JP2007026167A - Tallying server, program and voting paper for electronic pen - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a voting system by which votes tallying work can be performed easily and automatically based on the information described on a voting paper for an electronic pen on which a candidate's facial portrait and name are printed beforehand. <P>SOLUTION: In the voting system 100, a voter enters items of the candidates composing the voting paper 3 with an electronic pen 10. The electronic pen 10 reads a dot pattern on the voting paper 3 with the movement of the electronic pen 10, and acquires the information on the signs and characters entered by the voter. A tallying server 5 acquires the entered information and recognizes the candidate specified by the voter based on coordinate information and the entered information. The tallying server 5 tallies the number of votes corresponding to each candidate based on the recognized candidate. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for counting information entered on an electronic pen ballot using an electronic pen.

  Conventionally, self-format voting using a paper medium and electronic voting using a predetermined electronic voting machine are known as voting methods.

  In self-form voting, first, the elector presents a polling place admission ticket at the reception desk, and after the manager contrasts with the name list, a paper ballot is issued. Then, the elector writes his / her candidate name on the ballot issued from the candidate list and posts it to the ballot box. Thereby, the voting by the self-signed voting is completed. In the counting and counting work, first, the ballot box is locked and sent to the counting office. Thereafter, the ballots are opened manually, and the ballots are classified and totaled for each candidate.

  On the other hand, in electronic voting, first, an elector presents a polling place admission ticket at the reception desk, and after a manager contrasts with a directory, a voting card is issued. Then, the elector inserts a voting card into the electronic voting machine, and presses the touch panel screen based on the candidate list displayed on the electronic voting machine. When the voting ends, the electronic voting card is discharged, and the elector returns the electronic voting card to the reception. Thereby, the voting by electronic voting is completed. In Japan, electronic voting is being carried out using an electronic voting machine such as a bank ATM machine using a touch panel, a push button device, or the like. In the vote counting / counting operation, the voting data recording medium is first removed from the electronic voting machine and sent to the counting place. After that, the recording medium is read by the counting system of the counting place, and it is completed by counting the number of votes for each candidate.

  However, various problems arise in such a conventional voting method. Specifically, in the self-form voting, everything from the counting of votes to counting is performed manually, which requires a large number of personnel and requires a lot of time for counting and counting. Furthermore, it will impose a long-term physical and mental burden on witnesses and staff engaged in the counting and counting work, and there is a concern about ensuring the accuracy of the counting process. In addition, the elector needs to write the name of the candidate himself / herself on the ballot, so there are many question and invalid votes due to mistakes in entry.

  On the other hand, in electronic voting, there is a problem that the introduction cost of the electronic voting machine to be used is high. In addition, a lot of specialized work occurs compared to self-form voting, such as setting up electronic voting machines, installing related equipment, and building networks, and it takes a long time to set up and prepare the environment for electronic voting stations. In addition, since the method is completely different from the self-form voting using a paper medium, it is necessary to prevent all input by an electronic voting machine and to make sure that all the voters know the operation method that can vote reliably. Many of these voters, especially the elderly, are disgusted with the opportunity manipulation. Since the display state and the voting method by the electronic voting machine are completely different from the self-form voting, it cannot be denied that elderly people and persons with disabilities feel uncomfortable and anxious about the operation at the time of voting and lead to an input error at the time of voting.

  By the way, in recent years, pen-type input devices called “electronic pens”, “digital pens” and the like have appeared (hereinafter referred to as “electronic pens” in this specification). “Anoto pen” developed by the company is known. Anotopen is used in a pair with dedicated paper (hereinafter referred to as “dedicated paper”) on which a predetermined dot pattern is printed. In addition to the normal ink-type pen tip, the Anoto pen is equipped with a small camera for reading the dot pattern on the dedicated paper and a data communication unit. When a user writes characters on the special paper with an anotopen or checks an image that is designed on the special paper, the small camera detects the dot pattern on the special paper as the pen moves, and the user Entry data (also referred to as “stroke data”) such as written characters and images is acquired. The stroke data is transmitted from the Anotopen by a data communication unit to a terminal device such as a nearby personal computer or mobile phone. The system using this anotopen can be used as an input device in place of the keyboard, and is very easy to use for users who are reluctant to use the personal computer and keyboard described above.

  Therefore, in order to solve various problems caused by the conventional voting method, a voting system that performs voting using an electronic pen is known (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). However, in such a voting system, candidates are selected from a table containing only political parties and names and filled in the ballot, especially when there are many candidates and candidates are remembered as a facial image. In some cases, there is a problem that the candidate who wants to vote is difficult to understand and vote for an unintended candidate.

JP 2003-58670 A JP 2003-196694 A

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and can easily and automatically vote based on information previously entered on a ballot for electronic pens on which a candidate's face photo and name are printed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a voting system capable of performing a counting operation.

  In one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an aggregation server that aggregates information entered on an electronic pen ballot printed with a dot pattern recognizable by an electronic pen, the ballot being a figure representing the appearance of a candidate The information and name are printed and are items for recognizing a candidate designated by entry, and are composed of a plurality of candidate items including the candidate's appearance information and name, and the ballot A coordinate information storage means for storing coordinate information in which a plurality of candidate items constituting each of the candidate items and respective position coordinates on the dot pattern are associated with each other, and acquisition information entered on the ballot using the electronic pen Based on the candidate recognized by the recognition means, the recognition means for recognizing the candidate designated by the entry based on the coordinate information and the entry information Te, and a collecting unit that aggregates the number of votes corresponding to each candidate.

