WO2013157157A1

WO2013157157A1 - Input character string conversion device, electronic device, input character string conversion method and character string conversion program

Info

Publication number: WO2013157157A1
Application number: PCT/JP2012/073222
Authority: WO
Inventors: 財満　博昭; 岡本　直樹
Original assignee: シャープ株式会社
Priority date: 2012-04-20
Filing date: 2012-09-11
Publication date: 2013-10-24

Abstract

The invention is provided with a character conversion finalizing unit (26) that finalizes character conversion for the part of a non-finalized converted character string that appears before a character to be pointed at, said finalization being performed depending on a predetermined user operation made on the character to be pointed at.

Description

Input character string conversion device, electronic device, input character string conversion method, character string conversion program

The present invention relates to an input character string conversion device, an electronic device, an input character string conversion method, and a character string conversion program for inputting characters in various languages other than Japanese.

Conventionally, a touch panel input device for inputting Japanese characters on a touch panel is known. In general kana-kanji conversion, a morpheme analysis is performed on a conversion target character string, and the conversion target character string is divided into phrases based on a morpheme analysis result, and kana-kanji conversion is performed in units of phrases.

As a result of morpheme analysis, there may be a plurality of phrase break candidates, so if there is a problem with morpheme analysis, the desired phrase break result may not be obtained.

If there is a problem with morphological analysis and the desired phrase break result cannot be obtained, the phrase can be converted by touching the key button, or the cursor position can be changed by touching, and the indeterminate value before the cursor can be changed. Press the button to reconvert or confirm the character string, and process the unconverted character string.

In the conventional Japanese character input technology, it has been proposed to output other candidates for phrase breaks together with the conversion result for convenience when a plurality of candidate phrase breaks are obtained (Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Publication “Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-184849 (published July 9, 1999)”

In the conventional technology as described above, the phrase break is changed by the following operation. That is, first, as shown in FIG. 11, when the cursor position C100 indicating the phrase break position is not the user's desired phrase break position, the user touches the desired phrase break position. As a result, the cursor is positioned at a position C101 shown in FIG. 12, and the user touches the confirm button B100 here to confirm the character conversion of the unconfirmed character string before the cursor C101. However, such a touch operation results in forcing the user to perform a very detailed operation of touching the space between the displayed character strings.

In addition, on the touch panel, a key button for changing the paragraph break was displayed, and the change of the paragraph break was accepted by the key operation.

However, the key operation on the touch panel is not intuitive, and the user has to perform annoying key operation to change the paragraph break.

Specifically, in the key operation, in order to move the cursor to the segment break position to be changed (that is, move between the cursor clauses), the key must be pressed by the number of characters up to the target break position. In key operation, the length of the phrase must be changed, so the key must be pressed for the number of characters to be changed.

In order to finally change the phrase break, the touch operation for moving the cursor described above and the touch operation for confirming the phrase break change need to be performed at least twice.

Furthermore, when moving the cursor, erroneous selection or the like is likely to occur depending on the screen and the size of characters. For example, when the size of the screen or characters is small, erroneous selection or the like is likely to occur, and there has been a tendency that the number of inputs has to be increased because an operation must be performed to eliminate this.

As a typical example, when a phrase is confirmed once in the middle of a sentence and an unconfirmed character string starting with a particle is input, or a character string mixed with handwritten “Kana” and “Kanji” In this case, when it is relatively difficult to perform morphological analysis with high accuracy, the operation tends to be complicated due to erroneous selection.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an input character string conversion device, an electronic device, and an input character string that can improve the operability of operations related to clause division of an undetermined character string. It is to provide a conversion method and a character string conversion program.

In order to solve the above-described problem, the input character string conversion device according to the present invention enables a user to point a conversion unconfirmed character string before character conversion is confirmed by touching the display screen in units of one character. Display processing means for displaying the converted unconfirmed character string on the display screen; and pointing target character specifying means for specifying a character pointed by the user as a pointing target character from the conversion unconfirmed character string; A character conversion confirming means for confirming character conversion related to a character string before the pointing target character among the unconfirmed conversion character strings by a predetermined input operation of the user with respect to the pointing target character; Features.

For the input character string conversion apparatus having the above configuration, the user points the character described immediately after the character string for which character conversion is to be confirmed as a pointing target character, and performs predetermined input to the pointing target character. Perform the action. Examples of the predetermined input operation include not only an upper flick but also a horizontal flick and a long press operation.

Thereby, the input character string conversion device automatically determines the character conversion related to the character string before the pointing target character, so that the character conversion can be confirmed easily.

In order to solve the above-described problem, the input character string conversion device according to the present invention enables a user to point a conversion unconfirmed character string before character conversion is confirmed by touching the display screen in units of one character. Display processing means for displaying the converted unconfirmed character string on the display screen; and pointing target character specifying means for specifying a character pointed by the user as a pointing target character from the conversion unconfirmed character string; Character boundary setting means for setting a boundary position for character conversion at a position before or after the pointing target character in the conversion unconfirmed character string by a user's predetermined input operation with respect to the pointing target character. It is characterized by.

In order to solve the above-described problem, the input character string conversion method according to the present invention provides a method for pointing an unconfirmed conversion character string before character conversion is confirmed by touching the display screen in units of one character. A display processing step for displaying the converted unconfirmed character string on the display screen, and a pointing target character specifying step for specifying a character pointed by the user as a pointing target character in the converted unconfirmed character string. And a character conversion confirmation step for confirming character conversion related to the character string before the pointing target character in the conversion unconfirmed character string by a predetermined input operation of the user with respect to the pointing target character. Features.

In order to solve the above-described problem, the character string conversion program according to the present invention enables a user to point to a conversion unconfirmed character string before character conversion is confirmed by touching the display screen in units of one character. A display processing step for displaying the converted unconfirmed character string on the display screen, and a pointing target character specifying step for specifying a character pointed by the user as a pointing target character in the converted unconfirmed character string; The computer executes a character conversion confirmation step for confirming character conversion related to a character string before the pointing target character in the conversion unconfirmed character string by a predetermined input operation of the user with respect to the pointing target character. This is a character string conversion program.

The input character string conversion device, electronic device, input character string conversion method, and character string conversion program configured as described above are also within the scope of the present invention, and the same effects as those of the input character string conversion device described above can be obtained. .

The input character string conversion device according to the present invention converts the unconfirmed character string into the conversion unconfirmed character string before the character conversion is confirmed so that the user can point by touching the display screen in units of one character. A display processing means for performing display processing on a display screen, a pointing target character specifying means for specifying a character pointed by a user as a pointing target character among the conversion unconfirmed character strings, and among the conversion unconfirmed character strings, Character conversion confirming means for confirming character conversion related to a character string before the pointing target character by a predetermined input operation of the user with respect to the pointing target character.

Also, the input character string conversion method according to the present invention is such that the conversion undetermined character string before the character conversion is confirmed can be pointed by touching the display screen in units of one character by the user. A display processing step for displaying on the display screen, a pointing target character specifying step for specifying a character pointed by the user as a pointing target character among the conversion unconfirmed character strings, and a conversion unconfirmed character string A character conversion confirming step of confirming character conversion related to a character string before the pointing target character by a predetermined input operation of the user with respect to the pointing target character.

