JP3921106B2 - Image database device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
【Technical field】
The present invention relates to an image database apparatus.
[0002]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
There are various types of image database devices.
[0003]
As an example, keywords corresponding to images are registered in advance. When searching for an image, a corresponding image can be found by inputting a keyword. However, in such an image database, since an appropriate keyword is input corresponding to the image, it takes much time.
[0004]
As another example, an image is drawn using drawing software, and an image approximate to the drawn image is found by searching. However, it is not always easy to draw an image that approximates the image that you want to find. It is difficult to find a desired image.
[0005]
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to find a desired image with relatively little effort.
[0006]
An image database device according to the present invention is an extraction means for extracting representative image data representing a representative image of a plurality of frames from an image database in which image data of a large number of frames is stored, and is represented by representative image data extracted by the extraction means. Display control by the first display control means for controlling the display device so as to display the representative images of the plurality of frames distributed in the coordinate area in accordance with the characteristics of each representative image. And a moving means for moving a desired image among a plurality of images distributed and displayed on the coordinate area according to a given movement command, and a position of the image after being moved by the moving means. Search means for searching the image database for images having characteristics similar to the search characteristics, and results of search by the search means, The soaked image according to its characteristics, characterized in that it comprises a second display control means for controlling the display device to display on the coordinate area.
[0007]
You may make it provide the control method suitable for the image database apparatus by this invention. That is, this method extracts representative image data representing representative images of a plurality of frames from an image database in which image data of a number of frames is stored, and represents the representative images of the plurality of frames represented by the extracted representative image data, According to the characteristics of each representative image, it is distributed and displayed in the coordinate area, and a desired image among the images of a plurality of frames distributed and displayed on the coordinate area is moved according to a given movement command, An image having characteristics similar to the characteristics specified by the position of the moved image is searched from the image database, and as a result of the search, the found image is displayed on the coordinate area according to the characteristics. .
[0008]
According to the present invention, representative images (representative image data) of a plurality of frames are extracted from images (image data) of a large number of frames stored in the image database. The extracted representative images of multiple frames are coordinate areas (also called coordinate planes) according to the characteristics of the representative images (color characteristics, brightness characteristics, saturation characteristics, shooting date, etc. of the representative images). (The coordinate axes may or may not be displayed.) They are distributed and displayed.
[0009]
A desired image is selected by the user from a plurality of representative images displayed on the coordinate area, and the selected image is moved to a position that specifies the characteristics of the image to be found. An image (usually multiple) with characteristics similar to those specified by the moved position is searched from the image database. The image found by the search is displayed on the coordinate area.
[0010]
Since representative images of a plurality of frames are distributed and displayed on the coordinate area, an image that approximates the image that the user wants to find can be visually easily understood. Designation of an image to be found is relatively easy. When a desired image is moved, images of a plurality of frames having characteristics similar to the characteristics of the image specified by the position after the movement are displayed on the coordinate area. The image to be found can be selected from the displayed images again.
[0011]
Since there is no need to input a keyword suitable for an image, the labor of creating an image database can be reduced. Also, since multiple frames of images are displayed and an image to be found is searched from among the images, it is relatively easy to draw an image that approximates the image to be found and find an image that approximates the drawn image. A desired image can be found. In particular, even if an image having almost the same characteristics as the image to be found is not displayed in the coordinate area, the desired image can be moved by moving the position that specifies the characteristics of the image to be found. A search command for an image having almost the same characteristics as the characteristics can be given. A search command for a desired image can be given intuitively.
[0012]
Preferably, coordinate axes representing image characteristics are formed in the coordinate area, and further includes a re-search command input means for inputting a re-search command. In this case, the search means selects an image having a characteristic similar to the characteristic specified by the position of the image after being moved by the moving means in response to the input of the re-search command from the re-search command input means. Search from the above image database. The second display control means displays on the display device a coordinate area having a coordinate axis with an expanded scale when the re-search command is input from the search command input means, and the search by the search means. As a result, the display device will be controlled so that the found image is displayed on the coordinate area in accordance with its characteristics.
[0013]
The representative image extracted by the extraction means is extracted at random, for example.
[0014]
You may further provide the 3rd display control means which controls the said display apparatus so that the image currently moved by the said moving means may be expanded and displayed. Since the image is enlarged during the movement, it can be appropriately moved to a desired position.
[0015]
[Explanation of Examples]
FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention, and is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of an image database apparatus.
