JP2011203768A - Image retrieval device and method, information terminal, information processing method, image retrieval system, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To specify a retrieval condition with simple operations and to retrieve images based on the retrieval condition.SOLUTION: When a user specifies a retrieval icon on an operation screen displayed on a display part 16, an icon accept part 21 accepts its input signal and outputs the accepted input signal to a retrieval query determination part 22. The retrieval query determination part 22 determines a retrieval query according to the type and its number of retrieval icons specified by the user, based on the input signal from the icon accept part 21. An image retrieval part 23 retrieves retrieval object image groups stored in a removable medium 2 based on the retrieval query determined by the retrieval query determination part 22 and extracts the images including faces with similarity to the query image higher than a threshold.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image search apparatus and method, an information terminal, an information processing method, an image search system, and a program. In particular, it is possible to specify a search condition with a simple operation and search for an image based on the search condition. The present invention relates to an image search apparatus and method, an information terminal, an information processing method, an image search system, and a program.

  With the spread of multimedia in recent years, the accumulation of digital data has been steadily increasing, and this tendency is particularly noticeable in still images that form part of it.

  When outputting a desired image from a large number of images shot with a digital still camera and stored on a memory card, the user attaches the memory card to the printer and lists thumbnail images. An image to be output is selected while confirming each image. Then, the selected image is printed.

  However, the user takes a long time to find a desired image from a large number of images, but although it has taken a lot of images, it is troublesome to print the captured images. It will be buried. Thus, in order to handle a large amount of data, techniques such as data search and display of search results are very important.

  Therefore, for example, Patent Document 1 proposes a technique for searching for a file using a search target keyword associated with the file and a search keyword selected by the user.

JP 2006-330997 A

  However, in the technique of Patent Document 1, for example, when searching for a group photo of 50 people, it is necessary to designate a human face as a search keyword 50 times, which requires a complicated operation. .

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image search apparatus, method, and information capable of specifying a search condition with a simple operation and searching for an image based on the search condition. It is to provide a terminal, an information processing method, an image search system, and a program.

  One aspect of the present invention is a first display control unit that controls display of a plurality of search icons prepared in advance, and an icon that receives designation of a plurality of search icons displayed by the first display control unit A receiving unit; a determining unit that determines a search condition according to a type and the number of search icons received by the icon receiving unit; and a plurality of search target images based on the search condition determined by the determining unit. And a search means for searching for an image from the inside.

  As described above, when a search icon is specified by the user, the search condition is determined according to the type and number of the specified search icons, and the specified search condition is determined based on the determined search condition. It is possible to search not only images that contain the specified number of search conditions, but also images that contain more search conditions than the specified number if only the included images or if the specified number is large. Become.

  The image display apparatus may further include a second display control unit that controls display of the image searched by the search unit, or a printing unit that prints the image. As a result, the search result can be displayed or printed.

  When a predetermined number of search icons of a predetermined type are specified more than a predetermined number, the search means can also search for an image including a search condition larger than the specified number. The number of operations for specifying a search icon can be reduced.

  When searching for an image that includes more search conditions than the specified number, the ratio of the number of search icons of each type can be maintained. Thereby, for example, an image search suitable for the user's intention can be performed.

  The search means can also search for an image including a search condition smaller than the specified number when a predetermined type of search icons is specified more than the predetermined number. Thereby, for example, an image search suitable for the user's intention can be performed.

  One aspect of the present invention includes a display control step for controlling display of a plurality of search icons prepared in advance, an icon reception step for receiving designation of a plurality of search icons displayed in the processing of the display control step, A determination step for determining a search condition according to the type and number of search icons received by the icon reception step, and a plurality of search target images based on the search condition determined by the process of the determination step And a search step for searching for an image.

  One aspect of the present invention is a display control unit that controls display of a plurality of search icons prepared in advance, an icon reception unit that receives designation of a plurality of search icons displayed by the display control unit, and an icon reception According to the type and number of search icons received by the means, a determination means for determining a search condition, a search condition transmission means for transmitting the search condition determined by the determination means to the image search device, and an image search Search result receiving means for receiving a search result based on a search condition transmitted from the apparatus.

  One aspect of the present invention is a display control unit that controls display of a plurality of search icons prepared in advance, an icon reception unit that receives designation of a plurality of search icons displayed by the display control unit, and an icon reception According to the type and number of search icons received by the means, a determination means for determining a search condition, a search condition transmission means for transmitting the search condition determined by the determination means to the image search device, and an image search Search result receiving means for receiving a search result based on a search condition transmitted from the apparatus.

