JP2001357355A - Device and method for input of handwritten character and recording medium with program for execution of the method recorded therein - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To settle a problem where the characters must be handwritten one by one into every character frame and thereby the natural input of characters is hindered although high accuracy character recognition can be expected about a handwritten character recognizer that has the input frames for each character while the natural input of characters is possible because no restraining character frame exist although it is hard to decide the separation of each character, which lowers the accuracy of character recognition about a handwritten character recognizer that has to input frames for each character. SOLUTION: On the basis of a fact that the character recognition rate is improved as long as the sizes of characters to be inputted are previously known even with a handwritten character recognizer that has no input frames of each character, the frames showing the sizes of handwritten characters to be inputted are dynamically displayed at each prescribed position on an input screen and then handwritten characters are inputted. This, it is possible to reduce the difference of sizes of characters to be inputted and thereby the character recognition rate is improved without preventing the natural input of handwritten characters.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a handwritten character input device without a character input frame for each character and a recording medium on which a computer program for realizing the device is recorded.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, a handwritten character input device has a
Handwriting input is performed using a pen on a transparent tablet that can be displayed, and handwriting input is performed using a pointing device such as a mouse on a display of a personal computer.

[0003] Conventional handwritten character input devices are roughly classified into those having a character input frame for each character and those having no character input frame for each character.

First, in the former, a character input frame for each character is displayed in advance in a character input area. For this reason, the character input position and the size of the character to be input are fixed, and it is necessary to input the character by separating each character, so that there is a disadvantage that handwriting input becomes quite unnatural. However, instead, the handwritten characters are separated for each character, so that character data for each character is clear, and the character recognition rate is high.

[0005] Next, in the latter, since there is no character input frame for each character on the input screen, the character input position and the size of the character to be input are free, and there is no need to input characters by separating each character. Therefore, there is an advantage that natural handwriting input is possible. However, instead, one handwritten character
Since the character data is not divided for each character, it is unclear to which character the character data of each character belongs, and there is a demerit that the character recognition rate is lower than the former.

In order to solve the former disadvantage, when a handwritten character extends beyond a character input frame, a method of automatically enlarging only the character input frame of the character (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-288538)
Also, a method of changing the character input frame according to the input character size (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-185679) has been proposed, but in any case, the degree of freedom of the input character size is slightly improved. Neither can it be input at a proper position, nor can it achieve natural handwritten character input without being bound by the character input frame.

Next, in order to solve the latter disadvantage, a simple method of clarifying the delimiter of each character and not lowering the character recognition rate is to input the characters at a sufficient interval. There is a method, but this is not a natural handwriting input. In addition, there is a method of estimating the input character size in order to increase the character recognition rate, but at the time of the first character recognition, it is not possible to estimate the character size yet, or if the estimated character size is incorrect Has a risk of lowering the character recognition rate thereafter.

As a method intermediate between the two, a method of displaying a character frame in accordance with the coordinates of a starting point at which character input is started, instead of displaying a character frame in advance (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-237321)
However, since the character frame is not displayed unless you start inputting characters, you do not know how large a character should be before inputting. In some cases, it starts from the left, sometimes it starts from the left side, and sometimes it starts from the middle.It is difficult to display the correct character frame, and at the same time, the character frame is displayed at the character input position. Is strongly influenced by the character frame when inputting characters, which hinders natural handwritten character input.

[0009]

As described above, according to the conventional method, in a handwriting input device having a character input frame for each character, it is impossible to realize a natural input that is not divided for each character at an arbitrary position. There was a problem that it was difficult to achieve natural character input without significantly lowering the character recognition rate even in a handwriting device without a character input frame for each character.

[0010] As the performance and size of computers have been reduced and the price has been reduced as in today, the number of people who have never used computers until now has many opportunities to create sentences using computers. There has been an increasing demand for inputting characters using a simpler and more natural input method.

[0011] Therefore, anyone can easily input, and natural characters can be input, and the character recognition rate is not inferior to that of a handwritten character input device having a character input frame for each character. There is a need for a handwritten character input device.

According to the present invention, even if there is no character input box for each character, in order to achieve a character recognition rate close to the case where there is a character input box for each character, Mr. Fukushima and Mr. Nakagawa of Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology have a The research "Online Handwritten Character String Recognition Based on Probabilistic Model" (IEICE Technical Report PRMU98-139, December 1999) revealed, "In frameless character recognition, what size should a scribe write? If you know whether or not, the recognition accuracy will be improved. "

When the input character size is known accurately,
In addition to improving the character recognition rate by improving the accuracy of determining the delimitation of each character, "Aiotsuya Yuyo" and "ぁIt is possible to greatly improve the character recognition rate of "Poppo", "Aiotsuyayuyo" and "Ajyayo", and "." And ",".

