JPH09212285A - Handwriting input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To input an image by handwriting by lightly setting up a dot or a line with optional thickness. SOLUTION: An optional position A on the display screen of a display device 2 is pointed out by the pen tip of an input pen 1. The static state of the pen tip on the position A is checked by coordinate detection from a coordinate detection means. The static time is counted up by a counting means and the size (thickness) of a dot 4 on the position A is gradually increased every lapse of static time determined in the counting means. When the pen 1 is moved in a contact state on the screen of the display device 2, the moving locus of the pen 1 is detected by the coordinate detecting means to draw a line 3. The line 3 is drawn by the thickness determined by the static time of the pen 1. Since the thickness of a dot or a line can be optionally set up in accordance with the static time of the pen tip and a line is drawn by the set state, operation for setting up the thickness of an optional dot or line can be simplified.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention operates an arbitrary position on a screen of a display device such as a CRT or a liquid crystal, and draws an image or a character by a line according to a movement locus when operating a point and the screen. A handwriting input device that can be used.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an information processing device such as a personal computer, data input is displayed on a screen of a display device as needed. At that time, when inputting display data, an arbitrary position is pointed on the display screen by using a pointing device, and an image is drawn according to the movement trajectory when the display screen is moved. It is a thing. As a result, it is possible to arbitrarily input a predetermined figure or character by handwriting.

For example, by pointing a desired position on the display screen by using a mouse, which is a pointing device, or an input pen, the coordinates of the position are detected, and the position of the screen is appropriately changed. It is possible to draw figures, characters and the like by combining curves and straight lines. This input device is generically referred to as a handwriting input device, and it is possible to draw a desired image by arbitrarily operating the pointing device on the screen and store the drawing data as needed. I have to.

In the handwriting input device, for example, when a line is drawn by operating the display screen using an input pen or the like, the width of the line and the size of the starting point during the operation are different from each other in advance. It was necessary to select the desired size in advance by operating the setting key for setting the width of the line and the size of the point especially for the operation. Therefore, to change the width of that line,
It is necessary to reset the width (thickness) of the line each time, which requires a very troublesome operation. Moreover, if the operation is neglected, it becomes impossible to draw an image with a desired line width.

In view of this, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-282094 proposes a structure in which the width of a line that can be drawn can be automatically set by the force of pressing the screen of an input pen. Therefore, when a desired line width is selected, it may be pressed on the screen with a predetermined pressing force. That is, even when a graphic or the like is being drawn, when it is desired to draw a line with a desired width, the user may operate the screen with an arbitrary pressing force.

Further, in JP-A-6-149468, when an arbitrary point on the screen is pressed by the input pen, the pressing force, the angle θ1 of the input pen with respect to the X-axis direction, the input pen and the display screen are displayed. There has been proposed a handwriting input device configured to detect an angle θ2 and the like to be created and set the line thickness (width), shape, and line darkness accordingly. According to this, when inputting a character or the like by hand, the character can be drawn by a touch such as writing on a paper with a brush and the input can be performed.

[0007]

However, in order to set the width and shape of the line by the above-mentioned conventional handwriting input device, it is necessary to separately provide means for detecting the pressing force of the pen tip on the display screen. . Moreover, even if the line width is set, it is very difficult to sensually recognize how much the pressing force can obtain the desired line width. Therefore, the pressing force that determines the width of the line for the next operation cannot be easily recognized on the user side.

Further, drawing of a graphic with an arbitrary line width is different due to a pressure difference due to an individual difference when operating the screen. Further, even when strongly pressed, a predetermined pressure may not be detected due to the angle of the pen tip, and an image may not be drawn with a line having a desired width. Thus, there is no way to accurately determine the width of the line drawn at the time of pressing on the screen.

Moreover, since the degree of pressing of the input pen has been conventionally detected, in drawing an arbitrary image with a pointing device using a mouse or the like,
It becomes impossible to freely enter the line width. In addition, as described above, it is necessary to separately provide a means for detecting the pressing force, which makes the entire apparatus large in size, which is a major factor of cost increase.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and can freely set the width of a line, the operating point indicating the size of the point, and the state of the line with a pointing device, and (EN) Provided is a handwriting input device capable of easily recognizing the width (thickness) of a line and the size of a dot when operated, and simplifying the operation.

[0011]

According to the present invention, a handwriting input device for achieving the above object is operated by sequentially operating an arbitrary position on a screen of a display device for displaying display data. In a handwriting input device capable of performing drawing according to a movement trajectory at each position, an instruction means for operating an arbitrary position on the display screen of the display device to input an image by handwriting, and the instruction. Detecting means for detecting a stationary time at the same position where any position on the screen is operated by the means, and setting means for setting the thickness of a point or line for drawing corresponding to the detection time of the detecting means , Is provided.

With this configuration, when a desired image is drawn by handwriting, the instruction means for drawing at an arbitrary position is made to stand still, and the width of the point or the like is set according to the stationary time.

Therefore, the detecting means detects the stationary time at the initial starting point on the screen of the display device by the instructing means, and the setting means sets the size of the starting point according to the detecting time. In this case, when creating an image by handwriting, the thickness of the line or the size of the point that will be drawn can be recognized in advance. In addition, since the line thickness and the like can be freely set just by stopping the pointing device at an arbitrary position, it is not necessary to select the line thickness in advance before handwriting input, and handwriting operation is performed. Since it can be set at any time, not only the operation becomes very easy, but also the line thickness etc. at the time of handwriting input can be set accurately.

