JP3200642B2 - Information recognition device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information recognition device,
More specifically, the present invention relates to an information recognition device that detects information written by a writing implement or a trajectory of the writing implement to recognize the entered information.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an information recognizing apparatus for recognizing information such as characters on a paper such as a document written by hand is, for example, a scanner for reading information such as characters on a paper as an image, and a predetermined device. And a personal computer that recognizes and processes a character image read by a scanner as character data using the character recognition program of the present invention, and can be used by an individual having a personal computer by preparing a scanner and character recognition software. .

Further, when high-speed character recognition is required, the apparatus is configured as a dedicated apparatus for performing higher-speed character recognition processing, so that it is more expensive than a personal computer.

A tablet for character input has also been put into practical use as a device for inputting and recognizing written characters by inputting the locus of a writing instrument to a computer using a touch panel or the like.

[0005]

However, such a conventional information recognition apparatus requires a large-scale apparatus such as a scanner, character recognition software, and a personal computer, even if the apparatus can be used by individuals. In addition, since the scanner is made to read each page, a separate reading process is required from the process of writing text, which limits the use environment and makes it difficult for anyone to use it easily. there were.

When a character input tablet is used, characters other than those written on a dedicated tablet cannot be recognized, and the use environment is still limited.

An object of the present invention is to provide an information recognizing device which recognizes entry information which can be easily used and which can be used in an expanded environment.

[0008]

The means of the present invention are as follows.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a photographing means for photographing a writing surface on which information such as characters is written by a writing instrument, detecting the origin coordinates of the writing surface photographed by the photographing means, and detecting the origin coordinates. A coordinate detecting means for detecting the position coordinates of the entry information to be entered by the writing instrument, a data developing means for developing drawing data based on the origin coordinates and the position coordinates of the entry information detected by the coordinate detecting means, Recognition means for recognizing entry information based on drawing data developed by data development means, and correction for correcting the position coordinates of each entry information based on the position coordinates of previous and current entry information recognized by the recognition means And means.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a photographing means for photographing a writing surface on which information such as characters is written by a writing instrument, detecting the origin coordinates of the writing surface photographed by the photographing means, and detecting the origin coordinates. A coordinate detecting means for detecting the position coordinates of the entry information to be entered by the writing instrument, a data developing means for developing drawing data based on the origin coordinates and the position coordinates of the entry information detected by the coordinate detecting means, Recognition means for recognizing entry information based on the drawing data developed by the data development means, and correction means for correcting the size of each entry information based on the size of the previous and current entry information recognized by the recognition means. , Are provided.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a photographing means for photographing a writing surface on which information such as characters is written by a writing instrument, detecting the origin coordinates of the writing surface photographed by the photographing means, and detecting the origin coordinates. A coordinate detecting means for detecting the position coordinates of the entry information to be entered by the writing instrument, a data developing means for developing drawing data based on the origin coordinates and the position coordinates of the entry information detected by the coordinate detecting means, Recognizing means for recognizing whether or not the entry information is character information based on the drawing data developed by the data developing means, and recognizing as graphic information when recognizable as character information is impossible. .

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a photographing means for photographing a writing surface on which information such as characters is written by a writing instrument, detecting the origin coordinates of the writing surface photographed by the photographing means, and detecting the origin coordinates. A coordinate detecting means for detecting the position coordinates of the writing implement from the apparatus; a data developing means for developing drawing data indicating the trajectory of the writing implement based on the detected origin coordinates and the position coordinates of the entry information; And a recognition unit for recognizing whether or not the entry information is character information based on the drawn drawing data, and recognizing as graphic information when the input information cannot be recognized as character information.