According to the present invention, in a handwritten character input device having no character input frame for each character, when inputting handwritten characters, size information such as a standard character size and a character shape to be input to a writer is input. By displaying at a predetermined position on the screen, even in a handwritten character recognition device having no character input frame for each character, a character corresponding to the size information can be input to the writer without impairing natural character input. And to improve the character recognition rate.

[0015]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Briefly stated, according to the present invention, in a handwritten character input device having no character input box for each character, when inputting handwritten characters, size information indicating a character size to be input is input. By displaying characters in a predetermined position on the character input screen that does not interfere with character input, it is possible to input characters with a fairly uniform character size by handwriting without impairing natural character input. Rate can be increased.

That is, the handwritten character input device without a character input box for each character according to the present invention displays size information on the size of a handwritten character to be input at a predetermined position on a character input screen. And a size information display unit.

With this configuration, even in a handwritten character input device having no character input frame for each character, the size of the character to be input can be determined by referring to the displayed size information without disturbing natural handwritten character input. Can be input in a substantially unified manner, and the character recognition rate can be improved.

A handwritten character input device without a character input frame for each character according to the present invention includes a character input unit for inputting handwritten characters, and a character data storage unit for storing character data of the input characters. A size information storage unit that stores size information relating to the size of a previously set handwritten character to be input; a size information display unit that displays the size information at a predetermined position on a character input screen; And a character output unit that outputs the recognized character.

With this configuration, even in a handwritten character input device having no character input frame for each character, the size of the character to be input can be determined while referring to the displayed size information without hindering natural handwritten character input. Can be input in a substantially unified manner, and the character recognition rate can be improved.

Further, in the handwritten character input device without a character input frame for each character according to the present invention, the size information display section dynamically displays size information according to a character input position. .

With this configuration, even if the character input position changes, the size information is always displayed at a position that is easy for the writer to view. The rate can be improved.

Further, the handwritten character input device having no character input frame for each character according to the present invention is further characterized by further comprising a size information changing unit capable of changing the size information.

With this configuration, when inputting by handwriting,
The size information can be changed to the size information desired by the user, the character size of the input handwritten character can be changed arbitrarily, and the character recognition rate does not decrease.

A computer-readable recording medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute a step of inputting and recognizing handwritten characters without using a character input box for each character according to the present invention is set in advance. A program for causing a computer to execute, including a step of displaying size information on the size of the input handwritten character at a predetermined position on the character input screen, is recorded.

With the program having such a configuration, even in a handwritten character input device having no character input frame for each character, it is possible to input characters in a fairly uniform size without disturbing natural handwritten character input. Thus, a handwritten character input device capable of improving the character recognition rate can be realized.

[0026]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS (Embodiment 1) A configuration diagram and processing flow of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

In this embodiment, it is assumed that a transparent tablet is used as an input / output device, a handwriting input device without an input frame for each character, and handwriting input is performed with a pen. The size information to be displayed is displayed at a predetermined fixed position on the screen.

In this embodiment, a transparent tablet is used. However, instead of using the transparent tablet, handwriting input may be performed on a display device of an ordinary personal computer using a pointing device such as a mouse, or other handwriting input device may be used. Good. In the transparent tablet, an input screen and a display screen are integrated, and when a handwritten character is directly written on the screen using a pen, the written character is displayed as it is.

First, the character input screen display section 1 displays a screen for character input on the screen of the transparent tablet 6 (step S1). FIG. 3 shows an example of the screen of the transparent tablet 6. On the screen, items necessary for character input / conversion, such as the character input area 11, the conversion button 8, and the end button 9, are displayed.

Next, the size information display unit 2 reads out size information indicating the size of the input handwritten character stored in the size information storage unit 2-1 in advance, and displays it at a predetermined position on the screen ( Step S2).

The size information can be represented by specific numbers, such as vertical and horizontal mm or horizontal and vertical dots, and horizontal dots, in order to indicate the size of the character to be input. Since the size of the characters to be entered depends on the personal sensation of the scribe, the size of the characters to be entered tends to vary depending on the individual. Is preferred. As for the rectangle to be displayed, only the frame may be displayed, or the rectangle may be displayed by changing its color or shading. In addition, a circle or an ellipse other than a square may be displayed, and the shape used for the display is not particularly limited. In addition to the figures, display using ruled lines is also possible. Something may already be displayed in the area where the size information is displayed, so display the size information with a thin dotted line when displaying with a frame, or color or shading when displaying with color or shading. Is preferably thin,
In the case of the ruled line display, the shape is not limited to the shape like 10b in FIG. 3 and may be any shape as long as the character width is known. Since the accuracy of the input character size is slightly inaccurate because it is not known, it is more preferable to display the size in a square or a circle.

