JP2002082764A - Data input system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a data input system which can easily electronize writing information and is small in size. SOLUTION: This data input system which converts a written visual image 102 into electronic data is equipped with a recording medium 101 where an invisible grating pattern 103 having specific optical characteristics is formed and a writing device 105 which specifies the direction and quantity of the movement of a contact point on the recording medium 101 during the writing of the visible image 102 by measuring variation in the intensity of light reflected by the recording medium 101 and generates data showing the direction and quantity as electronic data corresponding to the visible image 102.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a data input system for digitizing written information.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the advancement of computers and the speed of networks, the processing of various documents has been digitized. Here, the display and data input of a great deal of digitized information will be described. .

[0003] Display of electronic documents is basically performed by CRT or LC.
D or the like. However, the resolution of the display is still below the resolution of the image printed on paper. Further, a plurality of displays must be used in order to list the information of the entire document on a plurality of pages on the display, and the display device becomes large-sized, and the usability is deteriorated.

[0004] For these reasons, even at present, even electronic documents used in accordance with the demand for paperless printing are once printed on paper, which causes an increase in the amount of paper used.

On the other hand, a method of writing on paper using a pen or the like still has an advantage that it is simpler than a method of inputting an electronic document to a computer using a keyboard or a mouse. Therefore, the method of writing information on paper has the advantage that data can be easily viewed and stored as described above. Rather, it is increasing.

For this reason, devices for linking paper and electronic documents are becoming increasingly important. Here, conventionally, there is a so-called pen-based computer. In this method, a transparent pad, which is a coordinate input device, is superimposed on a liquid crystal display panel (LCD) constituting a display unit of a computer without using paper, and an input point is defined according to coordinates obtained from the pad. It is displayed directly on the screen.

However, this method has a problem that the cost of the display screen is particularly high, and the LCD is heavy and very fragile because many LCD panels use a glass plate or the like.

Further, power is required to display information on a display. However, considering that a portable information device is driven by a battery, the information is constantly transmitted from the viewpoint of suppressing power consumption. It is impossible to display. Therefore, even when browsing a simple document, it is necessary to start up the system each time, and there is a problem that a startup time of at least several tens of seconds is required.

Another problem is that the display resolution of data on a pen computer is inferior to that of printed matter. Furthermore, a pen-based computer having an LCD or a transparent pad cannot be made to be 1 mm or less in thickness like paper, and has a problem that portability and operability are significantly inferior to paper.

On the other hand, in JP-A-7-200134 and JP-A-9-91083, symbols such as bar codes indicating a paper format and a document number are printed on a tablet constituting a coordinate input device. An apparatus on which a fixed form paper is set is disclosed. Then, the device detects the handwriting by the tablet, and detects the format of the paper by reading the barcode and the like,
It is intended to correctly recognize and record what kind of writing information is performed on which document.

However, since such a conventional apparatus uses the above-mentioned tablet, there is a problem that the size of the tablet is restricted. That is, it becomes difficult to input writing information on paper larger than the tablet, and conversely, when writing information is input on paper smaller than the tablet size, the size of the tablet becomes an obstacle when carrying.

As described above, it is necessary to print a bar code at a specific position in order to read document information.
Although the barcode document information is printed on the document even though it is unreadable by humans, there is also a problem that the original document format is obstructed.

As a conventional example of computerization in the business of using paper and a pen, a pattern such as a lattice pattern is printed on paper, and the pattern is measured using an optical device provided at the pen tip. Optical coordinate input devices for reading the movement of a pen are disclosed in JP-A-5-274082 and JP-A-6-102991. In such an apparatus, the number of times an optical sensor provided on a pen passes through a grid pattern composed of equally spaced straight lines printed on a pad is counted, and the movement of the pen on the pad is detected and recorded. .

[0014] However, in the above-described apparatus, although it is possible to detect a written trajectory, there is a problem that it is not possible to recognize which document the document is for. That is, for example, when writing on a fixed form paper such as a questionnaire sheet or a slip, only the trajectory of the writing can be recorded, so it is necessary to re-enter which fixed form paper has been entered.

As described above, an apparatus using an LCD or tablet generally has a problem that the apparatus scale is large and portability is lower than that of paper. In an apparatus using paper and tablet, a paper format or a format number is used. Is required to be displayed on the document, there is a possibility that the original document must be deformed, and there is a problem that the tablet may be difficult to carry depending on the size of the tablet.

In a device that detects handwriting by optically reading a pattern such as a lattice pattern printed on paper, it is not possible to automatically input a paper format or the like. Therefore, there is a problem that usability is poor.

[0017]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a small-sized data input system which can easily realize electronic writing information. I do.

[0018]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a data input system for converting written information into electronic data, comprising a medium having a pattern having predetermined optical characteristics, and a medium reflected from the medium. Writing means for measuring the change in light intensity to specify the direction and amount of movement of the contact point with the medium during writing of information, and generating data indicating the direction and amount as electronic data corresponding to the information. This is achieved by providing a data input system characterized by comprising: According to such means, the direction and amount of movement of the contact point, that is, the handwriting can be accurately and easily digitized by detecting the change in the intensity of the reflected light due to the pattern.

Further, the medium further includes a magnetic recording layer in which document information for specifying the document is magnetically recorded, and the writing means is a document information reading means for reading the document information by measuring a magnetic field intensity on the medium. May be further included. According to such means, it is possible to obtain, at the same time as the document information, document information for specifying a document including the written information.

[0020] The writing means may further include at least one of a storage means for storing the electronic data and a transmitting means for transmitting the electronic data to the outside. According to such a means, the electronic data can be held in the writing means itself, or the obtained electronic data can be easily supplied to any external device for performing the subsequent processing.

