JP2005202839A - Electronic equipment equipped with keyboard - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a Kana input method by efficient Roman alphabet input with a few mistakes in input by using a numeric keyboard; and to provide electronic equipment having the Kana input method. <P>SOLUTION: Ten numeric keys, each is provided with a basic pattern assigning five vowels in Roman alphabet constituting Kanas and five consonants of a first consonant group and an auxiliary pattern assigning ten consonants selected from a second consonant group except the first consonant group and codes. Input is usually done with the basic pattern. Hitting a specified special key allows the changeover of the basic pattern to the auxiliary pattern and vice versa. The changeover allows the input from the auxiliary pattern by one character. There are the case returning to the basic pattern after input, and the case returning to the basic pattern by automatically converting the Roman alphabet inputted with the basic pattern into the Roman alphabet assigned to the same key as that of the auxiliary pattern. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic device including a keyboard, and more particularly to an electronic device including a keyboard having a character input method for inputting kana romaji using a numeric keyboard for inputting numbers.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an electronic device having a small number of input keys, for example, a mobile phone, a kana is used by using a number key for inputting ten numbers and two keys “*” and “#” for inputting * numbers and # keys. Entering letters and alphabetic characters has been done. For this purpose, the types of characters to be input are distinguished as kana input mode, alphabet input mode, and number input mode. In character input other than numbers, multiple characters are assigned to the same key, and the number of times the same key is pressed multiple times. A character to be input is identified from a plurality of characters. For example, in kana input, 10 numeric keys are assigned to 10 rows of kana “a line” to “wa line” of the kana 50 syllable, and the characters on each line are distinguished by the number of times the same numeric key is pressed. You can also input symbols such as muddy sounds, semi-voiced sounds, and punctuation marks by pressing the # key multiple times.

In order to reduce the number of keystrokes, in the kana input, 10 numeric keys are assigned to the 10 lines from “A line” to “Wa line” of the kana in the kana 50 syllable, and the steps are designated 4 separately. A method for inputting a kana by providing a single key is disclosed (Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent No. 3222445

  In the conventional character input method described above, when inputting a kana with a numeric keyboard, it is necessary to identify the character by the number of keystrokes in a plurality of keystrokes of the same key. You have to hit five times. This is because, when inputting an average sentence, the number of keystrokes is large and the input efficiency is lowered as compared with Roman character input performed on a personal computer or the like. In addition, when inputting a target character by distinguishing characters by the number of times of keystrokes in a plurality of keystrokes, it is necessary to carefully count the number of keystrokes, and input errors often occur. Furthermore, in order to continuously input characters on the same line, the input position must be sent to the next character position with the cursor key. For this reason, it is necessary to pay attention to whether or not consecutive characters to be input are on the same line, resulting in a large number of input errors.

  In the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1, such a problem can be avoided, but there is a problem that four keys are required in addition to ten numeric keys.

  As a means for solving such a problem, it is considered effective to use a romaji kana input method that can input a kana in romaji with one or two keystrokes, which is widely used in personal computers and the like. However, for this purpose, unlike a personal computer, there is a problem of how to efficiently input kana romaji with ten numeric keys with a small number of keys. Also, a regular and easy-to-remember key arrangement and operation method are required to increase efficiency.

  On the other hand, since the above-described conventional input methods are widely used in mobile phones, it is desirable that the improved input method allows both input methods to be used in the same device. It is desirable that a new input method can be easily made using the above.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a kana input method using a roman character input that is efficient and uses few numeric errors to improve these points, and an electronic device equipped with the kana input method using the roman character input. There is.

An electronic device provided with the keyboard of the present invention,
An electronic device having a keyboard, a display, and a control means, wherein character input is performed using numeric keys of the keyboard, and the character input method of the electronic device controlled by the control means is a Roman character assigned to the numeric keys Romaji kana input method in which a kana character is input by inputting the kana character, and in the romaji kana input method, ten numeric keys are used for A, I, U, E, and O of the roman vowel characters constituting the kana And a predetermined pattern selected from the basic pattern to which the five consonant characters of the first consonant group are assigned, and the Roman character and the sign of the second consonant group of the remaining consonants. 10 auxiliary patterns assigned to 10 numeric keys are provided, and the control means assigns only numeric keys to the numeric keys when they are pressed. When a numeric key is pressed in combination with a predetermined special keystroke, the consonant or code of the second consonant group of the auxiliary pattern assigned to the numeric key is recognized. Recognize as input and process.

