JP2005115512A - Terminal device and character input method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a terminal device and a character input method for it capable of inputting a character string by means of a rotational operation element without using a numeric keypad. <P>SOLUTION: A portable terminal device 100 is provided with a jog dial 104, which includes the rotational operation element capable of turning in the normal/reverse directions endlessly, and a display part 103. The jog dial 104 and the display part 103 are arranged on a main surface of an upper casing 102 and always exposed to the outside whether both casings are opened or closed. In input of a character, input candidate characters are renewed and displayed in a predetermined order every time when the rotaion element is turned in one direction by a predetermined quantity, and when the rotational operation element is turned in the other direction, the input candidate character displayed in the display part 103 at that time is decided as an input character. By turning the rotational operation element in the normal/reverse direction, renewed display of the input candidate characters is switched to be displayed in the ascendent/descendent order. Pressing operation of the jog dial 104 is used for a purpose other than decision of a character. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a terminal device such as a mobile phone and a character input method thereof.

  The shape of a conventional mobile phone is generally a straight type or a folding type, and a keyboard (such as a numeric keypad) can be used when the display (main when there is a main and a sub) is visible. However, recently, a new shape different from the conventional shape has appeared. This has an upper housing and a lower housing, similar to the folding type, but the display on the main surface of the upper housing is always on the front and the upper housing is removed from the state where the upper housing is stacked on the lower housing. This is a type (so-called 180 degree open style type) in which the keyboard on the lower casing appears and can be used by sliding and rotating 180 degrees relative to the lower casing. Such a mold is adopted in, for example, SO505i manufactured by Sony Corporation, and is hereinafter referred to as a slide rotation type or a slide type for convenience.

  Operate slide-type mobile terminal devices (hereinafter simply referred to as mobile terminals or terminals) so that you can check incoming calls and emails without having to take the keyboard out (open). The above ideas have been made. However, as a matter of course, the operation requiring the numeric keypad cannot be performed in this state, and the slide is performed only for entering a number from 0 to 9 when inputting a password or entering an unregistered phone number. It is necessary to perform rotation, which is inconvenient.

Patent Document 1 proposes a “communication terminal device” that inputs numbers and the like using a small number of other keys without using a numeric keypad. In this known technology, while a specific key is pressed down, the bar extends along the numbers arranged on the display screen, and when the number you want to input and the top of the bar overlap, release the key. Is determined as the input character.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-142001

  However, in the method described in Patent Document 1, in order to input a target number, the input key must be released at a time when the head of the bar reaches the position of the number. If the speed at which the bar extends is reduced, the timing becomes easier, but the time required to determine each input character increases. For this reason, it takes a considerable amount of time to finish inputting the 10-digit or 11-digit telephone number. Conversely, if the speed at which the bar extends is increased, the input time can be shortened, but it becomes difficult to determine the timing of character determination, and erroneous input increases. In addition, since numbers can only be selected in ascending order, particularly when the target number is a large number such as “8” or “9”, it takes a considerable time to input only that one character. In addition, as the display area for input, two lines, a line for displaying a fixed number and a line for displaying a bar, are necessary, and the number of lines is one in consideration of the influence on the display of other display contents. It is desirable.

  The present invention has been made in such a background, and an object thereof is to provide a terminal device capable of inputting a character string using a rotary operation element without using a numeric keypad, and a character input method thereof. is there.

  The terminal device according to the present invention is a terminal device including a rotary operation element that can rotate endlessly in both forward and reverse directions and a display unit. When the rotary operator is rotated in a direction opposite to the one direction, the input candidate characters displayed on the display unit at that time are determined as input characters. It is characterized by doing.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the input candidate characters are sequentially updated and displayed by the rotation of the rotary operator, and the input candidate characters are determined when the rotary operator reversely rotates. Thereby, it is possible to input characters by operating the rotary operator without using the numeric keypad. By confirming the input candidate character in response to the reverse rotation of the rotary operator, when the rotary operator has a pressing function, the pressing operation can be used for purposes other than the determination of the character.

  The update display of the input candidate characters may be switched in ascending order and descending order by forward rotation and reverse rotation of the rotary operator. As a result, the number of update display times required to reach the target character is reduced, and the required input time of the character is shortened.

  You may make it make the initial display character at the time of the said update display differ by forward rotation and reverse rotation of a rotary operation element. For example, the initial display character in ascending order can be the minimum value character, and the initial display character in descending order can be the maximum value character.

