JPH05159106A - Handwritten character recognizing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve operability by removing the accompaniment of the movement of a line of sight for selection at the time of selecting a desired character from among plural candidate characters of the recognized result of an input handwritten character. CONSTITUTION:The recognition of the handwritten character 4 inputted to an input area 1 is started by the point of a recognition button area 3, and a first recognized candidate character 5 obtained as the result of the recognition is enlarged and displayed on the area A of the input area 1, and a recognized candidate characters after a second recognized candidate character 6 obtained as the result of the recognition are displayed on the area B neighboring the area A, and even in the case that a user confirms the first recognized candidate character 5 by using a pen 2b, and intends to correct it by one of the characters after the second recognized candidate character 6, the movement of the line of sight never accompanies, and further, the great movement of the pen 2b never accompanies.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a handwritten character recognition device, and more particularly to a handwritten character recognition device for recognizing characters and symbols input by handwriting and converting them into character codes that can be processed by an information processing device or the like. Regarding the device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a handwritten character recognition device is provided with an input device such as a pen input tablet, executes a recognition process for each handwritten character input from this input device, and outputs the recognition result as 1 Character code of the character (character code)
It is configured to output as. Some letters are very similar in shape, as seen between the letter O and the number 0. Therefore, in an actual handwritten character recognition device, a method of outputting a plurality of character codes as recognition candidates is generally adopted when a recognition process is executed for input of one handwritten character.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are views for explaining an example of a display screen of a conventional handwritten character recognition device.

FIG. 6A shows a display screen of a display / input integrated tablet provided in the handwritten character recognition apparatus.
FIG. 6B is a diagram of a display screen for explaining a process of performing handwriting input and displaying the recognition result.

In FIG. 6 (a), a display screen 30a of a display / input integrated tablet is provided with a pen 2 on a display device (plate) composed of a liquid crystal matrix driven by a microcomputer (not shown) (hereinafter referred to as a microcomputer).
It is constructed by stacking transparent boards 2a to which b is connected.
The board 2a detects the position of the pen 2b on the board 2a in XY coordinates by a well-known technique such as an electrostatic induction method, and sequentially guides it to the microcomputer. Microcomputer is given X
The Y coordinate is input in time series, and the liquid crystal element at the corresponding position on the liquid crystal matrix is driven ON accordingly. Thus, if the user inputs a handwritten character on the board 2a using the pen 2b, the handwriting of the handwritten character is displayed on the liquid crystal in real time.

The above-mentioned liquid crystal matrix includes input areas 1, 1a to 1g as areas where handwritten characters can be input as shown in FIG. 6 (a), and further the recognition candidate display area 2 and the recognition area. The button area 3 is included. The recognition button area 3, in response to being pointed by the pen 2b, gives an instruction to the character recognition device to start recognition of the handwritten character input to any of the areas 1 and 1a to 1g. Of the results of character recognition, the first candidate character that seems to have the best recognition result is displayed in any of the regions 1 and 1a to 1g where the handwritten character to be recognized is input, and other than that. If the recognition result is a plurality of character codes, the characters after the second candidate are displayed in the recognition candidate display area 2.

In FIG. 6B, first, the handwritten character 4 is input with the pen 2b as in the input area 1, and then the recognition button area 3 is pointed. Then, as shown in FIG. 6B, the handwriting of the input handwritten character is once erased, and instead, the first recognition candidate character 5, which is the first candidate in the recognition result, is displayed. The characters after the second candidate are displayed in the recognition candidate display area 2. Here, the character that the user wants to input is the first choice “choice” displayed in the input area 1.
Instead of the 6th candidate "Sawa", the user can use the pen 2b.
Since the character "Sawa" shown in the area 2 is pointed by using, the "Sawa" is re-displayed in the area 1 as the first recognition candidate character 5 as shown in FIG. Will be replaced.

[0008]

In the display method of the recognition result in the conventional handwritten character recognition apparatus as described above, the display column (input area 1) of the first recognition candidate character 5 and the characters after the second candidate are displayed. Since the display column (recognition candidate display area 2) is provided completely separately, the user has to move the pen 2b and the line of sight to select a desired candidate character, which makes the operation troublesome. was there.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6A, the handwritten character input area on the display screen 30a is usually 4-8.
Although only about one piece is provided, only one recognition candidate display area 2 for displaying the candidate character of the recognition result is provided, so the user must always be aware of the correspondence between both display areas. However, there was a problem that it was inferior in usability.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to eliminate the movement of the line of sight for character selection when selecting a desired character from a plurality of candidate characters which are the recognition results of input handwritten characters. And to provide a handwritten character recognition device with improved operability.