In addition, if the medium includes a reversible recording layer for recording information, the information once written can be easily erased, so that the information can be repeatedly written in the same space. If the reversible recording layer changes its optical characteristics reversibly in accordance with the temperature, it is possible to easily realize recording of information by writing and erasing of the information.

[0022]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts.

A data input system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a paper-shaped recording medium and a pen-type writing device.
First, an outline of the data input system will be described below.

On the surface of the recording medium, straight lines perpendicular to each other and arranged at equal intervals are formed by an invisible ink having characteristics such as reflection, fluorescence and absorption of light having wavelengths invisible to humans, such as ultraviolet rays and infrared rays. Is drawn. Then, the writing device irradiates the recording medium with light having a wavelength that is invisible to the human from the tip, and the writing device detects a change in the scattered light as it crosses the lattice pattern.

As described above, the writing apparatus detects the trajectory of the writing apparatus on the recording medium, and generates electronic data corresponding to the writing information indicated by the trajectory. The recording medium includes a magnetic material, and document information such as a paper format and a document number is recorded on the magnetic material as magnetic information.

On the other hand, a device for detecting a magnetic field, such as a sensor including a Hall element or a magneto-resistive element, is provided at the tip of the writing device. When writing on a recording medium, it is automatically recorded on the recording medium. And read the magnetic information
Document information specifying a document can be input. At this time, by performing tracking using a lattice pattern drawn on the medium as a guide, the magnetic information can be accurately read even when the writing speed or writing direction changes.

Further, the writing device can write on the medium with ink or the like that is visible to humans. Hereinafter, the data input system according to the embodiment of the present invention as described above will be described in more detail.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an external configuration of a data input system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the writing device 105. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the data input system according to the present embodiment includes a recording medium 101 and a writing device 105 used for writing on the recording medium 101. In addition,
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a host computer 116 may be further provided. The pen-type writing device 105 includes a grid pattern reading unit 106, a magnetic reading unit 107, a pen down detecting unit 108, a magnetic information decoder 109, a data recording unit 110, a data transfer unit 111, a data processing unit 112 and a data bus 113
And a pen tip 114.

Here, as shown in FIG. 2, the grid pattern reading unit 106 and the pen down detecting unit 108, the magnetic information decoder 109, the data recording unit 110, and the data transfer unit 111
And a data processing unit 112,
And the magnetic reading unit 107 is connected to the magnetic information decoder 10.
9 is connected. Further, the data transfer unit 111 is connected to the host computer 116 by a wireless or wired line.

As shown in FIG. 1, a recording medium 101 made of a thin plastic sheet or paper has a visible ink or carbon such that a visible image 102 such as a word processor sentence, a figure, or a handwritten character can be viewed. It is printed or handwritten in black or the like. Also, the recording medium 101
Is printed with an ink (invisible ink) having an optical characteristic different from that of the base at a wavelength invisible to humans at a wavelength invisible to humans. Further, the recording medium 101
Includes a magnetic material, and magnetic information 104 is recorded on the magnetic material in parallel with a straight line forming a lattice pattern.

In the above, the lattice pattern reading unit 106 and the magnetic reading unit 107 are provided at the tip of the writing device 105,
Each of the grid pattern reading units 106 optically reads the invisible grid pattern 103 on the recording medium 101,
07 measures the magnetic field of the pen tip 114. In addition, the lattice pattern reading unit 106 can obtain writing data by accurately measuring the trajectory according to the same principle as that of the optical mouse.

On the other hand, since the magnetic information 104 is recorded in parallel with the straight lines constituting the lattice pattern, even if the moving speed or the moving direction of the pen tip 114 accompanying writing changes, the invisible drawn at equal intervals. The magnetic reading unit 107 can accurately read magnetic information using the lattice pattern 103 as a guide.

The pen-down detector 108 detects whether the pen tip 114 is in contact with the recording medium 101. Further, the magnetic information decoder 109 includes the magnetic reading unit 1.
07 decodes the read magnetic information and converts it into document data. Then, the data recording unit 110 records the obtained writing data and document data. The data transfer unit 111 transfers the recorded handwritten data and document data to the host computer 116. The data processing unit 112 controls each of the above units.

Further, the host computer 116 executes various document processes using the writing data and the document data recorded in the writing device 105.

As shown in FIG. 1, the writing device 105 includes a recording medium 101 like a ball-point pen and a pencil.
It is housed in a cylindrical housing having a pen point 114 that enables writing on the electronic device, and is operated by electric power supplied from a power supply (not shown).

Also, in FIG. 1, the invisible lattice pattern 103 on the recording medium 101 is only partially shown so as not to obstruct the visible image 102 that has been printed visually. And is superimposed on the visible image 102 composed of a word processing sentence or the like. Further, in FIG.
Are printed with invisible ink that is not visible, but are displayed so that they can be easily seen. Note that the magnetic information 104 is also recorded as magnetic information that cannot be actually viewed.

Next, the writing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment will be described.
The operation of 05 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. The following operation is controlled by the data processing unit 112 shown in FIG.

First, in step S1, the pen down detection unit 108 detects whether the pen tip 114 has touched the recording medium 101 (pen down). Then, only when pen down is detected, the process proceeds to step S2,
When the grid pattern reading unit 106 is the recording medium 101 of the pen tip 114
The direction of movement on the top is detected. Then, step S3
Then, the grid pattern reading unit 106 measures the moving distance of the pen tip 114.

In step S4, the magnetic reading unit 107
Reads the magnetic information 104. Then, step S5
Then, the magnetic information decoder 109 decodes the magnetic information 104 read by the magnetic reading unit 107 to obtain document information. In step S6, the handwriting information detected by the lattice pattern reading unit 106 and the document information obtained by the magnetic information decoder 109 are stored in the data recording unit 110.