  As an application example of the terminal device of the present invention, a slide rotation type mobile phone comprising an upper case and a lower case, the display unit and the rotary operator are always outside regardless of whether the two cases are opened or closed. When it is exposed, the numbers 0 to 9 of the telephone number can be input using the rotary operation element when both housings are closed.

  The characters may include at least numerals and alphabets as character types, and when the rotary operator can perform a pressing operation, the character types can be switched by the pressing operation. Thereby, the character type can be switched without releasing the finger from the rotary operator.

  The character input method according to the present invention is a character input method for inputting a character using the rotary operator in a terminal device including a rotary operator and a display unit that can rotate endlessly in both forward and reverse directions. Detecting a rotation and a rotation direction of the rotary operator; updating a display of input candidate characters on the display unit in a predetermined order for each predetermined amount of rotation in one direction; and the rotation operation When the child is rotated in the direction opposite to the one direction, the input candidate character displayed on the display unit at that time is determined as an input character.

The following effects can be expected by the present invention.
1. Even when the numeric keypad cannot be used, characters such as numbers can be easily input by using the rotary operation element.
2. By using the rotary operator, it is possible to update and display the character desired to be input without releasing the finger from the rotary operator.
3. If the update display of the input candidate characters can be switched between ascending order and descending order by forward rotation and reverse rotation of the rotary operation element, the time to reach the target character can be shortened.
4. A display area such as a bar display for determining input candidates as in the prior art is unnecessary, and the display area can be used effectively.

  Hereinafter, a mobile phone as an example of a mobile terminal to which the present invention is applied will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows an external appearance of a portable terminal 100 which is a slide rotation type cellular phone according to the present embodiment in a closed state. FIG. 2 shows the external appearance of the portable terminal 100 in the opened state.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the mobile terminal 100 includes an upper housing 102 and a lower housing 202, and a lower end portion of the upper housing 102 and an upper end portion of the lower housing 202 overlap each other. The upper casing 102 slides and rotates clockwise or counterclockwise with respect to the lower casing 202 around the hinge provided at the position. The rotation axis is in a direction substantially perpendicular to the main surfaces of both housings.

  A display unit 103 is provided in most areas on the main surface of the upper housing 102. The display unit 103 is a display such as a liquid crystal or an organic EL, and the display screen is always exposed to the outside. A speaker 101 is arranged on the upper portion of the display unit 103. The speaker 101 is a device that converts an electrical signal into audible sound. In the area below the display unit 103, a jog dial 104 and a key input unit 105 are arranged as operation units for performing limited operations. In this example, the jog dial 104 is a drum-type operator that can be rotated and pressed. The rotation operation can be performed endlessly in both forward and reverse directions (up and down in the figure), and a click feeling can be obtained at every predetermined rotation angle. A pulse signal is generated at each predetermined rotation angle, and this pulse signal is used as a trigger for updating input candidates. Such a jog dial can be a known one. The key input unit 105 includes left and right soft keys, left and right arrow keys, a transmission key, a power / end key, a clear key, and the like. For example, the left and right soft keys are initially assigned with functions for starting a mailer or a web browser, and arbitrary functions are assigned with software in each scene of the application. A microphone 106 that converts sound into an electrical signal is disposed at the lower end of the upper housing 102. However, the position of the microphone 106 is not limited to the illustrated position. In the configuration of FIG. 1, even when the upper and lower housings are closed (that is, the key input unit 201 including the numeric keypad of the lower housing 202 is not exposed to the outside), it is possible to check incoming calls or mails. It is possible to make a call to the other party whose telephone number is registered in the internal telephone directory.

  As can be seen from FIG. 2, the key input unit 201 is disposed on the main surface of the lower housing 202, and the key input unit 201 is hidden behind the upper housing 102 in the closed state of FIG. 1. The key input unit 201 includes a numeric keypad (including numerals 0 to 9 as well as * and # symbols), a manner key, a memo key, and the like. An antenna 203 is provided at the lower end of the lower housing 202. The antenna 203 uses the cover portion of the external connector terminal as an antenna and can be opened and closed (the figure is in an open state), but is not directly related to the present invention. That is, in the present invention, the antenna may be a built-in antenna or a whip-type antenna that extends.

  FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the interior of the mobile terminal 100 according to the present invention. Regarding the reference numbers in the figure, the same numbers as those used in FIGS. 1 and 2 are assigned to the portions corresponding to the elements shown in FIGS. In addition, the description overlapping with FIGS. 1 and 2 is omitted.

  The control unit 302 is connected to a communication circuit 303, a display unit 304, an operation unit 305, a RAM 306, an imaging control unit 309, and a ROM 310 via a control line 301 that transmits control data such as a control signal. The communication circuit 303, the display unit 304, the RAM 306, the speaker 101, the microphone 106, the imaging control unit 309, and the ROM 310 are connected via a data line 307 serving as a transmission line when transmitting data such as image data, audio data, and mail data. Are connected to each other.

  The control unit 302 includes a central processing unit (CPU) that controls the mobile terminal 100 based on a program stored in the ROM 310.

  The antenna 203 corresponds to the antenna 203 shown in FIG. 2, is connected to the communication circuit 303, and is used for transmitting and receiving radio waves.

  The communication circuit 303 is a circuit that wirelessly transmits and receives data such as image data, audio data, and mail data via the antenna 203.

  The display unit 304 is a part including the display unit 103 of FIG. 1 as a display device and a display control unit that performs this display control.

  The jog dial 104 corresponds to the jog dial 104 as an input device shown in FIG. 1, is connected to the operation unit 305, and provides input information of the rotation operation and pressing operation of the rotary operator to the control unit 302 via the operation unit 305. .

  The operation unit 305 is a part that takes in inputs from the key input unit 106 in FIG. 1, the key input unit 201 in FIG. 2, and the jog dial 104 and gives them to the control unit 302.

  The RAM 306 is a readable / writable memory that stores various data such as telephone directory data, image data, and mail data.

  The speaker 101 corresponds to the speaker 101 of FIG. 1 and is a device that converts an electrical signal into sound and emits sound.

  The microphone 106 corresponds to the microphone 106 in FIG. 1 and is a device that converts sound into an electrical signal.

  The camera 308 is an image sensor attached to the back of a portable terminal (not shown). The imaging control unit 309 is a part for controlling the camera 308 and processing image data.

  The ROM 310 stores various programs such as a program code for operating the control unit 302 and a program code for operating the mail processing unit 306 for editing mail, and important data such as a terminal ID, and only reading Possible non-volatile memory. However, the ROM 310 may include a rewritable nonvolatile memory such as a flash ROM that stores the various data in a nonvolatile manner.

  All of these blocks are operated by power supplied from a power supply circuit (not shown).

  Hereinafter, the operation of the mobile terminal 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. First, a general operation will be described, and then a specific processing flow will be described.

  When the mobile terminal 100 is in a state where the phone number is input (input mode) or in a state where only a number from 0 to 9 is input, such as a screen for waiting for an input of only a number, a number string is input by operating only the jog dial 104. be able to. If the jog dial is continuously turned in the direction in which it is initially turned, the input candidate numbers are sequentially changed in the ascending order of 0 → 9 or the descending order of 9 → 0 depending on the turning direction, and the display is updated. The jog dial can be rotated at a desired speed by the user. When the number you want to input is displayed, stop rotating the jog dial, and rotate the jog dial in the opposite direction to the previous rotation to confirm the number input. When the rotation of the jog dial is stopped, the number increase / decrease (0 → 9, 9 → 0) also stops. For this reason, after confirming whether the displayed number is the target number, the number can be determined with a margin. After the input of one number is confirmed, the character input cursor automatically moves to the next input position on the display screen. If a telephone call operation or an input end operation is performed, predetermined processing such as a call to the input telephone number or a collation of a password is performed.

  Thus, according to the present embodiment, the update speed of the input candidate numbers is determined by the speed at which the jog dial is rotated, so that the user can freely determine the update speed. You can freely change the speed while updating numbers. Moreover, since the number update is not automatically performed at a fixed period between key presses as in the above-mentioned known technique, the problem that it is difficult to determine the timing of the number determination is solved.

  Since the reverse rotation of the jog dial is used for the confirmation of numbers, the pressing operation of the jog dial can be used for purposes other than the confirmation of characters. This makes it possible to perform more types of operations without releasing the finger operating the jog dial from the jog dial.

