JP2009205303A - Input method and input device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To input characters to a terminal by a method which is easier to be understood by a user. <P>SOLUTION: Each input key of an input key display part 310 is associated with one of a plurality of characters in each of a plurality of predetermined character input modes, and characters associated with each input key are displayed based on which of a plurality of character input modes is an input device set to. The display means displays at least one part of characters corresponding to touched input keys corresponding to the set mode as selection candidate characters at an output display part 310, and displays a cursor 312 pointing one of the selection candidate characters, and when a detection means detects movement or/and a tap on a touch panel of the finger of the user, either the cursor 312 or the selection candidate character is moved according to movement amounts of movement or/and the number of times of tap, and when a finger goes away from the input display part or/and tap ends, the selection candidate character pointed by the cursor is displayed as an input character. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an input method and an input device, and more particularly to an input method and an input device using a touch panel.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, characters are input to a small terminal such as a mobile phone and transmitted as an e-mail. When inputting a character, the character is associated with a numeric input key provided for inputting a telephone number. For example, the characters “to” can be input by pressing the “4” button five times. This is an input method generally called “5-touch method”.

  In addition, there has been proposed a terminal including a key input unit having a touch detection pad that detects a moving distance when the user moves a finger without touching and releasing the key input unit (for example, an input signal) (for example, , See Patent Document 1).

  Similarly, an information input system that detects the position where the finger touches and the position where the finger leaves on the touch panel, detects the direction and amount of movement of the finger, and changes the selection candidates for character input accordingly is proposed. (For example, refer to Patent Document 2).

  In the above input method, when inputting English text or numbers, it is possible to select by switching a mode by separately pressing a key or without mode switching. (For example, refer to Patent Document 2).

JP 2007-133806 (Abstract, Claim 1) JP 2007-66031 A (Abstract, paragraphs [0065] to [0071])

  However, in the configuration in which the input character is selected by the touch pad as described above, the input character is determined not at the moment when the finger is touched but at the moment when the finger is released, and the input character determination timing is different from the conventional input method. Therefore, there is a problem that the user feels uncomfortable when inputting. Furthermore, when selecting an input character, the direction of movement of the finger may deviate from the originally intended vertical or horizontal direction, and there was a problem that an input that was not originally intended was made.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a method and an input device that enable character input to a terminal by a method that is easy for a user to perform an input operation. is there.

  In order to achieve such an object, the present invention includes a display having a touch panel and capable of touch operation, a CPU connected to the display, and a memory connected to the CPU. An input device, wherein the display is a display means for displaying an input key display unit and an output display unit on the display, and each input key of the input key display unit has a plurality of predetermined character input modes. Each input according to the character input mode that is set, based on which of the character input modes of the input device is set to one or more of the character input modes. Display means for displaying characters corresponding to the keys, and detection means for detecting that the user has touched the input key display section on the touch panel. According to the set mode, at least a part of the character corresponding to the touched input key is displayed as a selection candidate character on the output display unit, a cursor indicating one of the selection candidate characters is displayed, and the CPU When the detecting means detects the movement or / and tap of the user's finger on the touch panel, the control means moves either the cursor or the selection candidate character in accordance with the movement amount or / and the number of taps. And a control means for controlling the display means so that the selection candidate character pointed by the cursor when the finger is removed from the input display section and / or at the end of the tap is displayed as an input character on the output display section. It is characterized by.

  According to this configuration, since an input character can be selected by moving or tapping a finger, the user can input characters to the terminal in a more easy way.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the input device according to claim 1, wherein the control means moves the user's finger in one direction detected by the detection means, and the cursor points outside the selection candidate character. When the cursor or displayed selection candidate character moves, the control means corresponds to at least one touched input key of a character input mode other than the set character input mode among the plurality of character input modes. The display means is controlled to newly display a character as a selection candidate character.

  Thereby, when it is desired to temporarily input English letters and numbers during hiragana input, it is possible to easily input alphanumeric characters and immediately return to hiragana input.

  Invention of Claim 3 is the input device of Claim 1 or 2, Comprising: A user's finger | toe is hold | maintained without removing from a touch panel so that a cursor may point out of a selection candidate character. When the detection means detects, while the hold is detected, the control means detects the character corresponding to the touched input key of at least one character input mode that is not the character input mode that is set among the plurality of character input modes. The display means is controlled so as to be newly displayed as a selection candidate character.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the input device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein when the set character input mode is the hiragana input mode, the display means corresponds to the touched input key. When the cursor or the displayed selection candidate character moves so that only the character to be displayed and at least a part of the muddy / semi-voiced sound are selected as the selection candidate character and the cursor points outside the selection candidate character, English letters and numbers The display means is controlled to newly display at least one of the above as a selection candidate character.

