JP2004246599A - The japanese syllabary input system and method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To input the Japanese syllabary with a simple operation without feedback through a screen display. <P>SOLUTION: A main control part 32 for switching a row input mode for selecting a desired row by pushing down a stick 11 and a word input mode for selecting a desired word belonging to the selected row by rotating the stick 11 and selecting a word belonging to the selected row in accordance with detection by rotation operation of the stick 11 after selecting the row in accordance with pushing-down operation of the stick 11. For example, with only a series of simple operation such as pushing down the stick 11 in a desired direction and rotating the stick 11 to a desired direction from there, a desired word can be selected. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a Japanese syllabary input system and method, and more particularly, to input the Japanese syllabary "A" to "N" using an operator configured to be able to perform at least a horizontal tilting or moving operation and a rotating operation. It is suitable for use in a system.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In general, a navigation device for guiding a vehicle has a function of not only displaying a map around the current position but also automatically setting a guidance route from the current position to the destination by designating the destination. ing. In this type of navigation device, various methods are prepared as a user interface for inputting a destination. Among them, there is a method of inputting the name of a facility, the name of a point, the name of a visited home (name of a friend, etc.) in 50 sounds.
[0003]
When inputting 50 sounds with the current navigation device, a mainstream is to display a software keyboard on the navigation screen as shown in FIG. 10 and sequentially select each word using a joystick or a touch panel. In the case of a joystick, the operation of moving the cursor on the software keyboard by tilting the stick up, down, left, and right, and pressing the enter button with the cursor placed on a desired word is repeated one word at a time ( For example, see Patent Document 1).
[0004]
Recently, there has also been provided a system such as a so-called jog dial, in which each word is selected by turning a dial, and each word is determined by pushing the same dial. In this system, there is a method of sequentially incrementing the 50 sounds of "A" to "N" by rotating the dial, and pushing the dial at a desired word to sequentially determine each word. In addition, after selecting one of the lines "A" to "W" by rotating the dial and pushing the dial, the word belonging to the selected line is selected again by rotating and pushing the dial. A method is also provided (see, for example, Patent Document 2).
[0005]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-2002-164973
[Patent Document 2]
JP-A-2000-193475
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the above-mentioned conventional technique using a software keyboard, it is necessary to confirm on the screen which word the user is currently selecting. In both cases where a joystick is used and a touch panel is used, when a plurality of words are sequentially selected and a facility name or the like is input, the operation is performed while staring at the screen. Therefore, there is a problem that operation during traveling is difficult.
[0007]
In the case of using a joystick, an operation of tilting the stick up, down, left, and right to move a cursor to a desired word, and further pressing an enter button is required. This must be repeated one word at a time in order to input 50 sounds of the facility name and the like, so that there is a problem that the operation takes a very long time.
[0008]
Even when the jog dial is used, basically, it takes a very long time to perform an operation of inputting 50 sounds. That is, in the method of sequentially incrementing the Japanese syllabary by the rotation of the dial, a large amount of dial rotation is required depending on the word to be selected, and the operation takes time. On the other hand, in the method in which line selection and word selection are performed separately, it is necessary to repeat the operation of rotating and then pushing the dial twice, and the operation is complicated.
[0009]
In the case of a jog dial, since the dial rotates from an arbitrary position without limitation, it is difficult to understand the relationship between the rotational position of the dial and the selected word. Therefore, it is almost impossible to know which word is selected at which position without screen or audio feedback.
[0010]
When the software keyboard is displayed for the feedback from the screen, there is a problem that the operation during traveling becomes difficult as described above. On the other hand, when using feedback by voice, it is necessary to check the selected word by listening to the voice each time the dial is turned, which takes longer operation time than using a software keyboard. Occurs.
[0011]
The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to make it possible to input 50 sounds by a simple operation without feedback by screen display.
Another object of the present invention is to enable the user to input 50 sounds by a simple operation without feedback by voice as well as feedback by screen display.
