JP5608951B2 - Information search / display apparatus, method, and information search / display program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information search / display apparatus, method, and information search / display program. More specifically, when a user searches for desired information such as an image using a computer and a recording medium, the user can easily specify search conditions via a single GUI (graphical user interface). In addition, the present invention relates to a technique for browsing and displaying search result information in an intuitive and visual manner.

As a GUI for searching information such as an image in a computer, there is a GUI described in Patent Document 1. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a GUI described in Patent Document 1.
In this GUI, on the initial screen, a category ring 80 is displayed in which search attribute identifiers (for example, search attribute names) are arranged in a circumferential direction on the ring. On this categorization 80, all or part of the search attributes defined in advance in the image attribute database and assigned to each information are displayed. In FIG. 13, “aspect ratio”, “size”, “color”, and “atmosphere” of images are displayed on the category ring 80 as search attributes, and the user can search these search items displayed on the category ring 80. The attribute is selected and input by an instruction means such as a mouse.

When the user instructs to select any of the search attributes on the category ring 80 by clicking or the like, the key ring 90 for the search attribute instructed to be selected is displayed inside the category ring 80. In FIG. 13, as an example, a state in which selection of “aspect ratio” on the categorization 80 is indicated is shown.
Further, on the key ring 90, keys of search attributes selected and instructed by the user are arranged in the circumferential direction on the ring. In FIG. 13, “square” 902, “horizontal” 903, and “vertically long” 904 indicating search attribute values of the search attribute “aspect ratio” are displayed. When the user rotates the key ring 90 by an operation input from an input device such as a mouse, an image search is executed using the value at the position 901 of the key ring 90 at the clock 6 o'clock as a search key, and the search result (image 90a1 etc.) Is displayed inside the key ring 90.

  Each time the user clicks another search attribute (for example, “size”) on the category ring 80 with the mouse or the like, the key ring of the clicked search attribute is sequentially displayed inside. Then, the user rotates each key ring so that an attribute value desired to be set as a search condition matches a predetermined position (clock 6 o'clock position) 901, thereby obtaining attribute values of a plurality of search attributes. AND (logical product) search or the like can be performed.

Japanese Patent No. 4444185

However, in the GUI described in Patent Document 1, the position to match the search key is fixed at a predetermined position (clock 6 o'clock position) 901. Therefore, it is necessary for the user to rotate each key ring so that the attribute value to be searched matches with the predetermined position 901, and it is particularly troublesome to operate each of the plurality of key rings.
Further, as a method for setting search conditions in an information search GUI or the like, for example, a method of setting by using a text box or a linear slider for setting each attribute value can be considered. However, since these GUIs have directionality, for example, when a plurality of operators jointly operate on the same GUI, the operators are gathered in one place on the screen for convenience of operation. There was a problem that cooperation work was difficult.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its purpose is to more easily set search conditions when searching for desired information through a single GUI in which search and browsing are integrated. An object of the present invention is to provide an information search and display device, a method, and an information search and display program that enable this.

In order to solve the above problems and achieve the object of the present invention, the information search and display device of the present invention is provided for each search category for information search and is arranged in a concentric manner on the display screen. A key ring, a key ring in which a continuous or discrete search key is arranged in the circumferential direction, a search condition mark that can be moved on the circumference of the key ring, a key ring arrangement unit that displays and outputs the key ring, and an input device A key ring selection unit that selects one of the key rings in accordance with the operation input.
In addition, a key ring rotating unit that rotates each key ring independently clockwise or counterclockwise in accordance with an operation input from the input device while maintaining a relative position on the circumference of each search key on the selected key ring. A search key determination unit that determines a search key for information search based on the position of the search condition mark on the key ring and the amount of rotation of the key ring in the circumferential direction.
In addition, a change unit that changes the position of the search condition mark on the key ring according to an operation input from the input device, and a search result that is executed using the selected search category and the determined search key are used to rotate the key ring. And a search result display unit that sequentially displays and outputs the inside of the key ring, and the search key determination unit, when the position of the search condition mark on the key ring is changed by the change unit, on the changed key ring The search key is determined based on the position of the search condition mark .

The information search and display method of the present invention is executed by an information search and display device having a key ring arrangement unit, a key ring selection unit, a key ring rotation unit, a search key determination unit, a change unit, and a search result display unit. This is an information search and display method, and includes the following steps (a) to (e).
(A) One or a plurality of key rings provided for each search category for information search by the key ring arrangement unit and arranged concentrically on the display screen, and searching for continuous or discrete quantities in the circumferential direction Displaying and outputting a key ring in which a key is arranged and a search condition mark movable on the circumference of the key ring ;
(B) a step of selecting one of the key rings according to an operation input from the input device by the key ring selection unit;
(C) The key ring rotating unit independently rotates each key ring clockwise or counterclockwise according to the operation input from the input device while maintaining the relative position on the circumference of each search key on the selected key ring. Step,
(D) The search key determination unit determines a search key for information search based on the amount of rotation of the key ring in the circumferential direction from the position of the search condition mark on the key ring, and the change unit further determines the input device. Determining the search key based on the changed position of the search condition mark on the key ring when the position of the search condition mark on the key ring is changed according to the operation input from
(E) A step of sequentially displaying and outputting the search results executed using the selected search category and the determined search key by the search result display unit inside the key ring as the key ring rotates.