  The tabulation server configured as described above recognizes candidates designated by the elector based on information entered in the electronic pen ballot, and tabulates the number of votes corresponding to each candidate. The appearance information includes a candidate's photograph and a portrait. The elector fills in the candidate items constituting the electronic pen ballot using the electronic pen. Specifically, the elector enters a check mark using the electronic pen in the candidate item in which the appearance information and name of the candidate who wants to vote are printed. At this time, the electronic pen reads the dot pattern on the electronic pen voting paper as the electronic pen moves, and acquires entry information regarding symbols and characters entered by the elector. Here, the entry information includes position coordinates on the dot pattern, stroke data of the entered check mark, and the like. The tabulation server acquires the entry information from the electronic pen via, for example, a terminal device. Here, the term “terminal device” refers to a personal computer or the like that is installed at each polling place and can exchange data with the aggregation server via a network. The tabulation server recognizes the candidate designated by the elector based on the coordinate information and the entry information. The elector designates a predetermined candidate by entering a check mark in the candidate item corresponding to the candidate who wants to vote. Therefore, the aggregation server recognizes the candidate designated by the elector by specifying the candidate item in which the stroke is entered based on the coordinate information and the entry information. Further, the tabulation server tabulates the number of votes corresponding to each candidate based on the recognized candidates. Specifically, the tabulation server manages each candidate and the number of votes in advance, and tabulates by adding the number of votes of recognized candidates.

  As described above, according to the present invention, information relating to voting is electronically counted by the electronic pen and the counting server, so that the counting and counting work is performed at the same processing speed as in the case of electronic voting using an electronic voting machine. . Unlike conventional electronic voting, there is no need to use an electronic voting machine, so there is an advantage that the system introduction cost can be reduced. In addition, since it can be completed in a short period of time with a small number of votes and counting personnel, it can be expected to significantly reduce labor costs (overtime allowance, etc.) In addition, since the voting operations performed by the voters on the voter side are not different from the conventional self-form voting method using paper media, the voter can vote reliably without feeling discomfort and anxiety. IT literacy problems such as those who can be solved. Further, the selection / designation of candidates is a method of selecting / designating candidates that have been printed in advance on electronic pen ballot using an electronic pen. For this reason, compared to the conventional method of self-writing candidate names performed by self-form voting, there is no typographical error or omission, so it is expected that the incidence of questionnaires and invalid votes will be greatly reduced. In addition, since the candidate's electronic pen ballot is printed with the appearance information of the candidate, it is expected that the rate of false voting will be lower than the ballot that displays only the name of the candidate. Is done.

  In one aspect of the tabulation server, the tabulation server has image data of an electronic pen ballot before being filled in by the electronic pen, and the electronic pen is based on the entry information and the image data. Entry image data created by the entry image creation means in association with the candidate recognized by the recognition means Voting content storage means for storing. According to this, the tabulation server can store not only the number of votes but also the entry image data of the electronic pen ballot filled in by the elector. Therefore, when a problem such as a question vote or an invalid vote occurs, verification can be performed based on the stored entry image data.

  In another aspect of the aggregation server, an error determination unit that determines whether or not a problem occurs in the recognition of the candidate by the recognition unit based on the coordinate information and the entry information, and the error determination unit If it is determined that a problem occurs, the error information creating means for creating error information including the names of candidates recognized by the recognizing means and the entry image data created by the entry image creating means, and the error information Permission information acquiring means for acquiring permission information for permitting aggregation based on a candidate including a name, and when the error determining means determines that a problem occurs, the permission information acquiring means Only when the permission information is acquired, the number of votes corresponding to each candidate is counted based on the candidates recognized by the recognition means.

  The tabulation server configured as described above creates error information when the electronic pen ballot filled in by the elector is an error vote that causes a problem in recognition of the candidate. The case where an error occurs is, for example, a case where check marks are evenly applied to a plurality of candidate items, or a case where a plurality of strokes are entered in a plurality of candidate items. The error information is displayed on the display screen of the aggregation server or a predetermined terminal device. The manager regarding the voting confirms the image data and the names of the candidates based on the error information. When the administrator permits the aggregation server to recognize the candidate, the aggregation server acquires permission information. Only when this permission information is acquired, the counting server counts the number of votes corresponding to each candidate based on the recognized candidates. According to this, since the administrator determines whether or not to allow an error vote each time, it is possible to improve the accuracy of the vote opening operation.

  In another aspect of the aggregation server, a boundary line of the candidate item is invisible. According to this, the elector can easily designate a candidate by putting a check mark on the name and appearance information of the printed candidate without being particularly aware of the boundary line of the candidate item. Can do.

  In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program executed by a computer that counts information entered in an electronic pen ballot printed with a dot pattern recognizable by the electronic pen, the ballot being a candidate's Appearance information and appearance name representing the appearance are printed, and it is an item for recognizing the candidate specified by entry, and consists of a plurality of candidate items including the appearance information and name of the candidate. , Coordinate information storage means for storing coordinate information in which a plurality of candidate items constituting the voting form are associated with respective position coordinates on the dot pattern, and an entry entered on the voting form by the electronic pen An entry information acquisition means for obtaining information, a recognition means for recognizing a candidate designated by entry based on the coordinate information and the entry information, and the recognition means Based on the identified candidate who aggregation means for aggregating the corresponding number of votes to each candidate, as causing the computer to function.

  By executing the above program by a computer, the above-described aggregation server can be realized. Further, each aspect of the above-described aggregation server can be realized in the same manner.

  In still another aspect of the present invention, electronic pen voting paper that is filled in by an electronic pen including an ink pen unit and a reading unit that optically reads a dot pattern, wherein appearance information and a name representing a candidate's appearance are printed It is an item for recognizing a candidate designated by entry, and is composed of a plurality of candidate items including appearance information and name of the candidate.

  The electronic pen used in the electronic pen ballot configured as described above acquires stroke data such as a check mark written by an elector, for example, by reading a dot pattern. In this way, by configuring the electronic pen ballot paper from a plurality of candidate items, it is possible to easily recognize the candidate item entered by the elector, that is, the candidate designated by the elector. In addition, the name and appearance information of the candidate is printed on the electronic pen ballot, which may reduce the incidence of false voting compared to the conventional ballot that displays only the name of the candidate. it can.

  In another aspect of the electronic pen ballot paper, the boundary line of the candidate item is invisible. According to this, the elector can easily designate a candidate by putting a check mark on the name and appearance information of the printed candidate without being particularly aware of the boundary line of the candidate item. Can do.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to easily and automatically count votes based on information entered in an electronic pen ballot on which a candidate's face photo and name are printed in advance.

  Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, an outline of an electronic pen used as an input device in the system of the present invention will be described.

