JP4648045B2 - Character input device, program, and character input method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a coordinate input device capable of outputting coordinate values of handwritten characters drawn by an operator, a character input device connected to a display device, a program, and a character input method.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a character input device that recognizes characters by receiving input of a plurality of handwritten characters input by an operator in the handwriting area (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  Patent Document 2 discloses a character input device that stores an operator's stroke input history and uses the stored history to return to a past writing process.

JP 2001-014103 A JP 2003-099424 A

  By the way, when the usage mode of a character input device is considered, the usage in a meeting etc. is assumed. In meetings, etc., the same word may be written many times. In such a case, if a stroke group that has been previously input by the operator is called, it is convenient to save time for character input.

  However, according to the character input device of Patent Document 1 or Patent Document 2, it is not assumed that the stroke group is recorded as a stroke group when a new input is performed after history recording.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and it is unnecessary for an operator to write the same handwritten character over and over, and a character input device, a program, and a character that can reduce the burden of re-input by the operator The purpose is to provide an input method.

In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, a character input device according to a first aspect of the present invention is a character input device capable of outputting coordinate values of handwritten characters drawn by an operator and a character connected to a display device. In the input device, stroke feature amount extraction means for extracting the feature amount of each stroke in which the coordinate value of the handwritten character input from the coordinate input device is expressed in line segments, and each stroke from which the feature amount is extracted Stroke group storage means that is defined as a stroke group that is a group, and a stroke feature that stores the feature quantity of each stroke extracted by the stroke feature quantity extraction means in units of the stroke group defined by the stroke group storage means A quantity storage means and a group of stroke feature values relating to newly inputted coordinate values are obtained by the stroke group storage means. The stroke group search means for searching for the stroke group whose feature quantity at least partially matches with the stored feature quantity of the stroke group, and the stroke group whose feature quantity at least partially matches with the stroke group search means is read from the feature value memory, sintered beauty in lines and strokes replacing means for replacing a group of stroke according to the newly input coordinate values, the coordinate point of the stroke that was replaced by the stroke group substituted means, stroke Display means for displaying a group on the display device , wherein the stroke group replacement means displays a plurality of the stroke groups when there are a plurality of stroke groups having at least partially matching feature amounts. A selection means for selecting one stroke group, and the selection means Ri reads a selected said stroke group from the stroke feature value memory, replacing a group of stroke according to the newly input coordinates.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the character input device according to the first aspect, the stroke feature amount extracted by the stroke feature amount extraction unit normalizes the stroke within a predetermined rectangle, and the rectangle Is coded into a character string in which the region number where the start coordinate of the stroke exists and the region number where the end coordinate exists are written together.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the character input device according to the first aspect, the stroke feature quantity extracted by the stroke feature quantity extraction means is a predetermined value with a line segment connecting adjacent coordinate points of the stroke. The average value of the angle formed by the reference line is encoded with a character string.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the character input device according to the first aspect, when the stroke group storage means is declared to be the last stroke of the stroke group for a predetermined stroke, The strokes declared to be the final stroke are considered as one group.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the character input device according to the first aspect, when the stroke group storage means determines that a line break has been made based on the coordinate value of the handwritten character, Up to the stroke is regarded as one group.

Further, according invention in claim 6, in the character input device according to claim 1, wherein the stroke group substitution means, when there is the group of strokes feature values match exactly, the stroke the stroke group It is read from the feature quantity storage means and replaced with a group of strokes relating to newly inputted coordinate values.

The invention according to claim 7 is the character input device according to claim 5 , wherein the selection means rearranges the display order when displaying the plurality of stroke groups having at least partially matching feature amounts. Is possible.

The invention according to claim 8 is the character input device according to claim 7 , wherein the rearrangement of the display order is performed based on the number of strokes constituting the stroke group.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the character input device according to the first aspect, the display unit is defined as one group by the stroke group storage unit as the stroke group. The strokes that are not defined are displayed in different display formats.

The invention according to claim 10 is the character input device according to claim 9 , wherein the stroke group defined as one group by the stroke group storage means and each stroke not defined as the stroke group. With, the display line segment is displayed with a different thickness.

The program of the invention according to claim 11 is a program to be executed by a computer connected to a coordinate input device and a display device capable of outputting the coordinate value of a handwritten character drawn by an operator, wherein the computer executes the coordinate A stroke feature amount extraction function for extracting the feature amount of each stroke in which the coordinate value of the handwritten character input from the input device is expressed in units of line segments, and the strokes from which the feature amount is extracted as one group of strokes A stroke group storage function for defining, a stroke feature quantity storage function for storing the feature quantity of each stroke extracted by the stroke feature quantity extraction function in units of the stroke group defined by the stroke group storage function, and a new A group of strokes related to the coordinate values input to the stroke group storage function. The stroke group search function for searching for the stroke group having at least a partial match in the feature quantity, and the stroke group having at least a partial match in the feature quantity by the stroke group search function. A stroke group replacement function that is read from the stroke feature value storage function and is replaced with a group of strokes according to newly input coordinate values, and a coordinate point of the stroke replaced by the stroke group replacement function are connected by a line segment. A display function for displaying a group on the display device, and the stroke group replacement function displays a plurality of stroke groups when there are a plurality of stroke groups having at least partially matching feature amounts. Selection function to select one stroke group from Reading the stroke group selected by the function, replacing the set of stroke according to the newly input coordinates.

The invention according to claim 12 is the program according to claim 11 , wherein the stroke feature amount extracted by the stroke feature amount extraction function normalizes the stroke within a predetermined rectangle, It is divided into two areas and is coded by a character string in which the area number where the start coordinate of the stroke exists and the area number where the end coordinate exists are written together.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the program according to the eleventh aspect, the stroke feature amount extracted by the stroke feature amount extraction function is a line segment connecting adjacent coordinate points of the stroke and a predetermined reference. The average value of the angle formed by the line is encoded with a character string.

