Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
  • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
  • G06F3/02—Input arrangements using manually operated switches, e.g. using keyboards or dials
  • G06F3/023—Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes
  • G06F3/0233—Character input methods
  • G06F3/0236—Character input methods using selection techniques to select from displayed items
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
  • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
  • G06F3/02—Input arrangements using manually operated switches, e.g. using keyboards or dials
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
  • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
  • G06F3/02—Input arrangements using manually operated switches, e.g. using keyboards or dials
  • G06F3/023—Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes
  • G06F3/0233—Character input methods
  • G06F3/0234—Character input methods using switches operable in different directions
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04B—TRANSMISSION
  • H04B1/00—Details of transmission systems, not covered by a single one of groups H04B3/00 - H04B13/00; Details of transmission systems not characterised by the medium used for transmission
  • H04B1/38—Transceivers, i.e. devices in which transmitter and receiver form a structural unit and in which at least one part is used for functions of transmitting and receiving
  • H04B1/40—Circuits

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a device for text input by actuating the keys of a numeric keypad with the lettering of several letters per key, which keys are common in mobile telephones, the keys of which determine the finger position on an actuated key via special sensors, and a method for this a specific character assigns the possible input alternatives.
• Numeric keypads are used in numerous electronic devices such as cell phones, photocopiers, ATMs, VCR remote controls, audio players, and many more. As the range of functions increases, functions' for entering text using this numeric keypad are increasingly required, for which there are several solutions:
• the "multi-tap" function is generally used on telephones with a text display. Keys 2 to 9 are marked with the letters AZ, that 3 or 4 letters are assigned to each key. If a text entry is requested, the letters can be entered by repeatedly pressing the corresponding key. For example, key 6 is labeled with the letters MNO. A single short key press on the key 6 results in an M, a double key press on the key 6 results in an N, a triple key press results in the letter 0.
• the multi-tap process is cumbersome, but does not require any special hardware effort and is therefore standard for mobile phones.
• Predictive text input methods supplement the ordinary keyboard with software control with a dictionary in numerous languages.
• the system presumes from the dictionary that the word” Bad "could be meant and offers it for selection ,
• the multi-tap process has so far been the standard equipment for mobile and cordless telephones because the technical effort involved is low.
• the same key arrangement can be used internationally, while typewriter and PC keyboards have to be adapted country-specifically.
• the multi-tap method is widespread, but due to the large number of keys to be pressed with special operating requirements, it is hardly suitable for fluid text input. It is just a workaround for entering short strings.
• Each of the number keys 2 to 9 is labeled with three to four letters of the alphabet. To enter a specific letter, the corresponding number key must be pressed several times within a short period of time. Since each key is assigned not only the letters, but also special characters, umlauts, etc., between three and around fifteen key presses are required to enter characters.
• Word recognition methods are suitable for short text messages (Short Message Service, SMS) from mobile phones. However, they are only useful if the text to be entered is also covered by the software dictionary. This makes word recognition methods suitable for entering natural language sentences, but not for entering names, addresses and abbreviations. The word recognition process can only reliably guess the intended words after several characters and not at the beginning of the word. Therefore, confusing and incorrect word suggestions appear regularly, which distract the operator. If the method cannot assign an unusual or new word to a dictionary entry despite complete entry, the word must be entered again manually, the original entry sequence was then in vain.
• a procedure for entering text using a numeric keypad must meet a large number of requirements: First, it must be easy to learn to use and the entry must be smooth. The design must be inexpensive to manufacture and very robust because portable electronic devices are subject to strong shaking and bumping as well as extreme temperature fluctuations (about 0-60 degrees Celsius).
• the aim of the invention is for portable electronic devices with an internal and / or external display and a numeric keypad to enter any sequence of letters, to display the characters when entering text directly on the display, to reduce the number of necessary steps for entering text, and to do so Reduce the risk of incorrect entries and keep manufacturing costs as low as possible.
• the invention has for its object a device for text input by a single operation of keys of a numeric keypad and a method for processing input pulses by means of control electronics when entering text with a numeric keypad for portable electronic devices with an internal and / or external display develop.
• Fig. 2 shows an example of the operation of a button of the
• FIG 3 shows a sectional illustration of a button actuated with a finger on the left side (3a), in the middle (3b) and on the right side (3c),
• Fig. 8 is a flow chart of the keyboard query control.
• the keyboard designed according to the invention consists of four components (FIG. 1), a key block 11, a sensor matrix 12 located behind the keyboard, which registers the position of the key actuation, a microprocessor 13 and a display 14 on which the writing position is marked with a cursor 15 during text input.
• the keypad 11 has twelve keys, of which 10 keys are labeled with the numbers 0 to 9 and of these eight keys are additionally identified with the letters A-Z and from two further keys which are provided for the input of special characters.
• Conventional keys respond to mechanical pressure anywhere by closing an electrical contact.
• the keys of the keypad designed according to the invention can be used as well as conventional ones. In addition, however, they differ from the conventional keys in that the control electronics 13 can differentiate at which point the keys have to be actuated. Depending on whether the left or right side or the middle of the keys is touched, the left, right or middle character of the key label can be entered (Fig. 2).
• a candidate list 41 appears (FIG. 4a), which lists the possible entries at this point and highlights the selected character (FIG. 4b, c).
• the pressure position can be changed while a key is being held, after which the display is updated. Entries only take effect when a key is released.
• the letters of the alphabet are distributed over the numeric keys in such a way that the keys with the numbers 2 to 9 are each assigned three letters; only the letters "q" and "y” must also be placed on the keys with the numbers 7 and 9 (Fig. 5).