Further, the character string conversion program according to the present invention converts the unconfirmed conversion character string before conversion so that the user can point the conversion unconfirmed character string by touching the display screen in units of one character. A display processing step for performing display processing on the display screen, a pointing target character specifying step for specifying a character pointed by the user as a pointing target character among the conversion unconfirmed character strings, and a conversion unconfirmed character string A character string conversion program for causing a computer to execute a character conversion determination step for determining character conversion related to a character string before the pointing target character by a predetermined input operation of the user with respect to the pointing target character. .

Therefore, the character conversion related to the character string before the pointing target character is automatically confirmed, and the user can easily perform the character conversion confirmation work.

In addition, the input character string conversion device according to the present invention provides the above conversion unconfirmed character string so that the user can point the conversion unconfirmed character string before character conversion is confirmed by touching the display screen in units of one character. Display processing means for displaying on the display screen, pointing target character specifying means for specifying the character pointed by the user as the pointing target character in the conversion unconfirmed character string, and the user's corresponding to the pointing target character Character boundary setting means for setting a boundary position for character conversion at a position before or after the pointing target character in the conversion undetermined character string by a predetermined input operation.

Therefore, since the boundary position is automatically set at the position before or after the character to be pointed, the user can easily perform the character conversion input work.

As described above, according to the present invention, the input processing related to the character conversion delimiter position is executed in accordance with the predetermined input operation for the character to be pointed, and therefore the operability of the operation for correcting the phrase delimiter of the unconfirmed character string Intuitive character input interface can be provided.

Other objects, features, and superior points of the present invention will be fully understood from the following description. The advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings.

It is a block diagram shown about an example of a functional structure of an electronic device provided with the input character string conversion apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the screen which performs the character input by the said input character string converter. It is a figure which shows the other example of the screen which performs the character input by the said input character string converter. It is the flowchart which illustrated about the flow of a process when an upper flick operation is performed in the Japanese character input of the said electronic device. It is a figure explaining the example of a screen display when an upper flick operation is performed. It is the flowchart which illustrated about the flow of processing when a lower flick operation is performed in Japanese character input of the above-mentioned electronic device. It is a figure explaining the example of a screen display when a lower flick operation is performed. It is a figure explaining other examples of a screen display when a lower flick operation is performed. It is a figure explaining another example of a screen display when a lower flick operation is performed. It is a figure explaining another example of the screen display when a lower flick operation is performed. It is a figure explaining the method of changing the conventional phrase delimiter. It is a figure explaining the screen display after changing a phrase delimiter by the conventional method of changing a phrase delimiter.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10 as follows.

(Configuration of electronic equipment)
The configuration of an electronic device 1 including an input character string conversion device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the electronic device 1. In the embodiment described below, Japanese input will be described, but the input language is not limited to Japanese.

As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic device 1 includes a storage unit 10, a control unit 20, and a touch panel display unit 30.

The storage unit 10 stores various data, display contents, and programs. The control unit 20 controls the various functions of the electronic device 1 in an integrated manner. The control unit 20 controls, for example, display processing in the touch panel display unit 30 and processing corresponding to the touch operation. Details of the storage unit 10 and the control unit 20 will be described later.

The touch panel display unit 30 includes an operation unit 30A that receives a contact operation from the user U and a display unit 30B that performs screen display.

The operation unit 30A detects a contact operation on the display screen of the display unit 30B and supplies operation data related to the contact operation (touch operation) to the control unit 20. The operation data may include the contact operation position, the direction of the contact operation, acceleration, strength, and the like. In the following, it is assumed that a touch operation, a flick operation, and a drag operation on the touch panel display unit 30 can be detected based on the operation data. There are no particular limitations on the detection method of these various operations, and any detection method can be used.

The operation unit 30A detects the contact operation position as, for example, a matrix switch, a resistive film method, a surface acoustic wave method, an infrared method, an electromagnetic induction method, a capacitance method, and an image of an object. A method of detecting (light sensor method) and the like. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and various methods can be appropriately applied to the method for detecting the contact operation position. Note that the method for detecting the contact operation position described above includes a method for detecting not only “contact” but also “proximity”. However, in the following, for convenience of explanation, only “contact” is described without distinguishing between “contact” and “proximity”.

The display unit 30B has a display screen for displaying image data, receives image data from the control unit 20, and displays an image on the display screen based on the received image data. The display unit 30B can be realized by, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), a PDP (Plasma Display Panel), an EL (Electroluminescence) display, or the like.

In the touch panel display unit 30 including the operation unit 30A and the display unit 30B, handwritten character input by touch operation or character input by software keys can be accepted.

In addition, character input is generally performed according to the following procedure. First, a character input from the user is accepted. Thereafter, the input character string is divided into clauses by morphological analysis, and character conversion is performed for each clause. The user determines the character conversion for each phrase while adjusting the position of the phrase break. The phrase delimiter is, in other words, the boundary between the phrases.

(About screen display examples)
Here, the screen P1 displayed on the touch panel display unit 30 (display unit 30A) when inputting characters will be described with reference to FIG. 2 and FIG.

(1) Screen Display when Handwritten Character Input is Performed As shown in FIG. 2, a screen P1 when handwritten character input is performed is an edited character string display region R1, a conversion candidate display region R2, a conversion unconfirmed character string display region. R3 and handwriting input area R4 are included.

The handwriting input area R4 is an area for accepting handwritten character input from the user. Character recognition is performed on the characters input in the handwriting input area R4. Hereinafter, a character string received and recognized in the handwriting input area R4 is referred to as an input character string.

The conversion unconfirmed character string display area R3 is an area where the conversion unconfirmed character string before character conversion is confirmed is displayed in units of one character. For the unconfirmed character string displayed in the conversion unconfirmed character string display region R3, a touch operation in character units can be accepted. In the unconfirmed conversion character string display area R3, as an example, a phrase that has not been confirmed for character conversion and that is currently converted is displayed in the input character string. Hereinafter, the character string displayed in the conversion undetermined character string display area R3 is referred to as an undetermined character string.

The conversion candidate display area R2 is an area in which conversion candidate character strings (hereinafter referred to as conversion candidate character strings) for unconfirmed character strings are listed and displayed. For the conversion candidate character string displayed in the conversion candidate display area R2, a touch operation in units of conversion candidates can be accepted.

The edited character string display area R1 is an area in which a conversion result of a series of character strings input in the handwriting input area R4 is displayed. Specific examples of the edit character string display area R1 include a text box of a Web page, an edit area of an e-mail, and the like. Hereinafter, the input character string that is displayed in the edit character string display area R1 as a series of character strings is referred to as an “edit character string”.

In the edited character string display area R1, an unconfirmed character string portion whose conversion has not been confirmed among the edited character strings is displayed with an underline, and a confirmed character string portion whose conversion has been confirmed is underlined. Displayed with no status. Immediately after a character string is input in the handwriting input area R4, the edited character string is composed of only an undetermined character string. When all the character conversions are confirmed, the edited character string is composed only of the confirmed character string.