The information search and display program of the present invention is a program that causes a computer to execute the following processes (f) to (l).
(F) One or a plurality of key rings provided for each search category for information search and arranged concentrically on the display screen, wherein continuous or discrete search keys are arranged in the circumferential direction. A key ring and a key ring arrangement process for displaying and outputting a search condition mark movable on the circumference of the key ring;
(G) a key ring selection process for selecting one of the key rings in accordance with an operation input from the input device;
(H) a key ring rotation process in which each key ring is independently rotated clockwise or counterclockwise in accordance with an operation input from the input device while maintaining a relative position on the circumference of each search key on the selected key ring;
(I) a search key determination process for determining a search key for information search based on the amount of rotation of the key ring in the circumferential direction from the position of the search condition mark on the key ring;
(J) a change process for changing the position of the search condition mark on the key ring in accordance with an operation input from the input device;
(K) A search result display process for sequentially displaying and outputting a search result executed using the selected search category and the determined search key inside the key ring as the key ring rotates,
(L) The above retrieval key determination processing, when the position of the search condition mark on the key ring is changed by changing process based on the position of the search condition mark on the modified key ring, determined search key It is characterized by doing.

  According to the present invention, when searching for desired information through a single GUI in which search and browsing are integrated, it is possible to set search conditions more easily.

It is a functional block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the information search display apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of attribute definition information and a plant pictorial book database. It is a figure which shows an example of the search initial screen displayed on the information search display apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the display screen when the search attribute is selected in the information search display apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the transition of a search result display in case the information search is performed using a some key in the information search display apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. In the information search display device according to one embodiment of the present invention, it is a diagram showing a search result display screen when the search condition mark is moved. In the information search display device according to one embodiment of the present invention, it is a diagram showing a search result display screen when the search condition mark is moved. In the information search display device according to one embodiment of the present invention, it is a diagram showing a search result display screen when the search condition mark is moved. In the information search display device according to one embodiment of the present invention, it is a diagram showing a search result display screen when the search condition mark is moved. In the information search and display device according to an embodiment of the present invention, it is a diagram showing the transition of the search result display when the key ring is rotated. In the information search and display device according to an embodiment of the present invention, it is a diagram showing the transition of the search result display when the key ring is rotated. In the information search and display device according to an embodiment of the present invention, it is a diagram showing the transition of the search result display when the key ring is rotated. In the information search and display device according to an embodiment of the present invention, it is a diagram showing the transition of the search result display when the key ring is rotated. In the information search and display device according to an embodiment of the present invention, it is a diagram showing the transition of the search result display when the key ring is rotated. In the information search and display device according to an embodiment of the present invention, it is a diagram showing the transition of the search result display when the key ring is rotated. In the information search and display device according to an embodiment of the present invention, it is a diagram showing the transition of the search result display when the key ring is rotated. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process sequence which the input control part in the information search display apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention performs. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure when a search condition mark is moved in the information search / display apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process sequence which the candidate extraction part in the information search display apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention performs. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process sequence which the output control part in the information search display apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention performs. It is a figure explaining the rotation direction of the key ring in the information search display apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure executed when the rotation direction of the key ring is changed in the information search / display apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure explaining an example of arrangement | positioning determination processing on the display of the search result which the output control part in the information search display apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention performs. It is a figure which shows an example of the hardware constitutions of the information search display apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a GUI described in Patent Document 1. FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings referred to in the following description, the same parts as those in the other drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals.
(Configuration of information retrieval display device)
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the information search / display apparatus according to the present embodiment. The information search / display apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes an input control unit 11, a candidate extraction unit 12, a candidate control unit 13, an output control unit 15, attribute definition information 16, state information 17, and a plant picture book database. 18. In the following description, as an example, the information search and display device 1 provides a plant pictorial book that can search for various plants using search keys such as the color of a plant flower and the characteristics of leaves. The information searchable by the information search and display device according to the present embodiment is not limited to plant information. Any information having a discrete quantity as a search attribute can be applied to various information searches.

  The input control unit 11 receives position information of a cursor or pointer and a ring identifier (for example, a ring name) input from the input unit 2 including an input device such as a mouse. Update the stored key value of the current search condition. In addition, the input control unit 11 performs input / output control such as display output of categorization and key ring (described later), selection for categorization and key ring, and operation input such as rotation according to the present embodiment together with the output control unit 15. .

  Further, as will be described later, the user can perform an information search using the attribute value as a search key by rotating the key ring and matching an attribute value to be used as a search key (search condition) with a predetermined position on the screen. At this time, a mark (hereinafter referred to as “search condition mark”) indicating a predetermined position for matching the search key is displayed on the screen. In the information search display device according to the present embodiment, this search condition mark is displayed. It is a feature that the user can move it to another position by an input device such as a mouse.

  For example, when multiple key rings are displayed, if the search keys that you want to set for each key ring at a certain position are coincidentally aligned, etc., each key ring is rotated to adjust the search key to a predetermined position. The operation is simpler than moving the search condition mark. In particular, when a plurality of operators perform the operation of setting search conditions, the search conditions can be set not only at a certain predetermined position but also at an arbitrary position on the key ring. Then, the operator can perform the search condition setting operation while being located at any place around the key ring without being gathered in one place.

  More specifically, for example, the upper surface of the table is a display, and the GUI according to the present embodiment is displayed on this display. Each operator is located around the table, and when he / she sets the search condition, the operator sets the position in front of his / her eyes as the position of the search condition mark on the key ring, and then the search condition mark It is assumed that the key ring is operated so that the search key desired to be set matches.