The size information 10 may be displayed at a predetermined position on the character input area 11 on the screen, or may be displayed on the screen other than the character input area 11 side by side with the conversion button 8 and the end button 9. You may. The size information 10a shown in FIG. 3 is an example in which a rectangular frame is fixedly displayed on the screen other than the character input area, and the size information 10b is located at a predetermined position from the position of the character being input in the character input area 11. This is an example in which ruled lines are displayed, and size information 10c is an example in which a circular frame is fixedly displayed at the lower left of the character input area 11, and size information 1c is displayed.
0d is an example in which a light-colored rectangle is fixedly displayed at the lower left of the character input area, and any one of them may be displayed. In this example of the ruled line display, an area for two characters to be input from two characters before the input character is displayed with a break for each character, but the shape of the ruled line, the display method, the display position, and the like are displayed. The number of display characters is not particularly limited to this.

When the character input is vertical writing and size information is to be displayed in the character input area 11, it may be displayed at the upper left or lower left. When the character input is horizontal writing and size information is displayed in the character input area 11, it may be displayed at the lower left or lower right. In addition, the right hand and the left hand are different in the position of the hand when inputting characters depending on the dominant hand of the scribe. Therefore, the dominant hand and the vertical / horizontal writing are registered in the size information storage unit 2-1. It is preferable to display the size information at a position where the size information is not hidden by hand. The position where the size information is displayed is not particularly limited to this.

In order to display the size information from the beginning,
It is necessary to register size information in advance. Of course, a default value of the size information may be provided. When the user registers / changes the size information, a size information changing unit may be provided. FIG. 4A shows an example of a size information setting change screen. To change the display / setting of the size information setting change screen, use the size information change unit (not shown).
Perform in. A setting change button or the like may be provided to display a size information setting change screen.

The display position on the size information setting change screen is as follows.
It indicates where to display on the screen, and the upper right, lower right, upper left, lower left, upper right, upper left, etc. of the character input area can be selected. The input character size is such that the size of the handwritten character to be input is input in the vertical and horizontal sizes. The display shape is a square with a frame, a square with a color,
You can select a circle with a frame, a circle with a color, a ruled line, etc. A sample of size information actually displayed is displayed in the display sample column according to the vertical and horizontal sizes and display shapes of the characters input in the input character size column.

If it is desired to change the input character size during text input, this screen must be input every time. However, since the input operation is troublesome, a square representing size information as shown in FIG. May be provided with a slide bar, and the character size can be changed by dragging the slide bar with a pen. Dragging the buttons in the slide bar with the pen and moving it to the right will reduce the character size frame, and moving it to the left will increase the frame. At this time, the vertical and horizontal lengths increase at the same ratio. If the slide bar is attached to the lower part and the right part as shown in FIG. 4C, the vertical and horizontal character sizes can be changed separately.

If the size of the size information is a quadrangle, FIG.
The size of the character can be changed by using the slide bar as shown in (b) and (c), but the slide bar is difficult to use if the size information is of other shapes. Here are some other methods:

When the product is shipped, default display positions, character sizes, display shapes, etc. of the size information are set.
If it is desired to change the size information at the time of character input, the figure or ruled line of the size information is pressed with a pen for a predetermined time to enter a size information change mode, and the size information is blinked, for example. In the change mode, the display position can be changed by specifying the size information with a pen and performing a drag operation. To change the input character size of the size information, one point on the circle for a circle, one point on the upper left corner for a square, and one of the vertical lines for character delimitation for a ruled line In the case of a circular shape, change the radius of the circle by dragging a point with a pen, and in the case of a square, drag it to the left or right to lengthen or shorten it horizontally. , Operate up and down to lengthen or shorten vertically, operate diagonally to increase or decrease the length and width simultaneously, and for ruled lines, specify the vertical line If the user drags the character, the length of one character is made longer or shorter. To change the display shape, if the size change point is kept depressed for a predetermined time or more, the shape changes in order, and when the pen is released when the predetermined cover shape appears, the display shape at that time becomes the standard size. When the size information is changed, the advanced size information becomes a default, is stored in the size information storage unit 2-1, and thereafter, the changed size information is displayed. In order to change the size information, the size information changing unit monitors the position where the size information is displayed, the coordinates input from the pen, and the pressing time. Make changes. The method of changing the size information setting given here is
This is an example, and the present invention is not limited to this.