In the screen P1 shown in FIG. 2, in the handwriting input area R4, characters are input by handwriting input in the order of “O”, “TE”, “GA”, “KI”, and “NO”, “TE” are correctly input. , “GA”, “KI” and the character recognition are executed, and then the state immediately after the character conversion is performed is shown.

Further, as a result of character conversion, “handwriting” is recognized as one phrase, and in the conversion candidate display area R2, two “handwriting” and “handwriting” based on the phrase are listed as conversion candidate character strings. .

In the unconfirmed conversion character string display area R3, one of the conversion candidate character strings “handwriting” is displayed in units of one character.

At this time, in the edited character string display area R1, a conversion undetermined character string “handwriting” is temporarily displayed.

Note that FIG. 2 shows a case where hiragana input is performed as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it may be configured to support conversion of katakana or kanji / hiragana mixed characters. In addition, alphanumeric characters and symbols may be mixedly input. For example, “A Room 102” or “Suzuki @ Osaka” may be entered.

(2) Screen Display for Character Input by Soft Key As shown in FIG. 3, a screen P2 for character input by a soft key includes an edit character string display area R1, a conversion candidate character string display area R2, a conversion It includes an undetermined character string display area R3 and a soft key display area R6.

Since the edited character string display area R1, the conversion candidate display area R2, and the unconfirmed conversion character string display area R3 are as described for the screen P1, their description is omitted here. However, when performing character input using soft keys, it is not necessary to display character recognition candidates. Therefore, in the unconfirmed conversion character string display region R3, the character string input in the soft key display region R6 is one character unit. As long as it is displayed.

Soft key display area R6 is an area for displaying key buttons for inputting 50 kana sounds. For example, the soft key includes 12 key buttons of 4 rows × 3 columns. From the 1st to the 3rd lines, the “a” line, “ka” line, “sa” line, “ta” line, “ta” line, “na” line, “ha” line, “ma” line, “ya” line A key button corresponding to the row, “RA” row is arranged.

The fourth line is a key button for entering lower case letters such as “s”, “nya”, “yu”, “yo”, and symbols such as “wa” line, “,”, “.”, Etc. A punctuation mark input button for inputting is arranged.

2 and 3, the input switching button B1 may be used to switch between handwritten character input and character input using a soft key.

Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, a case where handwritten character input is performed on the screen P1 as shown in FIG. 2 will be described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The same applies to the case of inputting characters using the soft keys shown in FIG.

(Details of storage unit)
Details of the storage unit 10 will be described with further reference to FIG. The storage unit 10 includes a character pattern storage unit 11, a Japanese input dictionary 12, an unconfirmed character string buffer 13, and a confirmed character string buffer 14.

The character pattern storage unit 11 stores pattern information for performing character pattern recognition in handwritten input.

The Japanese input dictionary 12 stores information for performing morphological analysis and Japanese dictionary information for performing character conversion / predictive conversion.

The undetermined character string buffer 13 stores an undetermined character string for which character conversion has not been confirmed.

The confirmed character string buffer 14 stores a confirmed character string whose character conversion has been confirmed.

(Details of control unit)
Details of the control unit 20 will be described with further reference to FIG. More specifically, the control unit 20 includes a character input receiving unit 21, a morphological analysis processing unit 22, a character conversion unit 23, a display processing unit 24, a target character specifying unit 25, a character conversion determination unit 26, a boundary position changing unit 27, And a conversion candidate character string application unit 28.

The character input receiving unit 21 receives a handwritten character input by a touch operation in the operation unit 30A or a character input by a soft key, and generates an input character string.

For example, when inputting handwritten characters, the character input receiving unit 21 acquires operation data related to the input character string from the operation unit 30 </ b> A, and refers to the character pattern storage unit 11 to input characters input into the handwriting input region R <b> 4. Recognize and generate an input string.

The display processing unit 24 may generate the input character string based on the first candidate when there are a plurality of character recognition candidates with a certain degree of accuracy or more in the characters included in the input character string. The input character string may be generated in a format that includes candidates. The character input receiving unit 21 supplies the input character string to the morphological analysis processing unit 22.

The morpheme analysis processing unit 22 performs morpheme analysis on the target character string while referring to the Japanese input dictionary 12, and performs a process of dividing the character string into phrases. Specifically, the morpheme analysis processing unit 22 performs morpheme analysis on an undetermined character string whose conversion is not confirmed among input character strings, and divides the undetermined character string into phrases. Immediately after accepting the handwritten input, the input character string matches the undetermined character string. The morpheme analysis processing unit 22 supplies the morpheme analysis result of the undetermined character string to the character conversion unit 23.

The character conversion unit 23 performs character conversion / prediction conversion based on the morphological analysis result of the unconfirmed character string. Specifically, the character conversion unit 23 performs character conversion for each clause included in the undetermined character string while referring to the Japanese input dictionary 12 and the undetermined character string buffer 13. The character conversion unit 23 can also perform predictive conversion based on words and contexts registered in the Japanese input dictionary 12 and past input history. The character conversion unit 23 supplies the character conversion result of each phrase to the display processing unit 24. In the following, it is assumed that the character conversion result includes, for example, an undetermined character string, a break position of each clause of the undetermined character string, and a conversion candidate character string.

Further, the character conversion unit 23 stores the character conversion result of each clause in the undetermined character string buffer 13. Note that the character conversion unit 23 can also instruct the morpheme analysis processing unit 22 to perform morpheme analysis again when the boundary of the sentence delimiter of the undetermined character string is changed.

The display processing unit 24 performs the above-described screen display in the display unit 30B based on data / instructions supplied from the character conversion unit 23, the character conversion determination unit 26, and the boundary position change unit 27. Specifically, the display processing unit 24 displays the undetermined character string in the conversion undetermined character string display region R3, displays the conversion candidate character string in the conversion candidate display region R2, and displays the edited character string as an edited character string. Displayed in region R1.

The display processing unit 24 may display the first candidate for character recognition of each of the series of character strings input in the handwriting input area R4 in units of one character in the conversion unconfirmed character string display area R3.

In addition, when there are a plurality of character recognition candidates with a certain degree of accuracy or more in the characters included in the unconfirmed character string (that is, when there are a plurality of character recognition candidates in the input character string), the characters with the plurality of character recognition candidates are bolded. Etc. may be highlighted.

Further, when displaying the conversion candidate character string in the conversion candidate display area R2, the display processing unit 24 may display the conversion candidate character string from the left in the order of high conversion accuracy.

When a predetermined input operation is performed on the undetermined character string displayed in the conversion undetermined character string display area R3, the target character specifying unit 25 selects the target character on which the predetermined input operation has been performed. Identify.

Specifically, the target character specifying unit 25 specifies the target character based on the operation data supplied from the operation unit 30A. For example, when the operation data indicates that the operation data is a flick operation on the unconfirmed conversion character string display region R3, the target character specifying unit 25 specifies the target character by detecting the position of the character on which the flick operation has been performed.

