JP3841590B2 - Software keyboard device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a user's physical and psychological burden in a usage environment in which the number and function of input devices and the display area showing input results to the user are both limited, such as a digital portable device that has been reduced in size and weight. The present invention relates to a software keyboard device that can input characters.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, digital portable devices reduced in size and weight, such as wristwatches, mobile phones, portable audio devices, portable video devices, and portable information terminals, have been widely used in society. As a result, many users have a desire to input character information into such digital portable devices. However, in such digital portable devices, as a result of pursuing portability, the number and functions of input devices that can be used by a user to input characters are limited. Furthermore, the area of the display unit required for the user to confirm his / her input content is also limited.
[0003]
Under such circumstances, as a typical character input device provided in the past, the cursor key is operated to display all the characters that can be entered in order, and when the desired character is displayed. In some cases, the input device for selection is operated and selected. In this case, a desired character may be displayed immediately, but on average, it is necessary to display half of the total number of characters prepared in the input device.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In such a situation, it is actually difficult to input Japanese, which is said to have hundreds of thousands of character types, using conventional input devices with limited input devices and limited display area. I must say that it is impossible.
Therefore, the present invention proposes a software keyboard that is devised so that key strokes are relatively reduced in consideration of human behavioral psychology even in such a restricted environment. Behavioral psychology is a viewpoint of how to move the cursor next based on information obtained from the screen.
[0005]
When inputting Japanese using a software keyboard, if all 50 sounds are covered on the screen, it takes time to search for the target character, and the key stroke (number of operations of the input device) tends to increase. Recently popular mobile phones, mini-disc devices, etc. can input characters, but they have to make a rather troublesome input, which puts a considerable physical and psychological burden on the user and is not good for mental health. In addition, the proportion of the keyboard unit that occupies the display screen of the display device provided in the minidisk device or the like increases.
The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a software keyboard capable of inputting Japanese characters easily and inputting Roman characters with an input device having a small number of buttons. .
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention]
  1st invention combines the character contained in the 1st character group which consists of the same character type, and selects the character contained in the 2nd character group which consists of a character type different from the character contained in the 1st character group A software keyboard device for inputting to a digital device,
  According to a predetermined standard, the first character group includes a first character group made up of a first predetermined number of characters, and a second character group made up of a second predetermined number of characters less than the first predetermined number, Divided into the first character groupWhenSecond character groupAnd closeSideParallelA character group display section to be displayed on
  Based on user instructions, tableCharacters contained in the indicated first character group and second character groupOne character at a timeA pointing part to point,
  PointerByFirst character groupofletterButPointingThe character does not face any character in the second character groupTimeInIsWhen the display area of the second character group is shifted to a position facing the character, and the character opposes any character of the second character group, the display position of the second character group is set to the current position. The display position is fixed.With a display position controllerThe
[0007]
As described above, in the first invention, when a character of the first character group is selected, the character of the second character group is always displayed at any position above and below it. The number of steps for moving the pointer when selecting the characters of the second character group can be reduced.
[0008]
  The second invention is the first invention according to the first invention.groupThe display unit is characterized in that the characters included in the first character group and the second character group are continuously displayed in a direction facing and parallel to each other.
[0009]
  The third invention is the second invention,, tableThe indication position control unit
    When the pointer is going to move outside the end of the second character group in the parallel direction, the character at the corresponding end of the second character group is in the position to which the pointer is pointing. Thus, by shifting the display position of the entire second character group,
  When the pointer moves in parallel to the first character group, a character included in the second character group is pointed to by the pointer.
[0010]
As described above, in the third invention, in order to select the character of the first character group from the second character group, the second character group is also moved while the cursor is moved to a position immediately below or directly above the desired character. Since the character group moves following the cursor, a sense of security can be given to the user.
[0011]
  The fourth invention is the third invention,, tableThe indication position control unit
    When the pointer moves from the second character group and tries to point to a character inside the second character group, the character display unit is set so as not to shift the display position of the entire second character group. It is characterized by controlling.
[0012]
As described above, in the fourth aspect of the present invention, when the first character group is moved to the second character group, the second character group with respect to the cursor movement is locked by locking the second character group so as not to move. Diversify group tracking methods.
[0013]
5th invention combines the character contained in the 1st character group which consists of the same character type, and selects the character contained in the 2nd character group which consists of a character type different from the character contained in the 1st character group A software keyboard device for inputting to a digital device,
According to a predetermined standard, the first character group includes a first character group made up of a first predetermined number of characters, and a second character group made up of a second predetermined number of characters less than the first predetermined number, A character group display unit that continuously displays the characters included in the first character group and the second character group in opposite and parallel directions;
A pointing unit that moves the pointer one character at a time based on a user's instruction and points each of the characters included in the displayed first character group and second character group;
When the pointer is going to move outside the end of the second character group in the parallel direction, the character at the corresponding end of the second character group is in the position to which the pointer is pointing. Thus, by shifting the display position of the entire second character group,
When the pointer moves in parallel to the first character group, a character included in the second character group is indicated by the pointer.
[0014]
As described above, in the fifth aspect, after the second character group is selected, the pointer is moved to a position immediately below or just above the character of the first group to be selected in order to select the first character group. Even when the second character group moves following the pointer, it is possible to give the user a sense of security.
[0015]
In a sixth aspect based on any one of the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth aspects, the pointing unit is configured such that the pointer indicates a position outside the character at the end of the first character group. When the instruction is to be made, the pointer is moved so as to point to the character at the other end of the first character group.
[0016]
As described above, in the sixth invention, the second movement of the cursor from the one end to the other end of the first group is performed in a synergistic effect with the following movement of the second character group with respect to the movement of the cursor. The number of steps of moving the pointer when selecting characters in the character group can be reduced.
[0017]
In a seventh aspect based on the fourth aspect, when the pointer is intended to point to a position outside the character at the end of the second character group, the pointing portion moves the pointer to the second character group. It is characterized by being moved so as to indicate a character at one end.
[0018]
As described above, in the seventh invention, the number of steps for moving the pointer when selecting a character in the second character group can be reduced by circularly moving the cursor from one end of the second group to the other end. .
[0019]
In an eighth aspect based on any one of the third and fifth aspects, the pointing portion is arranged so that the character at the end of the second character group faces the character at the end of the first character group. When the pointer wants to indicate the position outside the end of the second character group whose display position has been shifted, the position facing the character at the other end of the first character group, The pointer is moved.
[0020]
As described above, in the eighth aspect of the invention, it is possible to give the user a sense of security by following the circular movement of the cursor and cyclically moving the second character group.
[0021]
According to a ninth invention, in any one of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth inventions, the character included in the second character group is a double-byte code. Is a character defined by
Characters included in the first character group are characters defined by a single byte code.
[0022]
As described above, in the ninth aspect, a very large number of characters defined by a double-byte code can be expressed by combining a small number of characters defined by a single byte.
[0023]
In a tenth aspect based on the ninth aspect, the character included in the second character group is Japanese.
Characters included in the first character group are 26 alphabetic characters.
[0024]
As described above, in the tenth aspect, since the alphabet included in the second character group is displayed following the movement of the cursor, the first character group is displayed after the character included in the first character group. It is easy to connect alphabets included in the two character groups.
[0025]
  The eleventh invention is the first2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8In the present invention, the first group includes alphabets corresponding to consonants,
    The second group includes an alphabet corresponding to a vowel.
[0026]
As described above, in the eleventh aspect of the invention, since the vowel line is displayed following the movement of the cursor, the kana in Japanese is mostly composed of consonants followed by vowels. The number of steps of moving the pointer for expressing characters can be reduced.
[0027]
In a twelfth aspect based on the eleventh aspect, the characters included in the second character group are five characters A, I, U, E, and O.
Characters included in the first group are 21 characters excluding characters included in the second character group from the alphabet.
[0028]
As described above, in the twelfth invention, the alphabet corresponding to the five-character vowel is moved and displayed following the pointer pointing to the alphabet corresponding to the 26-character consonant, so the vowel after the consonant is displayed. It is possible to reduce the number of pointer movement steps for expressing Japanese kana characters, which are mostly constructed by connecting the characters.
[0029]
  The thirteenth invention is the ninthOr 11In the present invention, the characters included in the first character group can be divided into at least two or more subgroups based on a predetermined criterion.
[0030]
In a fourteenth aspect based on the thirteenth aspect, each of the subgroups is displayed on both sides of the second character group in parallel with each other.
[0031]
According to a fifteenth aspect, in the fourteenth aspect, each of the subgroups is displayed in parallel with each other on one side of the second character group.
[0032]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A software keyboard device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. Thereafter, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a game machine will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
[0033]
First, the configuration and main operation of the software keyboard device SKA according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. Then, the character input method in the software keyboard device SKA will be specifically described with reference to FIGS.
[0034]
As shown in FIG. 1, the software keyboard device SKA according to the present embodiment includes a program source 1, an input device 19, a display device 21, and a character input device body 100. The program source 1 stores various computer programs for executing the operation of the software keyboard device SKA, and is preferably configured by a nonvolatile storage unit.
[0035]
The input device 19 is a means that is operated by the user to transmit its own instruction to the software keyboard device SKA, and preferably includes a pointing device such as a keyboard and a selection determination input device.
[0036]
The character input device main body 100 includes a CPU 5 and a RAM 13. The CPU 5 loads various programs stored in the program source 1 and executes the loaded programs based on user instructions input from the input device 19. The RAM 13 is a working memory that provides a work area required when the CPU 5 executes a program. The CPU 5 is also a control device that controls the operation of the entire software keyboard device SKA.
[0037]
The program source 1 may be configured to be detachably connected to the character input device main body 100, or may be built in the character input device main body 100 in advance such as the CPU 5 and the RAM 13. It may be configured.
[0038]
The display 21 displays the execution result of the CPU 5 with video and audio, displays the user instruction result, and prompts the user to input a new instruction. For this purpose, in the present invention, the state of the keyboard is appropriately changed and displayed on the display 21 in accordance with the execution result of the program and the user's instruction. Hereinafter, the keyboard displayed as an image or sound on the display 21 is referred to as a “software keyboard”.
[0039]
Next, the operation of the software keyboard device SKA will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. The software keyboard device SKA is powered on and its operation is started.
[0040]
First, in step # 1000, various programs are loaded from the program source 1 into the character input device main body 100. Then, the process proceeds to the next step # 2000.
[0041]
In step # 2000, various elements and parameters of the software keyboard device SKA are initialized according to the program loaded from the program source 1. Then, the process proceeds to the next step # 3000.
[0042]
In step # 3000, the state initialized in step # 2000 is displayed on the display 21. That is, the display 21 displays a software keyboard in a state before an instruction from the user is input. Then, the process proceeds to the next step # 4000.
[0043]
In step # 4000, the state of the input device 19 by the user is acquired. That is, the presence / absence of input and the content of the input are detected, and one of the following steps # 5000, # 6000, # 7000, # 8000, and # 9000 is selectively executed based on the detection result. .
[0044]
For example, if the user is operating an input device for moving the cursor, the process branches from step # 4000 to step # 5000.
[0045]
If the input device is operated so as to determine the alphabet input by the user, the process branches to # 7000.
[0046]
If the user operates the input device so as to select one of the kanji candidates to be converted from the kana converted from the alphabet combination determined in # 7000, the process branches to # 6000.
[0047]
If the user operates the input device so as to cancel the selection of the alphabet after selecting the alphabet on the software keyboard SKB displayed at # 5000, the process branches to step # 8000.
[0048]
Furthermore, if the user operates the input device so as to change the operation mode of the displayed software keyboard SKB, the process branches to step # 9000.
[0049]
In step # 5000, the software keyboard displayed on the display 21 is changed according to the value of the pointer parameter indicating the operating state of the pointing device included in the input device 19.
[0050]
The processing in step # 5000, step # 6000, step # 7000, step # 8000, and step # 9000 will be described in detail later with reference to FIG.
[0051]
After any of the above-mentioned steps # 5000, # 6000, # 7000, # 8000, and # 9000 is selectively executed, the process returns to step # 4000. In step # 4000, any one of steps # 5000, # 6000, # 7000, # 8000, and # 9000 is selectively performed again based on the acquired state of the input device 19, that is, the user's instruction. Executed. By repeatedly executing the processes in steps # 4000 to # 9000, the user can select and input a desired character using the software keyboard device SKA.
[0052]
Next, FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate the state of the display 21 on which the software keyboard is displayed. A software keyboard SKB is located at the upper left of FIG. 3, a Japanese input line editor for inputting Japanese below it, and a Roman input conversion line at the bottom line for Roman input. The software keyboard SKB is composed of 26 alphabets A to Z.
