JP2000020532A - Picture data retrieving system, picture data retrieving terminal equipment used therefor, picture data retrieving method, and program recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a picture data retrieving system having high retrieving efficiency and a picture data retrieving terminal equipment and a picture data retrieving method to be used for the system. SOLUTION: The array positions of plural picture data to be retrieved are determined based on their attribute data so as to array the picture data in a prescribed order, these picture data are one-dimensionally arrayed based on the attribute data and displayed on a CRT and display pictures are continuously moved by pointing out an array position by using a mouse. The picture display area 10 of the CRT is divided into plural display areas in which the center part 12 is larger than peripheral parts 13a, 13b, the whole picture data are reduced and displayed in details on the center part 12 and picture data are furthermore reduced only in the X direction with respect to the center part 12 and roughly displayed on the peripheral parts 13a, 13b. In the case of moving pictures, picture data arrayed between a pointed position and a current display position are displayed while skipping the prescribed number of data up to the pointed position, so that picture data on the pointed position can be directly displayed while providing pictures on the way of the pointed position.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a retrieval system and a retrieval method, and more particularly to an image data retrieval system capable of retrieving desired image data easily and at high speed, an image data retrieval terminal device and an image data retrieval system used therefor. The present invention relates to a data search method and a program recording medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the spread of the Internet and the development of multimedia technologies, desired data can often be obtained on any of various media such as homepages and CD-ROMs on the Internet.
However, with an increase in the amount of available data, it has become increasingly difficult for an operator to search for desired data.

Conventionally, a computer system has been developed which allows an operator to search for character data composed of only characters at high speed by inputting various keywords or the like, as is known in a search of a literature database or the like. ing.

[0004]

However, in the search of image data, it is difficult to express a human search request into a specific command which can be processed by a computer. No effective method has been developed yet.

For example, when the hierarchical menu method is used for image data, an information provider classifies and arranges each image data in light of its contents, systematizes / hierarchizes a framework, and adds an index or a link. This imposes a heavy burden on database creation. In addition, the user may lose track of his / her own position during the operation, that is, the user may not be able to determine where the information currently accessed is located in the entire information. It is easy to cause a situation where the player cannot return to a position in front of the vehicle.

[0006] Another problem is the poor operability in moving the position. For example, a "fast forward" / "rewind" button of a video tape, a frame forward button 6 shown in FIG.
With only the “next” button on the WWW page as in 1,62, even if the user knows the location of the information,
Must be moved via intermediate image data,
It is not possible to quickly reach the desired image data.

[0007] As described above, the conventional retrieval method has a problem that the retrieval efficiency is extremely low and the operation load is large, so that the image data is not used much.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to provide an image data search system, an image data search apparatus, and an image data search method that can search image data with high efficiency. Another object of the present invention is to provide a program recording medium.

[0009]

The present invention solves the above problems by the following means.

That is, according to the present invention (claim 1), storage means for storing a plurality of image data whose arrangement positions are respectively determined based on attribute data so as to form an arrangement in a predetermined order, and Image data of the specified image data, the specified image data is displayed in detail, and the image data before and after the specified image data are coarsely displayed as the distance from the display position of the specified image data increases, and the image data is displayed based on the attribute data. An image data search system comprising: control means for arranging data in a predetermined manner and displaying the image data on the image display means; and instruction means for instructing the arrangement position to continuously move the image data displayed. A system is provided.

The display means includes an image data display section for displaying the image data, and the control means divides the image data display section into a plurality of display areas having a central portion larger than a peripheral portion. Preferably, the image data is displayed in detail in the image area of the part, and the image data is coarsely displayed in the image area of the peripheral part.

It is further preferable that the control means further divides the peripheral image area into a plurality of parts, and displays the image data more coarsely as the distance from the central part increases.

The control means, until reaching the designated position, which is the arrangement position designated by the designation means, includes the designated position and the current display position, which is the arrangement position of the image data displayed in detail. It is preferable to skip the image data arranged between them by a predetermined number and display the image data on the image display means.

[0014] Preferably, the predetermined quantity is a quantity proportional to an interval between the designated position and the current display position.

Further, the control means selects an array position between the designated position and the display position as a next display position when the display position is separated from the current display position by a predetermined number or more, and selects the next display position. The operation of displaying the corresponding image data in the central image area is repeated until the next display position becomes a predetermined number or less of the adjacent array position from the designated position,
It is further preferable that the image data corresponding to the designated position is displayed in the central image area.

The image data is composed of an image composed of a plurality of parts obtained by dividing one image, and the image data of each divided image may have a position in the whole image as attribute data. . The indicating means may be a trackball or a mouse.