Further, the target character specifying unit 25 determines whether the flick operation is an upper flick operation or a lower flick operation. Then, the target character specifying unit 25 notifies the character conversion confirmation unit 26 of the target character when the upper flick operation is performed on the target character. Further, the target character specifying unit 25 notifies the target character to the boundary position changing unit 27 when the lower flick operation is performed on the target character.

The character conversion confirmation unit 26 confirms part or all of the character conversion of the unconfirmed character string in accordance with the user's character input operation on the touch panel display unit 30. As an example, the character conversion determination unit 26 determines part or all of the character conversion of the unconfirmed character string based on the target character notified from the target character specifying unit 25. As another example, the character conversion confirmation unit 26 selects characters from the conversion candidate character strings listed and displayed in the conversion candidate display area R2, and thereby the characters of the unconfirmed character strings corresponding to the conversion candidate character strings. Confirm the conversion.

Further, the character conversion confirmation unit 26 sets a part or all of the unconfirmed character string for which character conversion has been confirmed as a confirmed character string, and moves from the unconfirmed character string buffer 13 to the confirmed character string buffer 14.

In addition, the character conversion confirmation unit 26, when there is an unconfirmed character string in the edited character string, and when character conversion needs to be performed on the unconfirmed character string, The character conversion unit 23 is instructed to perform conversion.

Also, the character conversion confirmation unit 26 instructs the display processing unit 24 to update the display in the edited character string display region R1 and the like based on the character string confirmation result.

The boundary position changing unit 27 changes the segment break position in the unconfirmed character string based on the target character notified from the character conversion confirmation unit 26.

Further, the boundary position changing unit 27 instructs the character converting unit 23 to perform character conversion on the unconfirmed character string whose delimiter position has been changed, and based on the change result of the delimiter position, the edit character string display region R1 The display processing unit 24 is instructed to update the display in the above.

The conversion candidate character string application unit 28 reflects the conversion candidate character string selected in the conversion candidate display area R2 in the edit character string. Specifically, the conversion candidate character string application unit 28 determines which conversion candidate character string displayed in the conversion candidate display region R2 is selected based on the operation data supplied from the operation unit 30A. The selected conversion candidate character string is reflected in the edited character string. When the conversion candidate character string is reflected on the edited character string, the conversion candidate character string application unit 28 updates the undetermined character string buffer 13 and the confirmed character string buffer 14, and displays the edited character string on the display processing unit 24. To update.

(Process flow)
[Up flick operation]
Next, the flow of processing for the upper flick operation will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of processing when an upper flick operation is performed in Japanese character input of the electronic device 1.

As shown in FIG. 4, the character input receiving unit 21 receives a character input on the touch panel display unit 30 (operation unit 30A) (S11).

When the character input receiving unit 21 receives an input character string due to character input from the user U, the morpheme analyzing unit 22 performs morpheme analysis on the input character string (S12), and the input character is based on the morpheme analysis result. The column is divided into clauses (S13).

Next, the character conversion unit 23 performs character conversion for each clause included in the input character string (S14). The character conversion unit 23 supplies the character conversion result to the display processing unit 24.

Thereafter, the display processing unit 24 displays the undetermined character string in the converted undetermined character string display region R3 (S15), and displays the edited character string including the undetermined character string in the edited character string display region R1 (S16). ). Here, the display processing unit 24 may display the conversion candidate character string in the conversion candidate display area R2.

Here, when the user U performs an upper flick operation on the unconfirmed character string on the touch panel display unit 30, the target character specifying unit 25 detects the upper flick operation on the unconfirmed character string (S17).

Furthermore, the target character specifying unit 25 specifies the target character that is the target of the upper flick operation in the unconfirmed character string (S18).

Next, the character string conversion confirmation unit 25 confirms the character conversion of the undetermined character string before the target character string for which the upward flick operation is performed, and sets the character string conversion after that as the undetermined character string (S19).

Next, the display processing unit 23 updates the display of the edit character string display region R1 and the conversion unconfirmed character string display region R3 according to the result of the unconfirmed character string confirmation (S20).

[Concrete example]
With reference to FIG. 5, the processing when the above-described upper flick operation is performed will be further described.

In the screen P1 shown in FIG. 5, it is assumed that the same character input as the screen P1 shown in FIG. 2 is performed. That is, on the screen P1 shown in the figure, an edited character string “Writing hand” is displayed in the editing character string display area R1, and an unconfirmed character string “W”, “Hand”, “GA”, “KI” is 1 Displayed in the character string unit in the unconfirmed conversion character string display area R3.

Further, on the screen P1, two conversion candidate character strings “handwriting” and “handwriting” are displayed in the conversion candidate display area R2.

The boundary position (separation position) of the conversion candidate is after “ki”, and the conversion candidate character string “handwriting” to be converted is displayed in the conversion candidate display area R2. .

Here, it is assumed that the user U performs the upper flick operation F1 at the position “GA” displayed in the conversion unconfirmed character string display region R3. Note that the upper flick operation F1 shown in FIG. 5 can be said to be an operation of moving the touch position (pointing position) from the position of “ga” to the upper direction of the screen P1.

In response to the upper flick operation F1, the target character specifying unit 25 specifies “ga” as the target character string, and the character conversion determination unit 26 determines the target characters “ga” and “undetermined character string before“ ga ”. The hand confirms “. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the character conversion confirming unit 26 may confirm the unconfirmed character string “hand” before “ga” that does not include the target character “ga”.

In addition, when the unconfirmed character string “hand” is confirmed, the unconfirmed character string may be confirmed with a conversion candidate character string with high conversion accuracy, or a conversion that matches all or part of the input character string An undetermined character string may be determined based on the candidate character string.

[For bottom flick operation]
Next, the flow of processing for the lower flick operation will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of processing when a lower flick operation is performed in Japanese character input of the electronic device 1.

Since S31 to S36 shown in FIG. 6 are the same as S11 to S16 shown in FIG. 4 respectively, description thereof is omitted here.

After S36, when the user U performs a lower flick operation on the undetermined character string on the touch panel display unit 30, the target character identification unit 25 detects the lower flick operation on the undetermined character string (S37).

Further, the target character specifying unit 25 specifies the target character that is the target of the lower flick operation in the unconfirmed character string (S38).

Next, the character conversion unit 23 converts only the unconfirmed character string before the target character flicked downward, and the display processing unit 24 updates the display of the conversion candidate display region R2 accordingly (S39). .

If any conversion candidate character string displayed in the conversion candidate display area R2 is selected (YES in S40), the character conversion confirmation unit 26 selects an unconfirmed character string corresponding to the conversion candidate character string. The display processing unit 24 updates the display of the edit character string display region R1 and the conversion unconfirmed character string display region R3 according to the confirmation result of the unconfirmed character string (S20).

On the other hand, when any of the conversion candidate character strings displayed in the conversion candidate display area R2 is not selected (NO in S40), the process returns to S37 and waits for an operation for changing the boundary position.

[Concrete example]
With reference to FIG. 7, the process when the above-described lower flick operation is performed will be further described.

