JP7606342B2 - Electronic dictionary and method for controlling electronic dictionary - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information retrieval device, an electronic dictionary, and an information retrieval method for retrieving a relational equation showing a quantitative relationship from words that represent variables that make up the relational equation.

For example, in school education, in fields such as arithmetic, calculations are sometimes performed by deriving the relevant formula from given conditions and inputting the necessary values into that formula. Users (student) use textbooks, electronic dictionaries, personal computers, smartphones, tablets, etc. to search for the necessary formulas and perform calculations.

Patent document 1 describes an electronic formula dictionary that uses the principles of an electronic translator. When performing a calculation using a formula, the user inputs the name of the formula, and the corresponding formula is displayed on the display. The user then inputs the variables required for the displayed formula and performs the calculation.

Patent Document 2 describes a processing device that is intended to assist with the study of mathematics and allows the user to arbitrarily select and convert trigonometric formulas based on trigonometric formulas. First, the user inputs a trigonometric formula, and then selects the variable into which the trigonometric formula is to be converted. The processing device displays the trigonometric formula related to the selected variable. The user selects an arbitrary formula from the displayed trigonometric formulas to convert the input trigonometric formula.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 1-295358 Patent No. 3780907

However, in the electronic formula dictionary described in Patent Document 1, the name of the formula must be entered in order to display the formula to be used. Therefore, if the name of the formula is forgotten or is not known, the formula to be used cannot be displayed.

In addition, in the arithmetic processing device described in Patent Document 2, the user must input the formula beforehand in order to display the formula. Therefore, if the user does not know the formula, the formula cannot be displayed in the first place.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above problems, and its purpose is to realize an information search device etc. that can find a target formula even if the user does not know the name of the formula, etc.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an electronic dictionary device with an information search function according to one embodiment of the present invention is an electronic dictionary with an information search function for searching for a relational equation indicating a quantitative relationship, and is configured to include an input receiving unit that receives an input of a variable word indicating at least one of the variables constituting the relational equation as a search word, a conversion unit that converts the variable word accepted by the input receiving unit into the keyword using first correspondence information in which the variable indicated by the variable word is associated with a keyword corresponding to the variable, a search unit that searches for the relational equation associated with one or more of the keywords converted by the conversion unit using second correspondence information in which the relational equation is associated with each keyword corresponding to each variable constituting the relational equation, and a display control unit that displays the relational equation searched for by the search unit on a display unit.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a control method for an electronic dictionary with an information search function according to one embodiment of the present invention is a control method for an electronic dictionary with an information search function for searching for a relational equation indicating a quantitative relationship, the method including: an input receiving step in which the electronic dictionary receives, as a search word, an input of a variable word indicating at least one of the variables constituting the relational equation; a conversion step in which the electronic dictionary converts the variable word received in the input receiving step into the keyword , using first correspondence information in which the variable indicated by the variable word is associated with a keyword corresponding to the variable ; a search step in which the electronic dictionary searches for the relational equation associated with one or more of the keywords converted in the conversion step, using second correspondence information in which the relational equation is associated with each keyword corresponding to each variable constituting the relational equation; and a display control step in which the electronic dictionary displays the relational equation searched for in the search step on a display unit.

According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to increase the likelihood of finding a desired formula even without knowing the name of the formula, etc.

1 is a diagram showing the appearance of an electronic dictionary according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a main part of the electronic dictionary; FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing search dictionary data of the electronic dictionary. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a keyword table stored in the electronic dictionary. 4 is a flowchart showing a process flow in the electronic dictionary. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the electronic dictionary. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen in the modified example of the electronic dictionary. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen in the modified example of the electronic dictionary. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen in the modified example of the electronic dictionary. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen in the modified example of the electronic dictionary. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen in the modified example of the electronic dictionary. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen in the modified example of the electronic dictionary. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen in the modified example of the electronic dictionary. FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a main part of an electronic dictionary according to another embodiment. 4 is a flowchart showing a process flow in the electronic dictionary. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the electronic dictionary. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the electronic dictionary. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the electronic dictionary. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the electronic dictionary. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the electronic dictionary. 4 is a flowchart showing a process flow in the electronic dictionary. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen in the modified example of the electronic dictionary. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen in the modified example of the electronic dictionary. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen in the modified example of the electronic dictionary. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen in the modified example of the electronic dictionary. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing search dictionary data in the modified example of the electronic dictionary. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen in the modified example of the electronic dictionary.

[Embodiment 1]
An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below. An electronic dictionary 1 according to this embodiment is an information retrieval device capable of searching for formulas expressed by mathematical expressions. In this embodiment, an electronic dictionary will be taken as an example for explanation. Note that the present invention is not limited to electronic dictionaries, and can also be applied to mobile terminals such as smartphones, tablet terminals, and the like.

In addition, in this embodiment, an electronic dictionary that searches for formulas expressed in mathematical expressions as searchable relational expressions is given as an example, but what can be searched is not limited to this. Any relational expression that indicates a quantitative relationship can be searched, and for example, it may be possible to search for a relational expression that indicates a quantitative relationship related to a sociological quantity system.

(Exterior of Electronic Dictionary 1)
Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the appearance of an electronic dictionary 1. The appearance of the electronic dictionary 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The electronic dictionary 1 has an operation reception unit 2 for operating the electronic dictionary 1, and a display unit 3 for displaying a search input screen, search results, etc. Note that the functions of the electronic dictionary 1 as an electronic dictionary, such as a Japanese dictionary or an English dictionary, can be realized using known technology, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted here.

The operation reception unit (input reception unit) 2 is a set of physical keys that accept operations for the electronic dictionary 1, and includes a power key, function keys, character keys, a confirmation key, a cursor key, etc.

