JPH0273486A - Mark sheet and mark sheet reader - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the accidents due to the mixture of mark sheets of other types without printing or entering any special identification mark by using a timing mark as a secret mark and at the same time using the photosensors having different blind wavelength sectors. CONSTITUTION:A timing mark 8, a mark position index 3, etc., are printed on the same side of a mark sheet. In this case, the index 3 is set within the prescribed width (3W) measured from the front edge 8a of the mark 8 and this mark 8 is used as a secret mark for identification of the mark sheet. The mark sheet set to a mark sheet reader 20 is carried in the array direction of the mark 8 via a feed roll 27 and decided when the mark 8 is detected by a sensor array 41 consisting of photosensors 42-0 - 42-N. In this case, the different read unable blind wavelength sectors are set between a sensor for reading written marks and a sensor for reading the mark 8 (doubling as secret mark). Thus it is possible to avoid the accidents due to the mark writing mistakes and to realize the overall reduction of cost for a system.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a mark sheet on which marks representing human data are written at predetermined positions, and a mark sheet reading device for reading the marks written on the mark sheet.

[Conventional technology]

A timing mark and multiple rows and multiple columns of mark position indicators aligned with this timing mark are printed on the same side,
There are cards, postcards, sheets, etc. on which marks are written at predetermined mark position indicators according to human data, and these are hereinafter collectively referred to as "mark sheets."

These mark sheets 1 to 1 include general-purpose mark sheets on which only timing marks and mark position indicators are printed as described above, as well as marks sheets as shown in FIG.

a frame 4 for arranging the mark position index 3 of the mark sheet 1' in a limited manner to a necessary data area and partitioning it into a plurality of columns;
There is a special mark sheet in which a character string 6 consisting of characters (including symbols) 5 indicating the type of each column is designed and printed according to its purpose and use.

In addition, the mark sheet 1' is conveyed in the direction of the arrow with its - side set as the reference side 7, and at right angles thereto are a number of reflective photosensors such as silicon phototransistors using an infrared LED (light emitting diode) with a peak wavelength of 940 nm as a light source. There is a mark sheet reading device that is equipped with a sensor array in which photoreflectors used as detectors are arranged in a row, and reads mark contents on a mark sheet.

The mark sheet reading device 1ffi (optical mark sheet reader, hereinafter referred to as rOM RJ) simply determines the presence or absence of a mark from the detection signal, reads the mark, and transmits its coordinates (row and column numbers) to a personal computer, etc. OMR that simply outputs to the host machine, diagnostic functions such as determining the concentration from the detection signal and eliminating false signals such as dirt on the mark sheet, detecting and displaying abnormalities, and statistics on the entered data. There is a high-performance OMR equipped with a processing function or an automatic scoring function that determines the correctness of answers using marks and scores them.

Generally, in order to prevent misreading, the mark position index 3 or frame 4 of the mark sheet 1' is a dropout that is easy to identify with the naked eye but cannot be read by an infrared photo sensor, for example, with a high reflectance in the infrared region. Printed with colored ink.

On the other hand, in order to ensure that the photosensor can read the timing mark 8, the timing mark 8 is printed with a special black ink that has low reflectance (high absorption) even in infrared light, for example.

For example, a HB or darker pencil is used to enter the mark 2, which is manual data.

The character string 6 is often printed in a drop Alamy color, but may also be printed in the same color as the timing mark.

Therefore, the mark sheet must be made of at least two colors, a combination of dropout color and black (hereinafter, a dark color with low external light reflectance is referred to as "black", and black with high external reflectance is not included). It was printed.

Also, it is possible to save a sheet stack of many mark sheets.
When reading with MR, there is no problem if the sheet stack consists of all the same mark sheets, but if you accidentally read a sheet stack with different mark sheets mixed in as is, it will cause an accident that will produce erroneous results, especially for statistical processing and white paper. ! If the III scoring process is used, the accident may lead to serious problems.

To prevent such accidents, for example, mark sheet 1
' Mark 2 is placed at the position corresponding to one of the 20 mark position indicators representing A-T in subject side 10, for example, E.
a, or print the identification mark 12 in black in advance as shown in the first column from the left.

