JP2011244485A - Portable terminal and character conversion method for the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize a portable terminal capable of enhancing an input efficiency of a character without disturbing downsizing of the portable terminal.SOLUTION: The portable terminal comprises: a data storage part 2 storing a character conversion table in which a conversion character and a conversion determination time of this conversion character are recorded in advance in association with a conversion object character; and a CPU 1 converting an input character which is input by depression of an input key to a conversion character which is made to be associated with this input character in advance based on a key depression sustained period of this input key. The CPU 1 compares the key depression sustained period with the conversion determination time corresponding to this conversion object character on condition that the input character is recorded on the character conversion table as the conversion object character, and performs conversion to the conversion character based on this comparison result.

Description

    The present invention relates to a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone, and more particularly to a mobile terminal having a character input function used for creating a text of an e-mail and a character conversion method thereof.

In recent years, various functions that require character input such as a telephone directory function and an e-mail function have been added to a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone, and thus a character input function is also provided.
A conventional cellular phone is provided with a numeric keypad for inputting telephone numbers and characters as shown in FIG. 2, and a user operates the numeric keypad to input characters. The character input method using the numeric keypad is to select a preset character according to the number of times the numeric keypad is pressed. For example, “1” input key is assigned the input function of “A line” of Kana characters, and any character from “A to O” is selected according to the number of times the “1” input key is pressed. Can be entered.

In addition, when this character is input, character conversion may be performed. For example, hiragana, katakana, or letters may be converted from uppercase to lowercase.
FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a conventional character conversion method. The example of character conversion shown in FIG. 7 is a case where “Kyo” is input in hiragana, and at the time of inputting the character, the user converts the capital letter “yo” to the lowercase letter “yo”.

  First, as shown in FIG. 7, the user presses the “2” input key of the numeric keypad in FIG. 2 twice to input the character “ki”. Next, in order to input the character “ょ”, the “8” input key of the numeric keypad in FIG. 2 is pressed four times to enter the lower-case input mode of “ya line”, and further pressed twice. Thereby, the character “文字” is input. Next, in order to input the character “U”, the “1” input key of the numeric keypad in FIG. 2 is pressed three times. Thus, the user can input “Kyo” in hiragana by pressing the numeric keypad 11 times.

  However, in the character conversion method in the conventional mobile phone described above, since the lowercase character input mode is set according to the number of times the numeric keypad is pressed, when lowercase characters are input, the number of times the numeric keypad is pressed is reduced to the lowercase input mode. Will increase. As a result, when inputting characters, there is a problem that extra time is required for the lowercase character input mode, and character input efficiency is reduced.

  Also, as in “Ha-Gyo”, from the muddy sound input mode to the semi-turbid sound input mode, depending on the number of times the keypad is pressed. In some cases, the character is converted by changing to that mode. When such character conversion is performed, the number of times the numeric keypad is pressed is further increased.

  In order to deal with the increase in the number of times the numeric key is pressed, there is a method of providing a conversion key. However, in portable terminals such as mobile phones, there is a case where the number of keys is limited to improve the portability, so that the size can be reduced. By providing a conversion key further, this size reduction can be achieved. The problem of being disturbed may arise.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a mobile terminal capable of improving the input efficiency of characters without hindering downsizing of the mobile terminal, and a character conversion method thereof. It is to provide.

In order to solve the above problems, the following means were adopted.
The portable terminal according to the present invention is a portable terminal provided with an input means including an input key to which a character input function is assigned, and the input character input by pressing the input key is continuously pressed. A processing means for converting the input character into a converted character previously associated with the input character based on time is provided.

  The processing means selects a conversion character corresponding to the key press duration when a plurality of conversion characters are set.

  A character conversion table in which conversion characters corresponding to the input characters are recorded in association with the conversion confirmation time for the input characters that can be converted, and the processing means, based on the key press duration of the input characters, The conversion character of the input character is acquired from the conversion table.

  The character conversion table is stored in a rewritable storage means, and the conversion confirmation time can be changed by a user's specification.

  The character conversion table is stored in a rewritable storage means, and for a specific input character having a plurality of corresponding conversion characters, the processing means converts them based on the frequency of use of the plurality of conversion characters. Character conversion priority is determined, and the conversion content for the specific input character in the character conversion table is changed according to the conversion priority.

  The character conversion method according to the present invention is a character conversion method in a portable terminal having an input means consisting of input keys to which a character input function is assigned, wherein the input characters are input by pressing the input key; A conversion step of converting the input character into a conversion character previously associated with the input character based on the key pressing duration of the input key.

  According to the present invention, an input character input by pressing an input key is converted into a converted character previously associated with the input character based on the key pressing duration of the input key. Although the input key configuration is the same as the conventional one, it is possible to reduce the number of times the input key is pressed when converting an input character to a converted character (for example, converting from an uppercase character to a lowercase character). As a result, it is possible to improve the character input efficiency without hindering the miniaturization of a portable terminal such as a cellular phone.

  Furthermore, when multiple conversion characters are set, if a conversion character corresponding to the key press duration is selected, multiple conversion characters are set for one conversion target character. However, the same number of input key presses for character conversion may be used, and the number of input key presses can be reduced as compared with the prior art. As a result, it is possible to further improve the character input efficiency.

  In addition, for input characters that can be converted, a conversion table corresponding to the input character is recorded in association with the conversion confirmation time, and the input character is converted from the character conversion table based on the key press duration of the input character. If the conversion character of a character is acquired, the effect that the portable terminal of this invention is realizable with a simple structure will be acquired.