  According to the above configuration, it is possible to instruct display of a new selection candidate character without continuing to move the finger.

  A fifth aspect of the present invention is the input device according to any one of the second to fourth aspects, wherein the control unit selects the selection candidate character according to the movement amount of the user's finger on the touch panel detected by the detection unit. The character corresponding to the input key of the set character input mode and the character corresponding to the input key of the character input mode other than the set character input mode are displayed cyclically as selection candidate characters. It is characterized by.

  Thereby, it is possible to instruct display of a new selection candidate character with a smaller amount of finger movement.

  A sixth aspect of the present invention is the input device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the detecting means detects that the user's finger is separated from the input key display section at the end of the input key display section. And when the detecting means detects that the user's finger is separated from the input key display section at the end, the control means changes the character input mode setting from the set character input mode to a plurality of character input modes. It is characterized by changing to any one other than the set character input mode.

  Thereby, the character input mode can be easily converted by sliding the finger to the outside of the input key display section.

  A seventh aspect of the present invention is the input device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein when the detecting means detects the movement of the finger after the user's finger touches the input key display unit, the detection is performed. The means obtains the direction and speed of finger movement, and when the speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the control means changes the setting of the character input mode, and a plurality of character input modes are selected according to the finger movement direction. Of these, a character input mode other than the set character input mode is determined.

  Thus, the character input mode can be easily converted by sliding the finger on the input key display unit at a speed equal to or higher than a certain threshold. Further, the character input mode to be converted can be selected depending on the direction in which the finger slides.

  The invention according to claim 8 is the input device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein when the detection unit detects that the user's finger touches the output display unit, the control unit displays the output display. The display means is controlled to scroll the display so that the content displayed in the touched portion of the unit is displayed at a predetermined position in the output display unit.

  As a result, the screen display can be easily scrolled when a long text is being input.

  The invention according to claim 9 is the input device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the control means determines in advance the direction of movement of the user's finger on the touch panel detected by the detection means. If the amount of movement within the first angle range is greater than or equal to a predetermined distance, the upward direction, and if the amount of movement within the predetermined second angle range is greater than or equal to a predetermined distance, the upward direction. Rightward if the amount of movement is within a predetermined third angle range greater than or equal to a predetermined distance, and leftward if the amount of movement is greater than or equal to a predetermined distance within a predetermined fourth angle range. And the selected character candidate pointed to by the cursor is shifted in the determined direction.

  This eliminates the need for the user to strictly control the movement direction of the finger up, down, left, and right, making the operation of the input device easier.

  The invention according to claim 10 is the input device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the plurality of character input modes include a hiragana character input mode, and the display means has a set character input mode. In the hiragana input mode, at least one of a muddy sound and a semi-voiced character corresponding to the touched input key is simultaneously displayed as a selection candidate character.

  As a result, muddy and semi-voiced characters such as “BA” and “PA” are also displayed as selection candidate characters.

  The invention according to claim 11 is the input device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the plurality of character input modes include a hiragana character input mode, and the display means has a set character input mode. In the hiragana input mode, the muddy sound and semi-voiced sound of only the selection candidate character pointed to by the cursor are simultaneously displayed as the selection candidate character.

  As a result, muddy sounds such as “ba” and “pa” and semi-voiced characters are also displayed as selection candidate characters. The user may be able to set whether to display the muddy sound and the semi-voiced sound character only for the selection candidate character pointed to by the cursor or to display all the muddy and semi-voiced sound characters corresponding to the touched input key.

The invention according to claim 12 is a character input method to a display having a touch panel and capable of touch operation, wherein a character input mode of the display is set to any one of a plurality of predetermined character input modes. And a step of displaying an input key display section and an output display section on the display, wherein each input key of the input key display section is one or more of each character in a plurality of character input modes. A step of displaying characters corresponding to each input key according to the set character input mode, and a step of detecting that the user has touched the input key display on the touch panel, Depending on the character input mode that has been set, at least some of the characters corresponding to the touched input key are displayed as selection candidate characters. And the step of displaying on the display unit,
The step of displaying a cursor indicating one of the selection candidate characters, and the movement or / and tap of the user's finger on the touch panel are detected, and the cursor and the selection candidate according to the amount of movement or / and the number of taps A step of moving any one of the characters, and a step of inputting the selection candidate character pointed by the cursor when the finger is removed from the input display unit and / or at the end of the tap and displaying the selected candidate character on the output display unit. It is characterized by.