  In the present embodiment, the number can be arbitrarily selected in either ascending order or descending order. By selecting the ascending order or descending order, the distance (number of updates) to the target number can be shortened. In addition, although not an essential requirement in the present invention, by making the initial display input candidates different in ascending order and descending order, for example, the initial display number in ascending order is the minimum value 0, and the initial display number in descending order is 9, for example. Therefore, a change beyond the boundary between the maximum value and the minimum value can be made unnecessary. (However, this mobile phone does not exclude changes that cross boundaries.)

  Further, in the present embodiment, since the conventional bar display is not necessary, a display line for that purpose is not necessary.

  As another embodiment to be described later, the input content (character type) is changed, for example, “number → uppercase alphabet → lowercase alphabet” by pressing a specific key assigned to change of the input mode. By using the jog dial, it is possible to input not only numbers but also alphabets. As pressing of this specific key, a pressing operation of the jog dial can be used. Thereby, the character type can be switched without moving the finger operating the jog dial to another key. (In this specification, “character” includes a wide range of numbers and symbols.) When the prior art described in Patent Document 1 is to be applied to alphabet input, there are too many characters. Since it cannot be displayed on one line of a narrow display screen, it is considered difficult to apply.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. This process is mainly executed by the control unit 302 of FIG. 3 and is a process of inputting a numeric string of telephone numbers in the telephone number input mode using the jog dial with the casing closed. This will be described with reference to a specific display screen example in FIG. FIG. 5 shows a display example corresponding to a part (for example, the lower end) of the display unit 103. The display frames in this figure are for convenience and do not have to be actually displayed.

  In the slide rotation type portable terminal according to the present embodiment, it is usually necessary to input a number of about 10 digits as a telephone number when calling a telephone number not registered in the telephone directory in the terminal. For this purpose, first, a predetermined operation of the jog dial 104 or the key input unit 105 is used to shift to a mode in which the mobile terminal is operated to input a telephone number (S401). The only expected input in this mode is a number. The portable terminal displays a cursor at a position where the first character is input on the display screen of the display unit 103 (S402). The display at this time is shown in FIG. The portable terminal waits until rotation of the jog dial is detected (S403). When the jog dial is rotated downward (S404), X = 9 is set (S405). In this example, “downward” rotation is assumed to be in ascending order. In the next step, when X = 9 (S407, Yes), it is determined that input of one cursor position (numeric digit) is started, and X = 0 is set as an initial value in ascending order (S410). Is highlighted as an input candidate (S413). FIG. 5B shows a state where the jog dial is first rotated downward and “0” is displayed as an input candidate. If X ≠ 9 in S407 (S407, No), X is incremented to update the starting digit in ascending order, that is, X = X + 1 (S409), and the value of X at this time is highlighted as an input candidate ( S413).

  Until the next rotation of the jog dial is detected, the portable terminal continues to highlight the X value at that time as an input candidate. When the input candidate is displayed, the jog dial is rotated (S415, Yes), and if the rotation method is downward again (S417), the process returns to S407 to continue updating the input candidate numbers. In this case, as long as the jog dial is turned downward, the processing from S407 to S417 is repeated to update the input candidates at the same cursor position. The input candidate “0” highlighted in FIG. 5B is input candidate “1” (FIG. 5C) and input candidate “2” (FIG. 5D) every time the jog dial is turned downward by a predetermined angle. )) And the numbers change in ascending order.

  If the jog dial is rotated in the reverse direction (in this case, upward) in the rotation direction detection of the jog dial (S417), the value of X at that time is displayed as a final value (S419). In order to distinguish between reverse rotation for input candidate determination and subsequent rotation for input candidate update, detection of a predetermined blank time (no operation time) after the input candidate determination operation is performed, and the next input candidate is detected. An update condition may be used. This prevents a malfunction or an uncertain operation from occurring even if a reverse rotation of a predetermined amount or more is mistakenly performed during the confirmation operation.

  In FIG. 5, when “2” is highlighted as shown in FIG. 5D, when the jog dial is rotated in the opposite direction (upward in this case), “2” is determined, and FIG. As shown in (e), it is displayed in the non-inverted state at the same cursor position. Next, the cursor automatically moves to the input position of the next number (S420). FIG. 5E shows a display in which the first character is confirmed and the cursor is moved to the next input position.