After setting the size information of the handwritten characters,
The writer refers to the size information displayed on the screen and writes characters by hand through the character input unit 3 while being conscious of the character size to be input. The input character data is displayed at the input position, and Each time a stroke is input, it is stored in the character data storage unit 3-1 (step S3).

A stroke corresponds to data of one handwritten character. The input is performed by moving the pen 7 in contact with the input screen of the transparent tablet 6, and the stroke is a time-series coordinate point sequence obtained by sampling the coordinate values of the input data at regular time intervals. Although the coordinate values are not continuous, when they are displayed, they are displayed as continuous handwriting by displaying a series of coordinate points constituting the stroke information connected by line segments.

When the size information is displayed, it is next determined whether or not it is a predetermined timing at which character recognition should be performed. If character recognition is not performed (step S4: NO), the process returns to step S3 to return to the next character data. Enter When performing character recognition (step S4: YES), the character recognition unit 4
Reads character data from the character data storage unit 3-1 and performs character recognition (step S5). Usually, the predetermined timing is after the input of the last stroke is completed.
Generally, character recognition is performed automatically after a predetermined time has elapsed, or character conversion is performed by pressing a conversion button, but the present invention is not particularly limited to this. The character recognition method is not particularly limited here as long as handwritten characters can be recognized. When character data of handwritten input characters is represented only by a sequence of coordinate points, offline processing is generally performed, and when character data is represented by a time-series coordinate point sequence, online processing or hybrid processing combining offline processing and online processing is generally performed. It is a target.

When performing character recognition, the horizontal size of the character size registered in the size information is about half of the vertical size.
If it is doubled, it can be converted to half-width characters, and if the horizontal size is about twice the vertical size, it can be converted to double-width characters.

When the character recognition is completed, the character output unit 5 deletes the handwritten characters displayed in the character input area and displays the characters recognized by the character recognition unit 4 on the screen (step S6). At this time, the code of the recognized character may be passed to another program or the like. The contents of the character data storage unit 3-1 storing the input character data are cleared after the character conversion is completed.

When character input is not completed (step S
7: NO) returns to step S3. When the character input is terminated (step S6: YES), the display of the size information is erased by pressing an end button or the like, and the processing is terminated.

With such a configuration, even in a handwritten character input device having no character input frame for each character, it is possible to input characters in a fairly uniform size without obstructing natural handwritten character input. Thus, the character recognition rate can be considerably improved.

(Second Embodiment) In the first embodiment, size information is displayed at a predetermined position. However, in the present embodiment, an example in which size information is dynamically displayed will be described with reference to FIG. This will be described with reference to a flowchart. Since the same parts as those in the first embodiment have the same functions, the same numbers are added and the description will be omitted.

First, a character input screen is displayed by the character input screen unit 1 (step S10), as in the first embodiment. Next, in a state where characters have not been input yet, since it is not known where to start writing characters, first, the size information display unit 2 first stores the size information in the size information storage unit 2-
The size information is displayed at a predetermined position set to 1 (step S11). When the preparation for inputting the handwritten characters is completed, the writer refers to the size information displayed on the screen and inputs the characters by handwriting through the character input unit 3 while being conscious of the size and shape of the characters to be input. The input character data is stored in the character data storage unit 3-1 each time one stroke is input (step S12). The display of the input data is performed simultaneously with the input.

When dynamically displaying size information at a position where it is easy to see, there are problems in which position to display and when to change the display position.

First, regarding the display position of the size information, it is preferable that the display position of the size information is displayed near the position of the pen for handwriting input and at a position where it is not obstructed by a hand or a pen. . However, if displayed at the position where the character is to be input, the character input is strongly affected by the frame indicating the size information, etc.
This is the same as when there is a character input frame, which hinders natural handwriting input, which is not preferable.

Since the position where the character is input moves as the handwritten character is input, the display position of the size information should be shifted as the character is input in order to display the display position of the size information at an appropriate position which is easy for the scribe to see. There is a need. In order to determine the display position, a certain reference point may be determined from the position of the character being input, and predetermined relative coordinates for displaying an image of size information may be provided from the reference point. If the reference point is shifted as characters are input, the display position of the size information is naturally determined.