When the search condition mark is moved by the user's operation of the input device as described above, the input control unit 11 receives the position information of the search condition mark input from the input unit 2 including an input device such as a mouse. A process of updating the key value of the current search condition stored in the state information 17 according to the position information is also executed.
In this embodiment, the search attribute refers to items for search such as “flower color”, “how to attach flowers”, “leaf shape”, and the like. Means a key value of each search attribute (for example, “red”, “yellow”, “blue”, etc. if “flower color”), and the plant picture book database 18 is stored using this search attribute + key. This is referred to as a search condition when searching.

The status information 17 stores key values of search attributes that are currently set as one or more search attributes. When the key ring is rotated by a user operation or the like and the key value of the search attribute is reset or the search condition mark is reset, the new search attribute key value is stored in the status information 17 each time. Is done.
The candidate extraction unit 12 reads the key value of the currently set search condition (search attribute) stored in the state information 17 and refers to the plant pictorial book database 18 to match the key value of the set search attribute. An identifier of plant information is extracted as a display output candidate.
The attribute definition information 16 is associated with a search attribute name (search category name), key values that each search attribute can take, which display color to display on each categorization (described later), and the like. Each search attribute name has one record and is referred to as a table stored in the internal memory or the internal / external recording medium.

FIG. 2A is a diagram illustrating an example of the attribute definition information 16. In the attribute definition information 16 shown in FIG. 2A, the color of the flower, the way of attaching the flower, the shape of the leaf, the season, and the place are defined as the search attributes. As will be described later, in the present embodiment, the attribute value of each search attribute associated with the plant information that is the search target is represented by a bit string composed of a plurality of bits. The “bit” shown in FIG. 2 indicates a bit representing each attribute value in each search attribute. For example, when “red”, “blue”, and “white” exist as the color of a flower of a certain plant, the first bit (“1” = 2 ^{0 in the} bit string indicating “flower color” associated with the plant. ) The third bit (“4” = 2 ² ), the fifth bit (“16” = 2 ⁴ ) is set to “1”, and the other bits are set to “0”.

  FIG. 2B is a diagram showing an example of plant attribute information stored in the plant pictorial book database 18. The plant pictorial book database 18 is a database in which attribute values of search attributes associated with each information are recorded for each information to be searched (plant information in the present embodiment). In the plant pictorial book database 18 shown in FIG. 2 (b), together with an ID for uniquely identifying the plant information to be searched, the plant name, subject, and genus name of each plant, the color of the flower, how to attach the flower , Leaf shape, season, place, etc. are related.

In addition, as described above, the color of the flower, how to place the flower, the shape of the leaf, the season, and the place are represented by a bit string consisting of a plurality of bits, but the numbers in each search attribute are represented by decimal numbers. It is shown. For example, “3” in the “flower color” of ID “1” indicates that the first bit and the second bit of the bit string indicating the color of the flower associated with Akaza are “1”. That is, the color of the flower associated with Akaza is “red” and “yellow”.
The plant pictorial book database 18 is preferably configured as tabular data such as RDB (Relational Database), for example, but the present embodiment is not limited to this, and the search key value determined by the candidate extraction unit 12 is used. Any format can be used as long as an identifier (ID) of plant information matching as a key can be searched.

Although not shown here, the plant pictorial book database 18 stores image information of each plant displayed as a search result in addition to the data shown in FIG. 2B. It has a table that associates “ID” with identification information of image information (for example, the name of an image file).
The output control unit 15 determines the display position and size in the display output of the plant information that is the display output candidate extracted by the candidate extraction unit 12. The plant information whose display position and size are determined is displayed and output by the display unit 3 on a display device or the like. Each image to be displayed and output may be stored in a folder or the like, or may be remote data collected and stored in advance by a search robot or the like.
The candidate control unit 13 detects the detected image when the image information of the plant displayed and output as a search result is pointed by a pointing device such as a mouse or the image information touched by the cursor is detected by the input control unit 11. Detailed information on the plant indicated by the information (flower color, leaf shape, flowering season, native place, size, etc.) is displayed.

(GUI for information search and display device)
Hereinafter, the GUI for information search and display output in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3A to 3G and FIGS. 4A to 4G.
FIG. 3A is a diagram illustrating an example of an initial GUI screen according to the present embodiment. As described above, the information search and display apparatus according to the present embodiment provides a plant picture book that can search for various plants by using a search key such as the color of a plant flower or the shape of a leaf.

  Here, the display screen of the information search / display apparatus is composed of two display areas 300 and a display area 310. The GUI of this embodiment described below is a GUI for searching for plants and displaying the search results, and is displayed in the display area 300. In the display area 310, as will be described later, the name of the plant extracted as a search result in the GUI, and information about the plant (flower color, how to attach flowers, leaf shape, flower blooming season, native Location, size, etc.) are displayed.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the search initial screen displayed in the display area 300 displays a category ring 20 that displays search attribute identifiers (for example, search attribute names) arranged in a circumferential direction on the ring. The The information search method according to the present embodiment is originally intended to execute a search only by an operation using a single instruction means such as a mouse. For this reason, on the category ring 20, all or a part of the search attributes given to each plant information defined in the plant pictorial book database 18 are displayed. In FIG. 3A, as the search attributes, there are plant flower color 201, flower shape 202, flower attachment 203, leaf attachment 204, leaf attachment 205, flower season 206, and (natural) place 207. The user selects and inputs these search attributes displayed on the ring by an instruction means such as a mouse.