[0012]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-described problems, in the Japanese syllabary input system of the present invention, a row input mode in which a desired control is selected by tilting or moving a control in a horizontal direction, and a selection by rotating a control in a horizontal direction are provided. Having a word input mode for selecting a desired word belonging to a line, and transitioning from the line input mode to the word input mode in accordance with the tilting or moving operation of the operation element, and changing the desired line by tilting or moving the operation element. After the selection, a desired word belonging to the selected line is selected by a subsequent rotation operation of the operation element. This allows a desired word to be selected by a series of simple operations in which the operator is tilted horizontally in the line input mode, and then the operator is rotated in the circumferential direction in the automatically entered word input mode. Becomes possible.
[0013]
In another aspect of the present invention, in the line input mode, a force is applied to the actuator so that the operator can be tilted or moved only in the direction to which each line is assigned, and in the word input mode, each word is assigned. A force is applied to the actuator so that the operating element can be rotated only within the range. Further, in another aspect of the present invention, in the word input mode, an operation reaction force is applied to the operator near the position where each word is assigned. According to the present invention configured as described above, a restriction is imposed so that the operation element can be operated only within a predetermined direction and range in which the force control is performed. Also, a reaction force is applied so that the user's tactile sensation changes at the position assigned to each word. As a result, the correspondence between the operation position of the operator and the selected line and the selected word becomes clear.
[0014]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
(1st Embodiment)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the Japanese syllabary input system according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the syllabary input system according to the present embodiment includes a joystick 1 as an input device, an input management unit 2, a control unit 3, a voice synthesis processing unit 4, and a speaker 5 as an output device. It is configured with. The control unit 3 is connected to a navigation device 6 that performs a navigation function according to the input 50 sounds.
[0015]
The joystick 1 includes a stick 11 capable of tilting in the horizontal direction, rotating in the horizontal direction, and pressing down in the vertical direction; a horizontal sensor 12 for detecting whether the stick 11 is tilted in the horizontal direction; And a push sensor 14 for detecting whether or not the stick 11 is pressed down in the vertical direction.
[0016]
The presence / absence of tilt detected by the horizontal sensor 12 is input as horizontal data, the rotation angle detected by the rotary sensor 13 is input as rotation data, and the presence / absence of vertical depression detected by the push sensor 14 is input as push data. Output to the section 2. The input management unit 2 relays the horizontal direction data, the rotation data, and the push data input from the joystick 1 to the control unit 3.
[0017]
The control unit 3 includes an input analysis unit 31 that analyzes data input from the joystick 1 via the input management unit 2, and a main control unit 32. The main control unit 32 switches an input mode (described later) by software according to the analysis result of the input analysis unit 31, outputs a 50-sound setting command corresponding to the operation of the joystick 1 to the navigation device 6, and outputs a voice. The command is output to the speech synthesis processing unit 4.
[0018]
The voice synthesis processing unit 4 performs voice synthesis according to a voice output command input from the main control unit 32, and outputs a word selected by operating the joystick 1 from the speaker 5. Further, the navigation device 6 sets a facility name or the like as a destination in accordance with the Japanese syllabary setting command input from the main control unit 32, and executes a search process for a guidance route.
[0019]
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a user operation when a desired word is input using the syllabary input system of the present embodiment configured as described above. Hereinafter, the operation of the Japanese syllabary input system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0020]
In an initial state in which the joystick 1 is not operated, the main control unit 32 is set to a line input mode for selecting any one of “A line” to “Wa line”. In this line input mode, as shown in FIG. 2A, "A line" to "Wa line" are assigned to each of the small areas obtained by equally dividing the 360-degree area in which the stick 11 can be tilted into ten. ing. For example, a small area indicated by diagonal lines in FIG. 2A is assigned to “A row”, and “A row” is selected when the stick 11 is tilted in the direction within this small area. It has become.