The display unit 3 displays various information such as a search input screen and search results. This display unit 3 may be realized by any device capable of displaying information, but specific examples include a liquid crystal display, an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display, and a plasma display. The display unit 3 may also include a touch panel, and may accept operations for the electronic dictionary 1 by contact with or approach to the display unit 3. In this case, the operation acceptance unit 2 and the display unit 3 are configured as one unit.

(Main components of electronic dictionary 1)
Next, the configuration of the main parts of the electronic dictionary 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 2 to Fig. 4. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the main parts of the electronic dictionary 1 according to the first embodiment. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the search dictionary data 13 of the electronic dictionary 1. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a keyword table 14 stored in the electronic dictionary 1.

As shown in FIG. 2, the electronic dictionary 1 includes an operation reception unit 2, a display unit 3, a control unit 4, and a memory unit 5.

The storage unit 5 stores information and is composed of non-volatile devices such as flash memory and ROM (Read Only Memory) and volatile devices such as RAM (Random Access Memory). Contents stored in the non-volatile devices include various programs, various operation setting values, and various data. Contents stored in the volatile devices include working files and temporary files. In this embodiment, the storage unit 5 includes a dictionary database 12 and a search history database 15, and the dictionary database 12 stores search dictionary data 13 and a keyword table 14.

As shown in FIG. 3, the search dictionary data (second correspondence information) 13 stores information about formulas. The stored formula information includes the number of keywords, the name of the formula, abstract keywords (symbols), and details. The search dictionary data 13 is not limited to this information, and other information about the formula may also be registered. Furthermore, the search dictionary data 13 associates one or more abstract keywords with each formula.

The number of keywords is the number of variables used in the formula. The name of the formula is either the name commonly used in the field to which the formula belongs, such as arithmetic, mathematics, or science, or indicates the content that is calculated using the formula. An example of a commonly used name is "Pythagoras' Theorem (Pythagorean Theorem)." Also, examples of names that indicate the content that is calculated using the formula include "area of a circle" and "area of a square."

Abstraction keywords are words (symbols) that express the dimension of the quantity represented by each variable that makes up the formula. For example, the dimension of the quantity represented by the "base" and "height" used in the area of a triangle can be said to be "length", so this "length" is registered as the abstraction keyword. When there are duplicate abstraction keywords corresponding to each variable that makes up the formula, consecutive numbers are added to the abstraction keywords and stored. For example, the formula for the area of a triangle is Area of a triangle = Base x Height ÷ 2, so the abstraction keywords "Area" for "Area of a triangle" are registered as "Length 1", which is the abstraction keyword "Length" for "Base" with the number "1" added to indicate duplication, and "Length 2", which is the abstraction keyword "Length" for "Height" with the number "2" added to indicate duplication.

The details include an explanation of the content of the formula, including the formula itself. For example, in the case of the area of a circle, it is written that "the area S of a circle with a radius r is S = πr ² ."

The keyword table (first correspondence information) 14 stored in the dictionary database 12 is a table that associates keywords entered into the electronic dictionary 1 with abstract keywords. The keyword table 14 is used to convert keywords entered by the user into abstract keywords in the abstract keyword conversion unit 10 described below. As shown in FIG. 4, keywords that are expected to be entered are registered in advance in the keyword table 14. The registered keywords are associated with the abstract keywords to which they are converted. The keywords registered in the keyword table 14 may be arranged so that the user can register any desired keyword and associate the keyword with the desired abstract keyword.

The operation reception unit 2 receives any operation from the user and notifies the control unit 4 of the operated instruction. More specifically, when the operation reception unit 2 receives an instruction to display a search screen (input screen) for executing a formula search process, it notifies the search unit 6 of the control unit 4 of a search start instruction indicating that fact. Furthermore, when the operation reception unit 2 receives character input as a search word on the search screen, it notifies the search unit 6 of the control unit 4 of information indicating the character. Here, the search word is a variable word indicating a formula variable. In this embodiment, the variable word may be any word that indicates a formula variable, for example, a name indicating the content of a formula variable such as "radius" or "area", or a word indicating the quantity represented by a formula variable such as "length".

When the operation reception unit 2 further receives a display instruction to display details of the formula displayed as a search result on the display unit 3, it notifies the search unit 6 of the control unit 4 of an instruction to display the details screen of the formula.

As described above, the acceptance of a user operation by the operation acceptance unit 2 may be performed by pressing a physical key, or by contact with or proximity to a touch panel included in the display unit 3.

The display unit 3 displays various information based on instructions from the display control unit 7, which will be described later.

The control unit 4 includes a search unit 6 and a display control unit 7. The search unit 6 searches for a formula that matches a formula stored in the memory unit 5 based on a search keyword input by the user. The search unit 6 includes an exact match search unit 8, a partial match search unit 9, an abstract keyword conversion unit (conversion unit) 10, and a formula display management unit 11.

When the search unit 6 receives keyword information input by the user from the operation reception unit 2, the abstract keyword conversion unit 10 converts the input keyword into an abstract keyword. The abstract keyword conversion unit 10 reads information registered in the keyword table 14 of the dictionary database 12 and performs conversion according to the registered correspondence. For example, as shown in the keyword table 14 of FIG. 4, the input keyword "base" is converted into the associated abstract keyword "length". Furthermore, when converting the input keyword into an abstract keyword, if there are duplicate abstract keywords, the abstract keyword conversion unit 10 converts them by adding consecutive numbers to the duplicate abstract keywords.