OMR will be displayed in this subject 1 along with the mark with the data filled in.
Read mark 2a and identification mark 12 in 110 and check with the pre-memorized identification mark and department [1 mark address table] to confirm that this mark sheet is the mark sheet for answer sheet (3) and that the entered data It is determined that the content is an answer to a question in subject E.

Therefore, OMR determines whether the contents of the mark sheet are the answers written on the official form for the subject currently being graded, and if correct, continues grading and aggregation; if not, ignores the mark sheet. continue working, or
Accidents are prevented by displaying an error and stopping until the operator orders a restart.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, when marks are manually entered, errors may sometimes occur in which marks are entered at the wrong mark position index positions.

An incorrect entry of mark 2 in the answer data entered in the answer entry 111 is itself subject to grading, but 9 For example, if the mark 2d on the subject side 10 mentioned in (a) is placed incorrectly by just one position, it will be marked as a non-grading answer sheet. Being judged.

It greatly affects the answerer's performance.

Therefore, it is preferable to prepare a dedicated mark sheet in which the answer sheets are classified and identification marks are printed in advance, instead of having to fill in such unique data, but this inevitably increases costs.

In addition, a dedicated area for at least one row is required for the identification mark, and when the data area used is wide like the mark sheet illustrated in Figure 8, from sea 1 to the front and back of the feed direction (left and right in the figure). There is no margin, and data reading at both ends tends to become uncertain.

Therefore, in order to ensure reliable sheet conveyance and reading,
I started using a sheet one size larger,
This becomes a cause of cost increase.

Mark sheets, which are office consumables, consume a lot of money, so there is a strong desire to lower the cost as much as possible.

This invention was made in view of point 1-,
To provide a mark sheet h and its mark sheet 1 to reading device for preventing an accident due to mixing of other mark sheets without printing or writing a special identification mark.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes a timing mark along the sheet feeding direction, a large number of mark position indicators that are aligned with the timing mark to indicate the mark recording position, and a frame that partitions the marks into a plurality of columns. The display and the character string displaying the type or content of each column are printed on the same side of the sheet, respectively, and each column has a specific character in one character string, a part of the character, or a part of the frame. It is printed at a position aligned with a specific timing mark among the timing marks, and is also used as a secret mark (hidden mark) for mark sheet identification.

There is a sheet conveyance stage F that conveys the mark sheet in the direction in which the timing marks are arranged, a sensor array in which a large number of reflective photosensors are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction, and a sensor array that conveys the mark sheet in the direction in which the timing marks are arranged. A mark sheet reading device comprising a signal processing circuit that discriminates and processes a detection signal, and reads the mark contents of the mark sheet according to -1-,
A mark sheet discriminating means for determining whether a mark sheet is appropriate by comparing the reading result of a specific character or a part thereof or a part of a frame which is also used as a secret mark by a sensor array with discrimination data previously recorded in a memory; It is a dead thing.

Furthermore, among the many photosensors arranged in the sensor array, a photosensor for reading the written mark,
The non-readable insensitive wavelength band is different from that of the photo sensor for reading the secret mark for identifying the timing mark or mark sheet.

[For production]

The mark sheet according to the present invention prints specific characters or parts of characters or frames at specific coordinate positions as described above, and doubles as a secret mark instead of an identification mark for identifying the mark sheet. This eliminates the need for a dedicated area for the sheet, leaving more room in the sheet design and ensuring that data can be read at both ends.

In addition, the OMR described above is equipped with a mark sheet discriminating means that compares the reading result of the secret mark with the discrimination data stored in the memory in advance to determine whether the mark sheet is appropriate or not. Combined with the degree of freedom, it is possible to set a far greater number of classifications than with conventional identification marks, so it can handle any increase in the number of types of dedicated mark sheets.

Furthermore, among the large number of photosensors, the unreadable insensitive wavelength band of the photosensor for reading recorded marks and the photosensor for reading timing marks or seek-clef 1 marks is made different. The photo sensor for reading timing marks or secret marks can also read prints in colors that are normally dropout colors on target mark sheets.