  The input of Roman characters and symbols of the auxiliary pattern may be input by pressing a numeric key after a predetermined special key is pressed, or a basic pattern input by a numeric key pressed before pressing a predetermined special key. It may also be done by converting the romaji into an auxiliary pattern romaji or code assigned to the numeric key by a special keystroke.

  The basic pattern may be composed of A, I, U, E, 0 corresponding to five vowels and five consonants of K, S, T, N, and H, and the auxiliary pattern is X, G , Z, D, P, B, M, Y, R, W, the second consonant group may be input, and the input of the code may be input by continuous keying of special keys. , Y, R, W, and four second consonant groups, and a predetermined code. The special key may be a # key.

  The basic patterns “A, K, S, T, N, H” are assigned to the numeric keys to which the kana “A, K, S, T, N, H” are assigned, respectively. , O ”may be assigned to numeric keys to which kana“ ma, ya, la, wa ”is assigned, and auxiliary patterns“ M, Y, R, W ”are respectively assigned to kana“ ma, It may be assigned to a numeric key to which "Ya, La, Wa" is assigned, and the auxiliary pattern "G, Z, D, B" is assigned the kana "Ka, Sa, Ta, Ha" respectively. It may be assigned to a numeric key.

  The electronic device has a display unit, and the display unit has an area for displaying input characters and an area for displaying Roman characters assigned to numeric keys corresponding to numbers. It may be.

  Further, it may be possible to input the kana characters of each column of the kana 50 syllabary assigned to the numeric key by distinguishing the number of keystrokes by the number of times the key is pressed.

  The first effect of the present invention is that the average number of keystrokes per character is reduced as compared with the prior art when inputting a kana using a numeric keyboard. This is a basic pattern in which five vowels in Roman letters and five consonants of the first consonant group constituting the kana are assigned to each of the ten numeric keys, and a second consonant other than the first consonant group. By providing an auxiliary pattern to which 10 selected from a group and a code are assigned, it is possible to switch between each other by pressing a predetermined special key, so that one character of a kana can be input by pressing the key three times or less. It depends. As a result, it can be expected that the number of keystrokes will be reduced to about 70% compared to the prior art.

  The second effect of the present invention is that there are fewer input mistakes than in the prior art. This is because it is not necessary to be aware of the number of times the same key is pressed for selecting characters in the same line.

  The third effect of the present invention is that many people can easily learn the input method. This is because the kana input method using Roman characters is widely used in personal computers and the like, and is combined with a regular Roman key arrangement that is assigned to numeric keys and is easy to remember.

  The fourth effect of the present invention is that it easily shifts from the conventional input method. This is because it can coexist with a widely used input method of a conventional mobile phone, and can challenge a new input method while preserving the conventional input method. In particular, the conventional key top marking can be used as it is.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, the configuration and function of an electronic device including a keyboard according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a block configuration diagram showing a configuration of an electronic apparatus including a keyboard according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The electronic device 1 includes a control device 10, a keyboard 20 that has control keys and data keys, and information to be processed is input, and a display 30 that displays output information processed by the control device 10. The control device 10 includes an input unit 11, a control unit 12, a storage unit 14, and an output unit 16, and the input unit 11 inputs input information from the keyboard 20 and the like, and key inputs of the control unit 12 are performed. The control unit 13 processes the key input information, converts the input information into kanji based on the kana-kanji conversion dictionary 15 in the storage unit 14 as necessary, and the output unit 16 outputs the output information processed by the key input control unit 13. Is output to the outside. Information processed by the key input control unit 13 is processed in the control unit 12 as necessary and used according to the purpose, and is stored in the storage unit 14 as necessary.

  FIG. 2 is a key layout diagram of data keys for inputting numbers and characters in the keyboard of the cellular phone according to the embodiment of the present invention. Here, the electronic device is described as a mobile phone. The cellular phone is provided with a control key (not shown) for inputting a control function adjacent to the normal data key. Information input by keystrokes of these keyboards 200 is confirmed and used by the control unit 12 of the electronic device 1 according to a predetermined purpose.

