JP2010128672A - Electronic apparatus and character conversion method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic apparatus for inputting a character with a simple key operation, and to provide a character conversion method. <P>SOLUTION: A mobile terminal 10 includes: an operation part 17 having a plurality of keys to which first characters are assigned and where second characters corresponding to the first characters are assigned to at least one of the plurality of keys; a detecting part 131 for detecting a convertible character to be converted from the first character into the second character among the plurality of first characters inputted by the operation part 17; and a character converting part 132 for automatically converting the convertible character detected by the detecting part 131 from the first character into the second character. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic device such as a mobile phone that has a plurality of keys to which a plurality of characters are assigned and performs character conversion of input characters, and a character conversion method.

  In a portable terminal such as a mobile phone, “A”, “I”, “U”, “E”, “O”, “A”, “I”, “ぅ”, “E”, “ぉ” Etc., and a plurality of characters are assigned. For example, when inputting the capital letter “U” using this key, it is necessary to press the key three times. To enter a lower case “ぅ”, it is necessary to press the key eight times.

A technique for eliminating such inconvenience is disclosed in Patent Document 1. According to this, when inputting a small letter such as “ぅ”, a key assigned with “A” and a special key may be pressed.
JP 2008-108228 A

  However, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to press a special key every time a character is input, and an uppercase letter such as “A” (an example of the first letter) and “A”. There is a disadvantage that the key operation method differs between lowercase letters (an example of the second letter).

  An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device and a character conversion method capable of inputting characters by an easy key operation.

  The electronic device of the present invention has a plurality of keys to which the first character is assigned, and a second character corresponding to the first character is assigned to at least one of the plurality of keys. A detecting unit that detects a convertible character that can be converted from the first character to the second character among the plurality of first characters input by the operating unit; and A character conversion unit that automatically converts the detected convertible character from the first character to the second character.

  Preferably, the electronic device includes a display unit that displays characters input by the operation unit, and the display unit displays the first characters input by the operation unit. And when the convertible character displayed in the first display region is automatically converted to the second character by the character conversion unit, the converted second character is displayed. And a second display area.

  Preferably, each time the plurality of first characters are input in units of one character by the operation unit, the detection unit determines whether or not the input character is the convertible character, The character conversion unit converts the detected convertible character from the first character to the second character each time the detection unit detects the convertible character.

  Preferably, in the electronic device, the first display area and the second display area are configured by a touch panel, and the plurality of first characters displayed in the first display area are displayed in the first display area. A control unit that detects whether or not the two display areas have been dragged and dropped, and the character conversion unit detects that the plurality of first characters have been dragged and dropped into the second display area If so, the convertible character dragged and dropped is converted from the first character to the second character.

  Preferably, the electronic device displays the first character and the converted second character in the second display area, and the first display area displays the first character in the second display area. A control unit is provided that selects only the second character of the character and the second character, and reconverts the selected second character into the first character before conversion.

  Preferably, the electronic device refers to the storage unit that stores personal information including information about age, and the personal information stored in the storage unit, and determines whether the age is equal to or less than a specified value. And when the determination unit determines that the age is less than or equal to a predetermined value, the control unit permits conversion of the convertible character, and the determination unit If it is determined that the age is not less than the specified value, the conversion of the convertible character is prohibited.

  The character conversion method of the present invention includes a step of inputting a plurality of first characters by an electronic device, and converting the first character to the second character among the plurality of input first characters. Detecting possible convertible characters, and automatically converting the detected convertible characters from the first character to the second character.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to input characters by an easy key operation.

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

<First Embodiment>
[Configuration example of mobile terminal 10]
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a main part of the mobile terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
A mobile terminal 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 includes an antenna 11, a communication unit 12, a control unit 13, a storage unit 14, a voice input / output unit 15, a speaker (SP) 151, a microphone (MIC) 152, a display unit 16, and an operation unit 17. Have The control unit 13 includes a detection unit 131 and a character conversion unit 132.
The portable terminal 10 corresponds to the electronic device of the present invention.