[0013]

The operation of the means of the present invention is as follows.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the photographing means photographs a writing surface on which information such as characters is written by a writing implement, the origin coordinates of the writing surface are detected by the coordinate detecting means, and The position coordinates of the entry information to be entered by the writing implement from the origin coordinates are detected, and the drawing data is developed by the data development unit based on the origin coordinates detected by the coordinate detection unit and the position coordinates of the entry information. The entry information is recognized by the recognition means based on the drawing data developed by the development means, and the position coordinates of each entry information are corrected by the correction means based on the position coordinates of the previous and current entry information recognized by the recognition means. Is done. For example, when each entry information is adjacent information, the correction means corrects the position coordinates of each entry information so that the arrangement of each entry information is aligned.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the photographing means photographs the writing surface on which information such as characters is written by the writing implement, the origin coordinates of the writing surface are detected by the coordinate detecting means, and The position coordinates of the entry information to be entered by the writing implement from the origin coordinates are detected, and the drawing data is developed by the data development unit based on the origin coordinates detected by the coordinate detection unit and the position coordinates of the entry information. The entry information is recognized by the recognition unit based on the drawing data developed by the development unit, and the size of the entry information is corrected by the correction unit based on the sizes of the previous and current entry information recognized by the recognition unit.
For example, when each entry information is adjacent information, the size of each entry information is corrected by the correction unit so that the size of each entry information is aligned.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the photographing means photographs the entry surface on which information such as characters is written by the writing implement, the origin coordinates of the writing surface are detected by the coordinate detection means. The position coordinates of the entry information to be entered by the writing implement from the origin coordinates are detected, and the drawing data is developed by the data development unit based on the origin coordinates detected by the coordinate detection unit and the position coordinates of the entry information. Based on the drawing data developed by the developing means, the recognition means recognizes whether or not the entry information is character information. If the entry information cannot be recognized as character information, it is recognized as graphic information. According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when the photographing means photographs the entry surface on which information such as characters is entered by the writing instrument, the origin coordinates of the entry surface are detected by the coordinate detection means, and the coordinate detection means The position coordinates of the writing instrument entry information from the origin coordinates are detected, and drawing data indicating the trajectory of the writing instrument is developed by the data development means based on the detected origin coordinates and the position coordinates of the entry information. Recognition means recognizes whether or not the entry information is character information on the basis of the drawing data developed in the above. If the information cannot be recognized as character information, it is recognized as graphic information.

Therefore, the trajectory of the entry information such as characters being entered can be detected in real time, and the entry information can be recognized, and the information to be entered in a notebook or a slip is input and used as data as required. be able to. In addition, the recognized entry information can be arranged and output in an easily viewable manner, and character information and graphic information can be recognized. As a result, the use environment of the information recognition device can be greatly expanded.

[0018]

An embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS.

FIGS. 1 to 12 show an embodiment of the information recognition apparatus of the present invention.

First, the configuration will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the information recognition device 1.

In FIG. 1, an information recognition apparatus 1 includes a camera 2, an image detection unit 3, an image recognition unit 4, a detection RAM 5,
It comprises a recognition RAM 6, a main memory 7, a processing device 8, a display memory 9, a display unit 10 and an I / O 11.
FIG. 2 shows the appearance and use state of the information recognition device 1.

The camera 2 has a charge coupled device (CCD).
As shown in FIG. 2, when the information recognition device 1 is mounted on the user's arm and placed opposite to the paper surface 20 as shown in FIG. The data is scanned and photographed in a predetermined photographing range, and the photographed images are sequentially output to the image detecting unit 3.

The image detecting section 3 executes a writing character sampling flow or a writing tool trajectory sampling flow, which will be described later, based on the image captured by the camera 2, detects the origin coordinates of the writing surface to be written, and stores the coordinates in the detection RAM 5. Writing implement 30 for writing and writing on paper 20
A process of sequentially detecting the position coordinates based on the tip trajectory or the position coordinates of the data written on the paper surface and writing the detected position coordinates in the detection RAM 5 is performed.

The image recognizing section 4 executes a later-described handwritten character recognizing flow based on the origin coordinate data detected by the image detecting section 3 and written into the detection RAM 5, the position coordinate data sequentially written, and the neighborhood area change data. Then, the data being written is expanded in the recognition RAM 6, character data recognition processing is executed based on the expanded data, and the recognized character data is stored in the main memory 7. In addition, the image recognition unit 4 executes a character coordinate and character size correction flow described later, and corrects the coordinates and size of each recognized adjacent character data.

