JP2002312354A - Input method for pin-yin, information processor using the method and program for chinese input - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To accurately input an objective Pin-yin by easy key operation. SOLUTION: When a character string comprising respective first letters of initials and finals about the Pin-yin of an input target is inputted by the key operation, the Pin-yin corresponding to the inputted letters is extracted. A candidate display window 30a by the extracted Pin-yin is exhibited on a display part. When operation for selecting a candidate in the candidate display window 30a is executed, the selected Pin-yin is fixed as the input character string and is outputted to the generation document side.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for inputting characters in Chinese into a running application in a computer, an information processing apparatus using the method, and a Chinese language for causing a computer to execute the method. Related to input program.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a Chinese input system (IME) used in a personal computer or the like, an alphabet character string called "Pinyin" is input and converted into Chinese characters. “Pinyin” indicates “reading” of a Chinese kanji, and is represented by a combination of a “vowel” corresponding to a Japanese consonant and a “ryun” corresponding to a vowel.

[0003] Chinese initials are 1-2 characters, and rhymes are 1-4.
An input method using key assignment as shown in FIG. 12 has been proposed in consideration of an increase in the number of input characters due to the character configuration. In this method, individual key assignments as shown in (1) and (2) of FIG. 12 are set for the initial and the initial, respectively (in the figure, the bold characters are the initial and the initial assigned to each key). By performing key operations corresponding to the desired characters in the order of
Pinyin can be input in a single operation. (This input method is called "bi-pinyin input.")

[0004]

In the case of inputting all the constituent characters of Pinyin, the key operation for one to six characters must be performed even by inputting Pinyin for one syllable. Becomes very complicated. In particular, when a portable device having a small number of operation keys such as a mobile phone is provided with a Chinese input function, it is necessary to perform key operations many times to change input characters. The task becomes more and more complicated.

When the above-mentioned twin pinyin input is used, it is necessary to memorize two kinds of key assignments for a voice and a rhyme. In this key assignment, the key arrangement between the original keyboard alphabet arrangement and the assigned base is required. It is very difficult to memorize all assignments because they do not have any correspondence. In particular, in the key assignment of the rhyme mother, since multiple rhymes are assigned to many keys, the key assignment becomes complicated, and it is necessary to perform an operation in combination with other keys such as a shift key to switch the rhyme to input. Therefore, it takes a great deal of trouble to learn how to input Pinyin. There is also a problem that the key assignment of the double pinyin input cannot be applied to a portable device having a small number of keys.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problem, and has as its object to enable accurate input of a target pinyin with a simple key operation.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a method for inputting Chinese pinyin into a processing system in a computer, wherein one character is composed of each of a voice and a rhyme. Accepting the input of a combined character string by extracting and combining, and searching a dictionary file storing the inputtable pinyin based on the input character string, and each character of the character string forms a voice and a rhyme, respectively. And extracting the extracted pinyin in a list, accepting the selection, and outputting the selected pinyin to the processing system.

The "processing system in the computer" as used herein refers to a system or an operation system that runs software for applications such as document creation, spreadsheet calculation, and e-mail creation. A system for converting Pinyin into a Chinese character in an input system (IME) for Chinese can be considered as a processing system.

In the step of receiving a character string input,
For example, the input of the first character of each of the initial and the initial constituting the pinyin to be input is received. The dictionary file stores a character array of all Pinyin existing in Chinese.

[0010] According to the above method, when a character string input based on a combination of the first characters of the initial and the initial is accepted, a pinyin in which these characters are respectively located at the beginning of the initial and the initial of the initial is extracted from the dictionary file. Is displayed. Further, when a predetermined pinyin is selected on the list display, the selected pinyin is determined as an input target pinyin, and is input to the processing system. According to this method, the user inputs the first character of each of the initial and the initial (preferably input in the order of the initial and the initial), and performs a selection operation on the list display to input a target pinyin. So you can
The input operation can be greatly simplified. Further, since there is no need to memorize complicated key assignments as in the case of the above-mentioned twin pinyin input, the operation method for input can be easily learned.

Further, in this method, pinyin can be easily input by inputting two characters of the alphabet and selecting operation. Therefore, the number of keys is small or the size of keys is small, and all characters of pinyin are used. Can be applied to a small-sized information processing device that takes a long time to input.

In the step of receiving the input of the character string, it is also possible to receive the input of the first character of the initial and the last character of the rhyme. Also, accept the form of the character string
Depending on the selection operation by the user, the combination may be switched to any one of the combination of the first characters of the initial and the first part of the rhyme, or the combination of the first character of the initial and the last character of the first part.

In the dictionary file, each Pinyin is classified according to the combination of the first character of the initial and the first character of the initial, or the combination of the first character of the initial and the last character of the initial, according to the format of the character string to be searched. It is desirable. According to the configuration of the dictionary file, the pinyin of the group corresponding to the received character string can be extracted at high speed, so that the pinyin input operation can be smoothly performed. Further, in the step of displaying the pinyin of the input candidates in a list, if the pinyin is displayed in descending order based on the frequency of use of the pinyin in the past, the user can efficiently select the pinyin. .