[Electronic pen]
FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing how the electronic pen is used, and FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the structure of the electronic pen. As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic pen 10 is used in combination with a dedicated paper 20 on which a dot pattern is printed. The electronic pen 10 includes a pen tip portion 17 similar to a normal ink pen, and a user writes characters on the dedicated paper 20 in the same manner as a normal ink pen.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the electronic pen 10 includes a processor 11, a memory 12, a data communication unit 13, a battery 14, an LED 15, a camera 16, and a pressure sensor 18 therein. The electronic pen 10 includes an ink cartridge (not shown) as a component similar to a normal ink pen.

  The electronic pen 10 does not convert the locus of the ink drawn on the dedicated paper 20 by the pen tip unit 17 but converts the locus coordinates of the movement of the electronic pen 10 on the dedicated paper 20 into data. While the LED 15 illuminates the vicinity of the pen tip 17 on the dedicated paper 20, the camera 16 reads the dot pattern printed on the dedicated paper 20 and converts it into data. That is, the electronic pen 10 can acquire, as image data or vector data, a stroke generated when the user moves the electronic pen 10 on the dedicated paper 20.

  The pressure sensor 18 detects the pressure applied to the pen tip portion 17 when the user writes characters on the dedicated paper with the electronic pen 10, that is, the writing pressure, and supplies the detected pressure to the processor 11. The processor 11 switches on / off the LED 15 and the camera 16 based on the writing pressure data provided from the pressure sensor 18. That is, when the user writes characters or the like on the dedicated paper 20 with the electronic pen 10, writing pressure is applied to the pen tip portion 17. Therefore, when the writing pressure exceeding the predetermined value is detected, it is determined that the user has started the description, and the LED 15 and the camera 16 are operated.

  The camera 16 reads the dot pattern on the dedicated paper 20 and supplies the pattern data to the processor 11. The processor 11 calculates X / Y coordinates on the dedicated paper 20 from the supplied dot pattern.

  The processor 11 acquires the writing pressure array data and the X / Y coordinate data while the description of the user is performed, and stores them in the memory 12 in association with the time stamp (time information). Therefore, data corresponding to the description content of the user is stored in the memory 12 in time series. The capacity of the memory 12 can be about 1 Mbyte, for example.

  All the acquired data is held in the memory 12 until a transmission instruction is given by the user. When the user gives a transmission instruction, the data communication unit 13 transmits the data in the memory 12 to the terminal device 25 within a predetermined distance from the electronic pen 10. Basically, once a transmission instruction is given, the electronic pen 10 transmits all data stored in the memory 12 to the terminal device 25, and thus the memory 12 is cleared. Therefore, when it is desired to transmit the same information to the terminal device 25 again after transmission, the user needs to write the description on the dedicated paper 20 again. In this case, the user can trace characters written on the dedicated paper 20 with an ink pen.

  The electronic pen 10 itself does not include a function button such as a transmission button, and a transmission instruction and other instructions are made by a user checking the dedicated box provided at a predetermined position on the dedicated paper 20 with the electronic pen 10. Executed. A transmission instruction is associated with the position coordinates of the dedicated box in advance, and when the processor 11 receives the position coordinates of the dedicated box, the processor 11 supplies the data in the memory 12 to the data communication unit 13 and transmits it to the terminal device 25. To do. The electronic pen 10 can indicate completion of data transmission by vibration of the electronic pen.

  The battery 14 is for supplying power to each element in the electronic pen 10, and the electronic pen 10 itself can be turned on / off by a cap (not shown) of the electronic pen, for example.

  As described above, the electronic pen 10 has a function of acquiring coordinate data and writing pressure data corresponding to characters and the like described on the dedicated paper 20 by the user and transmitting them to the nearby terminal device 25. Since the pen tip portion 17 is a normal ink pen, the content described on the dedicated paper 20 remains as an original original. That is, at the same time as describing the original paper, its contents can be digitized in the form of coordinate data in real time.

  According to the standard function of the electronic pen 10, data obtained by the electronic pen 10 is in principle in the form of coordinate data or vector data, and is not text data. However, as a standard function, the electronic pen 10 has a function of converting text into alphanumeric characters by describing it in a dedicated area provided on the dedicated paper 20.

  Also, the electronic pen 10 can hold property information (pen information and pen owner information) regarding the pen itself and its owner, and can be referenced from the application. As the pen information, a battery level, a pen ID, a pen manufacturer number, a pen software version, a subscription provider ID, and the like can be held. The pen owner information can hold nationality, language, time zone, email address, free memory capacity, name, address, fax / phone number, mobile phone number, and the like.

  In the present embodiment, stroke data, property information, time information, and the like are collectively referred to as entry information.

  In the data communication unit 13 in the above example, the electronic pen 10 is connected to the terminal device 25 by various methods such as wireless transmission using Bluetooth (registered trademark), wired transmission using a USB cable, and data transmission by contact with a terminal. It is conceivable to perform data transmission.

  Next, a method for acquiring X / Y coordinate data of contents described by the user with the electronic pen will be described. As described above, a predetermined dot pattern is printed on the dedicated paper 20. The camera 16 of the electronic pen 10 does not read the locus of ink described on the dedicated paper 20 by the user, but reads the dot pattern on the dedicated paper 20. Actually, as shown in FIG. 1, the illumination area by the LED 15 and the shooting area of the camera 16 (located in the illumination area) are deviated from the position where the pen tip portion 17 contacts the dedicated paper 20.

  The dot pattern is printed with a special ink containing carbon, and the camera 16 can recognize only the pattern with the special ink. Even if a ruled line or a frame is printed on the dedicated paper with an ink other than the dedicated ink (not including carbon), the electronic pen does not recognize them. Therefore, when creating forms such as various application forms using dedicated paper, input frames, ruled lines, cautions, etc. are printed with ink other than dedicated ink.