[0053]
In the figure, the Roman input conversion line is an example in which a combination of properly selected 26 letters of the alphabet using the software keyboard SKB is converted into a Roman character “kan” in the Roman input conversion line. It is expressed in Furthermore, an example in which a hiragana character converted from an alphabet into a Roman character on such a Roman character input conversion line is further converted into a kanji character is shown on a Japanese input line editor. In this example, “Japanese input” has already been input.
[0054]
FIG. 4 shows a state in which the hiragana character “kan” that has been converted to Roman characters in FIG. 3 is converted to kanji. The kanji corresponding to “kan” is displayed in the kanji candidate line by the kanji conversion. Using the input mode icon, Kanji conversion mode “Kan”, Hiragana character input “A”, Katakana character input “A”, Alphabet character input “A”, Symbol / Punctuation character input “S” Numeral / Chinese numeral character input “number”, Greek character input “Gi”, and Kanji code (SJIS, JIS) input “ko” can be selected.
[0055]
Using the vowel group follow switching icon, three operation modes of “follow mode 1”, “follow mode 2”, and “still mode” that are operation modes of the software keyboard SKB can be selected. In these three operation modes, the method of controlling permission and prohibition of movement of the alphabet group for vowels is mainly different. This will be described in detail later with reference to FIGS.
[0056]
Next, the basic configuration of the software keyboard SKB according to the present embodiment will be described first with reference to FIG. Subsequently, each of the three following modes of the software keyboard SKB, “following mode 1”, “following mode 2”, and “still mode” will be specifically described.
[0057]
FIG. 5 shows the software keyboard SKB shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 in an enlarged manner. As clearly shown in the figure, in the software keyboard SKB, the 26 alphabets are vowels consisting of 5 characters representing Japanese vowels of “A”, “I”, “U”, “E”, and “O”. It is divided into a group Gv and a consonant group Gc composed of characters representing the remaining 21 consonants.
In the figure, the alphabets of the vowel group Gv are preferably arranged in the order of the Japanese vowels “a”, “i”, “u”, “e”, and “o”. Depending on the situation, they may be arranged in any order. Further, the consonant group Gc is further divided into three consonant subgroups Gc1, Gc2, and Gc3 for the purpose of effective use of the display area of the display device 21 and convenience of character selection operation.
[0058]
As shown in the figure, the first consonant subgroup Gc1 includes Japanese “ka line”, “sa line”, “ta line”, “na line”, “ha line”, “ma line”, “ma line”, “ “K”, “S”, “T”, “N”, “H”, “M”, “Y”, “Y”, “Y”, “R”, and “Wa” It is composed of “R” and “W”. The nine-letter alphabets constituting the first consonant subgroup Gc1 are preferably “K”, “S”, “T”, “N”, Although they are arranged in the order of “H”, “M”, “Y”, “R”, and “W”, they may be arranged in any order as necessary.
[0059]
The second consonant subgroup Gc2 consists of Japanese “Ja”, “Ga”, “Za”, “Da”, “Fa”, “Cha”, “Ba”, “Pa” , And “lowercase lines”, the letters “J”, “G”, “Z”, “D”, “F”, “C”, “B”, “P”, and “L”, respectively. Consists of. Similar to the first consonant subgroup Gc1, the second consonant subgroup Gc2 is composed of nine alphabets. Also, in the second consonant subgroup Gc2, it is preferable that “J”, “G”, “Z”, “D”, “F”, “C” as shown in the drawing because of the sensibility of the user. ”,“ B ”,“ P ”, and“ L ”. However, each character may be arranged in any order as necessary.
[0060]
The third consonant subgroup Gc3 is composed of three letters “Q”, “X”, and “V” that are not normal Japanese but correspond to English-specific sounds that are frequently used recently. Similarly to the first consonant subgroup Gc1 and the second consonant subgroup Gc2 described above, “Q”, “X”, and “V” may be arranged in any order as necessary. .
[0061]
As described above, the 26 letters of the alphabet are divided into four groups: a vowel group Gv, a first consonant subgroup Gc1, a second consonant subgroup Gc2, and a third consonant group Gc3. Further, the 26 letters of the alphabet are arranged in four stages by arranging the constituent characters in order from left to right for each group. In the first level, the first consonant subgroup Gc1 is arranged. In the second row, the vowel groups Gv are arranged in a center aligned state. Then, in the third row and the fourth row, the second consonant subgroup Gc2 and the third consonant group Gc3 are arranged, respectively.
[0062]
That is, in the same example, the character “A” at the left end of the vowel group Gv is arranged at a position facing “T” of the first consonant subgroup Gc1 and “Z” of the second consonant subgroup Gc2. ing. The character “O” at the right end of the vowel group Gv is arranged at a position facing “Y” of the first consonant group Gc1 and “B” of the second consonant subgroup Gc2. More specifically, “I” of the vowel group Gv is opposed to “N” of the first consonant subgroup Gc1 and “D” of the second consonant subgroup Gc2. Similarly, “U” faces each of “H” and “F”, and “E” faces each of “M” and “C”. Then, “Q”, “X”, and “V” of the third consonant subgroup Gc3 are opposed to “D”, “F”, and “C” of the second consonant subgroup Gc2, respectively. .
[0063]
In the figure, a rectangular frame displayed so as to surround a character mainly indicates the current position of a character selection cursor (hereinafter referred to as “cursor”). In principle, the cursor can be moved freely in units of characters only where the alphabet is. However, the alphabet group of the second vowel group Gv performs a special movement. This special movement method of the alphabet group of the vowel group Gv with respect to the movement of the cursor is called an operation mode of the software keyboard. There are three types of operation modes of the software keyboard: “follow mode 1”, “follow mode 2”, and “still mode”. The movement of the cursor is instructed to the software keyboard device SKA by the user operating the input device 19 described above. Hereinafter, the difference between the three operation modes of the software keyboard SKB will be described in detail.
[0064]
Before describing the operation modes of the software keyboard SKB with reference to the drawings, the principle of movement of the cursor and the vowel group Gv in each operation mode will be briefly described below.
[0065]
(Following mode 1)
In the follow mode 1, the operation is slightly different when the cursor moves within the vowel group Gv and when it moves within the consonant group Gc. First, when the cursor moves in the consonant group Gc and the vowel group Gv, it can move freely. However, when the cursor tries to move in the left-right direction beyond the character located in the same row facing either end of the vowel group Gv in the consonant group Gc, The entire vowel group Gv moves in the left-right direction, with the end characters following the cursor moving in the consonant group Gc. When the cursor further moves beyond the character at the end of the consonant group Gc, the cursor cyclically moves to the character at the other end of the consonant group Gc. Then, the entire vowel group Gv is moved following the vowel group Gv so that the vowel group Gv is directly below or directly above the cursor that has been circularly moved.
[0066]
“Circular movement of the cursor” means, for example, that when you move the cursor to the leftmost end, and then you want to move to the rightmost end, if you move the cursor to the right without pointing the cursor to the right, , Jump over several characters at once and move to the right end. This is an indispensable technique when pursuing a reduction in stroke amount. The circular movement of the entire vowel group Gv is the same as the circular movement of the cursor.
[0067]
On the other hand, a case where the cursor moves in the vowel group Gv will be described. In this case, the cursor can freely move in the vowel group Gv. However, when the cursor is going to move in the left or right direction beyond both ends of the vowel group Gv to the both ends of the software keyboard SKB, the character at that end of the vowel group Gv is Following the cursor, the entire vowel group Gv moves. If the cursor is to move further beyond one end of the software keyboard SKB, the cursor will circulate to the other end of the software keyboard SKB, and the characters at the other end of the vowel group Gv will circulate. The entire vowel group Gv moves following the cursor so that it is at the position of the cursor.
[0068]
(Following mode 2)
The following mode 1 is the same as the following mode 1 except that the cursor moves within the vowel group Gv. That is, the movement of the cursor when the cursor moves in the consonant group Gc and the movement of the vowel group Gv are exactly the same as in the follow mode 1. However, in the follow mode 2, when the cursor moves within the vowel group Gv, the cursor cannot move beyond the range of the vowel group Gv. Therefore, the vowel group Gv does not follow the cursor that moves in the vowel group Gv.
[0069]
That is, when the cursor moves from the consonant group Gc to the vowel group Gv, the vowel group Gv following the cursor moving in the consonant group Gc is fixed at the tracking position immediately before the cursor moves. The cursor can freely move within the vowel group Gv whose position is fixed. Then, when the cursor tries to move beyond both ends of the fixed vowel group Gv, the cursor is cyclically moved to the other end of the vowel group Gv.
[0070]
(Still mode)
In the stationary mode, it is possible to move freely within each character group. However, the vowel group Gv remains fixed in the initial state, and no follow-up movement with respect to the movement of the cursor is performed. Further, when the cursor moves between different groups, a character at a position where the movement distance is minimized is selected.
[0071]
Following mode 1 will be further described in the light of the example shown in FIG. In FIG. 5, in the consonant alphabet region (first, third, fourth) from the first consonant subgroup Gc1, the second consonant subgroup Gc2, and the third consonant subgroup Gc3. Consider the case where the cursor is moved left and right in each consonant group Gc. As a result of moving the cursor left and right, the position of the cursor in each consonant group Gc may exceed the positions corresponding to “A” and “O” at the left and right ends of the vowel group Gv.
[0072]
That is, in the first consonant subgroup Gc1, the cursor moves from “T” to “S” or from “Y” to “R”. In the second consonant subgroup Gc2, the cursor moves from “Z” to “G” or from “B” to “P”. More precisely, it is a case where the cursor is moved to a character outside the consonant group Gc positioned above and below the characters at both ends of the vowel group Gv. Such cursor movement is referred to as “over-limit movement of vowel group Gv”. Thus, when the cursor moves beyond the limit of the vowel group Gv, the entire vowel group Gv following the cursor is moved.
[0073]
Similarly, the movement of the cursor in the vowel group Gv is also performed by following the entire vowel group Gv. That is, in the vowel group Gv, when the cursor is moved from “A” to the left blank area, the entire vowel group Gv is moved to the left by following the movement of the cursor.
[0074]
<Following mode 1: Cursor moves in vowel group Gv>
A specific operation example of the software keyboard SKB when the cursor moves in the vowel group Gv in the following mode 1 will be described below with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 5, when the cursor is at the position “I” of the vowel group Gv, the cursor is moved to the position “A” to the left of “I”. In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, only the cursor moves normally, and no follow-up movement with respect to the cursor of the vowel group Gv occurs.
[0075]
Further, the cursor is moved to a blank portion on the left side of “A” (a position between “S” of the first consonant subgroup Gc1 and “G” of the second consonant subgroup Gc2). In this case, as shown in FIG. 7, the entire vowel group Gv moves following the movement of the cursor while the cursor remains on “A”. That is, each letter of the alphabet making up the vowel group Gv moves to the left by one character at a time.
[0076]
Then, the cursor is further moved to the left blank area at the left end of the vowel group Gv. In this case, as shown in FIG. 8, the vowel group Gv follows the cursor and moves to the left end of the software keyboard SKB while the cursor remains on “A”.
[0077]
Further, the cursor is instructed to move to the left side beyond the left end of the software keyboard SKB. In this case, as shown in FIG. 9, the entire vowel group Gv moves so as to be in contact with the right end of the software keyboard SKB, and the cursor moves to the position “O”.
[0078]
If the cursor is instructed to move further to the left, as shown in FIG. 10, the vowel group Gv remains in contact with the right end of the software keyboard SKB, and only the cursor is changed from “O” to “E”. Move to the position. Contrary to the series of leftward cursor movements described above, the vowel group Gv operates in accordance with the above-described operation principle when moving the cursor in the rightward direction.
[0079]
<Following mode 1: cursor moves in consonant group Gc>
Next, the operation of the software keyboard SKB when the cursor moves in the consonant group Gc in the following mode 1 will be specifically described with reference to FIGS.
[0080]
As shown in FIG. 11, in the state where the cursor of the software keyboard SKB is in the position of the character of the first consonant subgroup Gc1, for example, “N” and the vowel group Gv is in the standard position, the user enters the input device 19. Let us consider a case in which the cursor is instructed to move to the position of “T” on the left side of “N”. In this case, the position in the left-right direction on the software keyboard SKB of “T”, which is the position after the cursor is moved, is the same as the position in the left-right direction of “A”, which is the leftmost character of the vowel group Gv in the standard state. That is, “T” is at a position opposite to “A”. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 12, the vowel group Gv does not follow the cursor, but only the cursor moves upward by “T”.