Further, when the first character is input, Pinyin having the input character as the first character is extracted from the dictionary file and displayed in a list, and the list is displayed without inputting the next character. When the pinyin is selected, the selected pinyin may be determined as an input character string to the processing system. According to such a method, since the pinyin which is an input candidate is displayed when the user inputs the first character, a pinyin having a small number of input candidates or a pinyin which is frequently used is input. In this case, the input operation can be more efficiently performed. Also, when inputting a pinyin composed of only one character, the input can be performed without any trouble. When such a method is applied, if dictionary data in which each pinyin is classified by the first character is set in the dictionary file, pinyin input candidates with one input character can be extracted at high speed. .

According to the present invention, as a second method for inputting pinyin, a step of receiving input of a two-digit number by a combination of numbers each associated with a plurality of alphabets, Extracting the characters making up the initial and the rhyme from the alphabets corresponding to the respective, the step of receiving a selection by listing a character string combining the extracted characters of the initials and the rhyme, and accepting pinyin Searching the stored dictionary file using the character string selected on the list display, and extracting pinyin composed of a voice and a rhyme by each character of the character string;
A step of displaying the extracted pinyin in a list, accepting the selection, and outputting the selected pinyin to the processing system, may be performed.

For example, associating alphabets with numbers is performed by assigning each letter of the alphabet from “1” to “1”.
This is performed by assigning a predetermined number to the number “9”. According to the above method, when a two-digit number is input,
From the alphabet corresponding to each number, for example, 1
For the digits in the first digit, the alphabet that is the constituent character of the initial is extracted. For the second digit, the alphabet that is the constituent character of the rhyme is extracted. I do.
When a predetermined character string is selected on this list display, a dictionary file is searched by the selected character string, and thereafter, pinyin to be input is specified in the same manner as in the first method, and the processing system Will be output to

According to the above method, for example, when a character is input using a numeric keypad to which each character of the alphabet is assigned, a two-digit number such as a number corresponding to each of the first characters of the Pinyin voice and the rhyme of the input target. After entering
Since an intended pinyin can be input by an operation of selecting a combination of a voice and a rhyme, and an operation of selecting a pinyin as an input candidate, it is not necessary to perform a complicated operation for switching input characters, which is efficient. Input work can be performed. In particular, if this method is applied to a device such as a mobile phone that has only an operation unit whose main purpose is to input numbers, pinyin input can be performed extremely easily.

The two-digit number to be input is not limited to the number corresponding to the first character of the initial and the first letter of the rhyme, and it is also possible to accept the input of the number corresponding to the first letter of the initial and the last letter of the first rhyme. is there. In addition, if the number to be input is not limited to two digits, but also accepts the input of one-digit numbers, it is possible to easily cope with the case of inputting pinyin composed of only one character, and to input pinyin. Work efficiency can be further increased.

Next, according to the present invention, as an information processing apparatus for executing the first method, an operation unit having a plurality of keys arranged thereon, a display unit for displaying pinyin of an input candidate, and an input unit A dictionary file in which possible pinyin is stored, input means for receiving an input of a character string obtained by extracting and combining constituent characters one by one from a voice and a rhyme from the operation unit, and characters received by the input means A dictionary file is searched by a column, candidate extraction means for extracting a pinyin composed of a voice and a rhyme by each character of the character string, and a list of the pinyins extracted by the candidate extraction means are displayed on the display unit. And a character string deciding unit for accepting the selection and confirming the selected pinyin as an input character string.

In the apparatus having the above-described configuration, the operation unit has a configuration in which individual keys are provided for each alphabet, such as a keyboard of a personal computer, and a plurality of alphabets assigned to one key, such as a numeric keypad. It is also possible to adopt a configuration. In addition, it is desirable to provide a key for performing a selection operation on the list display of pinyin separately from the key for alphabet input in the operation unit. Further, the keys of the operation unit are not limited to the push button keys. For example, an image of each key may be displayed on a display panel and an operation by a touch panel or a light pen may be received. (In this case, the operation unit and the display unit can be integrated.)

The dictionary file is stored in a memory in the device. The input means, the candidate extraction means, and the character string determination means are all realized by incorporating a program for executing each means into a memory and causing the CPU to execute the program.

According to the present invention, as an information processing apparatus for executing the second method, an operation unit including a plurality of numeric keys to which a plurality of alphabetical characters are assigned, and a pinyin of an input candidate are displayed. Display unit for inputting, a dictionary file storing pinyin that can be input, input means for receiving input of a two-digit number by a combination of numbers associated with alphabets from the operation unit, and reception by the input means Extracting means for extracting characters constituting a voice and a rhyme from the alphabet corresponding to each digit of the extracted digit, and a character string combining the extracted characters of the voice and the rhyme in a list on the display unit To accept the selection, search the dictionary file with the selected character string, and use the characters of the character string to define Candidate extracting means for extracting the pinyin composed of: a character string determining means for displaying a list of the pinyin extracted by the candidate extracting means on the display unit, accepting a selection, and determining the selected pinyin as an input character string Can be provided.