  The data keys of the keyboard 200 are provided with ten numeric keys 201 to 210, * key 211, and # key 212. Key input modes include a numeric input mode, a kana input mode, and an alphabetic input mode, which are selected according to the purpose. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that numeric input in the numeric input mode and alphabetic input in the alphabet input mode are performed by the same method as a conventional mobile phone.

  The kana input mode to be used here further includes a first kana input mode and a second kana input mode, and the first kana input mode is the same as the above-described conventional example based on the kana assigned to the key. Input is made in the way.

  The present invention is characterized by the second kana input mode. In the second kana input mode, the kana input is input by inputting the kana romaji, which is input in romaji and converted to kana. Switching between the first kana input mode and the second kana input mode in the kana input mode is performed by an input operation of a predetermined key (not shown).

  As shown in FIG. 2, the key top of the keyboard 200 is stamped in the same way as the keyboard of a conventional mobile phone. For example, the number key 202 in FIG. 2 is engraved with “2” indicating a number, “ka” indicating a kana “ka line”, and “ABC” indicating an alphabetic character. Number input in the number input mode is performed by inputting a single digit number according to the number key that has been pressed, and in the first kana input mode, the key top of each key has 1 in each line of the kana of the 50 syllables. The kana in the column is displayed, the kana constituting the row of the kana is assigned to the key, and the kana of the level corresponding to the number of keystrokes of each key is input. In addition, according to the alphabet display on the key top, the alphabet input in the alphabet input mode is made by distinguishing the alphabetic characters displayed on each key by the number of keystrokes of each key and inputting 26 alphabetic characters. The # key 212 is used to input symbols such as dakuten, semi-dakuten, and punctuation marks by the number of keystrokes in kana input. When entering alphabetic characters, symbols such as commas and periods are distinguished and input by the number of keystrokes. In numerical input, the * key 211 and the # key 212 input symbols * and #.

  First, items common to the second kana input mode of the embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the second kana input mode, the kana is input by romaji input. In the second kana input mode, a basic pattern in which five vowels in Roman letters and five consonants of the first consonant group constituting the kana are assigned to each of the ten numeric keys, A secondary pattern other than the consonant group and 10 auxiliary patterns selected from the codes are provided. Usually, input is performed in the basic pattern, and the basic pattern is input by pressing a predetermined special key. Mutual switching with the auxiliary pattern is possible. By switching, it is possible to input only one character from the auxiliary pattern. After input, the Roman pattern entered in the basic pattern automatically changes to the basic pattern. There are cases in which the basic pattern is restored after being converted to a Roman character assigned to the same key.

  In the basic pattern of the present embodiment, the key 202 “ka”, the key 203 “sa”, the key 204 “ta”, the key 205 “na”, and the key 206 “ha” consist of the Roman characters constituting the kana. The first five letters “K, S, T, N, H” are assigned to each key as the first consonant group, and “a” of the key 201 is assigned as the vowel of “A” as it is. Yes. In addition, the key 207 “ma”, the key 208 “ya”, the key 209 “ra”, and the key 210 “waon” have the Roman vowel “I,” regardless of the kana assigned to them. U, E, O "are assigned.

  As auxiliary patterns, “ma” of the key 207, “ya” of the key 208, “ra” of the key 209, and “waon” of the key 210 are four pieces of the first roman character constituting the kana. "M, Y, R, W" are assigned to the respective keys as the second consonant group. The key 201 "A", the key 202 "ka", the key 203 "sa", and the key 204 According to the embodiment, Roman consonants and symbols constituting muddy sounds and semi-voiced sounds are assigned to the six keys “ta”, “na” of the key 205, and “ha” of the key 206. The muddy sound and semi-voiced sound are assigned to the keys for the consonants of the Roman character in each clear sound.

  Romaji and symbols assigned irrespective of the kana assigned to each key are compared with the numbers assigned to the keys in the key corresponding function display area of the display screen displayed on the display 30 when inputting Roman characters. Is displayed.

  In this embodiment, such an arrangement is made so that the input romaji is easily associated with the kana engraved on the key top. However, the arrangement is not limited to this, and the basic pattern includes five vowels and second vowels. It is sufficient that five consonants of one group are arranged, and the consonants may be arbitrarily selected.