  In the example of this embodiment shown in FIG. 3A, the search attributes to be input by the user are arranged in advance on the category ring 20 and the search attribute names are displayed. The search attribute designation method is not limited to this. For example, a button field that can be selected and input together with the display of the search attribute name may be provided for each search attribute on the search attribute input screen without providing the categorization 20 separately, and the search attribute name itself can be selected and displayed as a list May be.

  FIG. 3B shows an example of a display screen after a selection instruction is given by clicking on a display location of the flower color 201 on the category ring 20 on the initial search screen of FIG. 3A. When the “Flower Color” display location on the category ring 20 is selected and clicked, a key ring 30 for the search attribute “Flower Color” is displayed inside the category ring 20. In the key ring 30, keys having a search attribute “flower color” are arranged in a circumferential direction on the ring.

  At the same time, an expression (keyword) schematically showing the search key value may be displayed on the key ring 30 so that the key value (search attribute value) of the displayed key ring can be intuitively grasped. In FIG. 3B, red 301, yellow 302, blue 303, purple 304, white 305, and others 306 indicating search attribute values of the search attribute “flower color” are displayed, and the key is placed inside the key ring 30. The image of the plant (search result) it has is displayed.

  In FIG. 3B, a search condition mark 31 is displayed at the 6 o'clock position on the circumference of the key ring 30. When the user wants to set a search condition (search key), the key ring 30 is rotated so that a desired attribute value on the key ring 30 matches the search condition mark 31. It is movable along the circumference. That is, the user can also change the search key by dragging the search condition mark 31 with an input device such as a mouse and moving the search condition mark 31 to an arbitrary position on the circumference of the key ring 30.

  Note that the “ring” in the present embodiment is not limited to a circular shape, and includes, for example, a broadly-defined annular body such as an ellipse, and further a member that forms a closed loop with a polygonal shape or the like. Thus, the user can set the search attribute and the attribute value by a simple operation of rotating the category ring 20 or the key ring 30 with a pointing device such as a mouse.

  The “key” in the present embodiment is a condition value used for search, and the search result to be displayed and output is filtered by adjusting the condition value by an operation described later. In FIG. 3B, a key value used as a search key for plant information search is a value adjusted to the position of the search condition mark 31, and this value is input to the input control unit 11. This key is adjusted by rotating the key ring 30 by an operation input from an input device such as a mouse. When the position of the search condition mark 31 is changed, the attribute value of each key ring at the position where the search condition mark 31 is arranged is input to the input control unit 11 as a search key in each search attribute. In this way, a plant search is executed with the key matched to the search condition mark 31, and an image of the plant that is the search result is displayed inside the key ring 30.

  The images representing the search results are arranged concentrically from the vicinity of the center of the key ring 30 toward the outside. By default, detailed information on the plants arranged near the center of the key ring 30 is displayed in the display area 310. . Further, when the user points to another search result image with a mouse or the like or brings a pointer close to the image, detailed information on the plant represented by the image is displayed in the display area 310.

  Each search key previously arranged in the circumferential direction on the key ring 30 is rotated independently in the clockwise or counterclockwise direction while the relative position on the circumference is maintained. That is, based on the rotation amount in the circumferential direction from the reference position (the amount of movement from the reference position or the angle with respect to the center) obtained by rotating the key ring 30 with the predetermined position on the key ring 30 as the reference position, The value of the key located at the predetermined position (in this embodiment, the position of the search condition mark 31) is adjusted and determined.

  Further, in order to adjust the key by rotating the key ring 30, after clicking the wheel of the mouse, the wheel is rotated or the key ring 30 is dragged to rotate. In the present embodiment, the clockwise rotation of the key ring 30 is realized by rotating the wheel forward or by left dragging, and the counterclockwise rotation is set to be the reverse operation, but according to the present invention. The operations of the category ring 20 and the key ring 30 are not limited to this, and may be realized by any operation. Each key ring is configured to be independently rotatable while maintaining the relative position on the circumference of each search key arranged on the key ring 30.

In addition, in order to adjust the key by moving the search condition mark 31, the search condition mark 31 is moved to the desired position along the circumference of the key ring 30 with the left mouse drag. However, the operation of the search condition mark 31 according to the present invention is not limited to this, and may be realized by any operation.
If a plurality of search attributes on the category ring 20 are selected and specified sequentially, a plurality of keys can be designated. In this case, the key ring that has been instructed for selection is the key ring that has been instructed to be selected in advance. Displayed inside. That is, even when a plurality of keys are designated, only the number of key rings is increased, and a unified display interface is provided. By displaying a plurality of key rings, an AND search using a plurality of keys is executed.

3C to 3G are diagrams illustrating an example of the GUI when the position of the search condition mark 31 is changed.
In the state of FIG. 3B, when the user further clicks the flowering method 203 on the category ring 20, the “flowering” key ring 40 is displayed inside the “flower color” key ring 30, and the color of the flower is displayed. An image having both the key and the flowering key is displayed inside the ring (FIG. 3C). In FIG. 3C, the search condition mark 31 is set at the 6 o'clock position, and “purple” 304 and “blooming vine” 405 are located in the search condition mark 31. Accordingly, an image of a plant whose flower color is “purple” and whose flower is “blooming in a vine” is displayed inside the flowering key ring 40.

Here, it is assumed that the user moves the search condition mark 31 to the position shown in FIG. 3D in the state of FIG. 3C. At this time, “blue” 303 and “blooming vine” 405 are located in the search condition mark 31. Therefore, the search condition is that the color of the flower = “blue”, the way of attaching the flower = “blooming the vine”, the color of the flower is “blue”, and the flower is “blooming the vine”. An image of the plant is displayed on the inside of the key ring 40 for attaching flowers.
Similarly, FIGS. 3E to 3G show states when the search condition mark 31 is moved little by little along the circumference of the key rings 30 and 40 clockwise. In each figure, it can be seen that the search condition is changed as the position of the search condition mark 31 is changed, and the search result displayed inside the key ring 40 is changed.