[0081]
Further, consider a case where an instruction is given to move the cursor to the position of “S” on the left side. In this case, the horizontal position of “S” in the software keyboard SKB is located on the left side of the leftmost character “A” in the standard state of the vowel group Gv. That is, “S” does not face any character in the vowel group Gv. In this state, when the cursor is moved from “T” to “S” in the first consonant subgroup Gc1, the entire vowel group Gv follows the movement of the cursor as shown in FIG. Moves to the left. As a result, the leftmost character “A” of the vowel group Gv is located immediately below “S” where the cursor of the first consonant subgroup Gc1 is located. When the cursor is moved from “Z” of the second consonant subgroup Gc2 to the position of “G” next to the left, the vowel group Gv moves following the movement of the cursor in the same manner as described above. To do.
[0082]
Furthermore, when an instruction is given to move the cursor to the left, the cursor is positioned at the leftmost character “K” of the first consonant subgroup Gc1, as shown in FIG. The vowel group Gv also follows the leftmost end of the software keyboard SKB following the movement of the cursor. In this state, when the cursor is instructed to move beyond the left end of the software keyboard SKB to the left, as shown in FIG. 15, the cursor is directed to the rightmost “W” of the first consonant subgroup Gc1. Move to. Then, following the movement of the cursor, the entire vowel group Gv moves so as to touch the right end of the software keyboard SKB.
[0083]
Further, when an instruction is given to move the cursor to the left, as shown in FIG. 16, the cursor moves upward “R” on the left side of “W”. Such left and right positions of the cursor do not protrude beyond the left and right ends of the vowel group Gv at that time. Therefore, the vowel group Gv stops without touching the movement of the cursor and in contact with the right end of the software keyboard SKB. In such a state, when the cursor is in “L” of the third consonant subgroup Gc3, if the cursor is further moved to the left, the cursor moves to the position “P”. The group Gv does not follow the movement of the cursor.
[0084]
Also, in this operation mode, when the cursor is positioned on “X” of the third consonant subgroup Gc3 as shown in FIG. 17, the cursor is further instructed to move to the left. think of. In this case, the cursor tries to move to the left side beyond the current left end position of the vowel group Gv. As a result, as shown in FIG. 18, the cursor moves upward in “Q” of the third consonant subgroup Gc3, and the entire vowel group Gv moves to the left side following the movement of the cursor.
[0085]
Further, consider a case where the input device 19 is operated so as to move the cursor from the position “Q” to the left side. In this case, since the left side of “Q”, which is the leftmost character of the third consonant subgroup Gc3, is a blank position, the cursor moves from the position of “Q” to the rightmost character of the third consonant subgroup Gc3. It moves to the position of “V”. The position of “V” is a position inside the left and right ends of the vowel group Gv. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 19, the cursor moves from “Q” to “V”, and the vowel group Gv does not follow the movement of the cursor. Contrary to the above-described series of leftward cursor movements, the operation according to the above operation principle is also performed when moving the cursor in the rightward direction.
[0086]
<Following mode 1: Move between character groups with different cursors>
Next, with reference to FIGS. 20 and 21, the operation of the software keyboard SKB when the cursor moves to a different character group in the follow mode 1 will be described. First, in the state of the software keyboard SKB shown in FIG. 20, the cursor is continuously instructed to move downward. In this case, the cursor moves in the order of “K” → “A” → “J” → “Q” → “N” → “E” → “D” → “Q”. On the other hand, when the cursor is continuously instructed to move upward, the cursor moves in the order of “Q” → “D” → “E” → “N” → “Q” → “D”.
[0087]
That is, in the follow mode 1, the leftmost character “A” of the vowel group Gv follows the character “K” at the left end of the first consonant subgroup Gc1 where the cursor is located. Therefore, in this state, the characters “K”, “A”, and “J”, which are arranged at consecutively opposed positions in the vertical direction, continuously move, and in the third consonant subgroup Gc3, It moves to “Q” located closest to “J”.
[0088]
If the cursor is continuously instructed to move downward in the state of the software keyboard SKB shown in FIG. 21, “W” → “O” → “L” → “V” → “M” → “I” The cursor moves in the order of “→ C” → “V”. On the other hand, if the cursor is continuously instructed to move upward, the cursor moves in the order of “V” → “C” → “I” → “M” → “V” → “C”.
[0089]
<Still mode: Movement within the same character group and movement between different character groups>
Next, the relationship between the movement of the cursor and the vowel group Gv when the operation mode of the software keyboard SKB is the still mode will be described with reference to FIG. When the software keyboard SKB is in the stationary mode, the cursor can move freely only where the alphabet is, but the vowel group Gv remains fixed in the initial state, and the cursor follows the movement. Absent. When the cursor moves between different character groups, the character at the position where the movement distance is minimized is selected.
[0090]
As illustrated in FIG. 22, consider a case in which the cursor at the position “K” at the left end of the first consonant subgroup Gc1 is further instructed to move to the left. In this case, the cursor moves to the position “W” at the right end of the first consonant subgroup Gc1. Thus, when the cursor is moved further outward from one end of the character group, moving the cursor to the other end of the character group is referred to as “circular movement”. The process of “circularly moving” the cursor is referred to as “circular process”. Similarly, when the cursor is at the position of the left end “A” of the vowel group Gv, if the cursor is further moved to the left, the cursor is cyclically moved to the position of “O” at the right end of the vowel group Gv. To do.
[0091]
Then, when the cursor is at the position “J” at the left end of the second consonant subgroup Gc2, if the cursor is further moved to the left, the cursor is “L” at the right end of the second consonant subgroup Gc2. Cycle to the position of. Similarly, when the cursor is at the position “Q” at the left end of the third consonant subgroup Gc3, if the cursor is further moved to the left, the cursor is moved to “V” at the right end of the third consonant subgroup Gc3. ”And move to the position“ ”. However, in the stationary mode, the following movement of the vowel alphabet group accompanying the cursor movement is not performed. Contrary to the above-described series of leftward cursor movements, the cursor and vowel group Gv operate in accordance with the aforementioned operation principle when moving the cursor in the rightward direction.
[0092]
With reference to FIG. 22, a case where the cursor is moved between different character groups in the still mode will be described. Consider a case in which the cursor is continuously instructed to move downward on the illustrated software keyboard SKB. In this case, the cursor moves from “K” → “A” → “Z” → “Q” → “N” → “I” → “D” so that the movement distance between character groups is minimized as described above. → Move in order of “Q” position.
[0093]
Conversely, consider the case where the cursor is continuously instructed to move upward. In this case, the cursor moves in the order of “Q” → “D” → “I” → “N” → “Q” → “D”. Also, consider a case where the cursor is continuously instructed to move downward when the cursor is at the position “W” at the right end of the first consonant subgroup Gc1. In this case, the cursor moves in the order of “W” → “O” → “B” → “V” → “M” → “E” → “C” → “V”.
[0094]
On the contrary, when the cursor is continuously instructed to move upward when the cursor is at the position of “W”, the cursor is changed from “V” → “C” → “E” → “M” → It moves in the order of “V” → “C”. In the still mode, the vowel group Gv is not moved at all following the movement of the cursor.
[0095]
<Following mode 2: the cursor moves in the consonant group Gc>
Next, with reference to FIGS. 23 and 24, the operation of the software keyboard SKB when the cursor moves in the consonant group Gc in the follow mode 2 will be specifically described. The operation of the software keyboard SKB in the follow mode 2 is the same as the operation in the follow mode 1 when the cursor moves in the consonant group Gc.
Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 23 and 24, when the cursor moves to the left of “T” of the first consonant subgroup Gc1, the vowel group Gv moves following the cursor.
[0096]
<Following mode 2: Move between character groups with different cursors>
With reference to FIGS. 25 and 26, the operation of the software keyboard SKB when the cursor moves between different character groups in the follow mode 2 will be described. First, in the initial state, the vowel group Gv is locked (fixed) in a state of being center-aligned at the second level of the software keyboard SKB. Therefore, the cursor cannot move beyond both ends of the vowel group Gv. That is, when the cursor moves in the vowel group Gv, the vowel group Gv does not move following the cursor.
[0097]
On the other hand, when the cursor moves within the consonant group Gc, the vowel group Gv is unlocked as in the follow mode 1 as described above. As a result, the vowel group Gv moves following the movement of the cursor. Thus, when the cursor moves from the consonant group Gc to the vowel group Gv with the vowel group Gv following, the vowel group Gv is fixed at the position where the vowel group Gv has moved.
[0098]
That is, as shown in FIG. 24, consider a case in which the cursor is instructed to move downward while the cursor is at the position “S” of the first consonant subgroup Gc1. In this case, the cursor moves in order of “A” → “G” → “Q” → “N” → “I” → “D” → “Q”.
[0099]
Also, as shown in FIG. 25, when the cursor moves from the position “S” of the first consonant subgroup Gc1 to the position “A” of the vowel group Gv, the vowel group Gv is locked at that position. The If the cursor is further moved to the left of “A” in a state where the vowel group Gv is locked, as shown in FIG. 26, the vowel group Gv does not follow and moves to the locked vowel group. The cursor circulates to the position of “O” on the right end of Gv.
[0100]
The effect of reducing the number of input steps by the software keyboard SKB according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. In the present invention, each of the three types of operation modes, “Still mode”, “Follow mode 1”, and “Follow mode 2”, when inputting Japanese characters with Roman character kana conversion using a selectable software keyboard SKB. Let's study some specific words about the difference in physical stroke amount. Thereby, the effect of “movement” of the vowel alphabet group can be confirmed.
[0101]
In order to grasp the stroke amount, it is necessary to regulate the movement of the cursor in response to the user input to the input device 19. For this purpose, as shown in FIG. 27, the software keyboard SKB is set with four coordinates a, b, c, and d in the vertical direction, and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Set the coordinates of 6, 7, 8, and 9 and 9. Thereby, the current position of the cursor can be defined according to the movement of the cursor. The number of strokes can be clearly recognized based on the change in the current position of the cursor.
[0102]
That is, as described with reference to FIG. 5, in the initial state, the cursor is at the position of “U” of the vowel group Gv arranged in the center at the second level of the software keyboard SKB. When this cursor position is expressed using the above-mentioned coordinates, 5bU is obtained. Thus, the cursor position is uniquely defined by the combination of the abscissa (number), the ordinate (lowercase alphabet), and the three characters displayed in the order of the characters displayed at the coordinates. In the following mode 1 and the following mode 2, it goes without saying that the input is performed in consideration of the movement method of the vowel group Gv in each operation mode.
[0103]
<When entering “KAKASI” (scarecrow)>
First, consider the case where “KAKASI” is input in the still mode. As described above, in the stationary mode, the cursor can move only on the position where the alphabet is displayed on the software keyboard SKB along the path that minimizes the movement distance. Further, the vowel group Gv is not moved following the movement of the cursor.
[0104]
When the cursor is not circularly moved in the still mode, the cursor moves in the following positions in order. In other words, the cursor at the position of 5bU is designated as “KAKASI” by specifying 5bU → 5aH → 4aN → 3aT → 2aS → 1aK → 2aS → 3aT → 3bA → 3aT → 2aS → 1aK → 2aS → 3aT → 3bA → 3aT → Move as shown by the coordinates of 2aS → 3aT → 4aN → 4bI. As a result, 19 strokes are required for the cursor operation.
[0105]
When performing a circular movement of the cursor in the still mode, the cursor moves to 5KU → 5aH → 4aN → 3aT → 2aS → 1aK → 3bA → 3aT → 2aS → 1aK → 3bA → 3aT → 14 strokes of 2aS → 3bA → 4bI are required.
[0106]
Next, consider the case where “KAKASI” is input in the follow mode 1. As described above, in the follow mode 1, when the cursor moves within the consonant group Gc and the vowel group Gv, the vowel group Gv moves following.
[0107]
In the follow mode 1, when the cursor is not circularly moved, in order to designate “KAKASI”, the cursor 5bU → 5aH → 4aN → 3aT → 2aS → 1aK → 1bA → 1aK → 1bA → 1aK → 2aS → As indicated by the coordinates of 2bI, 11 strokes are required.
[0108]
In the follow mode 1, when the cursor is circularly moved, in order to designate “KAKASI”, the cursor moves to 5bU → 5aH → 4aN → 3aT → 2aS → 1aK → 1bA → 1aK → 1bA → 2bI → 2aS → 2bI 11 strokes are required.
[0109]
Further, consider the case where “KAKASI” is input in the follow mode 2. As described above, in the follow mode 2, when the cursor moves from the consonant group Gc to the vowel group Gv, the vowel group Gv is locked. That is, when the cursor is in the vowel group Gv, the vowel group Gv is locked and does not follow the cursor.
[0110]
In such a follow-up mode 2, when the cursor is circularly moved, in order to designate “KAKASI”, the cursor is 5bU → 5aH → 4aN → 3aT → 2aS → 1aK → 1bA → 1aK → 1bA → 2bI → 11 strokes of 2aS → 2bI.
[0111]
Similarly, when inputting “YAKYUU”, “DENKIKAIRO”, “KIKANSYA”, and “KAGAKUUSA”, the number of strokes required for each operation mode is as follows. It is as follows.
