Online Handwriting Recognition Method with a Non-Inertial Reference Frame Based on the Measurement of Linear Accelerations and Differential Geometry: An Alternative to Quaternions

Abstract

This work describes a mathematical model for handwriting devices without a specific reference surface (SRS). The research was carried out on two hypotheses: the first considers possible circular segments that could be made during execution for the reconstruction of the trace, and the second is the combination of lines and circles. The proposed system has no flat reference surface, since the sensor is inside the pencil that describes the trace, not on the surface as in tablets or cell phones. An inertial sensor was used for the measurements, in this case, a commercial Micro-Electro Mechanical sensor of linear acceleration. The tracking device is an IMU sensor and a processing card that allows inertial measurements of the pen during on-the-fly tracing. It is essential to highlight that the system has a non-inertial reference frame. Comparing the two proposed models shows that it is possible to construct shapes from curved lines and that the patterns obtained are similar to what is recognized; this method provides an alternative to quaternion calculus for poorly specified orientation problems.

Keywords

• handwriting
• non-inertial frame of reference
• linear acceleration
• inertial measurements
• differential geometry
• feature engineering