  Next, individual embodiments will be described. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing assignment of Roman letters to each key of the keyboard 200 in FIG. 2 in the basic pattern in the first embodiment and the second embodiment of the present invention. The sections 301 to 312 in FIG. 3 correspond to the keys 201 to 212 in FIG. 2, and this also applies to FIGS. 5, 7, 9, and 11 described later.

  The assignment described in the key / romaji assignment table 300 in FIG. 3 is the same as the assignment of the basic pattern described above as a common matter, and the description thereof is omitted. Keys 211 and 212 are assigned * and #.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a display screen 400 for inputting characters displayed on the display 30 at the time of inputting a basic pattern according to the first and second embodiments of the present invention. The input character display area 401 displays the input character string. Here, as an example, “Oha” is input in the input character display area 401 of FIG. 4, but this is because the key 210 of FIG. 2 is pressed, then the key 206 is pressed, and the key 201 is pressed. Accordingly, the Roman character “OHA” is input in accordance with the Roman character notation of FIG. 3, and the input character display area 401 of FIG. 4 is converted to kana and displayed as a kana character string “Oha”. Incidentally, in order to input the kana character string “oh”, in the first kana input mode which is the conventional input method, the number of keystrokes is 7 including the keystroke for confirmation, but the second kana In the input mode, the number of keystrokes is 4, including the keystrokes for confirmation.

  The key corresponding function display area 402 in FIG. 4 shows a display for replacing the characters displayed on the key top in FIG. That is, “[7] I” means “number [7] of the number key 207 is read as Roman letter“ I ””. The same applies to “[8] U”, “[9] E”, and “[0] O”. 2 is not engraved on the key top of the keyboard of FIG. 2, the keyboard operator reads the display as follows and performs key input. That is, the kana displayed on the key top of the keyboard 200 is “A, K, S, T, N, H” is the first letter of the Roman character string “A, K, S, T, N, H”. To "". This replacement is easy if you have knowledge of Roman characters. Further, the display of the keys 207, 208, 209, and 210 is read as “I, U, E, O” in accordance with the display of the key corresponding function display area 402 of FIG.

  “[#] Switching” in the key corresponding function display area 402 in FIG. 4 means that the keystroke of the # key 212 in FIG. 2 performs switching operation between the basic pattern and the auxiliary pattern. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing assignment of Roman letters to each key of the keyboard 200 of FIG. 2 of the auxiliary pattern in the first embodiment of the present invention.

  When the # key 212 is pressed while the display screen 400 of FIG. 4 is displayed, the key assignment of FIG. 3 is switched to the key assignment of FIG. In this switched state, the input of each key of the keyboard 200 of FIG. 2 is performed according to the key assignment of FIG. That is, the key 201 has a Roman letter “X”, the key 202 has a Roman letter “G”, the key 203 has a Roman letter “Z”, the key 204 has a Roman letter “D”, the key 205 has a Roman letter “P”, and the key 206 has a The Roman letter “B” is entered. The keys 207 to 210 include the roman letters “M”, “Y”, and “R” corresponding to the first roman letters when the kana “ma, ya, la, wa” displayed on the keys is displayed in roman letters. , “W” is assigned as the second consonant group, and * and # are assigned to the keys 211 and 212.

  On the other hand, the character input display screen 400 is displayed like the display screen 600 of FIG. 6 when the # key 212 is pressed. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a display screen 600 for character input displayed on the display 30 at the time of auxiliary pattern input according to the first embodiment. In the input character display area 601, “#” indicating that the # key 212 has been pressed and switched to the auxiliary pattern is displayed following “Oha”, and the display of the key corresponding function display area 402 indicates that the key corresponding function The display changes to the display area 602. The meaning of the key corresponding function display area 602 is to replace the numbers [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6] on the key top of the keyboard 200 with the Roman letters “X, G, Z, D, P, B”. . In the state where FIG. 6 is displayed, for example, when the key 202 is pressed, the display of “#” in the input character display area 401 changes to “G”, and the Roman letter “G” is input and shown in FIG. Return to basic pattern input.

  Here, “G, Z, D, B” of the key 202, the key 203, the key 204, and the key 206 is “G, Z, D, B”, which is “ This is the first consonant of the Roman alphabet that constitutes the kana of ", z, da, b". In the first embodiment, it is possible to input muddy sounds and semi-turbid sounds without the need to enter muddy and semi-voiced symbols. There is a feature.