  The mobile terminal 10 is a mobile phone, for example. The mobile terminal 10 may be, for example, a PHS (Personal Handy phone System). For example, the mobile terminal 10 has functions for performing voice calls, creating and sending / receiving e-mails, and browsing a WEB (World Wide Web) site.

  The mobile terminal 10 has a character conversion function that can automatically convert an input uppercase letter to a lowercase letter. With this character conversion function, for example, just enter the uppercase character string "Happy New Year", and this character string will be mixed with the uppercase and lowercase letters "Akakemashite and Gozasame" Can be converted automatically.

  In this character conversion function, character conversion is performed only for characters having upper and lower case letters such as “A”. Specifically, each time a character is input in units of characters, for example, an uppercase letter “A” is automatically converted into a lowercase letter “A” (single conversion).

The “capital letter (first character)” refers to characters such as “a” in hiragana and “a” in katakana. “Lowercase letter (second character)” refers to a character such as “a” in hiragana and “a” in katakana (abandoned kana).
For convenience of explanation, for example, a character that can be converted from uppercase letters to lowercase letters, such as “a” in Hiragana, is referred to as “convertible characters”. A character string with a mixture of uppercase and lowercase letters, such as “Akemashite, Meideto and Gogozama”, is also simply referred to as a “mixed character string”.

  The antenna 11 is, for example, a built-in antenna. The antenna 11 may be a rod antenna, for example. The antenna 11 transmits an electromagnetic wave in a predetermined frequency band toward a base station (not shown) or receives it from the base station.

The communication unit 12 modulates the transmission signal output from the control unit 13 into a predetermined modulation method, and transmits the modulated transmission signal to the base station via the antenna 11 as a radio wave signal.
The communication unit 12 demodulates the radio wave signal received from the base station via the antenna 11 and outputs the demodulated signal to the control unit 13 as a received signal.

  The control unit 13 is composed of, for example, a microcomputer (CPU), a DSP, and the like. The control unit 13 controls the overall operation of the mobile terminal 10 so that various processes are executed in an appropriate procedure according to the operation of the operation unit 17 by the user.

  The processing performed by the control unit 13 includes processing for executing a character conversion function, processing of an application for browsing electronic mail and WEB, and the like. The control performed by the control unit 13 includes, for example, control for causing the display unit 16 to display communication control of the communication unit 12, access between the control unit 13 and the storage unit 14, input characters, character-converted data, images, and the like. Control of voice processing in the voice input / output unit 15 is included.

  The detection unit 131 detects a convertible character that can be converted from an uppercase letter to a lowercase letter. For example, when the character string input to the detection unit 131 is “Happy New Year”, “A”, “O”, “U”, “I” having uppercase and lowercase characters are converted characters. Detected.

  The character conversion unit 132 converts uppercase characters into lowercase characters for the convertible characters detected by the detection unit 131. For example, “A” is converted into “A”, “O” is converted into “ぉ”, “U” is converted into “ぅ”, and “I” is converted into “I”.

The storage unit 14 includes, for example, a nonvolatile storage device (flash memory), a randomly accessible storage device (SRAM, DRAM), or the like.
The storage unit 14 stores an application program for executing a character conversion function, an editor, a program for executing e-mail, an operating system, and the like. In addition, the storage unit 14 stores the output result of the control unit 13, temporary data used in the process of the program, and the like.

Since the audio input / output unit 15 outputs the digital audio data supplied from the control unit 13 via the speaker 151, a signal such as digital / analog (D / A) conversion, amplification or the like is applied to the digital audio data. Apply processing.
Since the audio input / output unit 15 converts the analog audio signal input from the microphone 152 into digital audio data and outputs the digital audio data to the control unit 13, the audio input / output unit 15 performs amplification, analog / digital (A / A) D) Perform processing such as conversion and encoding.

  The display part 16 is comprised by display devices, such as a liquid crystal display panel and an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) panel, for example. The display unit 16 displays various information corresponding to the video signal supplied from the control unit 13. This information includes input characters, character-converted data, and the like.

