unit [74] performs various controls, and controls the display device 75, external storage device 76, or peripheral device 77 via the input/output control device 73.

FIG. 9 shows the latter method, in which movement data output from the pointing device 71 is directly input to the basic control device 78 via the input/output device 73, where various data controls are performed. It will be done. Then, when data is output to an application device such as the display device 75, the pointing device control device 78A controls position information regarding the cursor.

``Effects of the Invention'' As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to relatively reduce the amount of operation of the pointing device that instructs to change cursor position information, which is particularly useful for image processing where the cursor movement speed is slow. Work becomes more efficient. Further, even if the mechanism of the pointing device is simplified to some extent, the movement of the cursor can be controlled without substantially increasing the amount of operation compared to the conventional method.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a principle diagram showing the principle of the present invention, Figs. 2 to 7 are for explaining an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 2 shows an outline of the circuit configuration of the display device. Block diagram, Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the setting work for three modes of cursor movement, Figure 4 is a plan view for explaining cursor movement control in the first mode, and Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the setting work for the three modes of cursor movement. A plan view for explaining cursor movement control, Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of control in the first mode, Fig. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the limits of cursor movement, and Fig. 8 is an output from the pointing device. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a system configuration in which movement data is processed before being processed by the basic control device. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing an example of a display when a multi-window is set on the workstation, and FIG. 11 is a plan view showing how to control the movement of a mouse on a desk. . 3l... Position memory, 32, 48... Display, 33, 71...
...Pointing device, 34...
Boundary position determining means, 35... Cursor position information changing means, 41...
...CPU, 43...Working memory, 44
, 76... External storage device, 45... Keyboard}', 46... Mouse, 56-59, 6
5-69... Cursor, 72... Human power device, 74, 78... Basic control device, 74A, 78A
... Pointing device control device, Xl, X2, Y1, Y2 ... Coordinate values of movement limits. Applicant Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A position memory that stores cursor position information representing the position where the cursor should be displayed; a display that displays the cursor at the position indicated by the cursor position information; a pointing device for instructing; a boundary position determining means for determining whether the cursor position information stored in the position memory is information representing a boundary position of a display area of the cursor on the display; When the pointing device instructs to change the cursor position information outside the boundary while determining that the information represents the boundary position of the display area, the cursor position information stored in the position memory is changed to this information. A display device comprising cursor position information changing means for changing the position information to the position information representing a boundary located opposite to the boundary.