It is desirable that the operation unit in the above configuration has a configuration in which each character of the alphabet is assigned to a numeric keypad. Further, it is desirable to provide a key for selecting the combination of constituent characters of the voice and the rhythm and the list display of the pinyin in the operation unit.

The dictionary file is stored in the memory, as in the first configuration device. Each of the input means, the extraction means, the candidate extraction means, and the character string determination means is realized by incorporating a program for executing these means into a memory and causing the CPU to execute the program.

The apparatus having the above-described configuration executes predetermined processing such as inputting the pinyin determined by the character string determining means as it is or after converting it into kanji into a document or an application for creating an e-mail. become.

Further, in the present invention, the program for inputting Chinese language, which executes the first method, comprises a step of receiving an input of a character string obtained by extracting and combining constituent characters one by one from a voice and a rhyme. Searching a dictionary file storing possible pinyins based on the received character string, extracting pinyins each of which is composed of a voice and a rhyme by each character of the character string, and listing the extracted input candidate pinyin Displaying and accepting the selection, and deciding the selected pinyin as an input character string.

In the present invention, the program for inputting Chinese language for executing the second method is a program for combining two numbers each of which is associated with a plurality of alphabets.
Accepting the input of the digits of the digit, extracting the characters making up the initial and the rhyme from the alphabet corresponding to the input digit of each digit, and combining the extracted characters of the initial and the rhyme Displaying a list of columns and accepting a selection; searching a dictionary file in which inputtable pinyin is stored based on the character string selected on the list display; The computer is configured to execute a step of extracting a pinyin to be performed, a step of displaying a list of the extracted pinyins, accepting a selection, and confirming the selected pinyin as an input character string.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a program configured to selectively execute the first and second methods according to a character string input first.
It is desirable that the program according to the present invention include electronic data constituting the dictionary file. Further, the program includes a program for causing a computer to execute a step of converting Pinyin determined as an input character string into a kanji character string and a step of outputting the converted kanji character string to a predetermined processing system. It is desirable to include it.

The program of the present invention can be provided in a state of being recorded on an information recording medium such as a CD-ROM, for example, as an IME for Chinese. It is also possible to download to a device such as a personal computer or a portable communication terminal via a computer network such as the Internet.

Further, such a program can be provided in a state of being incorporated in a memory chip such as a ROM or a flash memory. Such a memory chip includes an operation unit for inputting characters and a display unit for displaying a list of input characters, and can be incorporated in a device controlled by a computer. It is possible to easily provide a device having a function to execute.

[0031]

FIG. 1 shows the appearance of a portable telephone to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 shows the electric configuration of the same portable telephone. In this mobile phone 1, an operation unit 2, a display unit 3, a microphone for communication 4, a speaker 5, and the like are provided on the front of the body main body 1A, and a control circuit 6 and a transmission / reception circuit 7 are mounted inside the body. The control board 8 is assembled. Reference numeral 10 in the figure denotes an antenna connected to the transmission / reception circuit 7, which is provided on the upper portion of the body main body 1A via an antenna insertion hole 11 so as to be able to expand and contract.

The mobile phone 1 of this embodiment is set so as to be able to connect to the Internet and transmit and receive e-mails via a relay device of a telephone company (not shown) in addition to ordinary telephone calls. As a function of creating a Chinese document. The operation unit 2 includes:
In addition to keys 12 for character input and selection operation described later,
Function key 16 for recalling past communication history and e-mail, power switch 17, changeover switch 1 for setting silent mode and character input mode, etc.
8 are deployed. The display unit 3 includes a liquid crystal panel,
Normally, date and time data, the degree of charge of the battery, and the like are displayed. During communication, the other party's telephone number and talk time are displayed. When an e-mail is created, document data being created and a candidate display window to be described later are displayed.

The control circuit 6 is constituted by a microcomputer and has a flash memory 9 as an external memory.
Is connected. The flash memory 9 stores a telephone number list registered by a user, setting data on a ringing tone, volume, and the like, and a program for communication and character input described later. The control circuit 6 converts the operation contents of each key of the operation unit 2 into Chinese Pinyin and Chinese character strings based on the program in the flash memory 9 in the e-mail creation mode,
Create a series of documents.

The transmission / reception circuit 7 executes communication processing via a base station while exchanging data with the control circuit 6. In particular, when the control circuit 6 issues an instruction to use the Internet or send an e-mail,
A connection process is performed by transmitting a code for connecting to the relay device for Internet connection to the base station.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing keys used for character input in the operation section 2. In the operation unit 2 of this embodiment, a main operation unit 19 in which 12 keys are arranged is set. The key configuration of the main operation unit 19 is the same as that of a general push-type telephone.
Symbols “*” and “#” are assigned to “a” and “12b”, respectively, and a function as a selection key for moving a selection cursor on a candidate display window described later is given. The key 12c at the center of the fourth row is a numeral "0".
Is used as a key for deciding input candidates to be described later, in addition to the purpose of inputting.