The character input area 11 has Euclidean coordinates with the origin at the lower left corner, the X axis horizontally and the Y axis vertically. Among the coordinate values of the stroke information of the character data that have not been converted, the Y value having the highest value, the Y value having the lowest value, the X value having the highest value, and the X value having the lowest value are respectively represented by Ym.
ax, Ymin, Xmax, Xmin, X axis
A circumscribed frame having a side parallel to the Y axis is (Xmin, Yma
x), (Xmin, Ymin), (Xmax, Ymi)
n) and (Xmax, Ymax). In addition, the size of the input handwritten character set in the size information is defined as horizontal Sx and vertical Sy. Sx = Sy unless a character having a different length / width ratio such as a half-width character or a double-width character is input.

For example, as shown in FIG. 7 (a), when the size information is displayed as a rectangle in horizontal writing, the coordinates (Xm
ax, Ymax) and the relative coordinates up to the coordinates of the lower left corner of the rectangle in the size information are (dx, dy), the absolute coordinates of the lower left corner of the rectangle in the size information are (Xmax + d)
x, Ymax + dy). Relative coordinates (dx, dy)
Is calculated using the character sizes Sx and Sy (a × Sx, b ×
Sy). a and b are coefficients indicating how many characters are shifted in the x and y directions from the reference point. For example, 1 of the character size Sx in which the relative position from the reference point is set
If the lower left corner of the rectangular frame representing the size information is displayed to the right of the character and 0.5 characters above Sy so that the lower left corner of the rectangle of the size information is (Xm
ax + 1 × Sx, Ymax + 0.5 × Sy).

As shown in FIG. 7B, when the size information is displayed in a circle or an ellipse, the relative position from the reference point is the center of the circle or the ellipse, and the relative position from the reference point is 1 point. It should be displayed to the right by 0.5 × Sx and above by 1 × Sy. In this case, the absolute coordinates of the center of the ellipse of the size information are (Xmax + 1.5 × Sx, Ymax + 1
× Sy). This is based on the relative position of a circle or an ellipse, so that the relative position is (0.5 × S
(x, 0.5 × Sy), so that it is substantially the same as (Xmax + 1 × Sx, Ymax + 0.5 × Sy) in the case of a square.

As shown in FIG. 7C, when the size information is displayed as a ruled line, it is desirable to display the size information below the character to be input. It is displayed 0.5 characters below the lower right corner. In the case of vertical writing, it is preferable to display the size information on the left side. In the size information 10b of FIG.
Although a character line and a ruled line for two characters to be input are displayed, the number of characters to be displayed is arbitrary. in this case,
The start position of the ruled line is (Xmax−2 × Sx, Ymin−
0.5 × Sy), and the end position of the ruled line is (Xmax + 2 ×
Sx, Ymin-0.5 * Sy). Also, the ruled line may be displayed above the character instead of below the character.

In any case of the square, the circle, the ellipse, and the ruled line, how to perform the relative position is not limited to the above value, and the values of the coefficients a and b may be arbitrarily set.
When specifying the relative position on the size information setting change screen,
The input of the display position of the size information setting change screen in FIG. 4A may be changed so that the relative position is input. If it is desired to change the size information at the time of character input, similarly to the first embodiment, by pressing a figure or ruled line of the size information with a pen for a predetermined time, the mode is changed to a size information change mode, and the size information is blinked, for example, It is preferable that the display position can be changed by specifying the size information with a pen and performing a drag operation. In this case, the relative position is obtained from the reference point of the circumscribed frame of the handwritten character input immediately before and the position of the moved size information.

The above method is an example of a method for determining the display position of the size information when the handwritten character is input. However, when the handwritten character has not been input yet,
In the above method, the position at which the size information is displayed cannot be determined. In this case, the position to be displayed first is set in advance.

Further, when characters are input, for example, when the size information is displayed diagonally to the upper right, depending on the position, the position where the size information should be displayed may extend beyond the area where the size information can be displayed. For example, when the size information is displayed diagonally to the upper right, if a character is input to the right end, the size information cannot be displayed. Therefore, the size information may be displayed directly above. The same applies to the case where the size information is displayed at the upper left, at the lower right, at the lower left, or the like. Also, when characters are input at the top or bottom of the character input area, size information may not be displayed in some cases, but it also displays the position where the size information is displayed from the position where the character is input It is good to automatically change to the position where you can. The method for obtaining the display position of the size information described above is only an example, and there is no particular limitation as long as the position for displaying the size information is obtained based on some reference.

Next, the problem of when to dynamically display size information will be described. Although the display position of the size information is dynamically displayed according to the input position of the character, it is possible to move the display position of the size information every time the coordinates of the pen for inputting the character are input one by one But it's rather hard to see. The timing for changing the display of other size information is changed each time one stroke is input, changed each time a character is recognized, changed every time the input position of one character of the character size set in the size information is moved, or the like. Can be considered.