(Search result display method)
The search keys in the information search and display device according to the present embodiment are all discrete quantities such as the color of the flower and the way the flower is attached. Therefore, there is a certain width at the position indicating each search key on the key ring 30. For example, in the key ring 30 of FIG. 3B, since there are six search keys (red 301 to other 306), each search key is on an arc that forms on the key ring 30 and is centered on 360 ° ÷ 6 = 60 °. Arranged on a fan-shaped circular arc. When the user rotates the key ring 30 with a mouse or the like, the display page of the search result extracted by the search key is sequentially switched in the arc to which each search key is assigned (that is, within the same attribute value). It has become.

  That is, when there are X search results and the maximum number of plant images that can be displayed inside the key ring 30 is N (or N may be an arbitrary value determined in advance), all search results are displayed. The number of pages P required to do this is X ÷ N pages when X is divisible by N, otherwise the integer part of the quotient obtained by dividing X by N + 1 page. Therefore, in the example of FIG. 3B, for example, every time the user rotates the key ring 30 by (60 ÷ P) degrees within the range of purple 304, the display page number of the search result is switched to the forward direction, The result can be confirmed with an image.

  With this display method, when there are many search results, the user frequently switches the search result display page just by rotating the key ring a little, and when there are few display results, the user rotates the key ring by a considerable amount. Otherwise, the search result display page is not switched. By such an operation, for example, when the user rotates the key ring once, the switching timing of the search result display page differs depending on each attribute value, so the user intuitively grasps the degree of the search result in each attribute value. can do.

  FIG. 4A shows a state where the “flower color” 201 of the category ring 20 is clicked and the flower color key ring 30 is displayed on the initial screen (FIG. 3A) as in FIG. 3B. In FIG. 4B, the search result page of the plant whose “flower color” is “white” is changed to another page by slightly rotating the key ring 30 counterclockwise from the state of FIG. 4A. The displayed state is shown. 4C to 4F, the key of the search condition “flower color” is changed from “white” to “purple” by further rotating the key ring 30 of FIG. 4B counterclockwise. The search result pages of plants whose flowers are purple are displayed in a browsing manner. 4G further rotates the key ring 30 counterclockwise so that the key of the search condition “flower color” is switched to “blue”, and the flower color is blue inside the key ring 30. The search result is in a browsing display state.

The above search result display method is the same when a plurality of key rings are displayed. That is, as shown in FIG. 3C and the like, when two key rings 30 and 40 are displayed, search result display pages are sequentially switched in accordance with the rotation of the key ring 30 or the key ring 40.
In the present embodiment, “browsing display” means display for scanning search, and means that a large number of images are collectively displayed as reduced images on the same screen or sequentially displayed in a short time.

(Details of information search display processing)
Details of the information search / display process according to this embodiment will be described below.
FIG. 5 to FIG. 8 and FIG. 10 are flowcharts showing a flow of an example of a program stored in the ROM 104 or the like of FIG. 12 described later as software for executing the information search / display processing according to the present embodiment. This program is described in a language such as Java (registered trademark), for example, and the CPU 101 in FIG. 12 executes information retrieval and browsing display processing according to this program (for example, applet). However, the language or method for describing the program for executing the information search / display processing according to the present embodiment is not limited to this, and may be described using a high-level language such as C, C ++, or the like. In addition, the RAM 105 in FIG. 12 stores search keys, operation types, status information 17 and the like designated and input from the input unit 2, and a part thereof is used as a display memory. The hardware configuration of the information search / display apparatus will be described in detail later.

(User operation detection process)
FIG. 5 is a flowchart mainly showing processing executed by the input control unit 11.
In FIG. 5, the input control unit 11 first detects an operation performed by an instruction means such as a mouse (step S10). When the detected operation is movement of the search condition mark 31, the position of the search condition mark 31 is detected (step S11). Then, a search attribute is detected (step S12), a key value newly designated as the search condition mark 31 is moved is detected (step S13), and the detected key ring identifier and the current key value are displayed. The information 17 is updated and output (step S17).

  If the operation detected in step S10 is addition of a key ring (for example, a click near the search attribute display location of the category ring 20), the designated search attribute is detected (step S12), and the current value of the key (The value specified by the search condition mark 31) is detected (step S13), and the key ring identifier and the current value of the key are updated and output to the state information 17 (step S17). If the detected operation is rotation of the key ring (for example, wheel rotation of the key ring), the specified key ring is detected (step S14), and the current value of the key (specified by the search condition mark 31). (Step S13), and the current value of the key of the key ring is updated and output to the state information 17 (step S17).

  If the operation detected in step S10 is deletion of a key ring (for example, an operation of clicking the key ring), the designated key ring is detected (step S15), and status information 17 regarding the identifier of this key ring is included. Are deleted (step S17). When the detected operation is an operation of bringing the cursor close to the search result image displayed on the browsing or clicking the search result image, the candidate control unit 13 causes the plant represented by the image to be displayed. A process for displaying the detailed information in the display area 310 is executed (step S16).