Detection RAM (Random Access Memory)
Reference numeral 5 denotes a stack memory S for writing position coordinate data, a writing tool tip position coordinate as a data memory area for writing origin coordinate data on the paper surface 20 detected by the image detecting unit 3 and position coordinate data being written. A coordinate memory Z for writing data, and a data memory D for writing change data in the vicinity of the tip end position of the writing implement which sequentially changes in correlation with the position coordinate data written in the coordinate memory Z are formed.

The recognition RAM 6 forms a memory area for expanding the character data being written based on the origin coordinate data and the position coordinate data being written when the image recognition unit 4 executes the character recognition processing. , As shown in FIG.
A block memory B is formed, and each block memory B
The data being entered is developed for each of 1, B2, and B3. The block memories B1, B2, and B3 shown in FIG. 3 respectively have character data development areas B1a, B2a, and B3.
a, character coordinates (Xi, Yi) and character size (Fi)
B1b, B2b, B3b, and the areas B1c, B2c,
B3c is also provided. The recognition RAM 6 has a memory area T for temporarily storing position coordinate data written in the stack memory S in the detection RAM 5.
Also form.

The main memory 7 stores various processing programs to be executed by the processing device 8 and also stores the image recognition unit 4.
To form a memory area for storing the recognized character data.

The processing device 8 sequentially reads out character data recognized by the image recognizing unit 4 and stored in the main memory 7, writes the character data into the display memory 9, and displays the data on the display unit 10, or via the I / O 11. It executes processing for transferring character data to an external computer.

The display memory 9 forms a memory area corresponding to the display area of the display unit 10. When character data read from the main memory 7 is sequentially written by the processing unit 8, the character data is written to the display unit 10. Transfer sequentially.

The display unit 10 is constituted by a liquid crystal display panel, and displays character data sequentially written and transferred to the display memory 9. The display unit 10 may include a liquid crystal display panel and a light source, and irradiate the liquid crystal display panel with the light source and project the light onto a wall surface, a paper surface, or the like.

The I / O 11 controls data transfer between the processing device 8 and an external computer, and outputs character code data input from the processing device 8 to an external computer or the like.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

First, a writing character sampling flow executed by the image detecting section 3 will be described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG. This processing is repeatedly executed at a fixed sampling timing.

In FIG. 4, first, the paper surface 20 shown in FIG.
The origin coordinates on the left end and the reference X axis on the upper end are detected (step S1). Next, the detected origin coordinates and the reference X
Based on the axis data, the coordinates of the tip position of the writing implement 30 are detected and stored in the coordinate memory Z in the detection RAM 5 (step S2).

Note that the origin coordinates and the reference X axis are
However, the coordinates of the origin and the reference X-axis or Y-axis may be entered on the paper surface and detected.

At this time, the tip position is detected by previously storing the tip shape of the writing implement 30, and the detected position coordinate data (Xi, Yi) is stored in the coordinate memory Z in the detection RAM 5.
Then, the previously stored data is shifted and stored.

Next, the data at the position near the detected coordinates is shifted and stored in the data memory D in the recognition RAM 6 by the data previously stored (step S3). That is, the data of the area near the tip of the writing implement 30 is stored.
Next, it is determined whether or not the difference (change) between the coordinate data stored in the current sampling and the coordinate data stored in the previous sampling is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (step S4). Judgment is new data written in a position completely different from the position, and if they are equal,
Since there is no change from the previous sampling time, this processing ends. If it is within the range of the predetermined value, the data such as the thickness of the line previously stored is compared (step S5). When there is no change in the data, the present process is terminated. When there is a change, the changed data is obtained and stored together with the coordinate data in the stack memory S in the detection RAM 5, and the present process is terminated.

Therefore, by repeatedly executing this writing character trajectory sampling flow, as shown in FIG. 6, by taking the difference between the tip position coordinate data of the writing instrument 30 and the change data of the vicinity of the tip stored this time and the previous time, Data indicating the trajectory of the tip of the writing implement 30 on the paper surface 20 during writing can be sequentially stored in the stack memory S.

Next, the flow of handwritten character recognition executed by the image recognition unit 4 will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. Note that this processing is repeatedly executed as appropriate.