According to the present invention (claim 10), it is used in the above-described image data search system according to the present invention,
The image display means, comprising the instruction means, the instruction means has a rotation knob rotatably provided, and a rotation detection unit for detecting the direction and amount of rotation of the rotation knob, An image data search terminal device is provided in which the rotation speed of the rotary knob is proportional to the interval between the designated position and the display position.

According to the present invention (claim 11), storage means for storing image data, image display means having an image data display section for displaying the image data, and instructing retrieval of the image data. An image search method used in an image data search system including an instruction unit, and a control unit that controls the storage unit, the image display unit, and the instruction unit, wherein a predetermined regularity is determined based on an attribute of the image data. A first procedure for determining each array position so as to form an array in accordance with the order having the following, and a second procedure for storing the array position in the storage means together with the correspondence between the array position and the image data. A third procedure of dividing the image data display section into a plurality of image display areas each including a central portion and at least a pair of peripheral portions having an area smaller than the central portion; When the designated position, which is the arrangement position corresponding to the desired image data, is designated by the designation means, the image data corresponding to the designated position is displayed in the image display area by switching to the actually displayed image data. A fourth step of displaying the image data corresponding to the designated position in detail in the central portion, and coarsely displaying the image data corresponding to the array position before and after the designated position in the peripheral portion. An image data search method having five procedures is provided.

In the third step, the peripheral part is further divided into a plurality of areas whose area becomes smaller as the distance from the central part increases, and the fifth step comprises dividing the image data from the central part. It is preferable that the display be made coarser as the operation proceeds.

Further, the fourth step is to switch to the image data currently displayed and display the image data corresponding to the designated position in the image display area before the image data is displayed.
Preferably, the method further includes a step of displaying at least one of the image data corresponding to an arrangement position between the present display position, which is an arrangement position of the currently displayed image data, and the designated position in the central portion.

Further, in the fourth procedure, an arrangement position between the current display position and the designated position is selected as a next display position, and the corresponding image data is displayed in the central portion. And a second step of repeating the first step until the current display position becomes an arrangement position close to the designated position. The second display step is performed when the current display position is close to the designated position. Is regarded as a designated position, and a third step of displaying the image data corresponding to the designated position in the center portion is more preferable.

According to the present invention (claim 15), storage means for storing image data, image display means having an image data display section for displaying the image data, and instructing retrieval of the image data. Instruction means, used in an image data search system comprising a control means for controlling the storage means, the image display means, and the instruction means, in an order having a predetermined regularity based on the attributes of the image data A first procedure for determining each array position so as to form an array according to the above, a second procedure for storing the array position in the storage means together with the correspondence between the array position and the image data, and A third procedure for displaying data on the image display unit; and a step of displaying the data when the pointing position, which is the arrangement position corresponding to the desired image data, is designated by the pointing means. A fourth procedure for switching the image data to the image data and displaying the image data corresponding to the designated position in the image display area; and providing the image data display portion with a central portion and at least one pair of peripheral portions having an area smaller than the central portion. A fifth procedure of dividing the image data corresponding to the designated position into a plurality of image display areas, wherein the third procedure displays the image data corresponding to the designated position in detail in the center portion, A computer-readable medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute an image search method including a step of coarsely displaying the image data corresponding to the arrangement position in the peripheral portion is provided.

In the fourth procedure, before switching to the currently displayed image data and displaying the image data corresponding to the designated position in the image display area, the arrangement of the currently displayed image data is performed. It is preferable that the method further includes a step of displaying at least one of the image data corresponding to the arrangement position between the current display position as the position and the designated position in the central portion.

[0024] In the fourth step, the arrangement position between the current display position and the designated position is selected as a next display position, and the corresponding image data is displayed in the central portion. And a second step of repeating the first step until the current display position becomes an arrangement position close to the designated position. A second display step is performed when the current display position is close to the designated position. Is regarded as a designated position, and a third step of displaying the image data corresponding to the designated position in the center portion is more preferable.

[0025]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS First, a description will be given of human visual information processing ability on which the present invention is based.

When the objects to be searched are arranged as image information in accordance with a rule having a predetermined order, humans have the ability to reach the information desired at high speed.

First, a general human processing method for visually recognizable information will be described. For example, for image information having a predetermined order such as a catalog or a picture book, the pages of these booklets are first described. By turning at high speed, humans grasp the whole image and reach a place where information similar to the information desired is gathered, then turn pages slowly at this time while judging the situation before and after As you come and go, you finally reach the information you want. The same is true for finding a desired product while walking around in a bookstore or clothing store.