Therefore, by printing the timing marks or the search marks 1 to 1 in the same dropout color as the mark position index, the mark sheet, which was conventionally printed in at least two colors, can be printed in one color, resulting in a significant cost reduction.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, this invention will be specifically explained based on Examples.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a mark sheet according to the invention of claim 1.

The lower side of the mark sheet 1 is a reference side 7 for regulating the position and inclination of the sheet when the 0MR2O conveys this sheet in the direction of the arrow, and the timing mark 8 is set at a pitch P (for example, (It does not necessarily have to be constant as long as it is 1/6 inch or more) and is printed using black ink.

The mark position indicators 3 are aligned with the timing mark 8, parallel to the reference side 7, and spaced apart from each other at a constant interval (for example, 0.2 to 0.2 mm).
They are arranged two-dimensionally in multiple rows (3 inches) and printed in dropout colors.

Generally, the coordinate data of a matrix indicating mark positions is determined by numbers assigned sequentially from bottom to top in rows and from left to right based on the number of timing marks in columns, with the origin at the lower left corner of the sheet.

In this embodiment, the maximum data area in which the mark position index can be placed is 14 rows and 46 columns, but the data area actually used is 12 rows and 45 columns. In the conventional example shown in FIG. 8, the data area used is 13 rows and 46 columns, and the coordinates of the mark 2a representing subject E, for example, are the 13th row and 30th column, that is, (13, 30).

The mark position indicator itself that is actually used.

As shown in Figure 2 (a), this indicates a small mark entry range, but in general, in order to make it easier to mark and prevent incorrect entries, numbers are used as shown in Figure 2 (b). It is often accompanied by symbols or letters.

The method of aligning the timing mark 8 and the mark position index 3 is related to the OMR reading timing, and during a prescribed timing width, the photosensor detects a decrease in the reflectance of the sheet surface and outputs the detection signal. Depending on whether or not
The presence or absence of a mark is determined.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the relative positions of the timing mark 8 and the mark position index 3 on the mark sheet.

FIG. 3(a) shows the width W of the timing mark 8 (for example, W
=0.035 inch), i.e. its 1Wi8a and trailing edge 8b
This is an example of a direct type in which a mark position index 3 is provided between the marks, and FIG. This is an example of the mark-to-mark type with index 3 provided.

Figure (b) shows an intermediate type between Figures (a) and (c), with a specified width (usually 2W to 3W) from the front edge 8a of the timing mark 8.
This is an example of a timing control type in which a mark position index 3 is provided in W).

The direct type has a narrow tolerance, so if the two-color printing of the timing mark 8 and mark position indicator 3 is misaligned or the mark is written in a skewed position, the mark may continue to fall off, but the mark-to-mark type has a wider tolerance. In this case, there is a risk that a false signal due to dirt or the like may be read as a mark, so in general, many devices belong to the timing control type, as shown in the example shown in FIG. 1 (and FIG. 8).

"Answer sheet (3), examinee number 2, name.

Subjects, answer entry columns, 1-10, 21-30, and Japanese are printed in black, and the rest are printed in dropout color.

The difference between this embodiment and the conventional example (FIG. 8) is that the subject side 10 is removed and the words "Japanese" are printed in black, and the identification mark 12 is removed.
As a result, the number of timing marks 8 has been reduced by one, creating more space on the left and right sides.

In the example, the character r149a provided at the coordinates (11°15) of the secret mark 1-mark instead of the identification mark 12 (FIG. 8) is a code for activating the automatic scoring function, and represents the answer sheet (3). The code is (11,2
1), the character rlJ9b provided at (11, 22), and the left thick portion 9c of the character "0".

Furthermore, in the conventional example (Fig. 8), a mark 2a representing subject E (Japanese language) was written, but in the embodiment (Fig. 1), the characters "Japanese language" were printed in black, and the coordinates (13, 26)
A vertical line 9d on the left side of the country character of the character "Kuni" provided in is printed in place of the entry mark 2a.

