JP2000305944A - Information retrieving device, information retrieving method and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make information which is desired to see most as a retrieved result easy-to-see. SOLUTION: This device is provided with an input part 101 to input a retrieval condition, an information storage part 107 in which individual information to be a retrieving object is stored, a matching degree calculating part 103 to calculate a matching degree as a degree to satisfy the retrieval condition by comparing the individual information stored in the information storage part 107 with the retrieval condition inputted from the input part 101, a completely matched area deciding part 104 to decide an area in which information whose matching degree becomes completely matched is displayed as a completely matched area and a retrieved result display part 105 to display the information whose matching degree becomes completely matched in a completely matched display area, to simultaneously decide a display position of information whose matching degree is incompletely matched from the completely matched area based on the matching degree and to display the information outside the completely matched area.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information search apparatus, an information search method, and a storage medium, and more particularly, to an information search apparatus, an information search method, and a storage method suitable for performing information search and display on a computer or the like. Regarding the medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a method of searching for information and displaying a search result. In the prior art, for example, as shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 08-339375, search result information is displayed in a two-dimensional or three-dimensional space, and a search result with a higher degree of matching is displayed closer to the origin of the space. Therefore, a method of displaying the search results by visually recognizing the degree of coincidence of the search results has been adopted.

[0003]

However, in the above-described conventional method alone, when there are a plurality of pieces of information whose degree of coincidence is perfect, these pieces of information are displayed in an overlapping manner, so that the result is most viewed. There was a problem that all the information I wanted was not visible. In addition, there is a problem in that information having a high degree of coincidence is likely to overlap with each other even if they are not completely coincident, and information having a higher degree of coincidence becomes more difficult to see. Also, it has been difficult to distinguish completely matched information from completely mismatched information.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an information search apparatus, an information search method, and a storage medium that make it possible to easily view the most desired information as a search result. One purpose.

Further, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned points, and an information search apparatus which allows all information of a search result most desired to be viewed without being hidden by other information.
A second object is to provide an information search method and a storage medium.

Further, the present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has an information retrieval apparatus, an information retrieval method, and a storage capable of preventing information having high coincidence from being overlapped with each other and becoming difficult to see. The third purpose is to provide a medium.

Further, the present invention has been made in view of the above points, and it is a fourth object of the present invention to provide an information search device, an information search method, and a storage medium which allow the user to determine at a glance whether or not a complete match is obtained. The purpose of.

[0008]

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information retrieval apparatus for retrieving and displaying information, the degree of coincidence being a degree satisfying information retrieval conditions. And a perfect match area determining means for determining a display area of information having a perfect match, and determining whether the information is in a perfect match area according to whether or not the information has a perfect match. And a search result display control means for displaying the result on the outside.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a search condition input unit for inputting a search condition.
An information storage unit that stores individual information to be searched, wherein the matching degree calculation unit stores the individual information stored in the information storage unit and a search condition input from the search condition input unit. Comparing and calculating a degree of matching that is a degree of satisfying a search condition, the perfect match area determining means determines an area for displaying information having a perfect match as a perfect match display area, and the search result display control means Is displayed in the perfect match display area for information that has a perfect match, and for information that is not perfect match, the display position from the perfect match area is determined based on the match degree, and Is displayed.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the present invention, the perfect match area determining means determines the size of the perfect match area based on the number of pieces of information whose degree of match is a perfect match. It is characterized by.

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, in the present invention, the perfect coincidence area determining means may determine a size of the perfect coincidence area so that pieces of information having perfect coincidence do not overlap each other. The search result display control means determines the display position so that the information having a perfect match does not overlap each other in the perfect match area.

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention as set forth in claim 5, the perfect match area determining means determines the perfect match area to be circular, and the search result display control means sets the perfect match area to the perfect match area. Information that satisfies the search condition is displayed radially around a coincidence area.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that there is provided perfect match area display control means for displaying the perfect match area so as to be distinguishable from other areas.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the present invention, the perfect match area determining means determines that the perfect match area is rectangular, and the search result display control means sets the perfect match area. Information that satisfies the search condition is displayed on the basis of the matching area.

To achieve the above object, the present invention according to claim 8 is characterized in that it can be applied to retrieval of information such as images, documents, videos, sounds and the like.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is characterized in that the present invention is applicable to an information processing apparatus such as a computer.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention according to claim 10 is an information retrieval method applied to an information retrieval apparatus for retrieving and displaying information. A degree-of-match calculating step of calculating the degree of match, a step of determining a perfect match area for determining a display area of information whose degree of match is a perfect match, And a search result display control step of displaying the search result on the outside.

To achieve the above object, the present invention according to claim 11, further comprising a search condition input step of inputting search conditions, wherein the matching degree calculating step stores individual information to be searched. The individual information stored in the information storage means is compared with the search condition input in the search condition input step, and a degree of coincidence, which is a degree satisfying the search condition, is calculated. An area for displaying information that is a perfect match is determined as a perfect match display area, and in the search result display control step, information having a perfect match is displayed in the perfect match display area, and the match degree is completely displayed. Information that is not coincident is characterized in that a display position from the perfect match area is determined based on the degree of match and displayed outside the perfect match area.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the present invention, the size of the perfect match area is determined on the basis of the number of pieces of information having a perfect match. It is characterized by.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the step of determining a perfect match area, the size of the perfect match area is determined so that pieces of information having perfect match do not overlap each other. The search result display control step is characterized in that the display position is determined so that the information having a perfect match does not overlap with the perfect match area.

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, in the perfect match area determining step, the perfect match area is determined to be circular, and in the search result display control step, the perfect match area is determined. Information that satisfies the search condition is displayed radially around a coincidence area.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention according to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the present invention has a perfect match area display control step of displaying the perfect match area so as to be distinguishable from other areas.

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, in the perfect match area determining step, the perfect match area is determined to be a rectangle, and in the search result display control step, the perfect match area is determined. Information that satisfies the search condition is displayed on the basis of the matching area.

[0024] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention according to claim 17 is characterized in that it can be applied to retrieval of information such as images, documents, videos, and sounds.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is characterized in that it can be applied to an information processing apparatus such as a computer.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium storing a program for executing an information search method applied to an information search apparatus for searching and displaying information. And
The information search method includes a matching degree calculating step of calculating a matching degree which is a degree satisfying the information search condition; a perfect matching area determining step of determining a display area of information in which the matching degree is a perfect match; And a search result display control step of displaying the search result inside or outside the perfect match area according to whether the information is a perfect match.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention according to claim 20, further comprising a search condition input step of inputting a search condition, wherein the matching degree calculating step stores individual information to be searched. The individual information stored in the information storage means is compared with the search condition input in the search condition input step, and a degree of coincidence, which is a degree satisfying the search condition, is calculated. An area for displaying information that is a perfect match is determined as a perfect match display area, and in the search result display control step, information having a perfect match is displayed in the perfect match display area, and the match degree is completely displayed. Information that is not coincident is characterized in that a display position from the perfect match area is determined based on the degree of match and displayed outside the perfect match area.

According to a twenty-first aspect of the present invention, in the present invention, the size of the perfect match area is determined based on the number of pieces of information whose degree of match is perfect. It is characterized by.

In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention according to the twenty-second aspect, in the step of determining a perfect match area, the size of the perfect match area is determined so that pieces of information having perfect match do not overlap each other. The search result display control step is characterized in that the display position is determined so that the information having a perfect match does not overlap with the perfect match area.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention according to claim 23, wherein in the perfect match area determining step, the perfect match area is determined to be circular, and in the search result display control step, the perfect match area is determined. Information that satisfies the search condition is displayed radially around a coincidence area.

To achieve the above object, the present invention according to a twenty-fourth aspect of the present invention is characterized by including a perfect match area display control step of displaying the perfect match area so as to be distinguishable from other areas.

In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention according to the twenty-fifth aspect, in the perfect match area determining step, the perfect match area is determined to be a rectangle, and in the search result display control step, the perfect match area is determined. Information that satisfies the search condition is displayed on the basis of the matching area.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention according to claim 26 is characterized in that it can be applied to retrieval of information such as images, documents, videos, sounds and the like.

To achieve the above object, the present invention described in claim 27 is characterized in that it can be applied to an information processing apparatus such as a computer.

[0035]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing the concept of an information search device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The information search device according to the embodiment of the present invention includes an input unit 101, a control unit 102 having a coincidence degree calculation unit 103, a complete match area determination unit 104, a search result display unit 105, and an information storage unit 107
, And a display unit 108.

The function of each unit will be described in detail.
Reference numeral 1 denotes a keyboard including character keys, function keys, and the like, and inputs search conditions to the control unit 102. The control unit 102 is composed of a microprocessor, compares individual information of a search target stored in the information storage unit 107 of the storage unit 106 with search conditions, and matches the individual information with the query ( Quer
y) is calculated based on the individual importance of the query,
An area for displaying information that satisfies all of the search conditions is determined by the perfect match area determination unit 104 as a perfect match area
In the search result display unit 105, information that satisfies all of the search conditions is found in a perfect match area, and the display position of information that satisfies a part of the search conditions is found in an area other than the perfect match area based on the degree of match. Output to and display. The information storage unit 107 of the storage unit 106 stores individual information to be searched. The display unit 108 displays information based on the control of the control unit 102.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of the information search device according to the embodiment of the present invention. An information search device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a CPU 201, an RO
M202, RAM 203, CD-ROM drive 20
4, CD-ROM 205, HD (hard disk) drive 206, keyboard 207, display 208,
The configuration includes a mouse 207, a printer 210, and a control bus 211. It should be noted that the configuration shown in FIG. 2 is an example and is not limited to the illustrated configuration.

