JPH06282581A - Picture data base device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To display the index pictures of picture data stored in a picture data storage means at a high speed, in a picture data base in which the picture data stored in the picture data storage means are retrieved and utilized. CONSTITUTION:This device is constituted of a picture data storage means 12 which stores the picture data, index picture preparing means 11 which automatically prepares the index pictures constituted by using the plural picture data recorded in the picture data storage means 12, and stores the index pictures in the picture data storage means 12, and picture display means 13 which displays the pictures stored in the picture data storage means 12.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image database device for retrieving and utilizing image data stored in image data storage means.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a conventional image database device. In FIG. 4, 51 is an image data storage means, 52 is an index image creating means, 5
Reference numeral 3 is an image display means.

The operation will be described below with reference to FIG. When the index image is used to search for the target image stored in the image data storage means 51, the index image creation means 52 creates the index image from the image data stored in the image data storage means 51. , Are displayed on the image display means 53. When the target image does not exist in the displayed index images, a new index image is created and displayed on the image display means 53.

The above process is repeated until the desired image is found. In the case of re-displaying the index image displayed before the index image currently displayed in the search process, the image data is read from the image data storage means 51 to reconstruct the index image.

[0005]

However, in the conventional index image display method as described above, a new index image must be continuously created until the target image is found, and the current index image is currently displayed. When displaying the index image displayed before the index image, the image is read from the image data storage means,
I have to recreate the index image, so
There is a problem that it takes a very long time to search for an image, and this problem is remarkable when the number of image data stored in the storage means is large.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image database device for displaying index images at high speed and dramatically shortening the time for searching for the target image. .

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides image data storage means for storing image data,
Index image creating means for automatically creating an index image composed of a plurality of image data recorded in the image data storage means, and storing the index image in the image data storage means, and the index stored in the image data storage means It has a configuration of image display means for displaying an image.

[0008]

According to the present invention, when the image data is registered, the index image creating means creates an index image from the input image data, and the created index image is stored in the image data storing means. When displaying an index image to search for a target image during image search, the index image stored in the already created image data storage means is read out and displayed by the image display means. When the target image does not exist in the displayed index image, the index image is newly read from the image data storage means and displayed by the image display means.
The index image is read from the image data storage means and displayed until the target image is found.

With the above structure, the index image is created in advance and stored in the image data storage means, and when the index image is displayed, the completed index image is read out from the image data storage means and displayed. As described above, it is not necessary to repeatedly create the index image from the image data stored in the image data storage means each time the index image is displayed, so that the time for displaying the index image can be shortened.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the image database device of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a first embodiment of an image database device of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, 11 is an index image creating means for automatically creating an index image from the input image data and writing it in the image data storage means, 12 is an image data storage means for storing the image data and the index image, Reference numeral 13 is an image display means for reading out and displaying the index image from the image data storage means 12.

The operation of this embodiment configured as described above will be described. First, when registering image data, the input image data is passed to the index image creating means 11, and the index image creating means 11 creates a reduced image from the read image data. When the number of images necessary for the construction of the index image is input, the index image creating means 11 creates one index image from the reduced images for the respective input image data, and the created index image is the image data. It is stored in the storage means 12. Thereafter, a new image is input, and each time the number of images required to form the index image is input, an index image is created and stored in the image data storage means 12.

At the time of image data search, the index image is read from the image data storage means 12 and displayed on the image display means 13. If the target image does not exist in the displayed index image, the image data storage means 12 is newly added.
The index image is read from and displayed. The target image is read out and displayed repeatedly.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of the image database apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 3 shows an example of a file map of the image data storage means.

In FIG. 2, 21 is an image input means such as a scanner, 22 is a reduced image creating means for creating a reduced image from the image read by the image input means 21, and 23 is a reduced image created by the reduced image creating means 22. Reduced image writing means for writing an image in the image data storage means 28, 24 is an image data compression means for compressing the image read by the image input means 21, 25 is an image data storage means for the image compressed by the image data compression means 24. Two
8, compressed image data writing means for writing to 8, an index image creating means for creating an index image from the image read by the reduced image reading means 27,
Reference numeral 27 is a reduced image reading means for reading the reduced image from the image data storage means 28.

Reference numeral 29 is a compressed image data reading means for reading the compressed image data from the image data storage means 28, and 30.
Is a compressed image data decompression means for decompressing the compressed image data read by the compressed image data reading means 29,
Reference numeral 31 is a display means such as an HDTV for displaying the image data expanded by the compressed image data expansion means 30, and 32 is an index image reading means for requesting the image data reading means 29 to read the index image. Reference numeral 33 is an index image management means for reconstructing the index image and updating the index image when a deletion or update request is made for the image stored in the image data storage means 28.