  The operation unit 17 has a plurality of keys to which various functions such as a character confirmation key, a call key, a numeric keypad, a direction key, a confirmation key, and a call key are assigned. When these keys are operated by the user, the operation unit 17 generates a signal corresponding to the operation content and outputs the signal to the control unit 13 as a user instruction.

[Appearance of mobile terminal 10]
Each component of the portable terminal 10 is stored in a predetermined place of the first housing and the second housing illustrated in FIG.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of the mobile terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  A portable terminal 10 illustrated in FIG. 2 includes a folding type (also referred to as a folder type) in which a first casing 101 and a second casing 102 are connected by a hinge part 103 and both casings can be opened and closed by the hinge part 103. ) Mobile phone. FIG. 2 illustrates an open state in which both housings are opened.

On the surface 101F of the first housing 101, a display unit 16 and a speaker 151 are disposed on the display unit 16. The surface 101F is a surface facing the operation unit 17 of the second housing 102 when the mobile terminal 10 is in a closed state (not shown).
On the surface 102F of the second housing 102, various keys of the operation unit 17 and a microphone 152 are arranged below the keys.

[Assign characters to keys]
The assignment of characters to keys will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 3 is an external plan view showing the numeric keypad of the operation unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of key assignment according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates a numeric keypad 171 constituting the operation unit 17. The numeric keypad 171 includes numeric keys, “*” key, and “#” key. The numeric keys are composed of “0” to “9” keys.
The mobile terminal 10 employs a so-called “kana method (5-touch method)” in which characters are input using the numeric keypad 171. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 4, each character constituting the numeric keypad 171 is assigned with each character according to the character input mode.

  Specifically, when inputting characters on the mobile terminal 10, any one of “Kanji Hiragana Mode”, “Katakana Mode”, “English Character Mode”, and “Numeric Mode” is selected as the character input mode. Characters are assigned to the “1” key as follows.

In the “Kanji hiragana mode”, the uppercase and lowercase letters of the “a” line are assigned to the “1” key. Specifically, the “1” key has “A”, “I”, “U”, “E”, “O”, “A”, “I”, “ぅ”, “E”, “ぉ” Are assigned in order.
In “katakana mode”, the uppercase and lowercase letters of the “a” line are assigned to the “1” key. Specifically, “1” key, “A”, “I”, “U”, “D”, “O”, “A”, “I”, “U”, “E”, “o” Are assigned in order.
In the “alphabetic mode”, a symbol such as “.” Is sequentially assigned to the “1” key, and in the “numeric mode”, “1” is assigned to the “1” key.

Thus, uppercase and lowercase letters are assigned to the “1” key, “4” key, and “8” key, and only uppercase letters are assigned to the other keys.
For example, when inputting the capital letter “O”, pressing the “1” key five times and pressing the character confirmation key (not shown) confirms the input of “O”. When inputting a lower case “o”, the character “o” is fixed by pressing the “1” key 10 times.

[Display screen configuration example]
A configuration example of a display screen in the display unit 16 will be described.
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of a display screen in the display unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 5, the display screen of the display unit 16 is divided into three display areas: a character input box 161, a conversion box 162, and a confirmed character box 163. These three display areas are also simply referred to as “conversion boxes”.
The character input box 161 corresponds to the first display area of the present invention. The conversion box 162 corresponds to the second display area of the present invention.

  The character input box 161 is a display area for displaying capital letters input by operating the operation unit 17.

The conversion box 162 is a display area for trial-displaying (trial display) lowercase characters converted by the character conversion unit 132 among the convertible characters input in the character input box 161. In other words, the character displayed in the conversion box 162 is an undetermined character before the character input to the application is reflected.
For example, a character having only uppercase letters such as “ke” is displayed in uppercase letters.

  The confirmed character box 163 is a display area for displaying a character whose character input to the application is confirmed by pressing the confirm key or the like of the operation unit 17.