The exact match search unit 8 searches for a formula in which the abstraction keyword converted by the abstraction keyword conversion unit 10 exactly matches the abstraction keyword of the formula stored in the memory unit 5. In other words, the exact match search unit 8 searches for a formula to which one or more abstraction keywords converted by the abstraction keyword conversion unit 10 are all associated.

The partial match search unit 9 searches for formulas in which the abstraction keywords converted by the abstraction keyword conversion unit 10 match part of the abstraction keywords of the formulas stored in the storage unit 5. In other words, the partial match search unit 9 searches for formulas in which all of the one or more abstraction keywords converted by the abstraction keyword conversion unit 10 are included in one or more abstraction keywords associated with the formula.

Based on an instruction from the operation reception unit 2, the formula display management unit 11 transmits a notification to the display control unit 7 to display a screen such as a search screen, a search history screen, or a formula details screen. The formula display management unit 11 also notifies the display control unit 7 of an instruction to display the formula found by the exact match search unit 8 or the partial match search unit 9.

The display control unit 7 displays various information on the display unit 3 based on instructions from the search unit 6.

In addition, in this embodiment, the search process is executed by inputting characters or a character string, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the search process may be executed by inputting audio or images. Furthermore, the presentation of search results is not limited to displaying characters, and may be output by audio, etc.

As described above, the electronic dictionary 1 according to this embodiment is an electronic dictionary 1 that searches for a formula as a relational expression indicating a quantitative relationship, and includes an operation reception unit 2 that receives, as a search word, an input of a variable word indicating at least one of the variables constituting the formula; an abstraction keyword conversion unit 10 that converts the variable word received by the operation reception unit 2 into a symbol using a keyword table 14 in which the variable indicated by the variable word is associated with a symbol (abstraction keyword) indicating the dimension of the quantity represented by the variable; a search unit 6 that searches for the relational expression associated with one or more of the symbols converted by the abstraction keyword conversion unit 10 using search dictionary data 13 in which the relational expression is associated with each symbol indicating the dimension of the quantity represented by each variable constituting the relational expression; and a display control unit 7 that causes the display unit 3 to display the formula searched for by the search unit 6.

In this embodiment, "length", "area", etc. have been given as examples of abstraction keywords (symbols) that are the dimensions of quantities represented by the variables that make up a mathematical formula. Examples of abstraction keywords are not limited to these, and for example, in the case of a relational equation used in economics such as average customer spending = sales / number of visitors, the abstraction keyword corresponding to the variable "number of visitors" may be "number of people", and the abstraction keyword corresponding to the variable "sales" may be "amount". This makes it possible to search for relational equations that indicate quantitative relationships without being limited to mathematical formulas.

(Processing flow in electronic dictionary 1)
Next, the flow of control in the electronic dictionary 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in the electronic dictionary 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, when the electronic dictionary 1 accepts the start of a search process, the display control unit 7 displays a search screen on the display unit 3 (S1). Then, the operation acceptance unit 2 accepts input of a keyword (search word) from the user (S2). After that, when the search button 20 (see FIG. 6) is pressed on the operation acceptance unit 2 (YES in S3), the input keyword is converted into an abstract keyword by the abstract keyword conversion unit 10 (S4). Then, the exact match search unit 8 searches for a formula that exactly matches the abstract keyword of the formula stored in the storage unit 5, and causes the display unit 3 to display the result (S5).

Next, when the operation reception unit 2 receives that the user has pressed an arbitrary formula from the displayed search results (YES in S6), the display control unit 7 displays details of the formula stored in the memory unit 5 on the display unit 3 (S9).

On the other hand, if no formula is pressed from the displayed formulas (NO in S6), it is determined whether a partial match result display button (one unknown keyword button 23, two unknown keywords button 24 in FIG. 6) has been pressed (S7). If the partial match result display button has been pressed (YES in S7), the partial match search unit 9 searches for formulas that partially match the abstract keywords of the formulas stored in the memory unit 5, and displays the search results on the display unit 3 (S8). Then, the process returns to step S6. This completes the processing flow in the electronic dictionary 1.

In this embodiment, the flow is described as a flow in which after a keyword is input, a search process is executed using the input keyword, but a configuration in which a search process is executed each time a keyword is input may be used. For example, a configuration in which when "base" is input, a search process is executed using the abstract keyword "length", when "height" is input next, a search process is executed using the abstract keywords "length 1" and "length 2", when "area" is input next, a search process is executed using the abstract keywords "area", "length 1", and "length 2".
(Display screen example)
Next, an example of a screen displayed on the electronic dictionary 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen displayed on the display unit 3 of the electronic dictionary 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 6, a keyword input field 21 is displayed at the top of the screen. When the user inputs a keyword in the keyword input field 21 and presses the search button 20, a search result screen is displayed.

Displayed on the search result screen are a match button 22 which displays formulas where the keyword entered by the user is a perfect match with the abstraction keywords of the formula stored in the memory unit 5, and a one unknown keyword button 23 and two unknown keywords button 24 which display formulas where there is a partial match. The one unknown keyword button 23 and the two unknown keywords button 24 correspond to partial match result display buttons. When the one unknown keyword button 23 is pressed, search results for formulas where the number of keywords entered by the user is one less than the number of abstraction keywords of the formula stored in the memory unit 5 are displayed. The two unknown keywords button 24 displays search results for formulas where the number of keywords entered by the user is two less than the number of abstraction keywords of the formula stored in the memory unit 5.

When the above-mentioned button is pressed, a list 25 of search results that match the conditions of that button is displayed. Note that the first search result screen that is displayed after pressing the search button 20 shows the official search results that are an exact match.