[0112]
<When entering YAKYYUU>
If the cursor is not circularly moved in the still mode, 20 strokes are required. When the cursor is circularly moved in the still mode, 16 strokes are required.
If the cursor is not circularly moved in the follow mode 1, 20 strokes are required. When the cursor is circularly moved in the follow mode 1, 12 strokes are required.
When the cursor is circularly moved in the follow mode 2, 12 strokes are required.
[0113]
<When entering “DENKI KAIRO”>
If the cursor is not circularly moved in the still mode, 30 strokes are required. When the cursor is circularly moved in the still mode, 24 strokes are required.
When the cursor is not circularly moved in the follow mode 1, 25 strokes are required. If the cursor is circularly moved in the follow mode 1, 23 strokes are required.
When the cursor is circularly moved in the follow mode 2, 23 strokes are required.
[0114]
<When entering “KIKANSYA”>
When the cursor is not circularly moved in the still mode, 22 strokes are required. When the cursor is circularly moved in the still mode, 23 strokes are required.
If the cursor is not circularly moved in the following mode 1, 26 strokes are required. If the cursor is circularly moved in the follow mode 1, 23 strokes are required.
When the cursor is circularly moved in the follow mode 2, 22 strokes are required.
[0115]
<When entering “KAGAKUSYA”>
If the cursor is not circularly moved in the still mode, 34 strokes are required. When the cursor is circularly moved in the still mode, 25 strokes are required.
If the cursor is not circularly moved in the following mode 1, 26 strokes are required. If the cursor is circularly moved in the follow mode 1, 23 strokes are required.
When the cursor is circularly moved in the follow mode 2, 23 strokes are required.
[0116]
As is clear from the above, although there are some exceptions, the effect that the number of strokes required for inputting the kana characters can be reduced in the following mode 1 and the following mode 2 in the present invention compared to the case of the stationary mode. . It can be confirmed that the number of strokes, that is, the number of input steps can be reduced by the software keyboard SKB according to the present invention.
[0117]
On the other hand, Japanese is mainly composed of vowels and consonants. Based on this fact, the software keyboard SKB according to the present invention also divides the 26-character alphabet into the vowel group Gv and the consonant group Gc so that the characters corresponding to the vowels and the consonants can be easily distinguished. From this point of view, as shown in FIG. 28, the software keyboard SKB is arranged more effectively with the software keyboard in which the vowel group Gv is surrounded by the characters of the consonant group Gc. It seems that it can be reduced.
[0118]
However, in the illustrated software keyboard shown in the figure, SA (SA), RO (RO), GA (GA), and PO (PO) require at least two strokes. On the other hand, the software keyboard SKB according to the present invention moves in the follow mode 2 so that the vowel group Gv follows at least the cursor of the consonant line, so that the above-mentioned SA (SA), RO (RO), (GA ), Po (PO), the minimum stroke is 1.
[0119]
In addition, in the case of the software keyboard illustrated in FIG. 28, the distinction between the character group corresponding to the vowel and the character group corresponding to the consonant is not clarified. Therefore, it is difficult to find a character to select. In order to avoid such difficulty, in the present invention, as described above, the arrangement of the vowel group Gv of the software keyboard SKB is devised. In addition to this, the cycle of cursor movement also contributes to a reduction in stroke amount.
[0120]
The following movement with respect to the cursor of the vowel group Gv, which is one of the features of the software keyboard SKB according to the present invention, reduces the mood burden on the user in light of human behavioral psychology or encourages the user to move the cursor. The effect to do is recognized. That is, when the cursor is moved within the consonant group Gc, the vowel group Gv follows the cursor, so that after selecting a consonant, the vowel group Gv that is inevitably selected is always the current cursor. Waiting in the immediate vicinity is a state of receiving a psychological backup from the viewpoint of the user.
[0121]
In addition, when a consonant is input, the cursor is automatically moved to a specific character of the vowel, which seems to be effective for reducing the stroke amount. However, this method is effective in reducing the number of steps required to input a specific character for which the cursor automatically moves, but it can reduce the stroke required for the entire character input including other characters. Is useless.
[0122]
In the present invention, in order for the user to move the cursor more effectively based on the state of the software keyboard SKB displayed on the screen, three types of operation modes of follow mode 1, follow mode 2 and still mode are realized. is doing. By operating the software keyboard SKB in these three types of operation modes, there is no guarantee that any Japanese can be input efficiently. However, following the cursor of the vowel group Gv has a positive effect on the user's behavioral psychology and can provide a more user-friendly character input interface.
[0123]
Also, if you are not a long sentence, the number of input devices, functions, and display area will be limited for those who are familiar with Roman alphabet input, rather than moving the cursor vertically and horizontally on a 50-sound table to input Japanese. The software keyboard device according to the present invention is easier to input.
[0124]
(First embodiment)
A first example of the software keyboard device SKA according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 29 to 49.
FIG. 29 shows the structure of the software keyboard device SKAe according to the present embodiment incorporated in the game machine. The software keyboard device SKAe according to the present embodiment has a configuration very similar to the software keyboard device SKA shown in FIG. That is, the software keyboard device SKAe includes a ROM 1e, a CPU 5e, a RAM 13e, an operating device 19e, a monitor 21e, and a game machine 100e. The ROM 1e, the CPU 5e, the RAM 13e, the operation device 19e, the monitor 21e, and the game machine 100e are the program source 1, the CPU 5, the RAM 13, the input device 19, the display device 21, and the character input device main body 100 shown in FIG. It corresponds to.
[0125]
That is, the ROM 1e stores various computer programs for executing the operation of the software keyboard device SKAe. The computer program stored in the ROM 1e will be described in detail later with reference to FIG.
[0126]
The operation device 19e is a means that is operated by a user to transmit its own instruction to the software keyboard device SKA, and preferably includes a pointing device such as a keyboard and a selection determination input device. An example of the operation device 19e in the game machine will be described in detail later with reference to FIG.
[0127]
The game machine 100e includes a CPU 5e and a RAM 13e corresponding to the CPU 5 and the RAM 13 of the character input device main body 100, respectively. The game machine 100e further includes a first connector 3, a reality coprocessor (hereinafter abbreviated as “RCP”) 7, a video digital-analog converter (hereinafter abbreviated as “VDAC”) 9, a video encoder ( Hereinafter, abbreviated as “VENC”) 11, a peripheral interface (hereinafter abbreviated as “PIf”) 15, a second connector 17, an audio digital-analog converter (hereinafter abbreviated as “ADAC”) 20, and An amplifier (hereinafter abbreviated as “AMP”) 21 is included.
[0128]
The ROM 1e is detachably connected to the game machine 100e via the first connector 3. However, it goes without saying that the ROM 1e may be built in the game machine 100e in advance, like the CPU 5e and the RAM 13e. The RCP 7 is connected to the CPU 5e, the first connector 3, and the RAM 13e. As a result, the program stored in the ROM 1e is loaded into the CPU 5e via the first connector 3 and the RCP 7.
[0129]
The CPU 5e first executes some of the loaded various programs. Thereafter, the CPU 5e executes some of the loaded programs on the basis of a user instruction input from the operation device 19e. When executing the program, the CPU 5e distributes and processes some of the jobs to be executed with the RCP7. The CPU 5e and the RCP 7 execute distributed jobs by using a working area constructed in the RAM 13e. The CPU 5e is also a control device that controls the operation of the entire software keyboard device SKA.
[0130]
The VDAC 9 performs D-A conversion on the digital image signal input from the RCP 7 to generate an analog image signal. The VENC 11 encodes the analog image signal input from the VDAC 9 and generates a video signal in a format that can be displayed on the monitor 21e.
That is, the monitor 21e displays the execution results of the CPU 5e and the RCP 7 with video and audio, displays the result of the user's instruction, and prompts the user to input a new instruction. For this purpose, in the present invention, the state of the software keyboard SKB is appropriately changed and displayed on the monitor 21e in accordance with the execution result of the program and the user's instruction.
[0131]
The monitor 21e displays the software keyboard SKB and related images illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 26 based on the video signal input from the VENC 11. In this embodiment, the monitor 21e is usually a television, but any one of analog or digital display devices represented by CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and PD (Plasma Display) is used. May be.
[0132]
The PIf 15 connects the second connector 17 to the RCP 7. Then, various peripheral devices connected to the second connector 17 are connected to the RCP 7 and the CPU 5e. The operation device 19e is connected to the second connector 17 and transmits a user instruction to the CPU 5e.
[0133]
The ADAC 20 performs DA conversion on the digital audio signal input from the RCP 7 to generate an analog audio signal. The AMP 21 amplifies the analog audio signal input from the ADAC 20 and outputs it to an acoustic device such as a speaker (not shown).
[0134]
FIG. 30 shows an example of the operation device 19e in the game machine in this embodiment. The operation device 19e has a cross cursor key, a SELECT button, a START button, an A button, and a B button. The cross cursor key is a pointing device that moves the cursor vertically and horizontally on the software keyboard SKB. The A button is an input device for determining the alphabet and registering it in the Romaji input conversion line. These buttons and keys are examples of commonly used input devices in the software keyboard device SKA, and other appropriate devices may be used as long as they can provide similar functions.
[0135]
The B button is an input device that instructs the Roman input conversion line to cancel the alphabet once input. The START button is an input device that performs kana-kanji conversion, selects the converted kanji with the cross cursor, and determines with the A button. The SELECT button is an input device for selecting an operation mode of the software keyboard SKB.
[0136]
Below, the operation of each input device provided in the operation device 19e and the relationship between the software keyboard SKB, the Japanese input line editor, and the Romaji input conversion line shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 will be briefly described. To do.
[0137]
Consider the case where the Kanji conversion mode for converting hiragana characters displayed on the Roman character input conversion line into Kanji is selected as the input mode of the software keyboard SKB. The kanji conversion mode is simply displayed as “kanji” on the monitor 21e by the input mode icon. In this case, as the alphabet is determined by operating the A button, it is automatically converted into a hiragana equivalent to a Roman character. When the target Japanese (Hiragana) appears, the START button is operated to convert it into Kanji. Use the crosshair cursor key to select from the candidates, and operate the A button to determine the kanji. The determined kanji is displayed on the Japanese input line editor.
[0138]
Consider a case where a hiragana conversion mode for converting input Roman letters into hiragana is selected as the input mode of the software keyboard SKB. The hiragana conversion mode is simply displayed as “A” by the input mode icon on the monitor 21e. In this case, as the alphabet is determined by operating the A button, it is automatically converted into a hiragana equivalent to a Roman character. When the target hiragana appears, the START button is operated to determine the hiragana. The determined hiragana is displayed on the Japanese input line.
[0139]
Consider the case where the katakana conversion mode for converting the input Roman characters into katakana is selected as the input mode of the software keyboard SKB. The katakana conversion mode is simply displayed as “A” on the monitor 21e. In this case, as the alphabet is determined by operating the A button, it is automatically converted into katakana corresponding to the Roman alphabet. When the target katakana appears, the START button is operated to determine the katakana.
[0140]
Similarly, a Roman character mode, a symbol mode, a numeric mode, a Greek character mode, and the like that are simply displayed as “A”, “notation”, “number”, and “gi” by the input mode icons on the monitor 21e, respectively. Can be set. In these input modes, each of the START buttons is operated to display a character display of selection candidates. Then, the crosshair cursor is operated to select a target character from the displayed candidate characters, and the A button is operated to determine.
[0141]
On the monitor 21e, the input mode icon is used to easily change the SJIS or JIS code by operating the cross cursor in the code input mode displayed as "K", and select it with the A button. Determine the character corresponding to the code.
[0142]
FIG. 31 shows an example of a game machine in which the software keyboard device SKAe according to the present embodiment is incorporated.
[0143]
Next, the operation of the software keyboard device SKAe will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. The software keyboard device SKA is powered on and its operation is started.
[0144]
First, in step # 1000, various programs are loaded from the ROM 1e into the game machine 100e. Then, the process proceeds to the next step # 2000.
[0145]
In step # 2000, various elements and parameters of the software keyboard device SKAe are initialized according to the program loaded from the ROM 1e. Then, the process proceeds to the next step # 3000.
[0146]
In step # 3000, the state initialized in step # 2000 is displayed on the monitor 21e. That is, the software keyboard SKB in a state before the user's instruction is input is displayed on the monitor 21e. Then, the process proceeds to the next step # 4000.
[0147]
In step # 4000, the state of the input device 19e by the user is acquired. That is, the presence / absence of input and the content of the input are detected. Specifically, as shown in the figure, it is composed of step # 4010 and step # 4020.
In step # 4010, it is determined whether or not there is an input from the user to the monitor 21e. Then, the process proceeds to step # 4020 only when the input by the user, that is, when the user operates any of the input devices of the monitor 21e.
