JPH09297654A - Character converting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a character converting device with which the conversion of characters can be easily instructed. SOLUTION: The writing operation of a protruding part is detected (S2 and S3), this writing operation is recognized as image data based on that detected signal (S5), characters are recognized by comparing and collating these image data with predetermined reference character data (S7), and these recognized characters are stored as input characters to be converted for reading (S10). Then, when the conversion is instructed by the action of a user such as shaking a casing in the case of converting that input character string to be converted to the character string of correspondent Chinese characters (KANJI) or the like (S11), this input character string to be converted is converted to the character string of correspondent KANJI or the like (S12).

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention recognizes a character by a handwriting action and converts the recognized character from, for example, "kana" to "kanji" or "kanji" to "kana" or the like. The present invention relates to a character conversion device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a character conversion apparatus of this type, for example, as shown in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 62-81259, a storage unit for storing "Yomigana" and "Kanji" in association with each other. According to the contents recognized by the pen-type input device, "Kanji" or "Yomigana" is read from this storage unit and displayed on the display unit, and "Kanji" is converted to "Kanji". , Or the one that can convert characters from “Kanji” to “Yomigana” has been proposed. In this device,
When converting characters, conversion instructions were made by key input.

[0003]

However, according to this character conversion device, the user holds the pen when tracing the shape of a character to recognize the character and an instruction to convert the reading into kanji. Since the way to hold the pen when inputting keys to do the same may be different, it is difficult to operate.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and a method of holding a casing when a user traces the shape of a character in order to recognize the character,
An object of the present invention is to provide a character conversion device that can easily perform a character conversion operation without changing how the casing is held when converting characters.

[0005]

In order to achieve this object, a character conversion device according to a first aspect of the present invention is a pen tip-shaped protrusion provided at the tip of a casing handled by a user. An input operation detecting means for detecting a character input operation by the protruding portion; an image data recognizing means for recognizing the operation of the protruding portion as image data based on a signal detected by the input operation detecting means; A character recognition unit for inputting image data recognized by the data recognition unit and performing character recognition by comparing and collating with predetermined reference character data, and a character recognized by the character recognition unit as a converted input character. A converted character storage means for storing, a first character string such as reading of a word, and a conversion dictionary storing a second character string such as kanji corresponding to the first character string; Character conversion means for converting the first character string or the second character string stored in the converted character storage means into the other character string using the conversion dictionary, and the character string converted by the character conversion means. The present invention further includes a conversion operating means for operating the character converting means based on an operation in which the casing is handled by a user.

Therefore, according to this character conversion device, the user holds the casing, puts the protruding part thereof on the upper surface of the paper or the like on the desk, and operates to write a desired character. Then, the input motion detecting means detects the motion of the projecting portion, and the image data recognizing means receives the signal from the input motion detecting means to recognize the motion of the projecting portion as image data, and the character recognizing means. Is for inputting the image data from the image data recognizing means and performing character recognition by comparing and collating with the predetermined reference character data, and the converted character storing means stores the characters recognized by the character recognizing means. Is stored as the converted input character.

Next, when the user moves the casing for the purpose of character conversion, the operation of the conversion is detected by the conversion operation means, and an instruction signal is output to operate the character conversion means. Then, the character conversion means,
Using the conversion dictionary, the first character string or the second character string that has already been input and recognized is converted into another character string. That is, if the input recognized character string is the first character string, it is converted into the second character string, and if it is the second character string, it is converted into the first character string. The content of the character string converted in this way is output by the output means. That is, for example, the converted character string is displayed on the display portion.

The character conversion device according to claim 2 is
The conversion operating means is composed of a displacement body supported displaceably with respect to the casing, and a signal output means for detecting a displacement operation of the displacement body and outputting a signal for operating the character conversion means. Has been done. Therefore, when performing character conversion, the signal output means detects a displacement operation of the displacement body by operating the character conversion means by giving a motion to the casing by, for example, shaking the casing strongly. To output the signal. Character conversion can be performed based on this.

Further, the character conversion device according to a third aspect of the invention is provided with spring means for arranging the displacement body at a position which is always separated from the signal output means. Therefore, unless a special operation such as shaking the casing strongly is given to the casing, the signal output means does not detect the displacement body, so that a malfunction does not occur at the time of normal character input.

[0010]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments embodying the character conversion device of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

First, the overall configuration of the pen-type character conversion device 10 will be described with reference to FIG.

At the tip of the pen-shaped casing 11,
A protruding portion 11a formed in the shape of a pen tip and its protruding portion 1
Pen pressure sensor 15 that contacts inside 1a of casing 11
And are arranged.