The numbers "1" to "9" are assigned to the nine keys 12 in the first to third rows, respectively. Furthermore, a code such as an at mark is assigned to the key 12 of “1”, and three to four alphabets are assigned to each of the keys 12 of “2” to “9”. In addition,
In the keys 12 assigned with these alphabets,
By continuously operating the keys 12, characters to be input are switched.

In this embodiment, when the input mode is switched to the Chinese input mode by operating the changeover switch 18 or the like, pinyin is input by operating each key 12 of the main operation unit 19, and this pinyin is converted into Chinese characters. Processing such as conversion is performed. In the flash memory 9 of this embodiment, a program for inputting Pinyin in the Chinese input mode by an efficient operation is incorporated.

FIG. 4 shows the configuration of a character input system set in the control circuit 6 by the Chinese input program. The character input system 20 includes a control unit 21 for controlling the entire system, a kanji conversion processing unit 22,
Each processing unit of the input unit 23, the output unit 24, the display control unit 25,
And voice mother contrast table 26, rhyme mother contrast table 27,
Each data file of the Pinyin dictionary 28 and the frequency data table 29 is provided.

The character input system 20 of this embodiment
When inputting a pinyin with a character string of characters or more, either a character string consisting of the first character of the initial and the first character of the rhyme, or a character string consisting of the first character of the first character and the last character of the rhyme is accepted. Are extracted from the Pinyin dictionary 28, with each character of. Further, the extracted pinyin is displayed as a list on the display unit 3 as an input candidate, and the pinyin selected on the list display is determined as an input character string. In the following description, a combination of characters for each of the initial and the rhyme input from the operation unit 2 is referred to as “simple twin pinyin”, and is composed of all constituent characters extracted from the pinyin dictionary 28. Pinyin will be called "all pinyin".

The input unit 23 receives a key operation of the operation unit 2, extracts a character corresponding to the operated key, and outputs the character to the control unit 21. When receiving the input of the simple twin pinyin from the input unit 23, the control unit 21 performs a process of determining all the pinyin by the simple twin pinyin, and also executes the whole pinyin or the kanji character string converted by the pinyin to the upper system. (Here, it refers to an e-mail creation system.)

The kanji conversion processing section 22 has a role of converting the determined pinyin into kanji. Upon receiving all the determined pinyin from the control section 21, the kanji conversion processing section 22 converts the pinyin into a kanji using a kanji dictionary (not shown). It is converted into a character string and output to the control unit 21. The display control unit 25 receives the simple twin pinyin and all the input candidate pinyins input from the control unit 21 and displays them on the display unit 3. The output unit 24 is finally determined. This is for receiving a kanji character string from the control unit 21 and outputting it to the host system.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show examples of the data structure of the initial control table 26 and the initial control table 27, respectively.
These tables are for determining whether or not the input simple twin pinyin is appropriate. The initial control table 26 stores each pinyin (all Pinyin initials) corresponding to the initials as its first character (simple twin Pinyin initials).
Classified by On the other hand, the rhyme mother contrast table 27
Each pinyin (all Pinyin rhyme) corresponding to a rhyme is composed of two types of tables, a first table 27A classified by its first character and a second table 27B classified by its last character. (In FIG. 6, both the first character and the last character are indicated as “simple twin pinyin mother.”)

FIG. 7 shows a part of the data structure of the Pinyin dictionary 28. This pinyin dictionary 28 is for extracting all pinyin corresponding to the input simple twin pinyin, and classifies all pinyins composed of combinable initials and rhymes by the corresponding simple twin pinyin, respectively. It is. In this embodiment,
Data in which all pinyins are classified by the first character so that pinyin composed of only one character can be extracted or all pinyin candidates can be extracted even if only the first character of the initial is input (in the figure, a simple twin pinyin column) All the pinyins corresponding to “a” to “z”) are also included in the pinyin dictionary 28. (Here, for the sake of convenience, this pinyin with only the first character is also referred to as simple twin pinyin.)

FIG. 7 shows the simple pinyin as defined in the ordinary definition, but shows only the data in which all pinyins are associated with the simple pinyin by the first characters of the initial and the rhyme. Dictionary 28 contains
Similarly, data in which all pinyin are associated with each other is set for simple twin pinyin using the first character of the initial and the last character of the rhyme. In the following description, data in which all pinyin is associated with simple twin pinyin is referred to as “dictionary data”.

Next, the frequency data table 29 shown in FIG. 4 stores the frequency of use of all the pinyin when each simple twin pinyin is set in the pinyin dictionary 28, when the simple twin pinyin is input. You. When displaying the input candidates of all pinyin, the control unit 21 reads out the use frequency of each of the candidate all pinyin from the frequency data table 29, and displays them in order of frequency.

