JP2012234450A - Character recognition device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a character recognition device eliminating the need for inputting specific characters or numbers while looking with eyes at a keyboard, a touch panel or the like, and allowing input of the characters or numbers by moving a pressure center point by a thumb like the characters desired to be inputted.SOLUTION: The character recognition device includes: a capacitive pressure sensor having data output means for detecting with time and sequentially outputting X direction data, Y direction data and Z direction data by barycentric shifting of a pressured or weighted point by a finger tip (preferably by a thumb tip) applied to a key top; an acquisition data memory for storing the X-data, the Y-data and the Z-data from the data output means; a registration data memory for registering data to be compared with the X-data, the Y-data and the Z-data stored in the acquisition data memory; and a microprocessor for recognizing and outputting a character by comparing the X-data, the Y-data and the Z-data stored in the acquisition data memory with the registration data registered in the registration data memory.

Description

  The present invention relates to a character recognition device, and in particular, with one-hand operation, preferably by inputting characters without looking directly at the operation site by changing the pressure of the thumb, the input characters (alphanumeric characters, kanji, hiragana, katakana, symbols The present invention relates to a character recognition device capable of recognizing a character or a character and transmitting the recognized character data to a personal computer, a microcomputer, an automobile, and a TV channel for use in control.

  A typical conventional example of a character recognition apparatus for handwriting input includes a handwriting input function of an IME pad provided in a touch panel or a personal computer. On the touch panel, draw a character while touching it with your fingertip, for example, the fingertip of a forefinger or pen, compare the drawn character with a pre-registered character, select the closest registered character, and register the drawn character if correct It is determined to be a character. In the handwriting input of the IME pad, a character is drawn with a cursor on a handwriting input screen, and the drawn character is compared with a candidate registered character to select and determine a correct character.

  For character recognition used in these character recognition devices, a vector input device that detects positions in the X and Y directions is usually used. Japanese Patent Nos. 2516762 and 2630595 disclose conventional examples of vector input devices. Japanese Patent Nos. 2516762 and 2630595 disclose that vectors in the X and Y directions are detected by an operation plate provided with a pressure sensor.

  On the other hand, Japanese Patent No. 4514509 discloses a pressure sensor that detects vectors in the X, Y, and Z directions using a single capacitance pressure sensor. This patent No. 4514509 has no description about the use of the detected output, and in the pressure sensor, the portion to which the force is applied has a flat plate shape, and it is based on one stroke as used in the present invention described later. It is not suitable for handwriting input.

  Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2009-193279 discloses that the X and Y directions of a cursor are controlled as a pointing device (mouse) that is wrapped in the palm of the hand and is suitable for controlling the cursor of a personal computer mainly with the thumb.

Patent No. 2516762 Patent No. 2630595 Patent No. 4514509 Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-032569

  In the inventions of Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 of the conventional example described above, in detail, a plurality of input operation plates that can be moved minutely and a direction and amount of force applied to the operation direction of the operation plates. Pressure sensors, A / D converters for digitizing respective outputs of the sensors, storage means for storing a plurality of standard patterns corresponding to the digital values, input patterns comprising the digital values, and the standard patterns Is a device for determining the type of the input vector by the processor.

  For this reason, the operation site is large, and an installation place such as a table is required in front of the personal computer. Furthermore, the operation part detects the vector quantity in the two-dimensional space of the X axis and the Y axis orthogonal to the X axis, and since the two-dimensional data was used for character recognition, it could be said that the recognition was sufficient. Absent. Furthermore, since the starting point of the character for character recognition is a plane, the position where the finger or the palm is placed first is unstable, and it is difficult to determine the starting point.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is a small pressure sensor of 15 mm × 15 mm or less that can detect the pressure in the XYZ directions with a single pressure sensor, and the pressure detector and the operation unit (key top and protrusion) are integrated. A miniaturized sensor, preferably a projection that receives pressure from the thumb, and a key top are mounted on a housing that fits in the palm of a hand such as a TV remote control, and a human fingertip (preferably a thumb) is inserted through the projection. By applying pressure to the sensor unit in the Z direction (hereinafter also simply referred to as pressure) and moving the weighted center of gravity in the XY plane (hereinafter also referred to simply as weighted center of gravity). An object of the present invention is to provide a character recognition device that can be recognized. Here, the pressurization in the Z direction means the pressure applied in the direction in which the finger presses in the Z-axis direction, and the weighted gravity center movement in the XY plane shifts the point pressing the finger sensor in the XY-axis direction. It means the movement of the center of gravity (pressure center) associated with the action. At this time, even if the center of gravity of the load moves, the protrusion (protrusion) that applies pressure to the sensor is connected to the key top at the lower end (or formed integrally), so that the upper part is shaken. It does not move as a whole in the XY plane.