In this way, the specific character 9 of character string 6 a r9b
, part of the characters 9c, 9d or part of the frame 4 is displayed in a specific line, for example, the 11th line, or in the 13th line, for example, the 15.2nd line.
Design the mark sheet so that the mark position is aligned with the timing mark in the 1st, 22nd, and 26th columns, and so that spurious signals are not generated at positions corresponding to other codes,
By printing, it can also be used as seek register 1 to mark.

In the embodiment, for example, the positions of the characters rl, 10, 21° 30J, etc. in the 11th line are moved to the left and right so that they are aligned with or out of alignment with the timing mark 8, respectively.
The number of types that can be expressed simply by combining them becomes extremely large.

In addition, the position of the letters indicating each subject is printed as a secret mark indicating the subject, so there is no chance of an accident due to a writing error, and there is no risk of accidentally distributing another answer sheet if the letters are read.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of the external appearance of the OMR, and FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view showing the main body inside with the upper cover 23 removed.

The sheet stack 21 is arranged so that each mark sheet 1 faces upward and its reference side 7 is moved by a width regulating plate 25 that moves perpendicularly to the conveyance direction according to the width of the mark sheet 1 by operating a lever 2. The hopper 22'' is set in such a manner that it abuts the guide plate 24 to which the hopper 22'' is fixed.

At this time, the secret number 1- indicating the end of the sheet stack is
If you stack the mark sheet with the marks last and make sure that the corner cut 13 (upper left corner) of mark sheet 1 is aligned, each sheet in the sheet stack will have front and back sides.
The top, bottom, left and right are aligned.

When 0MR2O starts reading, first the transport roller 27
and the paper ejection roller 28 are driven by a main motor (not shown) and rotate at a specified conveyance speed.

The paper feed roller 29 is coupled to a main motor via a paper feed clutch and a one-way ratchet, which are not shown.

OMR controller consisting of a microcomputer (described later)
When a paper feed command is input from , the paper feed clutch is turned on and the paper feed roller 29 rotates at the transport speed or a slightly slower speed, and only one mark sheet 1 at the top of the sheet stack 21 is transferred to the transport roller 27. feed paper to

When the fed mark sheet starts to be conveyed by the conveyance roller 27 at a specified conveyance speed, the paper feed clutch is turned off, but the one-way clutch causes the paper feed roller 29 to rotate following the mark sheet, and when the mark sheet leaves the mark sheet, the paper feed clutch turns off. Because it will stop.

The second and subsequent mark sheets will not be fed until the next paper feeding command is input.

The mark sheet being conveyed passes under the reading board 40, reaches the paper discharge roller 28, and is discharged onto the stacker 30.

A sensor array 41 is arranged on the reading board 40 so as to be orthogonal to the transport direction of the marksee 1- indicated by the arrow.

The sensor array 41 is numbered sequentially from the guide plate 24 side (0-
Each photo sensor 42 is arranged at a position corresponding to each row of the mark position index 3 on the mark sheet 1 with its detection part facing downward, so that the mark When the sheet 1-1 passes under the reading board 40, a mark, a timing mark, or a secret mark (reduction in reflectance due to this) is detected and a detection signal is output.

Although not shown, the surface facing the detection section of each photosensor 42 and over which the mark sheet 1 passes is finished in a glossy finish, so that when the mark sheet 1 is not present, the reflectance is at its lowest.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of a circuit that processes the detection signal, and FIG. 7 is a flowchart 1~ showing an example of the processing.

The controller 50 is a 5 microcomputer (hereinafter referred to as rCPUJ).
) 51, a ROM 52 containing program and mark address tables that are discrimination data, and a column counter (cc) 53. R having an area such as matrix memory 54
AM55, l1056 and interface (I/F)
It consists of 57.

The host machine 70 is equipped with peripheral devices such as a monitor 71 for displaying data, messages, etc., a keyboard 72 for inputting commands, data, etc., and a printer 73 for recording results, as well as an interface 57 for the controller 50.
It is connected to OMR via.

