JPH11119882A - Key input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a key input device which assigns plural patterns to a single key and can improve its operability with no labor and time required using a small number of keys by providing the input device with a means that sets the patterns according to the key pushing force. SOLUTION: The key input device 100 has a smaller number of keys than the number of patterns to be inputted and assigns plural patterns to a single key. The device 100 has a pattern setting means which sets the patterns according to the key pushing force. In such a constitution of the device 100, 11 levels of voltage which are generated at the pressure/voltage conversion parts 1 to 11 in response to the keys 1 to 11 are all inputted to a selection part 16. A microcontroller 18 increases the signals of 4 bits, for example, and also supplies these signals sequentially and repetitively to a selection signal generation part 20. The part 20 decodes the received signals into 11 types of selection signals and supplies them to the part 16. Based on these selection signals, it is determined from which of key the output is selected.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a key input device, and more particularly to a key input device applied to, for example, a remote controller for operating a TV or VTR by inputting Japanese.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art There are the following kana input devices.

In the kana keyboard, a key corresponding to a kana is arranged on a keyboard to input a kana, or an alphabet key is arranged to input a Roman character to convert a kana.

[0004] Line keyboard This means that about one key is arranged on each line of "Akasana ..." on the keyboard, and depending on the number of times the key is pressed, a → i → u → e → a → a → Selects a character to be input, such as.

Software keyboard This displays a keyboard on a screen, selects keys by combining arrow keys and cursor keys, and inputs characters.

[0006]

In the input device of the present invention, the operation is simple, but the number of keys is large, it cannot be compactly configured, and it is not suitable for equipment used in ordinary households.

The input device is suitable for a small-sized input device such as a remote controller and is also used for a mobile phone. However, the number of key touches increases, and there is a problem in operability.

In the input device, the number of keys to be physically arranged is small and the operability is good, but inputting one character takes the most trouble.

In other words, in terms of operability, generally, if there are many options (keys) that can be directly selected, the operation is simple, but input is difficult for a person other than a skilled person. Is bothersome.

In some cases, the input pattern is changed depending on the touch time in order to reduce the number of touches. However, the input takes time and the relationship between the touch time and the corresponding character differs depending on the device. It takes time to get used to.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, a main object of the present invention is to provide a key input device which uses a small number of keys, requires little effort, and has good operability.

[0012]

In order to achieve the above object, a key input device according to the present invention has a number of keys smaller than the number of patterns to be input, and a plurality of patterns for one key. And a pattern setting means for setting a pattern in accordance with the strength of pressing the key.

The key input device according to a second aspect of the present invention is the key input device according to the first aspect, wherein the pattern setting means converts a key pressing strength into a digital value,
And pattern determining means for determining a pattern according to the digital value.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the key input device according to the second aspect, the converting means converts the pressure at the time of pressing the key into a voltage, and the voltage / voltage converting means. It includes A / D conversion means for converting into a digital value.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the key input device according to the second or third aspect, the pattern determining means determines a pattern based on a change amount of the digital value.

A key input device according to a fifth aspect is the key input device according to the fourth aspect, wherein the change amount is an increase amount.

A key input device according to a sixth aspect is the key input device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects,
A plurality of keys are provided, further comprising a selecting means for selecting an output from any one of the plurality of keys, and the pattern setting means for setting a pattern based on the output from the key selected by the selecting means. It is.

A key input device according to a seventh aspect is the key input device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects,
The pattern setting means determines the pattern when the key is released.

The key input device according to claim 8 is the key input device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
It further includes a monitor for displaying the input status of the pattern.

The key input device according to claim 9 is the key input device according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
It is used as a remote controller.

In the key input device according to the first aspect, the pattern is set by the pattern setting means in accordance with the strength with which the key is pressed. Therefore, a desired pattern can be designated by one key touch from a plurality of patterns assigned to one key.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the strength of pressing the key is converted into a digital value by the conversion means, and the pattern is determined by the pattern determination means in accordance with the converted digital value.

Here, the pressure at the time of pressing the key is converted into a voltage by the pressure / voltage conversion means, and the voltage is converted into a digital value by the A / D conversion means. Is also good. Further, the pattern determining means may determine the pattern based on a change amount of the digital value, for example, an increase amount of the digital value.
4). Therefore, the user can select a desired pattern only by adjusting the strength of pressing the key.