• Special characters and international characters, such as umlauts and letters with accents, can be selected using a shift key 46.
• a switchover to uppercase letters via a switchover key 45 and a switchover to enter a number include a switchover key 44 in the proposed implementation.
• the invention offers a considerably faster text input.
• the device for text input designed according to the invention is easier to operate by actuating keys of a keypad: the operator only needs to tap the desired letter directly instead of repeatedly pressing a numeric key.
• the invention can use a property of electronic keyboards that was previously only an unintended side effect of the key mechanism. When pressed, keys have some mobility and can usually be tilted slightly to the side. Multiple key assignments can be selected using the pressure angle measured with sensors, in this case the letter assignment on a numeric keypad.
• the shape and design of the key tops can vary without affecting their function.
• a button is pressed in the middle, accordingly the middle of the three options "ABC", ie "B", is highlighted as a candidate in the display. If, on the other hand, the key is pressed on the left edge (FIG. 2a), an "A” appears. An actuation pressure on the right edge of the key results in a “C” (Fig. 2c).
• buttons in particular, it can be useful to have the button surface in the form of a small recess from the left to be concave to the right, ie with a small border on the left and on the right side of the keys. This means that both the middle of the key and the edges of the keys can be reliably felt and operated on their left or right side.
• the device designed according to the invention behaves exactly like a conventional numeric keyboard. Each key press triggers the entry of the corresponding digit. The difference only becomes apparent when entering text (Fig. 4).
• the display 14 awaits the entry of letters at the cursor position 15. As long as no key is pressed, the candidate list 41 with the highlighted candidate 42 remains invisible.
• candidate list 41 Only when a key such as 43 is held down at a certain position with the finger does the candidate list 41 appear on the display in accordance with the letters depicted on the key. If button 43 is pressed on the left edge, candidate 42 appears as the input option on the left edge of the list, highlighted in color or by inversion. If, on the other hand, the button 43 is pressed in the middle, the middle candidate appears (FIG. 4b), this correspondingly applies to an operation on the right edge of the button (FIG. 4c). When the finger is lifted from the key, the candidate list 41 disappears again and the last selected character 42 appears at the cursor position 15. In the standardized assignment of letters to number keys, most number keys are assigned three letters, but the keys with "1" and "9" are assigned four letters.
• the invention is based on this established arrangement in order to facilitate a changeover.
• three positions can be activated particularly quickly with buttons, namely the two edges of the button and the center. Therefore, the letter "q" via the number key 7 and the letter “y” via the number key 9 are somewhat more difficult to reach (FIG. 5). Since these two letters are rather rare, this assignment is still cheaper than choosing an arrangement that deviates from the standard.
• Two force-dependent resistors 72 (Force Sensing Resistors, FSRs), which are attached below the two sides of each button, offer a considerably more precise evaluation.
• FSR Force Sensing Resistors
• the FSR does not measure the angle, but the force exerted.
• the angle must be calculated by software from the determined force, which is cumbersome and prone to errors.
• a strip-shaped FSR (linear potentiometer) 73 can directly determine the contact position of a button. As well As with strain gauges 74, the sensor provides analog values that need to be digitized and converted into angles. Hall sensors 75 measure precisely the distance between the key sides and the circuit board 25, but they can only be integrated into a keyboard with great production expenditure.
• a new type of digital angle sensor 76 whose digital measured values correspond directly to the key angle, is optimal for this application.
• the accuracy is scalable depending on the requirement.
• two switches of the angle sensor can deliver a 2-bit resolution, i.e. distinguish four cases.
• the idle state of the key then corresponds to the state zero, the actuation of the left or right edge of the key sets the left or right bit and an actuation in the middle closes both switches and thus sets both bits of the result value.
• step 8 shows an algorithm for interactive input of characters according to the invention.
• the keyboard is scanned several times per second in step 81. If a key actuation is detected in step 82, the corresponding input candidates 41 appear in step 83. Now the actuation position of the key is measured 84 from the sensor measured values.
• the method designed according to the invention determines the assigned candidate from the position and lifts this in step 86. Steps 84-86 are repeated as long as the key remains pressed, the representation of the current candidate is updated if necessary. Only when the button is released after step 87 does the button disappear Candidate display 88 and the input is accepted in step 89. This is repeated as long as text can be entered.
• the solution has the decisive advantage that it does not rely on any electronic dictionaries and is therefore suitable for any input sequence.
• Names, e-mail addresses, foreign words, etc., on which word recognition methods regularly fail, can also be entered smoothly with the invention.
• the new process does not require any additional equipment, but can be easily integrated into existing designs.
• the familiar letter arrangement makes the changeover easier for device manufacturers and users.
• the text input according to the invention is considerably faster and safer than the generally used method of repeatedly pressing the number keys. Operation is also much easier to understand. The operator only needs to point the finger at the desired letter and press the respective key at this position.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
• Human Computer Interaction (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
• Signal Processing (AREA)
• Input From Keyboards Or The Like (AREA)
• Telephone Set Structure (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

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ID=27588319

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (7)

Families Citing this family (41)

Family Cites Families (15)

• 2002
  • 2002-02-02 DE DE10204379A patent/DE10204379B4/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2003
  • 2003-01-16 JP JP2003566693A patent/JP4181999B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2003-01-16 KR KR1020047011707A patent/KR100950033B1/ko not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2003-01-16 EP EP03704414A patent/EP1493073A2/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2003-01-16 WO PCT/EP2003/000417 patent/WO2003067409A2/de active Application Filing
  • 2003-01-16 US US10/502,871 patent/US7583206B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2003-01-22 TW TW092101344A patent/TWI271640B/zh not_active IP Right Cessation

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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