The present invention focuses on the information processing ability possessed by humans in the field of visual recognition, and arranges a large amount of image data to be searched in a one-dimensional sequence by pre-ordering according to a predetermined rule. In this case, an efficient search is realized by a high-speed linear presentation method in which the information is streamed at a high speed.

Such an information retrieval technique has high retrieval efficiency due to the following features. That is, (1) The whole can be easily seen. For this reason, it is easy to obtain a judgment as to "where is the thing I want". Also, "There was such a thing in such a place."
It has a new discovery possibility.

(2) Those that greatly deviate from the search target can be easily excluded. This is because visual information is arranged in a regular order in which similar information is gathered nearby. Therefore, the searcher can concentrate his or her information processing ability on the part of interest.

(3) The user can immediately move to a desired location. If the location of the information to be sought becomes apparent, the user can immediately move to that location. If it is a catalog, "this page", if it is a store, "it seems to be in that corner"
If you decide, you can go to that place immediately. As described above, electronic information that is continuously arranged and has a constant moving amount cannot be easily moved.

The information retrieval method having such features has an advantage that information can be retrieved at high speed without causing human stress, and that even when there is no desired information, the fact can be immediately grasped.

In order to realize the above-described image data processing based on human visual recognition ability on a computer,
The present invention has the following requirements.

(A) Arrangement of Information in a Predetermined Mode A plurality of image data to be searched are arranged in an order having a predetermined regularity and stored in a memory. The attribute of each image data is associated in advance so that the array position in this array is the display position of an image displayed in a predetermined mode such as a one-dimensional / two-dimensional series.

(B) Display of nearby image information When displaying image data on display means such as a CRT, the image data is displayed together with the image data at the previous and next display positions.
This is especially useful when similar items are located close together, such as in catalogs or product arrangements in stores.
By presenting not only one image data but also the image data adjacent thereto, it is possible to determine whether or not the target is in the vicinity.

(C) Direct Movement to the Image Data at the Position Instructed by the Operator The image data to be displayed is moved in a predetermined manner according to the order arranged in a predetermined manner according to the above-described rules.
More specifically, 1 is selected from the currently displayed image data.
Instead of sequentially moving the image data in units (hereinafter referred to as one page), the image data can be directly moved to a display position (hereinafter, referred to as a designated position) selected by the operator.

(D) Information Presentation During Movement In direct movement of image data, the image data is not immediately moved to the designated position, but is moved while displaying the image data on the way to the designated position. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, instead of immediately moving from the display position ka to the designated position ke, as shown in FIG. 11, the arrangement positions kb, kc, and kd located in the middle of the designated position ke from the display position ka are changed. After displaying the image data in order, the image data at the designated position ke is displayed. This allows the operator to grasp the entire image data to be searched, and to know what image data is stored in the vicinity of the target image display position (hereinafter, referred to as the target position). Can be. At the same time, it is possible to expect the possibility of finding an unintended one based on the intermediate image data.

Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention having the above-described requirements will be described with reference to the drawings.
In the following drawings, the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing an embodiment of the image data search system according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, an image data search system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a floppy disk or CD-ROM storing image data to be searched and a program for causing a computer to execute the image search system according to the present invention. Computer-readable recording medium 5; reading means 4 for reading the recording medium 5; storage means 2 for storing image data and programs read from the recording medium 5 by the reading means; Control means 3 for performing control, image display means 7 for displaying image data,
And an instructing means 8 for instructing a target position of image data desired to be obtained by a search.

The appropriate amount of the image data stored in the recording medium 5 or the storage means 2 depends on the contents of the image data to be searched and the specific specifications of the image display means 7 and the instruction means 8. Considering the visual ability of
A data amount of about 0 to several hundreds is suitable.

The arrangement position of all the image data is determined based on the attribute data so that the image data is arranged in accordance with a predetermined regularity. This regularity depends on the content of the image data and the image data search system 1.
Can be freely determined depending on the application. For example, if it is image data for guiding a store in a certain shopping center, a store array in the shopping center may be used, or an array according to genre may be used to notify shoppers of the location of a store handling a desired product to shoppers. But it is good.
Although the storage addresses of the image data can be given in the order of the image positions, it is also possible to have position data in a part of the image data.

The control means 3 retrieves the image data from the storage means 2 and displays it on the image display means 7, and continuously moves the image data at high speed based on the instruction of the instruction means 8. This movement of the image data is performed based on a display algorithm characteristic of the present invention. This display algorithm will be described later.