(Key value extraction process)
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a process for detecting the moved search key and registering it in the status information 17 as a search condition when the search condition mark 31 is moved.
In FIG. 6, the input control unit 11 detects the position of the search condition mark 31 before the movement, and stores and stores this position information in a memory or the like (step S21).
The rotation direction rd and the rotation angle θ of the search condition mark 31 when moved are detected (step S22). Here, assuming that the center of the GUI circle according to the present embodiment is the origin O = {0,0} and the coordinates of the search condition mark mark _i are {x _i , y _i }, the search condition mark 31 is moved after the movement. The angle between the previous search condition mark mark _i-1 = {x _i-1 , y _i-1 } and the moved search condition mark mark _i = {x _i , y _i } is the rotation angle θ, and the rotation direction rd and the rotation angle θ are expressed by the following formula.

Next, θ × rd is added to the angle keyarc representing the position of the search condition before the movement, and this is used as the angle representing the position of the new (after the movement) search condition (step S23). That is, the angle keyarc _i representing the position of the search condition after the search condition mark 31 is moved is as follows. (Keyarc _i-1 is an angle indicating the position of the search condition before the search condition mark 31 is moved.)

Next, one key ring to be processed is selected from the displayed key rings (step S24). An attribute value key serving as a search condition is detected from the keyarc calculated in step S23 (step S25). Here, in the search condition mark mark _i , the attribute value key _{j serving as} the search condition for the j-th key ring R _j from the outside is calculated by the following equation, where the number of attribute values defined in R _j is an _j. .

The attribute value key detected as described above is registered in the status information 17 as a search condition (step S26).
Thereafter, a key ring other than this key ring is set as the next processing target, and the processing from step S24 to step S26 is repeated (step S27). Note that the processing from step S24 to step S26 may be executed simultaneously for all displayed key rings, and in this case, the processing of steps S24 and S27 in FIG. 6 is omitted.

(Display candidate extraction process)
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a process for extracting display candidates as search results. That is, after the search condition is determined by the process shown in FIG. 6, the process shown in FIG. 7 is executed.
In FIG. 7, the candidate extraction unit 12 first selects one piece of information (plant information) to be searched, and sets the degree of matching wgt with the search condition to “0” (step S31). Next, one key ring to be processed is selected from the displayed key rings (step S32). The current key value (search condition) stored in the key ring state information 17 and the attribute value assigned to the information selected in step S31 are bit-calculated (step S33).

  Here, the bit operation is specifically the following operation. That is, a bit AND operation is performed on the bit string representing the search condition and the bit string representing the attribute value assigned to the selected information, and the operation result is equal to the bit string representing the search condition. In other cases, the calculation result is “0”. The bit operation result determined in this way is added to wgt (step S34).

  Thereafter, a key ring other than this key ring is set as a next processing target, and the processing of step S33 and step S34 is repeated (step S35). Note that the processing of step S33 and step S34 may be executed simultaneously for all displayed key rings, and in this case, the processing of step S32 and step S35 of FIG. 7 is omitted.

The above processing is performed for all information (plant information) that is a search target (step S36).
Also, the processing shown in FIG. 7 is expressed by the following formula. (The number of displayed key rings is rn, the attribute value set in the j-th key ring R _j from the outside (the attribute value for the search condition is key _j , the attribute value for the key ring R _j given to the information I _i Let d _{i, j} be

For the wgt calculated as described above, by extracting information that wgt = rn (that is, the value of wgt is equal to the number of key rings), information that matches all keys is output as the result of the AND search. .
The example of the flowchart shown in FIG. 7 is an example in which the candidate extraction unit 12 outputs a result of searching all keys with an AND condition (logical product of all keys) when a plurality of search attributes are designated. However, the candidate extraction process in the present embodiment is not limited to this. Depending on the type of search attribute, all keys or some of the keys may be searched by OR condition (logical sum). For example, a database that stores a dictionary that describes relationships between terms that are similar in concept, etc. A similar search group may be extracted by referring to the dictionary and extracting a similar term group and calculating the logical sum of these terms and the search key.

(Processing for determining the placement of candidates)
As described above, in the information search and display device according to the present embodiment, when the user rotates the key ring with the mouse or the like within the same attribute value, if there are a plurality of search result display pages based on the attribute value, the key ring The pages are sequentially displayed according to the rotation of.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a process for determining the display position of the display candidate as a search result. The output control unit 15 determines the number of display pages of the search result based on the number of display candidates extracted by the processing shown in FIG. 7 (step S51), and calculates the rotation angle per page for the current key. (Step S52). Also, the current display page position (for example, the display page corresponding to the arc portion aligned with the position 31 at 6 o'clock) is calculated, and search result candidates to be displayed inside the key ring are determined (step S53). Further, the display position of each candidate on the page is determined (step S54), and the process ends.

Here, the processing in steps S51 and S52 of FIG. 8 will be described in detail. When the number of search result display pages of the search condition Key _p is P _num , as shown in FIG. 9, when the user rotates the key ring 30 clockwise (counterclockwise) or counterclockwise (clockwise), the position of the clock 6 o'clock The search result display page is sequentially switched to the first page, the second page,..., The P _num page in accordance with the passage location of the key ring 30 that passes 31. In the present embodiment, the angles (center angles) formed by the two radii passing through both ends of each arc corresponding to each page are the same angle (angle θ _P ).

The search result number n _all in the search condition Key _p, the number of attribute values of the key ring R _p currently operated by the user (that is, the key ring to which the key is set) R _p , the search result per page of the search result display page If the maximum display number is n _pp , the search result display page number P _{num of} the search condition Key _p and the center angle θ _P per page of the search result display page are obtained by the following equations.