  A region surrounded by a broken line shown in FIG. 5 is called an active region. The active area 164 is for selecting a display area to be operated from among the three display areas (display areas of the character input box 161, the conversion box 162, and the confirmed character box 163). The active area 164 can be selected, for example, by pressing a direction key (for example, “↑” key, “↓” key, etc.) of the operation unit 17. FIG. 5 illustrates a state where the character input box 161 is selected as the active area 164.

[Operation example of mobile terminal 10]
An operation example of the mobile terminal 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.
FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram showing an operation example of the mobile terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
7A to 7K are conceptual diagrams showing display examples of the display screen according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  In the following, an example will be described in which a character string “Happy New Year” is input to an editor as an application, and this character is converted into a mixed character string “Akemashite and Congratulations”.

As shown in FIG. 6, the user operates the operation unit 17 to perform an operation for starting up the editor (step ST11).
The control part 13 of the portable terminal 10 detects this operation (step ST12), and starts an editor (step ST13). As a result, the editor shown in FIG. 7A is displayed on the display screen of the display unit 16.

  Next, the control unit 13 causes the display unit 16 to display an option as to whether or not to perform character conversion (step ST14). At this time, as shown in FIG. 7B, a command button 1661 labeled “automatic character conversion” is displayed on the window 166 on the display screen of the display unit 16. The command button 1661 is a command button for selecting “execute character conversion” or “do not execute character conversion”. When executing character conversion, for example, by pressing the confirmation key of the operation unit 17, the command button 1661 is pressed, and character conversion is performed.

Then, the user selects one of the two options by operating the operation unit 17 (step ST15).
The control unit 13 detects this operation (step ST16). When it is detected that the option “execute character conversion” is selected (YES in step ST17), the control unit 13 permits the execution of the character conversion function.
On the other hand, when it is detected that the option “do not execute character conversion” is selected (NO in step ST17), the control unit 13 prohibits execution of the character conversion function.

First, the case where the option of “perform character conversion” is selected (YES in step ST17) will be described.
In this case, the control unit 13 displays the conversion box illustrated in FIG. 7C on the display unit 16 (step ST18). As a result, the character conversion function can be executed. At this time, the character input box 161 is set in the active area 164.

The user then enters the string “Happy New Year” into the editor. First, the user presses the “1” key to which the first character “a” is assigned (step ST19).
The control unit 13 detects this operation (step ST110) and displays the capital letter “A” input by the process of step ST19 in the character input box 161 of the display unit 16 (step ST111). As a result, in the character input box 161 of the display unit 16, as shown in FIG. 7D, the first character “A” in the character string “Happy New Year” is displayed.

At this time, the detection unit 131 detects a convertible character that can be converted from an uppercase letter to a lowercase letter in the character input by the operation of the operation unit 17 (step ST112).
If the input character is a convertible character (YES in step ST113), the character conversion unit 132 performs character conversion from uppercase to lowercase (step ST114). In this case, uppercase “A” is converted to lowercase “A”. In this way, character conversion by the user's operation becomes unnecessary, and key operation for inputting lowercase letters becomes easy.
After that, the control unit 13 displays the lowercase characters converted by the character conversion unit 132 in the conversion box 162 of the display unit 16 (step ST115). As a result, as shown in FIG. 7E, the display unit 16 displays the lowercase letter “A” that has undergone character conversion.

On the other hand, when the input character is not a convertible character (NO in step ST113), the character conversion unit 132 stops character conversion.
Control unit 13 displays the input characters in conversion box 162 of display unit 16 (step ST115). For example, an input character such as “ke” is displayed in the conversion box 162 of the display unit 16 without being converted into a character.

If the character to be input is not the last character, that is, the last character of the character string “Happy New Year” “NO” (NO in step ST116), the next character “KE” is input. Then, the process of step ST110 is performed. Thereafter, the processes of steps ST110 to ST115 are repeated for the number of characters.
As a result, as shown in FIG. 7F, a character string “Happy New Year” is displayed in the character input box 161 of the display unit 16, and the converted character “A” is displayed in the conversion box 162. The mixed character string “Kemashite Medeto and Gogozaimasu” is displayed.
At this stage, since the character string displayed in the conversion box 162 is a trial display, it is not reflected in the editor.