The structure of each part will be described in detail.
Reference numeral 1 denotes a central control device, which executes processing shown in flowcharts of FIGS. ROM 202 is
This is a read-only memory, and stores a control procedure program 401 as shown in FIG. RA
M203 is a read / write memory at any time, and as shown in FIG. 6 described later, an information search program 603,
Image database 604, matching area data 605, matching image data 606, radius increment data 607, arrangement angle data 608, similar image buffer 609, similar image information 6
10, distribution information 611, group information 612, screen information 613, and the like.

The CD-ROM drive 204 has a CD-R
It controls reading of the information search program and the like from the OM 205. The CD-ROM 205 stores an information search program and the like. The HD drive 206 controls writing / reading of data to / from the HD. Keyboard 207
Has character keys, function keys, and the like, and is used for various inputs. The display 208 is a CPU 2
The display is performed based on the control of 01. The mouse 207 is used for inputting a coordinate position on the display 208. The printer 210 performs printing on a recording medium. Control bus 211
Is a common signal path to which the above components are connected.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing how a program or the like is supplied from a CD-ROM 205, which is a storage medium of the information search device according to the embodiment of the present invention, to a computer system (information search device). The information search program or the like stores the CD-ROM 205 in the computer system 300.
Is supplied by inserting it into a CD-ROM drive 204. Thereafter, an information retrieval program or the like can be loaded from the CD-ROM 205 into the RAM 203 and executed. Alternatively, an information search program or the like is temporarily stored in the HD of the HD drive 206 from the CD-ROM 205, and when the information search program is operated, the information is read from the HD.
It is also possible to load the program into the AM 203 and execute it.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing the configuration of the ROM 202 of the information search device according to the embodiment of the present invention. A control procedure program 401 and the like are stored in a storage area 400 of the ROM 202 of the information search device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing a configuration of a CD-ROM 205 as a storage medium of the information search device according to the embodiment of the present invention. The storage area 500 of the CD-ROM 205 of the information search device according to the embodiment of the present invention includes an information search program 501, an image database 502 as related data, a match area data 503, and a match image data 50.
4, radius increment data 505, arrangement angle data 506 and the like are stored.

FIG. 6 shows an information search program 501 stored in the CD-ROM 205 of the information search apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, and an image database 502, matching area data 503, and matching image data 504, which are related data. , Radius increment data 505, arrangement angle data 506
Is a conceptual diagram showing the memory map 600 in a state where the memory map 600 is loaded into the RAM 203 and becomes executable. In an executable state, the information search program 603, the image database 604, the matching area data 605, the matching image data 606, the radius increment data 607, and the arrangement angle data 60
8, similar images buffer 609, similar image information 610, distribution information 611, group information 612, and screen information 61 are used as memories used by the information search program.
Area 3 is secured and initialized.

FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 show an information search program 603 in the information search apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration example of a screen displayed on the display 208, and an operation of performing an image search using the information search program 603.

In FIG. 7, reference numeral 701 denotes a query (Que).
ry) is a query box for inputting “redapple” as a query. Reference numeral 702 denotes a search button for instructing a search. When the search button 702 is clicked using the mouse 209, the image database 604 is searched by the query stored in the query box 701. The search result is displayed in the displayed search result display area.

The search result display area 703 is, for example,
It is a square area of 0 dots and 600 dots horizontally. 70
Squares such as 4 and 705 indicate searched images. The size of each image is displayed by, for example, 60 dots vertically and 60 dots horizontally. 7 to 9 do not show actual images for convenience of explanation. Also, as in 704, numbers such as “ID: 234” in the square are
The image ID of the image No. 4 is “234”. A hatched circle area 706 is a matching area for displaying an image that completely satisfies the search condition. The image displayed in the matching area 706 is an image that completely satisfies the search condition.

The broken-line circles 707 and 708 are scales for indicating the degree of satisfying the search condition. In the present embodiment, the degree of satisfying the search condition is represented by the similarity. When the condition is completely satisfied, the similarity is 1.0. When the condition is not satisfied at all, the similarity is 0.
become. Reference numeral 707 denotes a scale of the similarity 0.9.
8 is a scale of the similarity 0.8. Match region 706
Indicates that the similarity is 1.0. In the present embodiment, a scale is displayed at every 0.1 degree of similarity. As can be seen, the similarity decreases as the distance from the center of the search result display area 703 increases. That is, the higher the degree of the image satisfying the search condition, the higher the search result display area 7
The image which is displayed near the center of 03 and has a lower degree of satisfying the search condition is displayed farther from the center of the search result display area 703.

Image IDs "567", "765", "8"
The image of “51” is overlapped little by little. This indicates that these images are similar to each other and form one group. The image indicated by 705 and the image indicated by 711 are connected by a straight line indicated by 710. This straight line is called a group connection line. Thus, even if they do not overlap, the images connected by a straight line are similar and indicate that they form one group. In each group, a straight line always extends from one image toward the center of the search result display area 703. This straight line is called a representative line. An image having a representative line is referred to as a representative image.

For example, an image 711 is a representative image and has a representative line 709. The representative image indicates that the similarity is the highest among the groups. In each group, the center distance between the representative image and the other images indicates the degree of similarity with the representative image. If the similarity with the representative image is high, the image ID is “5”.
Unlike the images of “67”, “765”, and “851”, the group connection lines are not displayed, and the images are displayed overlapping. Here, as shown in the image 704, even a single image is regarded as forming a group, and a representative line is displayed. Reference numeral 712 denotes a previous screen button for displaying an image having a higher similarity than the image displayed in the search result display area 703.

In FIG. 7, the first search result display area 703 when a search is performed for the query “resample”
Therefore, there is no image having a higher similarity than the image displayed here, and the triangle of the previous screen button 712 is displayed as a white background. Reference numeral 713 denotes a next screen button for displaying an image having a lower similarity than the image displayed in the search result display area 703. Since the next screen exists, the triangle of the next screen button 713 is displayed as a black background.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a state of the display 208 after the next screen button 713 is clicked using the mouse 209 in the state of FIG. 801, 80
2 and 803 are similarities of 0.8, 0.7 and 0.6, respectively.
It is a scale indicating. The distance between the scale 802 and the scale 803 is the scale between the scale 801 and the scale 802 because no image is displayed in the area between the two scales.
Is smaller than the distance between. Also, scale 801
The intervals between the graduations and the size of the matching area inside are smaller than those in FIG. 7 because no image is displayed therein. The previous screen button 712 has a triangle displayed on a black background because there is an image with a high similarity, and the next screen button 713 has a triangle displayed on a white background since there is no image with a lower similarity. I have.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a state of the display 208 after clicking the image 711 using the mouse 209 in the state of FIG. Search result display area 7
When the image displayed in 03 is clicked using mouse 209, an image similar to the clicked image is searched, and the search result is displayed in search result display area 703. Also, the query box 701 is cleared because there is no query for the search result. Instead, the image of 711 from which the search is performed is displayed in the matching area. At this time, the image 711 is displayed in a double frame to distinguish it from the case where the image is searched by a query. Also,
The interval between the scales is narrower than the state shown in FIG.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the image database 604 read into the RAM 203 of the information search device according to the embodiment of the present invention. Image database 6
In the field 04, a plurality of items are stored, each of which corresponds to the image ID and the name and description of the image file corresponding to the image ID as one item. For example, in the figure, as one item, an image ID “0”, an image file “00000000.jpg”, and a description “a
"resample" is stored correspondingly.

The image ID is a number for identifying an image stored in the image database, and numbers are assigned to images in ascending order from 0 in the order stored in the image database. Therefore, the maximum value of the image ID stored in the image database matches the value obtained by subtracting 1 from the number of images stored in the image database. The image file is information indicating a storage location of a file of image data registered in the main image database. Accordingly, an image can be displayed on the display 208 by obtaining image data from the image file. The description is a description describing the corresponding image, and the information search program 603 searches the image display 208 for a desired image using the description. Each item is sorted in ascending order by image ID.

FIG. 11 shows matching area data 6 read into RAM 203 of the information search device according to the embodiment of the present invention.
It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of 05. Match area data 605
Stores data for changing the size of the matching area as indicated by 706 in FIG. 7 according to the number of images displayed in the matching area. The matching area data is a one-dimensional array as shown in FIG. 11, and the number of images displayed in the matching area corresponds as a subscript of the array, and the number of dots of the radius of the matching area as an element of the array. Is stored. The correspondence between the number of images displayed in the matching area and the size of the radius of the matching area is determined in advance so that the images displayed in the matching area can be displayed without overlapping each other.

For example, from FIG. 11, the radius of the matching area is 30 dots when the number of images displayed in the matching area is 0, 60 dots when there is one image, and 90 dots when there are two images. It can be seen that when there are three, the number is 120 dots.