The invention according to claim 14 is the program according to claim 11 , wherein when the stroke group saving function is declared to be the last stroke of the stroke group for the predetermined stroke, Up to the strokes declared to be the strokes are regarded as one group.

The invention according to claim 15 is the program according to claim 11 , wherein the stroke group saving function determines that the stroke before a line break is made when it is determined that a line break has been made based on the coordinate value of the handwritten character. Is regarded as one group.

The invention according to claim 16 is the program according to claim 11 , wherein, when the stroke group replacement function has the stroke group whose feature quantity completely matches, the stroke group quantity is changed to the stroke feature quantity. It is read from the storage function and replaced with a group of strokes relating to newly inputted coordinate values.

According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, in the program according to the fifteenth aspect, the selection function is capable of rearranging the display order when displaying a list of the plurality of stroke groups having at least partially matching feature amounts. is there.

The invention according to claim 18 is the program according to claim 17 , wherein the rearrangement of the display order is performed based on the number of strokes constituting the stroke group.

According to a nineteenth aspect of the present invention, in the program according to the eleventh aspect , the display function is defined as the stroke group for the stroke group defined as one group by the stroke group saving function. The strokes that are not displayed are displayed in different display formats.

According to a twentieth aspect of the invention, in the program according to the nineteenth aspect , the stroke group defined as one group by the stroke group storage function and the strokes not defined as the stroke group. Change the thickness of the display line.

According to a twenty-first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a character input method comprising: a stroke feature amount extracting step for extracting a feature amount of each stroke in which a coordinate value of a handwritten character input from a coordinate input device is expressed in units of line segments; A stroke group storage step that defines each extracted stroke as a stroke group that is a group, and a feature amount of each stroke extracted by the stroke feature amount extraction step is defined by the stroke group storage step. A stroke feature amount storing step for storing in units of stroke groups, and a group of stroke feature amounts for newly inputted coordinate values are compared with the stroke group feature amounts stored in the stroke group storing step, A stroke group search step for searching for the stroke group that at least partially matches, and a stroke group search process Reading said group of strokes feature quantity is at least partial match from the stroke feature storage step by the strokes replacement step of replacing a group of stroke according to the newly input coordinate values, are replaced by the stroke group substitution step A display step of displaying the stroke group on a display device by connecting the coordinate points of the strokes with line segments, and the stroke group replacement step is performed when there are a plurality of stroke groups having at least partially matching feature amounts. And a selection function for selecting one stroke group from among the plurality of stroke groups displayed. The stroke group selected by the selection function is read out and applied to a newly input coordinate value. Replace with a group of strokes .

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the feature amount of each stroke in which the coordinate value of the handwritten character from the coordinate input device is expressed in units of line segments is stored in units of stroke groups, and the characteristics of the stroke groups thus stored are stored. Compare the amount of features and a group of strokes according to the newly input coordinate values, and replace the stroke group having at least a partial match with the group of strokes according to the newly input coordinate values. Coordinate points are connected by line segments and displayed on the display device. This allows the operator to recall and reuse strokes drawn in the past, so that the operator does not have to write the same handwritten character over and over, reducing the burden of re-input by the operator. can do. For example, it is possible to reduce the trouble of the operator repeatedly inputting words that frequently appear during a meeting or the like. According to the first aspect of the present invention, when there are a plurality of stroke groups having at least partially matching feature amounts, one stroke group selected from among the plurality of stroke groups displayed is newly input. By replacing with a group of strokes applied to the coordinate values, the burden on the operator's operation can be reduced.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the stroke feature amount is obtained by normalizing the stroke into a predetermined rectangle, dividing the rectangle into nine regions, and determining the region number and end coordinate where the start coordinate of the stroke exists. The feature amount can be obtained at high speed because it is encoded with a character string in which existing area numbers are written together.

  According to the invention of claim 3, the stroke feature amount is obtained by coding an average value of angles formed by a predetermined reference line and a line segment connecting adjacent coordinate points of the stroke with a character string. Thus, the feature amount can be obtained at high speed.

  According to the invention of claim 4, when it is declared that the predetermined stroke is the final stroke of the stroke group, the strokes declared to be the final stroke are regarded as one group. Thus, the stroke group can be stored at any timing of the operator.

  According to the invention of claim 5, when it is determined that a line break has been made based on the coordinate value of the handwritten character, a line break is made when it is determined that a line break has been made based on the coordinate value of the handwritten character. By considering the previous strokes as one group, the burden on the operator's operation can be reduced.

According to the invention of claim 6 , when there is a stroke group in which the feature amounts completely match, the user replaces the stroke group with a group of strokes according to the newly input coordinate values, thereby The operation burden can be reduced.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, when a plurality of stroke groups having at least partially matching feature amounts are displayed as a list, the display order can be rearranged, thereby facilitating the operator's selection work. can do.

According to the invention of claim 8 , the display order is rearranged on the basis of the number of strokes constituting the stroke group. For example, the display order is changed in the order from the smallest number of strokes or the number of strokes. By displaying in descending order, the operator can easily select a stroke group.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the stroke group defined as one group is displayed by changing the display format from the strokes not defined as the stroke group. It is possible to reduce storage of erroneous stroke groups.

Moreover, according to the invention concerning Claim 10 , in the stroke group prescribed | regulated as one group and each stroke which is not prescribed | regulated as a stroke group, changing the thickness of a display line segment, and displaying, The operator can clearly indicate the difference between whether it is stored or a group of strokes.