The controller 50 inputs information from various sensors 60 inside the OMR connected to l1056, makes a judgment, and determines whether the same <l
Various sequence equipment group 61 connected through 105B
Sequence control that outputs commands to the sensor array 41
Data processing is performed on detection signals output from the photosensors 42-0 to 42-N that constitute the .

The column counter 53 and matrix memory 54 of the RAM 55 are
The first column counter 53, which is cleared for each paper feed command for each mark sheet, integrates the timing mark detection signals to count the column number, and the first column memory 54 is cleared by the photo sensor 41-1.
The detection signals (density data) of each mark outputted by 42-N are memorized at addresses corresponding to the row number and column number, respectively.

The UE detection circuit 45 detects the up edge (UE) of the detection signal of the photosensor 42-0 that detects the timing mark, and outputs a pulse signal to the controller 50 and the timing generation circuit (TO) 4B. .

The pulse signal passes through l1056 and advances the column counter 53 of the RAM 55 by one.

On the fourth day of the timing generation circuit, when the pulse signal from the UE detection circuit 45 is input manually, the timing generation circuit generates a preset mark "I!".
A timing signal corresponding to the timing width of the take is output to the gate 47, and the gate 47 is opened for that period.

Photosensors 42-1 to 42-N detect marks located in the first to Nth rows, respectively, and output analog detection signals corresponding to the densities to MPX (analog multiplexer) 48.

This analog detection signal is transmitted to the MPX4 which is sequentially switched from the first row to the Nth row according to a selection command from the controller 50.
8 and passed A1. ) is converted into a digital detection signal by a converter (ADC) 49 and output to the gate 47.

The gate 47 is always closed, but when a timing mark is detected, it is opened for a certain period of time, during which time the first
The digital detection signals from the row to the Nth row repeatedly pass through the gate 47 and are output to the controller 50 via the l1056.

The CPU 51 of the controller 50 selects the data stored at the address of the matrix memory 54 (first 0) and the data of the digital detection signal corresponding to the density of the mark manually input. If the data of the detection signal is less than the already stored data, it is left unchanged, and if it is greater, the data of the detection signal is applied. Store to address.

As a result, when the gate 47 is closed again, data corresponding to the maximum density of each mark is stored in the addresses corresponding to the first to Nth rows of the light column in the matrix memory 54.

When the mark sheet finishes passing under the sensor array 41, all the photosensors 42 have the highest density (lowest reflectance).
If this state continues during the mark reading timing period, it is determined that the reading of marks 1 to 1 has been completed, and the density data of each mark stored in the matrix memory 54 is stored. The secret mark (S M) is identified and converted into binary data indicating the presence or absence of the mark by eliminating false signals due to dirt on the sheet, etc. 6. Next, the secret mark (SM) is determined,
If it indicates the end of the sheet stack, the process goes to the end. If not, it is determined whether the content CC of the column counter 53 matches the number 'I'max of timing marks on the mark sheet.

If they do not match, a misunderstanding has occurred, such as the timing mark continuing to fall or dirt on Sea 1~ being mistaken for a timing mark, and the column data of the read coordinates of the mark cannot be trusted, so the following error will occur. Go to processing.

Next, it is determined whether the secret mark matches the regular secret mark currently being processed.

If it matches the official secret mark, the matrix memory 5
After determining the presence or absence of a mark in the entry data area 4, performing scoring and other data processing, and transferring the results to the host machine 70, the system waits for the next paper feeding command to be input.

-M, as an error process, 0MR2O leaves the read answer data unprocessed, displays an error, and temporarily stops.

The operator removes the mark sheet that caused the error at the top of the mark sheets discharged to the stacker 30, or takes the cause of the error and transfers the mark sheet to the hopper 22.
If you return it to the top of the page and then instruct it to restart, reading will resume from the next mark sheet.

At this time, the meaningless data stored in RAM is
Since it is cleared by the first paper feed command when restarting, it does not affect the result data.

The secret mark (SM) is a mark address table that is stored in advance in the ROM 52. It is determined whether or not there is a mark in the address.