In FIG. 7, first, all the data stored in the stack memory S in the detection RAM 5 is read out by the image detection unit 3 and stored in the memory area T in the recognition RAM 6 (step S11). S is cleared (step S12). Next, step S11
Then, the data stored in the memory area T is read (step S13), and it is checked whether or not the reading of all data has been completed (step S14). When the data reading is not completed, it is determined whether the coordinate area of the read data is a new block of the block memory B shown in FIG.
The coordinates of the entry data developed in the block B1 and the block B2 by the previous recognition processing are compared and determined (step S15).

Each of the blocks B1, B2 and B3 in the block memory B has a capacity for storing data for one character.

That is, in the process of step S15, it is determined whether or not the data being written is data written on the paper surface 20 completely separated from the previously written data expanded in the block memory B.

In the case of a new block, step S16 in FIG.
In, whether or not all the entry data developed in the block memory B by the previous written character recognition flow has been recognized,
Area B of each block B1 to B3 in the block memory B
The determination is made based on the presence or absence of the recognition flag stored in 1c to B3c. If not all entry data has been recognized, entry data of the unrecognizable block is stored in the main memory 7 as graphic data (step S17), and all entry data in the block memory B is cleared (step S18). When the entry data of all the blocks B1 to B3 has been recognized, all the entry data in the block memory B are immediately cleared (step S18).

In the case of graphic data that cannot be recognized as character data in step S17, the entry data is transferred to the development area B1 in the blocks B1 to B3 of the block memory B.
When drawing continuously on a to B3a, it is conceivable that it may not fit in the preset development areas B1a to B3a. In this case, the development areas B1a to B3a are enlarged according to the entry data. deal with. In addition, each development area B
Graphic data obtained by expanding and expanding 1a to B3a is stored in the main memory 7 in the expanded size.

Next, after the entry data to be recognized this time and the coordinate data of the entry data are developed in the development area B1a in the block B1 and stored in the area B1b (step S19), the processing after step S25 in FIG. 7 is performed. Execute.

If it is not a new block in step S14 of FIG. 7, whether the block is the next block adjacent to the block B1 or block B2 in which the entry data has been developed first, that is, entry of a character string composed of a plurality of characters Is determined based on the coordinate data stored in the block B1 or B2 (step S20). If it is the next adjacent block, the process proceeds to step S21. If it is not the next adjacent block, the process proceeds to step S24.

In the case of an adjacent next block, step S2
In step 1, it is determined whether or not the entry data previously developed in the development area 3a in the block B3 has been recognized based on the presence or absence of a recognition flag stored in the area B3c. When the entry data in the block B3 has not been recognized, the main memory 7 is used as graphic data in association with the coordinate data.
(Step S22), and the data in the block memory B is shifted (step S23). If the entry data in the block B3 has been recognized, the data in the block memory B is immediately shifted (step S23).

That is, in the case of an adjacent block, the data of the block B3 in which the entry data has been developed earlier is shifted to the block B1.

In step S22, as in step S17, the development areas B1
For graphic data that does not fit in a to B3a, the expansion areas B1a to B3a are expanded and expanded according to the graphic data, and the graphic data is stored in the main memory 7 in the expanded size.

Next, the current entry data is developed into the block B1 or B2 in the block memory B in accordance with the coordinate data (step S24), and a character recognition process of the developed entry data is performed (step S25). Next, for the recognized entry data, character coordinates described below,
Execute the character size correction flow (step S2)
6). After ending the correction flow of the character coordinates and the character size, each block B1 recognized in the process of step S25.
Character code data corresponding to the entry data of .about.B3 is written in the main memory 7 (step S27).

Next, the data read from the memory T is specified (step S28), and
Returning to the process of step 14, the character recognition process of steps S15 to S27 is repeatedly executed until the data is completed.