[0011]

A handwritten character recognition apparatus according to the present invention has an area on the main surface where a character is handwritten, and the handwritten character is read in the handwritten area, A handwriting character input means for deriving a character pattern according to the above; a display means having a display area provided in the handwriting area, and further including first and second display areas in the display area; Pattern matching is performed between the character pattern derived by the means and each of a plurality of standard character patterns prepared in advance, and a character name corresponding to at least one or more standard character pattern that may be optimal is derived based on the matching degree. For each of the pattern matching means and the character name derived by the pattern matching means, the character name having the optimum matching degree is displayed in the first display area, and the other character names are displayed in the second display area. It constructed a display control means for cormorants control.

[0012]

The character recognition device according to the present invention is configured as described above, and the display control means provides at least one or more character names derived by the pattern matching means on the basis of the matching degree to the handwriting area. All are displayed in the display area provided in. In particular, at this time, the display control means displays the character name having the optimum matching degree in the first display area of the display area and the other character names in the second display area of the display area. A character name obtained by recognizing a handwritten character input via is displayed separately in the same display area based on the degree of recognition.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

1A and 1B are views for explaining an example of a display screen of a handwritten character recognition device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a handwritten character recognition apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of a handwritten character recognition device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic process flow chart of the handwritten character recognition apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a view for explaining another example of the display screen of the handwritten character recognition apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1 (a) illustrates a process of inputting a handwriting, displaying the recognition result, and correcting the recognition result, and FIG. 1 (b) is connected to a handwriting character recognition device. This is for explaining the display screen 30 of the display / input integrated tablet.

In FIG. 1B, the display screen 30 of the display / input integrated tablet has a pen 2b connected on a liquid crystal plate composed of a liquid crystal matrix driven by a microcomputer (not shown). The transparent board 2a is placed on the board 2.
a detects the position of the pen 2b on the main surface as XY coordinates and detects it, and sequentially guides it to the microcomputer. The microcomputer sequentially inputs the given XY coordinates in time series, and sequentially turns ON the liquid crystal element at the corresponding position on the liquid crystal matrix. This allows the user to use the pen 2b to use the board 2a.
If you enter handwritten characters above, the input characters will be displayed on the LCD in real time.

As shown in FIG. 1B, the board 2a is a transparent plate, and the rectangular input areas 1 and 1a to 1h are externally displayed by the liquid crystal matrix located therebelow. Further, the board 2a externally displays the recognition button area 3 by the liquid crystal matrix. If the user manually inputs a character in any one of the areas 1 and 1a to 1h using the pen 2b, the locus thereof is sequentially read as described above and displayed in liquid crystal in real time.
The handwritten character entered immediately before is displayed in that area. After that, if the user points the area 3 using the pen 2b, the handwritten character recognition is started accordingly.

The display screen 30a of the conventional display / input integrated tablet shown in FIG. 6 and the display screen 30 of the display / integrated tablet according to the embodiment of the present invention are compared. This is because the display screen 30 excludes the recognition candidate display area 2.

FIG. 1 (a) shows a procedure in which a character is manually input in the input area 1 of the display screen 30 of the display / input integrated tablet, the recognition processing is performed thereafter, and the recognition result is corrected. First, the pen 2b as in the input area 1
When the handwritten character 4 is input with, and then the recognition button area 3 is pointed to, the handwritten character 4 previously input to the area 1 is erased as shown in, and the first recognition candidate character 5 in the recognition result is replaced. It is displayed in the first candidate character display area A, and the recognition candidate characters after the second recognition candidate character 6 are displayed in the character display area B after the second candidate. Here, the character that the user wants to input is not the “choice” of the first recognition candidate character 5, but the “sawa” of the sixth recognition candidate character 10, so when the pen 2b is used to point to the candidate character 10 of the area B, As shown, the candidate character 10 is displayed in the area A as the first recognition candidate character 5. Then, the reallocation values of the candidate characters after the second candidate in the area B are executed.