For example, when automatically scoring a Japanese answer sheet using answer sheet (3), the mark address data is 1115.11211 112211326, and the mark sheet shown in the example has the secret mark 9d. Since 9d to 9d correspond to each other, it is determined to be normal.

In this example, the sentence 't go 1' 9c at the coordinates (11, 3 = 1) or the right vertical line 9f of the character 'country' at the coordinates (13, 27) are also recognized as marks, so the above data to 1
134.1327 may be added, and the possibility of a judgment error decreases as the number increases.

Before starting this sheet stack reading operation, necessary data such as sheet stack type or secret mark type and model answer data must be downloaded from the host machine.
It is manned by MR.

Alternatively, you can stack a regular sheet with model answers marked on it on the first sheet of the sheet stack, and after the first marked sheet is read and its data is memorized,
Compare the coordinates of all marks in the secret mark field with the secret mark coat table stored in the ROM in advance to select the type of secret mark that matches, or store model answer data in the model answer area. Then, start automatic scoring and statistical processing from the second page.

If you know the type of secret mark, you can also know the number of timing marks "f" max depending on the type of marksy 1~, so when it is determined that one mark sheet has been read, the content of the column counter CC = "1" It is possible to determine whether or not the value is max'x.

As described above, the mark sheet according to the invention of claim 1 and the mark sheet according to the invention of claim 2
The OMR according to the invention has been explained by way of examples.

In this way, except for the individual data for each sheet that the answerer or data entry person must mark,
Create a special mark sheet in which unique data indicating common items or paper types is replaced with pre-printed secret marks as much as possible to prevent data entry errors and to allow users to understand the purpose of use at a glance. A mark sheet that also uses a part of it or a part of its frame as a secret mark, and its secret mark.
A means was provided to determine the suitability of the mark sheet by checking the
By combining this with MR, it is possible to construct a system that can freely deal with the increasing number of types of secret marks by creating a dedicated marksee 1-.

In addition, conventional high-output LEDs with good luminous efficiency did not have infrared I, EDL, which has a peak wavelength in the infrared region, such as a peak wavelength of 94011 m, so it was necessary to use a photoreflector (reflection type) Photosensors that have a light source and a light receiving part, such as an interrupter (transmission type), were also limited to those that use infrared light, but in recent years, high-output LEDs with high luminous efficiency and a peak wavelength in the iTJ viewing area, such as peak Photosensors that utilize visible light using LEDs with a wavelength of 650 nm have come into production.

When such a visible light photosensor is used, it can also detect mark position indicators, frames, or characters printed in dropout colors that conventional infrared photosensors cannot detect, so it is possible to detect marks to be written at the mark position indicators. Although it cannot be used as a sensor for reading because there is too much noise, it can be used as a sensor for reading timing marks or secret marks that do not mix with written marks.

Therefore, for example, in the sensor array 41 on the reading board 40 shown in FIG. 5, the photosensor 42-0 that detects only two timing marks is replaced with a visible light photosensor,
If conventional infrared photosensors are used for the other photosensors 42-1 to 42-N and timing marks are printed in a color that can be detected by this visible light sensor among the conventional dropout colors, at least Marksee 1~, which required two-color printing combining one of the dropout colors and black, can now be printed in a single color using the above dropout color.

This not only reduces the printing process to one step and requires only one plate, but also eliminates the need to pay attention to the alignment of timing marks of different colors and mark position indicators, that is, color misalignment, which significantly reduces costs.

Furthermore, since the error in alignment due to color misregistration is reduced to 0, the timing accuracy of mark reading is improved, and errors such as misregistration due to deviations in the writing position when marking marks are correspondingly reduced.

Furthermore, the visible light photosensor naturally detects marks printed in black, and conventional two-color printed marks (-) can also be used without any problems, making it an OMR with higher-level functions.

These effects are exactly the same for secret marks.

Therefore, in the Marksee 1- embodiment (Fig. 1),
The photosensor 42-13 that reads the 13th line with only the secret mark and no entry mark can be replaced with a visible light photosensor instead of an infrared photosensor.