Further, the handwriting input device for achieving the object of the present invention is the handwriting input device having the above-mentioned configuration, in which an arbitrary position on the display screen of the display device is operated to input a handwritten image. An instruction means for performing the operation, and the instruction means sequentially operates an arbitrary position on the screen of the display device,
A detecting means for detecting a stationary time during the operation, and a setting means for setting a line thickness of an image drawn by a movement trajectory when the instruction means operates the screen according to the detecting time; It is characterized by having.

According to this structure, when the image already drawn when the pointing means is operated is viewed and the pointing means is made to stand still at the position at the final point, the stationary time is detected by the detecting means. It The line thickness of the image already drawn is set by the setting means according to the detection time. In other words, while the drawn image is being viewed, the pointing means at the final point is stopped and the line thickness changes each time, so the line thickness can be set arbitrarily according to the state of the image.

Further, a handwriting input device for achieving the object of the present invention is the handwriting input device according to the above-mentioned configuration,
An instruction means for operating an arbitrary position on the display screen of the display device to input an image by handwriting, and a stationary time detected by the instruction means at an arbitrary position on the screen of the display device Detecting means, second detecting means for detecting a moving time when the instructing means moves on the screen of the display device, and one of the instructing means according to the detecting time of the first and second detecting means. Setting means for setting the thickness of the line of the image drawn by the movement trajectory on the screen.

According to this structure, the thickness of the line is set according to the stationary time and the moving time of the instructing means, so that a touch drawing such as writing a character with a brush can be performed. In particular, as shown in FIG. 8, the tip size of the input pen 1 which is the indicating means is set according to the time at the stationary position (A), and the line size of the line is changed according to the time when the input pen 1 moves. It can be drawn so that the thickness is gradually reduced. For example, when the moving time of the input pen 1 to the next stationary position (B) is short, the degree of thinning can be reduced, and when the moving time to that position is long, the degree of thinning can be easily increased. You can do it. Therefore, you can enjoy the feeling of handwriting with the touch of a brush.

As the pointing means, a pointing device such as a mouse can be used in addition to the input pen as described above.

[0019]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an operation explanatory view for explaining the principle of handwriting drawing according to the first embodiment of the present invention, in which an arbitrary point (position / position A) is operated (instruction / press)
Then, the line 3 is drawn by moving the operation point from the operation point to the arbitrary position (B) in a state of being in contact with the surface of the display screen 2 in the arrow direction.

Here, FIG. 1A shows a state in which the input pen 1 is operated (instructed) at an arbitrary point (A) on the screen of the display device 2, and the operation point A at that time is a well-known coordinate input. Coordinates are obtained by the device, and the coordinate point is displayed (drawn) at, for example, point 4. At this time, although not shown, the time detection means detects time from the time when the input pen 1 is pointed to the operation point A, and the size of the point 4 is changed every time a predetermined time elapses. Gradually increase. FIG. 1B shows a state in which this point (starting point) 4 is increased.

Here, the maximum size of the points is predetermined, and the operation time (rest time at the operated position) at the start point 4 corresponding to the size is the maximum time determined. After that, the state is maintained. That is, the size is set to the maximum state even when the input pen 1 is made to stand still and the rest time at this time exceeds the predetermined time. Alternatively, after the lapse of the maximum time, the size of the point is returned to the initial size, the timed time is cleared, and the time gradually increases again.
Further, on the contrary, the time can be counted again from the time when it becomes maximum, and the size of the point can be gradually reduced according to the time.

In this way, if the size of the point 4 at the position A operated with the input pen 1 is determined, the tip of the input pen 1 can be arbitrarily moved along the display screen 1 as shown in FIG. By moving the line 3 to the position B, the line 3 having a width determined by the size of the point 4 can be drawn. As described above, when the arbitrary position A is operated, the input pen 1 is stopped and the size of the point 4 is set according to the elapsed time at that time. At this time, by displaying the size of the point 4 when operated, simultaneously with the passage of time, the size of the point 4 can be easily recognized on the user side, and the size of the point 4 when drawing is attempted. The width and the width of the line 3 can be easily set, and at the same time, the operation becomes very simple.

As described above, according to the principle of the first embodiment of the present invention, the size of the point 4 is changed according to the time on the display screen 2 designated by the input pen 1. It is the one that is compared with the one due to the pressing force,
The configuration becomes very simple. In particular, the coordinates of the operated position A are detected, the stationary time in a state where the detected coordinates do not change is detected, and the size of the point 4 at the operated position A is set in response to the detected time. Only the means for counting the time is added to the conventional device, which does not cause a significant cost increase.

Therefore, not only the input pen 1, but also the mouse can be used to detect the time when the coordinates of the position of the cursor linked to the mouse does not change. Particularly, when drawing is performed using a mouse, the time from the time when one operation key provided on the mouse is operated is timed. The point is gradually enlarged around the coordinate point at the tip of the cursor in accordance with this time count, and the state is displayed. With a desired size set according to this display state, the operation key is released from the pressed state, and the size of that point is determined. After that, by moving the cursor from that position, it is possible to draw an image by handwriting with a line having a predetermined width.

Further, FIG. 2 is a portable electronic device 10 equipped with a handwriting input device for inputting an arbitrary image by handwriting by setting the width of a point or a line designated by the pointing device described in FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of FIG. In the figure, a small electronic device 10 is provided with a main body cabinet section 11 in which a control circuit for controlling the entire apparatus is provided, and a display screen constituting the handwriting input device according to the present invention is provided on the surface of the cabinet section. Input / output unit 1 including
2 and an openable / closable lid 13 that covers the input / output unit 12.