Then, in step S7, the pen down detector 108 detects whether or not the pen tip 114 has moved away from the recording medium 101 (pen up). At this time,
If it is detected that the pen has been raised, the operation is terminated.
Return to

As described above, steps S2 to S
The operations up to 7 are repeated until the pen-up is detected. This measurement cycle is executed periodically, but the cycle is short enough to sufficiently follow the writing speed of a human, and usually a speed of about 1 KHz or more is desirable. Further, the handwriting information and the document information recorded (stored) in the data recording unit 110 through the measurement cycle are appropriately transferred to the host computer 116 and used.

By the above operation, the user transfers the handwriting information and the document information stored in the writing device 105 to the host computer 116 while actually writing on the thin recording medium 101 like paper, and digitizes the information. can do. Since such a series of operations are automatically performed without the user's awareness, it is possible to input written information or the like while maintaining an interface such as paper and a pen.

In the following, each part shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described in more detail. First, the recording medium 101 on which a writing operation is performed will be described in detail.

As described above, the invisible lattice pattern 103 composed of straight lines arranged at equal intervals in parallel is printed on the recording medium 101, and this lattice pattern is printed in advance at the time of shipment from a factory or the like prior to use. Alternatively, it is also possible to print using a printer or the like when the user uses it. Note that, on the recording medium 101, a word processor document, a drawing by drawing software, or the like may be printed with visible ink.

Also, the lattice patterns are two
It is sufficient that the printing is performed in parallel in the direction, and the direction does not necessarily need to be orthogonal, and it is not necessary to be parallel to the side of the recording medium 101. However, the intervals between the lattice patterns need to be equal.

The invisible lattice pattern 103 is printed using an ink having optical characteristics that are clearly different from those of a paper or plastic sheet. Here, the optical characteristics refer to reflectance, absorptance, and fluorescence characteristics. At this time, when the ink has a high reflectance or absorptance for wavelengths in an invisible region such as infrared rays or ultraviolet rays, and uses a transparent ink for visible wavelengths, the grid pattern can be written without disturbing writing or printing with visible inks. Can be printed. for that reason,
The user can read the handwriting without being hindered by the lattice pattern.

As the material of the invisible ink having the above-mentioned characteristics, for example, rhodamine (Rhodamin)
e) can be used. This rhodamine is a substance having a fluorescent property with respect to near-ultraviolet light, and emits red and blue fluorescent colors when irradiated with ultraviolet light, but can constitute an ink that is transparent or white with respect to visible light.

As the invisible ink, stealth ink can be used. This substance has a fluorescent property with respect to an infrared wavelength, and emits infrared light as fluorescence when irradiated with infrared light.

Next, the recording medium 101 contains a magnetic material, and the magnetic information 104 is rewritably held on the magnetic material. The information recorded as magnetic information is, for example, document information such as a document format of a standard document, a document name, and a page number, and these information are decoded. The magnetic information 104 is the same as the invisible lattice pattern 1 described above.
03 is recorded in parallel.

As described later, when the recording medium 101 has a layered structure, it is not necessary that all the layers constituting the recording medium 101 include a magnetic substance, and at least one layer includes a magnetic substance. Just go there. The magnetic body may be formed in a layer.

The recording medium 101 is made of, for example, a plastic sheet or paper as a base material. Note that the material used as the base material may be any material that can be easily written, lightweight and thin like paper, but if the device for inputting information has a writable pen tip, It is also required to have surface characteristics according to the pen tip. The color of the base is desirably white like paper, but is not necessarily white as long as handwriting can be visually read.

Further, the invisible lattice pattern 103 does not necessarily have to be printed on the surface, but may have a transparent protective layer on the surface and the lattice pattern may be printed on the intermediate layer.

When a rewritable material is used as the material of the recording medium 101, the cost per use can be reduced by repeatedly using the material, and the adverse effect on the environment due to disposability can be reduced. Such a rewritable material includes a color thermochromic (CTC-Colo-Writable) which can be rewritten by heat.
r Thermo Chromic). And this CT
C is formed by forming a reversible color-forming layer or a protective layer whose color is changed by heat on a support made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Writing and erasing can be performed by heat from a thermal printer. Media.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the structure of the recording medium 101 using CTC. As shown in FIG. 4, the recording medium 101 has a magnetic recording layer 305, a white PET layer 304, a coordinate information layer 303, and a thermoreversible recording layer 3 on a support 306.
02 and the surface protection layer 301 are sequentially laminated. Here, the support 306 is made of white PET, and the magnetic recording layer 30
5 is made of a magnetic material, and a grid pattern is printed on the coordinate information layer 303. The thermoreversible recording layer 302 contains a leuco dye and develops or decolors depending on the temperature. Where C
The leuco dye used for color development of TC does not absorb light of an infrared wavelength and does not prevent detection of an invisible lattice pattern using an infrared fluorescent ink, so that the above-described layer structure can be formed.

In the above description, the reversible recording material having the thermoreversible recording layer 302 using CTC has been described. However, in the following, a configuration example of the thermoreversible recording layer 302 using CTC and other materials is described. Is shown. Here, in the following examples, the materials constituting the thermoreversible recording layer 302 are different, but each has a structure in which each layer is laminated on a base material.

As the thermoreversible recording layer 302 capable of reversibly displaying and displaying information visually, a thermosensitive system, a magnetic recording system, a photochromic recording system, an electrochromic system, or the like can be employed. In particular, in the present embodiment, the optical characteristics are reversibly changed by a heat-sensitive method, that is, heat energy,
A recording layer capable of recording and erasing visible information is preferable.

Here, a recording layer containing at least a leuco dye and a developer, a resin layer containing particles of an organic low-molecular compound, a low-molecular or high-molecular compound, can be used for recording reversibly by thermal energy. A reversible recording layer comprising a recording layer containing a liquid crystal compound is preferred. The recording layer containing the leuco dye and the developer is formed by dispersing the leuco dye and the developer in a resin binder.