The search results for formulas are displayed at the bottom of the screen. The names of the searched formulas are displayed as a search result list 25 at the bottom left of the screen. When the name of any formula in the results list is pressed, details of the pressed formula are displayed as a details screen 26 at the bottom right of the screen.

The search result screen in this embodiment may display search results according to the number of missing keywords as partial match search results. If there are three missing keywords, a button may be displayed as "3 unknown keywords," and if there are four missing keywords, a button may be displayed as "4 unknown keywords."

[Modification 1]
When the partial match search unit 9 displays a search result in which the number of keywords entered by the user is one less than the number of abstract keywords in the formula stored in the storage unit 5, a "Candidate" button may be displayed to display the one missing abstract keyword in the formula. This will be described with reference to Figures 7 to 9. Figures 7 to 9 are diagrams showing examples of the display screen of the electronic dictionary 1 according to this modified example.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the One Unknown Keyword button 23 on the search result screen is pressed, partial match search results are displayed in which the number of keywords entered by the user is one less than the number of abstract keywords in the formula stored in the memory unit 5. A Candidate button 27 is displayed on this search result screen.

When the candidate button 27 is pressed, the display control unit 7 displays the name of the searched formula and the abstraction keyword that is missing from that formula, as shown in FIG. 8. The user can add keywords to be used in the search by entering the missing keyword or by dragging the abstraction keyword displayed in "Unknown Keywords" to the keyword input field 21. When a keyword is added, formulas that match the entered keyword are searched again and then displayed, as shown in FIG. 9.

In this way, by displaying the missing keywords, users can find the formula they need to answer the question, even if they don't know which formula to use.

[Modification 2]
A narrowing down button may be displayed on the display screen of the search results when the search result searched by the partial match search unit 9 shows that the number of keywords entered by the user is two or more short of the number of abstract keywords of the formula stored in the storage unit 5. The electronic dictionary 1 according to this modification will be described with reference to Figures 10 and 11. Figures 10 and 11 are diagrams showing examples of the display screen of the electronic dictionary 1 according to this modification.

For example, as shown in FIG. 10, when the 2 unknown keywords button 24 is selected, which is a search result in which two keywords are missing, a refine button 29 is displayed on the search result display screen. When the refine button 29 is pressed, as shown in FIG. 11, a list of abstraction keywords required for the search is displayed on screen 30. Based on this, the user can search for the desired formula by entering the necessary keywords in keyword input field 21 or by dragging the displayed abstraction keyword into keyword input field 21 to add it.

In this way, by displaying missing keywords as candidates, the user can easily identify the missing keywords. This allows the user to easily search for the desired formula.

Note that, although the above description has been given with reference to an example in which one or two keywords are missing, this embodiment is not limited to this. Even if three or more keywords are missing, the same handling can be performed as in the case in which one or two keywords are missing.

[Modification 3]
The display unit 3 may be divided into a plurality of screen regions, and formulas may be simultaneously displayed in each screen region. More specifically, formulas viewed for each input keyword may be stored as a search history, and when there are a plurality of formulas for one or a set of keywords in the search history, the display unit 3 may be divided into screen regions the same number as the number of formulas corresponding to one or a set of keywords selected by the user, and the formulas may be simultaneously displayed in each screen region. The electronic dictionary 1 according to this modification will be described with reference to Figures 12 and 13. Figures 12 and 13 are diagrams showing examples of display screens of the electronic dictionary 1 according to this modification.

When a user inputs a keyword to search for a formula and selects any formula from the search results, the storage unit 5 stores that formula as search history. When the formula is stored in the storage unit 5 as an inspection history, a history button 32 that displays the search history is displayed on the search result screen.

When the user selects the history button 32, a search history screen 31 is displayed as shown in FIG. 12. The search history screen 31 displays the formulas stored in the search history for each entered keyword. If there are two or more formulas displayed in the search history for a specific keyword displayed in the search history, when that specific keyword is selected, the formulas displayed in the search history are displayed on a dual screen 33 that divides the display unit 3 into two screen areas as shown in FIG. 13.

In this way, by displaying two screens, the user can, for example, solve an arithmetic problem while simultaneously viewing any two selected formulas. This makes it easy to check multiple formulas without having to change the display screen for each formula.

In this embodiment, a configuration in which two formulas are displayed in two screen areas has been described, but this is not limited thereto, and a configuration in which three formulas are displayed in three screen areas, or a configuration in which four formulas are displayed in four screen area screens may also be used. In other words, a configuration in which multiple formulas are displayed in the multiple screen areas may also be used.

[Embodiment 2]
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described below. For ease of explanation, the same reference numerals are given to members having the same functions as those described in the first embodiment, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

This embodiment differs from the first embodiment described above in that it includes a formula conversion unit 35 that replaces variables in a displayed formula with numerical values. An electronic dictionary 1' according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 14 to 20. Figure 14 is a block diagram showing the main components of the electronic dictionary 1'. Figure 15 is a flowchart showing the process flow in the electronic dictionary 1'. Figures 16 to 20 are diagrams showing examples of the display screen of the electronic dictionary 1'.

As shown in FIG. 14, the control unit 4 of the electronic dictionary 1' according to this embodiment includes a formula conversion unit 35. The formula conversion unit 35 includes a detection unit 36, an input field display unit 37, and a numerical value assignment unit 38. The detection unit 36 detects whether the user has touched the screen at or near a formula variable displayed on the formula details screen 40. When the detection unit 36 detects a touch on the screen at or near a formula variable, the input field display unit 37 sends an instruction to the display control unit 7 to display an input field for inputting a numerical value. Note that when the cursor is clicked near each variable, rather than when the screen is touched, the same processing as when the screen is touched may be performed.