The writing pressure sensor 15 includes the tip 1 of the protrusion.
1a for distinguishing between a state in which a character or the like is written and other states.
However, the image data is input while being pressed against the surface to be written, and is recognized as another state while being separated from the surface to be written.

Further, in the vicinity of the projecting portion 11a at the tip of the casing 11, there is an acceleration composed of an X-direction acceleration sensor 12a for detecting the X-direction acceleration and a Y-direction acceleration sensor 12b for detecting the Y-direction acceleration. A detecting means 12 is arranged to detect the moving direction and the moving amount of the protruding portion 11a.

Further, a piezoelectric vibrating gyro 13 for detecting an angular velocity for rotation correction is incorporated.

The acceleration detecting means 12, the piezoelectric vibrating gyro 13, and the writing pressure sensor 15 constitute an input operation detecting means for detecting the operation of the protrusion 11a.

Then, as will be described later, the control unit 14 performs necessary signal processing according to the outputs of these signals.

The display window 16 is connected to the control unit 14, and the characters recognized by the character recognizing means described later,
Display the character converted to another character string.

Further, between the piezoelectric vibrating gyro 13 and the control unit 14, inside the casing 11, one end is connected to the other end of a coil-shaped expansion spring 19 fixed inside the casing. 17 and its weight 1
Switch 18 fixed to the inner surface of the casing facing 7
Are provided. The weight 17 is always arranged at a position separated from the switch 18 by the telescopic spring 19, and when the casing 11 is strongly moved or shaken in the longitudinal direction by the user, the weight of the so-called pedometer counter is increased. In this manner, the switch 18 is reciprocated with the expansion and contraction action of the expansion and contraction spring 19, and the switch 18 is pressed. When the switch 18 is pressed, a signal for operating the character conversion means described later is output to the control unit 14.

The weight 17 and the switch 18
Of the present invention constitutes the conversion operating means of the present invention, and the weight 17 thereof constitutes the displacement body and the switch 18 constitutes the signal output means. The expandable spring 19 constitutes a spring means.

The structure and operation of processing the signals generated by the acceleration detecting means 12 and the piezoelectric vibration gyro 13 by the control section 14 will be described with reference to FIG.

As a rough flow, first, the operation of the protruding portion is recognized as image data, then the character string of the image data is recognized, and the conversion instruction operation is detected, so that the character string is converted to another. Convert to the character string.

First, the output of the acceleration detecting means 12, which is a change in the electrical resistance value, is output to the acceleration detecting section 1 of the control section 14.
4A and converted into an acceleration signal. The output of the acceleration detection unit 14A is sent to an integration unit 14B that converts an acceleration signal into a speed signal, and detects the amount of movement of the protrusion 11a.

Further, the acceleration signal output from the acceleration detecting unit 14A is also input to the direction determining unit 14E which determines the moving direction of each of XY, and detects the moving direction of the protrusion 11a.

On the other hand, the output of the piezoelectric vibrating gyro 13 is sent to the angular acceleration detecting section 14C for detecting the angular acceleration, and the output of the angular acceleration detecting section 14C is another integrating section 14D for converting the angular acceleration into the angular velocity component. Sent to. The angular acceleration detecting unit 14C and the integrating unit 14D allow the protrusion 11a
The data for correcting the influence of the rotation of is calculated.

The outputs of the integrator 14B for detecting the moving amount and the direction discriminating unit 14E for detecting the moving direction are corrected by the corrector 1.
4F, the influence of the rotation is corrected by the output of the integration unit 14D.

The movement amount and movement direction signals corrected by the correction unit 14F are input to the image data extraction unit 14G, the coordinate values are calculated, and the input image data such as characters is extracted.

The image data recognizing means is constituted by each processing section from the acceleration detecting section 14A to the image data extracting section 14G, and the operation of the protruding section is recognized as image data.

Next, the image data output from the image data extraction unit 14G is input to the character feature recognition unit 14J via the stroke recognition unit 14H which is a character recognition means.

Regarding the character recognition method described below,
For example, it is well-known as described in Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 7-11820.

The stroke recognizing unit 14H compares the stroke information contained in the image data output from the image data extracting unit 14G with the stroke data stored in the stroke number dictionary 14I to determine the stroke number. Strokes are recognized by.

The character recognition unit 14J compares the result of the stroke recognition with the data stored in the character characteristic dictionary 14K to determine the character.

The character candidates determined by the character feature recognition unit 14J are sent to the display unit 14L and displayed on the display window 16.

The character selected by the user from the displayed character candidates is sent to and stored in the determined character memory 14M. The determined character memory 14M converts the characters stored therein into character conversion later.
It can be said that it is holding. That is, it becomes a converted character storage means.

The character stored in the determined character memory 14M is converted through the following process. The conversion of characters may be "kana to kanji", "kanji to kana", "Japanese to English", etc., but in the present invention,
Take "kana-kanji conversion" from kana to kanji as an example.

