JPH0731709B2 - Handwriting input device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a handwritten character input device for inputting handwritten characters.

(B) Conventional technology Today, Japanese word processors and personal computers are becoming more and more familiar, and there are some people who are new to keyboard operation or who do not like keyboard operation. A handwritten character recognition device has recently begun to be commercialized as a Japanese input device that requires little skill for such people,
Research is also active, and details of such devices are described in the article "Online Handwritten Kanji Recognition for Relaxing Writing Restrictions such as Kushizushi" in the December 5, 1983 issue of Nikkei Electronics.

A handwritten character input device used as an input means of such a handwritten character recognition device generally detects an input pen (1) for writing a character and a movement locus of the pen tip of the input pen, as shown in FIG. And a character locus detection panel (hereinafter referred to as a tablet) (2).

The tablet (2) of the handwritten character input device of FIG. 5 has a plurality of input area frames (21) so as to correspond to a plurality of characters.
(21) ... is displayed, and the input area frame (21) (2
1) The character locus of the pen tip of the input pen (1) for one character is detected for each.

(C) Problems to be solved by the invention In the conventional handwritten character input device as described above, since the areas of the input area frames (21), (21) ... Are fixed,
For authors who have a habit of writing large letters, this frame (2
1) (21)… Because it is necessary to write characters with care so that they fit within, it is a burden for the writer.

On the contrary, in the case of a writer who has a habit of writing small characters, when writing a plurality of character strings, there is a drawback that the character spacing becomes too large and useless space is generated.

Therefore, as a method of eliminating this drawback, the frame (21) (2
It may be possible to variably set the size of 1), but in this case, since the sampling rate of each character is constant regardless of the size of the input character in the character locus detection processing, a large frame (21 ) (21) The number of character trace data samples of large characters written in (21) is different from the number of sample character trace data of small characters written in small frames (21) (21). There are disadvantages such as a decrease in accuracy for processing and an increase in character recognition processing time due to an increase in the number of unnecessary samples.

(D) Means for Solving Problems The handwritten character input device of the present invention comprises an input pen for writing handwritten characters and a tablet provided with a plurality of input areas in which characters are written by the input pens. In the above handwritten character input device, the input area area setting means for variably setting the area of the input area of the tablet and the input character locus sampling rate setting means for variably setting the sampling rate of the input character locus are provided. .

(E) Operation According to the handwritten character input device of the present invention, the area of the input area of the tablet is set by the input area area setting unit so as to correspond to the size of the character that the writer can easily write, and the input character locus sampling rate is set. By the means, the sampling rate can be set in inverse proportion to the area of the input area.

(F) Example FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an external plan view of a handwritten character input device of the present invention, and FIGS. 2 (a), (b) and (c) are schematic diagrams for explaining the operation thereof.

The first difference between the handwritten character input device of the present invention of FIG. 1 and the conventional device of FIG. 5 is that the input area (21) of the tablet (2) in which each character is written by the input pen (1).
(21) ... There is a large area setting switch (3L), a medium area setting switch (3M), and a small area setting switch (3S) as input area area setting switches for variably setting the area.

That is, when the small area setting switch (3S) is operated, as shown in FIG. 2 (a), each input area (21S) (21S) of the tablet (2) has the smallest area, for example, 10 mm × 10 mm. When the middle area setting switch (3M) is operated, as shown in Fig. 2 (b), the respective input areas (21M) (21M)
Is larger than in the case of FIG.
For example, if the size becomes 15 mm × 15 mm, and the large area setting switch (3L) is operated, the respective input areas (21L) (21L) have the largest area, for example, 20 mm × 20 mm, as shown in FIG. 2 (c).
mm.

When an electromagnetic induction type tablet (2) is used, a writing sheet with an input area frame is generally placed on the tablet (2). Each input area (21) shown in Fig. 2 (a) (b) (c)
S), (21M), (21L) will be prepared for each writing paper with the input area frame. Further, when a combination of a transparent tablet (2) on the liquid crystal display is adopted, writing paper is not required, and FIG.
(B) (c) Input areas (21S), (21M),
The frame of (21L) is the input area area setting switch (3
S), (3M), (3L) will be displayed in response to the operation. On the other hand, when using this electromagnetic induction type tablet (2), the above area setting switches (3L) (3M)
Incorporate (3S) as an area inside the tablet (2),
By touching this with the input pen (1), the switch can be operated.