The leuco dyes include, for example, phthalide compounds, azaphthalide compounds, fluoran compounds,
Dye precursors such as phenothiazine compounds and leuco auramine compounds are exemplified. More specifically,
Leuco dyes described in JP-A-5-124360 can be used.

On the other hand, the above-mentioned color developer has a structure having a color developing ability to form a leuco dye in a molecule, for example, a phenolic hydroxyl group, a carboxylic acid group, a phosphoric acid group, etc. For example, a compound having a structure in which long-chain hydrocarbon groups are linked. The linking portion may be via a divalent group containing a hetero atom, and the long chain hydrocarbon group may contain a divalent group containing a hetero atom or an aromatic hydrocarbon group. Is also good. Specifically, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open
A developer described in, for example, JP-A-124360 can be used.

The thermoreversible recording layer 302 is composed of a resin layer containing at least a leuco dye and a color developer. Examples of the resin include polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl acetate, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer, and polyvinyl chloride. Acetal, polyvinyl butyral, polycarbonate, polyarylate, polysulfone, polyether sulfone, polyphenylene oxide, fluorine resin, polyimide, polyamide,
Polyamide imide, polybenzimidazole, polystyrene, styrene copolymer, phenoxy resin, polyester, aromatic polyester, polyurethane, polyacrylate, polymethacrylate, (meth) acrylate copolymer, maleic acid Copolymer,
Epoxy resin, alkyd resin, silicone resin, phenol resin, polyvinyl alcohol, modified polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, polyethylene oxide, polypropylene oxide, methyl cellulose,
Ethyl cellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, starch, gelatin, caseins and the like can be mentioned.

In order to increase the strength of the film in the thermoreversible recording layer 302, various curing agents and crosslinking agents can be added. Examples of such curing agents and crosslinking agents include
Examples thereof include compounds having an isocyanate group, polyamide epichlorohydrin resin, compounds having an epoxy group, glyoxal, and zirconium compounds.

Further, the thermoreversible recording layer 302 can be provided using an electron beam curable or ultraviolet curable binder. The binder includes a compound having an ethylenically unsaturated bond. Specific examples of these include: Poly (meth) of aliphatic, alicyclic, aromatic polyhydric alcohols and polyalkylene glycols
Acrylate, 2. Poly (meth) acrylates of polyhydric alcohols obtained by adding polyalkylene oxides to aliphatic, alicyclic, aromatic, and araliphatic polyhydric alcohols;
3. 3. polyester poly (meth) acrylate; 4. polyurethane poly (meth) acrylate; 5. epoxy poly (meth) acrylate; 6. Polyamide poly (meth) acrylate, 7. poly (meth) acryloyloxyalkyl phosphate ester, 8. vinyl or diene compounds having a (meth) acryloyl group at a side chain or at a terminal; 9. monofunctional (meth) acrylate, vinylpyrrolidone, (meth) acryloyl compound, There are cyano compounds having an ethylenically unsaturated bond.

Further, 11. Mono- or polycarboxylic acids having an ethylenically unsaturated bond, and their alkali metal salts, ammonium salts, amine salts, etc.
2. Ethylenically unsaturated (meth) acrylamide or alkyl-substituted (meth) acrylamide and its multimers,
13. 13. vinyl lactams and polyvinyl lactam compounds; 14. mono- or polyethers having an ethylenically unsaturated bond and esters thereof, 15. esters of alcohols having an ethylenically unsaturated bond; 16. Polyalcohols having an ethylenically unsaturated bond and esters thereof, 17. an aromatic compound having one or more ethylenically unsaturated bonds, such as styrene and divinylbenzene;
18. a polyorganosiloxane compound having a (meth) acryloyloxy group on a side chain or at a terminal; 20. a silicone compound having an ethylenically unsaturated bond; 1 above
Or a modified oligomer or oligoester (meth) acrylate of the compound described in any one of (1) to (19).

On the other hand, when the recording layer is formed using an ultraviolet curable binder, a photopolymerization initiator is mixed and used. Examples of photopolymerization initiators include acetophenones such as di- or trichloroacetophenone, 1-hydroxycyclohexylphenyl ketone, benzophenone, Michler's ketone, benzoin, benzoin alkyl ether, benzyldimethyl ketal, tetramethylthiuram monosulfide, thioxanthones, and azo compounds. , Diaryliodonium salts, triarylsulfonium salts, bis (trichloromethyl) triazine compounds and the like. Then, the thermoreversible recording layer 302 using these leuco dyes and the developer develops and decolors by the process shown in FIG. That is, when heated from an initial colorless state (A) the temperature above T ₁ in leuco dye and the developer are colored by mixing and melting (B), it remains fixed in the colored state and rapidly cooled from this state (C) . At this time slide into further heated from colored state (C), decolorized with a color temperature T ₁ of lower temperatures T ₂ (D), the initial and the same decolored state (A) if cooled.

The above is the first configuration example of the thermoreversible recording layer 302. The second configuration example will be described below. The thermoreversible recording layer 302 can also be constituted by a resin layer containing particles of an organic low-molecular compound. Then, the thermoreversible recording layer 302 thus configured is
Its transparency and light scattering reversibly change depending on the temperature.

Here, the resin is a material which forms a layer in which organic low-molecular compounds are uniformly dispersed and held, and which affects the transparency at the time of maximum transparency. Therefore, it is preferable that the resin base material has good transparency, is mechanically stable, and has good film-forming properties. And as such a resin, 1. 1. polyvinyl chloride; Vinyl chloride copolymers such as vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate-vinyl alcohol copolymer, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate-maleic acid copolymer, vinyl chloride-acrylate copolymer, etc. . 3. Vinylidene chloride copolymers such as polyvinylidene chloride, vinylidene chloride-vinyl chloride copolymer, and vinylidene chloride-acrylonitrile copolymer; Polyester, 5. Polyamide, 6. 6. polyacrylate or polymethacrylate or acrylate-methacrylate copolymer;
Silicon resin and the like can be mentioned. In addition, these alone,
Alternatively, two or more kinds are used in combination.