FIG. 12 shows matching image data 6 read into RAM 203 of the information retrieval apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.
It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of 06. Matching image data 606
Stores the coordinates of the center of the image displaying the image with the similarity of 1.0 displayed in the matching area 706 of FIG. 7 in association with the number of images displayed in the matching area. That is, one coordinate is displayed when one image is displayed in the matching area, two coordinates are displayed when two images are displayed, and three coordinates are displayed when three images are displayed. And the same number of coordinates corresponding to the number of images to be displayed in the matching area are stored. Each coordinate stores the coordinates when the center of the matching area is the origin, the horizontal direction on the right side of the screen is the x-axis, and the vertical direction on the upper side is the y-axis. The coordinates of each image are determined in advance so that the coordinates displayed in the matching area are displayed without overlapping each other.

For example, from FIG.
When displaying two images, the position of the coordinate (0, 0)
Coordinates (0,35), (0,-
When three images are displayed at the position 35), the coordinates (0, 35), (45, -35), (-45, -35)
It can be seen that the information to be displayed at the position is stored.

FIG. 13 shows radius increment data 6 read into RAM 203 of the information retrieval apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.
It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of 07. Radius increment data 607
Is used to determine the interval between the scales such as 707 and 708 in FIG. The interval between the scales is determined by the number of images displayed between the two scales. Therefore, the radius increment data 607 stores a plurality of items corresponding to the number displayed between the scales and the interval between the scales, and the items are sorted in ascending order according to the number.
As for the interval between the scales, the increment of the radius from the scale which is 0.1 larger than the target scale is stored as the number of dots.

For example, from FIG. 13, when the number of images is 0, a scale with a larger 30 dot radius is displayed, and when the number of images is 1 or more and 4 or less, a 60 dot radius is increased. The scale is displayed and the number of images is 5
In the case where the number is not less than 10 and not more than 10, it can be seen that a scale with a larger 90 dot radius may be displayed.

FIG. 14 shows arrangement angle data 60 secured in RAM 203 of the information retrieval apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.
8 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of FIG. Arrangement angle data 608
Is used to determine the position of the representative image to be displayed in the search result display area. The arrangement angle data 608 defines the angle at which the representative image is displayed when the angle in the horizontal right direction from the center of the search result display area is 0 degree. The arrangement angle data 608 is a one-dimensional array in which the display angles of the representative images are stored according to the order in which the representative images are displayed from the top of the array.

For example, from FIG. 14, the first representative image is displayed in the direction of 90 degrees, the second representative image is displayed in the direction of 270 degrees,
It can be seen that the first is displayed in the direction of 180 degrees and the fourth is displayed in the direction of 0 degrees.

FIG. 15 shows a similar image buffer 6 secured in the RAM 203 of the information search device according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of the embodiment 09. Similar image buffer 60
9 stores the result of searching the image database 604. For one image of the searched result, the image I
D and the similarity are stored in association with each other. Each searched image is stored in descending order according to the similarity. The degree of similarity takes a value from 1.0 to 0.0 as described above, and a larger value means a higher degree of similarity, indicating that 1.0 completely matches.

For example, from FIG. 15, image ID “0”,
Three images “456” and “789” are searched with a similarity of 1.0, and an image with an image ID “123” is searched for a similarity of 0.95.
It can be seen that the search was performed in step 2.

FIG. 16 shows similar image information 610 secured in RAM 203 of the information search device according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of FIG. The similarities of all the images stored in the image database 604 with other images are calculated, and the obtained similarities are stored as a similar image list in association with each image. Each similar image list is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 6, similar image information is stored in ascending order from the top of similar image information in order from the similar image list corresponding to image ID0. The structure of each similar image list is exactly the same as the structure of the similar image buffer 609 shown in FIG.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the distribution information 611 secured in the RAM 203 of the information search device according to the embodiment of the present invention. The distribution information 611 is for storing the distribution of the number of images existing between each scale when displaying the search result. (T101) and (T102) are the distribution information and the image ID “999”, respectively, when the search is performed using “redapple” as a query.
9 shows distribution information when an image similar to is searched.
From (T101), there are three images having similarity 1.0, five images having similarity smaller than 1.0 and 0.9 or more, and similarity smaller than 0.9 and 0.8 or more. It can be seen that there are eight images.

FIG. 18 shows group information 612 secured in RAM 203 of the information search device according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of FIG. The group information 612 is used to group images into groups. The image stored in the group information 612 stores an image other than the representative image. The image ID, the image ID of the representative image of the group to which the image belongs, and the similarity between the image and the representative image are associated. Stored.

For example, from FIG. 18, the image ID “345”
Belong to the group represented by the image ID “876”, the image having the image ID “345” and the image ID “876”.
It can be seen that the similarity of the representative image is 0.928.
Each image stored in the group information 612 is stored in ascending order by the representative image ID.

FIGS. 19 and 20 show screen information 6 secured in RAM 203 of the information search apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a thirteenth embodiment. The screen information 613 is for storing information of each screen to be displayed in the search result display area with respect to the search result, and includes the number of screens necessary to display all the search results and the display on each screen. The range of the screen, the layout of the scale of each screen, and the like can be obtained. (T201) and (T202) show screen information when a search is performed using “redapple” as a query and screen information when an image similar to the image ID “999” is searched, respectively.

The screen information 613 stores, for each screen, subscripts of the array of the distribution information 611 for indicating the image to start displaying and the scale width of the scale in association with each other. The scale width of the scale starts from the matching area, that is, the radius of the scale having the similarity of 1.0, and the width between adjacent scales, that is, the difference between the radii, is sequentially stored by the number of dots. "-1" is stored for the scale not displayed next to the screen.

For example, from (T201), the first screen contains an image corresponding to the suffix 0 of the array of the distribution information 611,
That is, it is understood that the display is started from the image having the similarity of 1.0. Also, the size of the radius of the matching area on the first screen is 1
The scale of 20 dots and the similarity of 0.9 has a radius 90 dots larger than the matching area, and the scale of the similarity 0.8 has a radius of 90 dots larger than the scale of 0.9 and has a similarity of 0.9. It can be seen that the scale after 7 is not displayed. Further, the next screen is the subscript 3 of the array of the distribution information 611.
It can be seen that display is started from an image corresponding to.

In the first screen, the size of the radius of the matching region is 30 dots, the scale of the similarity 0.9 is larger than the radius of the matching region by 30 dots, and the scale of the similarity 0.8 is 0. The radius of the graduation of .9 is 30 dots larger than that of the graduation of 0.9, the graduation of the similarity 0.7 has a radius of 90 dots larger than the graduation of the similarity 0.8, and the graduation of the similarity 0.6 is 0.7. The radius is 90 dots larger than the scale of,
It can be seen that the scale of the similarity 0.5 has a radius 90 dots larger than the scale of the similarity 0.6, and that the scale after the similarity 0.4 is not displayed.

The correspondence between the components in the claims and the components in the information search apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention is as follows. The search condition input unit corresponds to the input unit 101, and the information storage unit is the storage unit 106.
, The coincidence calculating means corresponds to the coincidence calculating section 103 of the control section 102, and the perfect matching area determining means and the perfect matching area display controlling means correspond to the perfect matching area determining section 104 of the control section 102. , And the search result display control means corresponds to the search result display unit 105 of the control unit 102.

Next, the operation of the information search program of the information search apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. FIG. 21 and FIG. 22 are flowcharts showing an information search method in the information search device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

First, in step S 101, the information search program 501 stored in the CD-ROM 205 of the information search device, the image database 502 of the related data, the matching area data 503, and the radius increment data 50
5. The arrangement angle data 506 is stored in the CD-ROM drive 20.
4 is loaded into the RAM 203, and areas for the similar image buffer 609, similar image information 610, distribution information 611, group information 612, and screen information 613 are secured in the RAM 203.

Next, in step S102, control is transferred to the information search program 501, and the information search program 501 performs initialization necessary for performing a search. That is, the image database 604 is searched using all the individual images stored in the image database 604, and the search result is stored in the similar image information 610. Details of this processing will be described later with reference to FIGS.

Next, in step S103, the processing branches according to the event that occurs. Keyboard 20
If an event occurs that the character key is pressed by using 7, the process branches to step S104. If an event of clicking the OK button 702 shown in FIG. 7 using the mouse 209 has occurred, the process branches to step S105. FIG.
If an event of clicking on an image such as 704 or 705 in the middle with the mouse 209 has occurred, step S10
Branch to 6. If an event occurs that the next screen button 713 shown in FIG. 7 is clicked using the mouse 209, the process branches to step S107. If an event occurs that the previous screen button 712 shown in FIG. 7 is clicked using the mouse 209, the process branches to step S108.

Step S104 is processing when a query is input. The character pressed in step S103 is fetched and displayed in the query box 701 shown in FIG. Upon completion of the process, the process advances to step S103. Step S105 is processing in a case where an instruction to perform a search using the query displayed in the query box 701 is issued. In step S105, the query box 70
Branch depending on whether or not a query is input to 1. That is, if a character exists in the query box 701,
Since an image can be searched using a query, the process proceeds to step S109 to perform a search using the query. If there is no character in the query box 701, it is not possible to perform a search using a query.
Proceed to and perform a search using the randomly selected image.