The lid 13 is connected to the back surface (the back side in the figure) of the main body cabinet 11 via a hinge (not shown), and is provided so as to be openable and closable with respect to the main body cabinet 1. The lid 3 is provided so as to cover the input / output unit 2, and is closed so as to protect the input / output unit 2 when carrying the small electronic device 10. Also, reference numeral 1
Is a pen for input in the present invention, and by operating the input / output unit 12 with the pen 1, necessary information can be input. The pen 1 is a pointing device, and by operating an arbitrary position of the input / output unit 12, the coordinates of the operation point can be input.

Further, FIG. 3 shows the input / output unit 12 in FIG.
In order to explain the details of the above, the expanded state is shown.
In the figure, this input / output unit 12 is shown as a liquid crystal display unit 201.
It is provided with (corresponding to the display device 2 of FIG. 1 according to the present invention), a mode selection input section 202, a function selection input section 203, and a transparent tablet 204 which is means for inputting coordinate positions. The input / output unit 12 may include a numeral and character input unit (not shown) as information input means.

The liquid crystal display unit 201 is of a matrix type which is thin and capable of displaying characters, and may have a backlight composed of an EL panel or the like on the back surface, if necessary. In addition, the transparent tablet 204 has a liquid crystal display unit 201.
The mode selection input unit 202 and the function selection input unit 203 are arranged on the upper side and are printed on or under the transparent tablet 204. When the area such as the mode selection input unit 202 is pressed against the input pen 4, the coordinates of the position can be input according to the contact point of the transparent tablet 204, and the mode defined in the coordinate area can be selected. ing. Therefore, the transparent tablet 204 can input the coordinates of the point by operating the arbitrary point.

Further, FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a control circuit of the system provided in the main body cabinet 11 in the portable small electronic device 10 having the handwriting input function described above. To briefly explain the figure, the CPU 5 performs the control processing of this system and, on the basis of the coordinates from the input coordinate detection unit 6, the LCD (the liquid crystal display device in FIG. 3) that constitutes the display device 2 described in FIG. 20
The display control of the LCD drive unit 7 for displaying in 1) is included. The ROM 8 is a read-only memory that stores a control program executed by the CPU 5, data necessary for processing, and the like. The RAM 9 stores various information of this system as needed, and at the same time, data drawn by handwriting according to the present invention. Is a random access memory for storing.

The clock circuit 15 is a detecting means for counting the time according to the present invention, and is particularly used when counting the time from the time when the input pen 1 presses an arbitrary position (coordinates) on the screen of the display device 2. To be done. That is, CPU5
When the display device 2 is caused to draw by handwriting, in order to count the stationary time of the input pen 1 at the operating point of the input pen 1, the clock circuit 15 is accessed and time is counted. CPU pass 14 for various information
Via.

In the present invention, the CPU 5 also sets the point size or the line thickness, which is the operation position of the input pen 1, in accordance with the time count based on the clock circuit 15. Equivalent to.

(First Embodiment) Hereinafter, as shown in FIG. 1, an arbitrary position A on the display screen of the display device 2 is pressed (instructed), and the point at the position A for drawing is correspondingly pressed. The form for setting the size of 4 or the width of the line will be described in detail. The CPU 5 described above for realizing the form shown in FIG.
FIG. 5 shows a control flow of the above, particularly a control flow for setting the size of a point or the like by the setting means.

First, when the input pen 1 presses an arbitrary point on the transparent tablet 204 which is integrated with the display device 2 in an integrated manner, the coordinates (x, y) of the pressed position are read, and this is read in the RAM 9. Store in a predetermined area (step n
1) is done. The reading of the coordinates is detected by the input coordinate detection unit 6 when the arbitrary position of the transparent tablet 204 is pressed as described with reference to FIG. 4, and this is input to the CPU 5. This coordinate detection uses a conventionally well-known technique, and a description thereof will be omitted. At this time, in the case of FIG. 2, it will be described below assuming that the area of the display device 201 is operated.

As described above, the coordinates (x, y) of the operation point by the input pen 1 are read in step n1, and the radius r of the initial value is set at a position centered on this coordinate point (x, y). The pen tip 4 is drawn as shown in FIG. 1 (A) (step n2). Next, the time t1 is read in step n3 (step n3). This is the time measured by the time counting circuit 15 in FIG. 4, and for example, the time when the time measuring operation is performed from the power-on point of the apparatus main body or the time when it operates as a clock is read.

Then, in step n4, the coordinates (x1, y1) are determined again in order to determine whether the operation position of the input pen 1 is displaced or not, and whether the tip of the pen 1 is separated from the display screen. Read. After reading these coordinates, it is first confirmed whether or not the tip of the pen 1 has moved away from the display surface of the display device 2 (step n5). That is, if the tip of the pen 1 is separated from the transparent tablet 204, the contact portion at the operation point disappears and the coordinate point is output. At this time, if it is confirmed that the pen 4 has moved away from the transparent tablet 204, the drawing ends at that point.

If the tip of the pen 1 is not separated from the transparent tablet 204, at the next step n6, the coordinate position read at the previous step n1 and the step n above.
The coordinate position read in 4 is compared. That is, the current coordinates (x1, y1) read in step n4 are compared with the previous coordinates (x, y). Therefore, x = x1,
If y = y1, the input pen 1 is regarded as the same position.
The process proceeds to step n10 assuming that the other end is still on the operation surface (204) of the display device 2.

