Patent ID: 8169423

Claim:
An electronic writing instrument comprising: a writing unit that writes down on a medium where a code indicating identity information and location information of the medium is formed; an emitting unit that emits light to the medium; a photoelectric conversion unit that includes a photoelectric conversion element receiving a reflected light from the medium by the light emitted by the emitting unit and outputting an electronic signal after converting the reflected light by photoelectric conversion; a receiving unit that receives a user operation; and a condition changing unit that changes, in response to the receiving unit receiving the user operation, at least one of: an emitting condition of the emitting unit when emitting light to the medium; and an output condition of the photoelectric conversion unit when receiving the reflected light from the medium, wherein the electronic writing instrument further comprises: an acquiring unit that acquires a code image formed on the medium, wherein the acquiring unit, according to the operation received by the receiving unit, switches between a first acquiring mode and a second acquiring mode, the first acquiring mode acquiring the predetermined number of code images per unit time with a predetermined information amount, the second acquiring mode acquiring the number of code images per unit time smaller than the number of the code images per unit time in the first acquiring mode, with an information amount per acquired code image larger than the information amount per acquired code image in the first acquiring mode.