JP2798283B2 - Image retrieval device - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a system for storing images, for example, an image search device such as an image database.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, there has been a growing demand for a database that manages only code information such as characters and numerical values, to integrally manage graphics and image data. Since figures and image data are two-dimensional data unlike characters and numerical values, a search method different from the conventional one is required. In particular, research on image retrieval using images has been advanced in the field of image recognition technology, but an image retrieval method using image recognition technology has not been established at present. As a first conventional technique for performing image search, there is an image file system. This is a method of performing a search using a keyword registered as index information when an image is registered. Also the second
As a conventional technology, in the user interface part,
Some appear to be searching for images using images. This manages a two-dimensional area in the displayed image,
By associating search information such as a keyword for searching for an image with the two-dimensional area and designating the two-dimensional area in the image, a search operation using the associated search information is performed. (For example, JP-A-63-61085
issue). However, with the recent spread of display devices capable of color display with high definition, there is a demand for performing image search using color information of a display image as search information. When performing a search using color information in the first prior art example, a user registers a keyword (for example, red, yellow, or the like) expressing the color of a registered image as index information, and at the time of search, the keyword is registered. A method of inputting a keyword as a search keyword and performing a search is conceivable. Also in the case of realizing with the second related art, a method of searching by associating a keyword (for example, a red hat or the like) that expresses a color with a two-dimensional area is considered.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention In the conventional configuration, when a registered image is searched using color information, the following problems occur. In the case of the first related art, since there are many colors in the general image to be generally registered, the representative color differs depending on the purpose of the registrant and the attention area, or the representative color is expressed. A high hit rate cannot be obtained during a search because the keyword differs depending on the registrant. Also, there are restrictions on the types of keywords used by ordinary users to display colors, and in the case of a display device capable of multicolor display, for example, a full-color display device capable of simultaneously displaying 16.7 million colors with 8 bits each of RGB, It is difficult to express all colors using keywords. In the second conventional technique, when associating a keyword expressing a color with a two-dimensional region, the region of interest of the registrant is limited to the set two-dimensional region, so that it is easy to uniquely determine the representative color. However, as in the case of the first related art, it is difficult for a registrant to express all display colors using keywords when displaying a registered image on a multicolor display device. For this reason, it is difficult to perform a search using color information even in the second related art.

The present invention solves the above-described problem. In a second conventional technique using a multicolor display device, a representative color in a two-dimensional area is selected and the representative color is managed as numerical data (color value). Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an image search device capable of performing an image search using color information.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the problems, the image search device of the present invention,
Data storage means for storing code information such as characters and numerical values, two-dimensional area information in an image, and image data; structured information management means for managing the two-dimensional area information and code information as a pair of structured information; A search information management unit that manages code information for searching for the image data, an image search unit that searches for an image stored in the data storage unit using code information managed by the search information management unit,
Display means for displaying an image retrieved by the image retrieval means; position designation means for designating a position in the image displayed on the display means; and structured information management using position information designated by the position designation means. An image retrieval apparatus for retrieving code information managed by the means, and performing a search by the image search means using the retrieved code information as a search condition, wherein the image retrieval apparatus removes a color on a two-dimensional area boundary designated by the position designation means. Calculating a color histogram in a dimensional area, a representative color selecting unit that sets the histogram amount to be the largest as a representative color, and a color information managing unit that manages the representative color selected by the representative color selecting unit as search information, A search color selection unit that selects a color to be used as a search condition; and a representative color is selected using the representative color selection unit when the two-dimensional area is registered. The color information is managed by the color information management means, and a color is selected by the search color selection means at the time of search, and the code information managed by the structured information and the selected color are used as search conditions by the image search means. It is configured to perform a search.