In the screen P1 shown in FIG. 7A, it is assumed that the same character input as the screen P1 shown in FIG. 2 is performed. The boundary position C11 is after “ki”.

Here, it is assumed that the user U performs the lower flick operation F11 at the position “” displayed in the unconfirmed conversion character string display region R3. In addition, the lower flick operation F11 shown in FIG. 7A starts from the position “”, and the touch position in the direction opposite to the direction from the unconfirmed conversion character string display region R3 to the edit character string display region R1. It can be said that this is an operation of moving (pointing position).

For the lower flick operation F11, the boundary position changing unit 27 changes the boundary position C12 immediately after “O” as shown in FIG. That is, the cursor is positioned between “to” and “hand”. As a result, the character string to be converted becomes “O”. In the conversion candidate display area R2, "" is displayed as the conversion candidate character string.

Furthermore, here, it is assumed that the user U performs the lower flick operation F12 at the position of “ki” displayed in the conversion undetermined character string display area R3 as shown in FIG.

In response to the lower flick operation F12, the boundary position changing unit 27 changes the boundary position C13 immediately after “ki” as shown in FIG. That is, the position of the cursor is after “ki” as in the state shown in FIG. As a result, the character string to be converted becomes “handwriting” as in the state shown in FIG. In the conversion candidate display area R2, the above-described two conversion candidate character strings for “handwriting” are displayed.

[Action / Effect]
As described above, the boundary position changing unit 27 is configured to set the boundary position behind the target character string for which the lower flick operation has been performed.

According to this configuration, once the last character of the undetermined character string is flicked down, it is possible to cancel the boundary position that has been changed once.

Further, the present invention is not limited to this, and the boundary position changing unit 27 may be configured to set the boundary position before the target character string for which the lower flick operation has been performed.

According to this configuration, once changed, the boundary position once changed can be released by performing a flick operation on the first character of the unconfirmed character string.

[Prohibit multiple boundaries]
As described above, the boundary position changing unit 27 is configured to change the boundary position by a lower flick operation. That is, the boundary position changing unit 27 may prohibit a plurality of boundaries from entering at one time. Thus, by setting a new boundary position, the previous boundary is canceled, and the conversion candidate character string is updated each time the boundary is set again and again. As a result, the user can confirm the conversion candidate character string without resetting the once set boundary by resetting the boundary. As a result, the user's operation can be saved.

[Select conversion candidate character string]
In addition, as described above, the character conversion unit 23 is configured to perform character conversion on a character string before the boundary position when the boundary position is changed.

Here, when any of the conversion candidate character strings after the boundary position change is selected in the conversion candidate display area R2, the conversion candidate character string application unit 28 uses the character string before the boundary position in the edited character string. Only the part may be replaced and determined, or the unconfirmed character string may be left only by replacing the character string part before the boundary position.

In addition, when the conversion candidate character string application unit 28 replaces and determines only the character string portion before the boundary position, the character conversion unit 23 again sets the character string after the boundary position as a new unconfirmed character string. It is desirable that the character conversion is performed and the display processing unit 24 presents the conversion candidate character string obtained by the character conversion in the conversion candidate display area R2.

In this case, it is preferable that the boundary position changing unit 27 is configured so that the boundary position can be set again in the new unconfirmed character string.

On the other hand, when the conversion candidate character string application unit 28 leaves the undetermined character string only by replacing the character string portion before the boundary position, the conversion candidate character string before and after the boundary position change is displayed in the conversion candidate display area R2. It may be possible to display. In this case, for example, the conversion candidate character string application unit 28 may store and hold the conversion candidate character strings before and after the boundary position change in the storage unit 10.

Further, for example, in the conversion candidate display area R2, an area for displaying the conversion candidate character string after the boundary position change may be additionally provided on the screen P1.

Further, for example, means (button or the like) for selecting which conversion candidate character string before and after the boundary position change is displayed in the conversion candidate display area R2 before and after the boundary position change may be provided in the screen P1.

In addition, a boundary position change history (for example, a boundary position change pattern) is stored in the storage unit 10, and the morpheme analysis process of the morpheme analysis processing unit 22 and the character conversion process of the character conversion unit 23 are performed using the history. May be performed. For example, when there is a conversion candidate character string whose boundary value has been changed a predetermined number of times or more in the history, the character conversion unit 23 preferentially presents the character string after the boundary position change as the conversion candidate character string. Good.

[Multiple border settings]
Further, the boundary position changing unit 27 is configured to be able to set a plurality of boundaries for a conversion unconfirmed character string, and to be able to present and select conversion candidate character strings in units of character strings sandwiched between two boundaries. May be.

Further, in such a configuration, when one of the conversion candidate character strings is selected in units of character strings sandwiched between two boundaries, the character string portion before the boundary position is selected in the edited character string. The character string may be left as an undetermined character string only by being replaced with the conversion candidate character string. In this case, it is desirable to additionally provide means (up flick or other operation) for confirming the unconfirmed character string replaced in this way in the edited character string.

[Modification 1 of lower flick operation]
With reference to FIG. 8, a modified example of the processing when the lower flick operation is performed will be described. In the screen P1 shown in FIG. 8A, it is assumed that the same character input as the screen P1 shown in FIG. 2 is performed.

Here, it is assumed that the user U performs the lower flick operation F21 at the position of “hand” displayed in the unconfirmed conversion character string display area R3.

In response to the lower flick operation F21, the boundary position changing unit 27 operates the morphological analysis result for “hand” and “wo” immediately before “hand”. The morpheme analysis may be realized by the boundary position changing unit 27 instructing the morpheme analysis processing unit 22 via the character conversion unit 23. In addition, manipulating the morphological analysis results includes grouping together a plurality of characters or character strings so as to be included in the same phrase.

Further, when the character conversion unit 23 performs predictive conversion based on the morphological analysis result after the operation, the conversion candidate character string changes accordingly. In accordance with the change of the conversion candidate character string, the display processing unit 23 updates the conversion candidate display area R2 as shown in FIG.

Also, the boundary position changing unit 27 instructs the display processing unit 24 to display the operation result of the morphological analysis. Thus, in the example shown in FIG. 8B, “to” and “hand” displayed in units of one character are combined and displayed as “to hand” and a group of buttons.

In the example shown in FIG. 8B, in contrast with FIG. 8A, the conversion candidate character strings displayed in the conversion candidate display area R2 are “handwritten”, “hand-written”, and “hand-written”. It has changed to “General”.

Suppose that, from the state shown in FIG. 8 (b), the user U further performs the lower flick operation F22 at the position of “HAND” displayed in the conversion undetermined character string display region R3.

In response to the lower flick operation F22, the boundary position changing unit 27 further operates the morphological analysis result for “hand” and “wa” immediately before “hand”. More specifically, the boundary position changing unit 27 releases the combination of the character string “hand” as shown in FIG. Thereby, the screen P1 returns to the original state shown in FIG. 8A, as shown in FIG.

That is, in the conversion candidate display area R2, the above-described two conversion candidate character strings for “handwriting” are displayed.

Also, in the conversion unconfirmed character string display area R3, the unconfirmed character string is displayed in units of one character such as “O”, “Hand”, “GA”, and “K”.