Further, as described in claim 6, a plurality of keys may be provided. At this time, the output of one of the keys is selected by the selection means, and a pattern is set based on the output from the selected key. Therefore, more patterns can be set according to the number of keys.

As described in claim 7, the pattern may be determined when the user presses a key and then releases the key. Therefore, the user can select a desired pattern by holding down the key.

Further, in the key input device according to the present invention, the input state of the pattern is displayed on the monitor.
The user can select the desired pattern while looking at the monitor,
User convenience can be achieved.

[0027] As described in claim 9, the key input device is applied to a remote controller. Therefore, the key input device can be used as a remote controller for a TV or VTR.

[0028]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, key input device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention is used, for example, as a remote controller for inputting 51 kana as a pattern.

The key input device 100 includes a main body 12. Eleven keys i (i = 1 to 11) are provided on one main surface of the main body 12.
Are formed, and one key i is assigned to each row, row, row row, row row, and row row.

Pressure / voltage converters a (a = 1 to 11) are formed in the main body 12 so as to correspond to the respective keys i.
The pressure / voltage converter a detects the pressure applied to the key i, and generates a voltage proportional to the pressure.

As shown in FIG. 3, the pressure / voltage converter a
Is a pressure sensor 1 composed of a pressure / electrical resistance conversion element or the like.
4 and a voltage corresponding to the resistance value obtained by the pressure sensor 14 is supplied to the selection unit 16.

A total of 11 voltages generated by each pressure / voltage converter a corresponding to the pressure applied to each key i are all input to the selector 16.

The microcontroller 18 has, for example, 4
The bit signals are sequentially and repeatedly incremented and supplied to the selection signal generation unit 20. The selection signal generation unit 20 decodes the signal supplied from the microcontroller 18 into 11 types of selection signals and supplies the selection signal to the selection unit 16. The selection signal determines from which key i the output is selected.

The selection section 16 outputs 11 based on the selection signal.
Voltages from the pressure / voltage conversion units B, that is, key signals are scanned. Among the 11 key signals, a specific key signal designated by the selection signal is converted into a digital value of, for example, 3 bits by the A / D converter 22, and this digital value is given to the microcontroller 18 as a pressure level P. .

A memory 24 for storing key information is connected to the microcontroller 18. Key information storage memory 2
4, as shown in FIG. 4, the latest (at the time of the previous scan) pressure level P for each key i is stored as Pi, and the current input candidate character Ci for the key i is stored. The pressure level Pi is represented by five levels from 0 to 5, and Pi
= 0 indicates that the key i is not pressed. “Invalid” of the current input candidate character Ci indicates an initial value, and indicates that the character is indeterminate.

The microcontroller 18 sequentially and repeatedly reads the eleven pressure levels P for each key i, and monitors the state of the key i. When the key i is not pressed, the pressure level P from the A / D converter 22 is 0.
Becomes On the other hand, if the pressure level P is a value other than 0, it is determined that the key i has been pressed, and the input candidate character Ci is specified according to the comparison result between the pressure level P and Pi at the time of the previous scan. . Accordingly, the information in the key information storage memory 24 is also rewritten.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a change order of the input character candidates Ci assigned to each key i. For example, in the initial state, when the key 1 is pressed at the pressure level P = 3, the input candidate character Ci switches from “invalid → a → i → u”.

Thereafter, when the key i is released, the input candidate character Ci, that is, the pattern is determined.

The input candidate characters Ci are displayed on a display unit 26 such as a liquid crystal monitor (see FIG. 8), and the user can input characters while looking at the display unit 26.

When all desired characters have been input, the data is transmitted from the communication unit 28 to, for example, a TV device.

The operation of the key input device 10 thus configured will be described with reference to FIG.

Referring to FIG. 6, first, when i = 1, input candidate characters Ci (i = 1,... 11) of each key i become invalid, and pressure level Pi = 0 (i = 1, i = 1). .. 11) are respectively set.

Next, the key i is selected and its pressure level P is read (step S3). At first, i = 1
Is set, the key 1 is selected, and the pressure level P is read.

Then, it is determined whether or not the pressure level P ≠ 0 (step S5). If the pressure level P ≠ 0, the character selection mode is set, and it is determined whether or not the pressure level P> the pressure level Pi (step S7). If the pressure level P> the pressure level Pi, the input candidate character Ci is changed (step S9). That is, a new input candidate character Ci is selected in accordance with the order shown in FIG. 5, and the input candidate character Ci is displayed on the display unit 26. Or TV
A new input candidate character Ci is transmitted to the device. And
The pressure level P is set to the pressure level Pi (step S1).
1), i is incremented by one (step S1)
3). In step S13, the remainder operation i = i is incremented so that i is incremented in the range of 1 to 11 and loops.
I is obtained by MOD (i-1, 11) +1.
Then, the process returns to step S3.