As the organic low-molecular compound, those having a melting point of about 30 to 200 ° C., preferably about 50 to 150 ° C. are used. And, as such organic low molecular weight compounds, alkanol, alkanediol, halogen alkanol or halogen alkane diol, alkylamine, alkane, alkene, alkyne, halogen alkane, halogen alkene, halogen alkyne, cycloalkane, cycloalkene, cycloalkyne, Saturated or unsaturated mono- or dicarboxylic acids or their esters, amides or ammonium salts, saturated or unsaturated halogen fatty acids or their esters, amides or ammonium salts, allylcarboxylic acids or their esters, amides or ammonium salts, halogenallyl carboxylic acids Acids or their esters, amides or ammonium salts, thioalcohols, thiocarboxylic acids or their esters, amines or ammonium salts, thiols Carboxylic acid esters of the call and the like.

These may be used alone or as a mixture of two or more. And these compounds have 10 to 10 carbon atoms.
60, preferably 10 to 38, and more preferably 10 to 30. Further, the alcohol group portion in the ester may be saturated or unsaturated, and may be halogen-substituted.

In any case, the organic low molecular weight compound contains at least one of oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur and halogen in the molecule, for example, -OH, -COOH, -CONH-, -COOR, -NH-,- NH
It is preferably a compound containing 2, -S-, -SS-, -O- and halogen. Furthermore, in order to widen the range of the temperature at which transparency can be obtained, the above organic low-molecular compounds are appropriately combined or
Alternatively, the organic low-molecular compound may be combined with another material having a different melting point. Note that these combinations are
For example, JP-A-63-39378 and JP-A-63-1
It is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent No. 30380, but is not limited thereto.

Further, the thermoreversible recording layer 302 composed of these organic low-molecular compounds and resin becomes transparent or cloudy by the process shown in FIG. That is, in FIG. 6 represent changes in the transparency due to heat, thermoreversible recording layer 302 of the resin and the organic low molecular weight compound dispersed in the resin as a main component, for example, the temperature T ₀ following clouded opaque state at room temperature (State).

[0071] Then, this became clear through the states and state when heated to a temperature T _2, remains transparent even returned again to room temperature T ₀ or less (state). At this time, when heated to a temperature of T3 or higher, a translucent state having intermediate transparency between the maximum transparency and the maximum opacity is obtained through the state. Next, when the temperature is lowered, the state returns to the first cloudy opaque state (state) without passing through the transparent state again.

After the cloudy and opaque state was heated to a temperature between T _{1 and} T ₂ , it was heated at room temperature, that is, at a temperature T.
_When cooled to ₀ or less, an intermediate state between transparent and opaque can be obtained.

The above is the second configuration example of the thermoreversible recording layer 302. Hereinafter, the third configuration example of the thermoreversible recording layer 302 will be described. The thermoreversible recording layer 302 can also be formed by a layer containing a low-molecular or high-molecular liquid crystal. As the polymer liquid crystal, a main-chain type or side-chain type liquid crystal in which a mesogen (molecule having liquid crystallinity) is bonded to a main chain or a side chain is used.

Here, the polymer liquid crystal is usually prepared by polymerizing a polymerizable mesogen compound (referred to as mesogenic monomer) or adding a mesogen compound capable of undergoing an addition reaction to a reactive polymer such as hydrogenated polysilicone. Can be manufactured.

In addition, literature Makromol. Chem., 179, p273 (197
8), Eur, Poly.J., 18, p651 (1982) and literature Mol.Cryst.Liq.Cr.
The polymer liquid crystal can be produced by the method disclosed in Yst., 169, p167 (1989) and the like.

The mesogen monomer and the mesogen compound capable of addition reaction include biphenyl, phenylbenzoate, cyclohexylbenzene, azoxybenzene, azobenzene, azomethine, phenylpyrimidine, diphenylacetylene, and biphenylbenzoate compounds. And various compounds in which an acrylate group, a methacrylate group or a vinyl group is bonded to a rigid molecule (mesogen) such as cyclohexylbiphenyl, terphenyl or the like, preferably via an alkyl spacer having a predetermined length. Is a typical example.

Hereinafter, the writing apparatus 105 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described in more detail. Here, first, the pen down detection unit 108 will be described.

The pen-down detecting unit 108 detects the pen point 114
Pen and recording medium 1 by measuring pen pressure in
The presence or absence of contact with 01 is detected. Here, since the pen-down detecting unit 108 only needs to detect the contact between the pen tip 114 and the recording medium 101, the pen tip 114 has a slight stroke in the direction along the pen axis, and a microswitch is provided at the end thereof. But you can.

In the present embodiment, the distance between the pen tip 114 and the recording medium 101 can be measured by measuring the intensity of light incident on the light receiving element included in the grid pattern reading unit 106. It is. That is, the pen tip 11
4 is in the air, the intensity of light incident on the light receiving element is small, and becomes stronger as it approaches the recording medium 101. Therefore, by measuring the intensity, the pen tip 114 and the recording medium 10 are measured.
It is possible to measure the distance to 1. Thus, the pen-down detection unit 108 can be configured by using the light receiving element.

Instead of having the pen down detection unit 108, the presence or absence of contact between the pen tip 114 and the recording medium 101 can be detected using a signal detected by the grid pattern reading unit 106.

Next, the grid pattern reading section 106 will be described in detail. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the grid pattern reading unit 106 shown in FIGS. As shown in FIG. 7, the grid pattern reading unit 106 includes a light emitting element 601 and a light receiving element 602, and the light emitted from the light emitting element 601 is optically controlled such as the difference between the invisible grid pattern 103 and the reflection intensity on the recording medium surface. The lattice pattern is detected by measuring the difference in the characteristics with the light receiving element 602.