Further, it is assumed that, from the state shown in FIG. 8B, the user U further performs a lower flick operation F22 at a position other than “hand” displayed in the unconfirmed conversion character string display area R3.

For example, as shown in FIG. 8D, it is assumed that the lower flick operation F23 is performed at the position “ki”.

In response to the lower flick operation F23, the boundary position changing unit 27 operates the morphological analysis results for “ki” and “ga” immediately before “ki” as shown in FIG.

Thus, in the unconfirmed conversion character string display area R3, “GA” and “KI” displayed in units of one character are combined and “GAKI” is displayed together.

As a result, predictive conversion is performed again for a plurality of groups of “hand” and “postcard”. If the conversion candidate character string has changed as a result of the prediction conversion again, the display processing unit 24 updates the conversion candidate character string displayed in the conversion candidate display region R2.

[Modification 2 of lower flick operation]
With reference to FIG. 9, another modification of the process when the lower flick operation is performed will be described. In the second modification described below, the method for displaying the operation result of the morphological analysis is different from that in the first modification.

In the screen P1 shown in FIG. 9A, it is assumed that the same character input as the screen P1 shown in FIG. 2 is performed.

Here, it is assumed that the user U performs the lower flick operation F31 at the position of “hand” displayed in the unconfirmed conversion character string display area R3.

In response to the lower flick operation F31, the boundary position changing unit 27 operates the morphological analysis result for “hand” and “wa” immediately before “hand”, and “ga” and “ki” behind “hand”. Manipulate the morphological analysis results for "". The operation of the morphological analysis result is the same as that described in the first modification with reference to FIG.

Further, the change of the conversion candidate character string based on the morphological analysis result after the operation is the same as that in the first modification. That is, the display processing unit 23 updates the conversion candidate display area R2 as shown in (b) of FIG.

Here, the boundary position changing unit 27 instructs the display processing unit 24 to display the operation result of the morphological analysis as follows.

That is, in the conversion unconfirmed character string display region R3, a separator line X is displayed immediately after the “hand” that is the target of the lower flick operation.

This separator line indicates that "O" and "Hand" are a group, and "GA" and "Ki" are a group. Thus, it can be said that the lower flick operation in the conversion undetermined character string display region R3 is an operation of dividing the undetermined character string into two groups and combining the characters together in each group.

Suppose that the user U further performs the lower flick operation F32 at the position of the “hand” displayed in the unconfirmed conversion character string display area R3 from the state shown in FIG. As a result, the division / combination performed immediately after the “hand” is released.

Accordingly, the screen P1 returns to the original state shown in (a) of FIG. 9, as shown in (c) of FIG.

[Modification 3 of lower flick operation]
With reference to FIG. 10, still another modification example of the process when the lower flick operation is performed will be described. In the third modification described below, the same process as the above-described upper flick operation is assigned to the lower flick operation.

In the screen P1 shown in FIG. 10A, it is assumed that the same character input as the screen P1 shown in FIG. 2 is performed.

Here, it is assumed that the user U performs the lower flick operation F41 at the position of the “hand” displayed in the unconfirmed conversion character string display area R3.

In response to the lower flick operation F41, the target character specifying unit 25 specifies “ga” as the target character string, and in response to this, the character conversion confirmation unit 26 sets the target character as shown in FIG. The characters “ga” and “undetermined character string before“ ga ”are determined (in FIG. 10B, the candidate“ handwritten ”is determined illustratively).

(Other variations)
In the embodiment described above, the confirmation process of the unconfirmed character string is assigned to the upper flick operation, and the boundary position change process is assigned to the lower flick operation.

However, the present invention is not limited to this, and an arbitrary touch operation can be assigned to these processes. For example, an operation of flicking so as to cross between the characters included in the unconfirmed character string may be assigned to these processes. For example, an undetermined character string confirmation process may be assigned to an operation of flicking across characters from top to bottom. Also, the boundary position changing process is assigned to the operation of flicking across the space from top to bottom.

Also, operations that pinch-in or pinch-out two adjacent characters by multi-touch may be assigned to these processes.

The display processing unit 24 may be configured to display the pointed character in an enlarged or highlighted manner. As a result, the user can easily recognize the pointed point, and the operability can be improved.

(Supplementary information)
As described above, the electronic apparatus 1 including the input character string conversion device according to the present invention can convert the unconfirmed conversion character string before the character conversion is confirmed by touching the display screen in units of one character. A display processing unit 24 that displays the converted unconfirmed character string on the display screen so that the character can be pointed, and target character specification that specifies a character pointed by the user as a pointing target character from the conversion unconfirmed character string And a character conversion confirmation unit 26 for confirming character conversion related to a character string before the pointing target character in the conversion unconfirmed character string by a predetermined input operation of the user with respect to the pointing target character. It is the composition provided.

In addition, the electronic device 1 places the converted unconfirmed character string on the display screen so that the user can point the converted unconfirmed character string before character conversion is confirmed by touching the display screen in units of one character. A display processing unit 24 that performs display processing, a pointing target character specifying unit 25 that specifies a character pointed by the user as a pointing target character in the conversion unconfirmed character string, and a predetermined input operation of the user with respect to the pointing target character Thus, a boundary position changing unit 27 that sets a boundary position for character conversion at a position before or after the pointing target character in the conversion unconfirmed character string is provided.

As described above, according to the present invention, an input process for character conversion is executed in accordance with a predetermined input operation with respect to a pointing target character, so that an intuitive character input interface can be provided.

Each block of the control unit 20 of the electronic device 1 described above may be realized in hardware by a logic circuit formed on an integrated circuit (IC chip), or using a CPU (Central Processing Unit). It may be realized by software.

In the latter case, as described above, the electronic device 1 includes a CPU that executes instructions of a program that realizes each function, a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores the program, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) that expands the program. ), A storage device (recording medium) such as a memory for storing the program and various data. An object of the present invention is a recording medium on which a program code (execution format program, intermediate code program, source program) of a control program for the electronic device 1 that is software that realizes the above-described functions is recorded in a computer-readable manner This can also be achieved by supplying the electronic device 1 and reading and executing the program code recorded on the recording medium by the computer (or CPU or MPU).

Examples of the recording medium include tapes such as magnetic tapes and cassette tapes, magnetic disks such as floppy (registered trademark) disks / hard disks, CD-ROMs (Compact Disc-Read-Only Memory) / MO discs (Magneto-Optical discs). ) / MD (Mini Disc) / DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) / CD-R (CD Recordable) / Blu-ray Disc (Blu-ray Disc: registered trademark) and other optical discs, IC cards (including memory cards) / Cards such as optical cards, Mask ROM / EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory) / EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read-Only Memory) / Semiconductor memories such as flash ROM, or PLD (Programmable logic device) and FPGA Logic circuits such as (Field Programmable Gate Array) can be used.