As described above, in the handwritten character recognition apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention, the handwritten character input area is set to the first area.
It is divided into a candidate character display area A and a character display area B after the second candidate to display the input handwritten characters,
The first recognition candidate character 5 obtained as a result of the recognition is displayed in the display area A.
The characters after the second recognition candidate character 6 are enlarged and displayed in the area B.
Are displayed in order of the degree of recognition. In this way, by displaying the characters of the first candidate and the characters of the second and subsequent candidates in the same input area separately in advance in areas A and B, the recognition result is confirmed and the characters after the second candidate character are selected. Even when the character of is selected using the pen 2b, the amount of movement of the pen 2b and the amount of movement of the line of sight by the user are not large, and the operation is not bothersome.

In FIG. 2, the handwritten character recognition device 20 is C
A microcomputer 21 including a PU (central processing unit) 21a and a memory 21b accessed by a CPU 21a, an input / output interface 22, a VRAM (video RAM)
23, a communication interface 24, a disk driver 25 for driving a flexible disk, and a display / input integrated tablet 30 for displaying a display screen 30a.

The recognition result of the apparatus 20 is stored as data in the memory 21b. The input / output interface 22 operates so as to connect the disk driver 25 and the display / input integrated tablet 30 to the microcomputer 21. The data stored in the memory 21b is loaded on a flexible disk or the like driven by the disk driver 25 via the interface 22. XY derived from the display / input integrated tablet 30
The coordinate signal T1 and the recognition start signal T3 are sent to the microcomputer 21.
To give to.

The VRAM 23 is composed of a dot matrix, and the characters recognized by turning on the corresponding dots by the CPU 21a are stored as image data, and further read by the CPU 21a sequentially to be displayed as image data T2. It is led to the input-integrated tablet 30.

The communication interface 24 is the microcomputer 21.
And another device (a computer such as a word processor) are communicatively connected to each other, and the CPU 21a converts the data (character code) based on the recognition result read from the memory 21b so that the data can be sequentially transmitted to another device. To transmit.

The XY coordinate signal T1 output from the display / input integrated tablet 30 is a signal representing the position of the pen 2b on the board 2a, and the recognition start signal T3 is the pen 2b.
Is a signal derived by pointing the recognition button area 3 by.

In FIG. 3, the system configuration of the handwritten character recognition device 20 is such that a display / input integrated tablet 30 including a first candidate character display area A, a second candidate character display area B and a handwritten character input area C, A feature amount extraction unit 32, a handwritten character pattern dictionary 33, and a pattern matching unit 34 are included.

The handwritten character input area C includes a first candidate character display area A and a second and subsequent candidate character display areas B as shown in FIG. 1 (a). Here, the regions A, B, and C are shown individually for the sake of clarity.

Handwritten characters input using the pen 2b in the area C are XY coordinate signals T derived in time series.
It is set to 1 and given to the feature amount extraction unit 32. The feature amount extraction unit 32 sequentially inputs the signal T1, extracts the feature amount such as the position of the arc of the handwritten character and the length of each stroke of the handwriting, and derives this to the pattern matching unit 34. .. The handwritten character pattern dictionary 33 stores a plurality of standard feature amounts corresponding to the corresponding character codes, and the pattern matching unit 34 is based on the extracted feature amount given from the feature amount extracting unit 32. Then, the dictionary 33 is searched for the optimum character code and a plurality of character codes of the optimum character code are read out. The read character code is sequentially converted into image data T2 via the VRAM 23 and is derived to the tablet 31. The tablet 31 displays the first recognition candidate character 5 having the highest degree of matching given to the image data T2 in the area A, and the characters after the second recognition candidate character 6 given to the image data T2 are compared with the matching degree ( Awareness)
Are displayed in the area B in this order.

The feature quantity extraction unit 32, the handwritten character pattern dictionary 33, and the pattern matching unit 34 are prepared as programs or data in advance.

Next, the operation of the handwritten character recognition device 20 will be further described with reference to the processing flow of FIG.
Will be described.

Step S1 in FIG. 4 (abbreviated as S1 in the figure)
At this time, the user uses the pen 2b to bring the pen 2b into contact with the area 1 in order to write a character in the input area 1, for example.
In response, the microcomputer turns off the liquid crystal element corresponding to the area 1 to erase the display in the area 1. As a result, the input area 1 is set to an initial state in which handwritten characters can be input.