A data storage unit for storing code information such as characters and numerical values, two-dimensional area information in an image, and image data; and structured information management for managing the two-dimensional area information and the code information as a pair of structured information. Means, search information management means for managing code information for searching the image data, and image search means for searching for an image stored in the data storage means using code information managed by the search information management means. Display means for displaying an image retrieved by the image retrieval means; position designation means for designating a position in the image displayed on the display means; and the structured information using position information designated by the position designation means. An image search device for extracting code information managed by a management unit and performing a search by the image search unit using the extracted code information as a search condition, Determining a histogram within a circle which is in contact with the two-dimensional area centered on the center of gravity of the two-dimensional area specified by the determining means, and selects a representative color having the largest histogram amount as a representative color; Means for managing the representative color selected by the means as search information, and search color selecting means for selecting a color to be used as a search condition. When the secondary area is registered, the representative color is selected using the representative color selecting means. Selecting a color, managing the representative color by the color information management means, selecting a color by the search color selection means at the time of search, and selecting code information managed by the structured information and the selected color as search conditions. The search by the image search means is performed.

Operation According to the above configuration, a representative color in a two-dimensional area is selected, and the representative color is managed as numerical data (color value). You can easily search.

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

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the image search device of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 1 is a control means for controlling the following means, 2 is a position designating means for designating a position in a displayed image, and 3 is a code information such as characters and numerical values, and a two-dimensional area in the image is described. Data storage means for storing the obtained information and image data; 4, structured information management means for managing code information and information describing a two-dimensional area in the image as a pair of information (structured information); A representative color selecting means for selecting a representative color in a two-dimensional area set by using 2; color information for managing numerical data (color value) of the representative color selected by using the representative color selecting means 5 as search information; Management means, 7 is a search color selection means for selecting a color used as search information at the time of search, 8 is search information management means for managing code information for searching image data stored in the data storage means 3, and 9 is position designation. By means 2 Image search means for converting to the code information managed by the structured information management means 4 using the position information to be searched, and searching for an image which matches the code information managed by the search information management means 8; And display means for displaying structured information. In this embodiment, the structured information management unit 4, the color information management unit 6, and the search information management unit 8 are configured by a relational database management system (RDBMS).

The RDBMS manages stored data using a table (record), and each management attribute in the record is called a field, and the framework (all fields) of the table is called a schema. In general, a database definition language is used as a record definition and a data input to the record, and a query language and a data operation language are used for the database.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing records managed by the RDBMS in this embodiment, and FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b) show a structured information / color information management record and an image information management record, respectively.

In the structured information / color information management record of FIG. 2A, reference numeral 21 denotes a structured information ID field for uniquely determining structured information, 22 an image ID field for uniquely determining a stored image, and 23 an intra-image. 2D area field (in this case, the first point coordinates at the upper left and the second point coordinates at the lower right of the rectangular area are managed), and 24 is code information related to the 2D area. Are stored in the keyword field. The above four fields are the same as the configuration using the conventional technology. Here, the two-dimensional area field 23 and the keyword field 24 correspond to the structured information management means 4 in FIG.
Further, in this embodiment, the color information management unit 6 for managing the color values in the set two-dimensional area includes a color value management field.
25 are provided.

FIG. 2B shows a search information management record in which code information and image data stored in the search information management means 8 are associated with each other, and has the same configuration as that using the prior art.

Hereinafter, the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

FIG. 3A shows an image on which a two-dimensional area is to be set on the display means 10. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the display means 10 can simultaneously display 16.7 million colors of 8 bits each of RGB. FIG. 3A shows an image having a picture of a hat in the image. As in the prior art, a two-dimensional region is designated using a mouse (in this embodiment, a mouse is used as the position designation means 2) in a portion where a hat is present in the image, and the keyword "hat" is used as a keyword in that region. Is associated. Next, in FIG. 3B, a color histogram excluding the color on the two-dimensional area boundary set in FIG. 3A is obtained by the representative color selecting means 5, and the color value AC6B75 having the maximum histogram frequency is obtained. , The state of selection as a color value of a representative color in the two-dimensional area. In FIG. 3B, the values of RGB are indicated by hexadecimal values.
The selection of the color value of the representative color is performed for each two-dimensional area.

In the present embodiment, the color having the highest histogram frequency is simply used as the representative color.
A method is also conceivable in which the histogram frequency is obtained after the quantization is reduced to about the number of bits, and the maximum value is set as the representative color, thereby speeding up and optimizing the calculation. This method is a method for removing a color component of a background color in a two-dimensional region when the image is set to surround a picture (a hat in FIG. 3A) targeting a two-dimensional region. is there.