The electronic device 1 may be configured to be connectable to a communication network, and the program code may be supplied via the communication network. The communication network is not particularly limited as long as it can transmit the program code. For example, the Internet, intranet, extranet, LAN (Local Area Network), ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network), VAN (Value-Added Network), CATV (Community Area Antenna / Cable Television) communication network, Virtual Private Network (Virtual Private Network) Network), telephone line network, mobile communication network, satellite communication network, and the like. The transmission medium constituting the communication network may be any medium that can transmit the program code, and is not limited to a specific configuration or type. For example, even in the case of wired such as IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers) 1394, USB, power line carrier, cable TV line, telephone line, ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) line, infrared such as IrDA (Infrared Data Association) or remote control , Bluetooth (registered trademark), IEEE 802.11 wireless, HDR (High Data Rate), NFC (Near Field Communication), DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance), mobile phone network, satellite line, terrestrial digital network, etc. Is possible. The present invention can also be realized in the form of a computer data signal embedded in a carrier wave in which the program code is embodied by electronic transmission.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope indicated in the claims. That is, embodiments obtained by combining technical means appropriately modified within the scope of the claims are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

(Additional notes)
The present invention can also be expressed as shown below. That is, the input character string conversion device according to the present invention provides the conversion unconfirmed character string so that the user can point the conversion unconfirmed character string before character conversion is confirmed by touching the display screen in units of one character. Display processing means for displaying on the display screen, pointing target character specifying means for specifying a character pointed by the user as a pointing target character among the conversion unconfirmed character strings, and the conversion unconfirmed character string Of these, a character conversion confirming means for confirming character conversion related to a character string before the pointing target character by a predetermined input operation of the user with respect to the pointing target character is provided.

In the input character string conversion device according to the present invention, the display processing means includes a conversion unconfirmed character string display area for displaying the conversion unconfirmed character string, and a conversion confirmed character string obtained by character-converting the conversion unconfirmed character string. A conversion confirmed character string display area for display is displayed on the display screen, and the predetermined input operation is performed from the conversion unconfirmed character string display area to the conversion confirmed character string display area. Thus, it is preferable that the user move the pointing position.

According to the above configuration, the user moves the pointing position from the conversion-unconfirmed character string display area toward the conversion-confirmed character string display area, that is, the sense that the input character string is moved to the conversion-confirmed character string display area. The character conversion is determined by the operation involving. Moreover, the operation | movement which moves a pointing position is realizable as a flick operation | movement frequently used, for example with a touch panel.

That is, according to the above configuration, the character conversion can be confirmed by an intuitive flick operation of moving the input character string to the conversion confirmation character string display area, so that intuitive and simple character conversion can be performed. Can do.

In the input character string conversion device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the operation of moving the pointing position is performed toward the upper side of the display screen.

In a general display screen layout, the conversion confirmed character string display area is often arranged above the conversion unconfirmed character string display area on the display screen. Therefore, according to the above configuration, intuitive and simple character conversion can be realized on a display screen having a general layout, and the present invention can be made more versatile.

In the input character string conversion device according to the present invention, when the user moves the pointing position in a direction different from the direction from the conversion unconfirmed character string display area to the conversion confirmed character string display area, the pointing target character It is preferable to further include boundary position changing means for setting a boundary position for character conversion at a position before or after the character.

According to the above configuration, when the user moves the pointing position in a direction different from the direction from the unconfirmed conversion character string display area to the conversion confirmed character string display area, the input character string conversion apparatus As the character moves, the character conversion boundary position can be automatically set before or after the pointing target character.

Thus, for example, it is possible to realize a combination of confirming with an upper flick and setting a boundary position with a horizontal flick. The direction different from the direction from the conversion unconfirmed character string display area to the conversion confirmed character string display area is opposite to the direction from the conversion unconfirmed character string display area to the conversion confirmed character string display area. There may be.

With the above configuration, it is possible to provide an interface that allows the user to intuitively perform the boundary position setting work for character conversion.

In the input character string conversion device according to the present invention, candidates for presenting the character conversion candidates related to the character string before the character conversion boundary position to be selectable by the user in the character conversion candidate display area included in the display screen It is preferable to further provide a presentation means.

According to the above configuration, in the character conversion process using the character conversion candidates, the character conversion candidates after the boundary position change can be automatically displayed with the movement of the pointing position. Thereby, the convenience of the user in the character conversion process can be achieved.

In the input character string conversion device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the boundary position changing unit cancels the boundary position before the user moves the pointing position by setting the boundary position for the character conversion.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to prevent a plurality of boundaries from entering at one time. Thereby, when a new boundary is inserted, the previous boundary can be erased, and the conversion candidate can be presented by cutting the boundary again and again. Also, from the user's point of view, there is no need to perform the operation of deleting the border once cut.

In the input character string conversion device according to the present invention, the character conversion confirmation means determines the character conversion candidate among the unconfirmed conversion character strings from the character conversion candidates selected from the character conversion candidate display area. It is preferable to confirm the character conversion of the character string.

According to the above configuration, the character conversion can be confirmed by the updated character conversion candidate as the pointing position is moved.

This makes it possible to provide a quick and intuitive character conversion interface. For example, it is useful when the accuracy of candidates to be presented is high and it is desirable to immediately confirm character conversion.

In the input character string conversion device according to the present invention, the display processing unit converts the character string related to the character string after the character conversion boundary position after the character conversion of the character string related to the character conversion candidate is confirmed. Are preferably presented in the character conversion candidate display area.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to present to the user a character conversion candidate for a character string after the character conversion boundary position, which is an undefined character string.

This makes it possible for the user to input characters by using character conversion candidates.

In the input character string conversion device according to the present invention, the boundary position changing means determines the boundary position of the character string after the character conversion boundary position after the character conversion of the character string related to the character conversion candidate is confirmed. It is preferable to accept the change.

According to the above configuration, the change of the boundary position can be further received. That is, a series of processes of “determination of candidates related to a character string before the boundary position”, “presentation of candidates related to a character string after the boundary position”, and “acceptance of a new boundary position” are recursively performed. It can be carried out.

In the input character string conversion device according to the present invention, replacement means for replacing a character string related to the character conversion candidate among the unconfirmed conversion character strings with the character conversion candidate selected from the character conversion candidate display area. It is preferable to further comprise.

According to the above configuration, the corresponding portion of the unconfirmed conversion character string can be replaced with the updated character conversion candidate as the pointing position is moved.

For example, it is useful when it is desirable for the user to obtain a different conversion result later.

In the input character string conversion device according to the present invention, the replacement means may hold a character conversion candidate before the character conversion boundary position is set even after the character conversion boundary position is set. preferable.

In addition, the input character string conversion device according to the present invention provides the above conversion unconfirmed character string so that the user can point the conversion unconfirmed character string before character conversion is confirmed by touching the display screen in units of one character. Display processing means for displaying on the display screen, pointing target character specifying means for specifying the character pointed by the user as the pointing target character in the conversion unconfirmed character string, and the user's corresponding to the pointing target character A character boundary setting means for setting a boundary position for character conversion at a position before or after the pointing target character in the unconfirmed conversion character string by a predetermined input operation.

Also, it is possible to configure an electronic device equipped with the input character string conversion device.