  One aspect of the present invention is an image search system that includes an information terminal and an image search device that stores a plurality of search target images, and the information terminal controls display of a plurality of search icons prepared in advance. A determination unit that determines a search condition according to the type and the number of search icons received by the means, an icon reception unit that receives designation of a plurality of search icons displayed by the display control unit, and the icon reception unit Means, a search condition transmitting means for transmitting the search condition determined by the determining means to the image search apparatus, and a search result receiving means for receiving the search result based on the search condition transmitted from the image search apparatus. The image search apparatus receives the search condition transmitted from the information terminal, and selects a plurality of search target images based on the received search condition. Search means for searching Luo image, as a search result retrieved image by the search unit, characterized in that it comprises a retrieval result transmitting means for transmitting to the information terminal.

  According to the present invention, there are provided an image search apparatus and method, an information terminal, an information processing method, an image search system, and a program capable of specifying a search condition with a simple operation and searching for an image based on the search condition. can do.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a printer according to a first embodiment. FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of an operation screen. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration example of a printer. It is a flowchart explaining the image search process in 1st Embodiment. 5 is a flowchart illustrating details of search query determination processing in step S2 of FIG. 4. It is a flowchart explaining the detail of the 1st icon count process in step S14 of FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating details of a third icon count process in step S20 of FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining details of an image search process according to the type and number of icons in step S3 of FIG. 4. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of a search result. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the search system which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of an image search server. It is a block diagram which shows the function structural example of an information terminal and an image search server. It is a flowchart explaining the image search process in 2nd Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the computer to which this invention is applied.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[First embodiment of the present invention]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a printer according to the first embodiment. In the printer 1, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a memory 12, and an input / output interface 13 are connected via a bus 14. An input unit 15, a display unit 16, a drive 17, and a printer engine 18 are connected to the input / output interface 13.

  The CPU 11 reads out and executes a boot program for starting the printer 1 based on an input signal from the input unit 15 from the memory 12, and further reads various operating systems stored in the memory 12.

  The CPU 11 performs various controls based on an input signal from the input unit 15, reads a program stored in the memory 12, and executes a series of processes based on the read program command.

  The memory 12 is composed of a semiconductor memory or the like, and stores a program executed by the CPU 11 and the like. For example, an application for searching for an image based on a search query designated by the user is prepared in the memory 12 as a program executed by the CPU 11. Hereinafter, this application for searching for an image based on a search query designated by the user will be referred to as an image search application.

  A search query represents an extraction condition or a processing request for image search as a character string, and corresponds to a search condition. Here, when a search icon prepared in advance is specified by the user, a search query is determined according to the type and number of the specified search icons and the distance between the icons.

  The input unit 15 includes input devices such as an operation panel, buttons, and switches for an operator of the printer 1 to input various operations. The input unit 15 generates an input signal based on the operation of the operator, and the input / output interface 13. And transmitted to the CPU 11 via the bus 14.

  The display unit 16 is a liquid crystal display, for example, and displays various screens based on signals received from the CPU 11 via the bus 14 and the input / output interface 13. The display unit 16 may function as a touch panel.

  The drive 17 displays data read from the removable medium 2 on the display unit 16 via the input / output interface 13 under the control of the CPU 11.

  The printer engine 18 is a printing mechanism that performs printing based on the print data supplied from the CPU 11.

  The removable medium 2 is, for example, a memory card incorporating a flash memory or an ultra-small hard disk. The removable medium 2 stores image data captured by a digital still camera (not shown), image data captured from a personal computer, and the like. In addition, tag information (meta information) is added to the image data in advance by the user. The tag information is, for example, a man, a woman, a child, a personal name, a building, a landscape, a car, a flower, a hat, or the like, which is a keyword for searching for the image, and may include the number thereof.

  For example, keywords such as “one man wearing a hat and one woman”, “three cars”, “group photo of 25 men and 25 women” are input by the user, and tag information is It is added to each image.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a display example of the operation screen displayed on the display unit 16 in response to the execution of the image search application.

  In the display example shown in FIG. 2, an icon list display area A1, an icon designation display area A2, and a search result display area A3 are displayed on the display unit 16, and a history viewing button B1 is displayed below these display areas. , A clear button B2, and a previous button B3 are displayed.

  In the icon list display area A1, a person icon M1, a building icon M2, a landscape icon M3, a car icon M4, and a flower icon M5 are displayed. The person icon M1 includes a plurality of icons classified as person icons. That is, when the person icon M1 is selected by the cursor C, a pop-up P is displayed, and the average male icon M11, the average female icon M12, the personal icons M13 to M16, the glasses icon M17, which are classified into the person icons there. A hat icon M18 is displayed.

  Tag information having the keyword “male” is added to the average male icon M11, tag information having the keyword “female” is added to the average female icon M12, and Tag information having the keyword “user A” is added, tag information having the keyword “user B” is added to the personal icon M14, and keyword “user C” is added to the personal icon M15. Tag information having the keyword “user D” is added to the personal icon M16, and tag information having the keyword “glasses” is added to the glasses icon M17. The tag information having the keyword “hat” is added to the hat icon M18.