[0021]
That is, in this line input mode, the user tilts the stick 11 in that direction depending on which character of “A line” to “Wa line” is desired to be input. At this time, horizontal data is output from the joystick 1 and input to the control unit 3 via the input management unit 2. In the control unit 3, the horizontal direction data is analyzed by the input analysis unit 31, and the direction in which the stick 11 is tilted is transmitted to the main control unit 32.
[0022]
In response to this, the main control unit 32 selects a row in the direction in which the stick 11 is tilted, and outputs a corresponding voice output command to the voice synthesis processing unit 4. Thereby, the sound of the selected line is output from the speaker 5. For example, when “A” is selected in FIG. 2A, “A” is pronounced from the speaker 5. Thus, the user can confirm which row has been selected by voice.
[0023]
When detecting that the stick 11 has been tilted, the main control unit 32 makes a transition to a word input mode for selecting any word belonging to the selected row. In this word input mode, as shown in FIG. 2B, each word is assigned to each small area obtained by dividing the 360-degree area into five parts based on the tilt position of the stick 11 (for example, FIG. If "A line" is selected in ()), the five words "A", "I", "U", "E", and "O" are assigned to each small area in FIG. 2B).
[0024]
In the above-described row input mode, the selection area of each row is fixed in advance, whereas in the word input mode, the small area is divided into five parts based on the position where the stick 11 is tilted, so that each of the word selection areas The position fluctuates according to the initial tilt direction of the stick 11. Note that the base point for dividing into five small areas does not need to exactly match the tilt direction of the first stick 11. For example, the center (the position indicated by a radial arrow in FIG. 2A) of the row selection area may be always set as the base point.
[0025]
In this word input mode, the user rotates the stick 11 in the circumferential direction while maintaining the tilted state from the position where the stick 11 is tilted, depending on which word of “A” to “O” is desired to be input. At this time, horizontal data and rotation data are output from the joystick 1 and input to the control unit 3 via the input management unit 2. In the control unit 3, the input analysis unit 31 analyzes the horizontal direction data and the rotation data, and notifies the main control unit 32 of the direction in which the stick 11 has rotated.
[0026]
In response to this, the main control unit 32 selects a word in the direction in which the stick 11 has rotated, and outputs a corresponding voice output command to the voice synthesis processing unit 4. Thereby, the voice of the selected word is output from the speaker 5. For example, when “U” is selected in FIG. 2B, “U” is pronounced from the speaker 5. Thereby, the user can confirm which word is selected by voice.
[0027]
Here, an example has been described in which only the sound of the word corresponding to the position where the rotation of the stick 11 is stopped is output from the speaker 5, but each time the word selection area is switched with the rotation of the stick 11, the words "A" and "I" are output. The sound may be output in the order of "U".
[0028]
Further, the user confirms the sound of the word output from the speaker 5 and, when judging that it is sufficient, pushes down the stick 11 in the vertical direction. At this time, push data is output from the joystick 1 and input to the control unit 3 via the input management unit 2. When detecting the pressing operation of the stick 11, the main control unit 32 determines the word selected at that time, and outputs a Japanese syllabary setting command to the navigation device 6.
[0029]
FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the main control unit 32 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 3, in the initial state, the main control unit 32 assigns “A line” to “Wa line” to the ten small areas shown in FIG. 2A by setting the line input mode (step S1). In this state, the main control unit 32 monitors whether the stick 11 is tilted in the horizontal direction (step S2).
[0030]
When detecting the tilting operation of the stick 11, the main control unit 32 selects a line in the direction in which the stick 11 is tilted (step S3), and outputs a corresponding voice output command to the voice synthesis processing unit 4. Then, the sound of the selected line is output from the speaker 5 (step S4). In addition, the main control unit 32 shifts from the line input mode to the word input mode, so that the five small areas (three in the case of “ya row” or “wa row”) shown in FIG. Then, each word belonging to the selected line is assigned (step S5).