(Application examples)
In the following, application examples of the present invention will be described. Although the input language is not limited to Japanese at the beginning of the embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to a language other than Japanese will be described below.

For example, when the electronic device 1 according to the present invention is applied to English, it is as follows. First, it is assumed that the character string “It is confirmed by observant.” Is erroneously recognized while the character string “It is confirmed by observation.” Is input as a handwritten character.

Here, when the upper flick operation is performed by the user in “y” of “by”, the target character specifying unit 25 specifies “y” as the target character string, and the character conversion confirmation unit 26 sets the target character “ Confirm the unconfirmed character string “It is confirmed by” before “y” and “y”.

In the case of English, the recognition result character string may be presented not in character units but in word units so that the character strings can be determined in word units. Furthermore, in the case of a language in which words are separated by spaces (blank characters) like English, a character string can be determined in units of words separated by spaces.

Also, if there is a space where the space should not be entered, the space may be deleted by flicking down.

Furthermore, if there is no space at the position where a space should be entered, a space may be inserted by a flick operation.

The above-described deletion and insertion of the space can be realized by the boundary position changing unit 27 deleting and inserting the position of the space in place of the above-described clause break line X.

In addition, when there are a plurality of delimiter candidates in a certain word included in the character string being input, a candidate for a position where a space is to be inserted is first presented to the user by a flick operation, and a space is determined from the proposed space insertion position candidates. The user may select the position to insert.

In addition, when accepting a lower flick operation in units of words, the word selected by the lower flick operation is presented divided into units of characters, and again a character (whether it is before or after the character) that should be filled with a space. May be selected by the flick operation.

According to the application example shown above, the shorter the unconfirmed character string in the list of recognition candidates, the more entries can be presented on the screen. Therefore, partial confirmation is performed efficiently and the unconfirmed character string is promptly displayed. By shortening, it is possible to easily select an appropriate candidate from the list of recognition candidates. Moreover, although the application to English was demonstrated above, it is not restricted to this, It can apply similarly in German and French.

The specific embodiments or examples made in the detailed description section of the invention are merely to clarify the technical contents of the present invention, and are limited to such specific examples and are interpreted in a narrow sense. It should be understood that the invention can be practiced with various modifications within the spirit of the invention and within the scope of the following claims.

The present invention can be used as an IME (Imput Method Editor) for touch character input in a tablet terminal, a high-function mobile phone terminal, or a so-called smartphone.

1 Electronic equipment (input string converter)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Storage part 12 Japanese input dictionary 13 Unconfirmed character string buffer 14 Confirmed character string buffer 20 Control part 21 Character input reception part 22 Morphological analysis processing part 23 Character conversion part 24 Display processing part (display processing means, candidate presentation means)
25 Target character specifying part (Target character specifying means)
26 Character conversion confirmation section (character conversion confirmation means)
27 Boundary position changing part (Boundary position changing means)
28 Conversion candidate character string application unit (character conversion confirmation means, replacement means)
30 Touch Panel Display Unit 30A Operation Unit 30B Display Unit

Claims

Display processing means for displaying the converted unconfirmed character string on the display screen so that the user can point the converted unconfirmed character string before the character conversion is confirmed by touching the display screen in units of one character; ,
A pointing target character specifying means for specifying a character pointed by the user as a pointing target character from the conversion unconfirmed character string;
A character conversion confirming means for confirming character conversion related to a character string before the pointing target character in the conversion unconfirmed character string by a predetermined input operation of the user with respect to the pointing target character; Characteristic input character string converter.
The display processing means includes a conversion unconfirmed character string display area for displaying the conversion unconfirmed character string, and a conversion confirmed character string display area for displaying a conversion confirmed character string obtained by converting the conversion unconfirmed character string. Is displayed on the display screen,
2. The input character according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined input operation is an operation in which a user moves a pointing position from the unconfirmed conversion character string display area toward the conversion fixed character string display area. Column conversion device.
The input character string conversion device according to claim 2, wherein the operation of moving the pointing position is performed toward the upper side of the display screen.
When the user moves the pointing position in a direction different from the direction from the unconfirmed conversion character string display area to the conversion confirmation character string display area, the character conversion is performed before or after the pointing target character. 4. The input character string conversion apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising boundary position changing means for setting the boundary position.
The apparatus further comprises candidate presentation means for presenting the character conversion candidates related to the character string before the character conversion boundary position so as to be selectable by the user in the character conversion candidate display area included in the display screen. Item 5. The input character string conversion device according to Item 4.
6. The input character string conversion device according to claim 4, wherein the boundary position changing means cancels the boundary position before the user moves the pointing position by setting the boundary position for the character conversion.
The character conversion confirmation means determines the character conversion of the character string related to the character conversion candidate among the unconfirmed conversion character strings, based on the character conversion candidates selected from the character conversion candidate display area. The input character string conversion device according to claim 5.
After the character conversion of the character string related to the character conversion candidate is confirmed, the display processing means displays the character conversion candidate related to the character string after the character conversion boundary position in the character conversion candidate display area. The input character string conversion device according to claim 7, wherein the input character string conversion device is presented.
8. The boundary position changing means receives the change of the boundary position for a character string after the boundary position of the character conversion after the character conversion of the character string related to the character conversion candidate is confirmed. Or the input character string converter of 8.
6. The apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising replacement means for replacing a character string related to the character conversion candidate among the unconfirmed conversion character strings with the character conversion candidate selected from the character conversion candidate display area. The input character string conversion device described in 1.
11. The input character according to claim 10, wherein the replacement means holds a character conversion candidate before the character conversion boundary position is set even after the character conversion boundary position is set. Column conversion device.
Display processing means for displaying the converted unconfirmed character string on the display screen so that the user can point the converted unconfirmed character string before the character conversion is confirmed by touching the display screen in units of one character; ,
A pointing target character specifying means for specifying a character pointed by the user as a pointing target character from the conversion unconfirmed character string;
Character boundary setting means for setting a boundary position for character conversion at a position before or after the pointing target character in the conversion unconfirmed character string by a user's predetermined input operation with respect to the pointing target character. An input character string conversion device characterized by that.
An electronic device comprising the input character string conversion device according to any one of claims 1 to 12.
A display processing step for displaying the converted unconfirmed character string on the display screen so that the user can point the converted unconfirmed character string before the character conversion is confirmed by touching the display screen in units of one character; ,
A pointing target character specifying step for specifying, as a pointing target character, a character pointed by the user from the conversion unconfirmed character string;
A character conversion confirming step for confirming character conversion related to a character string before the pointing target character among the unconfirmed conversion character strings by a predetermined input operation of the user with respect to the pointing target character, Input string conversion method.
A display processing step for displaying the converted unconfirmed character string on the display screen so that the user can point the converted unconfirmed character string before the character conversion is confirmed by touching the display screen in units of one character; ,
A pointing target character specifying step for specifying, as a pointing target character, a character pointed by the user from the conversion unconfirmed character string;
Causing the computer to execute a character conversion confirmation step of confirming character conversion related to a character string before the pointing target character among the unconfirmed conversion character strings by a predetermined input operation of the user with respect to the pointing target character String conversion program for.