Since a predetermined number of Chinese characters correspond to all Pinyin, the frequency of use of all Pinyin can be represented by the sum of the frequency of use of each Chinese character corresponding to that Pinyin. In this embodiment, when the converted kanji is determined, the following equation (1) is executed to determine the usage frequency F (A _j ) of all Pinyin A _j corresponding to the kanji, and then By executing the following equation (2), a ratio H (A _j ) to the frequency of use of the most frequently used pinyin among all the pinyins corresponding to the same simple double pinyin as the above-mentioned total pinyin A _j is obtained. The ratio H (A _j ) is used as frequency data. (1)
In the formula, m indicates the number of kanji corresponding to the same all Pinyin A _j , H (B _ji ) indicates the frequency of appearance of each kanji, and C _ji indicates a coefficient for the usage frequency H (B _j ), respectively. .
Further, n in Expression (2) is the number of all Pinyin A _j corresponding to the same simple twin Pinyin. U is a constant, and any value can be applied.

[0047]

(Equation 1)

[0048]

(Equation 2)

According to the frequency data H (A _j ), all the pinyins extracted from the pinyin dictionary 28 with respect to the simple twin pinyin are displayed preferentially in descending order of the total number selected in the past. Therefore, the user can relatively easily select a desired pinyin.

In the above-mentioned data files, as for the voice / vocal comparison table 26, the rhymic / vocal comparison table 27, and the Pinyin dictionary 28, the data having the configuration shown in FIGS. Be incorporated. On the other hand, the frequency data table 29
Initially, the frequency data of all pinyin is set to zero, but the frequency data is rewritten according to the selection of pinyin or kanji in the subsequent character input processing.

Next, a specific procedure of the pinyin input process of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The procedure in FIG. 8 is started by switching the input mode to the Chinese input mode after the host system is started in the control circuit 6. First, when alphabet characters are input from the operation unit 2, ST1 becomes "YES" and the process proceeds to ST2, where the number of input characters is checked. If the number of input characters is 1 or 2, the process proceeds to ST3.

First, when the first character of the simple twin pinyin (ie, the first character of the initial) is input, the number of input characters at this point is "1".
In step 6, the Pinyin dictionary 28 is searched to extract all Pinyin corresponding to the input characters as input candidates. Here, since the input character is one character, at this time, in the Pinyin dictionary 28, dictionary data in which all Pinyin are classified by the first character is used.

In the next ST7, the past use frequency is read from the frequency data table 29 for each extracted pinyin. In the subsequent ST8, the display unit 3
, A candidate display window is set, and the input candidates are listed and displayed in this window in order of use frequency.

At this point, if the user performs a selection operation,
ST9 becomes "YES" and the process proceeds to ST10, in which all selected pinyins are determined as pinyins to be input.

On the other hand, if a large number of candidates are extracted by the processing of ST6 to ST8 and the target pinyin cannot be found immediately, the user inputs the next character (ie, the first character or the last character of the rhyme). be able to.
When ST11 becomes "YES" by this input and returns to ST2, the number of input characters is "2" at this point, so that ST2 becomes "YES" and ST3 becomes "NO" and S3
Proceed to T4.

In ST4, each of the voice control tables 2 is used according to the characters input by the two-time character input.
A search is made in the six-syllable mother contrast table 27 to determine whether each character is a character corresponding to a simple twin-pinyin mother and a simple twin-pinyin mother. Here, when it is confirmed that each character corresponds to the simple twin pinyin voice and the simple twin pinyin rhyme, further, using the pinyin dictionary 28, it is determined whether the character string of each character is a character string constituting the simple twin pinyin Check if.

If the input character string is a simple twin pinyin, ST5 becomes "YES" and the process proceeds to ST6 to extract all pinyin as input candidates from the pinyin dictionary 28. Hereinafter, S is the same as when the first character is input.
By executing the processing of T7 and T8, each input candidate is displayed in a list in order of use frequency. When a candidate is selected, the process proceeds from ST9 to ST10, and the selected candidate is determined as a pinyin to be input.

All the pinyins determined by the above procedure are output to the kanji conversion processing section 22 in accordance with the conversion operation, and the characters finally output to the host system are determined by a kanji conversion processing procedure (not shown). Further, all the selected pinyin can be output to the host system as it is in response to a confirmation operation or the like.

When the same key 12 is continuously operated in the input of the simple twin pinyin, only the input characters are switched, and the number of input characters does not change. FIG. 8 above
According to the above procedure, every time the character input key 12 is operated, the process returns from ST11 to ST2. For example, when the same key is operated a plurality of times for inputting the voice of simple twin pinyin, the operation is repeated for each operation. , ST2 to ST6 via ST3
Proceed to the following steps. When the same key is operated a plurality of times for inputting a simple twin pinyin mother, the steps ST2 to ST8 are executed in series for each operation.

