JP2005038249A - Key input device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To input many characters with a minimized number of keys and a minimized frequency of pressing the keys. <P>SOLUTION: Switches SW03-SW06 are provided at four corners of a key K02 corresponding to the line of KA of the Japanese syllabary. When the center of the key K02 is pressed, all the switches are turned on, and the line of KA is selected. When one of the upper end, right end, lower end and left end of the key K02 is successively pressed, two switches corresponding thereto are turned on, and a column of I to O is selected based on this. When the key is pressed again after the finger is separated once from the pressing state of the center, the column of A is selected. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a key input device for inputting characters and the like, and in particular, a key suitable for a portable device such as a mobile phone and a personal digital assistant (PDA) and a small device such as a remote controller. The present invention relates to an input device.

  In a small device such as a mobile phone, a device that uses a numeric keypad for inputting characters is often used. For example, on a mobile phone that can input Japanese characters, each numeric keypad for numeric entry also serves as a selection of a, ka, sa, ta, na, hama, ra, wa (n, symbol) lines. Each time each key is pressed, there is a rotary type that changes from right to left to right to right and then to right, and is determined when another key is pressed. However, this type of input method not only increases the number of times the key is pressed, but if the key is pressed too many times and the stage goes too far, it is necessary to continue pressing the same key four more times. In addition, characters on the same line cannot be continuously input, and operations such as once pressing the cursor key to move the input cursor must be performed.

  Similarly, a numeric keypad having a row-to-row selection function and a step-to-stage selection function is also known (for example, Patent Document 1). According to this, all characters of 52 sounds can be inputted basically by pressing the key twice. However, in this method, in most cases, after the first key is pressed for each character, the finger must be released and then the other key must be pressed. However, there is a problem that quick input is difficult and erroneous input is easy.

Furthermore, there is also known one that increases the number of characters that can be input by combining a plurality of keys and pressing them simultaneously (for example, Patent Document 2). Specifically, for example, 4 × 6 = 3 × 5 = 39 types of characters, that is, characters including alphabets and numbers can be input by one key operation with 4 × 6 = 24 switches. However, in Japanese, for example, it is necessary to input at least 52 characters, so it is difficult to input all characters in a limited space such as a mobile phone.
JP 2002-123360 A US Pat. No. 5,973,621

  As described above, in the conventional key input device, there is a problem that it is difficult to make the number of keys, the types of characters that can be input, and the number of times the key is pressed compatible with each other and to prevent erroneous input. there were.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a point, and the object of the present invention is to input a large number of characters even with a key input device with a small number of keys and a small number of times of pressing a key, and an erroneous input. It is to make it difficult to produce.

  In the present invention, a plurality of switches are provided corresponding to one key, and the switches that are turned ON / OFF differ depending on the position of pressing the key and the direction of the pressing force. , So that characters can be entered. Specifically, when inputting a character corresponding to a combination of two parameters such as a line and a column in a Japanese syllabary, for example, it corresponds to which line is pressed as a first parameter. Then, by associating the step as the second parameter with the pressed position such as the upper, lower, left and right ends of the key, it is possible to easily input 50 kinds of characters with ten keys.

  Also, for example, by pressing the key to select a row by sequentially changing the selected stage in the forward and reverse directions by pressing the upper and lower ends of the key, if the key is pressed at most twice, Either stage can be selected. In addition, since the selected stage can be changed in the forward direction and the reverse direction, even if the key is pressed too much, it can be returned in the reverse direction, so that it is also possible to input characters quickly. In the above case, the cursor may be moved, the input operation can be canceled, the kana-kanji conversion can be performed by pressing the left and right ends of the key.

  As described above, when a plurality of switches are associated with one key, a switch assumed in advance may not be turned on or other switches may be turned on depending on the relationship between the size of the finger and the size of the key. In such a case, it is possible to easily input appropriate information by learning the history of operations and setting the correspondence between the performed operations and the input characters based on the learned history. Such learning is also effective when the user has a habit of easily pressing a key. Also, when there is a difference between the ON / OFF switches as a general tendency, such as when operating with the right hand and when operating with the left hand, the state of the preset switch is input. The correspondence with characters may be selectively switched.