First, the display position of the size information is changed every time one stroke is input. If the display position of the size information is changed every time one stroke is input, which stroke in one character is input is determined. Therefore, the position of the circumscribed frame 12 of the input handwritten character fluctuates considerably. This is particularly noticeable when the first character is input. Therefore, when this method is adopted, it is preferable that the display of the size information is not moved for the first character or so. In this case, there is a problem in what to do with the first display position of the size information.

For the first display position of the size information, the first display position is set in advance, and a method of displaying the position at that position is described. When the first coordinate point of the first stroke is input, the coordinate point is displayed. A method of determining a display position as a reference point can be considered. In the case of the former method, since the position where the character is input first is unknown, the position where the character is input may be separated from the position where the size information is displayed.
Since there is a high possibility that the text is input from the upper left for horizontal writing and the upper right for vertical writing, it seems that there is not much problem if the display position is set to vertical writing or horizontal writing. In the latter method, when the first coordinate point of the first stroke is input and the display position is determined by using the coordinate point as a reference point, the character size to be input is There is a possibility that a character having a size considerably different from the standard character size is input. Therefore, combining these two methods may be considered. That is,
Initially, size information may be displayed at a preset display position, and when the first coordinate point of the first stroke is input, the display position may be changed using the coordinate point as a reference point.

Originally, in order to always display the size information at an appropriate position, it is desirable to change the display position every time one character is input. However, in the case of a handwritten character input device without a character input frame for each character, If character recognition is not performed, it is difficult to determine the input delimiter for each character. Therefore, it is conceivable to change the display position of size information in units of performing character recognition. In this method, if character recognition is performed each time one character is input, the display position of size information can be determined accurately.
However, if a plurality of characters are input by handwriting at the same time, the display position of the size information does not move during that time, so that there is a problem that it is not suitable for inputting a long character string at a time.
Although it is most preferable to perform character recognition for each character from the viewpoint of displaying size information at an appropriate position, from the viewpoint of realizing natural input of handwritten characters, character recognition is performed for each character. When recognition is performed, it is necessary to wait for character recognition every time one character is input, which hinders natural input of handwritten characters. In the case of this method, the timing of changing the display position of the size information is the same not only when the character is recognized but also when the recognized character is displayed on the screen.

Next, a method of changing the display position of the size information every time the input position for one character of the character size set in the size information is moved. In the present invention, the standard character size is set in advance. Therefore, if the position of the input character moves by a predetermined amount or more than the standard character size, it is determined that the operation has shifted to the input of the next character, and the size information display position is dynamically shifted. Whether the input stroke is shifted by one character is determined from the coordinate position of the stroke for the input stroke that has not been converted.
The circumscribed frame 12 of the handwritten character is obtained, and in the case of horizontal writing, it is determined whether or not the horizontal length (the vertical length in the case of vertical writing) increases by one character. Is shifted one character at a time. When this method is used, the display position of the size information may be slightly shifted as the number of characters to be input by handwriting increases at one time. This method is considered to be the most appropriate method for determining the position where the size information is displayed, since even if the position where the size information is displayed is slightly shifted, there is no problem in inputting characters. .

Although an example of a method of dynamically changing the display position of size information has been described, the present invention is not limited to the above method, and another method may be used.

When the size information display position is changed every time one stroke is input, every time one stroke is input,
The size information display dynamic change unit 13 calculates a new character display position, deletes the currently displayed size information, and displays the new size information again (step S13).

When the size information display position is changed each time the input position is moved by one character or more set in the size information, the size information display dynamic change unit 13 sets the input character in the size information display dynamic change unit 13 every time one stroke is input. Subtract the X value of the leftmost coordinate from the X value of the rightmost coordinate in the data, calculate how many characters are shifted, calculate a new display position each time the deviation increases by one character, and display Is erased and the size information is displayed at a new display position (step S1).
3). In the case of vertical writing, the Y value of the lowest coordinate is subtracted from the Y value of the highest coordinate in the input character data to calculate how many characters are shifted.

Next, it is determined whether or not to perform character recognition (step S14). Specifically, the user instructs the start of character recognition by pressing a conversion button, or stopping pen input for a predetermined time or more. If character recognition is not performed (step S14: NO), the process returns to step S12 to input the next character data. When character recognition is performed (step S
14: YES), the character recognition unit 4 performs character recognition on the input character data (step S15).