The instruction means 8 is an input means for instructing a target position and the like. Since it is necessary to make small changes accurately with few operations, it consists of a mouse and a trackball. For a dedicated terminal described later, a “rotary knob” or a tape measure that is rewound by a spring is suitable. However, a button such as a "fast forward / rewind" button which cannot directly designate a target position, or a keyboard which is difficult to operate even if a target position can be directly designated such as a keyboard for inputting a numerical value is inappropriate.

The image display means 7 is formed by a CRT, a liquid crystal display device, or the like, and displays image data together with its arrangement position. The method of displaying image data by the image display means 7 is one of the features of the present invention. This display method will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an image display area in the image display means 7 shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the image display area is divided into a plurality of areas of a central part and a peripheral part. That is, the image display area 10 shown in FIG.
In the image area 11 shown in FIG. 3B, the central part 12, the first peripheral parts 13a and 13b, and the second peripheral part 1 are divided into three parts: a central part 12 and three peripheral parts 13a and 13b.
The area is divided into five areas 4a and 14b. The width of each region becomes narrower as it moves from the center to both ends.

The area of the central part 12 is large enough to display one page of image data in sufficient detail, and the area of the peripheral part is, for example, 1/1 of the central part in the three-page type shown in FIG. 2. In the five-page type shown in FIG. 2B, the first peripheral portions 13a and 13b are respectively の of the central portion 12 and the second peripheral portion 13b.
Peripheral portions 14a and 14b are each 1/4 of the central portion 12
It is good to be the size of. Depending on the content of the image data, the size of the entire image area, and the like, the number of image divisions and the size of each peripheral area can be arbitrarily set without being limited to the above numerical values. A mold or a five-page mold is practical.

The image data is displayed in each of the divided display areas. Here, in the present embodiment,
By using the image compression technique, the entire range of the image data is reduced and displayed in the central portion 12, and an image in which only the X direction is further reduced from the central portion 12 is displayed in the peripheral region. The reduction ratio is, for example, 1/2 with respect to the central portion 12 in the three-page type in FIG.
The peripheral portions 13a and 13b are １ ／ of the central portion 12,
The second peripheral portions 14a and 14b are １ ／ of the central portion.

FIG. 1 shows three image data obtained by the above method.
This is an example of a case where a page is displayed. FIG. 1 is a display example in a case where the image data search system 1 of the present embodiment is used for store guidance at a shopping center, and products handled at each store are displayed on a CRT as images to be searched.

As shown in the figure, in the central portion 12 of the image display area 10, a photograph of boots is reduced as an image data at a predetermined ratio according to the number of dots displayed in the image display area 10. It is displayed in detail. In the left and right peripheral portions 13a and 13b, the photographs of the pumps and the sandals are both displayed in a form in which the X direction is further reduced by half with respect to the central portion 12, and the display introduces the women's shoes store. I have.

FIG. 1 shows an example in which separate image data is displayed in each image area. However, continuous image data may be displayed like a picture scroll. In this case as well, the entire area of the image is displayed in a reduced form in the central part 12 of the image display area 10, and the central part 12 is displayed in the peripheral parts 13a and 13b.
Are displayed in a form in which only the X direction is reduced to 等 or the like in the X direction with respect to the center portion 12.

In the figure, a scroll bar 30 and a scroll bar 30 are provided below the image display area 10.
Scroll pointer 31 disposed within the frame, frame advance buttons 41, 4 disposed adjacent to both ends of the scroll bar 30
2 is displayed. These will be described later.

As described above, according to the image display method of the present embodiment, not only a single image but also images arranged before and after the single image can be confirmed. It can be determined whether or not the image data to be set is in the vicinity of the currently displayed image. This makes it easy to give an indication of the target position.

Next, a display method when an image moves in the image display area divided into a plurality of areas will be described. For simplicity, a three-page embodiment will be described.

FIGS. 4 and 6 are schematic diagrams for explaining a method of displaying image data.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a display method in a case where a boundary between image display areas and a page break between images match. In the figure, predetermined image data are displayed as images p, q, and r in respective regions of the peripheral portion 13a, the central portion 12, and the peripheral portion 13b. However, the images p and r displayed in the areas of the peripheral parts 13a and 13b are further reduced in the X direction with respect to the central part 12 and displayed.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a display method when the boundaries between the image display areas do not match the page breaks between the images. This figure shows a method of moving an image to the left in the X direction from the display state shown in FIG. 4 and displaying each image in a state of straddling two image display areas. In the figure, each image display area is divided at a ratio of n: m. As a result, each image is
The image is displayed in each image display area at a ratio of m: n. In the image display areas 21 to 26, each image is allocated and displayed as described in Table 1.