  If it is determined in the subsequent step S404 that the jog dial has been rotated upward, X = 0 is set (S406). In the next S408, when X = 0, X = 9 is set as the initial value in descending order (S412), and the value of X is highlighted as an input candidate (S414). First, a state where the jog dial is rotated upward and “9” is displayed as an input candidate is shown as the second character in FIG. If X ≠ 0 in S408 (S408), X is decremented, that is, X = X-1 (S411), and this new value of X is highlighted as an input candidate (S414). The portable terminal continues to highlight the value of X as an input candidate until the next rotation of the jog dial is detected. If the rotation of the jog dial is detected in the state where the input candidate is displayed (S416, Yes) and the rotation is upward again (S418), the process returns to S408 and the update of the input candidate is continued. As long as the jog dial is turned in the same direction (in this case, upward), the processing from S408 to S418 is repeated to update the input candidates at the same cursor position. “9” that is highlighted in FIG. 5F indicates that the input candidate “8” (FIG. 5G) and the input candidate “7” each time the jog dial is turned upward when the jog dial is continuously turned upward. "(Fig. 5 (h)), the input compensation" 6 "(Fig. 5 (i)) and the numbers change in descending order.

  Thereafter, when it is detected in the rotation direction detection of the jog dial (S418) that the jog dial is turned downward, the value of X at that time is displayed as a final value in a non-inverted display at the cursor position (S419). In FIG. 5, when “6” is displayed as shown in FIG. 5 (i), when the jog dial is rotated in the reverse direction (downward in this case), “6” is determined, and this number is changed to FIG. ) Is displayed non-reversed at the same cursor position.

  After the cursor is moved to the input position of the next number (S420), if no call operation is performed (S421, No), the process returns to S403 and waits for the next input of the jog dial. When a call operation is performed (S421, Yes), the mobile terminal interprets the input number as a telephone number and makes a call to that number (S422). For this call operation, a call key can be used, or a jog dial push (push) operation can be used.

  In the above embodiment, only the cursor is initially displayed at the input location, but any number may be highlighted from the beginning. In addition, the numbers that have not been confirmed are highlighted, but if it is easy to distinguish between the numbers that have been confirmed and the numbers that have not been confirmed, such as blinking or blinking the cursor under the number, any other than highlighted You may take such a method. To correct a fixed value once, a method of overwriting a new number by placing the cursor on the value to be corrected using the left and right direction keys or the like can be used. In addition, the value that was confirmed immediately before may be deleted using a clear key.

  Next, a modified example of the processing of FIG. 4 will be described with reference to FIG. In the process of FIG. 4, the initial value (starting number) when inputting a new number is set to 0 as the minimum value in the ascending order and 9 as the maximum value in the descending order. On the other hand, in the ascending order and descending order, it may be a numerical value determined last time. Such processing is shown in FIG.

  In this case, as a change in FIG. 5, S430 “X ′ = 5” is added after S401, S431 “X ′ = definite number” is added after S419, and S405, S406, S407, S408, S410 and S412 are respectively changed to S405 ′ “X = X′−1”, S406 ′ “X = X ′ + 1”, S407 ′ “X = X′−1”, S408 ′ “X = X ′ + 1”, and S410 ′. “X = X ′” and S412 ′ are changed to “X = X ′”. In step S430, the starting number of the input candidate when a new number is input is set to 5. However, this number does not necessarily have to be 5. S431 is a step of storing the number so that when the number is confirmed, the start number at the next cursor position is set as the immediately preceding confirmed number. In addition, increase / decrease of the number in steps S409 and S411 is cyclic between 0-9. That is, in step S409, X = 0 when incrementing after X reaches 9, and in step S411, X = 9 when decrementing after X reaches 0.

  With the process in FIG. 6, each time a new number is input, the input candidate can be started from the previously determined number. Also in this case, since the ascending order and descending order can be switched according to the rotation direction of the jog dial, it is only necessary to select a rotation direction in which the distance from the current number to the target number is short (the number of updates is small).

  As a further modification, although not particularly illustrated, a fixed numerical value may be used as an initial value in both ascending order and descending order. For example, when the fixed number is 5, in FIG. 4, S405 and S407 are “X = 4”, S410 is “X = 5”, S406 and S408 are “X = 6”, and S412 is “X = 5”. Change it.

