JPH06295357A - Information processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make it possible to recognize a character by virtual frame size by preparing a virtual frame capable of directly inputting a hand-written character to a required position on a screen and writing an input character with required size in the virtual frame. CONSTITUTION:A ROM 11 storing an application program or, etc., a display device 2, a RAM 12 for storing inputted data, and keys 1, etc., for inputting data are connected to a CPU 6 to be a control part. The touch panel 1 for inputting hand-written data (image data) is connected to the device 2 and the transparent tablet (coordinate input device) 1 is connected to the CPU 6 through an A/D converter 5. A ROM 20 storing a recognizing dictionary for recognizing the hand-written data and a RAM 21 to be used as a work area necessary for recognizing processing are connected to the CPU 6.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus having a virtual frame handwriting input method, and more particularly, it has a virtual frame which allows direct handwriting input at a desired position on the screen, The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus having a function of writing a character in a size and recognizing the character in the virtual frame size.

For example, the present invention is applied to a portable pen computer (electronic notebook, electronic notebook, corporate information terminal, etc.) which requires portability and note taking.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art FIGS. 11 (a) to 11 (c) are views showing an example of a screen of a conventional handwritten character recognition input function. When inputting by handwriting, a handwritten character input board having a character input frame is displayed. By writing characters one by one in the frame, a method of recognizing characters and inputting characters has been adopted.

In FIG. 11A, the input position is designated in the position column. Next, write "section manager" on the handwriting input board by handwriting. In FIG. 11B, the recognition result of the input character "section manager" is displayed in the position column.
In FIG. 11C, hidden information cannot be seen unless the handwritten character input board is moved.

As a known document describing the prior art of the present invention, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-48918 proposes a "character input device". The thing of this gazette has a coordinate input part formed of a transparent tablet which is integrally formed on the screen of the display part and in which characters are input by handwriting. Characters are generated from the starting point data of the coordinate value sequence input by the coordinate input part. The input position corresponding to the input position is determined, the input frame corresponding to the input position is temporarily enlarged and displayed, and character recognition is performed using the data of the coordinate value string of the input character handwritten in the input frame, and then the recognized character Is displayed in the size of the original input frame before enlargement, so only the frame at the position corresponding to handwriting input is temporarily enlarged to a size suitable for handwriting, and character recognition is completed after input. Since the recognized character is displayed in its original size when it is made, it is possible to set a sufficiently large number of characters to be displayed on one screen while allowing the input of handwritten characters also for designating the input position.

[0006]

As described above, the conventional handwriting character recognition input function has a handwriting character input board including an enlarged input frame or input frame on the application screen when inputting handwritten characters. It is necessary to cover and display and input, and part of the application screen is hidden by the display of the board or the frame and becomes invisible. Further, the handwritten character input board has a problem that the cursor must be moved to the position on the screen where the user wants to input (the cursor must be displayed), as in the keyboard input.

The present invention has been made in view of the above situation, and has a virtual frame in which a handwriting can be directly input at a desired position on the screen, and an input character can be written in the virtual frame in a desired size to create a virtual image. An object of the present invention is to provide an information processing device capable of recognizing characters in a frame size.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a coordinate input device capable of inputting characters and illustrations with a pen from the top of the screen and operating icons and the like.
In an information processing device having a central processing unit for processing information and a storage device for storing information, a virtual character input frame is provided over the entire screen so that characters can be input at any position on the screen. Display means for displaying, means for freely selecting the size of the virtual character input frame displayed by the display means and inputting characters by handwriting, and character for which the size of the virtual character input frame is one character The present invention is characterized in that it comprises recognition means for recognizing, and one character recognized by the recognition means can be displayed in the virtual character input frame.

[0009]

[Function] You can enter characters at any position on the screen.
By displaying a virtual character input frame on the entire screen, freely selecting the size of the displayed virtual character input frame, writing characters by handwriting, and recognizing the size of the virtual frame as one character. The recognized character can be displayed as one character in the virtual frame. This allows characters to be input without hiding the application screen with the handwriting input board.