[0148]
In step # 4020, any of the subsequent steps # 5000, # 6000, # 7000, # 8000, and # 9000 is selected based on the type of input device operated by the user and the content of the operation, and the process is executed. Is done.
[0149]
<# 5000>
If the user operates the cross key based on the display on the monitor 21e, it is determined that the user desires to move the cursor, and the process proceeds to step # 5000. In step # 5000, the software keyboard SKB displayed on the monitor 21e is changed according to the value of the pointer parameter indicating the operating state of the pointing device included in the operation device 19e. Then, the process returns to step # 4000.
Note that Step # 5000 includes Steps # 101, # 102, # 103, and # 104 that are executed in parallel exclusively with each other in accordance with the value of the pointer parameter.
[0150]
Step # 101 obtains the state of the software keyboard SKB after the cursor is moved upward on the software keyboard SKB when the cross key as the pointing device of the operation device 19e is operated upward, and displays it on the display 21e. Is a subroutine. Details of the processing in this step will be described later with reference to FIG.
[0151]
Step # 102 obtains the state of the software keyboard SKB after the cursor is moved downward on the software keyboard SKB when the cross key as the pointing device of the operation device 19e is operated downward, and displays it on the display 21e. Is a subroutine. Details of the processing in this step will be described later with reference to FIG.
[0152]
Step # 103 obtains the state of the software keyboard SKB after moving the cursor to the left on the software keyboard SKB and displays it on the display 21e when the cross key as the pointing device of the operation device 19e is operated to the left. Is a subroutine. Details of the processing in this step will be described later with reference to FIG.
[0153]
Step # 104 obtains the state of the software keyboard SKB after moving the cursor to the right on the software keyboard SKB and displays it on the display 21e when the cross key as a pointing device of the operation device 19e is operated to the right. Is a subroutine. Details of the processing in this step will be described later with reference to FIG.
[0154]
<# 6000>
On the other hand, when the user operates the START button of the operation device 19e based on the display on the monitor 21e, it is determined in step # 4000 that the user desires character conversion, and the process proceeds to step # 6000. move on. In step # 6000, after the character conversion process is performed, the process returns to step # 4000. Step # 6000 includes steps # 6010, # 6020, and # 6030.
[0155]
In step # 6010, in each input mode of the software keyboard SKB, the character input when the START button operation is detected in step # 4000 is determined. Then, the process proceeds to the next step # 6020.
[0156]
In step # 6020, it is determined whether the hiragana determined in # 6020 can be converted into kanji. If it is determined that conversion is impossible, the process returns to step # 4000. On the other hand, if it is determined that conversion is possible, the process proceeds to the next step # 6030.
[0157]
In step S6030, the user performs hiragana kanji conversion until the desired kanji is converted, and finally selects the desired kanji converted. Then, the process in step # 6000 ends.
[0158]
<# 7000>
  On the other hand, based on the display on the monitor 21e, the user operates the operation device 19e.AIf the button is operated, it is determined in step # 4000 that the user has selected the input character, and the process proceeds to step # 7000. In step # 7000, after the input character selection process is performed, the process returns to step # 4000. Step # 7000 includes step # 105, steps # 7010, # 7020, # 7030, # 7040, and # 7050.
[0159]
In step # 7005, the character when the operation of the A button is detected in step # 4000 is selected. Then, the process proceeds to the next step # 7010.
[0160]
In step # 7010, the previously input character and the currently input character are concatenated and displayed on the Roman input conversion line. Then, the process proceeds to the next step # 7020.
[0161]
In step # 7020, it is determined whether or not the combination of alphabets connected in step # 7010 can be converted into a roman character. If it is determined that Romaji conversion is possible, the process proceeds to step # 7030.
[0162]
In step # 7030, the alphabet combination concatenated in step # 7010 is converted into hiragana, and the process in step # 7000 is terminated. Note that it may be converted into katakana instead of hiragana.
[0163]
On the other hand, if it is determined in step # 7020 that Romaji conversion is impossible, the process proceeds to step # 7040.
[0164]
In step # 7040, it is determined whether or not the alphabet connected in step # 7010 is three or more characters. If it is determined that there are fewer than three characters, the process returns to step # 4000 and waits for further alphabets to be selected. This is because in Roman character conversion, there is Hiragana expression in which the alphabet is expressed by three characters, and therefore it is not an error if a two-character alphabet cannot be converted into Hiragana.
[0165]
On the other hand, if it is determined in step # 7040 that there are three or more characters, the process proceeds to the next step # 7060.
[0166]
In step # 7060, the alphabet connected in step # 7010 is erased from the Roman input conversion line, and the process in step # 7000 ends. In the present embodiment, when the combination of three alphabetic characters cannot be converted to Roman kana, it is determined that the combination of all three characters is inappropriate and all three characters are deleted. However, considering the case where the first or second character of the three characters is incorrect, only that character may be deleted.
[0167]
<# 8000>
On the other hand, if the user operates the B button of the operation device 19e based on the display on the monitor 21e, it is determined in step # 4000 that the user desires to erase the input character, and the process is step ##. Proceed to 8000. In step # 8000, after the preceding character erasing process is performed, the process returns to step # 4000. Step # 8000 is composed of Step # 8010, Step and # 8020.
[0168]
In step # 8010, the character selected when the operation of the B button is detected in step # 4000 is set as an erasure target. Then, the process proceeds to the next step # 8020.
[0169]
In step # 8020, the latter of the alphabets connected in # 7010, that is, one character input before entering this step is deleted from the Roman input conversion line. And the process of step # 8000 is complete | finished.
[0170]
<# 9000>
On the other hand, when the user operates the SELECT button of the operation device 19e based on the display on the monitor 21e, it is determined in step # 4000 that the user desires to change the operation mode, and the process proceeds to step # 9000. . In step # 9000, after the operation mode change process is performed, the process returns to step # 4000. Step # 9000 includes step # 9010, step, # 9020, and # 3000.
[0171]
In step # 9010, selectable operation modes of the software keyboard SKB are displayed on the monitor 21e. Then, the process proceeds to the next step # 9020.
[0172]
In step # 9020, the user selects or switches the operation mode of the software keyboard SKB. Then, the process proceeds to the next step # 3000.
[0173]
This step # 3000 is exactly the same as the processing executed between the aforementioned step # 2000 and step # 4000. However, in step # 9000, the software keyboard SKB in the operation mode selected in step # 9020 is displayed on the monitor 21e. Then, the process of step # 9000 ends.
[0174]
Next, a relationship between a program stored in the ROM 1e and a data area constructed in the RAM 13e in the game machine 100e as a result of loading the program into the game machine 100e will be described with reference to FIG. First, program modules classified into 16 types are displayed as program areas in the upper part of FIG.
[0175]
Note that module numbers M1 to M16 are assigned to the left side of each program module for the convenience of identification. Also, in the right column of each program module, L0 (level 0), L1 (level 1), and L2 are set to the degree necessary for the program module to construct the software keyboard device SKAe and the software keyboard SKB. (Level 2) and L3 (Level 3) are assigned for identification.
[0176]
L0 is a program module required to prepare hardware for programs of other levels (L1, L2, and L3) before building the software keyboard device SKAe and the software keyboard SKB. means. The L0 program modules include an OS initialization program M15 and firmware M16. These two program modules are originally provided as standard in the hardware of the software keyboard device SKAe. However, if it is not provided, it may be stored in the ROM 1e and loaded into the game machine 100e in step # 1000.
[0177]
L1 is a program module required to construct the software keyboard SKB when the program module of L0 is loaded into the hardware and the hardware side is ready to construct the software keyboard device SKAe and the software keyboard SKB. It means that. The program modules of L1 include a main program M1, an I / O library M2, a character display program M3, character font data M4, a control pad determination program M5, a software keyboard control program M6, a Roman character input conversion line program M7, and a Roman character determination A table M8 is included.
[0178]
The main program M1 is responsible for the overall operation of the software keyboard device SKAe. The I / O library M2 controls resources related to the operation device 19e and the monitor 21e, which are hardware constituting the software keyboard device SKAe. The I / O library M2 is a program that provides a kind of I / O interface and user interface that are prepared in an optimized manner in response to a request from an application represented by a language system processed by the software keyboard SKB. .
[0179]
The I / O library M2 described above assigns an input function to each device in accordance with restrictions on hardware input devices, and also determines the software keyboard SKB according to the type of character determined according to the language system of the input character. It is a program that sets the pattern. That is, the I / O library M2 absorbs a variety of control methods due to differences in low-level hardware specifications.
[0180]
The character font data M4 is a character font displayed on the software keyboard SKB. The character display program M3 is a program for displaying characters realized by the character font data M4 on the monitor 21e (21). The control pad determination program M5 is a program for acquiring the operation state of the operation device 19e (19) by the user. The software keyboard control program M6 is a program that controls the operation of the software keyboard SKB built in the software keyboard device SKAe (SKA). The Romaji input conversion line program M7 is a program that displays the alphabet selected and input by the user on the Romaji input conversion line and converts the displayed alphabet into a kana and displays it.
[0181]
These program modules of L1 are indispensable program modules for constructing the software keyboard SKB according to the present invention in the hardware prepared with the necessary resources as infrastructure for the software keyboard device SKAe (Ska). . In this sense, it can be said to be the basic software of the software keyboard SKB. These program modules may also be stored in the ROM 1e in the same manner as the above-described L0 program module, and loaded into the software keyboard device SKAe in step # 1000. It may be built in the input device main body 100.
[0182]
L2 means a program module that is constructed in the software keyboard device SKAe (SKA) and performs some processing on the alphabet that is selected and inputted to the software keyboard SKB. The L2 program module is a line editor program M9.
[0183]
L3 is a program module that is constructed in the software keyboard device SKAe (SKA) and is used to convert the software keyboard SKB into a desired kanji based on the selected alphabet, and to create and edit sentences as necessary. It is shown that. The L3 program modules include an FEP main program M10, a kanji conversion program M11, a kanji candidate selection program M12, a kanji code input program M13, and an FEP dictionary M14. These program modules are basically the same as the program modules included in a normal kana-kanji conversion program.
[0184]
As described above, in this embodiment, kana characters are displayed together with the alphabet on the Roman character input conversion line, and further converted into Chinese characters by the Chinese character conversion program M11. Therefore, the above-described character font data M4 includes commonly used Japanese fonts such as hiragana, katakana, and alphabet.
[0185]
Note that the data area constructed in the RAM 13e (13), which is shown as the data area in the lower part of FIG. First, in the figure, the frame buffer area, the character font data area, the Roman character determination table area, and the working area whose essentiality is L1 are the RAM 13 (the working area when the above-described program modules M1 to M16 are executed). 13e) is an area constructed.
[0186]
The frame buffer area is used for storing image data for displaying the software keyboard SKB on the monitor 21e (21). The character font data is used for loading the character font data M4 described above from the ROM 1e (1) and accessing it instantaneously. The Roman character determination table is used for accessing the Roman character determination by loading the Roman character determination table M8 from the ROM 1e (1).
[0187]
The working area is used as a working area for calculations in the CPU 5e (5) and RCP7. However, the character font data and the Roman character determination table may directly access the character font data M4 and the Roman character determination table M8 stored in the ROM 1e (1) as described above without providing a data area. . These data areas L1 are indispensable areas for constructing and functioning the software keyboard SKB according to the present invention.
[0188]
Further, the LEP FEP dictionary area is an area that is used for kana-kanji conversion by loading the main program M14 from the ROM 1e (1). This area can also be omitted by directly accessing the main program M14 in the ROM 1e (1).
[0189]
Next, basic items constituting the software keyboard SKB will be described with reference to FIG. 34, FIG. 35, and FIG.
First, FIG. 34 shows the structure of the software keyboard SKB constructed in the frame buffer area shown in FIG. The software keyboard SKB is defined by, for example, seven rows from 0 to 6 in the Y-axis (vertical) direction and 10 columns from 0 to 9 in the X-axis (horizontal) direction, as shown in part in the figure. A matrix having 70 cells is constructed. Each cell is uniquely defined by X-axis coordinates and Y-axis coordinates. Note that the size of this matrix is determined by the capacity of the frame buffer used in the hardware to which the software keyboard SKB of the present invention is applied. In the case of a general game machine, the size of the matrix is around 884 cells of 0 to 25 in the Y-axis direction and 0 to 33 in the X-axis direction (when one cell is 8 × 8 dots). .
[0190]
FIG. 35 will be described in relation to the characters constituting the software keyboard SKB according to the present invention and the frame buffer area shown in FIG. In the present invention, a software keyboard SKB is displayed by arranging a 26-character alphabet into one vowel group Gv and three consonant groups Gc1, Gc2, and Gc3. For this purpose, a matrix having 36 cells defined by 4 rows from 0 to 3 in the Y-axis direction and 9 columns from 0 to 8 in the X-axis direction is used.