  According to this configuration, since an input character can be selected by moving or tapping a finger, the user can input characters to the terminal in a more easy way.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to input characters to the terminal in a manner that is easier for the user.

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

  FIG. 1 shows an example of a mobile phone (an example of an input device) 1000 having a character input program according to an embodiment of the present invention. The cellular phone 1000 includes a housing 100, a display 30 installed on the surface of the housing 100, an antenna 50, a memory 60, a CPU 70, a baseband LSI 80, a wireless circuit 90, a battery 100, and a microphone built in the housing 100. 20. The display 30, the antenna 50, the memory 60, the CPU 70, the baseband LSI 80, and the wireless circuit 90 are functionally connected to the CPU 70 and perform voice and data communication based on a program stored in the memory 60. As the baseband LSI 80, the radio circuit 90, the battery 100, and the microphone 20, known ones can be used, and what is used is apparent to those skilled in the art depending on the function and structure of the mobile phone 1000. is there.

  In addition to the mobile phone 1000 according to the present embodiment, the present invention can also be applied to a mobile phone 2000 (FIG. 11) of a type in which the display installation unit of the housing slides on the input key unit installation unit.

  FIG. 2 is a functional configuration diagram relating to the character input function of the mobile phone 1000. As shown in FIG. 2, the display 30 includes a touch panel 340 and touch detection means 350 that detects a touch on the touch panel 340 by the user. As the touch panel 340, a touch panel provided with a resistance film or the like can be used, but other types of touch panels such as a matrix switch, a capacitance switch, and a surface acoustic wave switch may be used. The display 30 further includes display means for displaying characters and the like on the touch panel 340.

  The CPU 70 of the mobile phone 1000 includes a control unit 720 that controls display by the display unit 330 and a movement calculation unit 710 that calculates a movement amount of a user's touch and the like. The memory 60 includes a memory unit 610 that stores the input method according to the present embodiment as a program, and a dictionary database 620 that stores information about characters.

<Display of selection candidate characters and character selection overview>
In the mobile phone 1000 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. The user can input characters by touching the input key display unit 310. Each input key of the input key display unit 310 is associated with predetermined hiragana characters, katakana characters, alphanumeric characters, and symbols. When a user's finger touches the input key, the characters and numbers associated with the input key are displayed. Are displayed on the output display unit 320. The user moves the finger on the input key display unit 310 or / and taps the finger to select a desired character / number and determine an input character.

  FIG. 3 is an example of the input key display unit 310 and the output display unit 320 displayed on the display 30 according to the method of the present invention. Each of the keys of the input key display unit 310 is associated with each row of numbers and 50 notes (A row, Ka row, etc.) and several alphabets. In the present embodiment, the input key display unit 310 always displays buttons 311 indicating “Hiragana mode”, “Alphabet mode”, and “Numeric mode”. Furthermore, “pictogram mode” and “symbol mode” may be further provided. In this embodiment, it is possible to use a case where it is desired to temporarily input alphanumeric characters and symbols during hiragana input and a case where continuous alphanumeric characters are desired to be input. In the latter case, by touching the button 311 Input mode can be converted.

  FIG. 4 illustrates a step of displaying alphanumeric characters and symbols as input selections when it is desired to input alphanumeric characters temporarily during hiragana input and when alphanumeric characters are continuously input. In (1) of FIG. 4, the user's finger touches the “ka” line, and as a result, the output display unit 320 displays the five hiragana characters of the “ka” line and their muddy / semi-voiced characters. ing. In FIG. 4, the hiragana characters and the katakana characters are displayed at the same time. However, only the hiragana characters may be displayed first, or the katakana input mode may be set separately.

  In (2) of FIG. 4, the user selects a desired character by moving his / her finger in the right direction and / or downward direction. When the display of the selected character represented by the square cursor 312 in (2) of FIG. 4 moves to a point indicating a desired character, the user lifts his / her finger from the input key display unit 310. The character that the cursor 312 points to when the finger is released (“GA” in FIG. 4 (3)) is input as the selected input character.