  Tag information having a keyword such as “building, building, house” is added to the building icon M2. Tag information having keywords such as “landscape, sea, mountain, river” is added to the landscape icon M3. Tag information having the keyword “car” is added to the car icon M4. Tag information having a keyword such as “flower, cherry blossom, plum” is added to the flower icon M5.

  As described above, various search icons are set in the icon list display area A1 by default. Of course, a new search icon can be created and registered by the user.

  The icon designation display area A2 is a display unit for designating the icon selected in the icon list display area A1 as a search icon. For example, by clicking (grabbing) the average male icon M11 in the icon list display area A1, dragging (moving) to the icon designation display area A2, and dropping (releasing) there, the average male icon M11 is performed. Is designated as the search icon.

  A plurality of search icons can be specified in the icon specification display area A2, and a search query is determined according to the types and number of the specified search icons, the distance between the icons, and the like. The Details thereof will be described later.

  The search result display area A3 is for displaying an image extracted from the search target image group as a search result based on the search icon (search query) designated in the icon designation display area A2.

  The history viewing button B1 is operated to display a search icon and a search result specified in the past. The clear button B2 is operated to clear the display contents of the icon designation display area A2 and the search result display area A3. The button B3 for returning to the previous one is operated when returning the operation content to the previous one.

  In the example of FIG. 2, every time an icon displayed in the pop-up P of the icon list display area A1 is dragged and dropped into the icon designation display area A2, the dragged and dropped icon is recognized as a search icon. The image searched based on the icon is displayed in the search result display area A3. That is, for example, when the average male icon M11 is dragged and dropped into the icon designation display area A2, the average male icon M11 is recognized as a search icon, and an image searched based on the icon is displayed in the search result display area A3. Is displayed. When the average female icon M12 is subsequently dragged and dropped into the icon designation display area A2, both the average male icon M11 and the average female icon M12 are recognized as search icons, and images searched based on these icons are searched. Is displayed in the search result display area A3 (the search result is updated).

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration example of the printer 1. At least a part of the functional units shown in FIG. 3 is realized by the image search application being executed by the CPU 11 of FIG.

  When the user designates a search icon in the icon designation display area A2 using the input unit 15 on the operation screen (FIG. 2) displayed on the display unit 16, the icon accepting unit 21 accepts the input signal. The received input signal is output to the search query determination unit 22.

  The search query determination unit 22 determines a search query based on an input signal from the icon reception unit 21. As a method for determining a search query, a search query is determined based on tag information added to a designated search icon. The search query determination unit 22 outputs the determined search query (tag information) to the image search unit 23.

  The image search unit 23 searches the search target image group stored in the removable medium 2 based on the search query output from the search query determination unit 22 and extracts similar images.

  As a search method, for example, tag information added to a search target image is searched based on tag information included in a search query, and an image in which part or all of the tag information matches is extracted.

  The image search unit 23 outputs the extracted image to the display control unit 24 as a search result.

  The display control unit 24 causes the display unit 16 to display an image that is a search result output from the image search unit 23.

  Next, image search processing executed by the image search application will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When starting this processing, an operation screen as shown in FIG. 2 is displayed on the display unit 16 as the image search application is activated.

  In step S1, the icon receiving unit 21 determines whether or not the input unit 15 is used by the user and the designation of the search icon is accepted in the icon designation display area A2 of the operation screen, and the designation of the search icon is accepted. stand by.

  For example, the user uses the input unit 15 from the icon list display area A1 on the operation screen shown in FIG. 2 to specify the average male icon M11 to be used as a search icon by dragging and dropping it into the icon designation display area A2. To do.

  If it is determined in step S1 that the designation of the search icon has been accepted, the icon receiving unit 21 outputs the input signal to the search query determining unit 22, and the process proceeds to step S2.

  In step S <b> 2, the search query determination unit 22 performs a search query determination process based on an input signal from the icon reception unit 21.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the details of the search query determination process in step S2 of FIG.

  In step S11, the search query determination unit 22 initializes (= 0) variables SUM1, SUM2, SUM3, and SUM4 for counting icons.

  In step S12, the search query determination unit 22 determines whether the search icon is an average face icon from the input signal output from the icon reception unit 21, and if it is determined that the search icon is an average face icon, the step Proceed to S13.

  The case where the average face icon is determined is, for example, that the user uses the input unit 15 to specify the average male icon M11 or the average female icon M12 by dragging and dropping it to the icon designation display area A2. is there.

  In step S13, the search query determination unit 22 counts one variable SUM1 (SUM1 = SUM1 + 1), and performs a first icon count process in step S14.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the details of the first icon count process in step S14 of FIG.

  In step S31, the search query determination unit 22 determines whether or not the variable SUM1 for counting icons is 4 or more. If the search query determination unit 22 determines that the variable SUM1 is 4 or more, the process proceeds to step S32. In step S32, the search query determination unit 22 counts one variable SUM1, and proceeds to the process of step S22 in FIG.