If it is determined in step S7 that the pressure level P <the pressure level Pi, the process proceeds to step S11, where the pressure level P is set to the pressure level Pi without changing the input candidate character Ci. If it is determined in step S7 that the pressure level P is equal to the pressure level Pi, step S1
Proceed to 3.

On the other hand, if the pressure level P = 0 in step S5, the mode is the character confirmation mode, and the pressure level P
It is determined whether or not i = 0 (step S15). If it is determined in step S15 that the pressure level is Pi ≠ 0, a character determination process is performed (step S17). That is,
The character to be input is determined, the determined character is displayed on the display unit 26, and the cursor 30 (see FIG. 8) is advanced by one character. Alternatively, the determined character is transmitted to the TV device. Then, the process proceeds to step S11.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S15 that the pressure level is Pi = 0, the flow directly proceeds to step S13.

When such processing is repeated and all the characters have been input, all the characters are transferred to the TV device or the like. In step S17, when the determined character is transferred each time, there is no need to further transfer.

A specific description will be given with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 7, the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the pressure of key i (pressure level P). The dotted line indicates the pressing force of the key i, and the pressure level P obtained by converting the pressure into a digital value is indicated by a solid line. Key i
Is converted into five pressure levels P.

FIG. 7 shows an example in which the pressing of the key 1 corresponding to the row is repeated three times while increasing or decreasing the strength, and then the pressing is released.

It should be noted that if the pressing force of the key i increases and the pressure exceeds a predetermined level, the pressure level Pi increases and the input character candidate Ci assigned to the key i is That is, it is changed according to the increase amount of the level Pi.

For example, in the case of FIG. 7, in the period t1, the pressure level P = 0, so that the character determination mode is set. In the period t2, since the pressure level P ≠ 0, the character selection mode is set, and the input candidate character Ci is changed to “A → I → U → E → O → A → I” according to the pressure level Pi. Then, in the period t3, since the pressure level P = 0, the character determination mode is set, and the input character is determined. Here, “I” is the determined character.

FIG. 8 shows an example of a character displayed on the display unit 26.

As shown in FIG. 8, when the key 1 is depressed when "U" of "Sanyo Taro" is input, the input candidate character C at the position of the cursor 30 is pressed according to the pressure level P.
i is changed to “A → I → U”. Thereafter, when the key 1 is released and the pressure level becomes P = 0, the character "U" is determined and the cursor 30 is advanced by one character.
Note that, in an embodiment of the invention shown in FIG.
The display as shown in FIG. 8 is performed on the display unit 32 of the device 34.

According to this key input device 100, it is not necessary to press a key a plurality of times when specifying a specific character in a certain line, and a specific character in a desired line can be specified by one key touch. it can. Therefore, it is possible to realize a key input device that can reduce the number of keys and is compact, saves trouble of input, has good operability, and can easily input various patterns such as kana.

For example, a remote controller for any interactive device such as an interactive TV device is required to input characters. The key input device 100 of the present invention is particularly effective as these remote controllers. Become. It can also be applied as a substitute for any commonly used key input device, such as a keyboard for a personal computer or word processor.

Referring to FIG. 9, key input device 100a according to another embodiment of the present invention does not have a display unit itself, but has a display unit 32 (normal TV screen).
A remote control signal is transmitted to the V device 34.

The key input device 100a is the same as the key input device 100 except that the key input device 100a does not have a display unit, and a duplicate description thereof will be omitted.

The TV device 34 has a receiving unit 36 for receiving a remote control signal from the transmitting unit 28 of the key input device 100a. The received remote control signal is processed by the microcontroller 38 and the input candidate characters Ci and the like are processed. Is the display unit 3
2 is displayed.

The key input device 100a of this embodiment
Operates almost the same as the key input device 100. That is, the key input device 100a performs one of the operations shown in FIG.
Except for step S9 and step S17, the operation is the same as that of the key input device 100, and the duplicate description will be omitted.

Since the key input device 100a has no display unit, the input candidate character Ci is only transmitted to the TV device 34 in the process of changing the input candidate character Ci in step S9. Similarly, in the determination processing in step S17, only a code for determining the current input candidate character Ci is transmitted to the TV device 34.