[0016]
The overall operation of the image database apparatus is controlled by the CPU 2.
[0017]
The image database apparatus includes an image database 4 in which image data representing a large number of color images (which may be black and white images) is stored. The image database 4 also stores data representing the characteristics of the image data in correspondence with the stored image data. The characteristics of the image data include the ratio of the color of the image, the average brightness of the image, the average saturation of the image, and the shooting date.
[0018]
Output signals from the input device 3 such as a keyboard and a mouse are input to the CPU 2. The input device 3 outputs a signal representing an image search command, a signal indicating that a specific image has been designated, and the like. The CPU 2 can also perform image enlargement processing (for example, image interpolation).
[0019]
Also connected to the CPU 2 is a video random access memory (VRAM) 1 that temporarily stores image data representing an image displayed on the display screen of the display device 6. Display of an image on the display device 6 is controlled by the display device 5.
[0020]
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the image database apparatus. 3 and 4 are examples of images displayed on the display screen of the display device 6.
[0021]
In the image database device according to this embodiment, a plurality of images having different characteristics among a large number of images stored in the image database 4 are displayed on the display screen of the display device 6 as representative images. The user clicks an image close to the image to be found from the plurality of representative images displayed in this way. If there is no image close to the image to be found, the desired image is dragged and dropped to a position for specifying the characteristics of the image to be found. A plurality of images having characteristics close to the identified image are displayed on the display screen of the display device 6 again. Such processing is repeated, and a necessary image is found by the user. Since a necessary image can be found out of images displayed on the display screen of the display device 6, a necessary image can be found relatively easily. Further features of the image database device according to this embodiment will become apparent from the following description.
[0022]
As described above, the image database device in this embodiment displays a plurality of representative images on the display screen of the display device 6. As this representative image, those having various characteristics are selected. The representative image is selected as follows, for example. When a multidimensional space having image characteristics as coordinate axes is considered, an image is arranged in the multidimensional space. The distance and direction from the origin to each image in the multidimensional space are calculated as a feature vector. A representative image having various feature vectors is selected. The representative image may be extracted randomly without being extracted based on the feature vector.
[0023]
In any case, a representative image is extracted from the image database 4 (step 11). The extracted representative image is displayed on the display screen of the display device 6 (step 12).
[0024]
FIG. 3 shows a state where the extracted representative image is displayed.
[0025]
Referring to FIG. 3, a coordinate area 23 is formed on the entire surface of the display screen 21. In the coordinate area 23, 10 thumbnail images (representative images) Ir are displayed. The coordinate axes of the coordinate area 23 indicate image characteristics. The horizontal axis of the coordinate area 23 is the image shooting date, and the vertical axis is the brightness of the image. It goes without saying that other image characteristics may be used for the coordinate axes. Further, the coordinate axes are not necessarily displayed on the display screen 21. It is only necessary that the representative image Ir is distributed and displayed on the display screen 21 in accordance with certain image characteristics. A cursor 22 for designating a specific image is also displayed on the display screen 21.
[0026]
Of the representative images Ir displayed on the display screen 21, if there is a representative image Ir having characteristics close to those required by the user, the representative image is clicked with the mouse (YES in step 13).
[0027]
If there is no representative image having characteristics close to those required by the user among the representative images Ir displayed on the display screen 21, the desired image is dragged to a position that represents the characteristics of the image required by the user ( YES at step 14). When the image is dragged, the coordinate position of the dragged image is detected (step 15). When the dragged image is dropped (YES in step 16) and a search command is given from the input device 3, an image having characteristics close to the characteristics of the image specified by the coordinate position of the dropped image is displayed in the image database 4. (Step 17). That is, the image characteristics specified by the coordinate position of the dropped image are used as a search condition, and a new search process of the image database 4 is performed. Even when the representative image is clicked, if a search command is given from the input device 3, an image having characteristics close to those of the clicked image is extracted from the image database 4 (step 17).
[0028]
In FIG. 3, when searching for an image taken around July 10, 2000 and having a brightness characteristic of about 3 to 4, the representative image is displayed at the coordinate position representing the desired characteristic. Then, the representative image is clicked. If there is no representative image, the representative images displayed at other positions are dragged to the coordinate positions representing the characteristics. For example, the representative image Ir (referred to as Is1) displayed at the position indicated by A is dragged to the position indicated by B and dropped so as to specify the coordinate position representing the desired characteristic.