  On the other hand, if the search query determination unit 22 determines in step S31 that the variable SUM1 for counting icons is less than 4, step S32 is skipped (that is, no processing is performed), and the step of FIG. The process proceeds to S22.

  Thus, in the first icon counting process, up to three search icons specified by the user are counted as they are (step S32 is skipped), and when the number is four or more, in step S32, Since 1 is counted in addition to the number of times specified by the user, the variable SUM1 becomes larger than the specified number.

  In the process of step S31, it is determined whether or not the variable SUM1 is 4 or more. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the predetermined value used for the determination can be arbitrarily changed by the user. Similarly, a predetermined value used for determining the number of variables SUM2, SUM3, and SUM4, which will be described later, can be arbitrarily changed by the user. Further, the number added in step S32 is not limited to one.

  If the search query determination unit 22 determines that the search icon is not an average face icon in step S12 of FIG. 5, the process proceeds to step S15, and further from the input signal output from the icon reception unit 21, the personal face icon It is determined whether or not.

  The case where the personal face icon is determined is, for example, that the user designates the personal icons M13 to M16 by dragging and dropping them into the icon designation display area A2 using the input unit 15.

  In step S15, if the search query determination unit 22 determines that the search icon is a personal face icon, the search query determination unit 22 proceeds to step S16 and counts one variable SUM2 (SUM2 = SUM2 + 1). Perform icon count processing.

  The second icon count process is basically the same as the first icon count process described above with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 6, except that the variable to be set is changed from SUM1 to SUM2. That is, when it is determined that the variable SUM2 is 4 or more (step S31), the search query determination unit 22 counts one variable SUM2 (step S32), and when it is determined that the variable SUM2 is less than 4 No processing is performed (step S32 is skipped).

  As described above, even in the second icon count process, up to three search icons designated by the user are counted as they are, and when the number is four or more, the process is such that the number is larger than the designated number. Applied.

  If the search query determination unit 22 determines in step S15 in FIG. 5 that the search icon is not a personal face icon, the search query determination unit 22 proceeds to step S18 and further uses a landscape icon from the input signal output from the icon reception unit 21. It is determined whether or not there is.

  The case where it is determined that the icon is a landscape icon is, for example, that the user designates the landscape icon M3 or the flower icon M5 by dragging and dropping the icon to the icon designation display area A2 using the input unit 15.

  In step S18, if the search query determination unit 22 determines that the search icon is a landscape icon, the search query determination unit 22 proceeds to step S19, counts one variable SUM3 (SUM3 = SUM3 + 1), and in step S20, the third icon Perform a count process.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating details of the third icon count process in step S20 of FIG.

  In step S41, the search query determination unit 22 determines whether or not the variable SUM3 for counting icons is 2 or more, and if it is determined that the variable SUM3 is 2 or more, the process proceeds to step S42.

  In step S42, the search query determination unit 22 determines whether or not the distance between the two or more designated icons is shorter than a predetermined value. If the search query determination unit 22 determines that the distance between the icons is shorter than the predetermined value, the process proceeds to step S43. move on.

  In step S43, the search query determination unit 22 synthesizes icons whose distance between icons is shorter than a predetermined value and regards them as one icon. Next, in step S44, the search query determination unit 22 decreases the number of variables SUM3 by one (SUM3 = SUM3-1), and proceeds to the process of step S22 in FIG.

  On the other hand, in step S41, the search query determination unit 22 determines that the variable SUM3 for counting icons is 1, or in step S42, the distance between two or more specified icons is longer than a predetermined value. If NO, no processing is performed (steps S43 and S44 are skipped), and the process proceeds to step S22 in FIG.

  As described above, in the third icon count process, when there are a plurality of search icons designated by the user and the distance between the plurality of icons is shorter than a predetermined value, the icons are combined to create a single icon. Processing that is regarded as an icon is performed.

  If the search query determination unit 22 determines in step S18 in FIG. 5 that the icon is not a landscape icon, the process proceeds to step S21, where one variable SUM4 is counted (SUM4 = SUM4 + 1), and the process proceeds to step S22.

  That is, the case of proceeding to the processing of step S21 means that, for example, the user uses the input unit 15 to drag and drop the building icon M2, the car icon M4, the glasses icon M17, or the hat icon M18 into the icon designation display area A2. It is to specify.

  In step S22, the search query determination unit 22 determines a search query based on the type and number of search icons specified (that is, the value of the variables SUM1, SUM2, SUM3, or SUM4), and the search query shown in FIG. The process proceeds to step S3.

  In step S3 of FIG. 4, the image search unit 23 performs an image search process according to the type and number of icons included in the search query based on the search query determined in the process of step S2.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the details of the image search process according to the type and number of icons in step S3 of FIG.

  In step S51, the image search unit 23 determines whether or not the specified icon is one type from the search query determined in the process of step S2, and determines that the specified icon is one type. If so, the process proceeds to step S52.