  Here, the Roman letter “X” corresponding to the key 201 means a lower case letter. For example, when the key 201 is pressed with the auxiliary pattern and “X” is input and the key 201 is pressed again with the automatically switched basic pattern, the Roman character input is [XA], and the input character display screen 401 is automatically displayed on the input character display screen 401. "A" is entered.

  The meaning of the “[#] symbol” displayed in the key corresponding function display area 602 is as follows. When the # key 212 is pressed while the key corresponding function display area 602 of FIG. 6 is displayed, the display “#” in the input character display area 601 changes to a long sound “,”. Depending on the number of times, the display changes to the symbols “,” “.” “•” “!” “?”, And when the numeric key is pressed, the displayed symbol is input and the basic pattern is input. Returning to the mode, the basic pattern romaji corresponding to the number key that was pressed is input. When it is necessary to input symbols continuously, when the “→” key of a control key (not shown) is pressed, the previous symbol is determined and the symbol can be input again from the beginning.

  As described above, when a character or symbol is input in the display state of the key corresponding function display area 602 in FIG. 6, the display state of the key corresponding function display area 402 in FIG. 4 is obtained, and Roman characters are input in the basic pattern corresponding to FIG. Return to the state. For example, if a Roman character [G] is input by the key 202 in the auxiliary pattern, the display screen 600 is changed to the display screen 400, and the key input is changed from the auxiliary pattern in FIG. 5 to the basic pattern in FIG. By inputting “A”, the kana character “GA” is displayed on the input character display screen 401 of the display screen 400.

  2 has the function of turning on / off the display of the key corresponding function display area 402 of FIG. 4 or the key corresponding function display area 602 of FIG. These displays narrow the display area of the input character display area 401 or 601 so that they can be turned on and off as necessary.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the second embodiment, the basic pattern is the same as that of the first embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, and the content of the auxiliary pattern after switching by the input of the # key 212 is the first embodiment. Therefore, the description of the input of the basic pattern is omitted, and the auxiliary pattern will be described in detail.

  The meaning of “[#] switching” in the key corresponding function display area 402 in FIG. 4 in the second embodiment is the same as in the first embodiment “the # key 212 in FIG. 2 performs a switching operation. That ’s it. In the second embodiment, when the # key 212 is pressed while the display screen 400 of FIG. 4 is displayed, the key assignment of FIG. 3 is switched to the key assignment of FIG. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing assignment of Roman characters to each key of the keyboard 200 of FIG. 2 in the auxiliary pattern in the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a diagram of the second embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the display screen 800 for the character input displayed on the display 30 at the time of auxiliary pattern input.

  In this switched state, the input of each key of the keyboard 200 of FIG. 2 is performed according to FIG. That is, the key 201 has a long clef symbol “-”, the key 202 has a punctuation symbol “,”, the key 203 has a punctuation symbol “.”, The key 204 has a midpoint symbol “·”, and the key 205 has an exclamation symbol “ ! "Is entered on the key 206 regardless of the display of each key top. In the keys from the key 207 to the key 210, as in the first embodiment, the Roman letters “M”, “Y”, “R” corresponding to the first Roman letter when the kana displayed in each key is displayed in Roman letters. , “W” is assigned as the second consonant group, and * and # are assigned to the keys 211 and 212.

  On the other hand, by this switching, the display screen for character input is switched from the display screen 300 in FIG. 3 to the display screen 800 in FIG. As in the first embodiment, “#” is displayed in the input character display area 801 after “Oh”, and the display of the key corresponding function display area 402 is changed to the display of the key corresponding function display area 802. change. The meaning of the key corresponding function display area 802 is that the numbers “1”, “2”, “3”, “4”, “5”, “6” on the key top of the keyboard 200 are represented by the symbols “—”, “,”, “.”, “•”, “!”, “?”. In the state where FIG. 8 is displayed, for example, when the key 202 is pressed, the display of “#” in the input character display area 801 changes to “,” and the symbol “,” is input.