[0029]
An image having characteristics close to those specified by drag and drop or click is extracted from the image database 4, and the extracted image (thumbnail image) It is coordinates on the display screen 21 as shown in FIG. The area 23 is displayed in a distributed manner according to the characteristics (step 18). The coordinate axis of the coordinate area 23 that displays the extracted image It and the coordinate axis of the coordinate area 23 that displays the representative image Ir are the same (same image characteristics), but the coordinate area that displays the representative image Ir The coordinate axis used in the coordinate area 23 for displaying the image It extracted based on the selected image Is1 is more detailed (scale is enlarged) than the coordinate axis used in 23. More specifically, the horizontal axis of the coordinate area 23 shown in FIG. 3 is defined from January to December 2000, and the vertical axis of the coordinate area is specified from 0 to 7 in brightness. The horizontal axis of the area 23 is defined from July 1 to 31, 2000, and the vertical axis of the coordinate area 23 is defined from lightness 3.0 to lightness 4.0.
[0030]
Referring to FIG. 4, ten frames having characteristics approximate to those of image Is1 selected by the user are displayed on display screen 21. If there is a thumbnail image of a required image (for example, thumbnail image Is2) among the 10 frames displayed in this way, the thumbnail image of the required image is designated by the cursor 22, and a search end command is issued from the input device 3. (YES in step 19: end of search).
[0031]
An image representing an image corresponding to the designated thumbnail image is displayed on the display screen of the display device 6. If there is no thumbnail image of the required image in the displayed 10 frames (NO in step 19), an image having characteristics close to the required image is again dragged and dropped or clicked by the cursor 22 as described above. It is specified. The thumbnail images of 10 frames having the specified image characteristics are displayed on the display screen 21. Needless to say, when the coordinate area is displayed on the display screen 21 again, the coordinate axes become more detailed.
[0032]
For example, the representative image Is1 displayed at the position indicated by C is dragged and moved to a coordinate position (position of the image indicated by D) indicating the characteristics specified by the brightness of 3.5 and the shooting date of July 10, 2000. When dropped, a coordinate area with the horizontal axis from 0:00 to 12:00 on July 10, 2000 and the vertical axis from lightness 3.4 to lightness 3.6 is displayed on the display screen 21. Let's go.
[0033]
In the embodiment described above, as shown in FIG. 3, the size of the image is not changed while the desired image Is1 is dragged from the position A to the position B, but compared with the representative image during the dragging. An enlarged image may be displayed. By displaying the enlarged image, the drop position can be easily understood. The enlargement of the image is performed by the CPU 2 as described above, but dedicated hardware may be used.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of an image database apparatus.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the image database apparatus.
FIG. 3 is an example of an image displayed on a display screen.
FIG. 4 is an example of an image displayed on a display screen.
[Explanation of symbols]
2 CPU
3 Input device 4 Image database 5 Display control device 6 Display device
Representative image of Ir
Is1 Dragged and dropped image

Claims (2)

Extracting means for extracting representative image data representing representative images of a plurality of frames from an image database storing image data of a number of frames;
A plurality of frame representative images represented by the representative image data extracted by the extraction means are displayed in a distributed manner in a coordinate area in which coordinate axes representing the image characteristics are formed according to the characteristics of each representative image. First display control means for controlling the device;
A first image that moves a desired image among representative images of a plurality of frames displayed in a distributed manner on the coordinate area under display control by the first display control means in response to a given movement command . transportation,
Search means for searching the image database for an image having characteristics similar to the characteristics specified by the position of the image after being moved by the first moving means;
A coordinate area having a coordinate axis whose scale is wider than the coordinate axis in the coordinate area displayed under the display control by the first display control means according to the characteristics of the image found as a result of the search by the search means A second display control means for controlling the display device so as to display on the display;
A desired image of the images distributed and displayed on the coordinate area having the coordinate axis whose scale is expanded under the display control by the second display control means is changed according to a movement command given again. Second moving means for moving
Re-search means for re-searching images having characteristics similar to those specified by the position of the image after being moved by the second moving means from the image database; and
An image found as a result of the re-search by the re-search means has a scale further than the coordinate axis in the coordinate area in which the scale displayed under the display control by the second display control means is expanded according to its characteristics. Third display control means for controlling the display device so as to display on a coordinate area having an extended coordinate axis;
An image database device. 2. The image database device according to claim 1, further comprising fourth display control means for controlling the display device so as to enlarge and display an image being moved by the first moving means.

Images