First, the conversion operation detection unit 14N detects whether or not a conversion instruction for Kana-Kanji conversion has been issued for the character displayed in the display window 16 on the display unit 14L.

As described above, the weight 17 is reciprocally supported in the cylinder of the casing 11, and when the user shakes the casing 11 strongly in the longitudinal direction, the weight 1
7 pushes the switch 18, and the signal of the switch 18 is input to the conversion operation detecting unit 14N of the control unit 14.

When the conversion operation detecting unit 14N detects a conversion instruction, the Kana-Kanji conversion unit 14O performs Kana-Kanji conversion with reference to a Kana-Kanji conversion dictionary 14P described later.

The kana-kanji conversion dictionary 14P is a dictionary that stores the reading of words and the notation of kanji or the like for the reading, and refers to the part-of-speech information or connection information to describe the kana as "kanji" or the like. It is for converting to.

Subsequently, the kana-kanji conversion result is stored in the kana-kanji conversion result memory 14Q and displayed on the display window 16 on the display section 14R.

The signal processing of the control unit 14 has been described above.

Next, the operation of the character conversion device thus configured will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, the user performs a writing operation using the protruding portion 11a at the tip of the casing 11 as in the case of writing characters on a piece of ordinary paper (step 1, hereinafter S1). And abbreviated).

Next, the amount of movement and the direction of movement are detected by the writing operation of the protrusion 11a (S2).

The operation of the protruding portion 11a (that is, the moving amount and moving direction of the protruding portion 11a) is determined by the X-direction acceleration sensor 12.
a, is detected by the acceleration detecting means 12 composed of the Y-direction acceleration sensor 12b, is taken into the control unit 14,
It is processed.

Then, as described above, the output of the acceleration detecting means 12 is sent to the acceleration detecting section 14A of the control section 14, converted into an acceleration signal, and further inputted to the integrating section 14B, where the acceleration signal is a velocity. Converted to a signal, protrusion 1
The movement amount of 1a is measured.

At the same time, the output of the acceleration detecting means 12 is also sent to the direction discriminating section 14E to discriminate the moving direction of each of XY and measure the moving direction of the projecting portion 11a.

On the other hand, the piezoelectric vibrating gyro 13 has the protrusion 1
The rotation of the projection 11a is detected, and the output is sent to the angular acceleration detection unit 14C of the control unit 14, converted into an angular acceleration signal, and sent to the integration unit 14D to correct the influence of the rotation of the protrusion 11a. Data is calculated (S3).

The corrective movement amount and moving direction are measured by correcting the rotational error of the graphic data captured by the acceleration detecting means 12 in the correcting portion 14F (S4), and the image data extracting portion 14G. The image data of the written character is extracted (S5).

After that, the image data is character-recognized by stroke recognition and character feature recognition.

First, as described above, the stroke recognition section 14H compares the stroke information contained in the image data output from the image data extraction section 14G with the stroke data stored in the stroke number dictionary 14I. Then, the stroke is recognized by determining the stroke number (S6).

The character recognition unit 14J compares the result of the stroke recognition with the data stored in the character characteristic dictionary 14K to determine the character (S7).

The characters determined here are displayed on the display window 16 (S8). At this time, if the number of characters is not limited to one, a plurality of candidates are displayed.

Then, the user selects and confirms the intended character from the displayed character candidates (S9).
・ YES). The confirmed character is the determined character memory 14L.
(S10).

If the displayed character candidates do not include the character intended by the user (S9, NO), the process returns to the step of writing the character again.

Next, the character stored in the determined character memory 14M is treated as a "converted input character" to be converted later.

The characters stored in the determined character memory 14M are converted through the following process. In the present embodiment, this character conversion is exemplified by "kana-kanji conversion".

First, the conversion operation detection unit 14N detects whether or not a conversion instruction for Kana-Kanji conversion has been issued for the character displayed in the display window 16 on the display unit 14L (S11).

As described above, the conversion operation detector 14N, which is a feature of the present invention, is constructed such that the weight 17 can reciprocate in the cylinder of the casing 11 like a pedometer counter. When the user shakes strongly, the weight 17
By pressing the switch 18, the conversion instruction is detected.

When the conversion operation detecting unit 14N detects a conversion instruction, the Kana-Kanji converting unit 14O performs Kana-Kanji conversion with reference to a Kana-Kanji conversion dictionary 14P described later (S12).

For example, when the recognized character is "Kyoto", this character is displayed in the display window 16 as "Kyoto", and the user moves the casing 11 in the longitudinal direction to perform Kana-Kanji conversion. When shaken violently, it is detected as a conversion instruction operation, the reading "Kyo" is converted into Kana-Kanji, and "Kyou", "Strong", "Kyo", "Kyo" ... Can be obtained as candidates and displayed on the display window 16. (S13).