  Next, the operation of the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The appearance and the hard air configuration of the terminal are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  In the first embodiment, an example is shown in which only numbers are input as the telephone number input mode. However, in the second embodiment, a password that can be used when inputting a password including not only numbers but also alphabets. Take the number input mode as an example. In this example, numbers, uppercase alphabets, and lowercase alphabets are sequentially switched in accordance with user operations as character types. Any character type (for example, a number) may include a predetermined symbol such as “-” or “_”. In this embodiment, a jog dial pressing (pushing) operation is used for switching character types. As a result, the character type switching operation can be performed without moving the finger rotating the jog dial to another key, which is convenient and can reduce the required operation time.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 7, first, the mobile terminal is operated to shift to a mode for inputting a personal identification number (S501). Expected inputs in this PIN input mode are numbers and upper and lower case alphabets. The mobile terminal displays a cursor at a position where the first character is input on the display screen of the display unit (S502). Therefore, it is checked whether or not the jog dial has been pushed (S503). If pushed, the character type is sequentially changed for each push (S504). The initial character type is determined in advance as one of the character types.

  The portable terminal waits until the rotation of the jog dial is detected (S505) or until the password use instruction operation is performed (S523). When the jog dial is rotated downward (S506), X = “first character of the character type” is set (S507). Also in this example, the “downward” rotation is set in ascending order. The ascending order and descending order of the alphabet can be determined by the size of the character code. The “first character of the character type” is a character immediately before the initial display character in the ascending order of the character type selected at this time. For example, if the initial display character in ascending order of the lowercase alphabet is “a”, the first character of the character type is “z”. When X = “first character of the character type” (S509, Yes), since the input of one cursor position is started, the initial value in ascending order is X = “next character of the first character in ascending order” In other words, the initial display character is scheduled (S512), and the character X at this time is highlighted as an input candidate (S515). If X ≠ “first character of the character type” in S509 (S509, No), X is incremented to update the initial display character in ascending order, that is, X = “next character of X in ascending order” ( In step S511, the character X at this time is highlighted as an input candidate at the same cursor position (S515).

  Until the next rotation of the jog dial is detected, the portable terminal continues to highlight the X value at that time as an input candidate. When the input candidate is displayed, the rotation of the jog dial is detected (S517, Yes). If the rotation direction is downward again (S519), the process returns to S509 and the input candidate is continuously updated. As long as the jog dial is turned downward, the processes from S509 to S519 are repeated to update the input candidates at the same cursor position. In the example of the lowercase alphabet, the input candidate “a” which is highlighted is changed in ascending order as input candidates “b”, “c”, “d”... Each time the jog dial is turned downward by a predetermined angle. .

  In the rotation direction detection of the jog dial (S519), when the upward rotation of the jog dial is detected, the character X at that time is displayed as a confirmed character in a non-inverted display at the cursor position (S521). Next, the cursor position is updated (S522).

  If it is determined in step S506 that the jog dial has been rotated upward, the initial value of X is set to X = “second character of the character type” (S508). The “second character of the character type” is a character immediately before the initial display character in descending order of the selected character type. For example, in the case of the lowercase alphabet, “the second character of the character type” is “a”, and the initial display character is “z”. In the subsequent S510, when X = “second character of the character type”, X = “next character after the second character in descending order” is set as the initial value in descending order (S514), and the character X is used as an input candidate. The display is reversed (S516). If X ≠ “second character of the character type” in S510, X is decremented, that is, X = “next character after X in descending order” (S513), and the new X value is inverted as an input candidate. It is displayed (S516). The portable terminal continues to highlight the character X as an input candidate until the next rotation of the jog dial is detected. When the input candidate is displayed, the rotation of the jog dial is detected (S518, Yes). If the rotation is upward again (S520), the process returns to S510 and the update of the input candidate is continued. As long as the jog dial is turned upward, the processing from S510 to S520 is repeated to update the input candidates at the same cursor position. When the jog dial is continuously turned upward, the letters “y”, “x”, “w”,..., Change in descending order each time the jog dial is turned upward. . If the downward rotation of the jog dial is detected in the rotation direction detection of the jog dial (S520), the X character at that time is non-invertedly displayed at the cursor position as a confirmed character (S521).

  After the cursor is moved to the input position of the next character (S522), if the password number use instruction operation is not performed (S523, No), the process returns to S503 and waits for the next input of the jog dial. When the password number use instruction operation is performed (S523, Yes), the portable terminal interprets the input number as, for example, a password number, and performs a password number use process (S524). A predetermined key is used for the password usage instruction. Instead of the predetermined key, a double click by pressing the jog dial may be used.