  When inputting alphanumeric characters temporarily during hiragana input, as shown in (3) of FIG. 4, alphanumeric characters are displayed in addition to hiragana as selection candidate characters. Move your finger to reach the desired character. That is, in order to input alphanumeric characters in the configuration of FIG. 4, it is only necessary to move the finger so that the cursor 312 reaches the desired alphanumeric characters. That is, when the cursor 312 moves further to the right from the area where the hiragana selection candidate characters are displayed, the character input mode is automatically and temporarily switched from hiragana input to alphanumeric input. After that, when the cursor reaches the desired alphanumeric character, the finger is released to complete the input of the alphanumeric character, and the mobile phone 1000 returns to the hiragana input mode.

  In FIG. 4A, the corresponding hiragana characters and alphanumeric characters are displayed when the user's finger touches the “ka” key of the input key display unit 310, but as in the example of FIG. When the user touches the input key, only the characters corresponding to the set character input mode (in the example of FIGS. 3 and 4, hiragana) are displayed as selection candidate characters, and the cursor 312 moves outside the selection candidate characters. When the user's finger moves to point (in the example of (3) in FIG. 4), the user's finger moved to move the cursor 312 further to the right from the state where the cursor 312 has selected “ga”. When the user's finger moves to move the cursor 312 to the right, a number may be displayed as the selection candidate character.

  In the above example, when the user's finger touches the input key display unit 310 for the first time, five hiragana characters, all muddy / semi-voiced sounds, and all alphanumeric candidates are displayed. However, a configuration may be used in which only the muddy / semi-voiced sound of the character pointed by the cursor 312 is displayed as the selection candidate character of the muddy / semi-voiced sound. In this case, as shown in FIG. 5, when the user first touches a corresponding button on the input key display unit 310 to select the “ka” line, five characters of the “ka” line are displayed, and the current cursor is displayed. Only “GA”, which is the muddy sound of “KA” with 312 is displayed. In the case of this embodiment, in order to display “A, B, C” and the number “2” corresponding to the “ka” button on the input key display unit 310, the cursor 312 first displays “ka”. If the cursor 312 is moved to the right from the selected state and moved further to the right than the column of the “ga” row (moved further to the right than (3) in FIG. 5), the alphabet and further number selection candidate characters Columns are displayed vertically. After the cursor 312 reaches the column where the desired character is located, the cursor 312 is moved downward to select the desired character.

  Alternatively, the display of the muddy / semi-voiced sound may not be performed when the user's finger touches the input key, but may be displayed when starting to move rightward from the input key. This may be set by the user. Also, move down first, select “I-dan”, “U-dan”, etc., and then move left and right to select “ka line”, “ha line”, etc. May be performed. In this case, if only the muddy / semi-voiced sound of the character pointed to by the cursor 312 is displayed, only the muddy / semi-voiced sound at the stage of the character pointed to by the cursor 312 is displayed as the cursor 312 moves left and right. Will come.

  Similarly, when the input mode for pictograms, symbols, and the like is set, selection candidates are displayed when a finger touches the input key display unit 310, and input selection may be performed by moving the finger and releasing the finger. It is done.

<Character selection from selection candidate characters>
Here, in order to move the cursor 312 in the right direction on the output display unit 320, there are several methods for the user to move the finger on the input key display unit 310.

  First, the finger is moved on the input key display unit 310 until the cursor 312 reaches a desired position. In this case, the distance and direction of the movement of the cursor 312 on the selection candidate character correspond to the movement of the user's finger on the input key display unit 310.

  Next, when the finger has to be moved to the right by a certain distance or more on the input key display unit 310, the finger is not actually moved on the input key display unit 310 according to the movement distance of the cursor 312 but is moved to the right If the finger is held without being removed from the input key display unit 310 after moving a certain distance or more, the selection candidate character display can be switched so as to be shifted. For example, in FIG. 6, when the user touches the button indicating the “ha” line on the input key display unit 310, as shown in (2), the three columns of selection candidate characters and the cursors arranged in the middle column of the three columns 312 is displayed. In FIG. 6B, “M” displayed overlapping the text is displayed in a semi-transparent state so that the text can also be seen through. From here, when the user moves his / her finger over the input key display unit 310 by a predetermined distance or more, the list of selection candidate characters is switched so as to be shifted to the left. At this time, the cursor 312 does not move, and the character pointed to by the cursor 312 changes as the list of selection candidate characters moves. Accordingly, in FIG. 6 (2), alphabetical characters, “ha” line and “ba” line are displayed. However, when the user starts moving his finger in the right direction, in FIG. When the “ba” line and the “pa” line are further held on the input key display unit 310, the “ba” line, the “pa” line, and the numbers are displayed in (4) of FIG. When the cursor 312 reaches the line including the desired character, the user moves the finger downward on the input key display unit 310 and selects the desired character (“PI” in FIG. 6 (5)).

