JP2003076465A - Input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an input device allowing easily inputting with carrying. SOLUTION: When eight data buttons D0 -D7 are pressed down instantaneously with any one of four function buttons M1 -M4 , the input signal is transmitted to a micro-controller section 402. The input signal is converted into a sign or a control signal according to a mapping table. The converted data are fed to a host computer 100 using an output interface 105 such as an RS232C serial interface or a universal serial bus (USB) interface.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an input device which is connected to an information processing device such as a computer, a word processor, a game machine or the like and which inputs symbols or control signals such as letters and numbers to these information processing devices.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A keyboard used as an input means to an information processing apparatus is designed on the assumption that it is placed on a wide flat surface such as a desk or a table, and generally has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. There is. The interfaces of such keyboards are mostly outside the natural range of human motion, and in some cases the position of certain keys can cause long term distress to the user. In other words, from the viewpoint of portability and operability,
Keyboards haven't improved much since the computers were developed to this day.

However, in recent years, an attempt has been made to develop an input device that can be used even in a situation where the storage space cannot be secured by reducing the size of the input device itself. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,600,314 discloses a technique for mapping a single key to multiple symbols and functions using software designed keys for entering alphanumeric characters and commands. As a result, the number of keys can be reduced, and the input device can be downsized.

Also, from the viewpoint of operability, ergonomic improvements have been attempted in some key input technologies. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,689,253 discloses a technique for an ergonomic keyboard device that includes a plurality of alphanumeric key arrays arranged in an orthogonal concave array.

[0005]

However, in the above-described technique for reducing the size of the keyboard, it is necessary to display a list of keys to be selected on the display of the information processing apparatus and select a desired symbol from the list. Therefore, it requires a certain area for displaying the character candidates to be selected on the display, and the user must select a desired character candidate from the character candidates each time a symbol or command is input. However, there is a problem that the processing is complicated.

Further, in the case of the conventional keyboard which has improved operability from an ergonomic point of view, when inputting various symbols, it is necessary to move the hand from the home position. In this respect, there is no difference from a keyboard that does not consider ergonomics. Also, since this keyboard is operated with both hands, it is necessary to secure a storage area of a certain area. Therefore, the conventional keyboard has a problem that portability is affected in consideration of operability.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an input device which enables easy input operation while being carried.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an input device capable of simultaneously improving portability and operability.

[0009]

In order to achieve such an object, the invention according to claim 1 is an input device, which comprises a grip member formed so as to be grippable by one hand and a plurality of buttons. And a button arranged on the gripping member so as to generate a signal corresponding to the pressing operation by selectively pressing one of the fingers of the one hand holding the gripping member, and the generated signal. And an interface means for sending the information to the information processing device.

The invention described in claim 2 is the same as claim 1.
In the input device described in the above item 3, the shape of the grip member is formed so as to be adapted to the right hand or the left hand.

The invention described in claim 3 is the same as claim 1.
Alternatively, in the input device described in the paragraph 2, the shape of the grip member is formed so as to be fitted to the inside of the half-held one hand.

The invention according to claim 4 is the same as claim 1.
The input device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the grip member has a rod-shaped member partially fixed to the grip member, and the other portion of the rod-shaped member has the grip on the same side as the grip member-fixed side. It further comprises a holding member which is attached at a predetermined distance from the member and which holds and inserts one arm holding the gripping member.

The invention described in claim 5 is the same as claim 1.
The input device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the button is arranged at a position of a finger of one hand holding the grip member.

The invention described in claim 6 is the same as claim 1.
5. The input device according to any one of claims 5 to 5, wherein the buttons include a data button to be pressed when data is input to the information processing device and a function button to specify an input mode of the data. To do.

The invention described in claim 7 is the same as claim 6
In the input device described in the paragraph 1, the input mode converts a signal generated by pressing the data button into a symbol.

The invention according to claim 8 is the same as claim 6
In the input device described in the paragraph 1, the input mode converts a signal generated by pressing the data button into a control signal of the information processing device.

The invention described in claim 9 is the same as that of claim 6.
In the input device described in the paragraph 1, the input mode converts a signal generated by pressing the data button into a control signal of a cursor of the information processing device.

The invention according to claim 10 is the input device according to claim 6, wherein in the input mode, a signal generated by pressing the data button is converted into an input signal of a predetermined function key. It is characterized by

The invention according to claim 11 is, in the input device according to claim 1 or 4, storage means for storing a conversion table in which a combination of at least two data buttons and a predetermined code are stored. And a conversion unit that converts the signal generated by pressing the data button into the predetermined code according to the conversion table stored in the storage unit.

Further, the invention according to claim 12 is the input device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the interface means is RS232-C or USB.