According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, the feature quantity of each stroke in which the coordinate value of the handwritten character from the coordinate input device is expressed in units of line segments is stored in units of stroke groups, and thus stored stroke groups. Is compared with a group of strokes related to a newly input coordinate value, and a stroke group having at least a partial match is replaced with a group of strokes corresponding to a newly input coordinate value. Stroke coordinate points are connected by line segments and displayed on the display device. This allows the operator to recall and reuse strokes drawn in the past, so that the operator does not have to write the same handwritten character over and over, reducing the burden of re-input by the operator. can do. For example, it is possible to reduce the trouble of the operator repeatedly inputting words that frequently appear during a meeting or the like. According to the invention of claim 11, when there are a plurality of stroke groups having at least partially matching feature amounts, a new stroke group selected from among the plurality of stroke groups displayed is newly input. By replacing with a group of strokes applied to the coordinate values, the burden on the operator's operation can be reduced.

According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, the stroke feature amount is obtained by normalizing the stroke into a predetermined rectangle, dividing the rectangle into nine regions, and determining the region number and end coordinate where the start coordinate of the stroke exists. The feature amount can be obtained at high speed because it is encoded with a character string in which existing area numbers are written together.

According to the invention of claim 13 , the stroke feature value is obtained by coding the average value of the angle formed by the line segment connecting adjacent coordinate points of the stroke and the predetermined reference line with a character string. Thus, the feature amount can be obtained at high speed.

According to the fourteenth aspect of the present invention, when it is declared that the predetermined stroke is the final stroke of the stroke group, the strokes declared to be the final stroke are regarded as one group. Thus, the stroke group can be stored at any timing of the operator.

According to the invention of claim 15, when it is determined that a line break has been made based on the coordinate value of the handwritten character, a line break is made when it is determined that a line break has been made based on the coordinate value of the handwritten character. By considering the previous strokes as one group, the burden on the operator's operation can be reduced.

According to the sixteenth aspect of the present invention, when there is a stroke group in which the feature values completely match, the user replaces the stroke group with a group of strokes according to the newly input coordinate values, thereby allowing the user to The operation burden can be reduced.

According to the seventeenth aspect of the present invention, when a plurality of stroke groups having at least partially matching feature amounts are displayed as a list, the display order can be rearranged, thereby facilitating the operator's selection work. can do.

According to the eighteenth aspect of the invention, the display order is rearranged based on the number of strokes constituting the stroke group. By displaying in descending order, the operator can easily select a stroke group.

According to the nineteenth aspect of the present invention, the stroke group defined as one group is displayed by changing the display format from the strokes not defined as the stroke group. It is possible to reduce storage of erroneous stroke groups.

Further, according to the invention of claim 20 , the stroke group defined as one group and the strokes not defined as the stroke group are displayed by changing the thickness of the display line segment, The operator can clearly indicate the difference between whether it is stored or a group of strokes.

According to the invention of claim 21 , the stroke feature value is stored in units of stroke groups, in which the coordinate values of the handwritten characters from the coordinate input device are expressed in units of line segments, and thus stored stroke groups. Is compared with a group of strokes related to a newly input coordinate value, and a stroke group having at least a partial match is replaced with a group of strokes corresponding to a newly input coordinate value. Stroke coordinate points are connected by line segments and displayed on the display device. This allows the operator to recall and reuse strokes drawn in the past, so that the operator does not have to write the same handwritten character over and over, reducing the burden of re-input by the operator. can do. For example, it is possible to reduce the trouble of the operator repeatedly inputting words that frequently appear during a meeting or the like. According to the invention of claim 21, when there are a plurality of stroke groups having at least partially matching feature amounts, one stroke group selected from among the plurality of stroke groups displayed is newly input. By replacing with a group of strokes applied to the coordinate values, the burden on the operator's operation can be reduced.

  Exemplary embodiments of a character input device, a program, and a character input method according to the present invention will be explained below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[1. Overall configuration of handwritten character input system]
FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing a handwritten character input / output system 1 including a character input device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The handwritten character input / output system 1 includes a character input device 100 and a handwritten character input / output device 200. The character input device 100 according to the present embodiment is a personal computer. Specifically, the handwritten character input / output device 200 is a large screen display device. The handwritten character input / output device 200 includes a coordinate input device 210 that inputs handwritten characters and the like, and a display device 220 that displays handwritten characters and the like input to the coordinate input device 210. Specifically, the coordinate input device 210 acquires an input from an operator as a coordinate value. The coordinate input device 210 and the display device 220 are provided integrally.

  Note that a mouse or tablet may be used as an input means for an operator to input characters or the like to the coordinate input device 210. The display device 220 may be a CRT or a projector. Another example of the display device 220 is a device that is already on the market and may be a combination of a coordinate input device and a projector.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the coordinate input device 210 of the handwritten character input / output device 200 detects a signal input by an operator using an input means such as a finger or a pen as a coordinate value, and the detected coordinate value is a character. Send to input device 100. The character input device 100 performs processing on a set of coordinate values (hereinafter referred to as a stroke) acquired from the coordinate input device 210. Then, the obtained processing content is displayed on the display device 220.

[2. Handwritten character input processing in character input device]
FIG. 2 is a flowchart schematically showing the flow of processing in the character input device 100. In FIG. 2, an arrow indicated by a bold line is a flow of processing of this method, and an arrow indicated by a thin line means data access to the memory. Below, it demonstrates along the flow of a handwritten character input process.

  The character input device 100 performs command processing on the coordinate values output from the coordinate input device 210, stores the coordinates in the coordinate value memory 10, stores a plurality of strokes as a group, or will be described later. It is determined whether to select a stroke group displayed on the screen in the process.