However, when it is confirmed that x = x1 and y = y1 are not satisfied, the process proceeds to step n7, where (x,
The line width between y) and (x1, y1) is determined by the line width determined by the width (diameter) of the point of radius r drawn by the tip of the pen 1 described above. That is, the screen of the display device 2 (the transparent tablet 2
04) A line 3 is drawn with a width corresponding to the size of the point of the initial pen 1 tip when operated on, and following the locus when moving from position A to position B in FIG. Become.

When this drawing is completed, the coordinates (x, y) which is the operation position of the tip of the pen 1 is read again (step n8). The coordinates (x1, y1) read in step n4 are read as (x, y) in R.
It is stored in AM9 or the like and will be read as (x1, y1). After this reading, it is determined whether the pen 1 is away from the tablet 204 (step n9),
If the coordinates are not separated, the coordinates read in n8 again in step n7 deviate from the coordinates read in the previous step n4, and handwriting drawing with a line having a width determined by the above-described rest time of the pen 1 is performed. Done. Therefore, the operations of steps n7 to n9 are determined by the rest time of the pen 1, that is, according to the movement locus of the tip of the pen 1 that arbitrarily moves on the display screen of the display device 2 according to the selected width (size of the point). The drawing is repeated and a desired line is drawn.

Therefore, a detailed description will be given of an embodiment of the present invention in which the width of a line to be drawn, that is, the size of a point, which is set according to the rest time of the pen 1, is selected. This is because if the coordinate point is exactly the same as the first operation point in step n6, that is, if x = x1 and y = y1, it is determined that the tip of the pen 1 is stationary, and in step n10, the current time of the clock is set. The time t2 is read. Then, step n1
At 1, it is determined whether or not a fixed time (t) has elapsed. This determines whether or not the difference between the previous read time t1 and the read time t2 in step n11 is equal to or longer than a certain time (t). That is, it is determined whether or not t <(t2-t1).

If the fixed time t has not elapsed, the process returns to step n4 and the above-described operation is repeated. If the fixed time t has passed, the process proceeds to step n12. In this step n12, the pen 1 stays at the same position for a certain time (t).
Since it is still still after that, the size of the point 4 drawn in the state of the initial value of the tip of the pen 1 is increased. For example, r + p is performed on the radius r, which is the initial size, and the size of the dot is displayed on the display device 2.

At this time, the size of p may be appropriately determined. For example, if the initial radius r is set to draw a line with a width of 0.5 mm, then 0.25
mm. Therefore, p is also 0.2
If the distance is set to 5 mm, the point 4
Radius increases by 0.25 mm and line width becomes 0.5
It becomes thicker by mm. This numerical value is merely an example and can be set appropriately.

Therefore, if the point of the tip of the pen 1 is enlarged after the elapse of a certain time t, the state is changed from FIG. 1 (A) to FIG.
The screen is displayed as shown in (B), and the process returns to step n3 to read the time t1. This time t1 is stored in a predetermined position of the RAM 9. Then, the above step n4
After sequentially executing → n5 → n6 → n10 → n11, the point 4 at the tip of the pen 1 is gradually set thicker every time the fixed time t elapses while the pen 1 remains stationary without moving. .

Therefore, the pen 1 is placed at an arbitrary position on the display device 2.
The size of the point 4 which is the width of the line for drawing is set according to the stationary time (t) at that position, and is displayed each time. By recognizing the size of the displayed point 4, the width of the line can be selected, and when the point 4 has a desired size, the input pen 1 can be moved to an arbitrary position without being separated from the display screen of the display device 2. By moving with, you can arbitrarily draw a line with the selected size.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, if the same coordinate is kept stationary by the pen 1 for a certain time (t), the thickness of the pen tip is set to be gradually increased. it can. In this example, once the thickness of the point, that is, the thickness of the line is determined, until the pen 1 is separated from the tablet 204,
Drawing can be performed without changing the thickness of the point and the line.

Therefore, when changing the thickness of the line again, the tip of the pen 1 is moved away from the transparent tablet 204 on the display screen, an arbitrary coordinate point is operated again, and the line is stopped at that position for a predetermined time. Good. Although the thickness of the line determined at the first point when the pen 1 is operated at any position on the transparent tablet 204 is constant, the pen 1 is moved from that position.
If you leave the tip stationary without moving it, point 4 will grow without limit. Therefore, the upper limit of the size of the point 4 is determined, and for example, before step n12, it is determined whether or not the size of the point, that is, the radius r, is a predetermined upper limit. The initial radius r may be restored.
Alternatively, when the upper limit is exceeded, subtraction (r−
p) may be performed. Furthermore, when the upper limit is exceeded, point 4
The size of may be fixed so that it does not become larger.

When the pen 1 is moved to an arbitrary position on the display screen with the radius r of the point 4 determined as described above, the control of steps n7 to n9 is sequentially repeated.
It is possible to input an image with a desired line thickness.

Here, the drawing by the movement locus of the pen 1 tip by handwriting input has been described, but it is also possible to draw a straight line, a rectangle, a circle or the like determined by two points of designated coordinates. For this reason, the mode selection unit 202 is appropriately selected and operated by the input pen 1, and the linear mode, the rectangular mode, the circular mode, or the like is selected in advance. Then, the arbitrary position A to be drawn is operated, and the size of the point 4 at that time is set by stopping the pen 1. Then, when the size of the point 4 is determined, the pen 1 is separated from the display screen, and another arbitrary position B is operated. It is possible to draw a straight line, a rectangle, a circle, or the like determined by both of the operated positions A and B, and at the same time, the size of the point 4 is set by the pen 1 described above. Can draw the set figure.