[0031]
In this word input mode, the main control unit 32 monitors whether the stick 11 has been rotated in the horizontal direction (step S6). If the rotation of the stick 11 is not detected, it is further determined whether or not the stick 11 has been returned to the original position (step S7). Here, if the stick 11 has not been returned to the original position, the monitoring of the rotation is continued, but if it has been returned, the process returns to the step S1.
[0032]
On the other hand, when detecting the rotation operation of the stick 11, the main control unit 32 selects a word in the direction in which the stick 11 has rotated (step S8). Then, a voice output command corresponding to the selected word is output to the voice synthesis processing unit 4, and the voice of the selected word is output from the speaker 5 (step S9).
[0033]
Thereafter, the main control unit 32 monitors whether the stick 11 has been pressed vertically (step S10). If the pressing of the stick 11 is not detected, it is further determined whether or not the stick 11 has been returned to the original position (step S12). Here, if the stick 11 has not been returned to the original position, monitoring of pressing is continued, but if it has been returned, the process returns to step S1.
[0034]
Further, when detecting the pressing operation of the stick 11, the main control unit 32 determines the word selected at that time (step S12), and outputs the Japanese syllabary setting command representing the determined word to the navigation device 6 (step S12). Step S13). Thereafter, the process returns to the step S1 to return to the line input mode, and if there are characters to be continuously input, the same operation as described above is repeated.
[0035]
As described in detail above, according to the first embodiment, after the joystick 1 is tilted in the horizontal direction in the line input mode, the joystick 1 is rotated in the circumferential direction in the automatically changed word input mode. With a simple operation, a desired word can be selected. As described above, since each word can be uniquely determined by the combination of the tilt and rotation of the joystick 1, visual feedback is not required, and it is possible to input 50 sounds without displaying a screen. Since no screen display is required, operation during traveling is also possible.
[0036]
In addition, even in the conventional jog dial system, there is a method of performing line selection and word selection separately as described above. However, a two-stage operation of selecting a desired line and pushing the dial, and selecting a desired word and pushing the dial is required. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, an arbitrary word can be selected by a series of operations of tilting and rotating the joystick 1, and the operability is much improved. In the jog dial system, screen display or voice feedback is required. In the present embodiment, at least screen display feedback is not required.
[0037]
Also in the present embodiment, it is preferable that there be feedback by sound, but the tilting direction of the joystick 1 is only 10 directions, and the rotation angle is only 5 steps. In addition, it is possible to intuitively understand which line can be selected by tilting in which direction, and how many words can be selected by rotating, and the audio feedback is used only for confirmation. I'm done. Therefore, unlike the conventional jog dial system in which the user has to search for a desired word while listening to the voice output one by one by operating the dial that rotates indefinitely, the operation time is shortened even if there is voice feedback. .
[0038]
(Second embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the Japanese syllabary input system according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 4, components denoted by the same reference numerals as those shown in FIG. 1 have the same functions, and thus redundant description will be omitted.
[0039]
As shown in FIG. 2, the syllabary input system according to the present embodiment includes a haptic operator 10, which is an input device capable of controlling a tactile sensation transmitted to a user, an input management unit 2, a control unit 3, And a sense control unit 7. The control unit 3 is connected to a navigation device 6 that performs a navigation function according to the input 50 sounds.
[0040]
The haptic operator 10 includes a stick 11 capable of performing a force-controlled horizontal tilt, a force-controlled horizontal rotation, and a vertical push-down operation, a horizontal sensor 12, and a rotary sensor 13. , A push sensor 14 and an actuator 15 such as a DC motor that applies torque to the stick 11 in the horizontal tilt direction and the horizontal rotation direction.
[0041]
The force sense control unit 7 includes a rotation angle detection unit 71 that detects the rotation angle of the stick 11 based on rotation data input from the force sense operation unit 10, and a force direction and torque for the stick 11 that switches according to the input mode. A force pattern table 72 representing the strength is provided, and a force control unit 73 that controls the actuator 15 according to the force pattern table 72 to control the direction of the force applied to the stick 11 and the torque strength.
