Information retrieving system and method

• US 6,804,420 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2001
• Issued: 10/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Masumoto, Daiki, Uehara, Yusuke, Endo, Susumu, Shiitani, Shuichi, Sashida, Naoki
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehta, Bhavesh M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kassa, Yosef
• Application Number:
  US09/956,935
• Publication Number:
  US 20020164078A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,117 Days
• Field of Search: 382/190, 382/209, 382/218, 382/219, 382/278, 382/282, 382/305, 358/403, 358/453, 707/3, 707/6, 345/968
• US Class Current: 382/305
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/532 Query formulation, e.g. graphical querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/2137 based on criteria of topology preservation, e.g. multidimensional scaling or self-organising maps
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/968 interface for database querying and retrieval

Abstract

A plurality of thumbnails to be used as retrieval keys are indicated by a retrieving key indicating section. Respective feature vector of the retrieval keys are extracted by a feature vector extracting section. A retrieval feature vector selecting section selects, among elements of feature vector of each retrieval key, a prescribed number of elements in a distance average ascending order as retrieval feature vector. A retrieving section retrieves information stored in an information storing section by using the retrieval feature vector. An arrangement feature vector selecting section selects, as arrangement feature vector, among elements of feature vector of the retrieval key, the feature vector elements that have not been extracted as the elements of retrieval feature vector. Elements of feature vector selected in a dispersion descending order in the retrieval results are preferable. An arranging section classifies and arranges results of the retrieval by using the arrangement feature vector by the self-organization mapping or the like, and a display section displays a result of the arrangement.

Claims

1. An information retrieving system comprising:

a retrieval key indicating section with which a user indicates a plurality of retrieval keys;

a feature vector extracting section for extracting elements of feature vector that correspond to the retrieval keys, respectively;

a retrieval feature vector selecting section that compares averages of distances between corresponding elements of the feature vector, and selects a prescribed number of elements in an average distance ascending order as retrieval feature vector to be used in retrieval;

a retrieving section that retrieves information stored in an information storing section by using the retrieval feature vector as retrieval executing keys;

an arrangement feature vector selecting section that selects the elements of the feature vector that have not been extracted as the elements of retrieval feature vector as the elements of arrangement feature vector among the elements of the feature vectors of each retrieval key;

an arranging section that classifies and arranges results of the retrieval by using the arrangement feature vector as features of the arrangement; and

a display section that displays a result of the arrangement.

2. The information retrieving system according to claim 1, wherein:

the retrieval keys, which the user indicates with the retrieving key indicating section, are thumbnail images; and

the feature vector extracting section extracts, as feature vector, image feature vector of original images corresponding to the thumbnail images indicated as the retrieval keys.

3. The information retrieving system according to claim 1, wherein the prescribed number of elements selected by the arrangement feature vector selecting section as the arrangement feature vector are those which are selected in a dispersion descending order in the results of the retrieval.

4. The information retrieving system according to claim 3, wherein:

the retrieval keys, which the user indicates with the retrieving key indicating section, are thumbnail images; and

the feature vector extracting section extracts, as feature vector, image feature vector of original images corresponding to the thumbnail images indicated as the retrieval keys.

5. The information retrieving system according to claim 1, wherein:

in the indication of the retrieval keys, the user arranges the indicated retrieval keys on a plane; and

the retrieval feature vector selecting section selects, as the retrieval feature vector, a prescribed number of feature vector elements of the retrieval keys having ratios of relative distances therebetween that are the more approximate to a ratio of relative distances between the retrieval keys arranged on the plane.

6. The information retrieving system according to claim 5, wherein:

the retrieval keys, which the user indicates with the retrieving key indicating section, are thumbnail images; and

the feature vector extracting section extracts, as feature vector, image feature vector of original images corresponding to the thumbnail images indicated as the retrieval keys.

7. The information retrieving system according to claim 1, wherein the arranging section includes an arrangement position indicating part that indicates an arrangement position of information indicated as the retrieval key, and in the arrangement of the results of the retrieval, the arrangement position of each piece of information selected as the retrieval key is adjusted as the indicated position, according to control by the arrangement position indicating part.

8. The information retrieving system according to claim 7, wherein:

the retrieval keys, which the user indicates with the retrieving key indicating section, are thumbnail images; and

the feature vector extracting section extracts, as feature vector, image feature vector of original images corresponding to the thumbnail images indicated as the retrieval keys.

9. The information retrieving system according to claim 1, wherein the retrieval feature vector selecting section and the arrangement feature vector selecting section hold history information, and in the case where among the previous information retrieving operations, a range of those that are to be referred to are indicated, the retrieval feature vector selecting section is, in the selection of the retrieval feature vector, allowed to select elements of retrieval feature vector also from the information that has been used in the previous retrieving operations thus indicated for reference, and the arrangement feature vector selecting section is allowed to select elements of arrangement feature vector to be used as the features of the arrangement also from the arrangement feature vector that have been used as features in arrangement in the previous retrieving operations thus indicated for reference.

10. The information retrieving system according to claim 9, wherein:

the retrieval keys, which the user indicates with the retrieving key indicating section, are thumbnail images; and

the feature vector extracting section extracts, as feature vector, image feature vector of original images corresponding to the thumbnail images indicated as the retrieval keys.

11. The information retrieving system according to claim 1, wherein:

the display section has a function of displaying the arranged retrieval results in a state of being viewed from an arbitrary viewpoint in a virtual three-dimensional space, and a function of accepting an operation for a change of the viewpoint by the user so as to enable walkthrough processing in a virtual three-dimensional space; and

the retrieval key indicating section regards, as a retrieval key selected by the user, a piece of information having a distance in a prescribed value from the viewpoint.

12. The information retrieving system according to claim 11, wherein:

the retrieval keys, which the user indicates with the retrieving key indicating section, are thumbnail images; and

the feature vector extracting section extracts, as feature vector, image feature vector of original images corresponding to the thumbnail images indicated as the retrieval keys.

13. An information retrieving method comprising:

allowing a user to indicate a plurality of retrieval keys;

extracting elements of feature vector that correspond to the retrieval keys, respectively;

comparing averages of distances between corresponding elements of the feature vector, and selecting a prescribed number of elements in a distance average ascending order as retrieval feature vector to be used in retrieval;

retrieving information stored in an information storing section by using the retrieval feature vector as retrieval executing keys;

selecting the elements of the feature vector that have not been extracted as the retrieval feature vector as arrangement feature vector among the elements of the feature vector of each retrieval key; and

classifying and arranging results of the retrieval by using the arrangement feature vector as features of the arrangement; and

displaying a result of the arrangement.

14. A program for performing an information retrieving operation, the program comprising program codes for:

a retrieval key indicating operation in which a user indicates a plurality of retrieval keys;

a feature vector extracting operation for extracting elements of feature vector that correspond to the retrieval keys, respectively;

a retrieval feature vector selecting operation for comparing averages of distances between corresponding elements of the feature vector, and selecting a prescribed number of elements in a distance average ascending order as retrieval feature vector to be used in retrieval;

a retrieving operation for retrieving information stored in an information storing section by using the retrieval feature vector as retrieval executing keys;

an arrangement feature vector selecting operation for selecting the elements of the feature vector that have not been extracted as the retrieval feature vector as arrangement feature vector among the elements of the feature vector of each retrieval key;

an arranging operation for arranging results of the retrieval by using the arrangement feature vector as features of the arrangement; and

a display operation for displaying a result of the arrangement.