Next, the correction flow of the character coordinates and the character size executed in step S26 of FIG. 7 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

In FIG. 9, first, the presence or absence of the recognition flag in the area B2c in the block B2 of the block memory B is checked (step S31). If there is no recognition flag, the process is terminated, and if the recognition flag is present. The area B1b and the area B1b determine whether the difference between the character size of the entry data developed in the development area B1a of the block B1 and the character size of the entry data developed in the development area B2a of the block B2 is within a predetermined range. A comparison is made based on the character size data F1 and F2 stored in B2b (F1 ≒ F
2) Do (Step S32). If not within the specified range,
The process proceeds to the Y coordinate comparison process of step S34. If the Y coordinate is within the predetermined range, the character size data F1 of the block B1 is changed to the character size data F2 of the block B2 (step S33). Move to comparison process.

That is, the development area B1 of the block B1
The character size F1 of the entry data expanded to a
2 to the character size F2 of the entry data developed in the development area B2a.

Next, in step S34, the absolute value of the difference between the Y-axis coordinate data Y2 stored in the area B2b of the block B2 and the Y-axis coordinate data Y1 stored in the area B1b of the block B1 (| Y2-Y1 |)
Is within the range of a predetermined value (y0) (step S34). The absolute value of the difference between Y2 and Y1 is a predetermined value (y0)
In the above case (| Y2-Y1 | ≥y0), the difference between the X-axis coordinate data X2 stored in the area B2b of the block B2 and the X-axis coordinate data X1 stored in the area B1b of the block B1. It is determined whether or not the absolute value (| X2-X1 |) is within the range of a predetermined value (x0) (step S3).
5). When the absolute value of the difference between X2 and X1 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (x0) (| X2-X1 | ≥ x0), this processing is terminated. When the absolute value of the difference between X2 and X1 is smaller than a predetermined value (x0) (| X2-X1 | <x0), the X-axis coordinate data X1 of the block B1 is replaced with the X-axis coordinate data X of the block B2.
After changing to 2 (step S36), the line spacing is corrected in accordance with the character size of each character data, for example, when each character overlaps, the line spacing is corrected so as not to overlap each other, and the process ends (step S37). ).

That is, the character data arranged adjacently in the vertical direction (Y-axis direction) is corrected so as to be aligned in the vertical direction.

On the other hand, when the absolute value of the difference between Y2 and Y1 is smaller than the predetermined value (y0) in step S34, (| Y2-
Y1 | <y0), Y-axis coordinate data Y1 of block B1
Is changed to the Y-axis coordinate data Y2 of the block B2 (step S38), and then the character spacing correction according to the character size of each character data, for example, correction is performed so that characters do not overlap each other, and this processing is performed. End (step S3
9).

That is, correction is performed so that character data adjacent in the horizontal direction (X-axis direction) are aligned in the horizontal direction.

The character code corresponding to the character code recognized by the above character recognition processing and stored in the main memory 7 is read from the main memory 7 by the processing device 8 and output to the display memory 9. , Display unit 1
Displayed as 0. Also, the character code data is transferred to a computer or the like connected to the outside via the I / O 11.

Therefore, by using the information recognition apparatus 1 of this embodiment, it is possible to recognize a character with a written character such as a character symbol on a paper surface or the like and directly input the handwritten character information to a personal computer or the like. Note paper,
It is possible to input information to a personal computer or the like at the same time as entering notes and slips, making it easier to input handwritten character information, improving the man-machine interface, and the degree of freedom in the use environment of the information recognition device. Can be greatly expanded.

In the information recognition apparatus 1 of this embodiment, since the character size and the character coordinates between the recognized adjacent character data are corrected so as to be within a predetermined range, the recognized handwritten character string is corrected. It can be arranged on the display unit 10 so as to be easily read. For graphic data which cannot be recognized as character data, the expansion areas B1a to B3a in the blocks B1 to B3 of the block memory B are expanded together with the writing position coordinates and expanded corresponding to the graphic data, and the graphic data is expanded. To be stored in the main memory 7 as
Graphic information other than character information can be captured and displayed on the display unit 10, and graphic data can be transmitted to an external personal computer. As a result, the function of the information recognition device can be further improved.

In the above embodiment, the character coordinates shown in FIG.
In the correction flow of the character size, the coordinate data and the size data of the character information are stored in the block B in the block memory B.
Although the correction is performed by comparing between the block 1 and the block B2, the correction may be performed by calculating the average value of the coordinate data and the size data in the blocks B1 to B3.