[0057]

[Table 1]

Image display area 2 at both ends of the image display area
If there is no image data to be searched in 1 and 26, an image serving as a background of the display screen is displayed. However, when the arrangement rule of the image data to be searched has a loop-like structure,
For example, if the image data is for a station on the Yamanote Line in Tokyo,
The left side of the first image is displayed in the last image display area, that is, the image display area 26 in FIG.

Next, a method of moving a display image which is characteristic in the present embodiment will be described. The feature of the moving method of the display image in the present embodiment is that, by directly instructing the display position of the image data to be obtained by using a mouse or the like, instead of moving the images one by one, the image is moved directly to the image to be obtained. The point is that a "high-speed linear presentation method" is used in which some of the images on the way to the desired image are displayed based on a predetermined display algorithm and then the desired image is displayed.

A method for designating an arrangement position of image data to be searched in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. As described above, below the image display area 10 in the figure, the scroll bar 30 arranged along the X direction which is the moving direction of the image and visually representing the entire array of all image data to be searched is provided. It is shown. The scroll bar 30 indicates the current display position of the display image, and indicates the other position of the scroll bar using a mouse or the like. Are also shown. By specifying the designated position with a mouse or the like, the scroll point 31 moves to that position, and the image is moved as if the image display screen were moving to the image at the designated position.

Frame feed buttons 41 and 42 are shown at positions near both ends of the scroll bar 30. The frame feed buttons 41 and 42 are buttons used to move the display image by one left and right, respectively, and function by giving an instruction such as a click with a mouse or the like.

As described above, the image data search system 1 of the present embodiment roughly indicates the arrangement position using the scroll bar 30, and when the displayed image approaches the image to be searched, the frame advance buttons 41 and 42. Can be used to move images one by one, so that it has extremely excellent operability.

Next, a high-speed linear presentation method and an algorithm for realizing the method will be described.

First, mathematical definitions are made to enable arithmetic processing on the display position and the designated position.

The display position d is generally represented by a five-dimensional numerical array (p, q, r, s, t). Where p, q, r,
s is an image to be displayed, and t = m / (n + m).

In a simple implementation, p through s are continuous images, ie, p + 1 = q, q + 1 = r, r + 1 = s
Therefore, the display position d can be represented by a real value by selecting any of p to s as a representative and combining it with t. Since it is natural to count the image number from 0 and define the integer part of the display position to indicate q, in the present embodiment, it is defined as d = q + t.
A specific example will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIGS. 5 and 7 correspond to FIGS. 4 and 6, respectively, which show the relationship between the display image and each image display area. In FIG. 5, in which the boundaries between the image display areas and the page breaks between the images match, t = 0 and the display position d = 2. On the other hand, in FIG. 7 where the boundaries between the image display areas do not match the page breaks between the images, the display position d = 1.6.

Next, a unified formula for calculating the target position from the designated position is defined. The number of images of all the image data to be searched is N (the image number is from 0 to N-1), the designated position is p, the limit value of the designated position in the right direction is L,
Assuming that the leftward limit value is R, it is most natural that the target position o is given by: o ₁ = (p−L) * (N−1) / (RL) in the definition by real numbers. However, this is the case where the display position is represented by one real value.

In the definition of the general type described above, the target position o
It _{is, o 5 = (x-1} , x, x + 1, x + 2, o-x) where x = | o ₁ | is the most natural to give in.

When the N target images are independent of each other, it is desirable that the entirety of one image be displayed in the central image area at the target position. Therefore, t = 0.

Next, a display algorithm characteristic of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, in the initial state, the display position d and the target position o are the same.

When the user moves the pointer with the mouse to change the designated position (step S100), the target position o is calculated in accordance with the change in the designated position p (step S1).
10) Further, the current display position is set to d (step S120). As a result, a difference occurs between the designated position p and the target position o. In the present embodiment, this difference is eliminated by the following procedure.

That is, when the target position o is sufficiently close to the display position d and the difference is small, for example, when the difference is equal to or less than 1/8 of one image (step S130), the target position o is set next to the target position o. As the display position d '(step S140),
The screen is updated so that d 'is the display position (step S160).

If the target position o is far from the current display position d and the difference between them is large, for example, if the difference exceeds 1/8 of one image (step S130), the target position o is displayed. The next display position d 'is determined in the middle of the position d (step S150), and the screen is updated so that d' becomes the display position (step S160). The intermediate position does not necessarily need to be a point that divides the current display position d and the target position o into two, but rather a point that internally divides them between 1: 3 and the next display position d ′. By doing so, it has been found that relatively smooth movement can be realized.