By such processing, the display of the input candidates in the candidate display window is also switched in conjunction with the switching of the input characters. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the dictionary data in which all the pinyin are associated with each simple double pinyin are set, so that all the pinyin corresponding to the input character string can be extracted at high speed. Thus, it is possible to promptly respond to a user's character switching operation.

However, after the simple twin pinyin is input,
If a key different from the previous operation is operated without performing the selection operation, the number of input characters becomes “3”. In this case, ST2 becomes "NO" and the process proceeds to ST12 to inform the user of the error state by displaying the input character string itself on the display unit 3. If a character string that does not constitute simple twin pinyin is input, ST5 becomes "NO",
Similarly, an error display in ST12 is executed.

Although not shown here, if the input character string is corrected by an operation such as erasing a character erroneously input by the user or re-entering the character in response to the above error display, It is desirable to return to a normal loop and extract all pinyin input candidates.

According to the above-described procedure, the user can complete the input of the pinyin by inputting the two characters constituting the simple twin pinyin and then selecting all the target pinyin on the candidate display window. Therefore, the number of key operations for input can be reduced. In particular,
The number of key operations when inputting pinyin with a long number of characters or pinyin including characters with switching operation can be greatly reduced, reducing the burden on the user for input operation and improving the efficiency of character input work I can proceed well. Also, as simple twin pinyin, it is only necessary to input the first character of the initial and the initial of the rhyme, or the first character of the initial and the last character of the rhyme, so that there is no need to perform complicated key operations and the operation method can be easily learned. it can.

Also, in the above procedure, the user is required to
Pinyin is displayed as a list of input candidates from the time of inputting characters, so selection is accepted, so input pinyin with a small number of candidates corresponding to the same simple twin pinyin or input pinyin with high frequency of use In this case, the efficiency of the operation can be further increased. "M",
Even when a character that constitutes pinyin alone such as “n” is input, the target pinyin can be determined by executing the above-mentioned steps ST2, 3 to ST6 to ST10. No input work can be done.

By the way, the procedure of FIG.
The input mode is switched to the Chinese input mode, and the input of the simple twin pinyin is accepted. In this embodiment, even when the key corresponding to the simple twin pinyin is operated in the numeric input mode, the One or two digit numbers input by the operation can be converted to all pinyin.

FIG. 9 shows a processing procedure in the case of inputting pinyin by the numeral input method. In FIG. 9, each step is denoted by “S” in order to distinguish it from the step of FIG.
T '".

After a number is input from the operation unit 2, if a conversion process to pinyin is designated by a predetermined key operation, ST'1 becomes "YES". If the number input here is a two-digit number, the next ST′2 is “NO”,
ST'3 becomes "YES" and the operation proceeds to ST'4.

In ST'4, for each digit of the digit, the alphabet corresponding to the digit (that is, the alphabet assigned to the operated key) is extracted, and then the voice control table 26 and the rhyme control table 27 are extracted. For the first digit, an alphabet constituting a simple twin pinyin voice is extracted, and for the second digit, an alphabet constituting a simple twin pinyin rhyme is extracted.

In the next ST'5, the Pinyin dictionary 28 is searched for each combination of the extracted vowel and rhyme, and the combination is narrowed down to a combination corresponding to an actual simple twin pinyin. Then, a candidate display window is set on the display unit 3, and a list of simple twin pinyin corresponding to the narrowed combination is displayed.

When a selection operation is performed on this list display, ST'6 becomes "YES" and the operation proceeds to ST'7, where the pinyin dictionary 28 is searched by the selected simple twin pinyin and the input candidate is searched. Extract all Pinyin. Further S
At T'8, a candidate display window is set on the display unit 3 again, and a list of all extracted pinyins is displayed. When a selection operation is performed on this list display, ST'9 becomes "YES" and the process proceeds to ST'10, and all selected pinyin are determined as input character strings.

If a single-digit number is accepted in ST'1, ST'2 and ST'3 both become "NO" and proceed to ST'11 to extract all the alphabets corresponding to the inputted number. I do. Then, in the next ST'12, a candidate display window in which each character extracted on the display unit 3 is displayed in a list is set.

When the selection of any character on this list display is accepted, the process proceeds from ST'13 to ST'14, where the dictionary data corresponding to the selected character in the Pinyin dictionary 28 is searched and selected. Then, it is determined whether or not it is possible to configure Pinyin only with the characters that have been entered. If the result of this determination is "YES", the operation proceeds to ST'15, and the selected character is determined as pinyin for input.

On the other hand, if the character selected on the list display is a character that does not independently constitute pinyin, ST '
14 becomes "NO" and returns to ST'2 without accepting the selection of the character. In this case, the previously input one-digit number is retained, so that the user inputs the second-digit number and performs the conversion designation operation again, so that the aforementioned ST′2 to ST′10 Is performed to determine the pinyin to be input.