  In step S52, the image search unit 23 determines whether or not the specified icon is an average face icon from the search query. If the image search unit 23 determines that the specified icon is an average face icon, the process proceeds to step S53. .

  In step S53, the image search unit 23 determines from the search query whether the value of the variable SUM1 corresponding to the designation of the average face icon M11 is smaller than a predetermined value N1. The predetermined value N1 is set to 4 by default, for example, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the value can be arbitrarily changed by the user.

  On the other hand, if the image search unit 23 determines in step S53 that the value of the variable SUM1 is smaller than the predetermined value N1, the process proceeds to step S54, where the search target image group stored in the removable medium 2 is searched, and the variable SUM1 An image including the same number of search queries as the value of (the image having tag information of the average face icon) is extracted.

  For example, it is assumed that the user designates three average male icons M11 in the icon designation display area A2 using the input unit 15 from the icon list display area A1 on the operation screen illustrated in FIG. In this case, from the tag information of the specified icon, information “3 (person)” for “male” is used as a search query, and an image including three men is searched.

  In step S53, when the image search unit 23 determines that the number of average face icons is equal to or greater than the predetermined value N1, the process proceeds to step S55. In step S55, the image search unit 23 searches the search target image group stored in the removable medium 2, and extracts an image including a search query that is greater in number than the value of the variable SUM1.

  For example, it is assumed that the user designates four average male icons M11 in the icon designation display area A2 using the input unit 15 from the icon list display area A1 on the operation screen illustrated in FIG. In this case, from the tag information of the icon, “4 (person)” for “male” and “4 (person) or more” for “male” are used as a search query, and an image including four or more men is displayed. Searched.

  If the image search unit 23 determines in step S52 that it is not an average face icon, the process proceeds to step S56. In step S56, the image search unit 23 searches the search target image group stored in the removable medium 2, and searches the same number of values as the values of the variables SUM2, SUM3, or SUM4 according to the type of the designated icon. Extract only images that contain a query.

  For example, from the icon list display area A1 of the operation screen shown in FIG. 2, the user uses the input unit 15 to create a building icon M2, a landscape icon M3, a car icon M4, a flower icon M5, and personal icons M13 to M16, Assume that the glasses icon M17 or the hat icon M18 is designated in the icon designation display area A2. In this case, from the tag information of the designated icon, “building”, “landscape”, “car”, “flower”, “user A”, “user B”, “user C”, “user D”, “glasses” ”Or“ hat ”is used as a search query, and only images including the same number of search queries as the value of the variable SUM2, SUM3, or SUM4 are searched.

  In step S51, if the image search unit 23 determines that there are a plurality of types of designated icons from the search query determined in the process of step S2, the process proceeds to step S57. In step S57, the image search unit 23 determines whether or not the values of the variable SUM of the specified plurality of types of icons are smaller than the predetermined value N2 from the search query. The predetermined value N2 is set to 4 by default, for example, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the value can be arbitrarily changed by the user.

  In step S57, if the image search unit 23 determines that the total number of the specified types of icons is smaller than the predetermined value N2, the process proceeds to step S58. In step S58, the image search unit 23 searches the search target image group stored in the removable medium 2 and extracts only images including the same number of search queries as the total value of the variable SUM.

  For example, the user designates one average male icon M11 and two average female icons M12 in the icon designation display area A2 using the input unit 15 from the icon list display area A1 of the operation screen shown in FIG. And In this case, from the tag information of the designated icon, the information that “male” is “1 (person)” and “female” is “2 (person)” is the search query, and one man and two people Only images that contain women from are searched.

  In step S57, when the image search unit 23 determines that the total number of the specified types of icons is equal to or greater than the predetermined value N2, the process proceeds to step S59. In step S59, the image search unit 23 searches the search target image group stored in the removable medium 2, and has the same number or more as the total value of the variable SUM, and the value of the icon variable SUM. Not only images containing search queries with the same ratio but also images containing more search queries than the specified number are extracted.

  For example, the user designates four average male icons M11 and two average female icons M12 in the icon designation display area A2 using the input unit 15 from the icon list display area A1 of the operation screen shown in FIG. And In this case, from the tag information of the designated icon, “4 (person)” for “male” and “2 (person)” for “female”, and “4 or more” and “female” for “male”. "2 or more" information is used as a search query, and not only images including four men and two women but also images including four or more men and two or more women are searched. However, since the ratio of the specified number of icons is maintained, for example, an image including 8 men and 4 women and an image including 12 men and 6 women are searched.

  Returning to the description of FIG. In step S4, the display control unit 24 causes the display unit 16 to display a search result as shown in FIG. 9, for example, based on the search result obtained in the process of step S3.

  In the display example shown in FIG. 9, four landscape icons M3, three average male icons M11, and three flower icons M5 are designated as search icons in the icon designation display area A2. In the search result display area A3, 15 images are displayed as search results.