[0042]
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a force pattern in each input mode indicated by the force pattern table 72. In the row input mode in the initial state, as shown in FIG. 5A, a force that restricts the tilting direction so that the stick 11 can be tilted only in each direction obtained by equally dividing 360 degrees into ten parts. The pattern has been set.
[0043]
In the word input mode to which a transition is made when an arbitrary line is selected, as shown in FIG. 5B, among the vertices when the circumference is divided into eight equal parts based on the position at which the stick 11 is tilted, The movable range of the movable range is set so that the stick 11 can be rotated in the circumferential direction only between five or three vertices (in the case of a row or a row) counted clockwise from the base point inclusive. A force pattern is set that imposes restrictions. In addition, the force pattern in the word input mode is, as shown in FIG. 6, so that the position of each word (5 or 3 vertices) can be clearly determined when the operation is performed in the circumferential direction. Before and after the word position is reached, a pattern that applies a reaction force in the direction opposite to the direction in which the word is operated is also included.
[0044]
In the line input mode, the force control unit 73 applies a relatively weak force only in the direction shown by the arrow in FIG. 5A according to the force pattern table 72, and in the other direction (the direction between the arrows). By controlling the actuator 15 so as to apply a strong force, the stick 11 cannot be tilted in a direction other than the arrow.
[0045]
In the word input mode, the force control unit 73 applies a relatively weak force in the movable range indicated by the arrow in FIG. 5B and applies a strong force in the non-movable range indicated by the cross in accordance with the force pattern table 72. By controlling the actuator 15, the stick 11 can be rotated only in the movable range of the arrow. Further, the force control unit 73 applies a reaction force to the actuator 15 before and after the position of each word is reached as shown in FIG. 6 according to the rotation angle information output from the rotation angle detection unit 71 and the force pattern table 72.
[0046]
The main control unit 33 included in the control unit 3 outputs a Japanese syllabary setting command corresponding to the operation of the haptic operator 10 to the navigation device 6 according to the analysis result of the input analysis unit 31. Further, the input mode is switched by software according to the analysis result, and the force control unit 73 is controlled according to the set input mode. The force control unit 73 switches the force pattern according to the input mode set by the main control unit 33, and controls the actuator 15 to adjust the force sense of the stick 11.
[0047]
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a user operation when inputting, for example, two characters “Oku” using the Japanese syllabary input system configured as described above. Hereinafter, the operation of the Japanese syllabary input system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0048]
In an initial state in which the haptic operator 10 is not operated, the main control unit 33 is set to the line input mode. In this row input mode, the force control unit 73 controls the actuator 15 so that the stick 11 falls only in the limited 10 directions as shown in FIG. Further, the main control unit 33 assigns “A row” to “Wa row” to ten directions indicated by arrows in FIG.
[0049]
In this line input mode, the user tilts the stick 11 in that direction depending on which character of "A line" to "Wa line" is desired to be input. At first, the character “O” is desired to be input, so that the stick 11 is tilted in the direction of “A” as shown in FIG. At this time, the horizontal direction data is output from the haptic operator 10 and input to the control unit 3 via the input management unit 2. In the control unit 3, the horizontal direction data is analyzed by the input analysis unit 31, and the direction in which the stick 11 is tilted is transmitted to the main control unit 33.
[0050]
When detecting that the stick 11 has been moved down, the main control unit 33 transitions to the word input mode, and notifies the force control unit 73 of the transition. In the word input mode, the force control unit 73 controls the actuator 15 so that the stick 11 rotates only in the movable range of the arrow as shown in FIG. 5B. In addition, the main control unit 33 sequentially assigns the words “A”, “I”, “U”, “E”, and “O” to five vertices counted from the tilt position of the stick 11.