[0021]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the external appearance of an input device according to the present invention and a host computer connected thereto. In the figure, the grip member 102 is designed to fit the user's hand, and in particular, in the state of being gripped by the right hand, the fingers of the right hand can be used to operate the buttons, and the half-gripted right hand. It is formed to fit inside, that is, the palm. The ergonomic shape of the grip member 102 is a major feature of the present invention. It should be noted that it is also preferable that it is manufactured to fit not only the right hand but also the left hand.

The grip member 102 is formed almost entirely as a curved surface, and has a wavy portion in which a plurality of concave and convex surfaces are continuous as shown on the left side of the drawing. On the concave surface forming the wavy portion, two data buttons D0 and D1, D2 are provided at positions corresponding to the fingers when the grip member 102 is gripped.
And D3, D4 and D5, D6 and D7, respectively. Further, function buttons M1 to M4 are arranged on the side of the grip member 102 facing the wavy portion. Hereinafter, these buttons will be described in detail.

Data buttons D0 to D7 for selectively operating and inputting codes such as alphanumeric characters and control signals are provided on the left side of the grip member 102 in the drawing, and the data buttons D0 are provided on the right side.
Function buttons M1 to M4 that are operated by the thumbs to selectively specify the input modes of to D7 are arranged. Here, the data buttons D0 and D1 are buttons operated by the index finger of the right hand, and the data buttons D2 and D3.
Is a button operated with the middle finger, data buttons D4 and D5
Is a button operated with the ring finger, data buttons D6 and D7
Is a button operated by the little finger.

The data buttons D0 to D7 are the grip members 10
It is arranged at the position of the finger of one hand holding 2. That is,
When the grip member 102 is held, the index finger is placed at the data buttons D0 and D1, the middle finger is placed at the data buttons D2 and D3, the ring finger is placed at the data buttons D4 and D5, and the little finger is placed at the data buttons D6 and D7. On the other hand, since the thumb can operate in a relatively wide range even when the grip member 102 of the input device is held, four function buttons are assigned.

At the lower left of the grip member 102, RS2 for outputting a signal generated based on the operation of the data buttons D0 to D7 or the function buttons M1 to M4 to the outside.
An output interface 105 such as a 32-C or universal serial bus (USB) is provided. The input device is connected to the host computer 100 via the output interface 105.

Further, on the bottom surface 106 of the grip member 102,
A rod-shaped member 108 extending toward the right side of the drawing is fixed. On the same side as the side to which the grip member 102 is fixed, the rod-shaped member 108 is provided with a strap 107 formed of a leather strap or a rubber band for inserting and holding one arm holding the grip member 102. There is.

FIG. 2 is a view showing the operation of the finger assigned to the data button, showing the cover member 102 in the direction of arrow A in FIG. When operating the buttons D2 or D3 individually while holding the input device with the right hand, for example, the button D3 is pressed with the fingertip of the middle finger F as shown in FIG. To support. Further, when the buttons D2 and D3 are simultaneously operated in this state, the buttons are pressed using the inside of the middle finger F, that is, the palm side, as shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a mode of use of the input device according to the present invention. When the input device is actually used, the strap 107 is attached so that the rod-shaped member 108 extends along the side surface on the little finger side of the right hand. Strap 107 like this
By attaching the to the arm, the user is relieved from the complexity of constantly holding the input device with a constant grip force. Further, since the input device can be worn by using the strap 107, the present invention can be applied to a wearable computer that is expected to be put to practical use in the future.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a computer system embedded in the input device according to the present invention.

The microcontroller section 402 has a function of controlling data exchange in a bus and a storage device (memory) not shown, and specifically, a single microcontroller chip having an 8-bit data bus is used. . The memory device controlled by the microcontroller unit 402 stores a mapping table 403 that is referred to when converting an input signal from the key input unit 401 into a code such as an alphanumeric character. Mapping table 403
Is a table in which a combination of a plurality of buttons is associated with a predetermined symbol.

The key input section 401 includes eight data buttons D0 to D7 and four function buttons M1 to M.
There are 12 buttons (single pole single throw (SPST) switch) consisting of four. As a technique for generating a signal based on pressing of a keyboard, a well-known technique such as a technique described in US Pat. No. 5,204,511 can be applied. The output interface 105 is RS23.
An interface chip such as 2-C or USB.
The input device according to the present invention thus configured functions as an interface for inputting symbols such as alphanumeric characters and other control signals to an information processing device such as a PC in the same manner as a conventional keyboard. To do.

In this embodiment, the function button M
One of the data buttons D0 to D7 is selectively operated by pressing one of the data buttons D0 to D7 with the thumb to specify the input mode of the eight data buttons D0 to D7. Then, an input signal corresponding to the pressing operation is sent to the microcontroller unit 402. The input signal is converted into a symbol or a function in the microcontroller unit 402 according to the mapping table 403. Then, the converted data is sent to the host computer 100 using an output interface 403 such as an RS232-C serial interface or a universal serial bus (USB) interface.

Next, a concrete method of defining the mapping table will be described. The input mode of the data buttons D0 to D7 can be designated by the function buttons M1 to M4. Such a change of the input mode is described in US Pat. No. 6,107,996,
A technique for automatically changing a plurality of operation modes can be applied.