[0010]

Embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining an embodiment of an information processing apparatus according to the present invention, in which 1 is a transparent tablet (coordinate input device) and 2 is an LCD (Liquid Cry).
liquid crystal display device), 3 and 4 are LCD drivers, 5 is an A / D converter, and 6 is a CPU
(Central processing unit), 7 is a serial input / output port, 8 is an optical communication interface, and 9 is an I / O (Input / Ou).
t put), 10 is a gate array, 11 is a ROM (R
ead Only Memory, 12 is RAM (R
and access memory, 13 is a battery for memory protection, 14 is a buzzer, 15 is an RTC (Re
al Time Clock), 16 is a main body key, 17
Is a transparent touch key for an IC card, 18 is a lock switch, 19 is a recognition gate array, 20 is a ROM, 21 is a RAM, 22 is a low battery detection circuit, 23 is a drive battery, 24 is a connector, 25 is a gate array, 26 is R
OM, 27 is a RAM, and 28 is a memory protection battery.

A CPU 6 as a control unit has a ROM 11 in which application programs and the like are stored, a display device 2, and a RAM for storing input data.
12 etc. are connected. Further, the display device 2 can be seen through the input unit of the coordinate input device 1 for inputting handwritten data (image data). The coordinate input device 1 includes a CPU 6 via an A / D converter 5.
It is connected to the. Further, the CPU 6 as a control unit is connected to a ROM 20 storing a recognition dictionary for recognizing handwritten data of the present invention and a RAM 21 used as a work area required for recognition processing.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing function selection keys of the information processing apparatus according to the present invention. In the figure, 31 is a calendar, 32 is a schedule, 33 is a telephone directory, 34 is a business card management, 35 is an action list, and 36 is Notepad, 37 is a world clock, 38 is an action board, 39 is a calculator, and 40 is a card. As described above, it has function selection keys for activating applications such as a calendar function, a schedule function, and a business card management function. The function selection keys 31 to 40 are for activating the application program stored in the ROM 11 built in the small-sized information device shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing the activation of the program. When the power is turned on (step 1), first, each part of the small-sized information device is initialized (step 2), and by pressing the function selection keys 31 to 40 (step 3),
Each application program is started.
(Step 4).

A specific embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. Although the function of the present invention is commonly used in the schedule function, the notepad function, etc., the business card management function will be described as an example here.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing coordinates on the display device. When inputting handwritten data (image data), coordinates (x, x, on the display device for determining which dot on the display device to input). It is the definition of y). LCD, for example
The m-th dot to the right and the n-th dot to the right from the dot on the upper left of are called coordinates (m, n). The display device can be seen through the input part of the transparent tablet (coordinate input device), and when inputting (touching with a pen or the like) on the input part of the transparent tablet above the z dot in FIG. m, n)
The dot at the position is displayed (black on black and white liquid crystal)
To be done.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are conceptual diagrams of internal processing when handwriting is input to the business card management function.
Characters or figures written in the input area of the screen can be recognized by converting them into character codes or figures (clearly written) and displayed, or the written characters or figures can be displayed as they are. It is also possible to write it down with, and the user is free to choose it. However, the present invention relates to displaying a font pattern (glyph) corresponding to a character code on a display device after recognizing a written character and converting it to a character code such as JIS. Only recognition will be described.

In FIG. 5A, the name "Naoki Suzuki" is used.
It shows a state in which is input by handwriting. The recognition is performed when the user starts to write the second character “tree”. When the user does not perform pen input for 2 seconds, it is considered that one character has been input and recognition is performed. As a result of recognition,
It is displayed as shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram of blocks and virtual frames. The user handwrites the character to be input character by character using a set of blocks surrounded by four dots shown on the screen of the display device as a virtual frame. A region divided by four dots is called a block. A set of n × m blocks is a logical frame that is not displayed on the screen and is called a “virtual frame”. The number of blocks in the virtual frame is set in advance as a constant. The recognized character displays a font pattern corresponding to the character code according to the assumed size of the virtual frame.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a coordinate system of blocks. A block having a new pen input start point is defined as b (0,0), and blocks around it are defined as b (x, y). To be done.