  Here, the list of selection candidate characters in FIG. 6 may be cyclically displayed. For example, in the display state of (4) in FIG. 6, the user does not remove his / her finger from the input key display unit 310. Further, when the hold is made, the “PA” line, numbers, and alphabetic characters may be displayed as a list of selection candidate characters.

  6 (3), when the finger is moved to the left without being released from the input key display unit 310 from the state where the finger is held, the list of selection candidate characters is shifted in the reverse (that is, right) direction. It can also be moved to. In FIG. 6 (3 ′), as a result of the user moving his / her finger to the left and holding it as it is, the list of circular selection candidate characters is shifted to the right, and numbers, letters and “ha” lines are displayed. It shows a state.

  In the above description, the configuration in which the selection candidate character is circulated by holding the finger at the position where the cursor moves outside the selection candidate character has been described. However, the finger is held at the position where the cursor moves outside the selection candidate character. Then, the configuration may be such that the selection candidate characters spread horizontally as shown in FIG. 4 and the cursor moves to the right. In addition, the selection candidate character may be cyclically displayed by moving the finger instead of moving the cursor.

  In the description of the above embodiment, if the finger is moved right, down, left, or up, the user does not have to move the finger in a manner parallel to the edge of the display 30. In particular, the intention is to move the finger downward by 5 characters and input “ko” in the “ka” line, but the finger moves diagonally downward by one character to the right and “go” is input. is there. Therefore, when detecting the direction of finger movement on the output display unit 320, the angular tolerance is widened, and movement to the right, down, left, or up is expressed as “a constant distance in a predetermined angle range direction”. The above movement is defined. For example, “upward direction” is “90 degree total angular range centered on vertical upward direction” (example in the first angular range), and “downward direction” is “total 90 degree vertical centered” "Angle range" (example in the second angle range), "Right direction" is "90 degree angle range centered on the horizontal right direction" (example in the third angle range), "Left direction" By “the angle range of 90 degrees in total around the horizontal left direction” (example in the fourth angle range), even if the movement direction of the user's finger is slightly deviated from the vertical direction or the horizontal direction, it is intended The movement of the cursor 312 in the direction can be realized.

  FIG. 7 illustrates this function. As shown in (1) of FIG. 7, when the user's finger touches the button of the input key display unit 310, a circle for judging the moving direction of the finger is centered on the contact point of the finger with the input key display unit 310. C1 is defined in the input key display unit 310 in terms of function. The circle C1 is divided into four areas A1 to A4, A1 is an area with an upward angle range of 90 degrees, A2 is an area with a right angle range of 90 degrees, A3 is an area with a downward angle range of 90 degrees, and A4 is Regions with an upward angle range of 90 degrees are shown. Further, the radius R of the circle C1 is a threshold value of movement distance (an example of a predetermined distance) necessary for the movement of the finger to be recognized as a signal for moving the cursor 312. When the finger starts to move in the direction shown in (2) of FIG. 7, the moving direction is included in the area A3. Therefore, the control unit 720 of the mobile terminal 1000 determines that the movement is downward, and the cursor 312 moves. Is disclosed ((3) in FIG. 7). When the movement amount of the finger reaches the radius R, that is, when the finger hits the circle C1, the control means 720 determines that it is a complete downward movement instruction, and moves the cursor 312 one by one ((( 4) Move from “ka” to “ki”). When the cursor 312 moves, a new circle C2 centering on the contact point of the finger with the input key display unit 310 at the destination is defined. After that, the finger moving direction and moving amount are determined based on the circle C2. In the example of (5) of FIG. 7, since the movement direction of the finger enters the area A2, the control unit determines that the movement in the right direction starts and starts moving from “ki” to “gi”. When the finger reaches the circle C2, the control means determines that there is a complete instruction for rightward movement, and moves the cursor 312 from “ki” to “gi”.