Next, as another embodiment, the image detecting section 3
An example in which the trajectory of the tip of the writing instrument 30 is detected by detecting the light emission of the light emitting element provided at the tip of the writing instrument 30 with the camera 2 will be described.

In this embodiment, the trajectory of the tip of the writing implement 30 on the paper surface photographed by the camera 2 is detected by the image detecting unit 3, and it is determined whether the writing implement 30 is in contact with the paper surface. Lighting element such as an LED is attached to the tip of the writing instrument 30 so that the tip is in contact with the paper surface.
The contact detection switch provided in the writing instrument 30 is operated, and the light emitting element at the tip emits light. By detecting this with the camera 2, the tip trajectory of the writing implement 30 can be detected. Illustration and explanation of the configuration of the writing instrument 30 are omitted.

As another means for detecting whether or not the writing instrument 30 is in contact with the paper surface, a pressure or the like applied to the paper surface 20 may be detected. Send it to the recognition device 1.

Hereinafter, the writing tool trajectory sampling flow executed by the image detection unit 3 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. This processing is repeatedly executed at a fixed sampling timing.

In FIG. 10, first, it is determined whether or not writing with the writing instrument 30 has been started by detecting the presence or absence of a writing signal from the writing signal output device (step S4).
1) If there is an input of a writing signal from the writing signal output device, the camera 2 detects the origin coordinates and the X axis which are reference positions on the paper surface 20 shown in FIG. 2 (step S42).

The origin coordinates and the X-axis, which are reference positions on the paper surface 20, are based on the coordinate data (Xo, Yo) at the upper left end of the paper surface 20 shown in FIG. Detect as X axis.

Next, coordinate data (Xi, Yi) at which entry has been started is detected by the entry signal using the origin coordinate and the reference X-axis data detected at step S32 as reference coordinates (step S43), and the coordinate data (Xi) is detected. , Yi) are detected at the previous sampling timing and detected by the detection RAM 5.
Are compared with the coordinate data stored in (step S44). If they are the same, this process is terminated. If they are not the same, the current coordinate data (Xi, Yi) is
Then, the process is completed by writing the data into the stack memory S (step S45).

Therefore, by repeatedly executing the writing tool trajectory sampling flow, the writing tool 30 comes into contact with the paper surface and characters are written, ie,
The entry locus of the entry information can be sequentially detected as coordinate data and sequentially stored in the stack memory S.

Following the writing tool trajectory sampling flow, a writing character recognition flow by the image recognition unit 4 is executed, and the character data being written is recognized.

This writing character recognition flow is shown in FIG.
This will be described based on the flowchart shown in FIG. In addition,
In the flowchart shown in FIG. 11, the same steps as those in the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the steps which are characteristic of this flow are indicated by broken lines in FIG. Shown in box. Further, this processing is repeatedly executed as appropriate.

In FIG. 11, first, the image detection unit 3
Then, all data stored in the stack memory S in the detection RAM 5 is read out, stored in the memory area T in the recognition RAM 6 (step S11), and the stack memory S is cleared (step S12). Then, step S1
In step 1, the data stored in the memory area T is read (step S13), and it is checked whether the reading of all data is completed (step S14). When the reading of all data is completed, the process ends. When reading of all data is not completed, whether the coordinate area of the read data is a new block of the block memory B shown in FIG. 3 is expanded and written in the blocks B1 and B2 by the previous recognition processing. A determination is made by comparing the coordinates of the data (step S15).

That is, in the process of step S15, it is determined whether or not the data being written is data written on the paper surface 20 completely separated from the previously written data expanded in the block memory B.

In the case of a new block, step S1 in FIG.
In step 6, whether or not all the entry data developed in the block memory B by the previous handwritten character recognition flow has been recognized is determined by the presence or absence of a recognition flag stored in the areas B1c to B3c of the blocks B1 to B3 in the block memory B. Is determined by If not all the entry data has been recognized, the entry data of the unrecognizable block is stored in the main memory 7 as graphic data (step S17), and all the entry data in the block memory B are cleared (step S18).
When the entry data of all the blocks B1 to B3 has been recognized, all the entry data in the block memory B are immediately cleared (step S18).