[0051]
In this word input mode, the user rotates the stick 11 in the circumferential direction while maintaining the tilted state from the position where the stick 11 is tilted, depending on which word of “A” to “O” is desired to be input. In this example, the character "O" is to be input, so that the stick 11 is rotated to the fifth vertex as shown in FIG. At this time, the horizontal direction data and the rotation data are output from the force sense operator 10, and are input to the control unit 3 via the input management unit 2.
[0052]
In the control section 3, the input analysis section 31 analyzes the horizontal direction data and the rotation data, and notifies the main control section 33 of the direction in which the stick 11 has rotated. Thus, the main control unit 33 recognizes that the word “O” is currently selected.
[0053]
Thereafter, the user pushes down the stick 11 in the vertical direction. At this time, push data is output from the joystick 1 and input to the control unit 3 via the input management unit 2. When detecting the pressing operation of the stick 11, the main control unit 33 determines the word selected at that time, outputs the Japanese syllabary setting command to the navigation device 6, and returns to the line input mode.
[0054]
With the above operation, the input of “O” is completed. Next, the character "" is input by the user operation shown in FIG. That is, after the stick 11 has been tilted in the direction of "ka row", the stick 11 is rotated clockwise from the tilted position to the third vertex. Then, by depressing the stick 11 in the vertical direction at that position, the character "" is determined.
[0055]
Here, the tilting direction in the line input mode is the same both when the character "O" is input and when the character "K" is input. On the other hand, in the word input mode after “A line” is selected, as shown in FIG. 7A, five vertices are set as the movable range in the clockwise direction with the direction of “A line” as a base point. While the words “A” to “O” are assigned to each vertex, in the word input mode after “KA LINE” is selected, as shown in FIG. Five vertices are set as the movable range in the clockwise direction with the direction as a base point, and the words “ka” to “ko” are assigned to each vertex. At this time, the head words (“A” and “KA”) of each line are assigned to the position where the stick 11 is tilted in the line input mode.
[0056]
FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the main control unit 33 and the force control unit 73 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 8, in the initial state, the main control unit 33 assigns “A line” to “WA line” in ten directions in FIG. 5A by setting the line input mode (step S21). Further, the force control unit 73 controls the actuator 15 in accordance with the line input force pattern, thereby restricting the tilting direction such that the stick 11 is tilted only in the ten directions in FIG. 5A (step S22).
[0057]
In this state, the main control unit 33 monitors whether the stick 11 is tilted in the horizontal direction (step S23). Then, when the tilting operation of the stick 11 is detected, a line in the direction in which the stick 11 is tilted is selected (step S24), and the mode is changed from the line input mode to the word input mode, as shown in FIG. 5B. Each word belonging to the selected row is assigned to the five vertices (three in the case of "ya row" or "wa row") (step S25). In addition, the force control unit 73 controls the actuator 15 in accordance with the word input force pattern, thereby limiting the movable range such that the stick 11 can rotate only in the range indicated by the arrow in FIG. S26).
[0058]
In this word input mode, the main control unit 33 monitors whether the stick 11 has been rotated in the horizontal direction (step S27). If the rotation of the stick 11 is not detected, it is further determined whether the stick 11 has been returned to the original position (step S28). Here, when the stick 11 has not been returned to the original position, the monitoring of the rotation is continued, but when the stick has been returned, the process returns to the step S21.
[0059]
On the other hand, when detecting the rotation operation of the stick 11, the main control unit 33 selects a word in the direction in which the stick 11 has rotated (step S29). Thereafter, the main control unit 33 monitors whether the stick 11 has been pressed vertically (step S30). If the pressing of the stick 11 is not detected, it is further determined whether or not the stick 11 has been returned to the original position (step S31). Here, if the stick 11 has not been returned to the original position, the monitoring of the pressing is continued, but if it has been returned, the process returns to the step S21.
[0060]
Further, when detecting the pressing operation of the stick 11, the main control unit 33 determines the word selected at that time (step S32), and outputs the syllabary setting command representing the determined word to the navigation device 6 (step S32). Step S33). After that, the process returns to the step S21 to return to the line input mode. If there is a character to be continuously input, the same operation as described above is repeated.