  A similar input method can also be applied by associating one switch with one key. That is, if a plurality of keys are pressed at the same time, a plurality of switches can be turned ON. Therefore, based on the combination of switches to be pressed at the same time and the temporal change thereof, the characters to be input can be input in the same manner as described above. Can be determined. Therefore, for example, it is possible to easily input 50 types of characters with 10 keys, for example.

  According to the present invention, a plurality of switches are provided corresponding to one key, and the switches that are turned on / off differ depending on the position of pressing the key and the direction of the pressing force. The character to be input is determined by the change, or one switch is made to correspond to one key, and the character to be input is determined based on the combination of switches to be simultaneously pressed and the temporal change thereof. By doing so, it is possible to input a large number of characters even in a key input device with a small number of keys and a small number of key presses, and to prevent erroneous input.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Embodiment 1 of the Invention
As Embodiment 1 of the present invention, an example of a key input device provided in a portable information terminal will be described. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the appearance of the portable information terminal 101. The portable information terminal 101 is provided with a key input device 102 and a display unit 103.

  In the key input device 102, as shown in FIG. 2, the keys K01 ... and the switches SW01 ... are each 1/2 of the pitch of the keys K01 ... (not particularly limited, for example, the thickness of the thumb or about 80% thereof). They are shifted vertically and horizontally. That is, for example, the key K01 is provided with four switches SW01 to SW04 corresponding to the positions of the four corners. Further, for example, the switch SW03 is provided so as to be shared by the two keys K01 and K02, that is, to be turned on regardless of which key K01 or K02 is pressed. Similarly, the switch SW04 is shared by the four keys K01, K02, K04, and K05 (Note that the number of switches can be reduced and ON / OFF can be detected by using the switch SW04 in common. The scale of the circuit to be used can be kept small, but this is not a limitation.)

  More specifically, each of the switches SW01... Is turned on in accordance with the position where the corresponding key K01. For example, when the center portion of the key K01 is pressed, the four switches SW01 to SW04 are turned on. When the left end of the key K01 is pressed, the switches SW01 and SW02 are turned on. On the other hand, when the right end is pressed, the switches SW03 and SW04 are turned on. Similarly, the switches SW01 and SW03 are turned on when the upper end is pushed, and the switches SW02 and SW04 are turned on when the lower end is pushed. For example, in order to turn on the switches SW01 and SW03 and the switches SW02 and SW04 as described above, not only by pressing the upper and lower ends of the key K01 but also diagonally upward or diagonally with respect to the direction perpendicular to the key K01. You may make it press with a downward force.

  Here, the three-dimensional shape of the key K01... Is preferable, for example, when the central portion is concave or convex in that the central portion and the upper, lower, left, and right ends can be easily distinguished and pressed, but is not limited thereto. Further, the keys K01... May have a mechanical structure having independent key tops. However, for example, a so-called sheet key or the like is physically formed integrally, and there is an area that functions as each key by printing or the like. What is divided may be sufficient.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the switches SW01... Are connected to an input processing unit 201 that determines an input character according to the conduction state of each switch SW01. The input processing unit 201 holds a sequence table as shown in FIG. 4, for example, and determines an input character according to a combination of a switch that is turned ON first and a switch that is turned ON next. ing.

  The input processing unit 201 is connected to a display unit 103 that displays input characters and a data processing unit 202 that performs processing as a portable information terminal in accordance with the input characters.

  In the key input device 102 configured as described above, characters are input as follows. That is, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, when the center part of the key K02 is pressed twice, the switches SW03 to SW06 are first turned ON (or a row is selected), and then the same switch SW03 to SW03 is again selected. Since SW06 is turned on (that step is selected), it is determined that “ka” is input. Similarly, if the center of the key K02 is pressed and then the upper end of the key K02 is pressed, the switches SW03 to SW06 are turned on (or the row is selected) and then the switches SW03 and SW05 are turned on (higher level). Therefore, it is determined that “ki” is input. Note that the selection at that stage is not limited to pressing the center portion of the key K02 twice as described above, but is performed by continuously pressing for a predetermined time or simply releasing the finger (stopping pressing). You may do it. In addition, what is selected when the above-described operation is performed may be any of the first to second stages instead of the second stage. Further, for example, when a position in an oblique direction is pressed, the step may be selected.