Further, as another embodiment aiming at the same effect, a color histogram in a circle tangent to the set two-dimensional area with the center of gravity of the set two-dimensional area as the center is obtained, and the color histogram having the maximum histogram frequency is determined as the representative color. A method is also conceivable. As described above, various methods can be considered as a method of selecting a representative color in a two-dimensional area. However, there are cases in which each method is individually performed, and a case in which a representative color obtained by each method is the same as the representative color. .

FIG. 4 shows a state where the two-dimensional area set in FIG. 3, the keyword associated therewith, and the color value of the representative color are registered in the structured information / color information management record. In this embodiment, the color values are managed as 24-bit values by packing 8-bit values for each of RGB.

In the above embodiment, the RDBMS is used for the structured information management means 4, the color information management means 6, and the search information management means 8, but a network type database or a hierarchical type database may be used as another database management system.
In addition, any system other than the database management system having the above configuration and capable of storing and managing data may be used.

Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the present invention, the following effects are obtained, and the practical effects are very large.

(1) A search using color information can be newly performed without changing the conventional area setting operation, and the degree of freedom of the search is expanded.

(2) Since the color specification at the time of the search can be selected from the color list registered in the past, the operability is good and the hit rate of the search is improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an image search apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b) are structured information, a color information management record, and a search information management record realized using a relational database management system. FIGS. 3 and 4 are explanatory diagrams at the time of registering color information. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Control means, 2 ... Position designation means, 3 ... Data storage means, 4 ... Structured information management means, 5 ... Representative color selection means, 6 ... Color information management means, 7 ... Search colors Selection means,
8 ... search information management means, 9 ... image search means, 10 ...
Display means.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Norio Aoki 1006 Kazuma Kadoma, Osaka, Japan Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-63-55667 (JP, A) 201478 (JP, A) JP-A-60-200375 (JP, A) JP-A-52-42025 (JP, A) Yuichi Ota, Takeo Kanade, Toshiyuki Sakai, "Structure of color image information by region division"", Information Processing Vol. 19, No. 12, PP1130-1138 (December 15, 1978) (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) G06F 17/30

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A data storage means for storing code information such as characters and numerical values, two-dimensional area information in an image, and image data, and a structure for managing said two-dimensional area information and code information as a pair of structured information. Information management means, search information management means for managing code information for searching the image data, and an image for searching for an image stored in the data storage means using the code information managed by the search information management means Search means, display means for displaying an image searched by the image search means, position designation means for designating a position in the image displayed on the display means, and position information designated by the position designation means. An image search device for extracting code information managed by structured information management means and performing a search by the image search means using the extracted code information as a search condition, A color histogram in the two-dimensional area excluding the color on the boundary of the two-dimensional area designated by the position designating means, and a representative color selecting means for setting a color having the largest amount of the histogram as a representative color; Color information management means for managing the representative color selected by the above as search information, and search color selection means for selecting a color to be used as a search condition. When the two-dimensional area is registered, the representative color selection means is used by the representative color selection means. Is selected, the representative color is managed by the color information management means, and a color is selected by the search color selection means at the time of search, and code information managed by the structured information and the selected color are used as search conditions. An image search device for performing a search by the image search means. 2. A data storage means for storing code information such as characters and numerical values, two-dimensional area information in an image, and image data, and a structure for managing said two-dimensional area information and code information as a pair of structured information. Coded information management means, search information management means for managing code information for searching the image data, and an image for searching for an image stored in the data storage means using code control managed by the search information management means Search means, display means for displaying an image searched by the image search means, position designation means for designating a position in the image displayed on the display means, and position information designated by the position designation means. An image search device for extracting code information managed by structured information management means and performing a search by the image search means using the extracted code information as a search condition, A representative color selecting unit that obtains a histogram within a circle that is in contact with the two-dimensional region and centered on the center of gravity of the two-dimensional region specified by the position specifying unit, and that sets the largest histogram amount as a representative color; A color information management unit that manages the representative color selected by the selection unit as search information; and a search color selection unit that selects a color to be used as a search condition. When the two-dimensional area is registered, the representative color selection unit is used. Selecting a representative color, managing the representative color by the color information management means, selecting a color by the search color selection means at the time of search, and searching for code information managed by the structured information and the selected color; An image search device characterized by performing a search by the image search means as a condition.