In the process of step S2, the user uses the pen 2b to input the handwritten character 4 in the input area 1 as shown in FIG. The locus of movement of the pen 2b is sequentially subjected to data processing by the microcomputer inside the tablet 30 and is subjected to liquid crystal display processing accordingly, whereby the handwritten character 4 is displayed in the area 1.

At this time, the locus of the pen 2b is sequentially given to the CPU 21a via the input / output interface 22 as an XY coordinate signal T1 and stored in the memory 21b. Therefore, the CPU 21a has an X inside the memory 21b.
By accumulating the data of the Y coordinate signal T1, the trajectory of the handwritten character 4 in the input area 1 can be obtained.

When the user inputs a desired handwritten character 4 in the area 1, the user points to the recognition button area 3 in order to start character recognition. The presence or absence of this point is determined by the microcomputer inside the tablet 31 detecting the XY coordinate signal T1 corresponding to the area 3. At this time, if the recognition button area 3 is not pointed, the process returns to the above-described step S2, and the input of the XY coordinate signal T1 by the pen 2b and the process of handwriting display based on the input are repeated.

When the recognition button area 3 is pointed in the process of step S3, the microcomputer inside the tablet 31 gives a recognition start signal T3 to the microcomputer 21 via the input / output interface 22 in response to this point. The microcomputer 21 starts the recognition processing of the handwritten character 4 in response to the input of the signal T3. This character recognition is performed by the feature amount extraction unit 32 and the pattern matching unit 34 that accesses the character pattern dictionary 33 shown in FIG.

The feature amount extraction unit 32 sequentially inputs the XY coordinate signals T1 given in time series when the handwritten character 4 is input, and accordingly extracts the feature amount of the handwritten character 4. This feature amount is sequentially derived to the pattern matching unit 34. Since the feature amount extraction unit 32 thereafter inputs the recognition start signal T3 from the tablet 31, the feature amount extraction unit 32 accordingly instructs the pattern matching unit 34 to start pattern matching. The pattern matching unit 34 accesses the handwritten character pattern dictionary 33 based on the extracted extracted feature amount, and optimizes the character code having the most similar (optimal) feature amount and a plurality of character codes that can be the optimum character code. Read out as a character code candidate. The pattern matching unit 34 determines V based on the character code read from the dictionary 33.
The corresponding image data is expanded on the RAM 23, and this image data T2 is derived. In this way, the character matching process for the handwritten character 4 is performed by the pattern matching by the pattern matching unit 34.

In the subsequent steps S5 to S7, the microcomputer inside the tablet 31 erases the handwritten character 4 displayed in the corresponding character frame, that is, the input area 1, and is shown in FIG. As described above, the first recognition candidate character 5 is enlarged and displayed in the first candidate character display area A, and the second recognition candidate character 6 to the sixth recognition candidate character 10 are displayed in the character display area B of the second and subsequent candidates. Display in order.

In the process of step S8, the microcomputer inside the tablet 31 determines whether or not the user has pointed and selected the second recognition candidate character 6 and subsequent characters shown in the area B using the pen 2b. .. Whether or not this selection is made is determined by whether or not the XY coordinate signal T1 corresponding to the area B is given to the microcomputer. At this time, if the character after the second recognition candidate character 6 is not selected, the processing after step S10 described below is executed, but if any of the candidate characters after the second recognition candidate character 6 is selected, The process moves to step S9, and steps S5 to S
The loop process including 9 is repeatedly executed during the period in which the characters after the second recognition candidate character 6 are selected.

In this loop processing, the candidate characters shown in the area B are selected, and the processing for deleting and redisplaying the display in the areas A and B is performed so that the selected candidate character becomes the first candidate. Done.

In the process of step S10, it is determined whether or not the first recognition candidate character 5 shown in the area A is selected by the user following the determination process of step S8. Whether or not this selection is made is also determined by whether or not the XY coordinate signal T1 corresponding to the area A is given to the microcomputer. At this time, if the first recognition candidate character 5 is not selected, the processing from step S11 described below is executed, but if the candidate character 5 is selected, immediately step S1 is performed.
Returning to the processing of (1), the processing is subsequently executed in the same manner for the handwritten character input subsequently. At this time, the selected first recognition candidate character 5 may be sequentially stored as a character code in the memory 21b of the microcomputer 21 via the input / output interface 22 to create the document data by the handwritten input character.