When a numerical value is input to the input field display unit 37 by the operation reception unit (numerical input reception unit) 2, the numerical value assignment unit 38 inputs the input numerical value into the formula variable. In addition, the numerical value assignment unit 38 sends an instruction to the display control unit 7 to replace the name or symbol of the formula variable with the input numerical value and display it on the display unit 3, as necessary.

The flow of control in the electronic dictionary 1' of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 15. As shown in FIG. 15, when a formula is selected by the user from the search result screen, the display control unit 7 displays the formula on the screen (S11). When the formula is displayed on the screen, the detection unit 36 determines whether the screen has been touched near a variable of the formula (S12). If the detection unit 36 detects a touch on the screen (YES in S12), the input field display unit 37 displays a numeric input screen (S13). On the other hand, if there is no touch on the screen in step S12 (NO in S12), the process waits until a touch on the screen near a variable is detected.

Next, when a numerical value is entered into the numerical value input field (YES in S14), the numerical value assignment unit 38 replaces the name or symbol of the formula variable displayed on the screen with the numerical value and displays it (S15).

An example of the screen display of the electronic dictionary 1' will be described with reference to Figs. 16 to 20. When the detection unit 36 detects that the screen has been touched on or near a variable of a displayed formula, the input field display unit 37 displays an input field for inputting a numerical value. For example, as shown in Figs. 16 and 17, the input field is displayed when the user touches the variable "x" of the displayed formula (Pythagoras' theorem). The numerical value input field 41 shown in Fig. 16 is displayed superimposed on the details screen as a speech bubble. The numerical value input field 42 shown in Fig. 17 is displayed at the bottom of the screen. In this case, the details screen of the formula may be displayed by scrolling the screen. The display screen of the numerical value input field is not limited to this, and it may be displayed so that the user can recognize it as an input field, for example, by changing the color from other parts of the display screen.

When a numerical value is entered into the numerical value input fields 41, 42, the numerical value assignment unit 38 converts the entered numerical value into the symbol of the formula in which it is expressed and displays it on the screen. For example, when the numerical value "6" is entered into the input field for the variable "x" of the displayed formula, the variable "x" of the formula is replaced with the numerical value "6" as shown in FIG. 18. The replaced variable "x" may be displayed below the replaced numerical value "6" as shown in FIG. 19.

For example, when a user is working on a problem that requires solving using the Pythagorean theorem, if the numerical values of the variables "x" and "z" in the Pythagorean theorem are known from the conditions given in the problem, the user can assign numerical values to the variables "x" and "z." In this case, as shown in FIG. 20, the variables "x" and "z" are replaced with numerical values. In this way, by replacing the variables in the formula with numerical values, the progress of the calculation formula can be shown to the user.

[Modification 4]
The electronic dictionary 1' according to this modification may be configured to include a calculation unit that calculates one variable from a numerical value input to a formula, to display two formulas on two screens, and to assign the derived solution of one formula to one variable of the other formula. An electronic dictionary 1' according to this modification will be described with reference to Fig. 14 and Figs. 21 to 25. Fig. 21 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in the electronic dictionary 1' according to this modification. Figs. 22 to 25 are diagrams showing examples of display screens of the electronic dictionary 1' according to this modification.

As shown in FIG. 14, the control unit 4 further includes a calculation unit 39. When a numerical value is input into the displayed formula and only one variable remains, the calculation unit 39 performs a calculation to find the value (solution) of that variable. The calculation unit 39 then transmits the calculation result to the display control unit 7, which then displays the calculation result on the display unit 3.

The process flow in the electronic dictionary 1' of this modified example will be described with reference to Figure 21. In this modified example, the display unit 3 is displayed in a dual screen, with two formulas displayed (S21). This display is possible, for example, by selecting the dual screen search button 45 from the details screen of a formula searched by the search unit 6. The detection unit 36 determines whether the screen has been touched on or near a variable of one of the formulas (S22). If the detection unit 36 detects a touch on the screen (YES in S22), the input field display unit 37 displays a numeric input screen (S23).

Next, the numerical value assignment unit 38 determines whether a numerical value has been entered into the numerical value input field (S24). If a numerical value has not been entered (NO in S24), the process returns to step S24. If a numerical value has been entered (YES in S24), the input numerical value is reflected in the variable of the formula (S25). Next, the calculation unit 39 determines whether numerical values have been entered into all but one variable of one of the formulas (S25). If numerical values have not been entered into multiple variables (NO in S26), the process returns to step S21. If numerical values have been entered into the remaining variables except for one variable (YES in S26), the calculation unit calculates the solution for one variable, and the display unit 3 displays the calculation result (S27).

Next, the numerical value assignment unit 38 determines whether numerical values have been input into all variables of the other formula (S28). If numerical values have been input into all variables (YES in S28), the process ends. If there is a formula variable to which no numerical value has been input (NO in S28), the detection unit 36 determines whether the screen has been touched on or near the variable of the other formula (S29).

If the detection unit 36 detects a touch on the screen (YES in S29), the input field display unit 37 displays a numeric input screen (S30). Next, the calculation unit 39 determines whether a numeric value has been entered into the numeric input field (S31). If a numeric value has not been entered (NO in S31), the process returns to step S31. If a numeric value has been entered (YES in S31), the input numeric value is reflected in the variable of the other formula (S32). Next, the calculation unit 39 determines whether a numeric value has been entered leaving one variable of the other formula (S35).

On the other hand, if the detection unit 36 does not detect a touch on the screen (NO in S29) but detects that the numerical value of one variable in one formula has been dragged to one variable in the other formula to input a numerical value (YES in S33), the numerical value assignment unit 38 inputs the numerical value input by dragging into the variable in the formula (S34). Then, the process proceeds to step S35. On the other hand, if the numerical value of one variable in one formula has not been dragged to one variable in the other formula (NO in S33), the process returns to step S29 and waits for a touch on the screen.