[Modification from lowercase to uppercase]
By the way, as described above, convertible characters are automatically converted from uppercase characters to lowercase characters, but there are cases where specific characters are desired to be input in uppercase characters. The mobile terminal 10 can correct (inversely convert) the lowercase characters converted to uppercase characters.
In the following, we explain the case where the sixth letter of the lowercase letter “ぉ” is changed to the uppercase letter “O” in the mixed character string “Akemashite, Memede and Gogozama”. To do.

  As shown in FIG. 7F, the active area 164 is set in the character input box 161. The user presses a direction key (for example, “↑” key) of the operation unit 17 to set the active area 164 in the conversion box 162 as illustrated in FIG.

  The control unit 13 displays the cursor 165 only for convertible characters in the character string displayed in the conversion box 162 of the display unit 16. At this time, the control unit 13 displays a cursor 165 below the first convertible character “A”.

The user presses a direction key (for example, “→” key) of the operation unit 17 in order to correct the character-converted “ぉ”.
Since the control unit 13 displays the cursor 165 only for the convertible character, the control unit 13 also moves the cursor 165 to the lower part of “ぉ”, which is the next convertible character.

  Then, when the user presses the confirmation key (here, the key corresponding to “O” is pressed only once), the character conversion unit 132 reversely converts the lowercase “ぉ” to the uppercase “O”. To do. That is, in the character conversion using the normal operation key, in order to convert the lowercase letter “ぉ” to the uppercase letter “O”, the key corresponding to “O” is pressed five times. Since only one press is required, key operation for reverse conversion is facilitated. FIG. 7H illustrates a state in which the child character “ぉ” is reversely converted to the capital letter “O” and the cursor 165 is displayed below “O”.

After the above correction, the user presses the confirmation key of the operation unit 17 in order to reflect the input character on the editor (step ST117).
The control unit 13 detects pressing of the confirmation key (step ST118), and displays the character string converted by the character conversion unit 132 in the fixed character box 163 of the display unit 16 (step ST119). As a result, in the fixed character box 163 of the display unit 16, as shown in FIG. 7I, a mixed character string “Akake, tsutome tsugozai ji” that has been character-converted is displayed.

[Correction of mixed character string]
Some users want to correct the mixed character string after character conversion. The correction here means correction of uppercase letters and lowercase letters. In the following, a case where “o”, which has been converted from lowercase “ぉ” to uppercase, is converted to lowercase “ぉ” again will be described as an example.

  As shown in FIG. 7I, the active area 164 is set in the conversion box 162. The user presses a direction key (for example, “↑” key) of the operation unit 17 to set the active area 164 in the confirmed character box 163 as illustrated in FIG.

  The control unit 13 displays a cursor 165 for each character of the character string displayed in the confirmed character box 163 of the display unit 16. The control unit 13 displays a cursor 165 below the first character, “A”.

The user presses a direction key (for example, “→” key) of the operation unit 17 in order to correct the character-converted “ぉ”.
Thereby, the control unit 13 moves the cursor 165 to the lower part of “ぉ”.

  Then, when the user presses the confirmation key, the character conversion unit 132 converts the uppercase “O” to the lowercase “ぉ”. FIG. 7J illustrates a state in which an uppercase “O” is converted to a lowercase “ぉ” and a cursor 165 is displayed below “ぉ”.

After the correction described above, the control unit 13 reflects the confirmed character string in the editor, and then stores the character string in the storage unit 14 (step ST120).
When input of all the character strings (sentences) is completed (YES in step ST121), the control unit 13 closes the conversion box and then determines the confirmed character string as illustrated in FIG. Is displayed on the display unit 16 (step ST120).
On the other hand, when a character string (sentence) is further input (NO in step ST121), the process in step ST110 is resumed.

  By the way, when the option “do not execute character conversion” is selected in step ST17 (NO in step ST17), the character string (character) input by the operation of the operation unit 17 is directly reflected in the editor. (Step ST122).