(Second Embodiment) According to the above-described first embodiment, the pen 1 is attached to the transparent tablet 2 on the display device 2.
When the arbitrary position A on 04 is first designated, the desired size of the point 4 can be set by keeping the pen 1 stationary at the position A for a certain period of time. In contrast,
The line thickness may be set at the end point of the pen 1 when the pen 1 is moved to an arbitrary position on the transparent tablet 204. That is, when a final point is designated, a line drawn by a handwritten movement locus up to the operation point is drawn, and this is particularly useful when finally determining the thickness of the line.

That is, the line width (thickness) of the drawn image can be determined while looking at the drawn image, so that it can be determined after recognizing the image. In particular, according to the first embodiment, since the width of the drawn line is determined by the size of the point, it is impossible to set the line thickness suitable for the drawn image as a whole, but this second embodiment Since the entire image can be recognized and the line thickness corresponding to the image can be determined, the line thickness suitable for the image can be easily set.

As shown in FIG. 6 which is a conceptual diagram showing the second embodiment, when the pen 1 is first moved from the operation position A to a desired position B, that is, from FIG. 6A to FIG. (B)
When the pen 1 is moved to this state, drawing is performed according to the miracle of the movement. The thickness of the line at this time is set to the initial thickness. Then, the pen 1 is made to stand still at the final position B, and each time a certain time (t) elapses, the pen 1 shown in FIG.
As shown, gradually increase the thickness of the line 3.

In this way, the thickness of the line 4 can be set arbitrarily while recognizing the drawn line 3, especially the image drawn on the whole, which is very advantageous in that the drawn state can be confirmed. Is.

Further, FIG. 7 is a control flow of means for setting the line thickness for drawing by the CPU 5 in order to set the line thickness shown in FIG. 6, and the control operation will be described below according to the flowchart. Will be described in detail.

First, when the pen 1 touches an arbitrary position on the transparent tablet 204 on the display screen of the display device 2, the coordinate point (x, y) at that position is read (step n2).
1). At the coordinates (x, y) of the point A, the pen tip 4 having the initial radius r is drawn as shown in FIG. 6A (step n2).
2) Do it. Then, the current time t1 is read (step n23), and the coordinates (x1, y1) are read in step n24 similarly to step n21.

Pen 1 operated in the above step n24
If is not separated from the transparent tablet 204, the coordinates are read, but if it is separated from the transparent tablet 204, it is determined that the pen 1 is separated in step n25, the drawing is terminated at that point, and the pen 1 is transparent. Wait until the tablet 204 is instructed.

If the pen 1 is not separated from the transparent tablet 204 on the screen of the display device 2, step n24.
At the operation position of the pen 1, the coordinates (x1,
y1) is compared with the coordinates (x, y) read in the previous step n21 (step n26). This time,
If the position of the tip of the pen 1 moves and it is not determined that the pen 1 has moved to the same position without resting, the thickness is determined according to the initial radius r as shown in FIG. 6B in step n27. , The line 4 is drawn according to the movement trajectory between the first designated position A and the designated position B where the pen 1 has moved.

Then, in order to store the line 4 drawn so far, the current coordinates are added and stored in a desired area such as a memory such as the RAM 9. That is, the pen 1 moves on the transparent tablet 204, sequentially stores various coordinate data indicating the locus of the moving state (step n28), returns to step n23, and repeats the operation of reading the time t1 again.

As described above, the pen 1 is attached to the transparent tablet 2
By designating an arbitrary point 04 and moving it on the transparent tablet 204, a desired figure determined by the movement locus is drawn with a predetermined line thickness, that is, an initial value thickness.

Therefore, in order to change the thickness of the drawn line, the pen 4 is stopped at the designated position B, which is the end point of the movement as shown in FIG. 6B, and the state is maintained. . Therefore, it is determined whether or not the coordinate position designated in step n26 has not changed, and if it has not changed, the time t2 at that time is read (step n29).

After drawing by hand with the pen 1, the drawing is stopped at the position of the final point (B) in order to set the thickness of the line of the drawn figure or the like. In step n30, it is determined whether or not this stationary time has passed a preset time (ts). This determination compares whether or not the time (ts) described above has become ts <(t2-t1). Further, the time (ts) may be set appropriately, and is set to, for example, about 2 seconds to 5 seconds, and when the pen 1 is operated on the transparent tablet 204 to draw the line 4, If you want to have an arbitrary thickness,
In FIG. 6 (B), when the time at which the robot is stationary at the final position indicated by position B exceeds the time (ts), the thickness of the line is set and the following process is executed. The confirmation of the rest time (ts) of the pen 1 is to confirm the image already drawn in order to set the line thickness as described above.

When the passage of time (ts) is confirmed in step n30, the time t1 at that time is read in step n31. Then, the coordinates of the operation point of the pen 1 are read (step n32). When this is finished, it is confirmed in step n33 whether or not the coordinates of this operation point have changed. That is, in the state of the pen 1 in FIG. 6B, if the stationary state is confirmed at the operation position B after the movement, the process proceeds to step n34, and at this time, the time t
Read 2.

After that, it is checked in step n35 whether or not the time difference between the times t1 and t2 read in the steps n31 and n34 has passed a certain time (t). In this confirmation, if the fixed time (t) has not elapsed, the process returns to step n32 and the above-described operation is repeated.