  Another object of the present invention is to attach the character recognition device of the present invention (preferably, the character is recognized by pressurization by the fingertip of the thumb and movement of the center of gravity) to the handle part of an automobile, motorcycle, or bicycle, so that the viewpoint can be Provided is a character recognition device that facilitates operation on a navigation screen, music selection, and variable volume operation while driving without being placed on a recognition device.

  Another object of the present invention is to change the channel and volume of a television remote controller without preferably checking the characters of the channel with the eyes, preferably by pressurization with the fingertip of the thumb and character recognition by moving the center of gravity. It is an object of the present invention to provide a character recognition device that can

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a character recognition device capable of inputting numbers and alphabets on a mobile phone by pressing a fingertip of a thumb and performing character recognition by weighted movement without visually checking a keyboard or screen. It is to provide.

  The character recognition device of the present invention detects and sequentially outputs X-direction data, Y-direction data, and Z-direction data by pressurization and center-of-gravity movement with a fingertip (preferably the thumbtip) applied to the key top as time passes. One capacitive pressure sensor having data output means, an acquisition data memory for storing X, Y, and Z data from the data output means, and X, Y, and X stored in the acquisition data memory A registration data memory for registering data for comparison with the Z data, and X, Y, Z data stored in the acquisition data memory and the registration data registered in the registration data memory are compared. And a microprocessor for recognizing and outputting characters.

  In the present invention, the shape of the portion that receives the pressure applied by the fingertip and the portion that receives the weighted center of gravity shift (they are common portions) have a protruding shape, and the fingertip (preferably the fingertip of the thumb) has the protruding shape. The digital data in the X, Y, and Z directions is generated by moving the fingertip without sliding it while it is placed on the digital data, and the generated digital values are stored in a volatile or non-volatile memory. store. Note that a start position for recognizing a character is easily determined by touching a protrusion with a finger.

  Further, the microprocessor collates with data representing a specific character stored in advance in the memory.

  According to the present invention, it is not necessary to input a specific character or number while viewing with the eyes of a keyboard or a touch panel, and it is possible to input a character or a number by moving the fingertip to draw a character or the like to be input. Become. That is, it is not necessary to input a specific character or number while viewing with the eyes of a keyboard, a touch panel, or the like, and it is possible to input a character or a number by moving the fingertip so as to draw a character to be input. For this reason, when the automobile or other device is equipped with the character recognition device of the present invention, the character can be recognized while the automobile or other device or apparatus is controlled by hand.

It is a perspective view which shows the mouse | mouth for personal computers suitable for adapting the character recognition apparatus of this invention. It is a photograph which shows the mouse | mouth for personal computers which applied the character recognition apparatus of this invention. It is a screen which displays the numerical value of the output of X, Y, and Z direction data from the capacitive pressure sensor of a character recognition apparatus main body, the movement locus | trajectory of a character, and the bar graph of Z direction data. It is a front view which shows the key top and protrusion of a character recognition apparatus main body. It is a top view which shows the moving direction of the weighted gravity center added to the protrusion of a character recognition apparatus main body. It is sectional drawing which shows a character recognition apparatus main body. It is a top view which shows the shape of the electrode contained in a character recognition apparatus main body. It is a block diagram which shows the structure for performing control of a character recognition apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of control of a character recognition apparatus. It is a bar graph which shows the output of X, Y, and Z direction data from an electrostatic capacitance type pressure sensor. It is a screen which displays the numerical value of the output of X, Y, and Z direction data from the capacitive pressure sensor of a character recognition apparatus main body, the movement locus | trajectory of a character, and the bar graph of Z direction data. It is a screen which displays the numerical value of the output of X, Y, and Z direction data from the capacitive pressure sensor of a character recognition apparatus main body, the movement locus | trajectory of a character, and the bar graph of Z direction data. It is a screen which displays the numerical value of the output of X, Y, and Z direction data from the capacitive pressure sensor of a character recognition apparatus main body, the movement locus | trajectory of a character, and the bar graph of Z direction data. It is a screen which displays the numerical value of the output of X, Y, and Z direction data from the capacitive pressure sensor of a character recognition apparatus main body, the movement locus | trajectory of a character, and the bar graph of Z direction data. It is a figure which shows the state which applied the character recognition apparatus of this invention to the steering wheel of a motor vehicle. It is a figure which shows the state which applied the character recognition apparatus of this invention to the handle | steering_wheel of a bicycle or a motorcycle. It is a figure which shows the state which applied the character recognition apparatus of this invention to the remote control of a television. It is a photograph which shows the other Example of the protrusion of a character recognition apparatus main body. It is a photograph which shows the other Example of the protrusion of a character recognition apparatus main body.