Next, whether the designated position p is further changed,
Alternatively, the process waits until the "minute time" elapses without being changed (step S170). This “minute time” is determined by the hardware of the image data search system 1 of the present embodiment,
In particular, it is determined depending on the capability of the CPU provided in the control means 3.

If the designated position p has been further changed (step S180), the process returns to step S110, and the procedure up to step S170 is repeated. If the designated position p has not been changed (step S180), it is checked whether or not the display position d and the target position o match (step S190). If they match, a series of procedures is terminated. Then, it shifts to the next initial state. If they do not match, the process returns to step S110 and repeats the procedure up to step S190.

The calculation of the intermediate position is generally performed by calculating the current display position d, the target position o, and their first derivatives d ',
o ', the second derivative d ", o",... Therefore, when the target position is moving quickly, the moving amount of the display position is also large. The display position d
As the difference between the display position d and the target position o increases, the movement amount of the display position d also increases.

As described above, the above method is executed by a computer as an image data search program. This image data search program can be stored alone or together with image data in a recording medium. Further, a mode in which the image data search program is stored in a part of the memory IC or the LSI may be adopted. Further, the same applies to the case of distribution via the Internet or personal computer communication.

Next, an embodiment of an image data search terminal device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the image data search terminal device 50 of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG.
1 has a trapezoidal side surface shape, and an operation unit is formed on the upper surface thereof. At the center of the operation unit, an image display unit 52 is provided so as to occupy a large area, and displays an image similar to the image shown in FIG. Instructing means 53 is provided at a lower portion of the operation unit and at a front side of the housing 51. Instructing means 53
A large rotating drum supported by a mandrel (not shown) inside the housing 51, and a part of the circumference of which is projected from an opening provided on the front side of the upper surface of the housing 51; Rotation detector (not shown) for detecting the amount
And The rotating drum can be freely rotated with a relatively small force. A plurality of speakers 54 that emit various sounds are provided behind the operation unit.

The data search terminal device 50 is connected to an external controller (not shown) and is controlled based on the command. A memory (not shown) is provided inside the housing 51, and image data to be searched is stored in a memory of the external controller, and a signal transmitted from the image data search terminal device 50 Is supplied to a memory (not shown) provided inside the housing 51 on the basis of.

The terminal device 5 for searching image data according to the present embodiment
0, the image data is continuously moved by the above-described high-speed linear presentation method, the target position is calculated by the above-described display algorithm, and the image can be searched. The instruction of the target position is performed by rotating the rotating drum and detecting the rotation direction and the rotation amount by a rotation detection unit (not shown).

When the difference between the target position and the display position is large, the rotating drum exerts a strong repulsive force, and when the difference is small, the repulsive force is small and the designated position can be changed with a slight rotation. It has become.

Further, a predetermined sound is made to flow from the speaker 54 with the operation of the rotary drum, and this sound is set to change as the display position approaches the target position. As a result, it is possible to further attract the interest of the operator and to enjoy the information search operation.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the scope of the invention.
For example, in the above embodiment, the case where the images are arranged in a one-dimensional sequence has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any display form such as a two-dimensional or three-dimensional sequence can be adopted.

[0087]

As described in detail above, the present invention has the following effects.

That is, according to the image data search system according to the present invention, the arrangement positions of a plurality of image data to be searched are determined based on the attribute data so that they are arranged in a predetermined order. Since the image data is arranged in a predetermined manner based on the attribute data and displayed on the image display means, and the display image is continuously moved only by instructing the arrangement position using the instruction means, An information provider can provide image data without complicated systematization and hierarchization, and an information user can easily search for image data without special knowledge.

The image data display section of the image display means is divided into a plurality of display areas having a central portion larger than the peripheral portion, image data is displayed in detail in the central image region, and the image data in the peripheral portion is displayed in detail. When the image data is coarsely displayed, the image data in the vicinity can be viewed at the same time, so that the display position of the image data to be searched can be estimated. This provides an image data retrieval system with high operability.

Further, when the image data arranged between the designated position and the current display position is skipped by a predetermined amount and displayed on the image display means until the designated position is reached,
Since the image moves at high speed to the image data corresponding to the designated position while presenting the intermediate image data, a large amount of image information can be searched with high efficiency. This allows
Since the processing capability of image data is dramatically increased, it is highly expected that utilization of image data will be promoted.