In addition, in cases such as the 11th line where there is an entry mark and a secret mark on the same line, or in order to be able to read the secret mark wherever it is in the maximum or used data area, in addition to the sensor array 41, it is necessary to A sensor array 43 consisting of first sensors 44-O to 44-N is provided.

Among these photosensors, the photosensors 42-1 to 42-N of the sensor array 41 may be configured with infrared photosensors for reading written marks, and all the others may be configured with visible light photosensors.

In this case, the two rows of sensor arrays 41.43 each include a photo sensor 42-0.44- for timing mark detection.
If an independent column counter is provided using the 0 detection signal as a timing reference, it is possible to read mark sheets with timing marks having different or unequal pitches P.

According to this embodiment, out of a large number of photosensors arranged in a sensor array, a photosensor for reading written marks and a photosensor for reading timing marks or secret marks have insensitive wavelengths that cannot be read. By changing the bands, Marksee 1- is produced by monochrome printing using a dropout color for the photo sensor for reading the written mark, and a color that can be detected by the photo sensor for reading the timing mark or secret mark. You can.

By increasing the number of photosensors used, OM
Although it is inevitable that the cost of R will increase slightly, it is clear that the cost of the entire system will be reduced by significantly lowering the cost l- of the mark sheets that are used in large quantities.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, according to the present invention, unique data indicating common items and paper types among input data are replaced with secret marks as much as possible to prevent accidents caused by mistakes in marking marks, and to ensure reliable mark reading. , the total cost of the entire system can be reduced.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of the mark sheet according to the invention of claim 1, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a mark position index, and FIG. 3 is an example of the relative position of the timing mark and mark position index. An explanatory diagram showing. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of the mark sheet reading device according to the invention of claims 2 and 3. 5 is a schematic plan view showing the main parts thereof, FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the signal processing circuit, FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the secret node 1 to mark 9 discrimination process, Figure 8 shows a conventional example of a mark sheet (L side view). 1... Mark sheet 2... Mark 3...
Mark position index 4...Frame 5...Character
6... Character string 8... Timing marks 9a to 9f... Seek reference 1 to mark 20... Mark sheet reader (OMR) 27... Conveyance roller
28...Paper discharge roller 29...Paper feed roller 41.43...Sensor array 42.44...Photo sensor 45...UE (amp edge) detection circuit 46...Timing generation circuit 47...Gate 50...Controller 51.
・・cpu (microcomputer) (markcy 1
52... ROM
5 5...RA M2C...Phos 1-Manno Figure 2 Figure 3 (a) (b) (C) Applicant Seco Nippon Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. Display of a timing mark along the sheet feeding direction, a number of mark position indicators aligned with the timing mark to indicate mark writing positions, and a frame dividing the marks into a plurality of columns, and each of the timing marks. In a mark sheet in which a character string indicating the type or content of a column is printed on the same side of the sheet, a specific character of the character string or a part of the character or a part of the frame is used as the timing mark. A mark sheet is characterized in that it is printed at a position aligned with a specific timing mark among the marks, and doubles as a secret mark for identifying the mark sheet. 2. A sheet conveying means for conveying the mark sheet in the direction in which the timing marks are arranged, and a sensor array in which a large number of reflective photosensors are arranged in a row in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction.
A mark sheet reading device for reading mark contents of a mark sheet according to claim 1, comprising a signal processing circuit that discriminates and processes detection signals from each of the photosensors, the mark sheet reading device also being used as the secret mark by the sensor array. A mark sheet reading device comprising mark sheet discriminating means for determining whether or not a mark sheet is appropriate by comparing the reading result of a specific character or a part thereof or a part of a frame with discrimination data previously recorded in a memory. 3. The mark sheet reading device according to claim 2, wherein one of the plurality of photosensors arranged in the sensor array is a photosensor for reading written marks, and a photosensor for reading the timing mark or a secret mark for identifying the mark sheet. A mark sheet reading device characterized by having a different insensitive wavelength band that cannot be read from that of a photo sensor for use in the market.