[0061]
As described in detail above, according to the second embodiment, having the line input mode and the word input mode is the same as the first embodiment, but the haptic operator 10 is used instead of the joystick 1. Was used. As a result, in comparison with the case of using the free joystick 1 which can freely tilt in any direction, the force sense operator 10 can operate only in a force-controlled predetermined direction, and the tilt position and the selected line Can be clarified. In addition, since the rotation range in the word input mode is also limited so that a reaction force is applied before and after reaching the position of each word, the correspondence between the rotation position and the selected word can be clarified. As a result, it is possible to easily input the Japanese syllabary even without the feedback of the screen display and the feedback of the voice, and further reduce the operation time.
[0062]
Note that, also in the second embodiment, audio feedback may be performed for confirmation. Basically, no audio feedback is required, but it is preferable to have audio feedback until the user becomes accustomed to the operation.
[0063]
In the above-described second embodiment, an example in which “A row” to “Wa row” are allocated in ten directions in FIG. 5A has been described. However, as shown in FIG. May be. In this case, “ma line” and “ya line” are allocated in the same direction, and “ra line” and “wa line” are allocated in another same direction. The force pattern in the word input mode to which the transition is made when “A row” to “ha row” is selected is the same as in FIG. 5B, but “ma row” and “ya row” or “ra row” In the word input mode to which a transition is made when “W” is selected, a force pattern is set as shown in FIGS. 9B and 9C.
[0064]
In this case, the direction in which the stick 11 can be first tilted is reduced to eight directions, and only the easy-to-understand direction between the upper, lower, left, and right sides thereof is provided. .
Similarly, in the above-described first embodiment, “A row” to “Wa row” may be allocated to the small areas divided into eight.
[0065]
In the second embodiment, the example in which the movable range of the stick 11 in the word input mode is set in a clockwise direction from the vertex of the base point has been described. However, the movable range may be set in a counterclockwise direction. . Further, similarly to FIG. 2B, the movable range is not limited, and a reaction force may be applied only before and after reaching each vertex. In this case, by rotating the stick 11, each word can be toggled in the order of “A” → “I” →... → “O” → “A”.
[0066]
In the first and second embodiments, the configuration in which the stick 11 is tilted in a desired direction in the line input mode has been described. However, the stick 11 may be configured to move in parallel in a desired direction.
Further, in the first and second embodiments, an example has been described in which the stick 11 is pressed down in the vertical direction as a final word determination operation, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, another set button may be pressed.
[0067]
Further, in the first and second embodiments, the example in which the Japanese syllabary input system is applied to the navigation device has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can be applied to an audio device having a function of inputting 50 sounds of a title or the like. In addition, the Japanese syllabary input system of the present embodiment is not limited to electronic devices mounted on a vehicle, and can be applied to various electronic devices installed in a house.
[0068]
In addition, each of the above-described embodiments is merely an example of a specific embodiment for carrying out the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention should not be interpreted in a limited manner. That is, the present invention can be embodied in various forms without departing from the spirit or main features thereof.
[0069]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, the present invention has a line input mode for selecting a desired line and a word input mode for selecting a desired word belonging to the selected line. After the selection, the words belonging to the selected line are selected according to the detection of the subsequent rotation operation of the operator. For example, after the operator is tilted in a desired direction, the operation is performed from there to a desired direction. With a series of simple operations of rotating the child, a desired word can be selected. As a result, since each word can be uniquely determined by a combination of the tilting or moving operation and the rotation operation of the operation element, feedback to the sight is not required, and it is possible to input 50 sounds without screen display. In addition, the operation time can be reduced.