On the other hand, the TV device 34 operates as shown in FIG.

First, a character is received from the key input device 100a (step S21), and it is determined whether or not the character is a determined character (step S23). If the character is not a confirmed character, it is determined that the character is an input candidate character Ci, and the received character is T as an input candidate character Ci.
It is displayed on the display unit 32 of the V device 34, that is, on the screen (step S25), and returns to step S21.

On the other hand, if the received character is a determined character in step S23, the input of one character is determined, and the process proceeds to the next character receiving process (step S27).
Then, it is determined whether or not the character input has been completed (step S29). If the character input has not been completed, the process returns to step S21, and if the character input has been completed, the process ends.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG.
An effect similar to that of the key input device 100 is obtained.
Key input can be performed while viewing the display unit 32 of the V device 34.
In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 9, it goes without saying that any device may be used instead of the TV device 34.

Although the selection signal generator 20 is provided to decode the signal supplied from the microcontroller 18 into 11 types of selection signals, the selection signal generator 20 does not need to be provided independently. The decoding may be performed in the microcontroller 18 or may be performed in the selection unit 16.

An A / D converter may be provided for each pressure / voltage converter a. In this case, there is no need to provide the A / D converter 22 between the selector 16 and the microcontroller 18.

Further, in the embodiment of the invention described above, the microcontroller 18 changes the input candidate character Ci according to the change of the pressure level P which is a digital value. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The input candidate character Ci may be changed according to the pressing force of the key i.

In the key input devices 100 and 100a,
Although the character determination mode is set when the pressure level Pi = 0, the present invention is not limited to this, and a determination key for determining a character may be further provided. Further, the character fixing mode may be set when the pressing force of the key i becomes 0.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the character is selected based on the pressure by pressing the key i. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the stray capacitance changes according to the degree to which the key i is pressed. Characters may be selected using a capacitance sensor or the like.

It goes without saying that the present invention can also be used to input patterns other than kana.

[0074]

According to the present invention, a desired pattern can be designated from a plurality of patterns with a single key touch, and a small number of keys can be used to reduce labor and operability.
A key input device can be realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a key input device (including a display unit) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an appearance of a key input device.

FIG. 3 is an illustrative view schematically showing a main part of a key input device;

FIG. 4 is a table showing an example of information stored in a key information storage memory.

FIG. 5 is a table showing an example of a change order of input candidate characters Ci assigned to each key.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a graph showing a correspondence relationship between a time change of a key pressing force and a pressure level and an input candidate character.

FIG. 8 is an illustrative view showing a display example on a display unit;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a key input device (having no display unit) and a TV device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation on the TV device side.

[Explanation of symbols]

 100, 100a Key input device 16 Selection unit 18, 38 Microcontroller 20 Selection signal generation unit 22 A / D conversion unit 24 Key information storage memory 26, 32 Display unit 28 Communication unit 34 TV device 36 Receiving unit i key a Pressure / Voltage converter

Continuing from the front page (72) Koji Tanaka, Inventor 2-5-2-5 Keihanhondori, Moriguchi-shi, Osaka Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Takayoshi Abe 2-5-5-1 Keihanhondori, Moriguchi-shi, Osaka Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A key input device having keys less than the number of patterns to be input and assigning a plurality of patterns to one key, wherein the pattern is set according to the strength of pressing the key A key input device comprising setting means. 2. A conversion means for converting the strength of pressing the key into a digital value,
The key input device according to claim 1, further comprising: a pattern determination unit that determines the pattern according to the digital value. 3. The conversion means includes pressure / voltage conversion means for converting pressure when the key is pressed into a voltage, and A / D conversion means for converting the voltage into the digital value. A key input device according to claim 1. 4. The key input device according to claim 2, wherein the pattern determination unit determines the pattern based on a change amount of the digital value. 5. The key input device according to claim 4, wherein the change amount is an increase amount. 6. A plurality of keys are prepared, and further comprising a selection unit for selecting an output from any one of the plurality of keys, wherein the pattern setting unit selects one of the keys selected by the selection unit. The key input device according to claim 1, wherein the pattern is set based on the output of the key input device. 7. The key input device according to claim 1, wherein said pattern setting means determines the pattern when the pressing of the key is released. 8. The key input device according to claim 1, further comprising a monitor for displaying an input status of the pattern. 9. The key input device according to claim 1, which is used as a remote controller.