  In the dot pattern, the position of each dot is associated with data, as illustrated in FIG. In the example of FIG. 3, the 2-bit information 0 to 3 is displayed by shifting the dot position vertically and horizontally from the reference position of the lattice (intersection of the vertical and horizontal lines). The position coordinates on the dedicated paper are determined by the combination of information expressed in this way. As illustrated in FIG. 4A, 36 dots are arranged in a grid within a range of 2 mm in length and width, and the data array (FIG. 4B) indicated by these dots is displayed on the dedicated paper. Are associated with the position coordinates. Therefore, when the camera 16 of the electronic pen 10 captures a dot pattern as shown in FIG. 4A, the processor 11 changes the data array shown in FIG. 4B based on the dot pattern data input from the camera 16. The position coordinates on the dedicated paper (that is, where the dot pattern is located on the dedicated paper) corresponding to the acquired position are calculated in real time. The minimum unit for recognizing a dot pattern is 2 mm × 2 mm, and the camera 16 takes about 100 shots per second.

  Next, the dedicated paper will be described. An example of the structure of the dedicated paper is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the dedicated paper 20 has a dot pattern 32 printed on a mount 30 and a design 34 such as a ruled line printed thereon. The mount 30 is usually paper, and the dot pattern 32 is printed with dedicated ink containing carbon as described above. Also, the design 34 is printed with normal ink or the like. The dot pattern and the design may be printed at the same time, or one of them may be printed first.

  An example of the design 34 is shown in FIG. FIG. 6 shows an example of a certain application form 36 in which a plurality of entry fields 38 and a transmission box 39 are printed. Although it is not clearly shown in FIG. 6 and will be described in detail later, a dot pattern is actually printed on the entire surface of the application form 36, and an entry box 38 and a transmission box 39 are formed on the entire surface using ordinary ink. It is printed. The user may fill out the necessary items in the entry fields 38 of the application form 36 using the electronic pen 10 in the same manner as a conventional application form without being aware of the dot pattern.

  The area on the dedicated paper 20 can be roughly divided into two types. One is an entry area, in which the content described by the electronic pen 10 is handled as information as it is. In the example of FIG. 6, a plurality of entry fields 38 correspond to this. The other is a functional element. When a corresponding area is checked with the electronic pen 10, actions, instructions, and the like defined for the area are executed in advance. The transmission box 39 in the example of FIG. 6 corresponds to this.

  The transmission box 39 is used when giving an instruction to transmit data stored in the electronic pen 10 to the nearby terminal device 25 as described above. When the user checks the transmission box 39 with the electronic pen 10, the electronic pen 10 reads the dot pattern in the transmission box. The pattern is associated with a transmission instruction, and the processor 11 in the electronic pen 10 issues a command to transmit data stored in the memory 12 to the data communication unit 13.

  The assignment of dot patterns is usually performed for each application (paper type). That is, the dot patterns in a certain application form do not overlap in one sheet, but the same dot pattern is printed on the same application form. Therefore, when the user inputs necessary items with the electronic pen 10, it can be specified from the coordinate data on the application form which item of the application form the input item is for.

  As described above, by printing a predetermined design on the dedicated paper on which the dot pattern is printed, various application forms using the dedicated paper can be created. If the user uses the electronic pen 10 and fills in necessary items in a normal manner, the electronic data is automatically acquired.

  In the above example, the dot pattern is printed on the dedicated paper with carbon-containing ink. However, it is also possible to print the dot pattern on ordinary paper using a printer and carbon-containing ink. Furthermore, the design on the dedicated paper can also be formed by a printer instead of printing. When dot patterns are formed on paper by a printer, different dot patterns can be formed on each sheet. Therefore, each of the sheets can be identified and distinguished by the difference in the formed dot pattern.

  In the present specification, the term “print” is a concept including not only normal printing but also printing by a printer.

  Next, transmission processing of data acquired by the electronic pen will be described with reference to FIG. The data acquired by the electronic pen 10 is mainly data of items input by the user, but usually does not include information on where the service server that is the transmission destination of the data is. Instead, information specifying the application or service related to the dedicated paper is included in the dot pattern on the dedicated paper, and the information is acquired from the dedicated paper during the user's input operation. Therefore, the terminal device 25 that has received the entry information from the electronic pen 10 first makes an inquiry to the inquiry server 26 to which service server 27 the data input to the dedicated paper should be transmitted. The inquiry server 26 has information on a corresponding service server for each dedicated paper, and in response to an inquiry from the terminal device 25, information (such as a URL) of the service server 27 that performs a service related to the dedicated paper. Answer to the terminal device 25. Then, the terminal device 25 transmits the entry information acquired from the electronic pen to the service server 27.

  In the above example, the terminal device 25, the inquiry server 26, and the service server 27 are separately configured. However, some or all of them may be configured as one device. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the aggregation server described later also serves as the inquiry server 26 and the service server 27.

[Voting system]
Next, the voting system of the present invention will be described. FIG. 7 shows a schematic configuration of the voting system 100. The voting system 100 shown in FIG. 7 is a voter, and the elector who selects the voting system selects / The designated candidate is recognized, and the number of votes corresponding to each candidate can be automatically counted based on the candidate. In addition, the ballot 3 shall be issued after the elector presents the polling place admission ticket at the reception and the manager managing the vote compares it with the name list.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the voting system 100 is configured by connecting the terminal device 25 and the aggregation server 5 through the network 2. Here, one suitable example of the network 2 is the Internet. Further, the terminal device 25 is a terminal that acquires entry information from the electronic pen 10 and transmits the information to the counting server 5 and is, for example, a PC (Personal Computer) installed at each polling place. On the other hand, the aggregation server 5 is connected to a voting result database (hereinafter referred to as “DB”) 6 and a voting content DB 7.

  In FIG. 7, the voting system 100 includes one terminal device 25, but the present invention is not limited to this, and includes, for example, a plurality of terminal devices 25 installed at each polling place. It is good as well.

  First, referring to FIGS. 8 to 10, an outline of a vote result totaling method in this system will be described. FIG. 8A is an example of the ballot 3 on which an elector makes an entry for designating a candidate using the electronic pen 10. FIG. 8B is a diagram schematically showing candidate items constituting the voting sheet 3, details of which will be described later. FIGS. 9A to 9F are examples of the ballot 3 filled in with the electronic pen 10. FIG. 10A is an example of a questionnaire or invalid vote (hereinafter collectively referred to as “error vote”) that causes a problem in recognition of the candidate, and FIG. It is an example of a confirmation screen on which an administrator confirms whether or not to permit.