  In the present invention, the center position of the weighted gravity center in the X direction and Y direction of the pressure sensor is detected based on the movement of the fingertip (preferably the fingertip of the thumb) that presses the capacitive pressure sensor, and the Z direction at that time is detected. A digital circuit for detecting the pressurization of XY, and outputting the XY 10-bit digital value and the downward (Z) 10-bit digital value based on the detected value, and a memory for storing these XYZ digital values; It has a memory for registering recognized characters by quickly performing similar inspection (recognition) on digital data represented by XYZ of character data stored in advance and stored data, and a microprocessor for controlling and recognizing These digital circuits are stored on a board with a small integrated function for outputting the characters in ASCII data or other digital formats. Li, implementing memory and microprocessor registers.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a mouse for data input to a personal computer suitable for applying the character recognition apparatus of the present invention. The left view of FIG. 1 is a perspective view seen from the top, and the right view of FIG. 1 is a perspective view seen from the bottom. This mouse may be a mouse equivalent to that shown in Patent Document 4 of the above-mentioned prior art, and the key top 23 is used in place of the character recognition device main body of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a mouse body, reference numeral 2 denotes a left click switch, and reference numeral 3 denotes a right click switch. Since other functions such as a switch are not directly related to the character recognition apparatus of the present invention, the description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a rod-like protrusion 22 is attached to the upper part of the key top 23 in FIG. 1, or is integrally formed, and a thumb is placed thereon, and pressure is applied by moving a fingertip that does not slide. The output in the XYZ direction of the key top is created by the weighted center of gravity movement. That is, since the protrusion (protrusion part) 22 is fixed to the key top 23 at the lower end or integrally formed, the protrusion 22 is moved by the movement of the fingertip placed on the upper end of the protrusion 22 with pressure. Primarily, a rocking motion with pressurization is performed with the lower end as a fulcrum. As a result, an output in the XYZ direction of the key top is created.

  As shown in Table 1 below, the output in the XYZ directions is a data string that is digitized and output from the microcomputer. X, Y, and Z are each output as a 10-bit value.

  FIG. 3 shows X, Y, and Z values displayed on a personal computer screen so that the present invention can be easily understood. On the right side of the screen, X, Y, and Z data are numerical values. On the left side of the screen, X and Y data is displayed as a point 10 on the XY coordinates, and Z is displayed as a bar graph 11. Note that such a personal computer screen may or may not be used to register data to be described later.

  FIG. 4 shows key tops and protrusions that are part of the character recognition apparatus main body of the present invention. The data of 10 and 11 shown in FIG. 3 obtained by shifting the weighted center of gravity while pressing and pressing the projections 22 on the key tops 23 without touching the projections 22 on the key tops 23 or by sliding them. Each of XYZ is stored in the memory about every 4 msec. Here, FIG. 4 also shows a state where the thumb is placed on the protrusion 22 and pressed from above. At this time, the bar graph 11 shown in FIG. 3 rises in proportion to the pressure applied by the thumb.

  Table 2 below shows the data stored in the memory, and the notation is in decimal notation.

  FIG. 5 shows a state in which the weighted center of gravity is shifted in the XY direction with the thumb pressed down from above. At this time, the point 10 of the XY coordinates shown in FIG. 3 moves in accordance with the movement of the weighted center of gravity. FIG. 3 is displayed so as to leave the movement trajectory. As shown in FIG. 5, the fingertip of the thumb 21 is placed on the upper end of the protrusion 22 and is moved without shifting. Further, the key top may be circular as shown in FIG. 3, or may be square as shown in FIG.

  Next, FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the character recognition device main body of the present invention. In the character recognition device 20, copper plate electrodes 29 and 27 are disposed on a substrate 30 on which an electronic circuit is laid out. A cover 25 for supporting an upper electrode made of hard silicon rubber is attached above the substrate 30, and an electrode 26 and an electrode 28 are arranged on the cover 25. The soft silicone rubber 24 functions as a cushioning material between the key tops 23 and the protrusions 22 and the hard silicone rubber.