  When the command is a coordinate storage in the command processing (S1), the coordinate value is stored in the coordinate value memory 10 in the coordinate value storage processing (S2). After the coordinate values are stored in the coordinate value memory 10 in this way, the stroke feature value newly stored in the coordinate value memory 10 is extracted in the stroke feature value extraction process (S3), and the feature value is stored in the stroke group memory 11. To do. Subsequently, in the stroke group search process (S4), a stroke group that partially matches the feature amount of the stroke group currently being edited is searched from the stroke groups in the stroke group memory 11 that have already been saved. The hit stroke group is displayed on the screen by the display process (S5), and the process returns to the command process (S1).

  If the command is saved as a stroke in the command process (S1), the stroke is saved by storing the end of the group of strokes in the stroke group memory 11 in the stroke save process (S6). Thereafter, the handwritten character input by the operator is treated as a new stroke group. In order to clearly indicate to the operator that the saving has been completed, display is performed in the display process (S5), and the process returns to the command process (S1).

  When the command is stroke selection in the command processing (S1), the operator searches which stroke group out of one or more stroke groups searched in the stroke group search processing (S7) and displayed on the screen in the display processing. The selected stroke is extracted, and the stroke group is copied to the stroke group memory 11 currently being edited. In order to clearly indicate that the memory copy has been made, the display is performed on the display device 220, and the process returns to the command processing (S1).

  In the following, detailed processing of each part will be described.

[2-1. Command processing]
First, command processing (S1) in coordinate input processing will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, in command processing, mouse events are constantly monitored (S11). If there is no mouse event, the loop continues to be monitored for mouse events.

  Here, when the driver that controls the coordinate input device 210 detects a coordinate, it associates it with a mouse event. That is, when the operator touches the coordinate input device 210 with an instruction unit such as a finger or a pen, it is associated with the DOWN event of the left mouse button, and the operator moves while touching the coordinate input device 210 with the instruction unit. Thus, it is associated with the move event of the left mouse button, and the operator moves the pointing unit away from the coordinate input device 210 to associate with the UP event of the left mouse button. Therefore, the driver that controls the coordinate input device 210 outputs the obtained coordinate values and mouse event information to the coordinate input process.

  If there is a mouse event, the coordinate value is stored in the coordinate value buffer 20 (S12). Then, it is checked whether the event is an UP event (S13). If the event is not an UP event (N in S13), the process is returned to the mouse event monitoring. If it is an UP event (Y in S13), a determination process of the area where the UP event has occurred is performed. This is because, as shown in FIG. 4, a group of coordinate values obtained by an event from the mouse DOWN to MOVE to UP is stored as a stroke. Here, in order to clearly indicate the stroke unit to the operator, the coordinate points are generally connected and displayed as a straight line as shown in FIG. Therefore, when the coordinate value is stored in the coordinate value buffer 20, the process is transferred to the display process (S5), and the line segment is displayed on the display device 220.

  Here, the coordinate value buffer 20 will be described. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the coordinate value buffer 20. As shown in FIG. 5, the coordinate value buffer 20 has a memory area for one stroke, and stores all the coordinate values obtained from DOWN to UP of the mouse and the total number of coordinate values. When an UP event occurs, the UP event occurrence area is determined. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, three areas are set: a handwriting input area A1, a stroke storage area A2, and a stroke selection area A3. When an UP event occurs in the handwriting input area A1, it is determined that the operator has input a handwritten character, and the process is passed to the coordinate value storage process (S2). If an UP event occurs in the stroke storage area A2, it is determined that the currently edited stroke group is to be stored, and the process is passed to the stroke group storage process (S6). When the UP event occurs in the stroke selection area A3, it is determined that one of the displayed one or more stroke groups has been selected by the operator, and the process is passed to the stroke group replacement process (S7).

  Note that the method of saving the stroke group currently being edited by the operator may be a method of automatically saving as described below, in addition to the method of clicking in the stroke saving area A2. In general, if there is even a new stroke in the vertical range with height information in line units and a predetermined margin in the height information, the line is the same and is not included. If it is a new line. If it is determined that the lines are the same, the stroke group saving process (S6) is not performed. If it is determined that the lines are new, one stroke is reduced to a page number one smaller than the page number of the stroke input by the operator of the coordinate value memory 10. A stroke group storage process (S6) is executed as a group.

[2-2. Coordinate value storage process]
Next, the coordinate value storage process (S2) to which the process is passed from the command process (S1) will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the coordinate value storage process (S2), the coordinate group stored in the coordinate value buffer 20 is copied to the coordinate value memory 10. More specifically, first, all coordinate value data is acquired from the coordinate value buffer 20 (S21). Next, one page of the coordinate value memory 10 is turned (S22). As shown in FIG. 8, the coordinate value buffer 20 having one stroke of data corresponds to one page of the coordinate value memory 10, and the coordinate value memory 10 stores one stroke of data for each page. It is for holding. Finally, the coordinate value data for one stroke acquired from the coordinate value buffer 20 is stored in the newly generated page of the coordinate value memory 10 (S23). Then, the process is passed to the stroke feature amount extraction process (S3).

[2-3. Stroke feature extraction processing]
Next, the stroke feature amount extraction process (S3) passed from the coordinate value storage process (S2) will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the stroke feature amount extraction process (S3), the latest stroke (coordinate group of the page with the largest page number in the coordinate value memory 10) stored in the coordinate value storage process (S2) is called from the coordinate value memory 10 (S31). The feature amount is extracted based on the called coordinate value data for one stroke (S32), and the extracted feature amount is stored in the stroke group memory 11 (S33).