To change the size information display position each time a character is recognized, at this point, the size information display dynamic change unit 1
In step 3, a new character display position is calculated, the size information being displayed is erased, and the new size information is displayed again (step S13).

Next, the recognized character is displayed on the screen (step S16). If the size information display position is to be changed each time a character is displayed, the size information display dynamic change unit 13 calculates a new character display position at this point, deletes the displayed size information, and displays the new size information. The process is repeated (step S13).

Finally, it is determined whether or not the character input has been completed (step S17). If the character input has not been completed (step S17: NO), the process returns to step S12 to continue inputting character data. If the character input has ended (step S17: NO), an end process is performed.

With this configuration, it is possible to always display the size information in a position that is easy for the writer to see, and to input the size of characters to be input in a fairly uniform manner. Character input without a character input frame for each character Also in the device, the character recognition rate can be improved.

(Third Embodiment) In the first embodiment, as a method of changing size information, a size information setting change screen is used, and a square, a circle, an ellipse, or the like representing size information is directly operated manually. The method of changing the size information has been described. In the present embodiment, a method of automatically changing the size information will be described. The configuration diagram is obtained by adding a size information automatic change unit to the character recognition unit 4 of FIG. 1 that is the configuration diagram of the first embodiment and FIG. 5 that is the configuration diagram of the second embodiment. Here, it is not particularly shown.

The processes other than the size information automatic changing unit added by the character recognizing unit are the same as those in the first or second embodiment, so that the description is omitted.

In a handwritten character input device having no character input frame for each character, the size information of the input character cannot be obtained before the character is recognized. And automatically change the size information. The information used when automatically converting the size information is the size of the circumscribed frame of the character at the time of handwriting input and the number of characters at the time of character recognition. In the case of horizontal writing, the horizontal size per character can be obtained by dividing Xmax-Xmin of the circumscribed frame of the input character at the time of character recognition by the number of recognized characters. The vertical size per character is Ymax-Ymin of the circumscribed frame of the input character when performing character recognition.
In the case of vertical writing, the vertical size per character is obtained by dividing Ymax-Ymin of the circumscribed frame of the input character at the time of character recognition by the number of recognized characters. The horizontal size per character is Xm of the circumscribed frame of the input character when performing character recognition.
ax-Xmin. This calculation is performed by the size information automatic changing unit in the character recognition unit 4 at the time of character recognition. The character size obtained in this way includes the distance between characters, but the number of characters does not match the number between characters. For example, when four characters are input, there are three characters, so if the number is simply divided by the number of characters, three characters are included, so that the character size is slightly increased. In order to avoid this, it is better to divide by the number considering the distance between characters, instead of simply dividing by the number of characters. For example, in the case of four-character input, if the ratio between the size per character and the distance between characters is 1: 0.2, four characters are four characters and the number of characters is three, so that 1 × 4 + 0.2 ×
Since 3 = 4.6, Xmax-Xmin may be divided by 4.6. Here, the ratio between the size per character and the distance between characters is 1: 0.2, but the ratio is not limited to this.

In this way, every time a character is recognized, the character size is determined and stored in the size information storage unit 2-1 as size information. This makes it possible to automatically correct the character size of the size information.

In this method, it is good that the character size can be automatically corrected, but it cannot always be corrected to an appropriate character size. This is because the size of a character that is input by handwriting by a person is not always a fixed size even though the size information is displayed. That is, as shown in FIG. 7D, there is a possibility that an extremely large character may be input for only some of the characters. Therefore, in order to properly change the font size in this way, if abnormally sized characters are entered,
It is necessary to determine the standard character size by removing the characters in this part. When extremely small characters are input, there is no problem because this method does not affect the circumscribed frame.

As another method, a method of obtaining a circumscribed frame in units of one character and obtaining an average character size per character can be considered.

First, when character recognition is performed, stroke information is divided for each character. As shown in FIG. 7E, a circumscribed frame for each character is obtained from the stroke information for each character. . For all characters that have undergone character recognition,
The vertical and horizontal sizes of the circumscribed frame for each character are determined, and the average character size is determined. Next, the average character size is compared with the character size of each character. If there is a character that is a predetermined multiple of the average character size or more, the character is excluded and the average character size is calculated again. And stored in the size information storage unit 2-1. In the case of the example of FIG.
The character size is obtained by excluding the characters of "On". Thereby, the character input of the abnormal size can be ignored, and the character size of the size information can be automatically and appropriately corrected.