  Further, when the above input is performed, only the finally determined characters may be displayed on the display unit 103. For example, a display corresponding to the input process is performed as shown in FIG. It is also possible to make it easier to check for erroneous input (and when using the display function to enter the input practice mode, the characters that should be entered and the characters that were actually entered are displayed. You may make it display sequentially.) That is, in the example in which “Kaki” is input, first, when the center portion of the key K02 is pressed, the character “K” is displayed large, indicating that the “K” line has been selected. When the center portion of the key K02 is pressed again, the step is selected (in this case, the display does not change), and when confirmed, the character “ka” is displayed in a normal size. Similarly, when “ki” is input, the character “ka” is first displayed large when the center of the key K02 is pressed, and then the upper end of the key K02 is pressed. When the character “ki” is displayed in large size and confirmed, it is displayed next to “ka” in a normal size.

  As described above, after the central part of the key is pressed once, the input character is determined by pressing the central part or the peripheral part of the same key. It can be entered with one key. Therefore, for example, all characters of a syllabary can be input with ten keys. Moreover, it is not necessary to press the key many times to input one character. Also, in order to select the line from line to line, it is only necessary to press the center of the same key again or slightly shift the finger when entering any character from line A to line W. Since it is not necessary to move the finger to the key, it is easy to input without looking at the fingertip, and the possibility of erroneous input is kept low.

  In the above example, for example, when the four switches SW01 to SW04 are turned on, the center portion of the key K01 is pushed, and when the two switches SW01 and SW03 are turned on, the upper end of the key K01 is pushed. In the example, it is determined that, for example, when at least three or more switches are turned on, or when at least two switches corresponding to the diagonal positions on the key are turned on, the center portion of the key For example, it may be determined that the key has been pressed, and even when the key is quickly operated and the four switches are not completely turned on, the input may be performed appropriately.

  In addition, a right-hand input mode and a left-hand input mode are provided. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the correspondence between the switch pattern (and its change) that is turned on and the key that is determined to be pressed, etc. May be switched.

  Further, regarding the positional relationship between each key and each switch, the switch is not limited to being provided at the four corner positions of each key when the planar shape of the key is a quadrangular shape as described above, as shown in FIG. It may be provided at the position of each side. In this case, there is only one switch that is turned on when pressing the top, bottom, left, and right edges of each key (as opposed to two in the above case). It should be made to correspond.

  For example, when a sheet key or the like in which each key is not separated is used, even when a switch is arranged near the center of each key, the switch of the adjacent key when the peripheral position of the key is pressed. Can also be turned on at the same time (especially if a larger switch is used, it becomes easier to turn on at the same time). If the processing procedure of the input processing unit 201 is matched, the same input operation can be performed.

  Further, the position to be pressed next to the center portion of the key is not limited to the upper, lower, left and right ends, but may be an oblique end (four corner positions) as shown in FIG. 9 or both positions, that is, positions in eight directions. Any of them may be used. That is, it is only necessary that the operations can be performed separately.

  Further, the ON / OFF of the switch is for convenience, and may be one that changes from ON to OFF when a key is pressed.

  Further, the key input device 102 as described above can be applied not only to a portable information terminal but also to various devices such as a mobile phone that are relatively small and require character input.

<< Embodiment 2 of the Invention >>
As described above, the selection is not limited to the step-to-step by pressing the peripheral part of the key, but for example, the selection may be made by pressing the upper end or the lower end of the key a plurality of times. That is, for example, as shown in FIG. 10, each time the upper end is pressed after the center portion of the key K02 is pressed, the characters ka → ki → ku → ke → ko → are sequentially selected, while the lower end Each step may be selected in a bi-directional rotary manner so that each time the key is pressed, the characters ka → ko → ke → ku → ki → ki are selected in order.