  When voting, the elector first fills in the ballot 3 shown in FIG. 8A using the electronic pen 10. On the ballot 3, appearance information 50 and a name 51 representing the appearance of the candidate are printed. Here, the appearance information 50 is, for example, a photograph or a portrait of a candidate. Further, the voting sheet 3 includes candidate items 55 to 57 for recognizing that each candidate has been designated, as indicated by a broken line in FIG. 8B. As illustrated, each candidate item includes appearance information 50 and a name 51 of the candidate. Note that the boundary line of the candidate item may be visible or invisible, and can be arbitrarily set.

  Specifically, the elector fills in the ballot 3 using the electronic pen 10 as shown in any of FIGS. In other words, the elector enters a check mark using the electronic pen 10 in the candidate item corresponding to the candidate who wants to vote. At this time, if it is within the candidate item, even if a check mark such as “Maru (○)” or “X (x)” is entered on the candidate's face photo or name, the counting server 5 selects the candidate. It is possible to recognize.

  In addition, by setting that the double line is canceled in advance, even if the elector has entered as shown in FIG. 9 (f), the counting server 5 can select the election based on the entered information. It becomes possible to recognize that the person has designated “Jiro Dainippon”.

  At this time, the electronic pen 10 stores information on check marks entered in the candidate items as entry information. When the elector enters a check mark in the transmission box provided on the ballot 3, the entry information is transmitted to the counting server 5 via the terminal device 25. Although details will be described later, the aggregation server 5 recognizes the candidate designated by the elector from the entry information based on the dot pattern on the ballot 3 and the coordinate table in which each candidate item is associated. . Based on the recognized candidates, the number of votes corresponding to each candidate is totaled. Specifically, the aggregation server 5 stores the name and the number of votes of each candidate in the voting result DB 6, and when a new candidate is recognized, the vote number of the candidate is added by one vote. In this way, the counting server 5 can easily and automatically count the number of votes of candidates based on the entry information.

  Further, the counting server 5 creates entry image data, which is image data of the voting sheet 3 after the entry by the elector, based on the image data of the voting sheet 3 and the entry information that are held in advance. Then, the name of the candidate recognized from the entry information and the created entry image data are stored in the vote content DB 7 in association with each other. According to this, the counting server 5 can store not only the number of votes but also the image data of the voting paper 3 including the handwriting by the elector as electronic data. Therefore, when a problem occurs, the problem can be easily verified by referring to the vote content DB 7. Further, even when the total number of votes data disappears, it is possible to recover based on the vote content DB 7.

  Further, the aggregation server 5 determines whether or not the entry on the ballot 3 may cause a problem in recognition of the candidate. Specifically, if a check mark that designates a candidate is not entered in the candidate item, or if the check mark extends evenly over multiple candidate items, multiple strokes are applied to multiple candidate items. The case where it is filled in can be considered. In this way, when there is a possibility that a problem may occur, the aggregation server 5 creates error information.

  In this embodiment, even if the check mark extends over a plurality of candidate items, if the check marks are not equal, candidate items including more strokes are validated. That is, the candidate corresponding to the candidate item including more strokes is recognized as the candidate designated by the elector.

  Here, the error information includes the name of the recognized candidate and the created entry image data when the candidate can be tentatively recognized from the entry information. The case where provisional recognition is possible is, for example, a case where two strokes 60 and 61 are entered in two candidate items, as shown in FIG. In this case, when the stroke 60 and the stroke 61 are compared, the stroke 61 is longer. Therefore, the aggregation server 5 validates the stroke 61 and tentatively recognizes the candidate “Jiro Dainippon”.

  On the other hand, if the candidate cannot be recognized from the entry information, only the created entry image is included as error information. The case where it cannot be recognized is, for example, a case where a check mark is not entered in the candidate item.

  In the present embodiment, if the error information cannot be recognized, the error information includes only the entry image data and does not include the name of the candidate. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and is provisionally It is also possible to set to include the name of one of the candidates.

  The aggregation server 5 displays a confirmation screen as shown in FIG. 10B based on the created error information. In this case, the aggregation server 5 may display the confirmation screen on its own display screen, or may transmit error information to the terminal device 25 and display it on the display screen of the terminal device 25. As shown in the figure, the confirmation screen includes entry image data included in the error information, the names of candidates included in the error information, and a permission button. The administrator confirms the input image data and the candidate name, and presses a permission button when permitting the totaling server 5 to recognize the candidate of the displayed name. On the other hand, the administrator does not press the permission button when the aggregation server 5 does not permit the recognition of the name candidate displayed.

  In addition, when the candidate name is not included in the error information as described above, the column for displaying the candidate name on the confirmation screen is blank. Therefore, the administrator does not press the permission button.

  When the permission button is pressed, the aggregation server 5 acquires permission information indicating that the administrator has permitted the recognition of the name candidate included in the error information. When such permission information is acquired, the counting server 5 counts the number of votes corresponding to each candidate based on the recognized candidates as described above. Specifically, the aggregation server 5 stores the name and the number of votes of each candidate in the voting result DB 6, and when a new candidate is recognized, the vote number of the candidate is added by one vote. In addition, the aggregation server 5 stores the name of the recognized candidate and the created entry image data in association with each other in the vote content DB 7.

  On the other hand, when the permission button is not pressed, the aggregation server 5 does not acquire permission information. For example, when the permission information is not acquired for a certain period of time, the aggregation server 5 confirms the error, and stores the name of the candidate included in the error information and the created entry image data in association with each other in the vote content DB 7. . At this time, if the name of the candidate is not included in the error information, only the entry image data is stored in the vote content DB 7. That is, the counting server 5 does not count the number of votes based on the entry information in which the error is confirmed.

  In this way, the error vote that causes a problem in the recognition of candidates by the aggregation server 5 is confirmed by the administrator on the confirmation screen as shown in FIG. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to improve the accuracy of the vote counting operation.

[Voting paper]
As shown in FIG. 8B, the ballot paper 3 is printed with appearance information 50 and a name 51 representing the appearance of each candidate. The ballot 3 is an item for recognizing a candidate designated by entry, and includes a plurality of candidate items 55 to 57 including appearance information 50 and name 51 of the candidate. Each candidate item is assigned an item ID which is information for identifying each candidate item. Note that the boundary line of the candidate item may be visible or invisible. The ballot 3 has a transmission box.