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, small letters can be easily input with few key operations and without being aware of switching operation between uppercase letters and lowercase letters. For example, in the case of inputting a mixed character string of “Akemashite and Megosame” by a key operation in this embodiment, compared to the case of inputting a mixed character string by a general key operation, 20 times. Key operations can be reduced. Furthermore, there is no need for a special key or the like for inputting lowercase letters, and there is a benefit that it is not necessary to learn troublesome key operations.

  In the first embodiment described above, character conversion is performed after the editor is activated in the processing of steps ST11 to ST13 and the conversion box 162 is displayed in the processing of step ST18. On the contrary, after the conversion box 162 is displayed first, the editor can be activated to reflect the character conversion.

Second Embodiment
A second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, a mobile terminal 10a that employs a touch panel and can convert input characters collectively by a drag and drop operation will be described.
The drag and drop means that an item on the display screen is virtually grabbed and moved to another place (drag), and the grabbed item is released (dropped). By dropping an item, a predetermined application operation can be executed.

[Configuration Example of Display Unit 16a]
FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view showing an appearance example of a display unit according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 8, a touch panel is mounted on the display unit 16a. For example, the touch panel is attached to the second housing 102 of the mobile terminal 10 so as to be pressed with a finger.

  The display unit 16a is configured to allow a drag and drop operation. An operation on the touch panel is performed by lightly pressing a key (item) displayed on the touch panel with a finger. This pressing may be a touch (light pressing or other touch) as long as the touch panel can detect an input. Instead of the finger, for example, a character can be input using a pen (touch pen). The touch panel is configured to detect such pressing and contact. According to the display unit 16a, a sensuous operation can be performed by simply pressing the touch panel lightly with a finger.

  FIG. 8 illustrates a state in which the conversion box is displayed on the display unit 16a. Similar to the first embodiment, the conversion box includes a character input box 161, a conversion box 162, and a confirmed character box 163. The conversion box 162 is further divided into three display areas.

More specifically, the kanji conversion box 1621 is a display area for converting hiragana characters input to the character input box 161 into kanji.
The lowercase conversion box 1622 is a display area for converting the uppercase characters of the hiragana input in the character input box 161 to lowercase. This is the same as the conversion box 162 shown in FIG.
The English conversion box 1623 is a display area for converting the hiragana inputted in the character input box 161 into alphabets.

[Operation example of portable terminal 10a]
An operation example of the mobile terminal 10a will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram showing an operation example of the mobile terminal according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
10A and 10B are conceptual diagrams showing display examples of the display screen according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

  In the same way as in the first embodiment, when the character string “Happy New Year” is input to the editor as an application, and this is converted into a mixed character string “Akemashite and Congratulations” Will be described as an example.

As shown in FIG. 9, the user performs an operation to activate the conversion box in order to input characters into the editor (step ST21).
The control unit 13 detects the operation (step ST22) and displays the conversion box shown in FIG. 8 on the display unit 16a (step ST23). As a result, the character conversion function can be executed.

Then, the user operates the operation unit 17 and inputs the character string “Happy New Year” in capital letters (step ST24).
The control unit 13 detects this operation (step ST25), and displays the character string input by the process of step ST25 in the character input box 161 of the display unit 16a (step ST26). As a result, the character string “Happy New Year” is displayed in the character input box 161 of the display unit 16a.
Then, the control part 13 stores this character string in the memory | storage part 14 (step ST27).

As shown in FIG. 10A, the user touches the character input box 161 with a finger, and drags the displayed character string as a group of items to the lower case conversion box 1622 (step ST28). .
At this time, the control unit 13 detects this drag operation (step ST29).

The user releases his / her finger from the item and drops the item in lowercase conversion box 1622 (step ST210).
The control unit 13 detects this drop operation (step ST211). And the control part 13 detects the XY coordinate (refer FIG. 8) by which the item was dropped (step ST212). Based on the detected XY coordinates, the control unit 13 recognizes which of the three conversion boxes the item is dropped to as a character string (step ST213).
In this case, the control unit 13 recognizes the lowercase conversion box 1622 as the item drop destination.