When the user moves the writing device 105 on the recording medium 101, the intensity of the fluorescence measured by the light receiving element 602 varies depending on the presence or absence of the grid pattern on the recording medium, and the pen tip 114 The number of times the pattern has been crossed can be counted.

Here, for example, when the lattice pattern has a fixed interval d
Assuming that the number of times has been counted as n during writing, the distance L that the pen tip 114 has moved during writing is calculated by d × n.

Next, the writing device 1 shown in FIGS.
The optical system 05 will be described. FIG. 8 shows the writing device 10.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional structure when 5 is viewed from a pen tip 114 direction. As shown in FIG. 8, the writing apparatus 105 includes a pen tip 114, light receiving elements 701 to 704, and light emitting elements 705 to 708 in a housing 115. In the above description, a fiber connected to the light receiving element may be provided instead of the light receiving elements 701 to 704.
Instead of -708, fibers connected to the light-emitting elements 705-708 may be provided.

Here, as shown in FIG. 8, the two light receiving elements 701 and 704 and the two light receiving elements 702 and 703 constituting the grid pattern reading section 106 disposed at the tip of the writing device 105 are respectively Pen tip 114 in cross section
And a set of these light receiving elements is arranged in a direction perpendicular to each other.

The light receiving elements 701 to 704 and the light emitting elements 705 to 708 do not necessarily need to be arranged on the pen tip 114, but are provided inside the writing device 105 and
The light received at 14 is received by a light receiving element 701 through an optical fiber.
Alternatively, the light emitted from the light emitting elements 705 to 708 may be guided to the pen tip 114 by an optical fiber.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a structure of a cross section taken along line AA ′ of the writing apparatus 105 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 9, the optical system of the writing apparatus 105 includes a light receiving element 701 including a photodiode or the like, a light emitting element 705 including a light emitting diode (LED) or a laser diode, optical fibers 802 and 803, and a light collecting element. It is composed of optical lenses 804 and 805.

Here, the light emitted from the light emitting element 705 is guided to the condenser lens 804 by the optical fiber 802, is condensed by the condenser lens 804, and is condensed by the recording medium 101.
Light up one point above. When the invisible lattice pattern 103 is printed at the bright spot, the light radiated through the condenser lens 804 is reflected or scattered by the ink constituting the pattern, or the ink emits fluorescent light. Can be

On the other hand, the fluorescence from the surface of the recording medium 101 is collected by the condenser lens 805 on the light receiving element side and the optical filter 80.
6 and the optical fiber 803 to the light receiving element 701. Here, since the light receiving element 701 generates a current according to the intensity of the supplied light, the invisible grid pattern 10
3 and the invisible lattice pattern 1
The output voltage of the light receiving element 701 due to light from the base of the recording medium 101 on which 03 is not printed is different.

The light emitting elements 705 to 708 irradiate the surface of the recording medium 101 and the fluorescent light thereby illuminates the light receiving elements 701 to 704 sufficiently.
Any one of the light-emitting elements 705 and 708 or the light-emitting elements 706 and 707 may be used. Furthermore, when sufficiently stable fluorescence is obtained by external light such as a fluorescent lamp,
The light-emitting elements 705 to 708 need not be provided. Also,
Since the light emitting elements 705 to 708 generally consume large power, they may be driven intermittently when a sufficiently large power supply is not secured.

When the grid pattern is printed with ink sensitive to invisible wavelengths such as infrared light and ultraviolet light, an optical filter 80 that passes those wavelengths is used.
6 is provided in the optical system. Then, the optical filter 8
According to 06, disturbance of detection due to disturbance light hardly occurs, and stable detection is possible. And the writing device 105
In the case where the horizontal movement and the vertical movement are detected by inks having different optical characteristics, respectively, the optical filter 8 is used.
For 06, a filter capable of selecting the wavelength to be detected is used.

Next, detection of the moving direction of the writing device 105 will be described in detail. The invisible lattice pattern 103 printed on the recording medium 101 does not always show stable optical characteristics with respect to the surface state of the recording medium 101 or external light such as a fluorescent lamp in a room. Light receiving elements 701 to 7
A differentiating circuit for detecting a change in the output voltage of the circuit 04 is used. Then, by using the circuit, the lattice pattern can be stably detected.

FIG. 10 is a circuit diagram showing a configuration example of the circuit. As shown in FIG. 10, the circuit includes a current-voltage conversion element 901, diodes 902 and 903, a capacitor 904, and a comparator 905. Then, in the circuit having such a configuration, the fluorescence generated in the ink on the recording medium 101 by the light emitted from the light emitting element 701 is detected by the light receiving element 705.

Further, the output of the light receiving element 705 is converted into a voltage by the current-voltage conversion element 901. Then, the comparator 905 compares the voltage with a fluctuating voltage generated by a circuit including the diodes 902 and 903 and the capacitor 904, and detects the above-mentioned differential voltage. Here, FIG. 11A shows an example of a waveform indicating the output voltage of the current-voltage conversion element 901, and FIG.
FIG. 10A shows an output voltage waveform of the comparator 905 corresponding to the voltage shown in FIG.

The moving direction of the writing device 105 is detected based on a delay in measurement time between a plurality of light receiving elements installed. That is, when the pen (writing device 105) moves to approach the invisible lattice pattern 103 as shown in FIG.
The output waveform of 704 is shown in FIG. The output waveforms of the light receiving elements 701 to 704 when the pen moves away from the invisible lattice pattern 103 in FIG. 8 are shown in FIG.

