Information search/presentation system

• US 7,039,630 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2001
• Issued: 05/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Shimazu, Hideo
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Kim
• Assistant Examiner(s): GYORFI, THOMAS A
• Application Number:
  US09/910,779
• Publication Number:
  US 20020059207A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,743 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10, 707/3, 707/104.1, 707/102, 345/305, 345/350, 345/355, 701/200, 701207-208, 382/113
• US Class Current: 707/706
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/111 Transformation of image signals corresponding to virtual viewpoints, e.g. spatial image interpolation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/117 the virtual viewpoint locations being selected by the viewers or determined by viewer tracking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/189 Recording image signals; Reproducing recorded image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/194 Transmission of image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/221 using the relative movement between cameras and objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/261 with monoscopic-to-stereoscopic image conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2013/0081 Depth or disparity estimation from stereoscopic image signals
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/915 Image
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/917 Text
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

An information search/presentation system includes a 3D image converter, landmark database, search engine, and 3D image browser. The 3D image converter outputs 3D image data on the basis of aerial photographs obtained by photographing a single area from different places, with the physical position of the area being specified. The landmark database stores a pair of a verbal expression and position information as a unit record the verbal expression pertaining to the name and contents of a landmark existing in the photographed area. The search engine outputs link information for page data including associated contents from a set of page data on public view in response to an input keyword. The 3D image browser creates a 3D stereoscopic image viewed from a viewpoint position designated by a user on the basis of the 3D image data and the viewpoint position, and presents the image to the user. The browser also looks up the database in accordance with an associated information presentation request associated with the position designated by the user. If a landmark corresponding to the designated position exists, the browser outputs to the search engine a verbal expression pertaining to the name and contents of the corresponding landmark as a keyword to present a search result.

Claims

1. An information search and presentation system comprising:

a 3D image converter for outputting 3D image data on the basis of a plurality of aerial photographs obtained by photographing a single area from different places, with a physical position of the area being specified;

a first database for storing a pair of a textual expression and position information as a unit record, the textual expression pertaining to a name and contents of a landmark existing in the area photographed to obtain the aerial photographs;

a search engine for outputting link information for page data including associated contents from a set of page data on public view in a World Wide Web in response to an input keyword;

a 3D image browser for creating a 3D stereoscopic image viewed from a viewpoint position designated by a user on the basis of the 3D image data from said 3D image converter and the viewpoint position, presenting the image to the user, looking up said first database in accordance with an associated information presentation request associated with the position designated by the user, and, if a landmark corresponding to the designated position exists, outputting to said search engine the textual expression pertaining to a name and contents of the corresponding landmark as obtained from said first database, as a keyword to be provided as a search term to said search engine to search the World Wide Web;

a second database for storing user stay information constituted by a pair of a landmark where the user stayed and a stay duration of a user'"'"'s stay;

a log retention section for recording a pair of a viewpoint position of the user and a corresponding time as a movement log;

a time storage section storing a minimum stay duration in a landmark area, in advance, which is used to determine whether the user is interested in a specific landmark;

a distance storage section storing a distance indicating a range of a landmark area, in advance, which is used to determine whether the user is interested in a specific landmark;

a stay duration calculation section for extracting a position of a landmark over which the user passed and a corresponding time from movement logs retained in said log retention section by referring to said second database, and calculating a stay duration in the landmark area from first and last times at which a viewpoint position of the user is located within the range indicated by the distance stored in said distance storage section which corresponds to positions before and after the position of the extracted landmark;

a stay landmark determination section for, when the stay duration output from said stay duration calculation section is not less than the time stored in said time storage section, determining that the user has stayed in the landmark, and adding a unit record constituted by a pair of a landmark name and a stay duration to said second database;

an instruction log retention section for recording a unit record constituted by a pair of a landmark name for which an associated information presentation instruction is issued by the user and a designated time as an information presentation instruction log; and

a presentation section for outputting all records in said second database and all records in said log retention section in accordance with a totalizing result presentation instruction.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said second database is utilized for recording an ID of the user and a viewpoint position of the user;

the system further comprising;

a user position display unit for adding a user position mark indicating a current position of the user to a viewpoint position designated by the user on the 3D stereoscopic image presented by said 3D image browser, extracting a viewpoint position and ID of a distant user from said second database, and presenting the extracted viewpoint position and ID with a distant user position mark indicating the position of the distant user being added; and

an interaction connection section for, when the user generates a request for interaction by designating a specific distant user position mark, performing interaction connection upon regarding an ID of a distant user corresponding to a current position of the designated distant user position mark.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein

said system further comprises a storage section storing the maximum number of distant users, in advance, which indicates the maximum number of current positions of distant users which are to be displayed;

and

said user position display unit extracts viewpoint positions and IDs of distant users from said second database by a number equal to the maximum number stored in said storage section in increasing order of distance from the current position of the user, and presenting the extracted viewpoint positions and IDs, with distant user position marks indicating the positions of the distant users being added.

4. A system according to claim 2, wherein said interaction connection section activates an interaction function program in making connection to a distant user.

5. A system according to claim 4, wherein the interaction function program comprises a program for performing interaction connection by using a selected one of electronic mail, telephone, and electronic chat functions.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein said 3D image browser comprises:

a 3D image creation section for creating a 3D stereoscopic image viewed from a viewpoint position designated by the user on the basis of 3D image data from said 3D image converter and the viewpoint position;

a database access section for accessing said database in accordance with an associated information presentation request associated with the viewpoint position designated by the user; and

a search control section for, when an access result indicates that a landmark corresponding a designated position exists, outputting to said search engine a textual expression pertaining to a name and contents of the corresponding landmark as a keyword, and presenting a search result output from said search engine.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein, when the stay duration output from said stay duration calculation section is not less than the time stored in said time storage section, the unit record constituted by the landmark name is stored in the first database if the landmark name has not been previously stored in the first database, the landmark name being stored together with position information of a landmark corresponding to the landmark name.

8. A system according to claim 1, wherein the stay duration stored in the second database corresponds to a virtual stay duration of the user visiting the landmark via a computer accessing a particular network location corresponding to a virtual implementation of the landmark.