FIG. 3 shows a functional configuration when the character recognition device of the present invention is used as a handwritten character recognition device. In the figure, (4) is an xy coordinate detection unit that detects the position of the pen tip on the tablet by xy coordinates over the entire tablet surface.
(5) is a window coordinate conversion processing unit, (6) is a window area designating unit,
(7) is a window pitch designation section, and window coordinate conversion processing section (5) is an input area area setting switch (3L) (3M) (3
Based on the width W of one side of the square input area designated by the window area designating section (6) according to the operation of S) and the pitch P of the input area designated by the window pitch designating section (7), x.
The value (x · y) from the y-coordinate detection unit (4) is (n-1) P <x <(n-1) P + W (m-1) P <y <(m-1) P + W where n is Windowing is performed under the condition that the row number m of the input area is the column number of the input area.

That is, the processing unit (5) uses a specific input area, for example N
When detecting the x and y coordinate signals that are the character loci of the input areas of rows and M columns, (N-1) P <x <(N-1) P + W (M-1) P <y <(M- 1) Only the value (x · y) satisfying P + W is extracted as the character locus data for one character. Furthermore, the processing unit (5)
In the above, processing for converting the value (x · y) extracted as described above into the window coordinates (X · Y) corresponding to the input area X = x− (N−1) P Y = y− (M− 1) By applying P, a standardized character trace data (X · Y) sequence for one character in the range of 0 <X <W 0 <Y <W is output.

(8) is a sampling circuit, (9) is a sampling rate designating section, and the designating section (9) responds to the operation of the input area area setting switches (3L) (3M) (3S). ), The sampling rate a is specified. That is, large area input area (21L) (21L)
The sampling rate a when ... is set and that when the input area (21M) (21M) of medium area is set,
When the input area (21S) (21S) with a small area is set, the ratio to that is inversely proportional to the width of the input area. Is set to.

The second point in which the device of the present invention is different from the conventional device is that the sampling rate designating section (9) is provided, and as shown in (a) of FIG. 4 and (ii) of the same FIG. The number of samples (indicated by dots) of the sampled character locus data (X ′ · Y ′) series when the area is large,
It is almost the same as when the area of the input area is small.

Reference numeral (10) is a normalization circuit for further expanding or compressing the data (X ′ · Y ′) sequence from the sampling circuit (8) so as not to be affected by the area width W of the input area. And, for example, a large input area (21L)
4th data (X '・ Y') when (21L) is set
As shown in Fig. (Ii) D, = (X ″ · Y ″) and input area (21
Data (X ', Y') when S) (21S) ... is set as shown in A of FIG. 4 (iii). = (X ″ · Y ″) and obtain the input feature pattern consisting of the character locus data that fits in the same existence range as in the case where the input area (21M) (21M) of medium area is set in all cases. is there.

(11) is a feature pattern buffer that stores a feature pattern consisting of character locus data (X ″ · Y ″) series for each character from the normalization circuit (10), and (12) is a standard pattern for each character. A standard feature pattern memory storing feature patterns, and a pattern recognition circuit (13) for recognizing the input feature pattern of the buffer (11) based on each standard feature pattern of the memory (12). The recognition processing section (R) is composed of these (11), (12), and (13), and the recognition result of the input character at this time is obtained.

(G) Effect of the Invention The handwritten character input device of the present invention is a handwritten character input device including an input pen for writing handwritten characters and a tablet having a plurality of input areas in which characters are written by the input pens. In that, since the input area area setting means for variably setting the memory of the input area of the tablet is provided, the input area area setting means makes it possible for the author to load the area of the tablet input area by handwriting characters. It can be set to an appropriate size with no waste and no wasted space. Moreover, since the input character locus sampling rate setting means associated with the input area area setting means is also provided, the character locus data of a substantially constant number of samples can be obtained without being affected by the area of the input area. . Therefore, for example, it is possible to generate a suitable characteristic pattern suitable for character recognition.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a handwritten character input device of the present invention, FIGS. 2 (a), (b) and (c) are partial schematic plan views of the present invention device, and FIG. 3 is a handwritten character recognition of the present invention device. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the device of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view of a conventional handwritten character input device. (1) ... Input pen, (2) ... Tablet, (21) (21
L) (21M) (21S) ... Input area, (3L) (3M) (3S)
Input area area setting switch, (4) ... xy coordinate detection section, (5) ... window coordinate conversion processing section, (6) ... window area designation section, (7) ... window pitch designation section, (8) ... Sampling circuit, (9) ... Sampling rate designation unit, (10) ... Normalization circuit, (R) ... Recognition processing unit.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An input pen (1) for writing handwritten characters.
And a character locus detection panel (2) having a plurality of input areas (21, 21S, 21M, 21L) into which characters are written by the input pen (1). Input area area setting means (3M, 3L, 3S) for variably setting the area of the input area of the detection panel (2), and input character locus in relation to the setting of this input area area setting means (3M, 3L, 3S) An input character locus sampling rate setting means (9) for variably setting the sampling rate of the handwritten character input device.