Here, the signal S1 shown in FIGS. 12 (a) and 13 (a) shows an output waveform corresponding to the light receiving element 701, and is shown in FIGS. 12 (b) and 13 (b). Signal S2 indicates an output waveform corresponding to light receiving element 702. Similarly, the signal S3 shown in FIGS. 12C and 13C shows an output waveform corresponding to the light receiving element 703, and FIG.
The signal S4 shown in FIG. 2D and FIG. 13D shows an output waveform corresponding to the light receiving element 704.

Here, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 12,
The signal S3 corresponding to the light receiving element 703 positioned at the head in the pen traveling direction (right direction in the drawing) is the signal S2 corresponding to the light receiving element 702 positioned backward in the traveling direction.
As compared with, the phase is delayed only from time T1 to time T3.

Similarly, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 13, when the pen moves in the reverse direction (left direction in the figure), the signal corresponding to the light receiving element 702 which becomes the head at the time of the movement. In contrast to S2, other light receiving elements 701, 703, 70
The signals S1, S3 and S4 corresponding to No. 4 have respective phases delayed. Therefore, the direction of movement of the pen is detected by measuring the phase shift of the signals S1 to S4 generated corresponding to the light receiving elements 701 to 704, respectively.

As described above, the moving distance and the moving direction of the pen can be detected based on the outputs of the light receiving elements 701 to 704.

In the above description, for simplicity, the movement of the pen in only the horizontal direction (one-dimensional space) has been described with respect to the detection of the lattice pattern, the detection of the pen movement direction, and the identification of the grid width. The same operation can be realized with a similar configuration for the movement of. However, the distinction between the vertical pattern and the horizontal pattern constituting the invisible lattice pattern 103 is performed by selectively using inks having different optical characteristics, and a filter that transmits only light of a specific wavelength reflected by each ink is provided. .

As described above, since the movement of the pen in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction can be respectively detected, the movement in an arbitrary two-dimensional space such as the movement in the oblique direction can be detected by a combination of these. Then, information specifying the detected movement is stored in the data recording unit 110.

Next, the magnetic reading unit 107 and the magnetic information decoder 109 shown in FIG. 2 will be described in detail. The magnetic reading unit 107 is configured by an element that measures a magnetic field, such as a Hall sensor or a magnetoresistive element, and measures the magnetic field strength of the pen tip 114. Then, the measured magnetic field intensity is decoded into digital data, and is recorded as document information for specifying a document or a paper format.

Hereinafter, the procedure in which the magnetic information decoder 109 decodes the magnetic field intensity measured by the magnetic reading unit 107 to generate magnetic information will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 15 is a graph G1 showing the magnetic field intensity read by the magnetic reading unit 107.
And a graph G2 indicating the scattered light intensity measured by the grid pattern reading unit 106. In FIG. 15, a point at which the intensity of the scattered light is maximum is indicated by a circle. Then, the magnetic field intensity is read at the timing when the maximum point indicated by the circle is detected.

Then, in the example shown in FIG.
During the period T, it is detected that the moving direction of the pen tip 114 is reversed. That is, as described above, the invisible lattice pattern 1
Since the magnetic body on which the magnetic information is recorded is formed between the straight lines constituting 03, the moving direction of the pen tip 114 can be recognized by measuring the scattered light intensity and the magnetic field intensity.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 15, except for the period T, the point at which the maximum point P2 of the scattered light intensity is detected is after the point P1 of the corresponding magnetic field intensity is observed. However, in the period T, the point at which the maximum point P2 of the scattered light intensity is detected is before the corresponding maximum point P1 of the magnetic field intensity is observed. As described above, the moving direction of the pen tip 114 can be detected based on the positions before and after the local maximum points P1 and P2.

Note that the pen tip 114 during actual writing is
Although the direction and speed of movement of the pen point are undefined, since the lattice pattern is drawn at equal intervals in parallel with the magnetic information, the moving direction and the moving distance of the pen tip 114 are determined by the lattice pattern reading unit 106 as described above. The measured and measured magnetic field strength associated with the movement is decoded as magnetic information.

First, in step S1, the magnetic information decoder 109 determines whether or not the scattered light intensity measured by the grid pattern reading unit 106 is maximum. Then, when it is determined that the scattered light intensity is the maximum, the process proceeds to step S2 for the first time, and it is determined whether the moving direction of the writing device 105 is the forward direction or the backward direction. When it is determined that the moving direction is the forward direction, the process proceeds to step S3, and when it is determined that the moving direction is the reverse direction, the process returns to step S1.

In step S3, it is determined whether the magnetic field intensity measured by the magnetic reading unit 107 exceeds a threshold. As a result, when it is determined that the magnetic field intensity exceeds the threshold, the process proceeds to step S4a, and when it is determined that the magnetic field intensity does not exceed the threshold, the process proceeds to step S4b.

In step S4a, "1" is obtained as decoded magnetic information, and in step S4b, "0" is obtained as decoded magnetic information. When the measurement values shown in FIG. 15 are decoded without considering the movement in the reverse direction by the above-described operation, “0” is sequentially obtained.
Magnetic information of "1""1""0"("0""1")"0" is obtained, and the magnetic information read when the pen tip 114 is moved in the reverse direction in consideration of the movement of the pen tip 114 in the reverse direction. When the information is canceled, the magnetic information of "0", "1", "1", "0", and "0" is obtained, and correct decoding is performed.

Next, the handwriting information and document information obtained by the above operation are processed by the data processing unit 112, and an appropriate handwriting is formed in the document. That is, the signal obtained by the data processing is temporarily stored in the data recording unit 11.
After being stored in 0, it is sent to the host computer 116 by the data transfer unit 111 and used for various purposes.

Here, the recording in the data recording section 110 is automatically executed during the writing by the user, and the data transmission is executed in accordance with the instruction from the user. Preferably, the transmission of data is performed wirelessly, by electromagnetic waves,
For example, a communication means using infrared light called “IrDA” can be used. Note that the data can also be transmitted by using communication through a wired serial connection represented by “RS232C” or the like.