When the predetermined time t has elapsed in step n35, the thickness of the image (line in FIG. 6B) drawn (displayed) on the display device 2 stored in step n28 described above. Thicken one step. That is, the thickness of the line corresponding to the initial radius r of the tip of the pen 1 is determined by adding the determined value p to the thickness determined. As described in the first embodiment, this is thickened at intervals of 0.5 mm, for example.

As described above, after inputting a predetermined image in the state of FIG. 6B, the input image is displayed on the display device 2, and then the width of the line for drawing the image (thick) When the pen 1 is made to stand still at the final point (B) in order to set (S), the line of the displayed image gradually becomes thick according to the rest time.

On the other hand, when the entire image after being drawn is recognized and the setting of the line width of the image is completed, the pen 1 is separated from the transparent tablet 204 of the display device 2 to confirm this image. It This is shown in FIG.
In the state of (C), the pen 1 is the transparent tablet 204.
When it is further separated, the stationary state of the pen 1 is not confirmed,
Go to step n37. Here, in order to draw the next figure or the like, the previously drawn data is stored in another area, and the already drawn data due to the movement trajectory of the pen 1 stored in the RAM 9 or the like is cleared. (Erase),
Prepare for the next drawing memory.

In step n33, if the pen 1 moves from the rest position of the pen 1 in FIG. 6B before confirming the rest for a certain time (t), the RAM 9 stored in step n37. Erase the drawing data inside and start drawing with the next line. At this time, when the drawn figure is not confirmed, the display of the drawn image is erased by clearing (erasing) without storing the drawing data in the RAM 9 in another recording section. You may do it. That is, in step n33, when the pen 1 is separated from the transparent tablet 204, the drawn figure is determined, and in order to maintain the display, the figure is stored and stored in another storage unit. It may be deleted.

Alternatively, in the state of FIG. 6B, if the tip of the pen 1 moves without leaving the transparent tablet 204, it is assumed that an image combined with the previous drawing is input, and the process returns to step n23. In this case, the data based on the movement trajectory in the state of moving together with the already stored image data is additionally stored.

According to the control operation of FIG. 7, step n33
When the pen 1 moves without being separated from the transparent tablet 204, all the data drawn so far is erased or stored separately, and the drawing data so far is cleared, and the process returns to step n23. Drawing is started again at the coordinates (x, y) read in n22.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, the pen 1 is arbitrarily moved on the display screen of the display device 2 in order to draw an arbitrary image, and the input is made by the locus of the movement. The line forming the drawn image can be set to an arbitrary thickness by keeping the pen 1 still at the position at the final point in the displayed state. That is, when the pen 1 is separated from the screen of the display device 2 or moved to a new drawing position in a state where the line thickness is desired, the line thickness is set and drawn. become. Therefore, the thickness of the line can be freely set according to the drawn image, so that it is possible to easily set the desired line thickness while observing the entire drawn figure.

Here, the thickness of the line is described to be gradually thicker according to the time at the stationary position as in the first embodiment, but the upper limit of the thickness is set and exceeds the upper limit. Sometimes, if the thickness is returned to the initial thickness, or if the upper limit thickness is gradually returned to the initial thickness, a line with a desired thickness can be drawn without any problem.

When an arbitrary image is drawn and then the next image is drawn in a state of being combined with the previous image, the thickness of the drawn line is set in the previously drawn image. It can be drawn with the thickness of the line. Then, when the drawing of the desired image is completed, the pen 1 can be stopped at the completed final point, and the pen can be set again to an arbitrary thickness. In this way, the input operation of the drawn image with a line having an arbitrary thickness can be easily performed in the entire visual field.

(Third Embodiment) This embodiment is based on the first embodiment.
In the embodiment, after the size of the point at the position designated by the pen 1 is set according to time and the thickness of the point is set,
The pen 1 is moved, and the thickness of the line is gradually changed from the designated position in accordance with the moving time and the moving position, and the drawing is performed so as to be particularly thin. An example of this drawing state is shown in FIG.

That is, in FIG. 8 (A), the size of the point 4 is determined by keeping the pen 1 stationary at the first operation point A for a certain period of time.
After setting as shown in (B), the pen 1 is moved to the position B in FIG. 8 (C). At this time, as the pen 1 moves, the image drawn by the tip of the pen 1, that is, the width of the line 3 is set to gradually narrow. This is to create a character with a brush by operating the pen 1. In other words, after the tip of the pen 1 is set still and the thickness of the brush is set, the pen 1 is moved in that state to draw a character or the like by the brush.

FIG. 9 shows an example of the control flow for setting the thickness of the line 3 by the CPU 5 described above. The control operation will be described below with reference to FIG.

First, by operating the arbitrary position of the transparent tablet 204 of the display device 2 with the tip of the pen 1, the coordinate (x, y) at that time is read (step n41), and the radius r at the coordinate point is read. Draw the point of the pen tip (step n
42). Then, the current time (t1) is read (step n43), and then the coordinates (x1, y1) of the operation point of the pen 1 tip are read again (step n4).
4), it is determined whether or not the pen 1 is separated from the transparent tablet 204 (step n45).

If the pen 1 is not separated, it is determined in step n46 whether the tip of the pen 1 has moved on the screen of the display device 2. On the other hand, if the pen 1 is farther from the screen of the display device 2, the drawing process ends at that point.

If it is confirmed at step n46 that the pen 1 has not moved and is still at the same position, the current time t2 is read at this point (step n47) and the counter Mc is cleared (step n48). To do. The counter Mc counts the movement time of the pen 1, and a counter Sc that counts the stationary time of the pen 1 is provided correspondingly. These counters utilize the time count by the clock circuit 15 shown in FIG. Therefore, at the time of starting at the operated point, the time t1
Is read, the difference from the time t2 is obtained, and this is sequentially executed to count the rest time (Sc).