Step S106 is a process in a case where an instruction to search using a specific image is issued. An image ID corresponding to the clicked image is obtained and stored in the comparison source ID. The comparison source ID is secured in the RAM 203.
When the process is over, the process advances to the step S111. Step S1
07 is a process when an instruction to display the next screen of the search result is given. Details of this processing will be described later with reference to FIG. Step S108 is processing in a case where an instruction to display the screen before the search result is given. Details of this processing will be described later with reference to FIG. Step S109 is processing for searching the image database 604 using the character string stored in the query box 701 and displaying the search result on the display 208. For details of this processing, see FIG.
5. It will be described later with reference to FIG. Upon completion of the process, the process advances to step S103.

Step S110 is performed in the image database 6
04, an image is selected at random, and the image ID for the selected image is stored in the comparison source ID. The comparison source ID is
Allocated in the RAM 203. When the process is over, the process advances to the step S111. Step S111 is equivalent to step S10
6 or a process of displaying an image similar to the image selected in step S110 on the display 208. A similar image has already been obtained in step S106 or step S11.
Since the image data is stored in the similar image buffer 609 at 0, the processing of searching for a similar image is not particularly performed. Details of this processing will be described later with reference to FIG. Upon completion of the process, the process advances to step S103.

FIGS. 23 and 24 are flow charts for explaining the search initialization process in step S102. In this processing, various necessary initializations are performed. Further, a similar image is searched for all the individual images stored in the image database 604, and the search result is referred to as similar image information 6
Stored in 10. Hereinafter, the details of this process will be described.

In step S201, various initializations are performed. That is, information such as the similar image buffer 609, similar image information 610, distribution information 611, group information 612, and screen information 613 secured in the RAM 203 is initialized. Further, other initialization is performed as necessary. Upon completion of the processing, the process advances to step S202. Step S20
In 2, the comparison source ID indicating the comparison source image has an initial value of 0.
Is stored. The comparison source ID is secured in the RAM 203. Upon completion of the process, the process advances to step S203. In step S203, a description of the comparison source image is stored in the query buffer to search for an image similar to the comparison source image. A description corresponding to the comparison source ID is obtained from the image database 604 and copied to the query buffer.
The query buffer is secured in the RAM 203. Upon completion of the process, the process advances to step S204.

In step S204, the initial value 0 is stored in the comparison source ID indicating the comparison source image. Comparison source ID
Are secured in the RAM 203. Upon completion of the processing, the process advances to step S205. In step S205, a similarity between the image indicated by the comparison source ID and the image indicated by the comparison destination ID is calculated. The degree of similarity is calculated from the description for the image corresponding to the comparison source ID and the description for the image corresponding to the comparison destination ID. Comparison source ID
The description for the image corresponding to is stored in the query buffer. The description corresponding to the comparison destination ID can be obtained from the image database 604. Since the method of obtaining the similarity between two sentences is generally performed in the field of information retrieval, a detailed description thereof will not be given here, but the maximum value of the similarity is 1.0 and the minimum value of the similarity is Normalization is performed to be 0.0. Step S if similarity is obtained
Proceed to 206.

Step S206 is similar to the similar image buffer 6
In step 09, it is determined whether the image indicated by the comparison destination ID can be stored, and the process branches depending on the determination result. If the similar image buffer 609 is not full, it is determined that the image can be stored unconditionally. Similar image buffer 60
If 9 is full, the similarity value of the item at the end of the similar image buffer is compared with the similarity value calculated in step S205, and if the similarity value calculated in step S205 is larger, the value can be stored. Is determined. It is determined that the data cannot be stored unless it is larger. If it is determined that the image can be stored, the process proceeds to step S207. If it is determined that the image cannot be stored, the process proceeds to step S208.

Step S207 is processing for storing the comparison destination ID in the similar image buffer 609 in association with the similarity calculated in step S205. Similar image buffer 6
09 are stored in such a way that the items are sorted in descending order by similarity. When the similar image buffer 609 is full, the last item in the similar image buffer 609 is discarded. Upon completion of the process, the process advances to step S208. Step S208 is a process of counting up the value of the comparison destination ID by 1 and changing the comparison destination image to the next image in the image database 604. When the processing is completed, step S2
Go to 09. Step S209 is processing to branch depending on whether all the images in the image database 604 have been compared with the comparison source image. If the value of the comparison destination ID is larger than the value of the last image ID stored in the image database 604, all the images have been compared, and the process proceeds to step S210. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S205.

Step S210 sets the value of the comparison source ID to 1
This is a process of counting up only, and changing the comparison source image to the next image in the image database 604. Upon completion of the process, the process advances to step S211. Step S211,
This is a branching process depending on whether similar images have been obtained for all the images in the image database 604.
If the value of the comparison source ID is larger than the value of the last image ID stored in the image database 604, the processing has been performed for all the images, and therefore, step S10 is performed.
The search initialization process 2 is ended. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S203.

FIG. 25 and FIG. 26 are flow charts for explaining the query search process in step S109. In this processing, the image database 604 is searched using the query stored in the query box 701, and the search result is displayed on the display 208. Hereinafter, the details of this process will be described.

In step S301, the character string stored in the query box 701 is copied to a query buffer. The query buffer is secured in the RAM 203. Upon completion of the process, the process advances to step S302. In step S302, an initial value 0 is stored in a comparison destination ID indicating a comparison destination image. The comparison destination ID is secured in the RAM 203. Upon completion of the process, the process advances to step S303.
In step S303, the similarity between the sentence stored in the query buffer and the description of the image corresponding to the comparison destination ID is calculated. The description for the image corresponding to the comparison destination ID can be obtained from the image database 604. The method of obtaining the similarity between two sentences is generally performed in the field of information search, and therefore will not be described in detail here. However, the maximum similarity is set to 1.0 and the minimum is set to the minimum. Normalization is performed to be 0.0. After the similarity is obtained, the process proceeds to step S304.

Step S304 is similar to the similar image buffer 6
In step 09, it is determined whether the image indicated by the comparison destination ID can be stored, and the process branches depending on the determination result. If the similar image buffer 609 is not full, it is determined that the image can be stored unconditionally. Similar image buffer 60
When 9 is full, the similarity value of the item at the end of the similar image buffer is compared with the similarity value calculated in step S303, and if the similarity value calculated in step S303 is larger, the value can be stored. Is determined. It is determined that the data cannot be stored unless it is larger. If it is determined that the image can be stored, the process proceeds to step S305. If it is determined that the image cannot be stored, the process proceeds to step S306.

Step S305 is processing for storing the comparison destination ID in the similar image buffer 609 in association with the similarity calculated in step S303. Each item in the similar image buffer is stored so as to be sorted in descending order by similarity. If the similar image buffer 609 is full,
The last item in the similar image buffer is discarded. Upon completion of the process, the process advances to step S306. Step S306
Is a process of counting up the value of the comparison destination ID by 1 and changing the comparison destination image to the next image in the image database 604. Upon completion of the processing, the process advances to step S307. Step S307 is processing to branch depending on whether all images in the image database 604 have been compared with the query. If the value of the comparison destination ID is the image database 60
If the value is larger than the value of the last image ID stored in step S4, it means that all the images have been compared.
Proceed to 308. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S303.

Step S308 is similar to the similar image buffer 6
This is a process of determining a screen configuration for displaying the search result from the search results stored in the search result 09, and outputting information of the determined screen configuration to the screen information 613. Details of this processing will be described later with reference to FIG. Upon completion of the process, the process advances to step S309. Step S309 is processing to substitute 0 for the screen number to display the first screen of the search result. The screen number is secured in the RAM 203.
Upon completion of the process, the process advances to step S310. Step S3
Reference numeral 10 denotes processing for displaying the search result on the display 208 based on the screen configuration stored in the screen information 613 and the search result stored in the similar image buffer 609. Details of this processing will be described later with reference to FIGS. When the processing ends, the query search processing in step S109 ends.

FIG. 27 is a flow chart for explaining the similarity search processing in step S111. In this process,
An image similar to the image stored in the comparison source ID is obtained from the similar image information 610, and the similar image is displayed on the display 208. Hereinafter, the details of this process will be described.

In step S 401, the character string stored in the query buffer is cleared, the query box 701 is cleared, and displayed on the display 208.
Upon completion of the process, the process advances to step S402. Step S4
In 02, a similar image list for the image ID stored in the comparison source ID is obtained from the similar image information 610, and the contents of the similar image list are copied to the similar image buffer 609. Upon completion of the process, the process advances to step S403. In step S403, a screen configuration for displaying the search result is determined from the search results stored in the similar image buffer 609, and the information on the determined screen configuration is displayed as screen information 613.
This is the process of outputting to. Details of this processing will be described later with reference to FIG. Upon completion of the process, the process advances to step S404.

Step S404 is a process of substituting 0 for the screen number in order to display the first screen of the search result. The screen number is secured in the RAM 203. Upon completion of the processing, the process advances to step S405. Step S405
Is a process for displaying the search result on the display 208 based on the screen configuration stored in the screen information 613 and the search result stored in the similar image buffer 609. Details of this processing will be described later with reference to FIGS. When the processing is completed, the similarity search processing in step S111 is completed.

FIG. 28 is a flow chart for explaining the processing for displaying the next screen in step S107. This processing is
This is a process of displaying a screen next to the search result displayed on the display 208. Hereinafter, the details of this process will be described.