  The meaning of “[#] muddy point” in the key corresponding function display area 802 is that the display “#” in the input character display area 801 is displayed as muddy point “” when the # key 212 is pressed in the state where FIG. 8 is displayed. When the key 212 is further depressed, the semi-turbidity point is changed to “°”, and the muddy point or semi-turbid point is input. For example, when the kana character “ha” is input and displayed immediately before the display “#” in the input character display area and a muddy point is input with one key press of the # key 212, “ha” "Is displayed. When a semi-voice point is input with two keystrokes of the # key 212, “ha” changes to “pa”. In the first embodiment, the first romaji itself constituting the kana of the muddy sound and the semi-voiced sound is assigned from the key 202 to the key 205 in the auxiliary pattern, so that it can be directly input by the keystroke of the key. In the embodiment of the present invention, the first Roman letters constituting the kana of the muddy sound and the semi-voiced sound are not provided. Therefore, after inputting the clear sound in the basic pattern, the auxiliary pattern is switched, and the # key 212 is pressed once or twice. Will add a cloudy or semi-cloudy point. Instead, in the first embodiment, a symbol that has been input by a plurality of keystrokes of the # key 212 can be directly input by a single keystroke of the keys 201 to 206. After a desired muddy point or semi-turbid point is input by pressing the # key 212, a muddy point or a semi-turbid point displayed at that time is input by pressing a numeric key, and the input character display area 801 in FIG. The display “#” changes to the input of the basic pattern shown in FIG. 3 instead of the input characters, and the display screen 800 also returns to the display screen 400, and the Roman characters corresponding to the number keys pressed are input.

  When the key 207 is pressed in the display state of FIG. 8, the Roman letter “M” is pressed, when the key 208 is pressed, the Roman letter “Y” is pressed, and when the key 209 is pressed, the Roman letter “R” is pressed and the key 210 is pressed. Then, the Roman character “W” is input, and at the same time, the display “#” in the input character display area 801 in FIG. The display screen 600 is displayed again.

  In the display of the key corresponding function display area 802 in FIG. 8, the correspondence with the numeric keys is omitted for the Roman letters “M, Y, R, W”. This is because the kana characters “ma, ya, la, w” can be read relatively easily by replacing them with the roman letters “M, Y, R, W”.

  Also in the second embodiment, the * key 211 in FIG. 2 has a function of turning on / off the display of the key corresponding function display area 402 in FIG. 4 or the key corresponding function display area 802 in FIG.

  Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing assignment of Roman letters to each key of the keyboard 200 of FIG. 2 in the basic pattern in the third embodiment of the present invention. Sections 901 to 912 in FIG. 9 correspond to the keys 201 to 212 in FIG.

  The assignment described in the key / romaji assignment table 900 of FIG. 9 is the same as the assignment of the basic pattern described above as a common matter, and the description is omitted. Keys 211 and 212 are assigned * and #.

  FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a display screen 1000 for character input displayed on the display 30 at the time of inputting a basic pattern according to the third embodiment, and FIG. 11 shows the third embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the allocation of the Roman character to each key of the keyboard 200 of FIG.

  Also in the third embodiment, the basic pattern and its input method are the same as those in the first and second embodiments described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, and the auxiliary pattern after switching by the input of the # key 212 is used. The contents are the same as those of the first embodiment, but the operation is different. Therefore, the description of the input of the basic pattern is omitted, and the auxiliary pattern will be described in detail.

The input character display area 1001 displays the input character string. In the input character display area 1001 of FIG. 10, “to k ” is input. This is because the key 204 of FIG. 2 is pressed, then the key 210 is pressed, the key 202 is pressed, and the Roman character of FIG. Since the Roman character “TOK” is input in accordance with the notation, the character string “and k ” is displayed in FIG. At this time, an underbar is displayed on the character “k” input immediately before, which indicates that conversion is possible by pressing the # key 212. In the key corresponding function display area 1002 in FIG. 10, a display for replacing the characters displayed on the key top in FIG. 2 is displayed. That is, [7] I means “number [7] of the number key 207 is read as“ I ””. The same applies to [8] U, [9] E, and [0] O. Since the Roman top of FIG. 9 is not engraved on the key top of the keyboard of FIG. 2, the keyboard operator reads the display as follows and performs key input. That is, the kana “A, K, S, T, N, H” displayed on the key top of the keyboard 200 is replaced with the Roman letters “A, K, S, T, N, H”. This replacement is easy if you have knowledge of Roman characters. Further, the display of the keys 207, 208, 209, and 210 is read as “I, U, E, O” in accordance with the display of the key corresponding function display area 1002 in FIG.