In the figure, the first consonant subgroup Gc1 is arranged in the consonant row 1, the vowel group Gv is arranged in the vowel row, the second consonant subgroup Gc2 is arranged in the consonant row 2, and the consonant In row 3, the third consonant subgroup Gc3 is arranged.
[0191]
And each character which comprises software keyboard SKB is registered into the cell position shown in FIG. 35 as mentioned above. The registered character is managed in the form of an array variable Keyboard [y] [x] based on the relationship with the cell position. For example, Keyboard [1] [4] indicates “U”, and Keyboard [1] [0] indicates “blank”. The characters on the software keyboard SKB are defined by Keyboard [CY] [CX].
[0192]
FIG. 36 describes variables that are initialized in initialization step # 2000 of the flowcharts shown in FIGS.
First, the cursor coordinates Keyboard [CY] [CX] for managing the movement of the cursor on the software keyboard SKB are set to Keyboard [1] [4] representing “U” which is the initial position.
[0193]
Next, the initial position of the vowel group Gv is set to 2 as a vowel left position management variable BOIN_POS_L, which is a variable that defines the position of the leftmost character (A) on the X axis. The initial position of the vowel group Gv is set to 6 as a vowel right position management variable BOIN_POS_R, which is a variable that defines the position of the rightmost character (O) on the X axis. With respect to the X-axis direction of the software keyboard SKB, the left movement limit position KEYB_LIMIT_L, which is a variable for managing the left and right movement limit positions that define the maximum movement range of the cursor, is set to zero. Further, the right movement limit position KEYB_LIMIT_R is set to 8.
[0194]
The operation mode of the software keyboard SKB is defined as variables KeyMode = 0 (following mode 1), 1 (following mode 2), and 2 (static mode), respectively. In initialization, KeyMode = 0, that is, the follow mode 1 is set.
[0195]
With reference to FIG. 37, the subroutine for obtaining the state of the software keyboard SKB after the cursor is moved upward on the software keyboard SKB in step # 101 will be described. In this step, whether or not the operation mode of the software keyboard SKB is the follow mode 1 is determined in step S110. If it is determined that the follow mode 1 is selected, the process proceeds to step # 201. Step # 201 is a subroutine for determining the state of the software keyboard SKB after the cursor has been moved upward in the follow mode 1. Note that the details of step # 201 displayed as “UKeyAscD” in the figure will be described later with reference to FIG. On the other hand, when it is determined that the follow mode 1 is not set, the process proceeds to step S111.
[0196]
In step S111, it is determined whether or not the operation mode of the software keyboard SKB is the follow mode 2. If it is determined that the follow mode 2 is selected, the process proceeds to step # 205. Step # 205 is a subroutine for determining the state of the software keyboard SKB after the cursor has been moved upward in the follow mode 2. Note that the details of step # 205 displayed as “UKeyAscF” in the figure will be described later with reference to FIG. On the other hand, when it is determined that the mode is not the follow mode 2, the process proceeds to step S112.
[0197]
In step S112, it is determined whether or not the operation mode of the software keyboard SKB is the still mode. If it is determined that the mode is the still mode, the process proceeds to step # 209. Step # 209 is a subroutine for obtaining the state of the software keyboard SKB after the cursor is moved upward in the still mode. In addition, in the drawing, the processing in the still mode of # 209 displayed as “UKeyAscS” has already been described in detail with reference to FIG. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S112 that the mode is not the still mode, the process of step # 101 is terminated.
[0198]
With reference to FIG. 38, step # 201, which is a subroutine for determining the state of the software keyboard SKB after the cursor has been moved upward in the follow mode 1, will be described. This subroutine roughly includes steps # 2110, # 2111, # 2112, and # 2113.
Step # 2110 is a subroutine for causing the monitor 21e to normally display the character at the current cursor coordinates. Note that the normal display means that characters are usually displayed in the foreground (foreground) which preferably has a complementary color relationship with the background (background) color of the screen of the monitor 21e. Note that the relationship between the foreground color and the background color may not be a complementary color. In short, any color relationship is possible as long as the foreground characters are clearly visible with respect to the background.
[0199]
When the process of step # 2110 starts,
In step S2100, it is determined whether CY = 1. In the case of Yes, it is determined as Yes when the cursor is currently in the vowel group Gv. Then, the process proceeds to step S2110.
[0200]
In step S2110, Keyboard [CY] [CX-BOIN_POS_L + 2] is displayed at coordinates (CX, CY). As a result, the characters of the vowel group Gv currently reversely displayed are returned to the normal display. As a result, the newly displayed position of the vowel group Gv is updated without changing the keyboard data itself shown in FIG. Then, the process proceeds to step # 2111.
[0201]
On the other hand, if it is determined in step S2100 that No, that is, CY is not 1, it indicates that the cursor is currently in the consonant group Gc. In this case, the process proceeds to step S2101.
[0202]
In step S2101, Keyboard [CY] [CX] is displayed at coordinates (CX, CY). As a result, the character currently reversely displayed among the characters of the consonant group Gc is returned to normal. Then, the process proceeds to step # 2111. As described above, in step # 2110, even if the cursor is on any character of the vowel group Gv and the consonant group Gc, the character is normally displayed.
[0203]
Step # 2111 is a subroutine for obtaining cursor coordinates when the cursor is moved upward. When the process of step # 2111 starts,
In step S2102, CY is decremented by one. As a result, the coordinates when the cursor is moved upward by one step can be obtained. Then, the process proceeds to the next step S2103.
[0204]
In step S2103, it is determined whether CY <0. In the case of Yes, it means that the position of the cursor after the movement exceeds the first level of the software keyboard SKB. In this case, the process proceeds to step S2111.
[0205]
In step S2111, CY is set to 3. This is because, in the previous step S2103, since it was detected that the cursor is going to move upward from the first level of the software keyboard SKB, the cursor is cyclically moved to the third level, which is the lowest level of the software keyboard SKB. Y coordinate is obtained. Then, the process proceeds to step # 2112.
[0206]
On the other hand, in the case of No in step S2103, the position of the cursor after the movement is either the first level or the second level of the software keyboard SKB. Therefore, there is no need to circularly move the cursor in the Y-axis direction, and the process proceeds to step # 2112.
[0207]
Step # 2112 is a subroutine for changing the left and right movement limit positions of the keyboard according to the Y coordinate after the cursor is moved upward. When the process of step # 2112 is started,
In step S2104, it is determined whether or not the value of CY is any one of 0, 1, and 2. If the moved cursor is in any of the first consonant subgroup Gc1, the vowel group Gv, and the second consonant subgroup Gc2, the determination is Yes, and the process proceeds to step S2112.
[0208]
In step S2112, the left movement limit position variable KEYB_LIMIT_L of the cursor is set to 0, and the right movement limit position variable KEYB_LIMIT_R is set to 8. Accordingly, the vowel group Gv can be moved following when the cursor moves in the first consonant subgroup Gc1, the second consonant subgroup Gc2, or the vowel group Gv.
[0209]
This process seems to overlap with that already set during initialization in # 2000, but the values of the left and right movement limit variables KEYB_LIMIT_L and KEYB_LIMIT_R are changed during the operation of the software keyboard SKB. Therefore, the value is reset and the follow-up movement of the vowel group Gv is guaranteed. Then, the process proceeds to step # 2113.
[0210]
On the other hand, if it is determined No in step S2104, the process proceeds to step S2105.
In step S2105, it is determined whether CY = 3. In the case of No, the process proceeds to step # 2113. However, since it is determined No in step S2104 described above, it is also determined as Yes in this step, and the process proceeds to step S2113.
[0211]
In step S2113, the left movement limit position variable KEYB_LIMIT_L of the cursor is set to 3, and the right movement limit position variable KEYB_LIMIT_R is set to 5. This prevents the cursor from moving beyond the left and right ends of the third consonant subgroup Gc3. Then, the process proceeds to step S2106.
[0212]
In step S2106, it is determined whether CX <KEYB_LIMIT_L. If the cursor after movement exceeds the left movement limit position set in step S2113, it is determined as Yes and the process proceeds to step S2114.
[0213]
In step S2114, CX is set to the value of KEYB_LIMIT_L set in step S2113. This prevents the cursor from moving beyond the left end of the third consonant subgroup Gc3. Then, the process proceeds to step S2107.
[0214]
On the other hand, if it is determined No in step S2106, the moved cursor is inside the third consonant subgroup Gc3. Therefore, the process proceeds to step S2107 as it is.
[0215]
In step S2107, it is determined whether CX> KEYB_LIMIT_R. If the moved cursor exceeds the right movement limit position set in step S2113, it is determined as Yes and the process proceeds to step S2115.
[0216]
In step S2115, CX is set to the value of KEYB_LIMIT_R set in step S2113. This prevents the cursor from moving beyond the right end of the third consonant subgroup Gc3. Then, the process proceeds to step # 2113.
[0217]
On the other hand, if it is determined No in step S2107, the moved cursor is inside the third consonant subgroup Gc3. Therefore, the process proceeds to step # 2113 as it is. As described above, in step # 2112, the left and right movement limit positions of the keyboard are appropriately set according to the character group after the cursor is moved upward.
[0218]
Step # 2113 is a subroutine for reverse-displaying the character on which the cursor is positioned after the cursor is moved. Note that the reverse display is a display in which the foreground color and the background color in the normal display are interchanged.
[0219]
When the process of step # 2113 is started,
In step S2108, it is determined whether CY = 1. If the cursor is in the vowel group Gv after moving, it is determined Yes and the process proceeds to S2115.
[0220]
In step S2115, Keyboard [CY] [CX-BOIN_POS_L + 2] is displayed in reverse on the coordinates (CX, CY). This reversely displays the characters in the vowel group Gv that are located after the cursor moves. Then, the process of step # 2113 is terminated.
[0221]
On the other hand, if the position after the movement of the cursor is within the consonant group Gc, No is determined in step S2108. Then, the process proceeds to step S2110.
[0222]
In step S2115, Keyboard [CY] [CX] is displayed in reverse on the coordinates (CX, CY). As a result, the characters in the consonant group Gc that are located after the cursor moves are displayed in reverse. Then, the process of step # 2113 is terminated.
[0223]
Next, with reference to FIG. 39, step # 205 in the subroutine for determining the state of the software keyboard SKB after the cursor has been moved upward in the follow mode 2 will be described. In this step, step # 2112 in step # 201 is replaced with new step # 2513. Therefore, only this new step # 2513 will be described.
[0224]
In step # 2513, if the Y coordinate after the movement of the cursor is the vowel group Gv, the left and right movement limit positions are changed to the position of the current vowel group Gv, and the vowel group Gv is locked so as not to move. On the other hand, if the Y coordinate after the movement of the cursor is the consonant group Gc, the subroutine changes to the left and right movement limit positions defined for each group.
[0225]
When the process of step # 2513 is started,
In step S2504, it is determined whether CY = 1. If the current cursor position is within the vowel group Gv, it is determined Yes and the process proceeds to step S2116.
[0226]
In step S2116, KEYB_LIMIT_L is set to BOIN_POS_L, and KEYB_LIMIT_R is set to BOIN_POS_R. In this way, the left and right movement limit positions of the cursor after movement are changed. Then, the process in this step ends.
[0227]
On the other hand, if the position of the cursor after the movement is within the consonant group Gc, it is determined No, and the process proceeds to step S2505.
[0228]
In step S2505, it is determined whether the value of CY is 0 or 2. If the position of the cursor after the movement is either the first consonant subgroup Gc1 or the second consonant subgroup Gc2, it is determined Yes and the process proceeds to step S2117.
[0229]
In step S2117, KEYB_LIMIT_L is set to 0, and KEYB_LIMIT_R is set to 8. In this way, the left and right movement limit positions of the cursor are changed so that the cursor can freely move within the first consonant subgroup Gc1 and the second consonant subgroup Gc2. Then, the process in this step ends.
[0230]
On the other hand, if the position of the cursor after movement is not any of the vowel group Gv, the first consonant subgroup Gc1, and the second consonant subgroup Gc2, No is determined in step S2505. Then, the process proceeds to step S2506.
[0231]
In step S2506, it is determined whether CY = 3. However, since CY = 3 as a result of the determination in step S2504 and step S2505 described above, it is determined as Yes. Therefore, the process proceeds to step S2113.
[0232]
In step S2507, it is determined whether CX <KEYB_LIMIT_L. When the moved cursor exceeds the left movement limit position set in step S21163, it is determined as Yes and the process proceeds to step S2114.