After that, when an instruction by a key input from the user is received and the input is a confirmation instruction (S1
4. YES), the confirmation process is performed (S15). If the input is not a confirmation instruction (S14, NO), another process such as phrase recutting is performed (S17), and the process returns to the kana-kanji conversion process.

In the pen input device configured as described above,
The user operates the protrusion 11a so as to write on ordinary paper (regardless of the presence or absence of paper), whereby the image data of the written character is recognized, captured, and recognized. When converting the characters from “Kana” to “Kanji” etc., the conversion instruction need only be to shake the casing 11, so it is not necessary to change the pen and key in as in the conventional case. It is very convenient because it is easy to operate and work efficiency is improved.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the protruding portion 11a of the casing 11 only has a pen tip shape and cannot be actually written on the sheet by the writing operation. It is also possible to provide a writing instrument that can actually record. By doing so, the user can easily write because the trajectory of the character that he wrote remains. It is also possible to leave the manuscript on which the written characters are written.

A counter such as a pedometer was used for the conversion operation detecting section 14N, but instead of this, an acceleration sensor for detecting acceleration in the direction of the protrusion is attached so that the casing is installed in the direction of the protrusion. It may be detected that it is shaken, or a pressure sensor that outputs a signal when strong pressure is applied is built in the grip part of the casing so that the user can detect it by firmly grasping the casing. May be.

Further, although the present invention exemplifies conversion from kana to kanji, conversion from kanji to kana, translation from Japanese to English, conversion from kana-kanji mixed sentences to voice, and the like are also possible. Conceivable.

[0068]

As is apparent from the above description,
According to the character conversion device of the first aspect of the present invention, after the user recognizes the image data corresponding to the character written by using the protruding portion at the tip of the casing, the recognized character is converted into, for example, "Kana". When converting characters such as "to Kanji" based on a simple operation such as shaking the casing,
Since it is configured to give conversion instructions, there is no need to perform conversion instructions by key input, or operations such as holding the pen up, as in the past, making it easier to operate and improving character conversion work efficiency. Can be made.

Further, according to the character conversion device of the second aspect, the conversion operation means detects the displacement body supported displaceably with respect to the casing, and the displacement operation of the displacement body is detected to detect the character. Since it is constituted by the signal output means for outputting the signal for operating the converting means, when performing character conversion, by shaking the casing strongly and giving an operation to the casing, it is possible to easily perform the conversion. The signal of can be output.

Further, according to the character converting device of the third aspect, since the displacement means is always provided with the spring means for arranging the displacement body at a position distant from the signal output means, it is possible to strongly shake the casing. Unless the above-mentioned operation is applied to the casing, the signal output means does not detect the displacement body, so that no malfunction occurs during normal character input.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a character conversion device of the present embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of signal processing of a control unit of the character conversion device.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the character conversion device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Character Conversion Device 11 Casing 11a Projection 12 Acceleration Detection Means 12a X Direction Acceleration Detection Sensor 12b Y Direction Acceleration Detection Sensor 13 Piezoelectric Vibration Gyro 14 Controller 15 Writing Pressure Sensor 16 Display Window 17 Weight 18 Switch 19 Expansion Spring

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Masatoshi Kokubo 15-1, Naeshiro-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya City Inside (72) Inventor Yoshiki Katayama 15-1 Naeshiro-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya City Inside the corporation

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A pen-tip-shaped protruding portion provided at a tip portion of a casing handled by a user, an input motion detecting means for detecting a character input motion by the protruding portion, and the input motion detecting means. By inputting image data recognition means for recognizing the operation of the protruding portion as image data based on a signal and image data recognized by the image data recognition means, and comparing and collating with the predetermined reference character data. A character recognition means for performing character recognition; a converted character storage means for storing the character recognized by the character recognition means as a converted input character; a first character string such as reading of a word; A conversion dictionary storing a second character string such as Chinese characters corresponding to the character string of, and the first or second character string stored in the converted character storage means as the conversion dictionary. In a character conversion device including a character conversion unit that converts a character string into another character string using a call, and an output unit that outputs the content of the character string converted by the character conversion unit, the user handles the casing. A character conversion device comprising conversion operation means for operating the character conversion means based on an operation. 2. The conversion operating means detects a displacement body that is displaceably supported with respect to the casing, and a signal that detects a displacement operation of the displacement body and outputs a signal for operating the character conversion means. The character conversion device according to claim 1, wherein the character conversion device comprises an output means. 3. The character conversion device according to claim 2, further comprising spring means for arranging the displacement body at a position always separated from the signal output means.