In step S501, the process branches depending on whether the next screen exists. The item corresponding to the value obtained by adding 1 to the value stored in the screen number is the screen information 61.
If it exists in step S3, it is determined that the next screen exists, and the process proceeds to step S502. If it does not exist in the screen information 613,
It is determined that the next screen does not exist, and the process of displaying the next screen in step S107 ends. Whether an item corresponding to the value obtained by adding 1 to the value stored in the screen number exists in the screen information 613 is determined by determining whether the display start value of the corresponding item is -1.
Can be determined. If it is -1, it is determined that it does not exist, and if it is not -1, it is determined that it exists.

Step S502 is processing for adding 1 to the value of the screen number in order to display the next screen currently displayed. Upon completion of the processing, the process advances to step S503.
In step S503, the screen indicated by the screen number is displayed on the display 20 based on the screen configuration stored in the screen information 613 and the search result stored in the similar image buffer 609.
8 is a process of displaying the information. Details of this processing will be described later with reference to FIGS. When the processing is completed, step S1
The next screen display process of 07 is ended.

FIG. 29 is a flowchart for explaining the process of the previous screen display in step S108. This processing is
This is a process of displaying the screen before the search result displayed on the display 208. Hereinafter, the details of this process will be described.

In step S601, the process branches depending on whether the previous screen exists. If the value of the screen number is not 0, it is determined that the previous screen exists, and step S6 is performed.
Go to 02. If the value of the screen number is 0, it is determined that the previous screen does not exist, and the process of displaying the previous screen in step S108 ends. Step S602 is processing to count down the value of the screen number by 1 in order to display the previous screen currently displayed. Upon completion of the process, the process advances to step S603.

Step S603 is a process for displaying the screen indicated by the screen number on the display 208 based on the screen configuration stored in the screen information 613 and the search result stored in the similar image buffer 609. Details of this processing will be described later with reference to FIGS. When the processing is completed, the processing for displaying the previous screen in step S108 is completed.

FIG. 30 is a flowchart for explaining the process of determining the screen configuration in steps S308 and S403. This processing is processing for determining a screen configuration on which a search result is to be displayed based on information stored in the similar image buffer 609, and outputting information on the screen configuration to the screen information 613. Hereinafter, the details of this process will be described.

In step S 701, the distribution status for the similarity of the images stored in the similar image buffer 609 is checked, and the distribution status is stored in the distribution information 611. First, the number of image IDs having a similarity of 1.0 is obtained from the similar image buffer 609 and stored in the distribution information 611.
The number of image IDs having a similarity smaller than 0 and having a similarity of 0.9 or more is obtained from the similar image buffer 609 and stored in the distribution information 611.
The number of image IDs stored in 09 is obtained and stored in the distribution information 611. Upon completion of the processing, the process advances to step S702.

Step S702 determines whether the similar image buffer 6
09 are grouped according to the degree of similarity to each other, and the grouping result is referred to as group information 61.
2 is stored. Details of this processing will be described later with reference to FIGS. When the processing is completed, step S70
Proceed to 3. Step S703 is processing for determining the scale to be displayed on each screen and storing the determined result in the screen information 613. Details of this processing are shown in FIGS.
Will be described later. When the processing is completed, the processing for determining the screen configuration ends.

FIG. 31 and FIG. 32 are flow charts for explaining the grouping process in step S702. Hereinafter, the details of this process will be described.

In step S801, 0 is substituted for the buffer item indicating each item in the similar image buffer 609 so that the buffer item indicates the first item of the similar image buffer. Buffer items are reserved in the RAM 203. Upon completion of the processing, the process advances to step S802.
In step S802, a similar image list corresponding to the image ID in the similar image buffer 609 indicated by the buffer item is obtained from the similar image information 610. The similar image information 610 has an array of similar image lists as shown in FIG. 16, and the subscript of the array is the image ID, so that the corresponding similar image list can be easily extracted. Upon completion of the processing, the process advances to step S803.

In step S803, step S8
Substituting 0 into a list item indicating each item in the similar image list extracted in 02 so that the list item indicates the first item of the similar image list. List item is RA
Secured in M203. When the processing is completed, step S8
Go to 04. In step S804, the process branches depending on whether the similarity of the item in the similar image list indicated by the list item is equal to or greater than a specified value or smaller than the specified value. If the value is equal to or more than the specified value, the process proceeds to step S805. If the value is smaller than the specified value, the process proceeds to step S809. The specified value is, for example, 0.
Set to 8.

In step S805, the process branches depending on whether or not the image ID indicated by the list item exists in an item in the similar image buffer located on the head side of the item indicated by the buffer item. That is, if there is an image ID that matches the image ID of the item in the similar image list indicated by the list item among the items in the similar image buffer corresponding to a value smaller than the value of the buffer item, the process proceeds to step S80.
6 and if not, the flow branches to step S807.

In step S806, the image ID corresponding to the buffer item and the image ID corresponding to the list item
Is stored in the group information 612. The image ID corresponding to the buffer item is stored in the storage area of the image ID of the group information 612, the image ID corresponding to the list item is stored in the storage area of the representative image ID of the group information 612, and the similarity corresponding to the list item is displayed in the group information 612. Are stored in the storage area of the similarity of. Upon completion of the processing, the flow branches to step S809.

In step S807, the value of the list item is counted up by one, and the next item in the similar image list extracted in step S802 is pointed to.
Upon completion of the processing, the process advances to step S808. Step S8
At 08, the process branches depending on whether the item pointed to by the list item is valid. If not valid, step S8
Since the processing has been performed on all valid items in the similar image list extracted in step 02, the process proceeds to step S809. If it is valid, the process still needs to be performed, so step S8
Go to 04. In step S809, the value of the buffer item is counted up by one, and the similar image buffer 60 is counted.
Point to the next item in 9. Upon completion of the process, the process advances to step S810.

In step S810, the process branches depending on whether the item pointed to by the buffer item is valid. If it is not valid, the process has been performed on all valid items in the similar image buffer 609, and the process advances to step S811. If it is valid, the process proceeds to step S802 because the process still needs to be performed. In step S811, the effective items stored in the group information 612 are set to the representative image I.
Sort in ascending order according to the value of D. When the processing ends, the grouping processing in step S702 ends.

FIG. 33 and FIG. 34 are flow charts for explaining the process of determining the display scale in step S703. Hereinafter, the details of this process will be described.

In step S901, initialization necessary for determining a display scale is performed. That is, 0 is stored in the screen number, and 0 is stored in the start area. The screen number is the number of the screen on which the search result is displayed, and the start area means the number of the area where the display of the image is started on each screen. Here, the area indicates a space between adjacent scales. The area number is the distribution information 6
It also corresponds to the suffix of the 11 array. The screen number and the start area are secured in the RAM 203. Also, screen information 61
The value of each element such as the display start and scale width of 3 is initialized to -1. Upon completion of the processing, the process advances to step S902.

In step S902, 0 is assigned to each of the area number and the scale radius. The area number and the scale radius are secured in the RAM 203. The area number corresponds to a subscript of the distribution information 611, and the area number for the matching area 706 is set to 0, the number for the area between the similarity 1.0 and 0.9 is set to 1, and the similarity is similarly set. The numbers are assigned in ascending order. The scale radius is set in the search result display area 70.
This is a value that represents the radius of the scale displayed in 3 by the number of dots. Upon completion of the process, the process advances to step S903. In step S903, branching is performed based on the result of comparison between the area number and the start number. If the value of the area number is smaller than the value of the start number, no image is displayed in the area corresponding to the area number, and the process advances to step S904. If the value of the area number is equal to or more than the value of the start number, the image of the area corresponding to the area number is displayed. The display proceeds to step S906.

In step S904, the increment of the radius of the area indicated by the area number is stored in the screen information 613. When the area number is 0, the radius increment is obtained by using the matching area data 605, and when the area number is other than 0, the radius increment is obtained by using the radius increment data 607. Here, since the area number is smaller than the value of the start area, no image is displayed in this area, that is, since the number of images to be displayed is 0, the increment of the radius is shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 0
It can be seen that the number of dots is 30 in both cases of 0 and 0.

If no character string exists in the query box 701, the similar image buffer 609 stores the comparison source I
An image similar to the image ID stored in D is stored, and if the start area is other than 0, the image of the comparison source is not known unless the image indicated by the comparison source ID is displayed. . Therefore, only in this case, one image indicated by the comparison source ID is displayed in the matching area 706. Therefore, in this case, when the area number is 0, the increment of the radius is the coincidence area data 60 shown in FIG.
5 indicates that the number of dots is 60 dots.

When the increment of the radius is determined, the screen information 61
The radius increment is stored in the scale width corresponding to the screen number and area number of No. 3. For example, in the query box 701, "r
If “screen” is stored and the value of the screen number is 1, in this processing, as shown in (T201) of FIG. 19, the scale width for the area corresponding to the similarity from 1.0 to 0.8 Are respectively stored as 30.
In this processing, the determined increment is added to the scale radius. Upon completion of the processing, the process advances to step S905. In step S905, the value of the area number is incremented by 1 in order to process the area next to the area indicated by the area number. Upon completion of the process, the process advances to step S903.