If the control unit 4 determines that numerical values have not been input for multiple variables in the formula (NO in S35), it returns to step S29. On the other hand, if numerical values have been input for all but one variable (YES in S35), it calculates the solution for that one variable and causes the display unit 3 to display the calculation result (S36).

An example of the screen display of an electronic dictionary according to this modified example will be described with reference to Figs. 22 to 25. As shown in Fig. 22, when an arbitrary formula is selected from the list of search results 25 and a details screen is displayed, a two-screen search button 45 is displayed on the details screen. When the two-screen search button 45 is selected, the screen is split and displayed as shown in Fig. 23.

One of the split screens 46 displays a formula with a detailed screen, and the other of the split screens 47 displays a search screen for selecting a formula. By searching for a desired formula on the search screen, the formula that is the search result can be displayed on the other of the split screens 47, as shown in FIG. 24. For example, the Pythagorean theorem can be displayed on one of the split screens 46, and a formula for finding the volume of a cone can be displayed on the other of the split screens 47.

If the value of the variable "y" found using the Pythagorean theorem is to be used as the variable "h" in the formula for the volume of a cone, the value of "y" can be entered into "h". In this case, the required numerical values are entered into the variables other than the variable "y" in the formula displayed on one screen 46, and the value of the variable "y" is found. In the example shown in FIG. 24, "y = 8" is displayed in area 48.

Similarly, for the formula displayed on the other screen 47, numerical values are entered into the variables other than the variable "V" which is the desired solution. When the user touches the screen near the variable to be entered, an input screen 49 for entering numerical values is displayed below. The user enters numerical values into the input screen 49.

When the value of the variable "y" of the formula found on one screen 46 is used for the variable "h" of the formula displayed on the other screen 47, as shown in FIG. 25, the user touches (operates) the vicinity of the variable "y" displayed on one screen 46, and while dragging, moves (operates) it to the position of the variable "h" displayed on the other screen 47. This allows the value of y in one formula to be input as the value of h in the other formula. In other words, when an operation to select the variable "y" of the first relational equation (formula displayed on screen 46) and an operation to select the variable "h" of the second relational equation (formula displayed on screen 47) other than the first relational equation are detected, the numerical value of the variable "y" selected by one operation is substituted as the numerical value of the variable "h" selected by the other operation. Note that when a numerical value is input to a variable other than the variable "V" of the formula on the other screen 47, the value of the variable "V" can be found. In the example shown in FIG. 25, "V = 96π" is displayed.

[Modification 5]
Two formulas may be displayed on two screens, and when a derived solution of one formula is substituted for one of the variables of the other formula, it may be determined whether the numerical units of the variables of one formula match the numerical units of the variables of the other formula. An electronic dictionary 1' according to this modified example will be described with reference to Figures 26 and 27. Figure 26 is a diagram showing dictionary data 50 in this modified example. Figure 27 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the electronic dictionary 1' in this modified example.

26, the dictionary data 50 in the storage unit 5 stores the names of formulas (entry words), symbols expressing variables in the formulas, and units of the symbols in association with each other. For example, for Ampere's law, the symbol "I" expressing electric current and its unit "A (ampere)" are stored in association with each other. Also, for the formula of acceleration/deceleration torque, the symbol "I" expressing moment of inertia and its unit " ^kgm2 " are stored in association with each other.

For example, as shown in FIG. 27, consider a case where Ampere's law is displayed on one screen 46 and the formula for acceleration/deceleration torque is displayed on the other screen 47. Both Ampere's law and the formula for acceleration torque use "I", and an uninformed user may mistakenly think that the "I" in both is the same. Therefore, when the variable "I" of Ampere's law is found and the variable "I" is dragged and input into the variable "I" of the formula for acceleration/deceleration torque displayed on the other screen, the numerical value assignment unit 38 determines whether the symbols are the same and also determines whether the units associated with the symbols in the dictionary data 50 stored in the memory unit 5 are the same.

When the symbols and units are the same, the numerical value assignment unit 38 assigns the numerical value of the variable dragged on one screen 46 to the numerical value of the variable dragged to on the other screen 47. However, as shown in FIG. 27, when the units are different, a numerical value is not assigned, and a warning is displayed to notify the user. This makes it possible to prevent the user from assigning an incorrect value to a formula. It also makes the user aware that the same "I" indicates different things depending on the formula. Note that the warning is not limited to a display, and may be output as a sound or the like.

In the above, the numerical value assignment unit 38 compared the numerical value units themselves to determine whether they are the same. The present embodiment is not limited to this, and may be configured to determine whether the dimensions match and display a warning if the dimensions are different. Also, if the dimensions match but the scales of the units are different, the scales may be automatically corrected before assigning the value. For example, if the unit of the numerical value of the assignment source is "kg" and the unit of the numerical value of the assignment destination is "g", the dimensions of both are "weight" and match. In this case, instead of displaying a warning, a numerical value multiplied by 1000 may be assigned to match the scale of the unit of the assignment destination.
[Software implementation example]
The control block of the electronic dictionary 1, 1' (particularly the control unit 4 (search unit 6, display control unit 7, formula conversion unit 35, calculation unit 39)) may be realized by a logic circuit (hardware) formed in an integrated circuit (IC chip) or the like, or may be realized by software.