When the control unit 13 recognizes the item drop destination, the detection unit 131 detects a convertible character that can be converted from uppercase to lowercase from the character string input to the lowercase conversion box 1622 (step ST214).
Then, the character conversion unit 132 performs character conversion from uppercase to lowercase when the input character is a convertible character, and stops character conversion when the input character is not a convertible character ( Step ST215).
As a result, the mixed character string “Akemashite, Gakuto and Tsugozai mai” that has been character-converted is displayed in the lowercase conversion box 1622 of the display unit 16a (step ST216).

The user presses the confirmation key on the operation unit 17 to confirm the input character string (step ST217).
The control unit 13 detects that the confirmation key has been pressed (step ST218). Then, as illustrated in FIG. 10B, the control unit 13 displays the confirmed character in the confirmed character box 163 of the display unit 16a (step ST219).

Thereafter, when the input of all the character strings (sentences) is completed (YES in step ST220), the control unit 13 causes the display unit 16a to display an editor reflecting the confirmed character string.
On the other hand, when a character string (sentence) is further input (NO in step ST220), the process in step ST25 is resumed.

  When the character string displayed in the character input box 161 is used as an item and dragged and dropped into the kanji conversion box 1621, the hiragana can be converted into kanji. For example, in the case of a character string “Happy New Year”, the character is converted into a character string including a kanji “Happy New Year.”

  When the character string displayed in the character input box 161 is used as an item and dragged and dropped into the English conversion box 1623, the hiragana can be converted into alphabet. For example, in the case of the letter “A”, it is converted to the alphabet “A” or “a”.

  In the second embodiment as well, similarly to the first embodiment, a process (for example, steps ST13 to ST17) for displaying an option for prompting whether or not to perform character conversion may be performed.

  According to the second embodiment, there is an advantage that input character strings can be collectively converted into convertible characters. In addition, there is an advantage that a touch panel is adopted and easy and sensory operation can be performed by drag and drop.

<Third Embodiment>
A third embodiment will be described. In the third embodiment, the input convertible characters are automatically converted based on the user's personal information registered in the mobile terminal 10b. More specifically, when the age registered in the personal information is a predetermined age (for example, 18 years old) or less, the convertible characters can be automatically converted. Note that the reason for character conversion when the age is not more than a predetermined age is that the use frequency of the mixed character string is higher as the younger age.
Hereinafter, a description will be given focusing on differences from the first and second embodiments.

FIG. 11 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a main part of the mobile terminal 10b according to the third embodiment of the present invention.
In the mobile terminal 10 b illustrated in FIG. 11, the control unit 13 includes a determination unit 133. The storage unit 14 stores personal information 141. The personal information 141 is composed of information such as the user's age, telephone number, and address, for example.

  The determination unit 133 reads the personal information 141 stored in the storage unit 14. Then, the determination unit 133 determines whether the age registered in the personal information 141 is equal to or less than a specified value. This specified value is, for example, 18 years old and can be suitably set.

If the age is equal to or less than the specified value, the determination unit 133 outputs a permission signal S1 that permits character conversion to the detection unit 131 and the character conversion unit 132.
On the other hand, when the age is equal to or greater than the specified value, the determination unit 133 outputs a prohibition signal S2 for prohibiting character conversion to the detection unit 131 and the character conversion unit 132.

When the age is not more than the specified value, the detection unit 131 detects a convertible character in response to the permission signal S1. Thereafter, in response to the permission signal S1, the character conversion unit 132 converts uppercase characters into lowercase characters for the convertible characters detected by the detection unit 131.
As a result, convertible characters input to an application such as an editor are automatically converted into characters.

On the other hand, when the age is equal to or greater than the specified value, the detection unit 131 and the character conversion unit 132 stop the respective processes in response to the prohibition signal S2.
For this reason, convertible characters input to an application such as an editor are reflected in the application without character conversion.

  According to the third embodiment, character conversion can be automatically performed according to the age of the user. As a result, the character conversion suitable for the user can be realized. Furthermore, the same effects as those of the first and second embodiments can be obtained.