  Further, the electrode 28 is attached to the inner side of the electrode 26 on the hard silicon rubber cover 25, and the change in capacitance with the electrode 27 is read to detect the amount of change in the Z direction of the pressure sensor. Here, all of the electrodes 26, 27, 28, and 29 described so far have a donut shape, and the electrode 29 is further divided into four as shown in FIG. 29a, 29b, 29c, and 29d.

Next, the electrical operation of 29a to 29d shown in FIG. 7 when the thumb 21 pressurizes the protrusion 22 and a method of extracting signals will be described. Assuming that the capacitances between the electrode 26 and the electrodes 29a, 29b, 29c, and 29d are Ca, Cb, Cc, and Cd, respectively, the hard silicon rubber cover 25 and the specific portion of the substrate 30 as a result of being pressed by the thumb 21 The space becomes smaller. This leads to a change in capacitance between the electrodes, and XY axis direction data can be obtained by the following calculation formula.
X = Kx ((Ca + Cd)-(Cb + Cc)) / (Ca + Cb + Cc + Cd)
Y = Ky ((Ca + Cb)-(Cd + Cc)) / (Ca + Cb + Cc + Cd)
Here, Kx and Ky are coefficients to be obtained through experiments.

Further, the data in the Z-axis direction can be obtained simply from the following equation by the capacitance change between the electrode 27 and the electrode 28.
Z = Zz × (C27-28)
Here, Zz is a coefficient to be obtained by experiment, and (C27-28) is a capacitance between the electrode 27 and the electrode 28.

  FIG. 8 is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of the character recognition device. First, the operation of the character recognition apparatus will be outlined with reference to FIG. Each data value of XYZ obtained as described above is sent to the microprocessor 40 as shown in FIG. 8, where a filter effect is added to the data or thinned out, and then stored in the acquired data memory 41. Sent.

Further, the microprocessor 30 compares the XYZ data value stored in the registered data memory 42 in advance and performs the similarity confirmation operation. If a similar character or number is found, the microprocessor 30 recognizes that the character or the like is correct. Output characters, etc.

  Next, the operation from the start to the end of the acquisition of XYZ data obtained by pressing with the thumb and moving the weighted center of gravity will be described. Data acquisition starts immediately after it is detected that the weighted center of gravity of the thumb has moved greatly to the + side of the Y axis, the-side of the Y-axis, the + side of the X-axis, or the-side of the X-axis. Is done. In addition, the end operation is performed by checking that the Z-axis data is when the weighted pressure by the thumb disappears for a certain period of time.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 9, immediately after the start, the acquisition memory 31 is cleared (step S1), the center of gravity moves up or down (step S2), and if the center of gravity moves up or down, X, Y The Z data is acquired (step S3), the data is returned to the center when Z = 0 (step S4), and the data is centered when Z = 0, that is, the pressure in the Z-axis direction is lost. If it returns, the XYZ data and the registered data are collated (step S5), and as a result, the recognized characters and the like are output.

  The acquired XYZ data is recorded as a value of 10-bit data with respect to the time axis as shown in the graph of FIG. Therefore, data to be collated is also performed for each of XYZ. In the character recognition device of the present invention, the Z-axis data greatly contributes to the determination of the collation result, and functions to increase accuracy.

  When recognizing characters using XY-axis two-axis data, the similarity calculation process between the data to be collated and the acquired data is performed using filters and statistical methods, but similar ambiguous parts cannot be further determined. I didn't do it. However, as in the character recognition device of the present invention, by including the Z-axis element, it becomes much easier to make judgments about ambiguous similarities.

  Again referring to FIG. 8, the operations of the microprocessor 40, the acquired data memory 41, and the registered data memory 42 will be supplementarily described. The calculated X, Y, and Z data is digitized with a resolution of 10 bits, and the data is sent to the microprocessor 40. In the registration data memory 42, data representing registered characters is generated and recorded in advance at the preparation stage. In the preparation stage, registration data is created. For example, if the character is “a”, move the fingertip to draw “a” on the protrusion to move the XYZ data of that character. Among them, a representative one of the average values of about 10 kinds of similar data or those within the σ (sigma) value of the standard deviation is stored as data to be registered data. When the letter “a” is drawn by touching the top of the protrusion with the fingertip and moving the pressure center in the X and Y directions without sliding on the protrusion, the X, Y, Z The data is stored in the acquired data memory 41.