In the latter case, the electronic dictionary 1, 1' includes a computer that executes the instructions of a program, which is software that realizes each function. This computer includes, for example, at least one processor (control device) and at least one computer-readable recording medium that stores the program. The object of the present invention is achieved by the processor reading the program from the recording medium and executing it in the computer. The processor can be, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The recording medium can be a "non-transient tangible medium," such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), tape, disk, card, semiconductor memory, programmable logic circuit, etc. The electronic dictionary 1, 1' may further include a RAM (Random Access Memory) that expands the program. The program may be supplied to the computer via any transmission medium (such as a communication network or broadcast waves) that can transmit the program. Note that one aspect of the present invention may also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave, in which the program is embodied by electronic transmission.

〔summary〕
An information retrieval device according to a first aspect of the present invention is an information retrieval device for searching for a relational equation indicating a quantitative relationship, and is configured to include an operation reception unit (input reception unit) 2 that receives, as a search word, an input of a variable word indicating at least one of the variables constituting the relational equation; an abstraction keyword conversion unit (conversion unit) 10 that converts the variable word received by the operation reception unit (input reception unit) 2 into a symbol using a keyword table (first correspondence information) 14 in which the variables indicated by the variable word are associated with symbols (abstraction keywords) indicating the dimensions of the quantities represented by the variables; a search unit 6 that searches for the relational equation associated with one or more of the symbols converted by the abstraction keyword conversion unit 10 using search dictionary data (second correspondence information) 13 in which the relational equation is associated with each symbol indicating the dimensions of the quantities represented by each variable constituting the relational equation; and a display control unit 7 that causes a display unit 3 to display the relational equation searched for by the search unit 6.

According to the above configuration, when a variable word indicating a variable constituting a relational equation is input, the input variable word is converted into a symbol indicating the dimension of the quantity represented by the variable, and the relational equation associated with the symbol is searched for. This makes it possible to search for the relational equation corresponding to the symbol, so that even if the user forgets the name of the relational equation itself and the name of the variable, the possibility of finding the desired relational equation from the input search word can be increased. For example, even if the desired relational equation is the mathematical Pythagorean theorem (Pythagorean theorem) and the user forgets the name of the formula, if the user recognizes that "side" is used, the "Pythagorean theorem" can be searched for as a formula containing "length", which is the symbol corresponding to "side", by inputting the "side" as a search word. Note that the symbol here indicates the dimension of the quantity represented by the variable constituting the relational equation. For example, if the variable is "side", the symbol is "length", which is the dimension of the quantity represented by "side".

In the information search device according to aspect 2 of the present invention, in the above aspect 1, the search unit 6 may be configured to search for the relational expression in which all of the one or more symbols converted by the abstract keyword conversion unit 10 are associated with all of the symbols in the second correspondence information.

The above configuration searches for relational expressions associated with all converted symbols, increasing the likelihood of quickly and accurately finding the desired relational expression.

In the information search device according to aspect 3 of the present invention, in the above-mentioned aspect 1 or 2, the search unit 6 may be configured to search for the relational expression in which all of the one or more symbols converted by the abstract keyword conversion unit 10 are part of the symbol associated in the second correspondence information.

According to the above configuration, a search is performed for a relational equation in which all symbols converted from a search word entered by a user are included in one or more symbols associated with the equation, so the desired relational equation can be searched for even if the symbols of the variables that make up the desired relational equation are not available. In other words, the desired relational equation can be searched for even if the user is not aware of all the variables.

In the information search device according to aspect 4 of the present invention, in the above aspect 3, the display control unit 7 may be configured to cause the display unit 3 to display, for each of the searched relational expressions, symbols among the symbols associated with the relational expressions that are not included in the one or more symbols converted by the abstract keyword conversion unit 10, in association with the relational expression.

According to the above configuration, if the symbols of the variables that make up the target relational equation are not available, the missing symbols are displayed. This allows the user to recognize the symbols required to search for the target relational equation, bringing the user closer to finding the target relational equation. Furthermore, the symbols can also be used to perform a new search.

The information search device according to aspect 5 of the present invention may be configured in any one of aspects 1 to 4 above, including a detection unit 36 that detects contact with or approach to a variable of the relational equation displayed on the display unit 3 or its vicinity, an input field display unit 37 that displays an input field on the display unit 3 for inputting a value of the variable that has been contacted or approached when the detection unit 36 detects the contact or approach, an operation reception unit (numerical input reception unit) 2 that receives a numerical value input to the input field, and a numerical value assignment unit 38 that displays the numerical value received by the operation reception unit 2 in an area corresponding to the variable that has been contacted or approached.

The above configuration allows you to assign a numerical value to any variable in a relational expression while making it clear that the variable is the target, thereby reducing the chance of making a mistake when selecting the variable to be input.

The information search device according to aspect 6 of the present invention may be configured as in aspect 5, further comprising a calculation unit 39 that calculates the value of one variable when there is only one variable in the relational equation to which no numerical value has been input.

The above configuration allows the values of variables whose values are unknown to be automatically calculated using the desired relational expressions.

In the information search device according to aspect 7 of the present invention, in aspect 5 or 6, when the operation reception unit 2 receives a selection of multiple relational expressions from a search history in which multiple search results are recorded, the display control unit 7 may be configured to simultaneously display the selected multiple relational expressions on the display screen of the display unit 3.

The above configuration makes it possible to list related relational expressions that have been searched separately. This allows the user to check, for example, relational expressions that are used consecutively in a list.

In the information search device according to aspect 8 of the present invention, in aspect 7, the numerical value assignment unit 38 may be configured to, when it detects an operation of selecting a variable of a first relational equation from the plurality of relational equations displayed on the display unit 3 and an operation of selecting a variable of a second relational equation other than the first relational equation, assign the numerical value of the variable selected in one of the operations as the numerical value of the variable selected in the other operation.