As will be described below with reference to FIG. 9, after the count Mc is cleared, the counter Sc reads the time t2 read in order to count the rest time of the pen 1.
And the time t1 at the time of the previous start is calculated and stored in the counter Sc. The stationary time counted by the counter Sc and a predetermined time, that is, the first and second times.
As described in the above embodiment, the time tc corresponding to the fixed time (t) is compared in step n50, and it is confirmed whether or not the stationary time counter Sc has counted this time tc. If the tip position of the pen 1 has not passed a certain time (tc), that is, the counter Sc
If the count content of is not more than the fixed time (tc), the process returns to step n44 to read the coordinates of the operation position of the pen 1 tip again to confirm the moving state of the pen 1 tip.

The above operation is repeated, and the fixed time (t
If it is confirmed in step n50 that the period c) has passed, the tip of the pen 1 at the stationary position, that is, the dot (point 4) at the stationary position is increased by one step in step n51. This increase is as described in the first embodiment. After enlarging the tip of the pen 1, the contents of the counter Sc are cleared (step n5).
2) Then, the pen 1 tip enlarged in n42 is drawn.

As described above, if the pen 1 is stationary at the same position, the tip of the pen 1 gradually becomes larger (thicker) according to the stationary time. Therefore, the pen 1 is shown in FIG.
When moving without leaving the screen of the display device 2 as described above, the movement is confirmed in step n46, and in step n53, drawing is performed according to the locus of the moved state. The thickness of the line drawn at this time is a thickness corresponding to the time when the pen 1 has been stationary.

After the above drawing, time t at the present time
2 is read (step n54), the stationary counter Sc is cleared (step n55), the movement counter Mc stores the obtained difference between the times t2 and t1, and the movement time is counted. This step is a time count for confirming the movement of the pen 1 and gradually tapering the tip of the pen 1 according to the movement time. Here, although not specified in the flow of FIG. 9, the pen 1
When it is confirmed that the movement state of No. is confirmed, the time is again stored by reading the time t1 in Step n43, and after Steps n46 → n47 are continued, Steps n46 → n5
At the initial time point when the process shifts to 3, the current time t1 is read and stored. Therefore, when the counter Sc is counting the stationary time, the new time t1 is stored at the time of shifting from n46 to n53.

As described above, it is determined in step n57 whether or not the count content of the movement counter Mc is equal to or longer than the predetermined time (tm). The predetermined time tm is such that the tip of the pen 1 is gradually thinned in accordance with the moving time of the pen 1, and when the time tm is shortened, the pen 1 becomes thin quickly. This time may be set appropriately. In the determination of this time, if the predetermined time (tm) has not elapsed, the process returns to step n43, the moving state or the stationary state of the pen 1 is confirmed again, and if the pen 1 continues to move, step n56.
→ After n57, it is determined whether or not the movement counter Mc has counted the predetermined time tm or more. At this time, the current time t1 is not updated. Therefore, if it is confirmed in step n57 that the predetermined time tm has elapsed, in order to make the tip of the pen 1 smaller, the radius r of the tip of the pen 1 is set to r = rp (step n58), Movement counter Mc
After clearing (step n59), drawing is performed with the tip of the pen 1 tapered in step n42.

As described above, the pen 1 as shown in FIG.
Hold the pen once at any position A and adjust the thickness of the pen tip as shown in Fig. 8.
As shown in FIG. 8B, a desired size is set, and the pen 1 is moved to an arbitrary position B in this set state.
As shown in (C), the pen tip is drawn in a state where the pen tip is gradually thinned according to the moving time. Especially when the time to move to an arbitrary position is short, the point B moved from the initial stationary point A
Although the thickness of the line up to does not change so much, when the moving time is long, the line gradually becomes thinner as shown in FIG. 8C.

If the pen 1 is stopped at the moved position B again, the tip of the pen 1 is gradually thickened at that time, as shown in FIG.
When the pen 1 is moved to the position C in this state, the drawing as shown in FIG. 8E is performed.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, the same coordinates can be indicated for a certain period of time, and the thickness of the pen tip can be reduced according to the time during movement. That is, when the pen 1 is moved, the pen tip becomes thinner, and when the pen 1 is stopped, the pen tip at that position becomes thicker repeatedly, and an image having a shape as shown in FIG. 8 can be drawn. This makes it possible to draw an image with the feel of writing a character or the like on paper with a brush.

Here, according to the control flow of FIG. 9, since the pen 1 moves and the pen tip becomes thinner at every predetermined time (tm),
The drawn actual line 4 is drawn in a gradually thinned state. To eliminate this, move the outer circumference of this dot between the stationary position and the two points that moved and then stopped again, depending on the thickness of the pen tip according to each stationary time, that is, the size of the dot. You may make it draw with the line connected according to the locus. FIG. 10 shows an example thereof, and the point 4 of the pen tip set at the first stationary position A
If the size of the point 40 of the pen tip at that time is set at the position B where the next pen 1 is moved and stopped with respect to the size (dot) of It is possible to draw an image connected by the following line 3. At this time, the position B is stopped again at the final position C, and drawing is performed between the position C and the position C according to the size of the dot 42 determined by the stationary time at that time. By doing so, there is no stepwise thinning of the line, and smooth line drawing with a brush or the like can be performed. Even in such a case, you can enjoy drawing with the feel of a brush.