In the case of graphic data that cannot be recognized as character data in step S17, the entry data is stored in the development area B1 of the blocks B1 to B3 in the block memory B.
When drawing continuously on a to B3a, it is conceivable that the data may not fit in the preset development areas B1a to B3a.
By the processing of 53, the entry data is reduced at a predetermined reduction rate so as to be included in the preset development areas B1a to B3a, and is developed in the development areas B1a to B3a. Further, the graphic data that has been reduced and expanded in each of the development areas B1a to B3a is enlarged to the original size and stored in the main memory 7.

Next, after the entry data to be recognized this time and the coordinate data of the entry data are developed in the development area B1a in the block B1 and stored in the area B1b (step S19), the processing after step S25 in FIG. 11 is performed. Execute.

In step S14 of FIG.
If the block is not a new block, whether or not the block is the next block adjacent to the block B1 or block B2 in which the entry data has been developed first, that is, whether or not it is an adjacent character in the entry of a character string composed of a plurality of characters, is determined by the block B1 or A determination is made based on the coordinate data stored in the block B2 (step S20). If it is the next adjacent block, the process proceeds to step S21. If it is not the next adjacent block, the process proceeds to step S24.

In the case of the next adjacent block, step S
In the area B3c, it is determined whether or not the entry data previously developed in the development area 3a in the block B3 has been recognized.
Is determined based on the presence or absence of the recognition flag stored in. If the entry data in the block B3 has not been recognized, it is stored in the main memory 7 as graphic data in association with the coordinate data (step S22), and the data in the block memory B is shifted (step S23). When the entry data in the block B3 has been recognized, the data in the block memory B is immediately shifted (step S2).
3).

That is, in the case of an adjacent block, the data of the block B3 in which the entry data has been developed earlier is shifted to the block B1.

In step S22, as in step S17, the development areas B1
For graphic data that cannot be accommodated in a to B3a, the entry data is reduced and expanded in each of the expansion areas B1a to B3a, and the reduced and expanded graphic data is enlarged to the original size and the main memory 7 is expanded. To be stored.

Next, at step S20, when the current entry data is not the next block adjacent to the current block, the size of the entry data is set to each block B1 of the block memory B.
It is determined whether or not the data does not fit into the development areas B1a to B3a of the data B3 to B3 (step S51). If not, the process proceeds to step S24 and the subsequent steps.
A reduction process is executed to fit in B3a, a predetermined reduction ratio is set to reduce the entry data, and the development areas B1a to B3
a, and the reduction rate data is stored in the areas B1c to B3c of the developed blocks B1 to B3 (steps S52 and S53).

Next, the current entry data is developed into the block B1 or B2 in the block memory B according to the coordinate data (step S24), and the character recognition processing of each of the developed blocks is performed (step S25). Next, the correction flow of the character coordinates and the character size shown in FIG. 9 is executed on the recognized entry data (step S26). After finishing the correction flow of the character coordinates and the character size, the character code data corresponding to the entry data of each of the blocks B1 to B3 recognized in the process of step S25 is written into the main memory 7 (step S27).

Next, the data read from the memory T is designated (step S28), and
Returning to the process of step 14, the character recognition process of steps S15 to S27 is repeatedly executed until the data is completed.

Therefore, even when the method of detecting the trajectory of the writing instrument 30 is used, the handwritten character information can be recognized, the input of the handwritten character information becomes easy, and the man-machine interface can be improved. The degree of freedom of the use environment of the information recognition device can be greatly expanded.

When character recognition is performed, the block memory B
Is expanded and reduced so that the entry data recognized in the expansion areas B1a to B3a set in advance can be accommodated, so that the graphic data can be expanded without expanding the expansion areas B1a to B3a. Is stored in the main memory 7, since it is enlarged to its original size, graphic information other than character information can be captured and displayed on the display unit 10, and graphic data can be sent to an external personal computer. Can be transmitted. As a result, the function of the information recognition device can be further improved.