  Further, in the above embodiment, when moving the cursor 312 downward, the user does not move the finger on the input key display unit 310 but taps the portion of the input key display unit 310 touched by the finger a plurality of times. Can also be moved. Here, “tap” means to release the finger in a short contact time after the touch on the touch panel 340 without moving the finger from the touch position. For example, as shown in (2) of FIG. 5, when selecting “ku” in the “ka” row, this can be achieved by moving the finger downward on the input key display unit 310 as described above. The selection can also be made by tapping the required number of times on the key display unit 310 (twice in the example of movement from “ka” to “ku”). Thereby, it becomes a character input method which does not resist the user who is familiar with the input format of the conventional 5-touch format.

  In addition, since the mobile phone 2000 of FIG. 11 is also provided with an input key, the user can input characters using the input key as usual. Therefore, various input methods can be provided in accordance with the application and user's preference.

<Continuous English letters and numbers input>
As described above, when the input is continuously performed in the alphabetic or numeric input mode, the mode is changed by pressing the button 311 displayed in FIG. 4 to switch to the input mode in which only alphabetic or numeric input is possible. . Alternatively, even if the button 311 is not used, as shown in FIG. 8, when the detection means detects that the finger has moved to the end of the touch panel 340 and the finger has been released, the detected signal is used for character input mode conversion. It is interpreted as a keyboard slide signal, and as shown in (3) of FIG. 8, the display of the button of the input key display unit 310 is exchanged by an animation for alphabetic or numeric input, indicating that the character input mode has changed. it can.

  This operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  When a touch by the user is detected in step 901, selection candidate characters corresponding to the touched area are displayed (step 902). When it is detected that the user slides a finger on the input key display unit 310 (step 903), the control unit 720 determines whether the finger movement amount is equal to or greater than a threshold value (R in FIG. 7). For example, the cursor 312 is moved in the moving direction (step 905), and it is determined whether the finger is released from the input key display unit 310 (step 908). If it has been released, it is determined whether the position of the last finger at the time of release was the left and right ends of the touch panel 340 (step 909). If so, the finger drag speed immediately before release is obtained. If the speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined determination threshold, it is determined that the character input mode is switched. In that case, the direction of dragging is further determined (step 911), and the screen is switched by animation to the input key display unit 310 screen in a different character input mode according to the direction (steps 912 to 915).

<Scroll>
The above embodiment is an operation based on a finger touch on the input key display unit 310. However, when the output display unit 320 is touched, a scroll function can be realized. In FIG. 10 (1), when the user touches the text on the output display unit 320, the display is scrolled so that the content displayed on the touched part moves to a predetermined position P in the output display unit 320. The As a result, the characters input to the output display unit 320 can be displayed well.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to input characters to the terminal in a manner that is easier for the user.

It is a block diagram which shows an example of the mobile telephone which is an example of the input device concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is a functional block diagram of the input device concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the input key display part and output display part concerning embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of selection candidate character display and input character selection concerning embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the selection candidate character display concerning embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the input character selection by the movement of the selection candidate character concerning embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the finger movement direction detection which extended the angle range concerning embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the character input mode setting change by the finger movement concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the character input mode setting change by the finger movement concerning embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the function of the scroll concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows another example of the mobile telephone which is an example of the input device concerning embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

10 mobile phone 20 microphone 30 display 40 speaker 50 antenna 60 memory 70 CPU
720 Control unit 310 Input key display unit 311 Character input mode conversion button 312 Cursor 320 Output display unit 330 Display unit 340 Touch panel 350 Touch detection unit

Claims (12)