  That is, by the search query determination process shown in FIG. 5, the average face icon variable SUM1 is counted as 3 and the landscape icon variable SUM3 is counted as 6 (however, the overlapped landscape icon M3 is synthesized). The information of “landscape”, “male” is “three (person)”, and “flower” is determined as a search query. Then, not only the image including the specified number of search queries but also the image including the search queries larger than the specified number are searched by the image search process corresponding to the type and the number of icons shown in FIG. Has been.

[Effects of the first embodiment of the invention]
1. As described above, when a search icon is specified by the user, a search query is determined according to the type and the number of the specified search icons, and the specified search query is determined based on the determined search query. It is possible to search not only images that contain the specified number of search queries, but also images that contain more search queries than the specified number if only included images or if the specified number is large Become.

  For example, when a group photo including 10 men and 10 women is to be searched, only two average male icons M11 and two average female icons M12 are designated in the icon designation display area A2. "2 (person)" and "Women" are "2 (person)" as a search query, and the ratio of the number of designated icons is maintained, so that "10 men" and "10 You can also search for images that contain "human female".

  Thus, the user can specify various search queries with a simple operation, and can easily search for a desired image.

  2. In many cases, the user does not remember the number and position of mountains and flowers. Thus, as described above, when a predetermined number or more of landscape icons are designated, if the designated landscape icons are close to each other, they are regarded as one icon, so that a rough image search can be performed. .

[Second embodiment of the present invention]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that, in the second embodiment, the same components as those described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions are omitted as appropriate.

  In the second embodiment, an image search system as shown in FIG. 10 is used. In this image search system, an information terminal 51 that requests an image search and an image search server 52 as an image search device that searches for a requested image are connected via a network 53. The printer 1 is connected. In addition, the removable media 2 can be attached to the information terminal 51.

  In this configuration example, the information terminal 51 includes an image icon reception function (icon reception unit 21) and a search query determination function (search query determination unit 22) that the printer 1 has in the first embodiment described above. And the search function display function (display control unit 24) only, and the image search function (image search unit 23) of the printer 1 is moved to the image search server 52. In the example of FIG. 10, one information terminal 51 and one image search server 52 are connected to the network 53, but there may be a plurality of information terminals 51 and multiple image search servers 52. Good.

  Further, the image group to be searched is stored in the image search server 52 in advance. The image data read from the removable medium 2 attached to the information terminal 51 or the image data stored in the information terminal 51 is stored. May be transmitted to the image search server 52 via the network 53 and stored there.

  FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the image search server 52. In the image search server 52, a CPU 61, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 62, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 63, and an input / output interface 64 are connected via a bus 65. An input unit 66, a display unit 67, a communication unit 68, a storage unit 69, and a database 70 are connected to the input / output interface 64.

  The CPU 61 reads out and executes a boot program for starting the image search server 52 from the ROM 62 based on an input signal from the input unit 66, and reads various operating systems stored in the storage unit 69. The CPU 61 performs various controls based on an input signal from the input unit 66, reads a program and data stored in the ROM 62 and the storage unit 69 and loads them into the RAM 63, or a program read from the RAM 63. Based on the command, a series of processes such as data calculation or processing is executed.

  The input unit 66 is configured by an input device such as a keyboard and a mouse through which an operator of the image search server 52 inputs various operations. The input unit 66 generates an input signal based on the operation of the operator, The data is transmitted to the CPU 61 via the bus 65. The display unit 67 is a liquid crystal display, for example, and displays a processing result of the CPU 61 based on a signal received from the CPU 61 via the bus 65 and the input / output interface 64.

  The communication unit 68 includes a LAN (Local Area Network) card, a modem, and the like, and enables the image search server 52 to be connected to the network 53. That is, the communication unit 68 transmits the data received from the network 53 to the CPU 61 via the input / output interface 64 and the bus 65, and transmits the data received from the CPU 61 via the bus 65 and the input / output interface 64 to the network 53. To do.

  The storage unit 69 is configured by a semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, or the like, and stores programs and data executed by the CPU 61. In the storage unit 69, an image search application is prepared as a program executed by the CPU 61.

  The database 70 is composed of a large-capacity hard disk or the like, and accumulates a large amount of image data.

  The information terminal 51 is composed of a general-purpose personal computer, and is basically the same as the configuration not including the database 70 of the image search server 52 shown in FIG.

  FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration example of the information terminal 51 and the image search server 52.

  The information terminal 51 includes an icon reception unit 21, a search query determination unit 22, a search query transmission unit 81, a search result reception unit 82, and a display control unit 24. The image search server 52 includes a search query reception unit 91, An image search unit 23 and a search result transmission unit 92 are included.

  The icon reception unit 21, the search query determination unit 22, the display control unit 24, and the image search unit 23 in the image search server 52 in the information terminal 51 are as described above in the first embodiment.