In the above formula, “360 / vn _p <n _all / (n _pp +1)” assumes that the number of search results n _all is large (that is, the number of displayed pages is large). The central angle θ _P per page is to be secured at least 1 °.
In addition, the user may change the rotation direction of the key ring in the reverse direction. In this case, the page direction is determined based on the rotation direction when the attribute value changes. For example, assume that the user rotates the key ring 30 counterclockwise within the range of white 305 from the state of FIG. In this case, within the range of white 305, the forward direction of the search result display page is counterclockwise, which is the first rotation direction. Therefore, when the key ring 30 is rotated counterclockwise and then the key ring 30 is rotated reversely, the search result display page is displayed in the reverse direction (returning to the previous page) within the range of the white 305. When the boundary line between the white 305 and the other 306 is exceeded (that is, when the other 306 is entered), the forward direction of the search result display page of the other 306 changes in the clockwise direction.

  FIG. 10 is a processing flowchart when the rotation direction of the key ring is changed. When it is detected that the rotation direction of the key ring has changed (step S71), it is determined whether the attribute value at a predetermined position (for example, position 31) of the key ring is the same as the attribute value before detection (step S72). If the attribute values are the same, the page direction is not changed, and the page position is detected from the rotation amount (step S75). If they are not the same attribute value, the page direction is set (step S73), and after the process of extracting display candidates is executed (step S74), the page position is detected from the rotation amount (step S75). The process in step S75 is the same as the process in step S53 in FIG. After this, the display position of each candidate on the page is determined (step S54 in FIG. 8), and the candidates are displayed.

Next, the process in step S54 of FIG. 8 will be described in detail.
In the present embodiment, the display candidates extracted by the display candidate extraction process are arranged concentrically from the inside of the ring toward the outside (circumferential direction). In the present embodiment, the search condition is a discrete quantity, and from the viewpoint that there is no concept of superiority or inferiority or priority for each candidate (search result), all plant images showing each candidate are displayed with the same size. It is said.
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a method for determining the display width and display position of each candidate. In FIG. 11, assuming that O is the center of the circle, R is the radius of the candidate display area, w is the width of each image, and a is the space between adjacent images in the radial direction, the width w of the image is obtained by the following equation. .

ｉ周目における表示位置ｒ_iは、ｉ周目における画像の中心点とＯとの距離であり、表示位置ｒ_iは次式で定義される。

The display position r _i in the i-th cycle is the distance between the center point of the image and O in the i-th cycle, and the display position r _i is defined by the following equation.

(Hardware configuration of information search and display device)
FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the information search / display apparatus according to the present embodiment. In the information search / display apparatus 100, which is a computer apparatus shown in FIG. 12, the CPU 101 controls the entire system using the RAM 105 as a work memory for primary storage in accordance with a program stored in the ROM 104 and / or the hard disk drive 106. . Further, the CPU 101 executes information search and display processing according to the present embodiment based on a program stored in the hard disk drive 106 in accordance with a user instruction input via the mouse 102 a or the keyboard 102. A display such as a CRT or LCD is connected to the display interface 103, and an input standby screen for information search display processing executed by the CPU 101, processing progress, search results, and the like are displayed. The removable media drive 107 is mainly used when writing a file from the removable medium to the hard disk drive 106 or writing a file read from the hard disk drive 106 to the removable medium. Removable media include floppy disk (FD), CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-R / W, DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD-R / W, DVD-RAM and MO, memory card, CF Cards, smart media, SD cards, memory sticks, etc. can be used.

A printer such as a laser beam printer or an ink jet printer is connected to the printer interface 108. The network interface 109 is an interface for connecting the computer device to an external network.
The input unit 2 in the information search and display apparatus according to the present embodiment is not limited to the mouse 102a or the keyboard 102, and any pointing device such as a trackball, a trackpad, or a tablet can be used as appropriate. When the portable information terminal is used as the information search / display device according to the present embodiment, the input unit 2 may be configured with a button, a mode dial, or the like.

Further, the hardware configuration of the information search and display apparatus according to the present embodiment shown in FIG. 12 is merely an example, and it is needless to say that any other hardware configuration can be used.
In particular, the information search and display processing according to the present embodiment may be realized by the computer device 100 or a portable information terminal device such as a PDA, and the terminal device and the server device are wirelessly connected such as Bluetooth (registered trademark). Or the Internet or any well-known local area network (LAN) or wide area interconnected by wired communication lines such as the Internet (TCP / IP), public telephone network (PSTN), integrated services digital network (ISDN), etc. -You may implement | achieve by the network system which consists of area networks (WAN). When the information search and display processing according to the present embodiment is realized by a system in which a terminal device and a server device are connected, for example, storage and retention of plant information and / or plant pictorial book database, and search processing for these are performed by the server device. A client device equipped with a Web browser may execute only an instruction input for information search from a user and a browsing process of a search result. Alternatively, a portal site program that runs on the server device may execute all or part of the information search / display processing according to the present embodiment.

  Using a form on a Web browser running on the computer device 100, the user can send data such as search conditions to the server device. Alternatively, an applet such as a Java (registered trademark) applet that describes all or part of the information search / display processing according to the present embodiment is downloaded from a server device to a Web browser via a network and embedded in a browser window. Can be executed.

(Other application examples)
In the above description, the case of searching for plant information has been described. However, the information search and display apparatus according to the present embodiment is widely applicable when searching for information using a search attribute that is a discrete quantity as a key.
(Summary)
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the search condition for searching for desired information is continuous or discrete through a single graphical user interface (GUI) in which search and browsing are integrated. Regardless of the amount, when searching for desired information, it is possible to set a search condition more easily. This is particularly effective when information retrieval is coordinated by a plurality of operators.