  The above operation is performed by the input processing unit 201 performing a process as shown in FIG. 11, for example.

  (S101) First, when any key is pressed, a line is determined according to the key.

  (S102) Next, the subsequently pressed key and position are determined. That is, when the upper end or lower end of the same key that was pressed first is pressed, the process proceeds to (S103) and (S104), and when another part or another key is pressed, ( The process proceeds to S105).

  (S103) When the upper end is pressed, the characters in the forward direction (from the top to the next step, from the top to the bottom, from the top to the bottom, from the top to the bottom) are held and displayed.

  (S104) On the other hand, when the lower end is pressed, the characters in the reverse direction (in the order of the dan → the dan → the dan → the dan → the dan → the dan) are held and displayed.

  (S105) If it is determined in the above (S102) that another key or other place is pressed, the character in the stage held in (S103) or (S105) is determined as the input character. And display.

  As described above, after the central portion of the key is pressed once, the character to be input is determined by pressing the upper end or the lower end of the same key once or more. Can be entered with one key. In addition, since the characters in the upper to lower tiers can be selected in the forward and reverse order, the characters in any tier can be selected simply by pressing the top or bottom of the key once or twice. it can. In addition, even if the key is pressed too much, it can be returned by pressing the opposite end, so that the total number of times the key is pressed can be reduced.

  In the above example, an example is shown in which the forward direction is selected when the upper end of the key is pressed, and the reverse direction is selected when the lower end is pressed, but this correspondence may be reversed. Moreover, not only an upper end and a lower end but a right end, a left end, etc. may be used. Moreover, you may make it select sequentially according to the time pressed rather than the frequency | count of a press.

  Further, in the case where it is configured so that it is possible to detect that the four positions of the upper, lower, left, and right directions of each key are pressed as in the first embodiment, only the detection result in two directions is selected for the selection of the stage as described above. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, when the left and right ends are pressed, the cursor is moved after the input character is confirmed, or the input character is confirmed as shown in FIG. Or already entered characters may be deleted. Furthermore, it may be possible to cancel input operations, so-called kana-kanji conversion, or confirm kana-kanji conversion. Here, the kana-kanji conversion is not limited to conversion to literal kanji, but also includes conversion from reading to hiragana, katakana, idioms, half-width characters, and the like. Also, when pressing in one direction and pressing in the other direction, conversion in the forward or reverse direction, such as “← a (half-width) ← a ← a ← <a> → a → a →” Candidates may be displayed.

<< Embodiment 3 of the Invention >>
A key input device capable of appropriate input according to the relationship between the user's eyelids and keys and the size of the finger will be described.

  In the first and second embodiments, as a general rule, four switches are turned on when the central part of one key is pressed, and two switches are turned on when the peripheral part of the switch is pressed next. As described above, for example, when a finger is larger than the size of the key, if there is a switch that is turned on or not turned on, an appropriate input cannot be made. For example, when a key of a long line is pressed and then the upper end of the key is pressed to input the character “ni”, the switches a to i and the switches a to c and e to If g is turned ON, the character “ni” is not always input appropriately.

  Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 14, in addition to the configuration of FIG. 3, a learning unit 301 having a history storage unit 301 a and an interpretation unit 301 b is provided, and input when an inappropriate key operation as described above is performed. By accumulating patterns and interpreting input characters intended by the user based on the patterns, appropriate input can be easily performed. In other words, when an appropriate character as described above is not input, after an operation to delete the actually input character or cancel the input is performed, and then "ni" is input appropriately, The history storage unit 301a stores ON / OFF patterns of each switch when the first inappropriate character is input and information indicating that the character input thereafter is “ni”. Based on the accumulated information, the interpretation unit 301b inputs information indicating that an appropriate input character is “ni” (highly likely) when the next input of the same pattern is performed. Based on this, the input processing unit 201 performs the same processing as when “ni” is actually input.

  By learning the user's habit as described above, it is possible to facilitate appropriate input. Also, input patterns for right hand input and left hand input as described in the modification of the first embodiment may be accumulated by learning.