  The search query transmission unit 81 in the information terminal 51 transmits the search query determined by the search query determination unit 22 to the image search server 52 via the network 53. The search result receiving unit 82 receives the search result based on the search query transmitted from the image search server 52 via the network 53 and outputs it to the display control unit 24.

  The search query receiving unit 91 in the image search server 52 receives the search query transmitted from the information terminal 51 via the network 53 and outputs it to the image search unit 23. The search result transmission unit 92 transmits the image searched based on the search query by the image search unit 23 to the information terminal 51 through the network 53 as a search result.

  Next, image search processing performed between the information terminal 51 and the image search server 52 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In starting the process, it is assumed that an operation screen as shown in FIG. 2 is displayed on a display unit (not shown) of the information terminal 51, for example.

  In step S <b> 71, the icon receiving unit 21 of the information terminal 51 determines whether or not the search icon designation is accepted by the user, and waits until the search icon designation is accepted.

  In step S71, when the icon receiving unit 21 determines that the designation of the search icon has been received, the icon receiving unit 21 outputs the input signal to the search query determining unit 22, and the process proceeds to step S72.

  In step S72, the search query determination unit 22 performs a search query determination process based on the input signal from the icon reception unit 21 as described above using the flowchart of FIG.

  In step S <b> 73, the search query transmission unit 81 transmits the search query determined in the process of step S <b> 72 to the image search server 52 via the network 53.

  In step S <b> 81, the search query receiving unit 91 of the image search server 52 receives the search query transmitted from the information terminal 51 via the network 53. In step S82, the image search unit 23 determines the icon type and the number of icons based on the search query received by the search query receiving unit 91 in the process of step S81 as described above with reference to the flowchart of FIG. A corresponding image search process is performed.

  In step S <b> 83, the search result transmission unit 92 transmits the image searched by the process of step S <b> 82 as a search result to the information terminal 51 via the network 53.

  In step S 74, the search result receiving unit 82 of the information terminal 51 receives the search result transmitted from the image search server 52 via the network 53. In step S75, the display control unit 24 displays, for example, a search result as shown in FIG. 9 on a display unit (not shown) based on the search result received by the search result receiving unit 82 in the process of step S74. .

[Effects of the Second Embodiment of the Invention]
As described above, in the information terminal 51, when a search icon is specified, a search query is determined according to the type and number of the specified search icons, and the determined search query is transmitted to the image search server 52. Then, the image search server 52 that has received this search query searches for an image based on the search query and transmits the search result to the information terminal 51. The information terminal 51 can display the received search result.

  That is, among the plurality of functions of the image search application, an icon reception function, a search query determination function, and a search result display function are provided in the information terminal 51, and an image search function is provided in the image search server 52. Can be distributed, and search processing can be executed by a server having high processing capability.

[Modification]
1. In the above, the function of the image search application is applied to the printer 1, the information terminal 51, or the image search server 52, but the present embodiment is not limited to this, for example, iPhone (trademark) or the like You may make it apply to portable information terminals, such as a mobile telephone, iPod (trademark), a portable game machine, a digital still camera, a hard disk recorder.

  2. In the above description, the case where tag information is added has been described as an example. However, it is also possible to extract a feature amount of a face image from a search target image and perform image search based on the feature amount.

  3. In the above description, when searching for a human face image, the number of search queries is changed. However, the present invention can be similarly applied to other images (for example, images of pets and cars).

  4). Further, in the image search (steps S3 and 8 in FIG. 4), for example, as shown in step S55 in FIG. 8, an image including a search query that is more than the same number as the value of the variable SUM is extracted. Is larger than the number specified by the user according to the type of icon and the specified number (for example, FIG. 6), and therefore, an image including the same number of search queries as the value of the variable SUM is extracted. You can also

  5. The series of processes described above can be executed by hardware or can be executed by software. When a series of processing is executed by software, a program constituting the software executes various functions by installing a computer incorporated in dedicated hardware or various programs. For example, it is installed from a program recording medium in a general-purpose personal computer or the like.

  FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a computer that executes the above-described series of processes using a program.

  In the computer, the CPU 101, ROM 102, RAM 103, and input / output interface 104 are connected to each other by a bus 105.

  The input / output interface 105 further includes an input unit 106 including a keyboard, mouse, and microphone, an output unit 107 including a display and a speaker, a storage unit 108 including a hard disk and a nonvolatile memory, and a communication including a network interface. A drive 110 for driving a removable medium 111 such as a unit 109, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor memory is connected.

  In the computer configured as described above, the CPU 101 loads, for example, the program stored in the storage unit 108 to the RAM 103 via the input / output interface 104 and the bus 105 and executes the program. Is performed.

  The program executed by the computer (CPU 101) is, for example, a magnetic disk (including a flexible disk), an optical disk (CD-ROM (Compact Disc-Read Only Memory), DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), etc.), a magneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor. The program is recorded on a removable medium 111 that is a package medium including a memory or the like, or is provided via a wired or wireless transmission medium such as a local area network, the Internet, or digital satellite broadcasting.