FIGS. 8A to 8D are views for explaining the possibility of four virtual frames when the size of the virtual frame is 2 × 2 blocks. Cases 1 to 4 are shown. There is.
Case 1 to Case 4 from the position of the starting point of the first stroke
Up to four virtual frames can be assumed. That is, at the time when the user inputs a pen, it is possible to assume the existence of a total of four virtual frames centering on the block having the start point.
Furthermore, there are many possibilities, such as the possibility of 3x3 blocks. At the time of input, the hardware and software of the present invention can acquire only the position information of the starting point, and cannot determine in which of the supposed virtual frames the user is going to write a character. Therefore, in the present invention, the stroke information starting from the starting point is continuously acquired, and the starting point information of the block through which the stroke passes or the second or subsequent pen input and the information of the block through which the stroke passes are obtained. , The virtual frame that the user is going to write is determined by determining the block in which the starting point of input by the pen exists and the block through which the input stroke of the pen has passed.

FIGS. 9A to 9H are views for explaining a method of determining a virtual frame. In FIG. 9A, a newly generated pen stroke is checked by a condition judgment.
The block in which the starting point exists is defined as block coordinate b (0,0) and stored. At this point, the virtual frame size is one block.

In FIG. 9 (b), since the input stroke extends beyond the virtual frame defined in FIG. 9 (a), the size of the virtual frame is b (0,0) + b (1,0).
2 blocks.

In FIG. 9C, since the input stroke is within the already defined virtual frame, the size of the virtual frame does not change and the stroke information is simply stored.

In FIG. 9 (d), since the fourth stroke is generated from an undefined block, the size of the virtual frame is the maximum in the X direction and the Y direction, and 4 blocks, b
(0,0) + b (0,1) + b (1,0) + b (1,
Expand to 1).

In FIGS. 9E and 9F, since the next stroke is within the already defined virtual frame, the size of the virtual frame is not enlarged and only the stroke information is stored.

In FIG. 9 (g), after the stroke input, the user pauses the pen input for 1 second in this state, which means that the input of one character is completed and the recognition is performed.

In FIG. 9 (h), the recognition result "bell" is displayed as a virtual frame (b (0,0) + b (0,1) + b (1,0) + b).
The font size is displayed according to the size of (1, 1)). The newly generated stroke is shown in FIG. 9 from the processing of FIG.
The execution is repeated until (h).

Completion of the input of one character written in the virtual frame is determined by a pen stroke generated from a block not included in the virtual frame.

The handwritten character in the virtual frame can be recognized by the same technique as that for recognizing the character written in the conventional handwritten input frame.

As an example of the recognition method, after judging that the input of one character is completed, the information related to the movement of the pen such as the extracted and stored pen strokes is compared with the recognition dictionary to obtain the candidate character information. obtain. In the candidate character information, it is general to display a font pattern (character shape) corresponding to the most established character code on the display device.

As described above, by adding the function according to the present invention, when a character is input by handwriting and converted into a character code, it is occupied by a handwritten character input board including an enlarged input frame or an input frame. The screen area that can be used can be eliminated, and the screen area that can be used by application software becomes wider. Further, since the user inputs by assuming a virtual frame based on the position where the character after recognition is desired to be displayed, the user can directly specify the character input position. This eliminates the need for the operator to previously specify the input position.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are flowcharts for explaining the operation of the information processing apparatus according to the present invention. Hereinafter, each step will be described in order.

First, the subroutine will be described with reference to FIG. In the input completion processing for one character, the character is first recognized based on the stroke information in the storage area (Step 11). Next, the recognition result (character) is displayed in the block at the upper left corner of the virtual frame (Step 12), and the process returns.