In step S906, the increment of the radius of the area indicated by the area number is determined. The radius increment is
It can be obtained from the matching area data 605, the radius increment data 607, the distribution information 611, and the area number. Using the distribution information 611, the number of images to be displayed in the area indicated by the area number is obtained. When the area number is 0, the matching area data 605 is used. When the area number is not 0, the radius increment data 607 is used. Then, an increment of the radius corresponding to the number of images to be displayed in the area is obtained.

For example, "red" is entered in the query box 701.
When “apple” is stored, the distribution information 611 is as shown in (T101) of FIG. 17, and therefore, for the area numbers 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, It can be seen that 3, 5, 8, 6, 0, and 5 images are displayed, and the matching area data 60 shown in FIG.
5 and the radius increment data 607 shown in FIG.
, It can be seen that the radius increment of each region is 120, 90, 90, 90, 30, 90.

When no character string exists in the query box 701 and 999 is stored in the comparison source ID,
Since the distribution information 611 is as shown in (T102) of FIG. 17, for the region numbers 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, 3, 4, 2, 3, , And zero images are displayed, and by using the matching area data 605 shown in FIG. 11 and the radius increment data 607 shown in FIG. Is 60, 60, 60, 60, 60, 6
It can be seen that it is 0. When the processing is completed, step S90 is performed.
Proceed to 7.

In step S907, the process branches depending on whether the area indicated by the area number can be displayed in the search result display area. Step S9 to the value of the scale radius
If the value obtained by adding the increment of the radius obtained in step 06 is larger than half of the size 600 dots of the search result display area, the area indicated by the area number cannot be displayed in the search result display area, and the process proceeds to step S910. If it is less than half of 600 dots, it can be displayed and the process proceeds to step S908. For example, when the distribution information 611 is as shown in (T101) in FIG. 17, when the screen number is 0 and the area number is 2, the scale radius value is 300, and the process proceeds to step S908. If the screen number is 0 and the area number is 3, the value of the scale radius is 390, so that step S9 is performed.
Proceed to 10.

In step S908, step S906
Is stored in the screen information 613. For example, when the distribution information 611 is as shown in (T101) of FIG.
19, as shown in (T201) of FIG. 19, the scale widths for the regions having similarities of 1.0 to 0.8 for the screen number 0 are 120, 90, and 90, respectively.
Are 90, 30, and 9 respectively, for the scale widths for the regions having similarities of 0.7 to 0.5 with respect to the screen number 1.
0 is stored. Also, the distribution information 611 corresponds to (T
102), the screen information 613 includes, as shown in (T202) of FIG. 20, a scale width for an area having a similarity of 1.0 to 0.6 for a screen number of 0. , Respectively, 60, 60, 60, 60, 6
0 and 60 are stored. In this process, the determined increment of the radius is added to the scale radius. Upon completion of the processing, the process advances to step S909.

In step S909, the value of the area number is incremented by 1 in order to process the area next to the area indicated by the area number. Upon completion of the processing, the process advances to step S906. In step S910, the process branches depending on whether all the images stored in the similar image buffer 609 have been processed. Distribution information 611
If the values of the elements subsequent to the area indicated by the area number are all 0, the processing has been performed for all the images, and the display scale determination processing in step S703 ends. If not, the process advances to step S911 to display an image that has not been processed on the next screen. In step S911, first, the value of the start area is substituted for the start area corresponding to the screen number of the screen information 613. Then, the value of the screen number is incremented by 1 to process the next screen.
Also, the value of the area number is substituted for the start area. Upon completion of the processing, the process advances to step S902.

FIGS. 35 and 36 show steps S310 and S310.
Step S405, step S503, and step S6
13 is a flowchart for describing search result display processing of No. 03. This processing is for displaying the screen indicated by the screen number on the display 208 based on the information on the screen configuration stored in the screen information 613 and the information on the images stored in the similar image buffer 609 and the image database 604. It is. Hereinafter, the details of this process will be described.

In step S1001, the scale is displayed in the search result display area 703 using the scale width in the screen information 613 for the designated screen number. Similarity 1.
The value of the scale width is -1 in order from the scale width corresponding to 0.
Until the radius of the scale is added, a circle centered on the center of the search result display area 703 is displayed for each radius of the scale. The inside of the scale having the similarity of 1.0 is painted in gray. Upon completion of the processing, the process advances to step S1002.

In step S1002, the matching area 706
Is displayed with an image of similarity 1.0. Image I for an item with similarity 1.0 from the top of similar image buffer 609
D is obtained, and the image I is obtained from the image database 604.
An image file corresponding to D is obtained, and the image file is displayed in the matching area 706. The coordinates for displaying the image file are determined using the matching image data 606 and the matching area 706.
And the coordinates corresponding to the number of images to be displayed. Also,
If no character string exists in the query box 701, the edge of the image indicated by the comparison source ID is displayed as a double frame as shown in FIG. In this case, the image represented by the comparison source ID is always set to the similarity buffer 1.0 as the similarity 1.0.
Is stored inside. When the processing is completed, step S10
Go to 03.

Step S1003 is a process of acquiring, from the similar image buffer 609, the first image ID other than the similarity of 1.0 as the image ID to be displayed. Upon completion of the process, the process advances to step S1004. Step S10
At 04, the process branches depending on whether the target image is a representative image. Image ID of the target image
Is stored as the image ID of the group information, it is determined that the image is not the representative image, and the process advances to step S1005. If it is not stored as an image ID, it is determined that the image is a representative image, and the process advances to step S1007.

In step S1005, the image ID to be displayed is changed to the next image ID in the similar image buffer. Upon completion of the processing, the process advances to step S1006.
In step S1006, the process branches depending on whether to end the image display. When all the images in the similar image buffer 609 have been processed, or when the scale width of the area where the target image is displayed is -1, it is determined that the display of the image is to be ended, and the step is performed. S1011
Proceed to. If not, the process proceeds to step S1004 assuming that the image is still displayed.

In step S1007, the display position of the image to be displayed, that is, the representative image is determined. First, the direction of the coordinates of the center of the image to be displayed from the center of the search result display area 703 is determined using the arrangement angle data 608. By using the arrangement angle data 608, the direction from the center can be uniquely determined depending on the number of the representative image to be displayed. Next, a distance from the center of the search result display area 703 of the coordinates of the center of the image to be displayed to the coordinates of the center of the image to be displayed is determined using the screen information 613. The distance from the center of the search result display area 703 to the area where the image is displayed is obtained by accumulating the corresponding scale width of the screen information 613 from the area of 1.0 from the specified screen number and the similarity of the image to be displayed. Can be obtained by
Since the scale width of the area can be obtained from the screen information 613, the distance from the center in the area can be obtained from the scale width and the similarity.

For example, the screen information 613 corresponds to (T2
In the state of 01), when an image having a similarity of 0.56 is displayed when the screen number is designated as 1, it is understood that this image is displayed in the area of 0.5, and the search result display area is displayed. The distance of the area from the center of 703 to 0.5 is 1.
By adding a scale width of 0.6 from a scale width of 0, it can be seen that 30 + 30 + 30 + 90 + 30 = 210 dots. The distance from the center in the area of 0.5 is 90 × (0.6-0.56) /0.1=36 dots because the scale width of the area of 0.5 is 90 dots. It turns out that it is. Therefore, in this case, the distance from the center of the search result display area 703 to the center of the image having the similarity of 0.56 is 210 + 36 = 246 dots. In this manner, the angle and the distance from the center of the search result display area 703 can be obtained, so that the position where the image is displayed can be determined. Upon completion of the processing, the process advances to step S1008.

Step S1008 is a process for displaying a representative line from the center of the search result display area 703 to the display position obtained in step S1007. However, the matching area 7
At 06, the representative line is not displayed. Upon completion of the process, the process advances to step S1009. Step S1009
Is a process of displaying all the images of the group to which the representative image of interest belongs except for the representative image. The image of the group to which the representative image belongs can be obtained using the group information 612. The value of the representative image ID in the group information 612 is the image I of the representative image to be displayed.
All the images corresponding to the image ID equal to the value of D are to be displayed.

The distance from the center of the search result display area 703 to each image to be displayed can be obtained from the similarity of each image in the similar image buffer 609 in the same manner as in step S1007. The distance from the display position of the representative image to the display position of each image is determined by the group information 61.
2 can be determined. For example, from the representative image ID and the image ID of the image to be displayed, a corresponding similarity is obtained from the group information 612, and a value obtained by subtracting the similarity from 1.0 is multiplied by 500.
In addition, each image is displayed so as to alternate between the counterclockwise side and the clockwise side of the representative line with the search result display area 703 as the center in the order of similarity with the representative image.

As described above, the distance from the center of the search result display area 703 and the center of the representative image can be obtained, and it can be determined which of the lines connecting the two points is displayed. The position at which each image is displayed can be determined.
When the display position of each image is determined, a line connecting the center of each image and the center of the representative image is displayed, and each image is displayed in ascending order of similarity with the representative image. By displaying the images in this order, when the images overlap, the image having a higher similarity to the representative image is less likely to be blocked by other images. Upon completion of the processing, the process advances to step S1010. In step S1010, a representative image is displayed at the position determined in step S1007. In this way, since the representative image is displayed last in the group, it is possible to prevent the representative image having the highest similarity in the group from being obstructed by other images. Upon completion of the processing, the process advances to step S1005.