  In this way, in the process of FIG. 7, a character string including not only numbers but also alphabets can be input only by operating the jog dial.

  Although not shown in particular, as a modification of the processing of FIG. 7, the initial display characters in ascending order and descending order can be previously determined characters or can be fixed characters in advance. Also in this case, the distance to the target character can be halved by switching between ascending order and descending order as compared with the case of only ascending order.

  In this embodiment, the input of the telephone number has been described as an example. However, the present embodiment is not limited to inputting only numbers, and can be applied to a situation where there are only a certain number or less of input candidates. At this time, not the numbers but the alphabets and symbols may be input, and the numbers and characters that can be input may be switched using other keys.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but various modifications and changes other than those mentioned above can be made. For example, the arrangement position of the jog dial is the center type disposed at the center of the main surface of the housing, but it may be disposed at another position such as the side. Although the jog dial is a drum type, the present invention is also applicable to a so-called disk type. Furthermore, although a mobile phone has been described as an example, the present invention can be used for any other terminal device. Although the slide type has been described with respect to the rotary slide type, it may be a linear slide type. Although the present invention has been described with respect to the utility in a state where the numeric keypad is hidden and cannot be used, it can also be applied to a terminal device in which the numeric keypad itself does not exist.

1 is an external view of a closed state of a mobile terminal which is a slide rotation type mobile phone according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an external view of the portable terminal in FIG. 1 in an open state. It is a functional block diagram inside a portable terminal in the present invention. It is a flowchart showing operation | movement of embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the example of a specific display screen in embodiment of this invention. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of a modified example of the process of FIG. It is a flowchart showing operation | movement of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Portable terminal, 101 ... Speaker, 102 ... Upper housing | casing, 103 ... Display part, 104 ... Jog dial, 105 ... Key input part, 106 ... Microphone, 201 ... Key input part (including numeric keypad), 202 ... Lower housing | casing 203 ... Antenna

Claims (11)

In a terminal device equipped with a rotary operator and a display unit that can rotate endlessly in both forward and reverse directions,
When the rotation operator is rotated in a direction opposite to the one direction, the input candidate characters are updated and displayed in a predetermined order for each predetermined amount of rotation in one direction of the rotation operator. A terminal device characterized in that the input candidate character displayed on the display unit at that time is determined as the input character.   The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the update display of the input candidate characters is switched in ascending order and descending order by forward rotation and reverse rotation of the rotary operator.   The terminal device according to claim 2, wherein an initial display character when the update display is performed is made different between forward rotation and reverse rotation of the rotary operator.   The terminal device is a slide-type mobile phone including an upper casing and a lower casing, and the display unit and the rotary operator are always exposed to the outside regardless of whether the casings are opened or closed. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein a telephone number is input using the rotary operation element when the mobile phone is closed.   The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the character includes at least numerals and alphabets as character types, and the rotary operator can be pressed, and the character type is switched by the pressing operation. A character input method for inputting characters using the rotary operation element in a terminal device including a rotary operation element and a display unit that can rotate endlessly in both forward and reverse directions,
Detecting the rotation and rotation direction of the rotary operator;
A step of updating and displaying input candidate characters on the display unit in a predetermined order for each predetermined amount of rotation in one direction;
When the rotary operator is rotated in a direction opposite to the one direction, confirming input candidate characters displayed on the display unit at that time as input characters;
A character input method characterized by comprising:   The character input method according to claim 6, wherein the update display of the input candidate characters is switched in ascending order and descending order by forward rotation and reverse rotation of the rotary operator.   The character input method according to claim 7, wherein the initial display character when the update display is performed is different between forward rotation and reverse rotation of the rotary operator.   The terminal device is a slide-type mobile phone including an upper casing and a lower casing, and the display unit and the rotary operator are always exposed to the outside regardless of whether the casings are opened or closed. The character input method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a telephone number is input using the rotary operation element when the mobile phone is closed.   The terminal device is a slide-type mobile phone including an upper casing and a lower casing, and the display unit and the rotary operator are always exposed to the outside regardless of whether the casings are opened or closed. The character input method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a personal identification number composed of characters including numerals and alphabets is input using the rotary operation element when the door is closed.   The character input method according to claim 10, wherein the rotary operator can also be pressed, and the character type is switched by the pressing operation.

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