The microprocessor 40 compares the XYZ data in the acquisition data memory 41 with the data of several tens or hundreds of characters stored in advance as described above. The character is recognized as a recognized character and output. That is, a lot of character X, Y, and Z data are stored in the registration data memory 42. As a result of comparison with the contents of the acquired data memory 41 by the microprocessor 40, it is most similar. The character registered in the registered data memory 42 is determined and output.

The actual XY data and Z data when “a” is drawn will be described with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 11, the left side shows a locus when the pressure center is moved so as to draw “a” with the fingertip. When the fingertip does not touch the X and Y axes, the data indicates 512, and when the pressure center of the fingertip is raised, the value of XY is larger than 512, and when it is lowered, the data is smaller than 512. Become. The Z-axis moves up and down during the operation of the XY-axis, but in FIG. 11, it is the final value (10 bits is 1023 in decimal and 512 in half). When the Z axis does not touch the finger, it is a value of about 480, and this value increases when the finger is touched and pressure is applied.

Similarly, when the data “a” is taken many times in the same manner, it becomes as shown in FIGS. Character discrimination is difficult with only XY two-axis data, but the addition of Z-axis data significantly improves character discrimination.

  The actually acquired data (decimal number) is as shown in Table 3 below. It can be seen that the Z-axis data changes as the X and Y axes move.

Next, the character recognition device of the present invention applied to an automobile will be described. As shown in FIG. 15, the character recognition device 20 is attached to both sides or one side that can be touched with the right hand and the left hand of the steering wheel of the automobile. A person can touch the tip of the protrusion of the character recognition device 20 with the thumb while holding the handle. In this state, character recognition attached to the steering wheel for car interior control, such as car stereo volume and frequency selection, car navigation map operation, zooming, indoor light brightness adjustment, air conditioner temperature adjustment, etc. Can be done by the device. For example, if “a” designates control of an air conditioner, and the subsequent number represents a level, “a” followed by “3” is entered by moving the finger's pressure center. Operate to the level of.

As shown in FIG. 16, a character recognition device is also attached to a grip part of a bicycle or a motorcycle, and other controls such as lighting and extinguishing of lamps, volume adjustment of audio equipment, music selection, and the like can be performed.

  As shown in FIG. 17, a television remote controller including a character recognition device can be used in place of a conventional television remote controller. Normally, you can select a TV channel by checking the number with your eyes and pressing the number button. However, with this method, it is difficult for the elderly and nearsighted people to see numbers, and with the conventional remote control shown in the left figure, it was difficult to operate the remote control. Therefore, as shown in the figure on the right, the numeric part of the channel is eliminated, and the numbers such as “1” and “2” are input by moving the center of the pressure with a finger, so that the conventional switch can be used. be able to. If you write a number with your finger and lift your finger like a single stroke, then the data of the recognized number will be sent to the TV by IR (infrared).

  18 and 19 show a character recognition device that can be used in place of the protrusions shown in FIGS. In this embodiment, the protrusion is formed in a dome shape, and the touch when the thumb touches the protrusion is improved.

20 Capacitance Pressure Sensor Character Recognition Device Main Body 22 Projection 23 Key Top 26, 27, 28, 29 Electrode 30 Substrate 40 Microprocessor 41 Acquired Data Memory 42 Registered Data Memory

Claims (6)

A capacitive pressure sensor having data output means for detecting and sequentially outputting X-direction data, Y-direction data, and Z-direction data by pressurization by a fingertip applied to the key top and weighted gravity center movement over time, and
An acquisition data memory for storing X, Y, Z data from the data output means;
A registration data memory for registering data for comparison with the X, Y, Z data stored in the acquired data memory;
A microprocessor that recognizes and outputs characters by comparing X, Y, Z data stored in the acquired data memory and registered data registered in the registered data memory;
A character recognition device comprising:   2. The character recognition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the registration data registered in the registration data memory is calculated in advance from X, Y, and Z data stored in the acquisition data memory a plurality of times for the same character. Character recognition device characterized by.   3. A character recognition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the character recognition apparatus according to claim 1 is installed in an automobile and is used for controlling an automobile device.   A character recognition device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the character recognition device is mounted on a bicycle or a motorcycle and used for controlling a bicycle or a motorcycle.   3. A character recognition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the character recognition apparatus according to claim 1 is installed in a remote controller of a television and is used for controlling the television. A capacitance type pressure sensor for detecting X direction data, Y direction data, and Z direction data, and a protrusion provided on a key top of the capacitance type pressure sensor and operated by a fingertip. A character recognition sensor.