When a conversion operation to pinyin is performed by inputting three or more digits, ST'2 is set to "YE".
S ", the process proceeds to ST'16, and an erroneous input is notified by displaying an error on the display unit 3 such as displaying the input number as it is. If a cancel operation or the like is performed on the list of simple twin pinyin or all pinyin candidates, ST'6 or ST'9 becomes "NO" and the input process is performed by clearing the candidate display. Abort. Similarly, when a single digit is input and the list display of ST'12 is performed and then a cancel operation or the like is performed without performing a character selection operation, the list display is similarly erased. Input processing is stopped.

FIGS. 10 and 11 show specific examples of the display screen during the character input processing. FIG. 10 shows an example in which all pinyin is determined in accordance with the procedure of FIG. 8, and shows a display screen from the time when the character string "za" is input as simple twin pinyin. Note that (1) to (5) in the figure indicate the order of the main display screens, and will be referred to as steps (1) to (5) in the following description.

In the figure, reference numeral 31 denotes a display area of a created document, and 32 denotes a character input area. In step (1), the input of the simple twin pinyin is displayed in the character input area 32 by the input of the simple twin pinyin, and the ST2 to ST8 of FIG.
, A candidate display window 30a displaying a list of all pinyins as input candidates is presented.

Step (2) shows a state in which the selection cursor 33 is moved to all desired pinyins by operating the selection keys 12a and 12b with respect to the candidate display. Further, the step (3) is a display screen when all the pinyin “zhang” selected in the step (2) is determined by operating the determination key 12c. On this screen, the candidate display window 30a
Disappears, and in the character input area 32, the selected all pinyin “zhang” is displayed instead of the simple twin pinyin “za”.

The next step (4) shows a state in which the conversion operation to kanji has been performed for all the pinyin. A candidate display window 30b for displaying kanji candidates is opened, and a kanji candidate window 30b is opened therein. Kanji candidates corresponding to all the selected pinyin “zhang” are displayed.

The next step (5) is a state when the first candidate in the candidate display window 30b is selected and confirmed. The character display in the candidate display window 30b and the character input area 32 disappears, and the created document is displayed. Display area 31
, The selected kanji “Zhang” is displayed.

FIG. 11 shows an example in which all pinyins are determined according to the procedure shown in FIG. First, the first step (1) is a state in which a two-digit number “92” has been input and a conversion operation to pinyin has been performed. The input number is displayed in the character input area 32 and FIG. ST
By the processes of '2 to 5, a candidate display window 30c for displaying a simple twin pinyin candidate corresponding to the numeral is presented.

The next step (2) shows a state in which the selection keys 12a and 12b are operated on the candidate display to select the simple twin pinyin "za". Further, step (3) is a state when the selection of the simple twin pinyin “za” is confirmed, and the display of the character input area 32 is performed by the processing of ST′6 and ST7 in FIG. 9
"2" is switched to "za" which is the simple twin pinyin selected. Also, the candidate display window 30c disappears, and instead, a candidate display window 30a for displaying all the pinyin candidates is presented.

Hereinafter, steps (4) to (7) are performed in the same manner as steps (2) to (5) in FIG.
A target all pinyin "zhang" is selected from the list of all pinyin, and a kanji conversion operation for all the pinyin finally determines the kanji "Zhang" and outputs it to the created document. I have.

In FIG. 11, the numbers corresponding to the first characters of the initial and the rhyme are entered as two-digit numbers. Instead, the first character of the initial and the last character of the rhyme are entered. May be input. Also, a method of directly inputting simple twin pinyin, 2
Regardless of the method of inputting digits, the user can freely select either the input format using the first characters of the initial and the initials, or the input format using the first characters of the initials and the final characters of the initials. It is desirable to be able to select.

Further, the pinyin input method used in this embodiment can be applied to a portable information processing device (such as an electronic organizer) other than the mobile phone. The procedure of FIG. 8 is described in Chinese I for personal computers.
It can also be applied to ME. In this case, it is possible to easily input the pinyin without having to memorize a complicated key assignment like a conventional simple pinyin, and it is possible to provide a highly convenient IME.

[0085]

According to the first method of the present invention, it is possible to input a target pinyin by inputting a character string composed of two alphabets and performing a selection operation. Pinyin input can be performed accurately, and the labor required to learn pinyin input and its input method can be greatly reduced. In particular, if the present invention is applied to a small information processing device in which the size of the operation unit and the number of keys are limited, the number of key operations can be greatly reduced, and the efficiency of pinyin input can be improved.