With the above configuration, when multiple relational expressions are displayed, the value of a variable in one relational expression can be substituted for the value of a variable in another relational expression.

The information search device according to aspect 9 of the present invention may be configured in the above-mentioned aspect 8 such that, when making the assignment, the numerical value assignment unit 38 determines whether the dimensions of the two variables selected by the two operations match, and if they do not match, outputs a warning.

According to the above configuration, when multiple relational expressions are displayed and the value of a variable in one relational expression is substituted for the value of a variable in another relational expression, the dimensions are checked to see if they match, and if they do not match, a warning is output because the user's operation is incorrect. This makes it possible to prevent the variable value of one relational expression from being substituted for the variable value of another relational expression, even though the dimensions are different.

The electronic dictionary according to aspect 10 of the present invention includes an information search device according to any one of aspects 1 to 9. With the above configuration, it is possible to obtain the same effects as those of aspects 1 to 9.

The information search method according to aspect 11 of the present invention is an information search method for searching for a relational equation indicating a quantitative relationship, and includes an input receiving step (S2) of receiving an input of a variable word indicating at least one of the variables constituting the relational equation as a search word, a conversion step (S4) of converting the variable word received in the input receiving step into the symbol using first correspondence information in which the variable indicated by the variable word is associated with a symbol indicating the dimension of the quantity represented by the variable, a search step (S5) of searching for the relational equation associated with one or more of the symbols converted in the conversion step using second correspondence information in which the relational equation is associated with each symbol indicating the dimension of the quantity represented by each variable constituting the relational equation, and a display control step (S9) of displaying the relational equation searched for in the search step on a display unit.

The above configuration provides the same effects as in aspect 1.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. The technical scope of the present invention also includes embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in the different embodiments. Furthermore, new technical features can be formed by combining the technical means disclosed in the respective embodiments.

1, 1' Electronic dictionary (information retrieval device)
2 Operation reception unit (input reception unit, numerical input reception unit)
3 Display unit 4 Control unit 5 Storage unit 6 Search unit 7 Display control unit 8 Exact match search unit 9 Partial match search unit 10 Abstract keyword conversion unit (conversion unit)
11 Official display management unit 12 Dictionary database 13 Search dictionary data (second correspondence information)
14 Keyword table (first corresponding information)
15 Search history database 35 Formula conversion unit 36 Detection unit 37 Input field display unit 38 Numeric value substitution unit 39 Calculation unit 50 Dictionary data

Claims (9)

An electronic dictionary having an information search function for searching for a relational expression indicating a quantitative relationship,
an input receiving unit that receives, as a search word, an input of a variable word indicating at least one of the variables constituting the relational expression;
a conversion unit that converts the variable word received by the input reception unit into the keyword using first correspondence information in which a variable indicated by the variable word is associated with a keyword corresponding to the variable;
a search unit that searches for the relational expression associated with one or more of the keywords converted by the conversion unit, using second correspondence information in which the relational expression is associated with each keyword corresponding to each variable constituting the relational expression;
and a display control unit that causes the relational expressions searched for by the search unit to be displayed on a display unit. The electronic dictionary according to claim 1, characterized in that the search unit searches for the relational expression that sets all of the one or more keywords converted by the conversion unit to all of the keywords associated in the second correspondence information. The electronic dictionary according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the search unit searches for the relational expression that makes all of the one or more keywords converted by the conversion unit part of the keyword associated in the second correspondence information. The electronic dictionary according to claim 3, characterized in that, for each of the searched relational expressions, the display control unit causes the display unit to display, among the keywords associated with the relational expression, a keyword that is not included in the one or more keywords converted by the conversion unit, in association with the relational expression . a detection unit that detects contact with or approach to a variable of the relational equation displayed on the display unit or a vicinity thereof;
an input field display unit that displays, on the display unit, an input field for inputting a value of the variable that has been contacted or approached, when the detection unit detects the contact or approach;
a numerical value input receiving unit that receives a numerical value input into the input field;
5. The electronic dictionary according to claim 1, further comprising: a numerical value assignment unit that displays a numerical value received by the numerical value input receiving unit in an area corresponding to the variable that has been contacted or approached. 6. The electronic dictionary according to claim 5, further comprising a calculation unit that, when there is one of the variables in the relational expression to which no numerical value has been input, calculates the value of that one variable. 7. The electronic dictionary according to claim 5, wherein when the input accepting unit accepts the selection of a plurality of relational expressions from a search history in which a plurality of search results are recorded, the display control unit causes the display screen of the display unit to simultaneously display the selected plurality of relational expressions. The electronic dictionary of claim 7, characterized in that when the numerical assignment unit detects an operation of selecting a variable of a first relational equation from the plurality of relational equations displayed on the display unit, and an operation of selecting a variable of a second relational equation other than the first relational equation, the numerical assignment unit assigns the numerical value of the variable selected in one of the operations as the numerical value of the variable selected in the other operation. A method for controlling an electronic dictionary having an information retrieval function for retrieving a relational expression indicating a quantitative relationship, comprising the steps of:
an input receiving step in which the electronic dictionary receives, as a search word, an input of a variable word indicating at least one of the variables constituting the relational expression;
a conversion step in which the electronic dictionary converts the variable word accepted in the input acceptance step into the keyword using first correspondence information in which a variable indicated by the variable word is associated with a keyword corresponding to the variable;
a search step in which the electronic dictionary searches for the relational expression associated with one or more of the keywords converted in the conversion step, using second correspondence information in which the relational expression is associated with each keyword corresponding to each variable constituting the relational expression;
a display control step of causing the electronic dictionary to display the relational expression searched for in the search step on a display unit.

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