  In each of the embodiments described above, an editor has been described as an example of an application for inputting characters. However, the present invention can be applied to various applications such as creation of an e-mail and writing to a WEB site.

  The present invention can be suitably modified without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the character string “Congratulations” can be converted to the character string “Congratulations” by adding a character string such as “There is” to the end of the character string “Congratulations”. Each embodiment can also be combined suitably.

The functions of the control unit of the portable terminal are processed by software, but some or all of the functions can be processed by hardware.
The mobile terminal in the character conversion system of the present invention can be applied to various electronic devices having a plurality of keys to which a plurality of characters are assigned, such as a mobile phone and a PHS.
Although the display part 16 which displays a mixed character string was provided in the portable terminal mentioned above, it is not limited to this. For example, the display unit that displays the mixed character string may be provided in an external device connected to the mobile terminal.

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a main part of the mobile terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of the mobile terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an external plan view showing the numeric keypad of the operation unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of key assignment according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of a display screen in the display unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram showing an operation example of the mobile terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 7A to 7I are conceptual diagrams showing display examples of the display screen according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view showing an appearance example of a display unit according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram showing an operation example of the mobile terminal according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 10A and 10B are conceptual diagrams showing display examples of the display screen according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a main part of the mobile terminal 10b according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Portable terminal, 11 ... Antenna, 12 ... Communication part, 13 ... Control part, 14 ... Memory | storage part, 15 ... Audio | voice input / output part, 16 ... Display part, 17 ... Operation part, 19 ... Microphone, 101 ... 1st housing | casing Body 102 102 second housing 103 hinge unit 131 detection unit 132 character conversion unit 133 discrimination unit 141 personal information 151 speaker 152 microphone 161 character input box 162 ... Conversion box, 163 ... Confirmed character box, 164 ... Active area, 165 ... Cursor, 166 ... Window, 1661 ... Command button, 171 ... Numeric keypad, 1621 ... Kanji conversion box, 1622 ... Lower case conversion box, 1623 ... English conversion box

Claims (7)

An operation unit having a plurality of keys to which a first character is assigned, wherein a second character corresponding to the first character is assigned to at least one of the keys;
A detecting unit for detecting a convertible character that can be converted from the first character to the second character among the plurality of first characters input by the operation unit;
A character conversion unit that automatically converts the convertible character detected by the detection unit from the first character to the second character;
Electronic equipment having A display unit for displaying characters input by the operation unit;
The display unit
A first display area for displaying the plurality of first characters input by the operation unit;
A second display for displaying the converted second character when the convertible character displayed in the first display area is automatically converted into the second character by the character conversion unit. Area,
The electronic device according to claim 1. The detector is
Each time the plurality of first characters are input in units of one character by the operation unit, it is determined whether the input character is the convertible character,
The character conversion unit
The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein each time the detection unit detects the convertible character, the detected convertible character is converted from the first character to the second character. The first display area and the second display area are configured by a touch panel,
A controller that detects whether or not the plurality of first characters displayed in the first display area have been dragged and dropped into the second display area;
The character conversion unit
When it is detected that the plurality of first characters are dragged and dropped in the second display area, the convertible character dragged and dropped is changed from the first character to the second character. The electronic device according to claim 2 to be converted. In the second display area, the first character and the converted second character are displayed,
In the second display area, only the second character of the first character and the second character is selected, and the selected second character is reconverted to the first character before conversion. The electronic device according to claim 2, further comprising: a control unit that performs the control. A storage unit for storing personal information including information about age;
A determination unit that refers to the personal information stored in the storage unit and determines whether or not the age is a predetermined value or less;
Have
The controller is
When it is determined by the determination unit that the age is not more than a specified value, the conversion to the convertible character is permitted,
The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein when the determination unit determines that the age is not equal to or less than a predetermined value, conversion of the convertible character is prohibited. Inputting a plurality of first characters on an electronic device;
Detecting a convertible character that can be converted from the first character to the second character among the plurality of input first characters;
Automatically converting the detected convertible character from the first character to the second character;
A character conversion method comprising:

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