  Here, FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a data structure of the stroke group memory 11. As shown in FIG. 10, the stroke group memory 11 has a plurality of pages, and one page corresponds to a group of strokes. One page includes a coordinate value memory start page and a coordinate value memory end page indicating which page in the coordinate value memory 10 is considered as a group, a feature value storing the extracted feature value, and a previous stroke group. There are four parameters of the stroke group page that store the relevant stroke group page number when it is related to the page. Since the feature amount extracted above is a stroke-unit feature amount, and the feature amount in the stroke group memory 11 is a stroke group unit feature amount, when a new stroke feature amount is calculated, the stroke group memory 11 stores the feature amount. It will be added to the feature amount.

  Here, the function of the stroke feature quantity extraction means and the function of the stroke feature quantity storage means are executed.

  Here, two specific feature amount extraction methods are shown. The first feature amount extraction method example is a method of coding the start position and end position of a stroke as shown in FIG. If the operator inputs a stroke such as (a) shown in FIG. 11, the stroke (a) is normalized to a square having a predetermined size as shown in (b). At this time, the aspect ratio of the stroke of (a) is not changed, and the normalized stroke is normalized so that it is positioned at the center in the vertical and horizontal directions of the normalized square of (b). Then, as shown in (c), the normalized square in (b) is equally divided into nine areas, and the areas are numbered 1, 2, 3,... Then, the stroke (a) input by the operator is characterized as a stroke that starts from the region 4 and ends in the region 6. Therefore, it is coded as 46 (start area + end area) and added to the corresponding page of the stroke group memory 11. FIG. 12 shows examples of coding of feature quantities of various strokes. A point shown in FIG. 12 is a position where a stroke is started, and an end portion without a point is a writing end position. The feature amounts are 46, 28, 19, and 29 in order from the left. If the operator inputs sequentially from the left stroke, and the four strokes in FIG. 12 are a group, the feature amount in the stroke group memory 11 is “4621929”.

  An example of the second feature amount extraction method is a method in which an average angle of strokes is used as a feature amount as shown in FIG. Assume that the operator inputs a stroke as shown in FIG. The details of the input stroke are such that a plurality of coordinate points are connected by line segments as shown in FIG. Here, a reference line indicated by a black line in (c) is provided, and an angle formed by a reference line and a line segment connecting a certain coordinate point and the next coordinate point is obtained. The angle is obtained for each coordinate point, and the average of the angles of all coordinate points is obtained. Then, the stroke input by the operator can be coded with a numerical value from 0 to 360, and this code is added to the stroke group memory 11 as a feature amount.

  When the stroke feature amount extraction process (S3) described above is completed, the process is passed to the stroke group search process (S4).

[2-4. Stroke group search processing]
Next, the stroke group search process (S4) to which the process is passed from the stroke feature amount extraction process (S3) will be described with reference to FIG.

  The stroke group search process (S4) determines whether or not the feature quantity of the currently edited stroke group partially matches the feature quantity of the already stored stroke group (S41), and acquires the page number of the partially matching stroke group. (S42). More specifically, first, the feature quantity of the stroke group being edited is called from the stroke group memory 11, and the called feature quantity is compared with the feature quantity of the stroke group previously stored in the stroke group memory 11. As shown in FIG. 15, it is assumed that the feature amount of the stroke group being edited is “4628” as shown in FIG. Further, as shown in (b), it is assumed that the feature values of the already stored stroke group exist in each page. For the feature quantity of (b), it is checked whether or not the feature quantity of (a) exists at the head of the feature quantity. Then, since the heads of the feature quantities of the stroke group page numbers 1, 3, and 6 start from “4628”, the page numbers hit by the search are 1, 3, and 6 as shown in (c). In page number 4 in (b), “4628” exists in the middle of the feature quantity, but it does not match the condition from the beginning, so it does not hit. The stroke group of the hit page number is displayed as shown in FIG. 16 in the display process (S5) described later. FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing only the stroke selection area A3 of FIG. Here, an example in which two stroke groups are hit is shown, and the first “red” and second “blue” of the hit stroke groups are listed in the vertical direction. Whenever the operator inputs one stroke, the feature quantity is extracted by the stroke feature quantity extraction process (S3), the stroke group search process (S4) is searched for the stroke group where the feature quantity partially matches, and the display process (S5) Since it is displayed, the stroke group that is hit every time the operator inputs a stroke is limited. When the stroke group search process (S4) ends, the process is passed to the display process (S5).

  The above is a general process flow of the stroke group search process (S4). In the following, two examples will be shown in which special processing is added to simplify the operation of the operator.

  In the first example, the feature amount of the currently edited stroke group shown in FIG. 15A completely matches the feature amount of the already stored stroke group shown in FIG. The fact that the two feature quantities completely match each other means that there is a high possibility that the operator has input exactly the same handwritten character. Therefore, a stroke group replacement process (S7) described later is automatically executed without selecting from the stroke selection area A3. .

  In the second example, the feature quantity of the currently edited stroke group shown in (a) of FIG. 15 partially matches the feature quantity of the already stored stroke group shown in (b). This is the case where there is only one 11 page number. The fact that there is only one page number in the hit stroke group memory 11 is highly likely that the handwritten character that the operator intends to input matches the handwritten character in the hit stroke group memory 11, so The replacement process (S7) is automatically executed without selecting from the stroke selection area A3. By adding the above processing, it is possible to save the operator from selecting a desired stroke group from the stroke selection area A3.

  Here, the function of the stroke group search means is executed.

[2-5. Stroke group saving process]
Next, the stroke group storing process (S6) to which the process is passed from the command process (S1) will be described with reference to FIG.