In the processing of step S11, if it is determined in the determination processing of steps S8 and S10 that neither the first candidate character nor the characters after the second candidate are selected, another input area ( In this case, it is determined whether or not a character is input in any of the input areas 1a to 1h). At this time, if the XY coordinate signal T1 corresponding to another input area is not given to the microcomputer, the process returns to step S8 accordingly, and the same process is repeated. In the loop processing including steps S8 to S10, the user uses the pen 2b to point to one of the recognition candidate characters displayed in the area A and the area B, or the pen is added to another input area. It is repeatedly executed until it is determined whether to start character input using 2b. Therefore, while the user is pondering to select an appropriate recognition candidate character, the loop processing including steps S8 to S11 is repeatedly executed, and the character recognition device 20 becomes a kind of standby state. It is in.

When it is determined in the above-described step S11 that the character input is performed using the pen 2b in another input area, the following step S12 is performed,
In the same manner, the handwritten character input, the recognition of the input handwritten character, the display of the recognition result, and the selection of the recognition result by the user are similarly performed with respect to another character input area.

As described above, of the recognition results of the handwritten character recognition device 20, even if the user wants to confirm the first recognition candidate character and correct it with the characters after the second recognition candidate character, Since the first recognition candidate character 5 and the second recognition candidate character 6 and subsequent candidate characters are displayed separately in the display areas A and B of the same input area, the user does not need to move the pen 2b or the line of sight, A comfortable operation feeling can be obtained.

In the above-described embodiment, the first recognition candidate character 5 is displayed larger than the second recognition candidate character 6 and the subsequent candidate characters so that the first recognition candidate character 5 and the first recognition candidate character 5 are displayed to the user. Although the second recognition candidate character 6 and the candidate characters subsequent thereto are distinguished from each other, the first recognition candidate character 5 is displayed with a higher brightness than the candidate characters subsequent to the second recognition candidate character 6 so that the user can be recognized. It is also possible to distinguish and display.
This display is shown in FIG. In FIG. 5, all the recognition candidate characters are shown in the same area with the same character size, but only the first recognition candidate character 5 is displayed with higher brightness (indicated by diagonal lines) than the other candidate characters and is displayed separately. ing.

[0048]

As described above, according to the present invention, the display control means provides at least one or more character names derived by the pattern matching means on the basis of the matching degree in the display area provided in the handwriting area. Display all within. In particular, at this time, the character name having the optimum matching degree is displayed in the first display area of the display area, and the other character names are displayed in the second display area of the display area. The character name obtained from the recognition result of the handwritten character is clearly displayed in the same display area based on the degree of recognition. Therefore, even when correcting the recognition result displayed in the first display area with the character name displayed in the second display area to correct the recognition result, the user needs to correct Since there is almost no need to move the line of sight, there is an effect that comfortable operability can be obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

1A and 1B are views for explaining an example of a display screen of a handwritten character recognition device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a handwritten character recognition device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of a handwritten character recognition device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic process flow diagram of a handwritten character recognition device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining another example of the display screen of the handwritten character recognition device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

6A and 6B are views for explaining an example of a display screen of a conventional handwritten character recognition device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 input area 3 recognition start button area 4 handwritten character 5 first recognition candidate character 6 second recognition candidate character 7 third recognition candidate character 8 fourth recognition candidate character 9 fifth recognition candidate character 10 sixth recognition candidate character 20 hand Character recognition device 31 Display-integrated tablet 32 Feature extraction unit 34 Pattern matching unit 2a Board 2b Pen A First candidate character display area B Character display area after second candidate C Handwritten character input area In each figure , The same reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A handwritten character is provided on the main surface of the main surface, and the handwritten character to be handwritten is read in the handwriting area.
A handwritten character input unit that derives a character pattern according to the above; a display unit that has a display area provided in advance in the handwriting area and further includes first and second display areas in the display area; The character pattern derived by the handwritten character input means,
Pattern matching means for pattern matching with each of a plurality of standard character patterns prepared in advance, and a pattern matching means for deriving a character name corresponding to at least one or more standard character patterns that may be optimal based on the matching degree, and the pattern. For each of the character names derived by the matching means, a display control for displaying the character name having the optimum matching degree in the first display area and displaying the other character names in the second display area. And means,
Handwritten character recognition device.