  In the system of the present invention, the voting paper 3 as shown in FIG. 8B is created as the above-described dedicated paper. That is, as illustrated in FIG. 5, a dot pattern 32 is printed on the mount 30, and a design such as a predetermined ruled line is printed thereon. As described above, the dot pattern 32 is printed with ink containing carbon so that the electronic pen 10 can recognize it. On the other hand, the design 34 such as ruled lines is printed with normal (not including carbon) ink, and thus the electronic pen 10 does not recognize it.

  As described above, the dot pattern 32 is printed on the voting paper 3, and the ballot paper 3 is composed of a plurality of candidate items, thereby associating the item ID with the position coordinates on the dot pattern 32. Based on the coordinate table, the candidate can be easily recognized from the information entered by the user.

[Aggregation server]
Next, the summary server 5 will be described in detail. FIG. 11 shows an internal configuration of the counting server 5 in the voting system 100 in particular. As illustrated, the aggregation server 5 includes an aggregation program 101, an entry information acquisition function 102, a coordinate table 103, a candidate recognition function 104, an entry image creation function 105, an error determination function 106, an error information creation function 107, and permission information acquisition. It comprises a function 108, a vote result DB storage function 109, and a vote content DB storage function 110.

  In addition, each function is implement | achieved when CPU which the aggregation server 5 has runs the program prepared beforehand.

  The tabulation program 101 is a program that tabulates information entered with the electronic pen 10 on the ballot 3 based on the entry information and the coordinate table 103. The tabulation program 101 is a program for storing and managing the image data and the tabulation result of the completed ballot 3 based on the entry information and the coordinate table 103.

  The entry information acquisition function 102 is a function for acquiring entry information entered in the ballot paper 3 by the elector using the electronic pen 10 by executing the tabulation program 101.

  The candidate recognition function 104 is a function for recognizing a candidate designated by the elector based on the entry information acquired by the entry information acquisition function 102 and the coordinate table 103.

  Here, the coordinate table 103 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a diagram schematically illustrating the data structure of the coordinate table 103. As illustrated, the coordinate table 103 includes item IDs, candidate names, and coordinate data. The item ID is information for identifying each candidate item constituting the voting sheet 3. The candidate name is the name of the candidate corresponding to each candidate item. The coordinate data is coordinate data indicating the arrangement of each item on the dot pattern printed on the voting paper 3. That is, the candidate recognition function 104 identifies the candidate item in which the elector entered the check mark by comparing the position coordinates of the stroke data included in the entry information with the coordinate data of the coordinate table 103. Then, the candidate recognition function 104 recognizes the candidate corresponding to the candidate item as a candidate designated by the elector.

  The entry image creation function 105 is an entry that is image data of the ballot 3 after the election by the elector based on the entry information acquired by the entry information acquisition function 102 and the image data of the ballot 3 that is held in advance. This function creates image data.

  The error determination function 106 is a function for determining whether or not there is a problem for the candidate recognition function 104 to recognize a candidate based on the input information acquired by the input information acquisition function 102 and the coordinate table 103. is there. Specifically, if a check mark that specifies a candidate is not entered in the candidate field, or if the check mark is evenly applied to multiple candidate fields, multiple strokes are entered in multiple candidate fields In such a case, the error determination function 106 determines that there is a problem.

  When the error determination function 106 determines that there is a problem, the error information generation function 107 detects error information from the name of the candidate recognized by the candidate recognition function 104 and the input image data generated by the input image generation function 105. It is a function to create. When the candidate recognition function 104 cannot recognize the candidate, the error information creation function 107 creates error information only from the entry image data. The error information creation function 107 is a function for displaying a confirmation screen as shown in FIG. 10B on the display screen of the aggregation server 5 or the terminal device 25 based on the created error information.

  The permission information acquisition function 108 is a function of acquiring permission information indicating that the administrator has permitted the recognition of the name candidate included in the error information.

  The voting result DB storage function 109 is a function that counts the number of votes corresponding to each candidate based on the candidates recognized by the candidate recognition function 104 when the error determination function 106 determines that there is no problem. The voting result DB storage function 109 is a candidate recognized by the candidate recognition function 104 when the error determination function 106 determines that there is a problem and the permission information acquisition function 108 acquires permission information. This is a function for counting the number of votes corresponding to each candidate based on the above. In other words, the vote result DB storage function 109 does not count the number of votes when the error determination function 106 determines that there is a problem and the permission information acquisition function 108 does not acquire permission information. . Note that the result of counting by the vote result DB storage function 109 is stored in the vote result DB 6.

  Here, the voting result DB 6 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 13, the voting result DB 6 includes a candidate name and the number of votes. The candidate name is the name of the candidate entered on the ballot 3. The number of votes is the number of candidates specified by voting. Specifically, the voting result DB storage function 109 stores the name and the number of votes of each candidate in the voting result DB 6, and when a new candidate is recognized, the vote number of the candidate is added by one vote.

  The vote content DB storage function 110 associates the entry image data created by the entry image creation unit 105 with the names of candidates recognized by the candidate recognition function 104 and the presence / absence of errors, and stores them in the vote content DB 7. It is a function.

  Here, the vote content DB 7 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 14, the voting content DB 7 is composed of items of number, entry image data, candidate name, and error. The number is a serial number that identifies information about entry image data, a candidate name, and the presence or absence of an error stored in the vote content DB 7. The entry image data is entry image data created by the entry image creation function 105. The candidate name is the name of the candidate recognized by the candidate recognition function 104. In addition, when the candidate recognition function 104 cannot recognize a candidate, "error" is memorize | stored in the candidate name item of vote content DB7. If the candidate can be recognized but an error occurs and permission information cannot be obtained, a diagonal line is stored on the candidate name in the candidate name item of the vote content DB 7. The error item stores “maru (◯)” when the error determination function 106 determines that there is a problem and the permission information acquisition function 108 does not acquire permission information. When the error determination function 106 determines that there is no problem, and when the error determination function 106 determines that there is a problem but the permission information acquisition function 108 acquires permission information, the error item includes “hyphen (− ) "Is stored.