For example, each of the function buttons
It can be defined as: (1) The function button M1 is used to input a symbol such as a character. Eight data buttons D0-D7
The input of various symbols by means of the method described in US Pat. No. 5,486,823, which allows a combination of keys to correspond to characters, can be used with the following improvements. As described above, when the input device according to the present invention is held with the right hand, the index finger has the data buttons D0 and D1, the middle finger has the data buttons D2 and D3, the ring finger has the data buttons D4 and D5, and the little finger has the data buttons. D6 and D
7 can be operated. Therefore, the data button D0
Characters can be expressed by associating each of D7 to D7 with each 8-bit digit. In this case, the input signals of the function button M1 and the data buttons D0 to D7 are converted in the microcontroller unit 402 as symbols represented by a group of binary signals D7 to D0. Therefore, for example, when the function button M1 and the data buttons D3 and D4 are pressed at the same time, the binary value of “00001100” is converted. Then, to each binary value represented by the data buttons D0 to D7, numbers, lowercase alphabets, uppercase letters, and other printable symbols such as “˜! @” Are assigned.

(2) The function button M2 is used to input a function. Function button M2
When is pressed, the signals generated by pressing the data buttons D0 to D7 are displayed as functions such as tab, caps lock, control, Alt, delete key, and control key + Alt key, control key + Alt.
It is assigned to the function realized by the combination of key + delete key.

(3) The function button M3 is used to control the cursor. When the function button M3 is pressed down, the data buttons D0 to D7 are direction keys for moving the cursor or object displayed on the display of the host computer 100 up, down, left, right, etc., an insert key, and a delete key. , Function as page up key, home key, etc.

(4) The function M4 is assigned to the function keys F1 to F12 provided in, for example, Windows (registered trademark) PC. Also, additional user-defined functions can be assigned to the combination of function button M4 and data buttons D0-D4.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to this embodiment and can be implemented in various other modes. For example, a trackball may be embedded in the bottom surface 106 of the grip member 102 and combined with the function of a mouse. Alternatively, a trackball may be embedded in the button portion to control the cursor.

The buttons provided on the input device according to the present invention are not limited to those that are simply pressed, and lever-shaped members that can be operated in the up, down, left and right directions may be used.

The present invention can be applied to a joystick connected to a game machine or a flight stick operated by a pilot. Further, the present invention is particularly effective in a situation where it is necessary to operate the machine and the information processing apparatus at the same time, such as when operating a car navigation system while driving a car.

[0042]

As described above, according to the present invention,
It is possible to realize a computer user interface that can be easily operated with only one hand.

Further, according to the present invention, the ergonomic shape enables efficient operation.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an external appearance of an input device according to the present invention and a host computer connected to the input device.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an operation of a finger assigned to a data button.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a mode of use of the input device according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a computer system embedded in an input device according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

100 host computer 102 grip member 105 output interface 106 bottom 107 Strap 108 Rod-shaped member 401 Key input section 402 Micro controller section 403 Mapping table D0 to D7 data buttons M1 to M4 function buttons F middle finger

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. A gripping member formed so that it can be held with one hand, and a plurality of buttons, which can be selected by a finger of one hand holding the gripping member to respond to the pressing operation. An input device, comprising: a button arranged on the grip member so as to generate a signal; and an interface means for transmitting the generated signal to an information processing device. 2. The shape of the grip member is formed so as to be adapted to the right hand or the left hand.
The input device described in. 3. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the shape of the grip member is formed so as to fit inside of a half-held one hand. 4. A bar-shaped member, a part of which is fixed to the gripping member, and a predetermined distance from the gripping member on the same side of the other part of the bar-shaped member as the side to which the gripping member is fixed. The input device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: a holding member that is attached and holds one arm that grips the grip member. 5. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the button is arranged at a position of a finger of one hand holding the grip member. 6. The data button according to claim 1, wherein the buttons include a data button to be pressed when inputting data to the information processing device and a function button to specify an input mode of the data. The input device according to any one. 7. The input device according to claim 6, wherein the input mode converts a signal generated by pressing the data button into a symbol. 8. The input device according to claim 6, wherein in the input mode, a signal generated by pressing the data button is converted into a control signal of the information processing device. 9. The input device according to claim 6, wherein in the input mode, a signal generated by pressing the data button is converted into a control signal of a cursor of the information processing device. 10. The input device according to claim 6, wherein in the input mode, a signal generated by pressing the data button is converted into an input signal of a predetermined function key. 11. A storage unit that stores a conversion table that associates a combination of at least two data buttons with a predetermined code, and a signal that is generated by pressing the data button and stored in the storage unit. The input device according to claim 1, further comprising a conversion unit that converts the predetermined code according to a table. 12. The interface means is an RS23.
2-C or USB.
11. The input device according to any one of 11.