Next, the main routine will be described.
(FIG. 10B) Step 21; Initialize the timer. Step 22; First, it is determined whether or not there is a new input with the pen. Step 23: If there is a new input from the pen in Step 22 (YES), then it is determined whether or not it is within the character input area. Step 24: If it is determined in Step 23 that the character is not in the character input area (NO), then it is determined whether or not there is a character being recognized. Step 25: In Step 24, if there is a character in the middle of recognition (YES), the one character input completion process is called. Step 26: If there is no character being recognized in Step 24 (NO), the processing of Step 25 is ended, and the processing other than the character recognition is performed. Step 27: In Step 23, if it is within the character input area (YES), then it is determined whether or not there is a character being recognized. Step 28: If there is no character being recognized in step 27 (NO), a storage area for new stroke information for character input is secured. Step 29: In Step 27, if there is a character in the middle of recognition (YES), it is determined whether the starting point of the pen stroke and the passing block are within the range of the defined virtual frame. Step 30: In Step 29, if it is not within the range of the defined virtual frame (NO), the range of the virtual frame is expanded to the block through the pen stroke. Step 31; If it is within the range of the defined virtual frame in Step 29 (YES), the above Step
The processing of p30 is finished, and the stroke information of the pen is added to the storage area. Step 32; If there is no new input from the pen at Step 22 (NO), it is determined whether the timer has passed 2 seconds. Step 33: In Step 32, if the timer has elapsed for 2 seconds (YES), one character input completion processing is called. Step 34; Initialize the timer.

[0035]

As is apparent from the above description, the present invention has the following effects. That is, a virtual character input frame is displayed on the entire screen so that characters can be input at any position on the screen, and the size of the displayed virtual character input frame can be freely selected to write characters by handwriting. By recognizing the size of the virtual character input frame as one character, the recognized character can be displayed in the virtual character input frame so that the application screen is not hidden by the handwriting input board. You can enter characters (the application screen can be displayed on the entire screen even when entering characters). Also, you can directly enter characters at any position on the screen. In addition, it is difficult to separate input information (characters) such as "Forest", "Tree", and "Tree" without any input frame, but by writing each character in the virtual frame, one character can be surely identified. .

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram for explaining an embodiment of an information processing device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing function selection keys of the information processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing activation of a program of the information processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing X, Y coordinates on a display device according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram of handwritten character input according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram of blocks and virtual frames according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a block and a coordinate system according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a possibility of four virtual frames according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a method of determining a virtual frame according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a flowchart for explaining the operation of the information processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a conventional handwriting character recognition input function.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Transparent tablet (coordinate input device) 2 LCD (Liquid Crystal D)
liquid crystal display device) 3,14 LCD driver 5 A / D converter 6 CPU (central processing unit) 7 serial input / output port 8 optical communication interface 9 I / O (Input / Out put) 10 gate array 11 ROM (Read) Only Memor
y) 12 RAM (Random Access Me)
13) Memory protection battery 14 Buzzer 15 RTC (Routing Control) 16 Main body key 17 Transparent touch key for IC card 18 Lock switch 19 Recognition gate array 20 ROM 21 RAM 22 Low battery detection circuit 23 Drive battery 24 Connector 25 Gate Array 26 ROM 27 RAM 28 Memory protection battery

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A coordinate input device capable of inputting characters and illustrations from a screen with a pen and operating icons and the like.
In an information processing device having a central processing unit for processing information and a storage device for storing information, a virtual character input frame is provided over the entire screen so that characters can be input at any position on the screen. Display means for displaying, means for freely selecting the size of the virtual character input frame displayed by the display means and inputting characters by handwriting, and character for which the size of the virtual character input frame is one character An information processing apparatus comprising: a recognition unit for recognizing, wherein one character recognized by the recognition unit can be displayed in the virtual character input frame.