  In addition, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the illustrated and described exemplary embodiments, and includes all embodiments that provide the same effects as those intended by the present invention. Further, the scope of the invention can be defined by any desired combination of particular features among all the disclosed features.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Information search display apparatus 2 Input part 3 Display part 11 Input control part 12 Candidate extraction part 13 Candidate control part 15 Output control part 16 Attribute definition information 17 State information 18 Plant picture book database 20 Category ring 30 Key ring 31 Search condition mark 40 Key ring 100 Computer device (information retrieval display device)
102 Keyboard 102a Mouse 103 Display Interface 106 Hard Disk Drive 107 Removable Media Drive 108 Printer Interface 109 Network Interface 300 Display Area 310 Display Area 80 Categorization 90 Keyring 90a1 Image 901 Clock 6 o'clock Position

Claims (8)

One or a plurality of key rings provided for each search category for information search, arranged concentrically on the display screen, wherein a continuous or discrete search key is arranged in the circumferential direction ; A key ring arrangement for displaying and outputting a search condition mark movable on the circumference of the key ring;
A key ring selection unit that selects one of the key rings in accordance with an operation input from an input device;
A key ring rotating unit that independently rotates each key ring clockwise or counterclockwise according to an operation input from the input device, while maintaining a relative position on the circumference of each search key on the selected key ring;
A search key determination unit that determines a search key for information search based on a position of the search condition mark on the key ring and a rotation amount in a circumferential direction of the key ring;
A change unit that changes the position of the search condition mark on the key ring according to an operation input from the input device;
A search result display unit that sequentially displays and outputs a search result executed using the selected search category and the determined search key inside the key ring as the key ring rotates;
Have
The search key determination unit, when by the change unit the position of the search condition mark on the key ring is changed, based on the position of the search condition mark on changed the key ring, the search key An information search and display device characterized by determining. The search result display section, and wherein the search results to determine the display number of pages for displaying, with the rotation of the key ring, sequentially displays the output on the inside of the key ring of the search results on the display unit of page The information search and display device according to claim 1. Based on the determined number of display pages, further includes a search result arrangement unit that arranges the search results concentrically from the vicinity of the inner center of the key ring in the circumferential direction in units of display pages.
The information search / display apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the search result display unit sequentially displays and outputs the search results arranged inside the key ring as the key ring rotates. A categorization display unit for displaying and outputting categorization in which identifiers of the search categories are arranged in a circumferential direction;
A search category selection unit that selects one of the identifiers of the search categories arranged in the categorization according to an operation input from the input device;
In response to selection of an identifier of a search category on the categorization by the search category selection unit, the key ring arrangement unit displays and outputs a key ring corresponding to the selected search category inside a concentric circle of the categorization. The information search and display device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein When a plurality of search categories are selected by the search category selection unit, the key ring arrangement unit displays and outputs a key ring corresponding to the selected search category inside a concentric circle of the displayed key ring. The information search and display device according to claim 4. The search key determination unit, the search key placed in the selected key ring, on the basis of the amount of rotation of the circumferential direction of the key ring from a predetermined position of the search condition mark on the key ring, information retrieval The information search and display device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a search key for determining is determined. An information search and display method executed by an information search and display device having a key ring arrangement unit, a key ring selection unit, a key ring rotation unit, a search key determination unit, a change unit, and a search result display unit,
One or a plurality of key rings provided for each search category for information search by the key ring arrangement unit and arranged concentrically on the display screen, wherein continuous or discrete search keys are provided in the circumferential direction. Displaying and outputting the arranged key ring and a search condition mark movable on the circumference of the key ring ;
By the key ring selecting unit, in accordance with an operation input from the input device, selecting one of said key ring,
The key ring rotating unit independently rotates each key ring clockwise or counterclockwise according to an operation input from the input device while maintaining a relative position on the circumference of each search key on the selected key ring. Steps,
The search key determination unit determines a search key for information search based on the amount of rotation of the key ring in the circumferential direction from the position of the search condition mark on the key ring, and the change unit further includes: When the position of the search condition mark on the key ring is changed according to an operation input from the input device, the step of determining the search key based on the changed position of the search condition mark on the key ring When,
The search result display unit sequentially displays and outputs the search result executed using the selected search category and the determined search key inside the key ring as the key ring rotates;
An information search and display method comprising: An information search and display program for causing a computer to execute information search and display processing, the program causing the computer to
One or a plurality of key rings provided for each search category for information search, arranged concentrically on the display screen, wherein a continuous or discrete search key is arranged in the circumferential direction ; A key ring arrangement process for displaying and outputting a search condition mark movable on the circumference of the key ring;
A key ring selection process for selecting one of the key rings in accordance with an operation input from an input device;
A key ring rotation process for independently rotating each key ring clockwise or counterclockwise according to an operation input from the input device, while maintaining a relative position on the circumference of each search key on the selected key ring;
A search key determination process for determining a search key for information search based on a rotation amount in a circumferential direction of the key ring from a position of the search condition mark on the key ring;
A change process for changing the position of the search condition mark on the key ring according to an operation input from the input device;
A search result display process for sequentially displaying and outputting a search result executed using the selected search category and the determined search key inside the key ring as the key ring rotates;
For executing a process including:
The search key determination processing, when the position of the search condition mark on the key ring by the change processing is changed based on the position of the search condition mark on changed the key ring, the search key An information search and display program characterized by determining.

Images