[0070]
According to another feature of the present invention, in the line input mode, a force is limited so that the operator can be tilted or moved only in the direction to which each line is allocated, and the range in which each word is allocated in the word input mode. In the word input mode, an operation reaction force is applied to the operator in the vicinity of the position where each word is assigned in the word input mode. It is possible to clarify the correspondence between the child's operation position and the selected line and the selected word. As a result, it is possible to input 50 sounds by a simple operation without feedback not only by screen display but also by voice.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a Japanese syllabary input system according to a first embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a user operation when inputting a desired word using the Japanese syllabary input system according to the first embodiment;
FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a main control unit according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a Japanese syllabary input system according to a second embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a force pattern in a line input mode and a word input mode.
FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing how to apply a reaction force near the position of each word.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a user operation when a desired word is input using the Japanese syllabary input system according to the second embodiment.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating operations of a main control unit and a force control unit according to the second embodiment.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing another example of a force pattern in a line input mode and a word input mode.
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a conventional Japanese syllabary input operation.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Joystick
2 Input management unit
3 control part
4 Voice synthesis processing unit
5 Speaker
6 Navigation device
7 Force sense control unit
11 sticks
12 Horizontal sensor
13 Rotary sensor
14 Push sensor
15 Actuator
31 Input analysis unit
32,33 Main control unit
71 Rotation angle detector
72 Force pattern table
73 Force control unit

Claims (10)

An operator configured to be capable of at least tilting or moving in a horizontal direction and a rotating operation,
Operation detection means for detecting a tilt or movement operation and a rotation operation of the operation element;
A mode switching unit that sets the line input mode in the neutral state where the operator is not operated, and sets the word input mode in accordance with detection of the tilt or movement operation of the operator by the operation detector.
After selecting one of the lines according to the detection of the tilting or moving operation of the operation element, selecting one of the words belonging to the selected line according to the detection of the rotation operation of the operation element performed subsequently. A syllabary input system comprising: a word selecting unit. An actuator for applying a force to the operator,
In the word input mode, the operator is rotated only within the range in which each word is assigned so that the operator can be tilted or moved only in the direction in which each line is assigned. 2. The 50 sound input system according to claim 1, further comprising: force control means for controlling a force applied to said actuator so as to be operable. The syllabary input system according to claim 2, wherein a range in which the operator can be rotated in the word input mode is set based on a position at which the operator is tilted or moved in the line input mode. . 3. The 50-sound input system according to claim 2, wherein when transitioning from the line input mode to the word input mode, a head word of each line is assigned to a position where the operator is tilted or moved in the line input mode. . In the word input mode, comprises a rotation angle detection means for detecting a rotation angle of the operation element,
The force control means controls to apply an operation reaction force to the operation element in the vicinity of the position where each word is assigned in the word input mode, in response to the detection of the rotation angle by the rotation angle detection means. 3. The Japanese syllabary input system according to claim 2, wherein A first stage in which the control unit sets the line input mode in a neutral state of an operator configured to be capable of at least tilting or moving in the horizontal direction and a rotation operation, and receives a selection of a desired line;
When the operation element is tilted or moved in the line input mode, the control unit selects one of the lines according to the operation direction, and transitions from the line input mode to the word input mode. A second step of accepting the selection of the desired word
A third step of selecting one of the words belonging to the line selected in the second step according to the operation direction when the operation of rotating the operation element is performed in the word input mode; A method for inputting 50 sounds, comprising the steps of: In the first stage, the force control unit applies a force to the actuator, so that in the row input mode, control is performed so that the operating element can be tilted or moved only in the direction to which each row is assigned. The method according to claim 6, wherein In the word input mode, the force control unit applies a force to the actuator in the second step to control the operation element to be rotatable only within a range to which each word is assigned. The method of inputting Japanese syllabary sounds according to claim 6 or 7, wherein The method according to claim 8, wherein in the word input mode, a head word of each line is assigned to a position where the operator is tilted or moved in the line input mode. The force control unit performs control so as to apply an operation reaction force to the operation element in the vicinity of a position where each word is assigned in the word input mode, according to a detection result of the rotation angle of the operation element. The method according to claim 8, wherein

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