In each of the above embodiments, in order to count the resting time of the pen 1 tip, that is, to detect the time, a timing circuit 15 is additionally provided, the time is read at a necessary time, and the time is counted by the time difference. The actual example of doing so has been described in each flow. But,
It is also possible to start a timer using the RAM 9 or the like to count the time. This is because the CPU 5 operates based on the reference clock, so that the time can be easily counted by counting the clock. For example, in the flow of FIG. 5, steps n3 and n8 and n1
The timer may be started in step n3 without reading the time at 0, and it may be determined whether or not the time point count of the timer is equal to or longer than the time t determined in step n11. Then, after step n12 has passed, the timer is reset, and step n
Although the timer can be started at 3, the time detecting means can be easily constructed.

In the above description of each embodiment,
Although the pen 1 is used for the description, the same can be applied to the case where the mouse or the like is used for drawing as described above. That is, the thickness of the line is not determined by detecting the pressure of the pen 1, but the thickness can be set according to the rest time of the pen tip. Therefore, when using a mouse, set the thickness of lines and points for easy drawing by stopping the cursor that moves in conjunction with the mouse at that position at an arbitrary position and counting the rest time. it can.

Moreover, the thickness is gradually increased by counting the stationary time by the pen 1, but this may be reversed. That is, in the initial state, the maximum size may be set and gradually reduced to the minimum.

[0089]

As described above, according to the handwriting input device of the present invention, when handwriting input is performed, when an arbitrary point is designated, the thickness of the point or line drawn according to the stationary time at that time is drawn. Since the height is set, it is possible to easily set a point or line having an arbitrary thickness and input a handwritten image.

In particular, according to the present invention, when handwriting input is performed, not only the input pen but also the mouse is used for drawing, as long as it has a conventionally known coordinate detecting means. It can be carried out in the same manner for the thing, and the operation becomes very simple.

The thickness of the point or line can be arbitrarily adjusted during drawing by setting the thickness of the point or line during movement by hand or handwriting or by designating the final point. . In particular, in the case of setting by the instruction at the final point for determining the image, it is more effective because the determination can be made while recognizing the entire image.

Further, when handwriting input, if the line thickness is changed in consideration of the movement time when moving the image plane, it is possible to perform drawing with the feel of a brush and the like. You can easily enjoy the feel of a brush.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an operation explanatory diagram of a drawing state provided for explaining a principle according to a first embodiment for performing handwriting drawing of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of an electronic device in which the function of the handwriting input device of the present invention is applied to a portable electronic device.

3 is a development view of a display device portion in FIG. 2 and a portion for detecting coordinates when an arbitrary position on a display screen is designated.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an overall control circuit configuration of an electronic device including control of a handwriting input device according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a control operation according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an operation explanatory view for explaining an operation principle in the second embodiment for performing handwriting drawing of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining a control operation for realizing the drawing state of FIG.

FIG. 8 is an operation explanatory view for explaining an operation principle in the third embodiment for performing handwriting drawing of the present invention.

9 is a flowchart for explaining a control operation for realizing the drawing state of FIG.

FIG. 10 is an operation explanatory diagram showing an example of an implementation mode in drawing according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Input Pen (Instruction Means) 2 Display Device 3 Drawn Image (Lines) 4 Pen Tip (Points) 5 CPU (Setting Means) 9 RAM (Memory Means) 15 Clock Circuit (Means for Time Detection) t Predetermined quiescent time t1 Current time of clock circuit t2 Current time of clock circuit Sc quiescent counter Mc moving counter tc set time in quiescent time tm set time in moving time

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A handwriting input device capable of sequentially operating an arbitrary position on a screen of a display device for displaying display data and performing drawing according to a movement locus at each operated position, Instructing means for operating an arbitrary position on the display screen of the display device to input an image by handwriting, and detection for detecting a stationary time at the same position by operating the arbitrary position on the screen by the instructing means A handwriting input device comprising: means and setting means for setting the thickness of a point or line for drawing corresponding to the detection time of the detection means. 2. A handwriting input device capable of sequentially operating arbitrary positions on a screen of a display device for displaying display data and performing drawing according to a movement locus at each operated position, An instruction means for operating an arbitrary position on the display screen of the display device to input an image by handwriting; a detection means for detecting the stationary time of the starting point initially operated on the screen by the instruction means; Setting means for setting the size of the starting point instructed by the instructing means corresponding to the detection time of the detecting means, and the movement locus operated on the screen by the instructing means is the setting means. A handwriting input device that is drawn with a line thickness according to the size set by. 3. A handwriting input device capable of sequentially operating an arbitrary position on a screen of a display device for displaying display data and performing drawing according to a movement locus at each operated position, An instruction means for operating an arbitrary position on the display screen of the display device to input an image by handwriting, and an arbitrary position on the screen of the display device is sequentially operated by the instruction means. A detection means for detecting the stationary time; and a setting means for setting the thickness of the line of the image drawn by the movement trajectory when the instruction means operates the screen according to the detection time. Handwriting input device characterized by. 4. A handwriting input device capable of sequentially operating an arbitrary position on a screen of a display device for displaying display data and performing drawing according to a movement locus at each operated position, An instruction means for operating an arbitrary position on the display screen of the display device to input an image by handwriting, and a first means for detecting the stationary time at the arbitrary position on the screen of the display device by the instruction means. Detecting means, second detecting means for detecting a moving time when the instructing means moves on the screen of the display device, and a screen of the instructing means according to the detecting times of the first and second detecting means. A handwriting input device comprising: a setting unit configured to set the thickness of a line of an image drawn by the movement path above.