Further, according to the second method of the present invention, 2
Since the target pinyin can be input by inputting a digit number and two selection operations, a character input mode is used in a device such as a mobile phone that has only an operation unit mainly for numeric input. The pinyin can be input easily and accurately without switching to.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a mobile phone to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electric configuration of the mobile phone.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged front view showing a main operation unit.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration of a character input system set in a control circuit.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a data configuration of a voice comparison table.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a data configuration of a mother and mother comparison table.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a data configuration of a Pinyin dictionary.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a pinyin input process.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a procedure in a case of receiving a numeric input and performing a pinyin input process.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific example of performing character input according to the procedure of FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific example of performing character input according to the procedure of FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing twin pinyin key assignment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Mobile telephone 2 Operation part 3 Display part 6 Control circuit 9 Flash memory 20 Character input system 21 Control part 23 Input part 25 Display control part 28 Pinyin dictionary 30a, 30c Candidate display window

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Tetsuya Nakamura 606, Higashi-Shojikomachi, Kizuyabashi-dori, Saito-in, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto Inside Omron Software Co., Ltd. Road No. 1 Soto Building 15F Upper Hai Mu Long Computer Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 5B009 VB12 5B020 AA20 CC12 FF17 FF53 GG13

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A method for inputting Chinese Pinyin to a processing system in a computer, comprising: a step of receiving an input of a character string in which constituent characters are extracted one by one from a voice and a rhyme, respectively; Searching the dictionary file in which the input character string is stored, and extracting pinyins each composed of a voice and a rhyme by each character of the character string; displaying the extracted pinyins in a list and selecting Receiving the selected pinyin and outputting the selected pinyin to the processing system. 2. A method for inputting Chinese pinyin to a processing system in a computer, comprising: receiving input of a two-digit number by a combination of numbers each associated with a plurality of alphabets; Extracting the characters that make up the initial and the rhyme from the alphabets corresponding to the numbers respectively; the step of displaying a list of character strings that combine the extracted characters of the initials and the rhyme and accepting the selection; the pinyin that can be entered Searching the dictionary file in which is stored in the list by the character string selected on the list display, and extracting the pinyin in which each of the characters of the character string forms the vowel and the rhyme, and displaying the list of the extracted pinyin Receiving the selection and outputting the selected pinyin to the processing system Input method Pinyin, characterized by performing the steps of. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the step of extracting pinyin from the dictionary file, the first character of the initial matches a constituent character of the initial of the character string used for the search, and Extracting a Pinyin whose first character or last character matches a constituent character of the character string used in the search. 4. An operation unit in which a plurality of keys are arranged; a display unit for displaying input candidate pinyin; a dictionary file storing inputtable pinyin; From 1 to 1
An input unit that receives an input of a character string that is extracted and combined character by character; and searches the dictionary file using the character string received by the input unit, and each character of the character string forms a voice and a rhyme. Candidate extracting means for extracting pinyin; and character string determining means for displaying a list of the pinyin extracted by the candidate extracting means on the display unit, accepting selection, and fixing the selected pinyin as an input character string. Information processing device. 5. An operation unit having a plurality of numeric keys to which each character of an alphabet is assigned, a display unit for displaying pinyin as an input candidate, a dictionary file storing pinyin that can be input, An input unit for receiving an input of a two-digit number by a combination of numbers to which alphabets are associated with the operation unit; and a voice and a rhyme from an alphabet corresponding to each digit received by the input unit. Extracting means for extracting a character to be extracted, and a list of character strings obtained by combining the extracted constituent characters of the initial and the vowel in a list on the display unit, accepting selection, and searching the dictionary file using the selected character string. Candidate extracting means for extracting pinyin composed of a voice and a rhyme by the characters of the character string, respectively; An information processing apparatus comprising: character string determination means for displaying a list of the extracted pinyins on the display unit, accepting a selection, and determining the selected pinyin as an input character string. 6. A character composed of one of a voice and a rhyme,
Accepting input of a character string extracted and combined character by character; a dictionary file storing inputtable pinyin is searched by the received character string, and each character of the character string forms a voice and a rhyme, respectively. A step of extracting a pinyin to be input, a step of displaying a list of the extracted pinyin input candidates and accepting a selection, and a step of fixing the selected pinyin as an input character string. Program for Chinese input. 7. A step of receiving an input of a two-digit number by a combination of numbers each having a plurality of alphabets associated therewith, a character constituting a voice and a humor from the alphabets respectively corresponding to the input digits. Extracting a character string combining the constituent characters of the extracted voice and rhyme in a list and accepting the selection; and inputting a dictionary file storing pinyin that can be input to a character selected on the list display. A step of extracting a pinyin composed of a voice and a rhyme by each character of the character string by retrieving the character string, displaying a list of the extracted pinyins, accepting a selection, and confirming the selected pinyin as an input character string Performing each of the steps, for a Chinese input configured to cause a computer to execute. Program. 8. The program according to claim 6, wherein in extracting the pinyin of the input candidate,
Extract from the dictionary file Pinyin in which the initial character of the initial matches the character of the initial of the character string used for the search and the first or last character of the initial matches the character of the initial of the character used for the search. A program for inputting Chinese language. 9. The program according to claim 6, wherein the pinyin determined as the input character string is converted into a kanji character string, and the converted kanji character string is converted to a predetermined kanji character string. And a program for causing a computer to execute the step of outputting to the processing system.