An input device having a touch panel-capable display, a CPU connected to the display, and a memory connected to the CPU,
The display is
Display means for displaying an input key display section and an output display section on the display, wherein each input key of the input key display section is one or a plurality of characters in a plurality of predetermined character input modes. And corresponding to each input key according to the set character input mode based on which of the plurality of character input modes is set as the character input mode of the input device. Display means for displaying characters;
Detecting means for detecting that the user has touched the input key display on the touch panel;
Have
The display means displays at least a part of the characters corresponding to the touched input key according to the set mode as selection candidate characters on the output display unit,
Display a cursor pointing to one of the selection candidate characters,
The CPU is
When the detection unit detects a movement or / and tap of the user's finger on the touch panel, either the cursor or the selection candidate character according to the movement amount of the movement or / and the number of taps. Control means for moving the display means, and when the finger is removed from the input display section or / and the selection candidate character pointed to by the cursor at the end of the tap is displayed as an input character on the output display section. An input device comprising: control means for controlling.   When the control unit moves the cursor or the displayed selection candidate character so that the cursor points outside the selection candidate character by movement of the user's finger in one direction detected by the detection unit, The control means newly displays a character corresponding to the touched input key as at least one character input mode other than the set character input mode among the plurality of character input modes as a selection candidate character. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the display unit is controlled.   When the detection means detects that the user's finger is held without being removed from the touch panel so that the cursor points outside the selection candidate character, the control means while the hold is detected. The display means for newly displaying at least one character corresponding to the touched input key as a selection candidate character in a character input mode that is not the set character input mode among the plurality of character input modes. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the input device is controlled.   When the set character input mode is a hiragana input mode, the display means displays only a character corresponding to the touched input key and at least a part of the muddy / semi-voiced sound as selection candidate characters, When the cursor or the displayed selection candidate character moves so that the cursor points outside the selection candidate character, at least one of the alphabetic characters and numbers is newly displayed as the selection candidate character. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the input device is controlled.   The control means moves the selection candidate character according to a movement amount of the user's finger on the touch panel detected by the detection means, and the selection candidate character corresponds to the input key of the set character input mode. 5. The input device according to claim 2, wherein a character to be displayed and a character corresponding to the input key in a character input mode other than the set character input mode are displayed in a cyclic manner. . The detecting means detects that a user's finger has left the input key display unit at an end of the input key display unit,
When the detecting means detects that the user's finger is separated from the input key display section at the end, the control means changes the setting of the character input mode from the set character input mode to the plurality of character input modes. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the input device is changed to any one other than the set character input mode.   When the detection means detects the movement of the finger after the user's finger touches the input key display unit, the detection means obtains the direction and speed of the finger movement, and the speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. In this case, the control means changes the setting of the character input mode, and changes the character input mode to any one of the plurality of character input modes other than the set character input mode according to the moving direction of the finger. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the input device is determined.   When the detecting means detects that the user's finger touches the output display section, the control means determines in advance the content displayed on the touched portion of the output display section in the output display section. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the display unit is controlled to scroll the display so that the display is displayed at the selected position.   The control means is upward if the direction of movement of the user's finger detected by the detection means on the touch panel is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance within a predetermined first angle range, Downward if the amount of movement within a predetermined second angle range is greater than or equal to a predetermined distance, right if the amount of movement is greater than or equal to a predetermined distance within a predetermined third angle range The direction is determined as a left direction if the movement amount is not less than a predetermined distance within a predetermined fourth angle range, and the selected character candidate pointed to by the cursor is shifted in the determined direction. The input device according to any one of claims 1 to 8. The plurality of character input modes includes a hiragana character input mode,
When the set character input mode is a hiragana input mode, the display means simultaneously displays at least one of a muddy sound and a semi-voice character of the character corresponding to the touched input key as the selection candidate character. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the input device is an input device. The plurality of character input modes includes a hiragana character input mode,
The display means, when the set character input mode is a hiragana input mode, simultaneously displays a muddy sound and a semi-voiced sound of only the selection candidate character pointed to by the cursor as the selection candidate character. The input device according to any one of 1 to 9. A character input method for a touch panel-equipped display capable of touch operation,
Determining which one of a plurality of predetermined character input modes is set as the character input mode of the display;
A step of displaying an input key display unit and an output display unit on the display, wherein each input key of the input key display unit is associated with one or more characters of the plurality of character input modes; Displaying characters corresponding to each input key in accordance with the set character input mode;
Detecting that the user has touched the input key display on the touch panel;
Displaying at least a part of the characters corresponding to the touched input key according to the set character input mode as selection candidate characters on the output display unit;
Displaying a cursor indicating one of the selection candidate characters;
When a movement or / and tap of the user's finger on the touch panel is detected, moving one of the cursor and the selection candidate character according to the movement amount of the movement and / or the number of taps;
A character input method comprising: inputting a selection candidate character pointed by the cursor when the finger is released from the input display unit or / and ending a tap and displaying the selected candidate character on the output display unit. .

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