Further, writing apparatus 105 according to the present embodiment is described.
Is driven by power supplied from a power supply, and a battery used as the power supply is preferably a secondary battery that can be charged and reused. Note that it is not always necessary to use a secondary battery.

The writing device 105 may be driven by electric power supplied from a general household power supply via an electric wire instead of a battery. In this case, although the portability of the writing apparatus 105 is impaired, it is useful in that a simple interface using the recording medium 101 and the pen-type writing apparatus 105 is configured.

Further, the pen tip 1 constituting the writing device 105
It is desirable to provide a marker 14 such as a felt-tip pen or a ball-point pen that can actually write on ordinary paper.
Here, it is assumed that the ink used for the writing is visible and does not prevent the detection of the invisible lattice pattern 103 printed on the recording medium 101. That is, for example, when the lattice pattern is printed with invisible infrared fluorescent ink,
The writing ink must be an ink that transmits infrared light, and must not include carbon black or the like.

Similarly, when the grid pattern is printed with ultraviolet fluorescent ink, it is necessary to use a writing ink that transmits ultraviolet light.
Ultraviolet light is transmitted in many inks.

The writing apparatus 105 shown in FIG. 1 has a cylindrical housing 115. In this case, the orientation of the writing apparatus 105 with respect to the recording medium (sheet) 101 is not fixed depending on how the user holds it. . Therefore, the housing 115
Is formed in a rotationally asymmetric type such as a triangular prism type or a rectangular parallelepiped, so that the way of holding by the user can be limited.

The host computer 116 receives data from the writing device 105 by software running on the host computer 116, and stores the received data. And further, the host computer 11
Reference numeral 6 reproduces the handwriting drawn by the writing device 105 according to the data, and executes character recognition based on the handwriting including the stroke order. Further, the host computer 116 stores the recording medium 1
The data printed in 01 and the handwritten information by handwriting are linked.

In the above description, a device for finally inputting data to the host computer 116 has been described. However, the present invention can be applied to an electronic stationery device and the like.

As described above, according to the data input system of the present invention, the handwriting can be accurately and easily digitized by detecting the change in the intensity of the reflected light due to the pattern. It is possible to provide a small-sized electronic system with high performance.

The medium may further include a magnetic recording layer on which document information is recorded, and the writing means may further include document information reading means for reading the document information. Can be obtained simultaneously with the information, so that the information can be easily identified.

If the writing means further includes at least one of a storage means for storing the electronic data and a transmitting means for transmitting the electronic data to the outside, the electronic data is stored in the writing means itself. Alternatively, the obtained electronic data can be easily supplied to any external device that performs the subsequent processing, so that the versatility of the system can be enhanced.

Further, if the medium includes a reversible recording layer for recording information, the information once written can be easily erased and can be repeatedly written in the same space. Can be improved. If the reversible recording layer changes its optical characteristics reversibly in accordance with the temperature, it is possible to easily realize recording of information by writing and erasing of the information.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an external configuration of a data input system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the writing apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation of the writing apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a sectional configuration of the recording medium shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a graph showing a change in color density with temperature in the thermoreversible recording layer shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a graph showing a change in temperature of transparency in the thermoreversible recording layer shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a lattice pattern detection unit shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

8 is a cross-sectional view showing a structure of the writing device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 when viewed from a pen tip direction.

9 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional structure taken along line AA ′ shown in FIG.

FIG. 10 is a circuit diagram showing a configuration of a circuit included in the lattice pattern detection unit shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

11 is a waveform chart showing an operation of the circuit shown in FIG.

FIG. 12 is a first waveform diagram showing an operation of the lattice pattern detecting section shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 13 is a second waveform diagram showing the operation of the lattice pattern detecting section shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an operation of the magnetic information decoder shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 15 is a graph showing an example of data measured by the magnetic reading unit and the grid pattern reading unit shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Recording medium 102 Visible image 103 Invisible lattice pattern 104 Magnetic information 105 Writing device 106 Grid pattern reading part 107 Magnetic reading part 108 Pen down detecting part 109 Magnetic information decoder 110 Data recording part 111 Data transfer part 112 Data processing part 113 Data bus 114 Pen Top 115 Housing 116 Host computer 301 Surface protective layer 302 Thermoreversible recording layer 303 Coordinate information layer 304 White PET layer 305 Magnetic recording layer 306 Support 601, 705 to 708 Light emitting element 602 701 704 Light receiving element 802 803 Light Fiber 804, 805 Condensing lens 806 Optical filter 901 Current-voltage conversion element 902, 903 Diode 904 Capacitor 905 Comparator

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Toshiyuki Furuta 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo F-term in Ricoh Co., Ltd. 5B068 AA04 BC07 BD02 BD09 DD04 5E501 AA02 BA05 CB06 CB11 CC04 DA15

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A data input system for converting written information into electronic data, wherein a medium on which a pattern having predetermined optical characteristics is formed, and a change in intensity of light reflected from the medium are measured. Writing means for specifying the direction and amount of movement of the contact point with the medium during writing of the information, and generating data indicating the direction and amount as the electronic data corresponding to the information. A data input system, characterized in that: 2. The medium further includes a magnetic recording layer on which document information for specifying a document is magnetically recorded, and the writing unit reads the document information by measuring a magnetic field intensity on the medium. 2. The data input system according to claim 1, further comprising document information reading means. 3. The data input system according to claim 1, wherein said writing means further includes at least one of a storage means for storing said electronic data and a transmitting means for transmitting said electronic data to outside. 4. The data input system according to claim 1, wherein the medium includes a reversible recording layer for recording the information. 5. The data input system according to claim 4, wherein the reversible recording layer reversibly changes optical characteristics according to a temperature.