In step S1011, the previous screen button 7
12 and a next screen button 713 are displayed. If the designated screen number is 0, the previous screen does not exist, so the triangle of the previous screen button 712 is displayed on a white background, and if it is not 0, the previous screen exists, so the triangle of the previous screen button 712 is a black background. indicate. If the value of the start area of the screen information 613 for the screen number obtained by adding 1 to the designated screen number is −1, there is no next screen, so the next screen button 713
Is displayed on a white background, and if it is not -1, the next screen exists, so the triangle of the next screen button 713 is displayed on a black background. When the processing is completed, the processing of the search result display is ended.

As described above, according to the information search device of the embodiment of the present invention, the input unit 101 for inputting search conditions, the information storage unit 107 storing individual information to be searched, A matching degree calculating unit 103 that compares individual information stored in the information storage unit 107 with a search condition input from the input unit 101 and calculates a degree of matching that satisfies the search condition; A perfect match area determination unit 104 that determines an area in which information is displayed as a perfect match area, displays information with a perfect match in the perfect match display area, and displays information with a perfect match that is not a perfect match. Search result display unit 1 that determines the display position from the matching area based on the degree of matching and displays it outside the complete matching area
05, the following effects are obtained.

In the above configuration, the area for displaying information that completely matches the search condition is distinguished from the area for displaying other information as a perfect match area, and the information that completely matches is displayed in the perfect match area. There is an effect that the most desired information can be easily viewed. In addition, since the information displayed in the perfect match area is displayed so as not to overlap with each other, there is an effect that the information of the search result that is most desired to be viewed can be all viewed without being hidden by other information. Also, information with a higher degree of matching outside the perfect match area is displayed closer to the perfect match area,
There is an effect that it is possible to prevent information having a high degree of coincidence from overlapping each other and becoming difficult to see. In addition, since the completely matched area is displayed separately from the other areas, it is possible to determine at a glance whether or not the area is completely matched.

[Other Embodiments] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the similar image information 610 is created each time in step S102 of FIG. 21, but similar image information is processed in advance by performing the same processing as step S102. It may be created, stored in the CD-ROM 205 as related data, and loaded into the RAM 203 in step S101.

In the above embodiment, the example in which the image database 502 is stored in the CD-ROM 205 has been described. However, an image database stored in the HD of the HD drive 206 may be used.

In the above embodiment, the information retrieval program and the related data are directly loaded from the CD-ROM 205 to the RAM 203 and executed as the external storage device. And related data once in the HD drive 206
Is stored (installed) in the HD of the HD drive 206 when the information search program is operated.
D may be loaded into the RAM 203. The medium storing the information search program is a CD-R
Other than the OM, an FD (floppy disk), an IC memory card, or the like may be used. Further, the present information search program may be stored in the ROM 202, configured to be a part of the memory map, and directly executed by the CPU 201.

Further, in the above embodiment, an example in which English is used as a language used as a query and an explanatory note has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to an English language and is applicable to any language including Japanese. It is a possible invention.

Further, in the above embodiment, in step S111 of FIG. 22, the similarity is calculated by using the description attached to the image in order to obtain an image similar to the designated image. The present invention does not depend on the method of calculating the similarity. For example, the similarity may be calculated using information of the image itself, such as the brightness, color, and composition of the image.

In the above embodiment, an example in which an image is searched as an information search target has been described. However, the search target handled by the present invention is not limited to an image. For example, it is effective for various information searches such as documents, videos, and sounds. As an example of the search result displayed in the search result display area, when searching for an image, the image itself is displayed.
When searching for a document, the title or keyword of the document may be displayed instead of the image. In the case of a video, information representing the video, such as a title and a representative scene, may be displayed, or the video of each result may be reproduced.

Further, in the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, each scale is displayed as a concentric circle with the matching area, with the matching area as a circle area centered on the center of the search result display area. Each image is displayed so as to be arranged radially from the center of the search result display area, with the similarity corresponding to the distance from the matching area. However, claims 1 to 4, claims 6 to 9, claims 10 to 13, and claim 15
The inventions claimed in (1) to (18), (19) to (22), and (24) to (27) are not limited to the above display method. For example, as shown in FIG. 37, the matching area is a rectangular area on the left side of the search result display area indicated by 3001, and each scale is a parallel line with the left side as indicated by lines 3002 and 3003. May be displayed in correspondence with the similarity of each image. In this case, as in the arrangement angle data 608,
Instead of specifying the arrangement position of each image by an angle with respect to the center of the matching area, instead of specifying the position by the distance from the upper side of the search result display area, the search is performed in exactly the same procedure as described in the above embodiment. The resulting image can be displayed at a desired position. Even when the search results are displayed in this way, as shown in FIG. 37, the images of the search results can be grouped and displayed as in the above embodiment.

The present invention may be applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices or an apparatus composed of one device. A storage medium storing software program codes for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or an apparatus, and a computer (or CPU or MPU) of the system or the apparatus executes the program code stored in the storage medium. Needless to say, this can also be achieved by executing the reading.

In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium implements the functions of the above-described embodiment, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.

As a storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a floppy disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM, CD
-R, a magnetic tape, a nonvolatile memory card, a ROM, or the like can be used.

When the computer executes the readout program codes, not only the functions of the above-described embodiment are realized, but also the OS or the like running on the computer is actually executed based on the instructions of the program codes. It goes without saying that a part or all of the above-described processing is performed, and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.

Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written in a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, based on the instruction of the program code, It goes without saying that the CPU included in the function expansion board or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments.

[0149]

As described above, claims 1 to 3,
According to the information search device of the fifth and seventh aspects, the display area of the information having the perfect match is determined, and the information display area in the perfect match area is determined according to whether or not the information has the perfect match. Since the area that displays information that completely matches the search condition is distinguished from the area that displays other information as a perfect match area, and the information that completely matches is displayed in the perfect match area, This has the effect of making it easier to see the information that the user wants to see most as a search result. In addition, since information with a higher degree of coincidence is displayed nearer to the perfect match area outside the perfect match area, it is possible to avoid that pieces of information with a high degree of match overlap each other and become difficult to see.

According to the information search apparatus of the present invention, the information displayed in the perfect match area is displayed so as not to overlap with each other, so that the information of the search result most desired to be seen is hidden by other information. There is an effect that it can be made to be able to be seen all without.

Further, according to the information retrieval apparatus of the present invention, since the perfect match area is displayed while being distinguished from other areas, it is possible to know at a glance whether or not a perfect match exists.

According to the information retrieval apparatus of the eighth and ninth aspects, it is possible to make it easier to see the information that the user wants to see most as a search result, that is, information such as an image, a document, and a video. The effect of being able to see all of the information in the search results without hiding it with other information, the effect that it is possible to avoid that information with a high degree of coincidence overlaps each other and becomes difficult to see, This has the effect of making it possible to see at a glance whether or not a perfect match exists.

Further, claims 10 to 12, claim 14,
According to the information search method of the present invention, the display area of the information having the perfect match is determined, and the information is displayed inside or outside the perfect match area depending on whether or not the information has the perfect match. In other words, the area that displays information that completely matches the search condition is distinguished from the area that displays other information as a perfect match area, and the information that completely matches is displayed in the perfect match area. This has the effect of making it easier to see the information you want to see. In addition, since information with a higher degree of coincidence is displayed nearer to the perfect match area outside the perfect match area, it is possible to avoid that pieces of information with a high degree of match overlap each other and become difficult to see.

According to the information search method of the present invention, the information to be displayed in the perfect match area is displayed so as not to overlap with each other, so that the information of the search result most desired to be hidden is hidden by other information. There is an effect that it can be made to be able to be seen all without.

Further, according to the information search method of the present invention, since the perfect match area is displayed while being distinguished from other areas, it is possible to know at a glance whether or not a perfect match exists.

According to the information search method of the present invention, the information to be most viewed as a search result, that is,
The effect that information such as images, documents, and videos can be easily viewed, the information that the user wants to see most can be viewed without hiding other information, and the degree of matching is high. There is an effect that information can be prevented from overlapping each other and becoming difficult to see, and an effect that it is possible to see at a glance whether or not the information is an exact match.

Further, claims 19 to 21, claim 23,
According to the storage medium of the twenty-fifth aspect, by reading and executing the information retrieval method from the storage medium by the computer, the display area of the information whose degree of coincidence is completely matched is determined,
Since the information is displayed inside or outside the perfect match area according to whether the degree of matching is perfect match, that is, the area displaying information that completely matches the search condition is displayed as other perfect information as the perfect match area Since the information that is completely matched is displayed in the completely matched area, it is possible to make it easier to see the information most desired as a search result. In addition, since information with a higher degree of coincidence is displayed nearer to the perfect match area outside the perfect match area, it is possible to avoid that pieces of information with a high degree of match overlap each other and become difficult to see.

According to the storage medium of the present invention, by reading out and executing the information retrieval method by the computer from the storage medium, the information displayed in the perfect match area is displayed so as not to overlap each other. There is an effect that all the information of the search result that the user wants to see most can be seen without being hidden by other information.

According to the storage medium of the twenty-fourth aspect, by reading out and executing the information retrieval method from the storage medium by a computer, a perfect match area is displayed so as to be distinguished from other areas. This has the effect of making it possible to see at a glance whether or not it is.