  The stroke group saving process (S6) is a process of writing the final coordinate value memory page to the coordinate value memory end page of the stroke group memory 11 when the operator instructs which stroke is saved as one stroke group. Do. More specifically, first, the last page number of the pages stored in the coordinate value memory 10 is acquired (S61), and the acquired final page number is stored in the coordinate value memory end page of the stroke group memory 11 ( S62). Then, in order to store a new stroke group, the page of the stroke group memory 11 is turned and a new page is generated (S63). At this time, a new page of the coordinate value memory 10 is put in the coordinate value memory start page.

  Here, the function of the stroke group storage means is executed.

[2-6. Stroke group replacement processing]
Next, stroke group replacement processing (S7) to which processing is passed from command processing (S1) will be described with reference to FIG.

  The stroke group replacement process (S7) is a process executed when the operator selects a desired stroke group from the stroke selection area A3 in FIG. 6, and a process of replacing the currently edited stroke group with the selected stroke group. To do. More specifically, the coordinate value memory start page is acquired from the stroke group memory 11 corresponding to the stroke group currently being edited (S71), and the pages after the page of the coordinate value memory 10 corresponding to the acquired coordinate value memory start page. Is deleted (S72). This is because it is necessary to delete strokes that are no longer necessary when the operator selects a previously stored stroke group. Next, the page number of the stroke group memory 11 of the stroke group selected by the operator is acquired (S73). In the example shown in FIG. 15, pages 1, 3, and 6 are hit, and in FIG. 16, stroke groups of pages 1, 3, and 6 are displayed in order from the top. Therefore, the page selected by the operator is easy. You can get it. Next, the acquired operator selection page is referenced from the stroke group memory 11, and all data on the page is copied to the stroke group memory page currently being edited (S74). Further, the operator selection page is stored in the stroke group page of the stroke group memory 11 currently being edited (S75). This is to make it easy to obtain which stroke group memory page has been copied when the page is referred to later.

  Here, an example is shown in FIGS. 19 to 23 show examples displayed on the screen by a display process (S5) described later. As shown in FIG. 19, it is assumed that the operator newly inputs a stroke while the handwritten characters “Akai”, “Aoi”, “Shiroi”, and “Kuroi” are already stored in the stroke group memory 11. When the operator inputs a new horizontal stroke as shown in FIG. 19 in the handwriting input area A1, the stroke group hit in the stroke selection area A3 is displayed as shown in FIG. Here, the function of the selection means is executed. Since the stroke input by the operator in the handwriting input area A1 is a horizontal line (code 46 in the first feature amount extraction method), two of “Akai” and “Aoi” that start writing from the horizontal line in the existing stroke group hit. . When the operator selects “Akai” from FIG. 20, it is clearly indicated that “Akai” has been selected by changing the color of the frame line, and at the same time, as shown in FIG. 21, the new stroke of FIG. 19 is input. The stroke group “Akai” selected by the operator is displayed at the selected position. As a result, the selected existing stroke group is replaced with the currently edited stroke group. Subsequently, when “Aoi” is selected as shown in FIG. 22, “Aoi” is replaced with the currently edited stroke group as shown in FIG. 23 and displayed on the screen. The operator can continuously input a desired stroke in the handwriting input area A1, and can handle it as a group of strokes until the stroke storage area A2 is clicked.

  Here, the function of the stroke group replacing means is executed.

  When the stroke group replacement process (S7) is thus completed, the process is transferred to the display process (S5).

[2-7. Display processing]
Finally, display processing (S5) that receives processing from command processing (S1), stroke group search processing (S4), stroke group storage processing (S6), and stroke group replacement processing (S7) will be described with reference to FIG. The display process (S5) is responsible for displaying the processing results executed in each process on the screen.

  When the process is received from the command process (S1), the coordinate points in the coordinate value buffer 20 are connected by line segments and displayed in the handwriting input area A1 (S51). Thereby, the process in which the operator inputs handwritten characters in the handwriting input area A1 can be expressed.

  When the process is received from the stroke group search process (S4), the stroke group memory page of the search result is referred to, the coordinate points are called from the coordinate value memory start page and the coordinate value memory end page, and the coordinate points are connected by line segments. The image is drawn in the stroke selection area A3 (S52). As a result, the search result can be provided to the operator, and the selection of the operator leads to the stroke group replacement process.

  When the process is received from the stroke group saving process (S6), the display method of the saved group, the stroke group, and the stroke group currently being edited is changed and displayed in the handwriting input area A1 (S53). For example, as shown in FIG. 25, the saved stroke group “Ayan” is displayed with a thick line, and the stroke group “Kakiku” currently being edited is displayed with a thin line. Thereby, it is possible to visually recognize how far the operator has stored the stroke and which stroke is being edited. In FIG. 26, the line segment is distinguished by its thickness, but the stroke size, stroke color, stroke font type, and the like may be used.

  When the process is received from the stroke group replacement process (S7), the coordinate value memory start page and end page are acquired from the currently edited stroke group memory page, the coordinate point is acquired from the corresponding coordinate value memory 10, and the line Minutes are displayed in the handwriting input area A1 (S54). As a result, as shown in FIGS. 21 and 23, the stroke group currently being edited is replaced and can be clearly shown to the operator.

  The above is a general process flow of the display process (S5). When the display process (S5) receives the process from the stroke group search process (S4), the visibility and selectivity of the operator can be improved by adding the following processes.

  As shown in FIG. 26, it is assumed that pages 4 and 7 in the stroke group memory 11 are hit in the search in the stroke group search process (S4). Page 4 is the stroke group “red flowers” and page 7 is “red”. When displayed in the general display process (S5) described above, “red flower” is displayed in the first row and “red” is displayed in the second row. As shown on the right side of FIG. 26, the first row is 7 pages and the second row is 4 pages. In the example shown in FIG. 26, the number of hit stroke groups is as small as two, so the effect is difficult to see. However, when the number of stroke groups hit increases, the stroke group with a small number of strokes is displayed preferentially. Visibility and selectivity are improved. The rearrangement of the display order as described above may be performed in the order of increasing number of strokes, or in a group of strokes having similar feature values (partially matching), in addition to the order of decreasing number of strokes.