[Aggregation process]
Next, a counting process executed by the voting system 100 will be described. FIG. 15 is a flowchart of the aggregation process.

  The elector enters a check mark on the ballot 3 using the electronic pen 10 as shown in any of FIGS. Further, when the elector finishes the entry of the check mark for designating the candidate, the entry information stored in the electronic pen 10 is entered via the terminal device 25 by filling the check box in the transmission box. To 5.

  The aggregation server 5 acquires entry information from the terminal device 25 (step S1). Then, the aggregation server 5 recognizes the candidate designated by the elector based on the acquired entry information and the coordinate table 103 (step S2). Further, the tabulation server 5 creates entry image data, which is image data of the ballot paper 3 after the entry, based on the image data of the ballot paper 3 that is previously held and the acquired entry information (step S3). Further, the tabulation server 5 determines whether there is an error that causes a problem when a candidate is recognized based on the acquired entry information and the coordinate table 103 (step S4).

  If there is an error, the tabulation server 5 creates error information based on the name of the recognized candidate and the created entry image data (step S7). If the candidate cannot be recognized, the aggregation server 5 creates error information based only on the created entry image data. The aggregation server 5 displays a confirmation screen on the display screen of itself or the terminal device 25 based on the error information. Furthermore, the aggregation server 5 determines whether or not permission information has been acquired within a certain time (step S8). Here, the permission information is information indicating that the administrator who has confirmed the confirmation screen is permitted to recognize the name candidate included in the error information. When the permission information is acquired (step S8; Yes), the aggregation server 5 proceeds to the process of step S5. On the other hand, when the permission information is not acquired (step S8; NO), the aggregation server 5 proceeds to the process of step S6.

  When there is no error (step S4; No) and when permission information is acquired (step S8; Yes), the counting server 5 displays the counting results corresponding to each candidate based on the recognized candidates in the voting result DB 6 (Step S5). Specifically, the number of votes of recognized candidates is incremented by one. Then, the aggregation server 5 associates the created entry image data, the name of the recognized candidate, and the presence or absence of an error with each other and stores them in the vote content DB 7 (step S6). Thereby, the counting process is completed.

  In this embodiment, the aggregation server 5 has the functions of the inquiry server 26 and the service server 27. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the inquiry server 26 is separated from the aggregation server 5. It is good also as providing. In this case, the terminal device 25 that has received the entry information from the electronic pen 10 first makes an inquiry to the inquiry server 26 to which server the entry information entered on the ballot 3 is to be transmitted. In response to the inquiry from the terminal device 25, the inquiry server 26 replies to the terminal device 25 with the URL of the aggregation server 5 that performs the aggregation processing based on the ballot paper 3. Then, the terminal device 25 transmits the entry information acquired from the electronic pen 10 to the aggregation server 5.

  In the present embodiment, the aggregation processing is performed by the aggregation server 5 that acquires entry information via the network 2, but the present invention is not limited to this, and entry information is received from the electronic pen 10. It is good also as what the terminal device 25 to acquire performs. That is, the terminal device 25 may perform aggregation processing and then store the aggregation results, or the terminal device 25 may perform aggregation processing and then transmit the aggregation results to a predetermined server that stores the aggregation results. .

  Conventionally, self-format voting using a paper medium and electronic voting using a predetermined electronic voting machine are known as voting methods.

  In the case of self-form voting, everything from counting the votes to counting was done manually, and it took a lot of time to check and check many questionnaires and invalid votes. For this reason, the witnesses and the staff engaged in the vote-ticking work are forced to have a physical and mental burden for a long time, and there is a concern about ensuring the accuracy of the vote-tapping work. In addition, since a large number of personnel are required for sending to the ticket office, and for counting and counting work at the office, it has been pointed out that labor costs are high and it is difficult to secure personnel. Furthermore, since it is necessary to write the names of candidates on paper-based ballots, there are many questionable and invalid votes due to entry errors. In addition, when entering the name of the candidate on the ballot form, we will select from a table in which only the party name and name are printed, so we want to vote, especially when there are many candidates or when remembering the face of the candidate in the image Candidates may be confused and the elector may vote for an unintended candidate.

  On the other hand, in the case of electronic voting, it is necessary to use an electronic voting machine. However, the current price of electronic voting machines is 400,000 to 500,000 yen per unit, and it is estimated that it will be about 170 million yen in a local government with about 100,000 voters. The government subsidizes half of the purchase cost of electronic voting machines for local governments. For example, in Kochi City's trial calculation, it costs about 160 million yen even with half-price subsidy, and the cost is 70 million yen. More than 90 million yen swells. With the introduction of electronic voting machines, the number of staff engaged will be reduced from 350 to 100, but this will raise the labor cost to only 1.25 million yen. In other words, the introduction of an electronic voting machine has a problem that the cost is very high. Furthermore, a lot of specialized work occurs compared to self-form voting using paper media, such as setting up electronic voting machines, installing related equipment, and network construction, and it takes a long time to set up and prepare the environment for electronic voting stations. It was also necessary to consider factors that were not necessary in the case of voting by paper, such as securing electric power and installation space.

  In addition, since electronic voting is completely different from the conventional voting method using paper media, it is necessary to make all the voters well aware of an operation method that enables voting reliably in order to prevent erroneous input by an electronic voting machine. In addition, many elderly people are disgusted with machine operation. Since the display state and voting method by electronic voting machines are completely different from the conventional self-form voting, especially elderly people and people with disabilities feel uncomfortable and anxious about the operation at the time of voting, which may lead to an input error at the time of voting. I can't deny it. In addition, since there is a risk of data corruption or loss due to a failure of an electronic voting machine or the like, system stability, robustness, and reliability are required. In other words, when a trouble occurs, it takes a long time to deal with the recovery, and in the worst case, the recovery becomes impossible and all the voting data up to that point may be lost. Therefore, it is necessary to fully consider the backup system when the system is down.