  The keystroke of “[#] conversion” in the key corresponding function display area 1002 in FIG. 10 means that the Roman character of the basic pattern input immediately before is converted into the Roman character of the auxiliary pattern assigned to the same key. That is, when the # key 212 is pressed in the state where FIG. 10 is displayed, the Roman letter that is input by the key assignment of FIG. 9 and the underbar is displayed is assigned to the key in which the Roman letter is input. Converted to romaji. When the # key 212 in FIG. 2 is pressed while the display screen 1000 in FIG. 10 is displayed, the Roman character “k” in the input character display area 1001 is displayed as the auxiliary pattern Roman character “g” assigned to the same key 202. Instead, the input of the Roman letter “k” is canceled and the Roman letter “g” is input. Similarly, when the Roman character “I” is input immediately before and the kana character “I” is displayed with an underscore, the display character “I” changes to “M” when the # key 212 is pressed, and the Roman character “I” is input. Is canceled and the Roman letter “M” is entered. When the # key 212 is pressed again, the previous conversion is canceled, and when the key is continuously pressed, this conversion is performed in accordance with the number of keystrokes. The symbols “−”, “,”, “.”, “•”, “!” "?" And "?" Are displayed in the input character display area 1001. When a numeric key is pressed, the symbol is fixed and the Roman character of the basic pattern of the numeric key is input next. When it is necessary to input symbols continuously, when the “→” key of a control key (not shown) is pressed, the previous symbol is determined and the symbol can be input again from the beginning. When the confirmation key is provided as the control key, the confirmation key may be confirmed by pressing the confirmation key.

  The key / romaji assignment table of FIG. 11 is the same as the key / romaji assignment table of FIG. 5 of the auxiliary pattern of the first embodiment, and the Roman letter “X” corresponding to the key 201 is input next. Romaji is a symbol that makes a lower case letter. If you enter "A" with the key 201 and press the # key 212, and then continue typing the consonant and vowel of the assigned Roman letter you want to lower case, the kana of the combination of the Roman letters Becomes lowercase.

  “G, Z, D, B” of the key 202, the key 203, the key 204, and the key 206 is “Gaza, It is the first consonant of the Roman character that constitutes the kana of "Da", and when you want to input the muddy sound, if you enter the first clear sound and hit the # key 212, it becomes a muddy consonant. Since “N” corresponds to “P” of the auxiliary pattern, if “N” is input with the key 205 and the # key 212 is pressed, a semi-voiced consonant “P” is obtained. As described above, in the third embodiment, it is not necessary to input the dakuten and semi-dakuten symbols, and the muffled sound is not required without replacing the key top kana character “Kasanahana” with the Roman letter “GZDPB”. Semi-turbid sound can be input.

  The Roman character input of the second consonant group is input by the Roman character of the first consonant group of the key top kana, and when the # key 212 is pressed, it is automatically converted to the Roman character of the second consonant group.

  Also in the third embodiment, the display of the key corresponding function display area 1002 in FIG. 10 can be turned on and off by pressing the * key 211 in FIG.

  The embodiment of the present invention described above is an embodiment that focuses on the coexistence with the character input method of a conventional mobile phone for a mobile phone, but this Roman character kana input method is limited to a mobile phone. Instead, the present invention can be widely applied to other electronic devices in which kana input is performed using numeric keys.