  Here, the function of the display means is executed.

  When the above processing is completed in the display processing (S5), the processing is returned to the command processing (S1).

[3. Hardware configuration of character input device]
FIG. 27 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of character input device 100 according to the present embodiment. The character input device 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 51 that is a main part of a computer and controls each part centrally as a hardware configuration. The CPU 51 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) 52 that is a read-only memory storing BIOS and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 53 that stores various data necessary for controlling the character input device 100. Connected with.

  Further, the bus 54 has a hard disk drive (HDD) 55 for storing a character input program for executing handwritten character input processing in the character input device 100, and a CD (mechanism) for reading computer software as a distributed program. A CD-ROM drive 57 that reads a Compact Disc) -ROM 56 and a communication I / F 58 that communicates by connecting to a network are connected via an I / O (not shown).

  Since the RAM 53 has a property of storing various data in a rewritable manner, it functions as a work area for the CPU 51 and functions as a buffer.

  A CD-ROM 56 shown in FIG. 27 implements the storage medium of the present invention, and stores an OS (Operating System) and various programs. The CPU 51 reads the program stored in the CD-ROM 56 with the CD-ROM drive 57 and installs it in the HDD 55.

  As the storage medium, not only the CD-ROM 56 but also various types of media such as semiconductor memory such as various optical disks such as DVD, various magnetic disks such as various magneto-optical disks and flexible disks can be used. Further, the program may be downloaded from a network such as the Internet via the communication I / F 58 and installed in the HDD 55. In this case, the storage device storing the program in the server on the transmission side is also a storage medium of the present invention. Note that the program may operate on a predetermined OS (Operating System), and in that case, the OS may take over the execution of some of the various processes described later, It may be included as a part of a group of program files constituting the application software or OS.

  The CPU 51 that controls the operation of the entire system executes the handwritten character input process as described above based on the character input program loaded on the HDD 55 used as the main memory of the system.

  Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, various modifications or improvements can be added to the above embodiment.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the feature amount of each stroke in which the coordinate value of the handwritten character from the coordinate input device 210 is expressed in units of line segments is stored in units of stroke groups, and thus stored stroke groups. Is compared with a group of strokes related to a newly input coordinate value, and a stroke group having at least a partial match is replaced with a group of strokes corresponding to a newly input coordinate value. The coordinate points of the stroke are connected by line segments and displayed on the display device 210. This allows the operator to recall and reuse strokes drawn in the past, so that the operator does not have to write the same handwritten character over and over, reducing the burden of re-input by the operator. can do. For example, it is possible to reduce the trouble of the operator repeatedly inputting words that frequently appear during a meeting or the like.

It is a whole lineblock diagram showing the handwritten character input system containing the character input device concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process in a character input device roughly. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of command processing roughly. It is explanatory drawing which shows a stroke image. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of a coordinate value buffer. It is explanatory drawing which shows an event generation | occurrence | production area | region. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a coordinate value memory | storage process roughly. It is a schematic diagram which shows the data structure of a coordinate value memory. It is a flowchart which shows roughly the flow of a stroke feature-value extraction process. It is a schematic diagram which shows the data structure of a stroke group memory. It is explanatory drawing which shows the 1st feature-value extraction method example. It is explanatory drawing which shows the feature-value coding example of a stroke. It is explanatory drawing which shows the 2nd feature-value extraction method example. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a stroke group search process roughly. It is explanatory drawing which shows the comparison method of the feature-value of a stroke group. It is explanatory drawing which shows only the stroke selection area | region of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a stroke group preservation | save process roughly. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a stroke group replacement process roughly. It is explanatory drawing which shows a screen display example. It is explanatory drawing which shows a screen display example. It is explanatory drawing which shows a screen display example. It is explanatory drawing which shows a screen display example. It is explanatory drawing which shows a screen display example. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a display process roughly. It is explanatory drawing which shows a screen display example. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a screen display which displayed the stroke group of shorter stroke number preferentially. It is a block diagram which shows a character input device hardware constitutions.

Explanation of symbols

100 Character input device 210 Coordinate input device 220 Display device

Claims (21)