Note that handwriting input is one of the important functions in multimedia. However, if the information recognition device of the present invention is used for handwriting input of a multimedia device, writing on a special panel surface such as a touch panel is possible. The range of use can be greatly expanded without being limited to this case.

The display unit 1 of the information recognition device 1 of the present invention
When handwritten characters are projected by a small projector or the like using 0, the handwriting is performed directly on the paper surface or the like on which the handwriting is being written.

[0089]

According to the present invention, it is possible to detect entry information in real time and to recognize the information being entered, and to easily use the information recognition apparatus. In addition, the recognized entry information can be arranged and output in an easily viewable manner, and character information and graphic information can be recognized. As a result, the use environment of the information recognition device can be greatly expanded.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of an information recognition apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an external view of the information recognition device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a block memory formed in a recognition RAM 6;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a handwritten character sampling process executed by the image detection unit 3;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of coordinate data on a paper surface detected by an image detection unit 3;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a change in a character locus on a paper surface detected by an image detection unit 3;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a part of a character recognition process executed by the image recognition unit 4;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a continuation of the character recognition process of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a character coordinate and character size correction process executed by the image recognition unit 4;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a writing instrument trajectory sampling process executed by the image detection unit 3;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a part of another character recognition process executed by the image recognition unit 4;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a continuation of the character recognition processing of FIG. 11;

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 information recognition device 2 camera 3 image detection unit 4 image recognition unit 5 detection RAM 6 recognition RAM 7 main memory 8 processing device 9 display memory 10 display unit 11 I / O

Continuation of front page (56) References JP-A-6-295224 (JP, A) JP-A-6-289989 (JP, A) JP-A-6-290301 (JP, A) JP-A-6-103353 (JP) JP-A-6-89125 (JP, A) JP-A-3-37707 (JP, A) JP-A-63-167923 (JP, A) JP-A-59-27368 (JP, A) 52-94730 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G06F 3/033-3/037 G06F 3/03 G06F 3/00 601-680 G06K 9/00-9 / 82

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A photographing means for photographing a writing surface on which information such as characters is written by a writing implement, detecting origin coordinates of the writing surface photographed by the photographing means, and writing by a writing implement from the origin coordinates. Coordinate detecting means for detecting the position coordinates of the entry information to be written; data developing means for developing the drawing data based on the origin coordinates detected by the coordinate detecting means and the position coordinates of the entry information; Recognition means for recognizing the entry information based on the drawing data, and correction means for correcting the position coordinates of each entry information based on the position coordinates of the previous and current entry information recognized by the recognition means. An information recognition device characterized by the above-mentioned. 2. A photographing means for photographing a writing surface on which information such as characters is written by a writing implement, detecting origin coordinates of the writing surface photographed by the photographing means, and writing by a writing implement from the origin coordinates. Coordinate detecting means for detecting the position coordinates of the entry information to be written; data developing means for developing the drawing data based on the origin coordinates detected by the coordinate detecting means and the position coordinates of the entry information; Recognizing means for recognizing the entry information based on the drawing data obtained, and correction means for correcting the size of each entry information based on the size of the previous and current entry information recognized by the recognition means. Characteristic information recognition device. 3. A photographing means for photographing a writing surface on which information such as characters are written by a writing implement, detecting origin coordinates of the writing surface photographed by the photographing means, and writing by a writing implement from the origin coordinates. Coordinate detecting means for detecting the position coordinates of the entry information to be written; data developing means for developing drawing data based on the origin coordinates detected by the coordinate detecting means and the position coordinates of the entry information; An information recognition apparatus, comprising: a recognition unit that recognizes whether or not entry information is character information based on the drawing data, and recognizes the information as graphic information when the information cannot be recognized as character information. 4. A photographing means for photographing a writing surface on which information such as characters is written by a writing implement, detecting origin coordinates of the writing surface photographed by the photographing means, and position coordinates of the writing implement from the origin coordinates. Based on the detected origin coordinates and the position coordinates of the entry information, and based on the drawing data developed by the data developing means. A recognition unit for recognizing whether or not the input information is character information, and recognizing the input information as graphic information when the input information cannot be recognized as character information.