Other methods of ignoring characters of an abnormal size include a method of detecting a character of an abnormal size based on the average character size of the character recognized immediately before and a method of averaging all characters already input. There are several methods to detect abnormally sized characters based on the size.However, any method that can detect and remove abnormally sized characters and obtain a standard character size can be used. It may be a method. The criteria for determining whether a character has an abnormal size is not particularly limited.

With this configuration, the appropriate size information is automatically displayed in accordance with the input character, and at the same time, even if it is desired to input a character having a character size different from the size information, once the character is recognized, Size information according to the size is automatically calculated and displayed. In addition, even if the scriber partially inputs characters whose size is significantly different from the size of the size information, it is possible to display the size information of the standard character size ignoring abnormal size characters. Become.

(Embodiment 4) Next, a recording medium in which a program for realizing a handwritten character profiling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is described, as in the example of the recording medium shown in FIG.
Not only a portable recording medium 14 such as a D-ROM 14-1 or a floppy (registered trademark) disk 14-2, but also another storage device 15 stored at the end of a communication line, or a recording medium such as a hard disk or a RAM of a computer 16 may be used, and when using the data display device according to the present invention,
It is read by the computer 17 and executed on the main memory.

By loading a program from the recording medium to a computer, it is possible to input characters with a fairly uniform size without obstructing natural handwritten character input, thereby improving the character recognition rate. It is possible to realize a handwritten character input device without a character input frame for each character.

[0082]

According to the handwritten character input device of the present invention,
Even in a handwritten character input device without a character input frame for each character, the size of characters to be input can be considerably unified without disturbing natural handwritten character input, thereby improving the character recognition rate. It becomes possible.

Further, according to the handwritten character input device of the present invention, the size information is always displayed at a position that is easy for the writer to see, so that the size of characters to be input can be input in a fairly uniform manner. The rate can be improved.

Further, according to the handwritten character input device of the present invention, if the size information is changed to the size information desired by the user when inputting by handwriting, the character size of the handwritten character to be input can be changed. The character recognition rate does not decrease.

Further, according to the handwritten character input device of the present invention, appropriate size information is automatically displayed in accordance with the input character, and at the same time, it is possible to input a character having a character size different from the size information. , Once character recognition,
The size information according to the input character size is automatically calculated and displayed. Also, even if the writer enters some characters whose size is significantly different from the size of the size information,
It is possible to display size information of a standard character size ignoring characters of an abnormal size.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 3 Example of screen of transparent tablet

FIG. 4 shows an example of changing the size information setting.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a processing flow according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a display example of size information and an example of obtaining a character size.

FIG. 8 is an exemplary diagram of a storage medium.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Character input screen display section 2 Size information display section 2-1 Size information storage section 3 Character input section 3-1 Character data storage section 4 Character recognition section 5 Character output section 6 Transparent tablet 7 Pen 8 Conversion button 9 End button 10 Size Information 10a Size information (rectangle with frame) 10b Size information (ruled line) 10c Size information (circle with frame) 10d Size information (rectangle with color) 11 Character input area 12 Bounding frame 13 Size information display dynamic change unit 14 CD-ROM or Portable storage medium such as floppy disk 14-1 CD-ROM 14-2 Floppy disk 15 Other storage device stored at the end of communication line 16 Storage medium such as RAM / hard disk on computer 17 Computer

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 5B009 KA01 LA01 MA11 NA00 NA02 NA11 QB04 5B064 AB04 AB18 BA05 5B068 AA05 AA11 AA22 BD17 BE12 CC06 CC13 CC19 5E501 AA30 BA20 CA03 CB06 EA02 FA14 FA42

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A handwritten character input device having no character input frame for each character, wherein size information relating to the size of a handwritten character to be input is displayed at a predetermined position on a character input screen. Handwritten character input device. 2. The handwritten character input device according to claim 1, wherein a character input screen display section for displaying a character input screen, a character input section for inputting a handwritten character, and storing character data of the input character. A character data storage unit, a size information storage unit for storing size information relating to a predetermined size of a handwritten character to be input, and a size information display unit for displaying the size information at a predetermined position on a character input screen. A character recognition unit that performs character recognition based on the character data; and a character output unit that outputs a recognized character. 3. The handwritten character input device according to claim 1, wherein the size information display section dynamically displays size information according to a character input position. . 4. The handwritten character input device according to claim 1, further comprising a size information change unit that can change the size information. . 5. A computer-readable recording medium in which a program for causing a computer to execute a step of inputting and recognizing handwritten characters without using a character input box for each character is recorded, wherein a predetermined input is provided. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute size information on the size of a handwritten character to be displayed at a predetermined position on a character input screen.