[0233]
In step S2114, CX is set to 3, which is the value of KEYB_LIMIT_L set in step S2113. This prevents the cursor from moving beyond the left end of the third consonant subgroup Gc3. Then, the process proceeds to step S2108.
[0234]
On the other hand, when it is determined No in step S2507, the moved cursor is inside the third consonant subgroup Gc3. Therefore, processing proceeds to step S2508.
[0235]
In step S2508, it is determined whether CX> KEYB_LIMIT_R. If the moved cursor exceeds the right movement limit position set in step S2113, it is determined as Yes and the process proceeds to step S2115.
[0236]
In step S2115, CX is set to 5, which is the value of KEYB_LIMIT_R set in step S2113. This prevents the cursor from moving beyond the right end of the third consonant subgroup Gc3. Then, the process proceeds to step # 2113.
[0237]
On the other hand, if NO is determined in step S2508, the moved cursor is inside the third consonant subgroup Gc3. Therefore, the process proceeds to step # 2113 as it is. As described above, in step # 2513, the left and right movement limit positions of the keyboard are appropriately set according to the character group after the cursor is moved upward.
[0238]
Next, with reference to FIG. 40, the process of step # 102 which is a subroutine for obtaining the state of the software keyboard SKB after the cursor is moved downward on the software keyboard SKB will be described. This step includes the same steps S110, S111, and S112 as in step # 101 described above. As a result, if it is determined that the follow mode 1 is selected, the process proceeds to step # 202. Step # 202 is a subroutine for determining the state of the software keyboard SKB after the cursor has moved downward in the follow mode 1. The details of step # 202 displayed as “DKeyAscD” in the figure will be described later with reference to FIG.
[0239]
If it is determined that the follow mode 2 is selected, the process proceeds to step # 206. Step # 206 is a subroutine for obtaining the state of the software keyboard SKB after the downward movement of the cursor in the follow mode 2. Details of step # 206 displayed as “DKeyAscF” in the figure will be described later with reference to FIG.
[0240]
If it is determined that the mode is the still mode, the process proceeds to step # 210. Step # 210 is a subroutine for obtaining the state of the software keyboard SKB after the cursor has moved downward in the still mode. It should be noted that the description of the processing in the still mode displayed as “DKeyAscS” in FIG. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S112 that the mode is not the still mode, the process of step # 102 is terminated.
[0241]
With reference to FIG. 41, step # 202, which is a subroutine for obtaining the state of the software keyboard SKB after the downward movement of the cursor, in the following mode 1 will be described in detail. In this step, step # 2112 of step # 201 already described with reference to FIG. 38 is replaced with new step # 2211. So this new. Only the new step # 2211 will be described below.
[0242]
Step # 2211 is a subroutine for calculating the coordinates of the cursor when the cursor is moved downward. When the process of step # 2211 is started,
In step S2202, CY is incremented by one. Thereby, the Y coordinate when the cursor moves downward is obtained. Then, the process proceeds to the next step S2203.
[0243]
In step S2203, it is determined whether CY> 3. If the cursor is instructed to move downward beyond the third consonant subgroup Gc3, the determination is Yes and the process proceeds to step S2117.
[0244]
In step S2117, CY is set to 0. As a result, the cursor moved downward is circularly moved to the first consonant subgroup Gc1 in the first level of the software keyboard SKB. Then, the process proceeds to step # 2112.
[0245]
On the other hand, when it is determined No in step S2203, the process proceeds to step # 2112.
[0246]
Next, with reference to FIG. 42, step # 206, which is a subroutine for obtaining the state of the software keyboard SKB after the downward movement of the cursor in the follow mode 2, will be described. In this step, step # 2111 which is a subroutine of step # 205 shown in FIG. 39 is replaced with # 2211 which is a subroutine of step # 202 shown in FIG. Therefore, description of each subroutine is omitted.
[0247]
Next, with reference to FIG. 43, step # 103, which is a subroutine for obtaining the state of the software keyboard SKB after moving the cursor to the left on the software keyboard SKB, will be described. This step includes the same steps S110, S111, and S112 as in steps # 101 and 102 described above. As a result, if it is determined that the follow mode 1 is selected, the process proceeds to step # 203. Step # 203 is a subroutine for determining the state of the software keyboard SKB after the cursor has moved to the left in the follow mode 1. The details of step # 203 displayed as “LKeyAscD” in the figure will be described later with reference to FIG.
[0248]
If it is determined that the follow mode 2 is selected, the process proceeds to step # 207. Step # 207 is a subroutine for determining the state of the software keyboard SKB after the cursor has moved to the left in the follow mode 2. The details of step # 207 displayed as “LKeyAscF” in the figure will be described later with reference to FIG.
[0249]
If it is determined that the mode is the still mode, the process proceeds to step # 211. Step # 211 is a subroutine for obtaining the state of the software keyboard SKB after the cursor has moved to the left in the still mode. Note that the description of the processing in the still mode displayed as “LKeyAscS” in FIG. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S112 that the mode is not the still mode, the process of step # 103 is terminated.
[0250]
Referring to FIG. 44, step # 203, which is a subroutine for obtaining the state of the software keyboard SKB after the cursor has moved to the left in the following mode 1, will be described in detail. In this step, steps # 2111 and # 2112 between steps # 2110 and # 2113 of step # 201 already described with reference to FIG. 38 are replaced with new steps S2302, # 2313, # 2314, and step S2309. It has been. Therefore, only new steps S2302, # 2313, # 2314, and step S2309 will be described below.
[0251]
In step S2302, the current vowel group Gv is hidden to prepare for display after the vowel group Gv is moved following.
[0252]
Step # 2313 is a subroutine for obtaining the coordinates of the cursor after moving the cursor to the left. When the process of step # 2313 is started, first, in step S2303, the X coordinate is calculated when CX is reduced by 1 and the cursor is moved to the left side. Then, the process proceeds to step S2304.
[0253]
In step S2304, it is determined whether CX <KEYB_LIMIT_L. If the position of the cursor after moving to the left exceeds the left movement limit position, it is determined Yes and the process advances to step S2118.
[0254]
In step S2118, CX is set to KEYB_LIMIT_R, and the cursor is circulated from the left end to the right end. Then, the process proceeds to step # 2314.
[0255]
If NO is determined in step S2304, the process proceeds to step # 2314.
[0256]
Step # 2314 is a subroutine for determining the position of the vowel group Gv to follow when the cursor is moved to the left. When the process of step # 2314 is started,
In step S2306, it is determined whether CX <BOIN_POS_L. If the moved cursor exceeds the left end of the vowel group Gv, it is determined as Yes, and the process advances to step S2119.
[0257]
In step S2119, BOIN_POS_L is set to CX, and BOIN_POS_R is set to CX + 4. In this way, the X coordinate of the left end of the vowel group Gv is set to be the same as the X coordinate of the moved cursor, and the vowel group Gv is moved following the cursor. Then, the process proceeds to step S2308.
[0258]
On the other hand, if NO is determined in step S2306, the process proceeds to step S2308.
[0259]
In step S2308, it is determined whether CX> BOIN_POS_R. If the moved cursor exceeds the right end of the vowel group Gv, it is determined as Yes and the process proceeds to step S2120.
[0260]
In step S2120, BOIN_POS_L is set to CX, and BOIN_POS_R is set to CX-4. In this way, the X coordinate of the right end of the vowel group Gv is set to be the same as the X coordinate of the moved cursor, and the vowel group Gv is moved following the cursor. Then, the process proceeds to step S2309.
[0261]
Step S2309 is a subroutine for displaying the vowel group Gv after moving following the cursor.
[0262]
With reference to FIG. 45, step # 207, which is a subroutine for obtaining the state of the software keyboard SKB after the cursor has moved to the left in the following mode 2, will be described in detail. This step is completely the same as step # 203 shown in FIG. That is, step # 2110, which is a subroutine for displaying characters at the current cursor coordinates normally, step S2302 for hiding vowel lines, and a subroutine for calculating cursor coordinates when the cursor is moved in the left direction. # 2313, Step # 2314, which is a subroutine for determining the position to follow the vowel group Gv, Step S2309 for displaying the vowel group Gv at the position determined in Step # 2314, and the character on which the moved cursor is positioned. Step # 2113 for reverse display is included.
[0263]
Next, with reference to FIG. 46, step # 104, which is a subroutine for obtaining the state of the software keyboard SKB after the cursor is moved to the right on the software keyboard SKB, will be described. This step includes the same steps S110, S111, and S112 as in steps # 101, # 102, and # 103 described above. As a result, if it is determined that the follow mode 1 is selected, the process proceeds to step # 204. Step # 204 is a subroutine for determining the state of the software keyboard SKB after the cursor has moved to the right in the follow mode 1. Details of step # 204 displayed as “RKeyAscD” in the figure will be described later with reference to FIG.
[0264]
If it is determined that the follow mode 2 is selected, the process proceeds to step # 208. Step # 208 is a subroutine for obtaining the state of the software keyboard SKB after the cursor has moved to the right in the follow mode 2. It should be noted that details of step # 208 displayed as “RKeyAscF” in the figure will be described later with reference to FIG.
[0265]
If it is determined that the mode is the still mode, the process proceeds to step # 208. Step # 208 is a subroutine for obtaining the state of the software keyboard SKB after the cursor has moved to the left in the still mode. A description of the processing in the still mode is omitted. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S112 that the mode is not the still mode, the process of step # 104 is terminated.
[0266]
With reference to FIG. 47, step # 204, which is a subroutine for obtaining the state of the software keyboard SKB after the cursor has moved to the right in the following mode 1, will be described. This step is obtained by replacing step # 2313 in steps # 203 and # 207 shown in FIGS. 44 and 45 with a new step # 2413. Step # 2313 is a subroutine for obtaining the cursor coordinates when the cursor is moved to the left in the follow mode 2. On the other hand, step # 2413 is a subroutine for obtaining the cursor coordinates when the cursor is moved to the right in the follow mode 2.
[0267]
When the process of step # 2413 is started,
In step S2403, CX is incremented by 1, and the X coordinate of the cursor after the cursor has moved to the right is calculated. Then, the process proceeds to step S2304.
[0268]
In step S2304, it is determined whether CX> KEYB_LIMIT_R. As a result of the cursor moving to the right, when the right movement limit position of the cursor is exceeded, it is determined Yes and the process advances to step S2118.
[0269]
In step S2118, CX is set to KEYB_LIMIT_L. In this way, the cursor is circularly moved from the right end to the left end. Then, the process proceeds to step # 2314.
[0270]
On the other hand, if it is determined No in step S2304, there is no need for the circular movement of the cursor. Therefore, the process proceeds to # 2314.
[0271]
Next, with reference to FIG. 48, step # 208, which is a subroutine for obtaining the state of the software keyboard SKB after the cursor has moved to the right in the following mode 2, will be described in detail. This step is completely the same as step # 204 shown in FIG. That is, step # 2110, which is a subroutine for displaying characters at the current cursor coordinates normally, step S2302 for hiding vowel lines, and a subroutine for calculating cursor coordinates when the cursor is moved to the right. # 2413, Step # 2314, which is a subroutine for determining the position to follow the vowel group Gv, Step S2309 for displaying the vowel group Gv at the position determined in Step # 2314, and the character on which the moved cursor is positioned. Step # 2113 for reverse display is included.
[0272]
FIG. 49 shows an example different from the example of the game machine incorporating the software keyboard device SKAe according to the present embodiment shown in FIG.
Hereinafter, a software-controlled keyboard that makes it possible to easily input Japanese with a controller having few input buttons will be described with reference to FIGS. In this example, since all characters are displayed in Japanese kana, even a person who does not understand Roman characters can input.
[0273]
In the same example, the first row of the software keyboard SKB includes “A line”, “Ka line”, “Sa line”, “Ta line”, “Na line”, “Ha line”, “Ma”. "A", "Ka", "SA", "TA", "NA" ”,“ Ma ”,“ ya ”,“ ra ”,“ wa ”, and“ n ”are displayed. Then, when the cursor is moved to the position of the first character in each line, the character in the line starting with the character or the centered display over a plurality of lines from the second row is displayed.
[0274]
In FIG. 50, when the cursor is at the position “A”, ten types of characters belonging to “A” are displayed in the second and third levels. Similarly, in FIG. 51, characters belonging to “ka line” are displayed. FIG. 52 shows characters belonging to “Ta line”. 53 shows the characters belonging to “ha line”, FIG. 54 shows the characters “ya line”, and FIG. 55 shows the characters “wa line”.
[0275]
In the present specification, in the embodiments and examples of the present invention, an example in which alphabets are input to convert Roman letters to kana is described. However, the present invention basically combines two or more characters, It is suitable for the purpose of extracting and inputting characters. More specifically, the present invention is more effective in applications in which two or more kinds of characters are combined and converted into more kinds of characters. As such an application, as exemplified in the present specification, there is one that performs Japanese kana-kanji conversion, which is said to be several hundred thousand words or more, by combining 26 letters of the alphabet. As such an application, it is suitable for character input in a language system represented by DBC (double byte code) represented by Chinese and Korean.