According to the storage medium of the twenty-sixth and twenty-seventh aspects, by reading out and executing an information retrieval method from a storage medium by a computer, the most desired information as a retrieval result, ie, an image, a document, a video or the like, The effect that information can be easily viewed, the effect that the information of the search result that you want to see most can be seen without hiding other information, and the information with a high degree of coincidence overlap each other makes it difficult to see There is an effect that it is possible to avoid becoming a new one, and it is possible to see at a glance whether or not a perfect match is made.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating a concept of an information search device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of the information search device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a concept in which a program or the like is supplied from a CD-ROM as a storage medium of the information search device according to the embodiment of the present invention to a computer system (information search device).

FIG. 4 is an RO of the information search device according to the embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of M.

FIG. 5 is a CD of the information search device according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of a ROM.

FIG. 6 is a CD of the information search device according to the embodiment of the present invention.
-The information retrieval program stored in the ROM is RA
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a structure of a memory map in a state where the memory map is loaded into M and becomes executable.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a screen configuration example of a first search result when a query search is performed by the information search device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a next screen configuration example of a search result of a query search in the information search device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a screen configuration example of a first search result when a similar search is performed by the information search device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 shows an R of the information search device according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of an image database read into an AM.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an information retrieval apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of matching area data read into an AM.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an information retrieval apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of matching image data read into an AM.

FIG. 13 shows an R of the information search device according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of radius increment data read into an AM.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an information retrieval apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of arrangement angle data secured in an AM.

FIG. 15 shows an R of the information search device according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of a similar image buffer secured in the AM.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an information retrieval apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of similar image information secured in an AM.

FIG. 17 shows an R of the information search device according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of distribution information secured in an AM.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an information retrieval apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of group information secured in an AM.

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an information retrieval apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of screen information secured in an AM.

FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating an information retrieval apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of screen information secured in an AM.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing an information search method in the information search device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing an information search method in the information search device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing a search initialization method in the information search device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing a search initialization method in the information search device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 25 is a flowchart showing a query search method in the information search device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 26 is a flowchart showing a query search method in the information search device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 27 is a flowchart showing a similarity search method in the information search device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 28 is a flowchart showing a next screen display method in the information search device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 29 is a flowchart showing a previous screen display method in the information search device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 30 is a flowchart illustrating a screen configuration determining method in the information search device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 31 is a flowchart showing a grouping method in the information search device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 32 is a flowchart showing a grouping method in the information search device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 33 is a flowchart showing a display scale determination method in the information search device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 34 is a flowchart showing a display scale determination method in the information search device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 35 is a flowchart showing a search result display method in the information search device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 36 is a flowchart showing a search result display method in the information search device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 37 is an explanatory diagram showing a search result display area for explaining another method of displaying a search result in the information search device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Input part 102 Control part 103 Matching degree calculation part 104 Perfect match area determination part 105 Search result display part 106 Storage part 107 Information storage part 108 Display part

Claims (27)

[Claims] 1. An information retrieval apparatus for retrieving and displaying information, comprising: a coincidence calculating means for calculating a degree of coincidence that satisfies an information retrieval condition; An information retrieval apparatus, comprising: a perfect match area determining means for determining; and a search result display control means for displaying the result inside or outside the perfect match area according to whether the degree of match is complete information. 2. A search condition input means for inputting search conditions, and an information storage means for storing individual information to be searched, wherein the matching degree calculating means comprises an individual storage means for storing the individual information stored in the information storage means. Is compared with the search condition input from the search condition input means, and a degree of coincidence, which is a degree of satisfying the search condition, is calculated. The perfect match area determination means displays information on which the degree of match is a perfect match. The area is determined as a perfect match display area, and the search result display control means displays, in the perfect match display area, information having a perfect match in the perfect match display area, and displays information in which the match degree is not a perfect match from the perfect match area. 2. The information retrieval apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display position is determined based on the degree of matching and is displayed outside the perfect matching area. 3. The information retrieval apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the perfect match area determining means determines the size of the perfect match area based on the number of pieces of information having a perfect match. 4. The perfect match area determining means determines the size of the perfect match area so that information having the perfect match does not overlap with each other, and the search result display control means determines that the perfect match area has perfect match. 4. The information retrieval apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the display position is determined so that the coincident information does not overlap each other in the complete coincidence area. 5. The perfect match area determining means determines the perfect match area to be circular, and the search result display control means radially displays information satisfying the search condition centering on the perfect match area. 5. The information retrieval apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the information retrieval is performed. 6. The information retrieval apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a perfect match area display control means for displaying the perfect match area so as to be distinguishable from other areas. 7. The perfect match area determining means determines that the perfect match area is rectangular, and the search result display control means displays information satisfying the search condition based on the perfect match area. The information retrieval device according to claim 4, wherein: 8. The information search apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information search apparatus is applicable to search for information such as images, documents, videos, and sounds. 9. The information search device according to claim 1, wherein the information search device is applicable to an information processing device such as a computer. 10. An information retrieval method applied to an information retrieval apparatus for retrieving and displaying information, comprising: a coincidence degree calculating step of calculating a degree of coincidence that satisfies an information retrieval condition; A perfect match area determining step of determining a display area of information to be displayed, and a search result display control step of displaying the information inside or outside the perfect match area depending on whether or not the degree of matching is information that completely matches. Information retrieval method to be characterized. 11. A search condition input step of inputting a search condition, wherein in the matching degree calculation step, individual information stored in information storage means for storing individual information to be searched and the search condition input Comparing the search condition entered in the step with the search condition and calculating a degree of match that is a degree of satisfying the search condition, in the perfect match area determination step, an area displaying information where the degree of match is a perfect match is defined as a perfect match display area In the search result display control step, the information having the perfect match is displayed in the perfect match display area, and the information having the perfect match is not displayed in the perfect match display area. 11. The information search method according to claim 10, wherein the information is determined based on the information and displayed outside the perfect match area. 12. In the step of determining a perfect match area,
12. The information retrieval method according to claim 10, wherein the size of the perfect match area is determined based on the number of pieces of information having a perfect match. 13. The step of determining a perfect match region,
The size of the perfect match area is determined so that the information having the perfect match does not overlap each other. In the search result display control step, the information having the perfect match overlaps each other in the perfect match area. 13. The information retrieval method according to claim 12, wherein the display position is determined so as not to match. 14. The perfect match area determining step,
14. The information search according to claim 13, wherein the perfect match area is determined to be circular, and in the search result display control step, information satisfying the search condition is radially displayed centering on the perfect match area. Method. 15. The information search method according to claim 10, further comprising a perfect match area display control step of displaying the perfect match area so as to be distinguishable from other areas. 16. In the step of determining a perfect match area,
14. The information search method according to claim 13, wherein the perfect match area is determined to be a rectangle, and in the search result display control step, information satisfying the search condition is displayed based on the perfect match area. 17. The method according to claim 10, wherein the method is applicable to a search for information such as an image, a document, a video, and an audio.
6. The information search method according to any one of 6. 18. The information search method according to claim 10, wherein the information search method is applicable to an information processing apparatus such as a computer. 19. A storage medium readable by a computer storing a program for executing an information search method applied to an information search apparatus for searching and displaying information, wherein the information search method includes: A matching degree calculating step of calculating a matching degree which is a degree of satisfaction, a perfect matching area determining step of determining a display area of information in which the matching degree is a perfect matching, and according to whether the matching degree is information of a perfect matching. A search result display control step of displaying the search result inside or outside the perfect match area. 20. A search condition input step of inputting search conditions, wherein in the matching degree calculation step, individual information stored in information storage means for storing individual information to be searched and the search condition input Comparing the search condition entered in the step with the search condition and calculating a degree of match that is a degree of satisfying the search condition, in the perfect match area determination step, an area displaying information where the degree of match is a perfect match is defined as a perfect match display area In the search result display control step, the information having the perfect match is displayed in the perfect match display area, and the information having the perfect match is not displayed in the perfect match display area. 20. The storage medium according to claim 19, wherein the storage medium is determined based on the information and displayed outside the perfect match area. 21. In the step of determining a perfect match area,
21. The storage medium according to claim 19, wherein the size of the perfect match area is determined based on the number of pieces of information having a perfect match. 22. In the step of determining a perfect match area,
The size of the perfect match area is determined so that the information having the perfect match does not overlap each other. In the search result display control step, the information having the perfect match overlaps each other in the perfect match area. 22. The storage medium according to claim 21, wherein the display position is determined so as not to match. 23. In the perfect matching area determining step,
23. The storage medium according to claim 22, wherein the perfect match area is determined to be circular, and in the search result display control step, information satisfying the search condition is radially displayed around the perfect match area. . 24. The storage medium according to claim 19, further comprising a perfect matching area display control step of displaying the perfect matching area so as to be distinguishable from other areas. 25. In the step of determining a perfect match area,
23. The storage medium according to claim 22, wherein the perfect match area is determined to be a rectangle, and in the search result display control step, information satisfying the search condition is displayed based on the perfect match area. 26. The method according to claim 19, wherein the method is applicable to a search for information such as an image, a document, a video, and an audio.
6. The storage medium according to any one of 5. 27. The storage medium according to claim 19, which is applicable to an information processing device such as a computer.