It is a block block diagram which shows the structure of the electronic device provided with the keyboard of embodiment of this invention. It is a key arrangement figure of the keyboard which inputs the number of the mobile telephone of the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and a character. It is a schematic diagram which shows the allocation of the Roman character to each key of the keyboard of FIG. 2 in the basic pattern in the first embodiment and the second embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the display screen for the character input displayed on the display in a basic state in the 1st and 2nd embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the allocation of the Roman character to each key of the keyboard of FIG. 2 of the auxiliary pattern in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the display screen for the character input displayed on the display at the time of the auxiliary pattern input of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the allocation of the Roman character to each key of the keyboard of FIG. 2 in the auxiliary pattern in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the display screen for the character input displayed on the display at the time of the auxiliary pattern input of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the allocation of the Roman letter to each key of the keyboard of FIG. 2 in the basic pattern in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the display screen for the character input displayed on the display at the time of the basic pattern input of the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the allocation of the Roman character to each key of the keyboard of FIG. 2 of the auxiliary pattern in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electronic device 10 Control apparatus 11 Input part 12 Control part 13 Key input control part 14 Memory | storage part 15 Kana / Kanji conversion dictionary 16 Output part 20,200 Keyboard 30 Display 201-212 Data key 300, 500, 700, 900, 1100 key / Romaji assignment table 301 to 312, 501 to 512, 701 to 712, 901 to 912, 1101 to 1112 Section 400, 600, 800, 1000 Display screen 401, 601, 801, 1001 Input character display area 402, 602, 802, 1002 Key function display area

Claims (12)

An electronic device having a keyboard, a display, and control means, wherein character input is performed using numeric keys of the keyboard,
The character input method of the electronic device controlled by the control means includes a Roman character kana input method in which a kana character is input by inputting a Roman character assigned to the numeric key,
In the romaji kana input method, the ten roman keys include five roman vowel characters A, I, U, E, and O constituting the kana and the five roman characters of the first consonant group. 10 sub-patterns assigned to the 10 numeric keys are selected from the basic pattern to which consonant characters are assigned and the Roman letters and codes of the second consonant group consisting of the remaining consonants. Is provided,
When only the numeric key is pressed, the control means recognizes the input of the Roman character of the basic pattern assigned to the numeric key, and the numeric key is pressed in combination with the key input of a predetermined special key. An electronic device having a keyboard that recognizes and processes input of a consonant or code of the second consonant group of the auxiliary pattern assigned to the numeric key.   The predetermined ten inputs selected from the second consonant group and code and assigned to the auxiliary pattern are input by keystrokes of numeric keys after keystrokes of the predetermined special keys. An electronic device comprising the keyboard according to 1.   The predetermined ten inputs selected from the second consonant group and the code and assigned to the auxiliary pattern are the basic keys input by the numeric keys that are input before the predetermined special key is pressed. The electronic device with a keyboard according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device includes a keyboard according to claim 1, which is performed by converting a Roman character of a pattern into a Roman character or a code of the auxiliary pattern assigned to the numeric key by a keystroke of the special key.   The basic pattern is composed of A, I, U, E, 0 corresponding to five vowels and five consonants of K, S, T, N, H. An electronic apparatus comprising the keyboard according to any one of the above.   The auxiliary pattern is composed of ten second consonant groups of X, G, Z, D, P, B, M, Y, R, and W, and the input of the code is distinguished by the number of keystrokes of the special key. The electronic device provided with the keyboard of any one of Claim 1 to 4 input.   The auxiliary pattern is composed of four second consonant groups of M, Y, R, and W, and a predetermined code, and the cloud point and the semi-cloud point are input by being distinguished by the number of keystrokes of the special key. The electronic device provided with the keyboard of any one of Claims 1-4.   The electronic device with a keyboard according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the special key is a # key.   The basic patterns “A, K, S, T, N, H” are assigned to the numeric keys to which the kana “A, K, S, T, N, H” are assigned, respectively, “I, U, The electronic device having a keyboard according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein "E, O" is assigned to a numeric key to which the kana "ma, ya, ra, wa" is assigned. .   9. The auxiliary pattern “M, Y, R, W” is assigned to a numeric key to which the kana “ma, ya, ra, wa” is assigned, respectively. An electronic device comprising the keyboard according to the item.   10. The auxiliary pattern “G, Z, D, B” is assigned to a numeric key to which the kana “ka, sa, ta,” is assigned, respectively. An electronic device comprising the keyboard according to the item.   11. The display according to claim 1, wherein the display includes an area for displaying input characters, and an area for displaying Roman characters assigned to numeric keys for inputting kana corresponding to the numbers. An electronic device comprising the keyboard according to item 1. 2. The kana characters of each step of the kana string of the kana 50 syllable assigned to the numeric key can be input by distinguishing the number of keystrokes by a plurality of keystrokes of the numeric key. An electronic apparatus comprising the keyboard according to any one of 11.

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