In a coordinate input device capable of outputting coordinate values of handwritten characters drawn by an operator and a character input device connected to a display device,
Stroke feature amount extraction means for extracting the feature amount of each stroke in which the coordinate value of the handwritten character input from the coordinate input device is represented in line segments;
Stroke group storage means for defining the strokes from which feature values have been extracted as a group of strokes as one group;
Stroke feature quantity storage means for storing the feature quantity of each stroke extracted by the stroke feature quantity extraction means in units of the stroke group defined by the stroke group storage means;
A group of strokes relating to a newly input coordinate value is compared with a feature quantity of the stroke group stored by the stroke group storage means, and a stroke group that searches for the stroke group at least partially matching the feature quantity Search means;
Stroke group replacement means for reading out the stroke group whose feature quantity at least partially matches from the stroke feature quantity storage means by the stroke group search means and replacing it with a group of strokes according to newly inputted coordinate values;
Display means for displaying binding beauty coordinate points strokes that was replaced by the stroke group substituted means a line segment, the stroke group to the display device,
Equipped with a,
The stroke group replacement means has a selection means for selecting one stroke group from among the plurality of stroke groups displayed when there are a plurality of stroke groups whose feature amounts at least partially match. The stroke group selected by the selection unit is read from the stroke feature amount storage unit and replaced with a group of strokes applied to the newly input coordinate values.
A character input device characterized by that. The stroke feature quantity extracted by the stroke feature quantity extraction means is to normalize the stroke into a predetermined rectangle, divide the rectangle into nine areas, and the area number and end where the start coordinates of the stroke exist It is encoded with a character string with the area number where the coordinates exist.
The character input device according to claim 1. The stroke feature amount extracted by the stroke feature amount extraction unit is obtained by encoding a mean value of an angle formed by a line segment connecting adjacent coordinate points of the stroke and a predetermined reference line with a character string.
The character input device according to claim 1. The stroke group storing means regards, up to the stroke declared as the last stroke, as one group when the last stroke of the stroke group is declared for the predetermined stroke. ,
The character input device according to claim 1. When the stroke group storage means determines that a line break has been made based on the coordinate value of the handwritten character, the stroke group before the line break is regarded as one group,
The character input device according to claim 1. The stroke group replacement means reads out the stroke group from the stroke feature quantity storage means when there is a stroke group whose feature quantity completely matches, and a group of strokes according to newly inputted coordinate values. Replace with
The character input device according to claim 1 . The selection means is capable of rearranging the display order when displaying a list of the plurality of stroke groups having at least partially matching feature amounts.
The character input device according to claim 5 . The display order is rearranged based on the number of strokes constituting the stroke group.
The character input device according to claim 7 . The display means displays the stroke group defined as one group by the stroke group storage means with each stroke not defined as the stroke group by changing the display format.
The character input device according to claim 1. In the stroke group defined as one group by the stroke group storage means and each stroke not defined as the stroke group, the thickness of the display line segment is changed and displayed.
The character input device according to claim 9 . A program to be executed by a computer connected to a coordinate input device and a display device capable of outputting coordinate values of handwritten characters drawn by an operator,
A stroke feature amount extraction function for extracting a feature amount of each stroke in which the coordinate value of the handwritten character input from the coordinate input device is expressed in units of line segments;
A stroke group storage function for defining each stroke from which the feature amount is extracted as a stroke group as one group;
A stroke feature quantity storage function for storing the feature quantity of each stroke extracted by the stroke feature quantity extraction function in units of the stroke group defined by the stroke group storage function;
A group of strokes for a newly input coordinate value is compared with a feature quantity of the stroke group stored by the stroke group storage function, and a stroke group for searching for the stroke group at least partially matching the feature quantity Search function,
A stroke group replacement function that reads out the stroke group having at least a partial match with the stroke group search function and replaces it with a group of strokes according to a newly input coordinate value;
A display function for connecting the coordinate points of the stroke replaced by the stroke group replacement function with a line segment, and displaying the stroke group on the display device;
And execute
The stroke group replacement function has a selection function for selecting one stroke group from among the plurality of stroke groups displayed when there are a plurality of stroke groups whose feature amounts at least partially match. , Read out the stroke group selected by this selection function, and replace it with a group of strokes according to the newly input coordinate values;
A program characterized by that. The stroke feature quantity extracted by the stroke feature quantity extraction function normalizes the stroke into a predetermined rectangle, divides the rectangle into nine areas, and the area number and end where the start coordinates of the stroke exist It is encoded with a character string with the area number where the coordinates exist.
12. The program according to claim 11, wherein: The stroke feature amount extracted by the stroke feature amount extraction function is obtained by encoding a mean value of an angle formed by a line segment connecting adjacent coordinate points of the stroke and a predetermined reference line with a character string.
12. The program according to claim 11, wherein: The stroke group saving function regards a predetermined stroke as a group up to the stroke declared as the final stroke when the stroke is declared as the final stroke of the stroke group. ,
12. The program according to claim 11, wherein: When the stroke group saving function determines that a line break has been made based on the coordinate value of the handwritten character, the stroke group before the line break is regarded as one group.
12. The program according to claim 11, wherein: The stroke group replacement function reads a group of strokes according to newly inputted coordinate values by reading the stroke group from the stroke feature quantity storage function when there is the stroke group whose feature quantity completely matches. Replace with
12. The program according to claim 11, wherein: The selection function is capable of rearranging the display order when displaying a list of a plurality of stroke groups having at least partially matching feature amounts.
The program according to claim 15, wherein: The display order is rearranged based on the number of strokes constituting the stroke group.
The program according to claim 17, wherein: For the stroke group defined as one group by the stroke group storage function, the display function displays the strokes that are not defined as the stroke group by changing the display format.
12. The program according to claim 11, wherein: In the stroke group defined as one group by the stroke group storage function and each stroke not defined as the stroke group, the thickness of the display line is changed and displayed.
The program according to claim 19 . A stroke feature amount extraction step for extracting a feature amount of each stroke in which the coordinate value of the handwritten character input from the coordinate input device is expressed in units of line segments;
A stroke group storing step for defining each stroke from which the feature amount is extracted as a stroke group as one group;
A stroke feature amount storage step of storing the feature amount of each stroke extracted by the stroke feature amount extraction step in units of the stroke group defined by the stroke group storage step;
A group of strokes related to a newly input coordinate value is compared with a feature quantity of the stroke group stored in the stroke group storage step, and a stroke group that searches for the stroke group at least partially matching the feature quantity Search process;
A stroke group replacement step of reading out the stroke group having at least a partial match in the feature amount by the stroke group search step and replacing the stroke group with a newly input coordinate value;
A display step of connecting the coordinate points of the stroke replaced by the stroke group replacement step with a line segment and displaying the stroke group on a display device;
Including
The stroke group replacement step has a selection function for selecting one stroke group from among the plurality of stroke groups displayed when there are a plurality of stroke groups whose feature amounts at least partially match. , Read out the stroke group selected by this selection function, and replace it with a group of strokes according to the newly input coordinate values;
Character input method characterized by this.

Images