Further, according to the image data search terminal device according to the present invention, a rotatable knob used for an image data search system having the above-mentioned effects, and a rotatable knob, a rotation direction and a rotation amount of the rotatable knob are provided. And a rotation detection unit for detecting the position of the display position, and the rotation knob is provided with an indication means for applying a resistance force proportional to an interval between the indication position and the display position, so that image data with higher operability is provided. Search can be performed.

Further, according to the image search method of the present invention, a first procedure for determining the arrangement position of each image data so as to form an arrangement according to an order having a predetermined regularity, A second procedure of storing the image data display unit in the storage unit together with the corresponding relationship with the image data; Third to split
A fourth procedure of, when the designated position is designated by the designating means, switching to the currently displayed image data and displaying the image data corresponding to the designated position in the image display area, and a fourth procedure corresponding to the designated position. A fifth procedure is provided in which the image data is displayed in detail in the central portion and the image data corresponding to the array position before and after the designated position is coarsely displayed in the peripheral portion. While
It is possible to move directly to target image data. This provides an image data search method capable of searching a large amount of image information with high efficiency.

Further, after displaying at least one of the image data corresponding to the array position between the current display position, which is the array position of the currently displayed image data, and the designated position in the center, the image corresponding to the designated position is displayed. In the case of including the procedure of displaying data in the image display area, the image moves at high speed to the image data corresponding to the designated position while presenting the intermediate image data, so that the entire image data can be grasped. . This provides an image search system with further improved search efficiency. In addition, presenting the intermediate image data can provide the user with a new discovery opportunity. As a result, a value-added image data search method is provided.

Further, according to the program recording medium of the present invention, since the program having the above-described procedure is recorded, the computer can execute the image data search method having the above-described effects.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an example of image data displayed in a three-page type divided image area.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing an embodiment of an image data search system according to the present invention.

3A and 3B are schematic diagrams showing an image data display area in the image display means shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining a method of displaying image data.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining a definition of a display position.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining a method of displaying image data.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram for explaining a definition of a display position.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a display algorithm.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an image data search terminal device according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram for explaining a conventional technique.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating a method for moving image data according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating a method for moving image data according to a conventional technique.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image data search system 2 Storage means 3 Control means 4 Reading means 5 Recording medium 7 Image display means 8,53 Instruction means 10,11,21-26 Image display area 12 Central part 13a, 13b, 14a, 14b Peripheral part 30 Scroll Bar 31 Scroll point 41, 42, 61, 62 Frame forward button 50 Image data search terminal device 51 Housing 52 Image display unit 54 Speaker d, ka Display position d 'Next display position kb to kd Array position o, ke Target position _{p, q, r, V 0} , V 1, V 2, V 3, V 4 strokes

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Hiroshi Kubota 2-3-6 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Inside Mitsubishi Research Institute, Inc. (72) Inventor Satoshi Iinuma 2-3-3 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 6. Inside Mitsubishi Research Institute, Inc. (72) Inventor Shuji Kawaguchi 2-3-6 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo (72) Inside Mitsubishi Research Institute, Inc. (72) Tetsuro Ogi Yayoi 2, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo −11−16 F term in the Intelligent Modeling Laboratory of the University of Tokyo (reference) 5B075 ND08 ND18 NK46 PP03 PP10 PP13 PP30 PQ02 PQ40 PQ42 PQ48 PQ66 QS03 UU40

Claims (17)