  In contrast to the conventional voting method as described above, the voting system according to the present invention selects and designates candidates using a paper medium (voting paper for an electronic pen) and a pen (electronic pen) in the voting method performed by an elector. Use self-form voting. Furthermore, the vote counting / counting method is the same as that for electronic voting because data relating to voting is electronically counted by the electronic pen and the counting server. In other words, a voting method that takes advantage of both the self-form voting and the electronic voting is adopted.

  In the present invention, the voting operation performed by the elector who is the voter is not different from the self-form voting by the conventional paper medium, so the voter can surely vote without feeling uncomfortable or uneasy, It can also solve the problem of IT literacy for the elderly. In addition, since data relating to voting is electronically counted by an electronic pen and a counting server, vote counting / counting work is performed as quickly as electronic voting using an electronic voting machine. Therefore, it can be completed in a short time with a small number of voters, and significant cost reductions such as labor costs can be expected. Furthermore, since appearance information such as a photograph of a candidate and a portrait is printed on the ballot, it is possible to prevent voter misvoting due to only the name of the candidate being displayed on the ballot. Thus, the voting system of the present invention is an easy-to-understand voting method that is easy to use for all voters. With the introduction of such new technology, an improvement in voter turnout can be expected.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used as a voting system capable of easily and automatically counting votes in, for example, the election of a member of a local council or the head of a local government.

It is a figure which shows the usage pattern of an electronic pen typically. It is a functional block diagram which shows the structure of an electronic pen. It is a figure explaining the expression method of the information by the dot pattern printed on the exclusive paper. It is an example of a dot pattern and the information corresponding to it. The structure of a form composed of dedicated paper is shown. An example of an application form is shown. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of a voting system. It is an example of a ballot paper. It is an example of the ballot paper filled in with the electronic pen. It is an example of an error vote and confirmation screen. FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram of an aggregation server included in the voting system shown in FIG. 7. It is a figure which shows typically the data structure of a coordinate table. It is a figure which shows typically the data structure of vote result DB. It is a figure which shows typically the data structure of vote content DB. It is a flowchart of a total process.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 2 ... Network 10 ... Electronic pen 11 ... Processor 12 ... Memory 13 ... Data communication unit 14 ... Battery 25 ... Terminal device 26 ... Inquiry server 27 ... Service server 100 ... Voting system

Claims (10)

An aggregation server that aggregates information entered on an electronic pen ballot printed with a dot pattern that can be recognized by an electronic pen,
The ballot form is printed with appearance information and name representing the appearance of the candidate, and is an item for recognizing the candidate designated by entry, and a plurality of candidates including the appearance information and name of the candidate It consists of person items,
Coordinate information storage means for storing coordinate information in which a plurality of candidate items constituting the ballot paper are associated with respective position coordinates on the dot pattern;
Entry information acquisition means for acquiring entry information entered on the ballot using the electronic pen;
Recognition means for recognizing a candidate designated by entry based on the coordinate information and the entry information;
An aggregation server comprising: an aggregation unit that aggregates the number of votes corresponding to each candidate based on the candidates recognized by the recognition unit. The counting server has image data of a ballot before being filled in with the electronic pen,
Based on the entry information and the image data, entry image creation means for creating entry image data which is image data of a voting paper filled with the electronic pen;
2. The aggregation server according to claim 1, further comprising voting content storage means for storing entry image data created by the entry image creation means in association with a candidate recognized by the recognition means. Based on the coordinate information and the entry information, an error determination unit that determines whether a problem occurs in the recognition of the candidate by the recognition unit;
An error information creation means for creating error information including the names of candidates recognized by the recognition means and entry image data created by the entry image creation means when the error judgment means determines that a problem occurs; ,
Permission information acquisition means for acquiring permission information for permitting aggregation based on a candidate whose name is included in the error information, and
When the error determining unit determines that a problem occurs, the counting unit determines that each candidate is based on the candidate recognized by the recognizing unit only when the permission information acquiring unit acquires the permission information. The totaling server according to claim 2, wherein the corresponding number of votes is totaled.   The aggregation server according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a boundary line of the candidate item is invisible. A program that is executed by a computer that counts information entered on an electronic pen ballot printed with a dot pattern that can be recognized by the electronic pen,
The ballot form is printed with appearance information and name representing the appearance of the candidate, and is an item for recognizing the candidate designated by entry, and a plurality of candidates including the appearance information and name of the candidate It consists of person items,
Coordinate information storage means for storing coordinate information in which a plurality of candidate items constituting the voting paper are associated with respective position coordinates on the dot pattern;
Entry information acquisition means for acquiring entry information entered in the ballot using the electronic pen;
A recognition means for recognizing a candidate designated by entry based on the coordinate information and the entry information;
A program that causes the computer to function as a counting unit that counts the number of votes corresponding to each candidate based on the candidates recognized by the recognition unit. The program has image data of a ballot before being filled with the electronic pen,
An entry image creation means for creating entry image data, which is image data of a ballot filled in by the electronic pen, based on the entry information and the image data;
6. The computer according to claim 5, further comprising: voting content storage means for storing entry image data created by the entry image creation means in association with a candidate recognized by the recognition means. program. Error determination means for determining whether a problem occurs in recognition of the candidate by the recognition means based on the coordinate information and the entry information;
Error information creating means for creating error information including the names of candidates recognized by the recognition means and entry image data created by the entry image creating means when the error judging means determines that a problem occurs;
A permission information acquisition means for acquiring permission information for permitting aggregation based on a candidate whose name is included in the error information, further causing the computer to function;
When the error determining unit determines that a problem occurs, the counting unit determines whether each of the candidates is based on the candidate recognized by the recognizing unit only when the permission information acquiring unit acquires the permission information. The program according to claim 6, wherein the number of corresponding votes is totaled.   The program according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein a boundary line of the candidate item is invisible. An electronic pen voting sheet filled with an electronic pen comprising an ink pen unit and a reading unit for optically reading a dot pattern,
Appearance information and name representing the candidate's appearance are printed, and it is an item for recognizing the candidate specified by entry, and consists of a plurality of candidate items including the candidate's appearance information and name Voting paper for electronic pens, characterized by   10. The electronic pen voting sheet according to claim 9, wherein a boundary line of the candidate item is invisible.

Images