Reference numeral 41 in FIG. 3 is a reduced image recording area in which a reduced image is recorded, 42 is a compressed image recording area for recording a compressed image, and 43 is a file map of the compressed image recording area.

The operation of this embodiment configured as described above will be described. First, at the time of image data registration, the image read by the image input unit 21 is sent to the image data compression unit 24 and the reduced image creation unit 22. The image data compression unit 24 compresses the sent image, and the compressed image data writing unit 25 writes the compressed image data in the image data storage unit 28. On the other hand, the reduced image creating means 22 creates a reduced image based on the image read from the image input means 21. The reduced image created is written in the image data storage unit 28 by the reduced image writing unit 23. This operation is repeated every time an image is input.

The index image creating means 25 determines the number of reduced images required to create one index image,
It holds information and the number of reduced images that have not been used for index images until then. Here, 7 images vertically and 7 horizontally
It is assumed that one image of the index image is created from 49 reduced images.

Now, the procedure for creating the index image by the index image creating means 26 and the procedure for writing the index image in the image data storage means 28 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. The image data input from the image input unit 21 is compressed by the image data input unit 24, and the first image data 1 is compressed by the compressed image writing unit 28 into the compressed image area 42 of the image data storage unit 28.
Is written as image data 1 at the beginning of the. After that, each time an image is input, it is written after the previous image data. When the writing of the image data 49 is completed, the index image creating means 26 writes the image data 1 to the image data 49 written in the reduced image recording area.
Read the reduced image for and create the index image.

The created index image is compressed by the image data compression means 24 and recorded in the area following the image data 49. Further, when the image input continues, the image data 50 is written in the area following the index image 1. After that, each time 49 pieces of image data are input, the index image creating means 26 creates an index image and the image data storing means 28.
Written in. The index is automatically created every time 49 images are read. When the input work is finished with less than 49 images input after the index image is created, the index image is created using the image input after the index image is created.

The index image thus created is sent to the image data compression means 24 and compressed, and the compressed index image is recorded in the image data storage means 21 by the compressed data writing means 22.

At the time of displaying the index image, the index image reading means 32 requests the compressed image data reading means 29 to read the index image from the image data storage means 28. The compressed image data reading means 29 reads the compressed image data of the index image requested from the image data storage means 28 and sends it to the compressed image data decompression means 30, and the compressed image data decompression means 20 sends the sent compressed image data. Is extended.
The decompressed index image is sent to the image display means 31 and displayed. When the image data is updated or deleted, the index image management unit 33 requests the index image creation unit 26 to create the index image. When the image data stored in the image data storage unit 28 is updated, the reduced image forming the index image including the reduced image of the image data to be updated stored in the image data storage unit 26 is used. The reduced image of the image data that is the object of updating is replaced with the reduced image of the updated image data to reconstruct the index image.

When the image data stored in the image data storage means 28 is deleted, the image data storage means 28
Of the reduced images that make up the index image that is written after the index image that contains the reduced image of the image data that was deleted in the image data stored in The index image is reconstructed using the reduced image excluding the image.

The structure of the reduced image at that time follows the order in the image data storage means 28 of the image data for the reduced image. The index image reconstructed as described above is compressed by the image data compression means 24 and recorded in the image data storage means 28 by the compressed image data writing means 25. At this time, the index image targeted for reconstruction is updated to the reconstructed index image.

[0027]

As described above, the present invention automatically creates an index image composed of a plurality of image data storage means for storing image data and image data stored in the image data storage means, An index image is displayed by the index image creating means for storing the index image in the image data storage means and the image display means for reading out and displaying the index image stored in the image data storage means. Since it is not necessary to create an index image each time the index image is displayed, the display time of the index image can be shortened and an efficient output of the index image can be realized.

This is particularly effective when a large amount of image data is recorded.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an image database device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an image database device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an image data storage state of an image database device according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 Index Image Creating Means 12 Image Data Accumulating Means 13 Image Displaying Means 21 Image Input Means 21 Image Input Means 22 Reduced Image Creating Means 23 Reduced Image Writing Means 24 Image Data Compressing Means 25 Compressed Image Data Writing Means 26 Index Image Creating Means 27 Reduced Image Reading Means 28 Image data accumulating means 29 Compressed image data reading means 30 Compressed image data decompressing means 31 Image displaying means 32 Index image reading means 33 Index image managing means 41 Reduced image recording area 42 Compressed image recording area 43 File map of compressed image recording area

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An image data storage means for storing image data, and an index image composed of a plurality of image data recorded in the image data storage means is automatically created and stored in the image data storage means. An image database device comprising: an index image creating means; and an image display means for displaying the index image stored in the image data storage means. 2. The image data compression means for compressing an index image, and the compressed image data decompression means for decompressing the compressed index image read from the image database. Image database device. 3. The image according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising an index image management means for updating the index image according to the update or deletion of the image data stored in the image data storage means. Database device.