[Claims] 1. A storage means for storing a plurality of image data whose arrangement positions are respectively determined based on attribute data so as to form an arrangement in a predetermined order, and a designated image data among the plurality of image data Image display means for displaying in detail, image data before and after the image data is coarsely displayed as the distance from the display position of the designated image data is increased, and arranging the image data in a predetermined mode based on the attribute data to form the image An image data search system comprising: a control unit for displaying on a display unit; and an instructing unit for instructing continuous movement of the image data displayed by instructing the arrangement position. 2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display unit includes an image data display unit that displays the image data, and the control unit divides the image data display unit into a plurality of display areas whose central part is larger than a peripheral part. 2. The image data search system according to claim 1, wherein the image data is displayed in detail in the central image area, and the image data is coarsely displayed in the peripheral image area. 3. 3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control unit further divides the peripheral image area into a plurality of areas, and displays the image data more coarsely as the distance from the central area increases. Image data search system. 4. The control means according to claim 1, further comprising: a display position which is an arrangement position of said image data which is displayed in detail, until reaching the designated position which is said arrangement position designated by said instruction means. 4. The image data search system according to claim 1, wherein said image data arranged between positions is skipped by a predetermined number and displayed on said image display means. 5. The image data search system according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined quantity is proportional to an interval between the designated position and the current display position. 6. The control means selects an array position between the designated position and the display position as a next display position when the designated position is separated from a present display position by a predetermined number or more. The operation of displaying the image data corresponding to the next display position in the image area of the central portion is repeated until the next display position becomes a predetermined number or less of the close arrangement positions from the designated position, and the operation corresponding to the designated position is repeated. 3. The image data according to claim 2, wherein the image data is displayed in the central image area.
6. The image data search system according to any one of claims 1 to 5. 7. The image data is composed of an image composed of a plurality of parts obtained by dividing one image, and the image data of each divided image has a position in the entire image as attribute data. The image data search system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: 8. The image data search system according to claim 1, wherein said instruction means is a trackball. 9. The image data search system according to claim 1, wherein said instruction means is a mouse. 10. A rotary knob used in the image data search system according to claim 1, comprising: said image display means; and said instruction means, wherein said instruction means is rotatably provided. When,
A rotation detection unit configured to detect a rotation direction and a rotation amount of the rotation knob, wherein the rotation knob has an image data search terminal to which a resistance force proportional to an interval between the designated position and the display position is applied; apparatus. 11. An image display device having an image data display section for displaying image data, an image display device having an image data display section for displaying the image data, an instruction device for instructing retrieval of the image data, the storage device and the image display device. In an image search method used in an image data search system comprising means and control means for controlling the instructing means, an array is formed in an order having a predetermined regularity based on an attribute of the image data. A first procedure for determining each array position; a second procedure for storing the array position in the storage unit along with the correspondence between the array position and the image data; A third step of dividing the image into a plurality of image display areas each including at least a pair of peripheral parts having an area smaller than the central part; When a designated position corresponding to the designated position is designated, a fourth procedure of switching to the currently displayed image data and displaying the image data corresponding to the designated position in the image display area, An image including a fifth step of displaying the image data corresponding to the designated position in detail in the central portion, and coarsely displaying the image data corresponding to the array position before and after the designated position in the peripheral portion. Data search method. 12. The third step further divides the peripheral portion into a plurality of regions each having a smaller area as the distance from the central portion increases. The fifth step includes dividing the image data into the central portion. 12. The image data search method according to claim 11, wherein the image data is displayed more coarsely as the distance from the image data increases. 13. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image data corresponding to the designated position is switched to the image data currently displayed and the image data currently displayed is displayed before the image data corresponding to the designated position is displayed in the image display area. 13. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of displaying at least one of the image data corresponding to the array position between the current display position and the designated position, which is the array position, in the central portion. Image search method described in. 14. The method according to claim 1, wherein an arrangement position between the present display position and the designated position is selected as a next display position, and the corresponding image data is displayed in the central portion. And a second step of repeating the first step until the current display position becomes an arrangement position close to the designated position; and a current display position when the current display position is close to the designated position. And displaying the image data corresponding to the designated position in the central portion as a designated position. 14. The image data search method according to claim 11, further comprising: 15. An image display device having an image data display section for displaying image data, an image display device having an image data display section for displaying the image data, an instruction device for instructing retrieval of the image data, the storage device and the image display device. Used in an image data search system comprising a control means for controlling the means and the instructing means, and the respective arrangement positions so as to form an arrangement according to an order having a predetermined regularity based on the attribute of the image data. A second procedure of storing the arrangement position in the storage unit together with the correspondence between the arrangement position and the image data; and a third step of displaying the image data on the image display unit. When the designated position, which is the arrangement position corresponding to desired image data, is designated by the designation means, the image data is switched to the currently displayed image data, and A fourth procedure for displaying the image data corresponding to the designated position on the image display area; and a plurality of image display areas including a central part and at least one pair of peripheral parts having an area smaller than the central part. A third step of displaying the image data corresponding to the designated position in detail in the central portion and corresponding to the arrangement position before and after the designated position. A computer-readable medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute an image search method including a step of coarsely displaying image data in the peripheral portion. 16. The image processing apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising the step of switching to the currently displayed image data before displaying the image data corresponding to the designated position in the image display area. 16. The medium according to claim 15, further comprising a step of displaying at least one of the image data corresponding to an arrangement position between the current display position and the designated position, which is the arrangement position, in the central portion. 17. The method according to claim 1, wherein an arrangement position between the present display position and the designated position is selected as a next display position, and the corresponding image data is displayed in the central portion. And a second step of repeating the first step until the current display position becomes an arrangement position close to the designated position; and a current display position when the current display position is close to the designated position. 17. The medium according to claim 15, further comprising: a third step of regarding the image data as a designated position and displaying the image data corresponding to the designated position in the central portion.