  Further, the information stored in the history storage unit 301a is not limited to an input pattern for one character input, but may be a combination of a preceding character or an input pattern. Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 15, when an operation such as input of character “I” → determination → input of indefinite character → input cancellation → input of character “shi” → determination is performed, When the user inputs the character “I” next to the character “I”, the switch SW05 and SW07 are switched to the place where the switches SW05 and SW07 are to be turned on. If it is learned that the user has a habit of performing an operation to turn on SW05, SW07, and SW09, the next time the same input operation is performed, “shi” is appropriately input. Can be treated as

  In addition, learning as described above is not limited to when an inappropriate input is made, and even when the switch pattern corresponds to any character, a cancel operation or the like is performed, and then another character is input. When such an operation is repeated, by learning such a pattern, it is possible to automatically compensate for wrinkles or the like that are likely to be erroneously input by the user (key press error).

  Furthermore, for example, after all the switches are turned off after four switches are turned on when the center of the key is pressed, all the above switches are turned off when two of them are turned on. Can be confirmed as a stage input at the time when all switches are turned off, depending on the operating time, the subsequent operation (cancellation operation or character input operation), the frequency of such a state, etc. Whether it is better to ignore the time when it was turned off and process the two switches in succession, and to be able to learn the time that is the threshold for discriminating both of the above May be.

<< Embodiment 4 of the Invention >>
In the first to third embodiments, a plurality of switches are provided corresponding to each key, and the conduction state of each switch according to the pressed position (center, upper, lower, left, and right ends) in one key basically. An example is shown in which the input content is determined based on the change thereof, but as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, one switch SW01... Is provided corresponding to each key K01. It may be determined that the character “I” has been input when the key K01 and K02 are changed to the state where only the keys K01 and K02 are pressed after the K04 is simultaneously pressed. That is, even when the keys K01 are arranged as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the ON / OFF states of the switches SW01 when the above operation is performed are the same as those in the first to third embodiments. Again, it is possible to easily perform character input corresponding to the rows and columns of the 50 sound chart.

  In the above example, Japanese characters are input. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can be easily applied to any character that is determined according to parameters corresponding to lines and columns.

  Alternatively, key input and voice input may be used together so that one of the rows or columns in the 50-sound diagram can be input by voice. That is, for example, when it is difficult to clearly distinguish and utter 50 sounds due to a language disorder or the like, and when it is desired to avoid complicated key operations, as shown in FIG. In addition to the configuration of 3, by providing the microphone 401 and the voice recognition unit 402 that recognizes the voice input from the microphone and determines the line, it is possible to utter 10 kinds of voices and 5 kinds of key operations, It is easy to input 50-sound characters. In this case, since the speech recognition unit 402 only needs to be able to determine a line, a relatively simple speech recognition process can be applied. Moreover, since such a device can be input relatively quickly, it may be used as an input device for producing synthesized speech.

1 is a plan view showing an appearance of a portable information terminal including a key input device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a top view which shows arrangement | positioning of a key and a switch similarly. It is a block diagram which shows a functional structure similarly. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a sequence table of the input processing unit 201. FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between input operation and the input character similarly. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a display in the case of character input similarly. It is explanatory drawing which shows the difference in the input determination for left-hand input and right-hand input similarly. It is a top view which shows the modification of arrangement | positioning of a key and a switch similarly. It is explanatory drawing which shows the other example of the relationship between input operation and the input character similarly. It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between the input operation in the key input device of Embodiment 2, and the character input. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the input processing unit 201. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example which gave the function relevant to character input with respect to key operation similarly. It is explanatory drawing which shows the log | history accumulation operation | movement in the key input device of Embodiment 3. It is a block diagram which shows a functional structure similarly. It is explanatory drawing which shows the other example of log | history accumulation operation | movement similarly. It is a top view which shows arrangement | positioning of the key and switch of Embodiment 4. It is a perspective view which shows arrangement | positioning of a key and a switch similarly. It is a block diagram which shows the functional structure of a modification.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Portable information terminal 102 Key input device 103 Display part 201 Input processing part 202 Data processing part 301 Learning part 301a History storage part 301b Interpretation part 401 Microphone 402 Voice recognition part K01-K08 Key SW01-SW04 Switch