[0276]
In addition, the arrangement of alphabet characters on the software keyboard SKB is composed of a combination of consonants and vowels in Japanese, so that consonants and vowels are clearly separated, and the time-consuming search for vowels after consonant input is reduced. It has become a mechanism. In terms of human behavioral psychology, I don't want to move the cursor to a place where there are no alphabetic characters. As a result, the cursor is moved in a detour, resulting in an increase in stroke amount.
[0277]
In the present invention, paying attention to this point, when moving the cursor to the target consonant, the vowel group follows to follow it. That is, since the vowel group has followed after the consonant input, the vowel to be input next to the consonant can be selected from the adjacent vowel group without moving (except for consonants such as kya as an exception). Some characters last twice). Also, regarding cursor movement, if you want to move to the rightmost character after moving the cursor to the leftmost end, if you move the cursor to the left without moving the cursor to the right, it will cycle to the rightmost end. (Or the opposite direction). As a result, the amount of key stroke is reduced on average.
[0278]
Needless to say, since the input is Romaji, the keyboard portion is only 26 characters, and the proportion of the screen occupied is reduced. Further, since the software keyboard SKB is not hardware, it is advantageous in terms of product cost. Furthermore, it can be moved and displayed anywhere on the screen, can be called on the screen when necessary, can be provided in the form of a driver, and can be incorporated as part of the OS.
[0279]
In particular, when inputting a short Japanese sentence, high conversion accuracy is not required and it may be as accurate as single kanji conversion. In addition, single kanji conversion is a relatively small dictionary with a simple structure, so a Japanese input front-end processor (hereinafter referred to as FEP) based on this conversion method is used to evaluate and examine the software keyboard. Developed and incorporated. In addition to the function of converting Kanji conversion candidates entered with a software keyboard into Kanji, FEP also supports JIS standard characters (symbols, numbers, alphabets, hiragana, katakana, Greek letters, Russian letters, round and Roman numerals, units, original No., mathematical symbols, logical operation symbols, JIS first and second level kanji characters) and external characters can be input. It also has a dictionary learning function.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a software keyboard device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation of the software keyboard apparatus shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a method of converting Roman characters to kana using the software keyboard shown on the display of the software keyboard device shown in FIG. 2;
4 is an explanatory diagram of a method for converting kana-kanji using the software keyboard displayed on the display of the software keyboard device shown in FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a basic configuration of a software keyboard device according to the present invention.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the software keyboard when the cursor moves in the vowel group in the follow mode 1 of the software keyboard device according to the present invention.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the software keyboard when the cursor moves in the vowel group in the follow mode 1 of the software keyboard device according to the present invention.
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation of the software keyboard when the cursor moves in the vowel group in the follow mode 1 of the software keyboard device according to the present invention.
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation of the software keyboard when the cursor moves in the vowel group in the follow mode 1 of the software keyboard device according to the present invention.
FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation of the software keyboard when the cursor moves in the vowel group in the follow mode 1 of the software keyboard device according to the present invention.
FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation of the software keyboard when the cursor moves in the consonant group in the follow mode 1 of the software keyboard device according to the present invention.
FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the software keyboard when the cursor moves in the consonant group in the follow mode 1 of the software keyboard device according to the present invention.
FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the software keyboard when the cursor moves in the consonant group in the follow mode 1 of the software keyboard device according to the present invention.
FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation of the software keyboard when the cursor moves in the consonant group in the follow mode 1 of the software keyboard device according to the present invention.
FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation of the software keyboard when the cursor moves in the consonant group in the follow mode 1 of the software keyboard device according to the present invention.
FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation of the software keyboard when the cursor moves in the consonant group in the follow mode 1 of the software keyboard device according to the present invention.
FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation of the software keyboard when the cursor moves in the consonant group in the follow mode 1 of the software keyboard device according to the present invention.
FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation of the software keyboard when the cursor moves in the consonant group in the follow mode 1 of the software keyboard device according to the present invention.
FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the software keyboard when the cursor moves in the consonant group in the follow mode 1 of the software keyboard device according to the present invention.
FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation of the software keyboard when the cursor moves between character groups in the follow mode 1 of the software keyboard device according to the present invention.
FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation of the software keyboard when the cursor moves between character groups in the follow mode 1 of the software keyboard device according to the present invention.
FIG. 22 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the movement of the cursor of the software keyboard and the vowel group in the still mode of the software keyboard device according to the present invention.
FIG. 23 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation of the software keyboard when the cursor moves in the consonant group in the follow mode 2 of the software keyboard device according to the present invention.
FIG. 24 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the software keyboard when the cursor moves in the consonant group in the follow mode 2 of the software keyboard device according to the present invention.
FIG. 25 is an explanatory diagram showing that the vowel group is locked when the cursor moves from the consonant group to the position of the vowel group in the follow mode 2 of the software keyboard device according to the present invention.
FIG. 26 is an explanatory diagram showing that the vowel group is locked when the cursor moves from the consonant group to the position of the vowel group in the follow mode 2 of the software keyboard device according to the present invention.
FIG. 27 is an explanatory diagram showing the effect of reducing the number of input steps of the software keyboard according to the present invention.
FIG. 28 is an explanatory diagram about the effect of the character layout of the software keyboard according to the present invention.
FIG. 29 is a block diagram showing a configuration when the software keyboard device according to the present invention is incorporated in a game machine.
30 is a plan view showing an example of the operation device shown in FIG. 29. FIG.
FIG. 31 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a game machine incorporating the software keyboard device according to the present invention.
FIG. 32 is a flowchart showing an operation of the software keyboard device according to the present invention shown in FIG. 29;
33 is an explanatory diagram showing a relationship between a program stored in the ROM shown in FIG. 29 and a data area constructed in the RAM in the game machine.
34 is an explanatory diagram of basic items constituting the software keyboard in the software keyboard device shown in FIG. 29;
FIG. 35 is an explanatory diagram of basic items constituting the software keyboard in the software keyboard device shown in FIG. 29;
FIG. 36 is an explanatory diagram of basic items constituting the software keyboard in the software keyboard device shown in FIG. 29;
FIG. 37 is a flowchart showing a detailed operation in step # 101 shown in FIG.
FIG. 38 is a flowchart showing a detailed operation in step # 201 shown in FIG.
FIG. 39 is a flowchart showing a detailed operation in step # 205 shown in FIG.
FIG. 40 is a flowchart showing a detailed operation in step # 102 shown in FIG.
41 is a flowchart showing a detailed operation in step # 202 shown in FIG.
FIG. 42 is a flowchart showing a detailed operation in step # 206 shown in FIG.
FIG. 43 is a flowchart showing a detailed operation in step # 103 shown in FIG.
44 is a flowchart showing a detailed operation in step # 203 shown in FIG. 43. FIG.
45 is a flowchart showing a detailed operation in step # 207 shown in FIG. 43. FIG.
FIG. 46 is a flowchart showing a detailed operation in step # 104 shown in FIG.
47 is a flowchart showing a detailed operation in step # 204 shown in FIG. 46. FIG.
FIG. 48 is a flowchart showing a detailed operation in step # 208 shown in FIG.
49 is an explanatory diagram showing a further example of a game machine incorporating the software keyboard device according to the present embodiment shown in FIG. 31;
FIG. 50 is an explanatory diagram of a software controlled software keyboard that enables easy input of Japanese with a controller having a small number of input buttons in the software keyboard device shown in FIG. 49;
FIG. 51 is an explanatory diagram of a software keyboard under software control that enables easy input of Japanese with a controller having few input buttons in the software keyboard device shown in FIG. 49;
FIG. 52 is an explanatory diagram of a software-controlled software keyboard that enables easy input of Japanese with a controller having a small number of input buttons in the software keyboard device shown in FIG. 49;
FIG. 53 is an explanatory diagram of a software-controlled software keyboard that enables easy input of Japanese with a controller having a small number of input buttons in the software keyboard device shown in FIG. 49;
FIG. 54 is an explanatory diagram of a software keyboard under software control that enables easy input of Japanese with a controller having a small number of input buttons in the software keyboard device shown in FIG. 49;
FIG. 55 is an explanatory diagram of a software keyboard under software control that enables easy input of Japanese with a controller having a small number of input buttons in the software keyboard device shown in FIG. 49;
[Explanation of symbols]
SKA software keyboard device
SKB software keyboard
1 Program source
1e ROM
5 CPU
5e CPU5e
13 RAM
13e RAM
19 Input device
19e controller
21 Display
21e monitor
Gv vowel group
Gc consonant group

Claims (15)

Combining characters included in the first character group consisting of the same character type, selecting a character included in the second character group consisting of a character type different from the characters included in the first character group, A software keyboard device for input,
According to a predetermined standard, the first character group is divided into a first character group composed of a first predetermined number of characters and a second character composed of a second predetermined number of characters less than the first predetermined number. divided into a group, and the character group display means for displaying the said first group of characters and the second character group near neighbor and in parallel,
According to an instruction from a user, and a pointing device that points to a character by character contained in the first character group and a second group of characters that are pre-Symbol displayed,
When the character of the first character group is pointing shown by the pointer, when the character does not face with any character of the second character group, the second to a position opposed to the character Display position control means for shifting the display area of the second character group and fixing the display position of the second character group to the current display position when the character faces any one of the characters of the second character group Ru with the door, the software keyboard device. 2. The software keyboard device according to claim 1, wherein the character group display unit continuously displays characters included in the first character group and the second character group in directions opposite to and parallel to each other. . Before Symbol Display position control means further comprises
When the pointer is going to move outside the end of the second character group in the parallel direction, the character at the corresponding end of the second character group tries to point to the pointer. By shifting the display position of the entire second character group so that it is in the position to
3. The software keyboard according to claim 2, wherein when the pointer moves in parallel to the first character group, the pointer indicates a character included in the second character group. 4. apparatus. Before Symbol Display position control means,
When the pointer moves from the second character group and tries to point to a character inside the second character group, the display position of the entire second character group is not shifted. 4. The software keyboard device according to claim 3, wherein the character display means is controlled. Combining characters included in the first character group consisting of the same character type, selecting a character included in the second character group consisting of a character type different from the characters included in the first character group, A software keyboard device for input,
According to a predetermined standard, the first character group is divided into a first character group composed of a first predetermined number of characters and a second character composed of a second predetermined number of characters less than the first predetermined number. Character group display means for displaying the characters included in the first character group and the second character group continuously in a direction opposite to and parallel to each other.
Pointing means for moving the pointer by one character at a time based on a user's instruction and pointing to each of the characters included in the displayed first character group and second character group;
When the pointer is going to move outside the end of the second character group in the parallel direction, the character at the corresponding end of the second character group tries to point to the pointer. By shifting the display position of the entire second character group so that it is in the position to
When the pointer moves in parallel with the first character group, a character included in the second character group is pointed to by the pointer. The pointing means has the pointer at the other end of the first character group when the pointer is to indicate a position outside the character at the end of the first character group. 6. The software keyboard device according to claim 1, wherein the software keyboard device is moved so as to indicate a character. The pointing means has the pointer at the other end of the second character group when the pointer is to indicate a position outside the character at the end of the second character group. The software keyboard device according to claim 4, wherein the software keyboard device is moved so as to indicate a character. The pointing means may be arranged such that the display position of the second character group is shifted so that the character at the end of the second character group faces the character at the end of the first character group. 4. The pointer is moved to a position facing a character at the other end of the first character group when the pointer intends to indicate an outer position. And a software keyboard device according to any one of 5 and 5. The character included in the second character group is a character defined by a double-byte code,
9. The character included in any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, wherein the character included in the first character group is a character defined by a single byte code. Software keyboard device. The characters included in the second character group are Japanese,
The software keyboard device according to claim 9, wherein characters included in the first character group are 26 alphabetic characters. The first group includes alphabets corresponding to consonants;
The software keyboard device according to any one of claims 1 , 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, wherein the second group includes alphabets corresponding to vowels. The characters included in the second character group are five characters A, I, U, E, and O,
12. The software keyboard device according to claim 11, wherein the characters included in the first group are 21 characters excluding the characters included in the second character group from the alphabet. Characters included in the first group of characters, based on a predetermined criteria, the software keyboard apparatus according to claim 9 or 11, characterized in that it is divided into at least two subgroups. 14. The software keyboard device according to claim 13, wherein each of the subgroups is displayed on both sides of the second character group in parallel with each other. The software keyboard device according to claim 14, wherein each of the subgroups is displayed in parallel with each other on one side of the second character group (Gv).

Images