  The program can be installed in the storage unit 108 via the input / output interface 104 by attaching the removable medium 111 to the drive 110. Further, the program can be received by the communication unit 109 via a wired or wireless transmission medium and installed in the storage unit 108. In addition, the program can be installed in the ROM 102 or the storage unit 108 in advance.

  The program executed by the computer may be a program that is processed in time series in the order described in this specification, or in parallel or at a necessary timing such as when a call is made. It may be a program for processing. Furthermore, the program may be transferred to a remote computer and executed.

  6). The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and in the implementation stage, the component may be modified and embodied without departing from the spirit of the invention, or a plurality of components disclosed in the above-described embodiment. Various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining the above. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, you may combine the component covering different embodiment suitably.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer 2 Removable media 21 Icon reception part 22 Search query determination part 23 Image search part 24 Display control part 51 Information terminal 52 Image search server 53 Network 70 Database 81 Search query transmission part 82 Search result reception part 91 Search query reception part 92 Search Result transmitter

Claims (12)

First display control means for controlling the display of a plurality of search icons prepared in advance;
Icon accepting means for accepting designation of the plurality of search icons displayed by the first display control means;
A determining unit that determines a search condition according to a type and the number of the search icons received by the icon receiving unit;
An image search apparatus comprising: search means for searching for an image from among the plurality of search target images based on the search condition determined by the determination means. The image search apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a second display control unit that controls display of the image searched by the search unit, or a printing unit that prints the image. 2. The search unit according to claim 1, wherein when the search icon of a predetermined type is specified more than a predetermined number, the search unit searches for an image including the search condition more than the specified number. Image search device. When the plurality of types of search icons are specified and the total number thereof is greater than a predetermined number, the search means includes not only images including the specified number of search conditions but also the specified number. The image search apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an image including a large number of the search conditions is also searched. 5. The image search device according to claim 4, wherein, when searching for an image including the search condition more than a specified number, the ratio of the number of the search icons of each type is maintained. . 2. The image search according to claim 1, wherein, when a predetermined number of the search icons are specified, the search unit also searches for an image including the search condition that is less than the specified number. apparatus. A display control step for controlling display of a plurality of search icons prepared in advance;
An icon receiving step for receiving designation of the plurality of search icons displayed in the processing of the display control step;
A determination step for determining a search condition in accordance with the type and number of the search icons received by the icon reception step;
An image search method comprising: a search step of searching for an image from among the plurality of search target images based on the search condition determined by the process of the determination step. A display control step for controlling display of a plurality of search icons prepared in advance;
An icon receiving step for receiving designation of the plurality of search icons displayed in the processing of the display control step;
A determination step for determining a search condition in accordance with the type and number of the search icons received by the icon reception step;
A program that causes a computer to execute a process including a search step of searching for an image from among the plurality of search target images based on the search condition determined by the process of the determination step. Display control means for controlling the display of a plurality of search icons prepared in advance;
Icon accepting means for accepting designation of the plurality of search icons displayed by the display control means;
A determining unit that determines a search condition according to a type and the number of the search icons received by the icon receiving unit;
Search condition transmission means for transmitting the search condition determined by the determination means to an image search device;
An information terminal comprising: search result receiving means for receiving a search result based on the search condition transmitted from the image search device. A display control step for controlling the display of a plurality of search icons prepared in advance;
An icon receiving step for receiving designation of the plurality of search icons displayed in the processing of the display control step;
A determination step of determining a search condition according to the type and number of the icons for search received by the process of the icon reception step;
A search condition transmission step of transmitting the search condition determined by the process of the determination step to an image search device;
And a search result receiving step for receiving a search result based on the search condition transmitted from the image search device. A display control step for controlling the display of a plurality of search icons prepared in advance;
An icon receiving step for receiving designation of the plurality of search icons displayed in the processing of the display control step;
A determination step of determining a search condition according to the type and number of the icons for search received by the process of the icon reception step;
A search condition transmission step of transmitting the search condition determined by the process of the determination step to an image search device;
A program for causing a computer to execute processing including a search result receiving step of receiving a search result based on the search condition transmitted from the image search device. In an image search system comprising an information terminal and an image search device for storing a plurality of search target images,
The information terminal
Display control means for controlling the display of a plurality of search icons prepared in advance;
Icon accepting means for accepting designation of the plurality of search icons displayed by the display control means;
A determining unit that determines a search condition according to a type and the number of the search icons received by the icon receiving unit;
Search condition transmission means for transmitting the search condition determined by the determination means to an image search device;
Search result receiving means for receiving a search result based on the search condition transmitted from the image search device;
The image search device includes:
Search means for receiving the search condition transmitted from the information terminal and searching for an image from the plurality of search target images based on the received search condition;
An image search system comprising: search result transmission means for transmitting the image searched by the search means to the information terminal as a search result.

Images