Claims (15)

A plurality of switches that are provided for one of the plurality of keys, and the switches that have different combinations that are in a conductive state or a non-conductive state depending on the position at which the key is pressed or the direction of the pressing force;
An input processing unit that determines input contents based on the conduction state of each switch before and after the temporal change according to the temporal change in the pressed position or the direction of the pressed force in the same key;
A key input device comprising: The key input device according to claim 1,
The input content is a character corresponding to a combination of multiple parameters,
The input processing unit
A first parameter that is determined according to which of a plurality of keys is initially pressed;
The character corresponding to the second parameter determined in accordance with the position of the subsequently pressed key or the direction of the pressed force in the first pressed key is determined as the input character. Key input device featuring. The key input device according to claim 2,
The key input device, wherein the first parameter and the second parameter are parameters indicating a line or a stage in a Japanese syllabary, respectively. The key input device according to claim 3,
The input processing unit determines whether the subsequent pressed position is one of the four directions or whether the direction of the pressed force is the four directions. A key input device configured to determine a character corresponding to any one of a stage, a stage, an stage, and a stage as an input character. The key input device according to claim 4,
The input processing unit cancels the operation of pressing a key when a predetermined time elapses without causing a temporal change in the pressed position or the direction of the pressed force after the key is first pressed. If the same position of the same key is pressed again within a specified time after the operation to press the key is released, or the same key is pressed with the same direction force, the character corresponding to that step A key input device configured to determine the input character as an input character. The key input device according to claim 1,
The input content is a character corresponding to a combination of multiple parameters,
The input processing unit
A first parameter that is determined according to which of a plurality of keys is initially pressed;
The character corresponding to the second parameter that is determined according to the position of the subsequently pressed key or the direction of the pressed force and the number of times or the time of pressing is determined as the input character. It is comprised so that it may carry out. The key input device characterized by the above-mentioned. The key input device according to claim 6,
The key input device, wherein the first parameter and the second parameter are parameters indicating a line or a stage in a Japanese syllabary, respectively. The key input device according to claim 7,
The input processing unit determines whether the subsequent pressed position is one of the two directions or whether the direction of the pressed force is the two directions. A key input device configured to determine, as an input character, a character corresponding to a stage that changes sequentially in the above order or in the reverse order. The key input device according to claim 8,
Furthermore, when a key is pressed at a position in another direction or by a force in another direction, the cursor indicating the character input position is moved, the input operation already performed is canceled, the input operation already performed is confirmed, the pseudonym A key input device configured to determine that an operation for instructing at least one of kanji conversion and kana-kanji conversion is performed. The key input device according to claim 1,
At least one of the plurality of switches is provided in common for two or more keys adjacent to each other. The key input device according to claim 1,
The input processing unit is configured so that the corresponding relationship between the change in the conduction state of each switch and the input content according to the temporal change in the pressed position or the direction of the pressing force in the same key has already been made. A key input device configured to be set based on the history of the key. The key input device according to claim 1,
The input processing unit has at least a right-hand input correspondence relationship between the change in the conduction state of each switch in accordance with the temporal change in the pressed position or the direction of the pressing force in the same key and the input content. A key input device configured to be selectively set to one of two types for left-hand input. Each of a plurality of switches whose conduction state changes depending on whether or not each key of the plurality of keys is pressed,
The conduction state of each switch when one or more keys are pressed, and then the other keys released from being pressed while at least one of the keys remains pressed; and An input processing unit for determining an input content based on at least one of other newly pressed keys;
A key input device comprising: The key input device according to claim 13, comprising:
The input content is a character corresponding to a combination of multiple parameters,
The input processing unit
A first parameter that is determined according to which of a plurality of keys is initially pressed;
After that, the character corresponding to the second parameter determined according to at least one of the key released from the pressed state and the other newly pressed key is set as the input character. A key input device configured to determine. 15. The key input device according to claim 14, wherein
The key input device, wherein the first parameter and the second parameter are parameters indicating a line or a stage in a Japanese syllabary, respectively.

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