  Furthermore, if the character conversion table is stored in a rewritable storage means, and the conversion confirmation time can be changed by the user's specification, the user of the mobile terminal converts it according to the habit when the user presses the key. It becomes possible to set a fixed time, and as a result, an effect of preventing erroneous conversion of characters is obtained.

  In addition, the conversion priority of the conversion characters is stored based on the frequency of use of the plurality of conversion characters for a specific input character having a plurality of corresponding conversion characters stored in the rewritable storage means. If the conversion content of a specific input character in the character conversion table is changed according to the conversion priority, the conversion priority of the conversion character having the high use frequency is increased, and the conversion character having the high use frequency is increased. Can be converted with a shorter key press duration. As a result, it is possible to further improve the character input efficiency.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the mobile telephone (mobile terminal) by the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows a part of structure of the key input part 3 shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the character conversion table 21 memorize | stored in the data storage part 2 shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the character conversion process which the mobile telephone shown in FIG. 1 performs. It is a figure for demonstrating the character conversion method by the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the character conversion table 22 in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the conventional character conversion method.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a mobile phone (mobile terminal) according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In this figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a CPU (central processing unit) that controls each part of the circuit.
Reference numeral 2 denotes a data storage unit accessible from the CPU 1 and is composed of a ROM (read only memory) storing a program and the like and a RAM (random access memory) for temporary data storage. The data storage unit 2 is battery-backed up, and the data stored in the RAM is retained even when the power of the mobile phone is turned off.

Reference numeral 3 is a numeric keypad for inputting telephone numbers and characters, a key input unit provided with various function keys, and reference numeral 4 is a key for detecting the operated key of the key input unit 3 and outputting the detected information to the CPU 1. An operation detection unit. The key operation detection unit 4 includes a timer for measuring a time during which a key is continuously pressed (key pressing duration).
Reference numeral 5 denotes a display composed of a liquid crystal display panel, and reference numeral 6 denotes a display control unit for controlling display on the display 5.

Reference numeral 7 denotes an antenna, and reference numeral 8 denotes a transmission / reception unit that transmits and receives radio signals via the antenna 7 and performs communication control for establishing a radio telephone line.
Reference numeral 9 denotes a data conversion unit that converts data transmitted / received via the radio telephone line established by the transmission / reception unit 8. The CPU 1 can perform data communication (e-mail transmission / reception, etc.) via a wireless telephone line via the data conversion unit 9.
Reference numeral 10 denotes an audio processing unit that processes audio data transmitted and received via the data conversion unit 9.
Reference numeral 11 denotes a microphone for inputting voice to the voice processing unit 10, and reference numeral 12 denotes a speaker that outputs voice input from the voice processing unit 10.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a part of the configuration of the key input unit 3 of FIG. 1, and shows an example of the configuration of a numeric keypad for inputting a telephone number, characters, and the like. In the configuration shown in FIG. 2, a character input function is assigned to each of numeric input keys 1-10. For example, an input function of “A line” of kana characters is assigned to the “1” input key. Also, the input function of “2” input keys is assigned the input function of “kana line” of kana characters and “A to C” of alphabets (English characters).

When inputting characters using these numeric input keys, it is possible to select an input character corresponding to the number of times the numeric input key is pressed in each character input mode (kana input mode, alphabet input mode, etc.). For example, in the Kana input mode, pressing the “1” input key once will select “A” as the input character, “yes” when pressed twice, “u” when pressed three times, “e” when pressed four times. ”And“ O ”are selected as input characters by pressing the button five times.
Further, when the number of times of pressing is repeated, similarly, “a” is sequentially selected according to the number of times of pressing, and this is repeated. In the alphabet input mode, if the “2” input key is pressed once, “A” is selected as the input character, “B” is selected as the input twice, and “C” is selected as the input character when pressed three times. If the number of times of pressing is further increased, selection of A to C is repeated and repeated according to the number of pressing times.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the character conversion table 21 stored in the data storage unit 2 of FIG. In this character conversion table 21, the conversion contents of the characters input by the key input unit 3 in FIG. 2 are recorded in advance, and the recorded contents are converted from conversion target characters (upper case) to conversion characters (lower case). This is the conversion confirmation time for possible character mapping and character conversion.

This conversion confirmation time is a condition for confirming the conversion from uppercase to lowercase. If the key press duration of the key for which the conversion target character (uppercase) is selected is longer than the conversion confirmation time, the conversion character Conversion to (lowercase) is performed. For example, the conversion character of the conversion target character “Yo” is a lower case “ょ”, and the conversion confirmation time is 0.5 seconds. Further, a character (upper case) that does not have a corresponding conversion character (lower case) such as the character “ka line” is not a character to be converted in the character conversion table 21.
In the example shown in FIG. 3, the conversion confirmation time is the same for all the conversion target characters, but the conversion confirmation time may be set individually for the conversion target characters.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, an operation in which the user of the mobile phone in FIG. 1 converts an input character from uppercase to lowercase will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of character conversion processing performed by the mobile phone shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the character conversion method according to the present embodiment. The example of character conversion shown in FIG. 5 is a case where “Kyo” is input in hiragana, and at the time of inputting the character, the user converts the capital letter “yo” to the lowercase letter “yo”.

First, the user first presses the “2” input key once as shown in FIG. 5 in order to input the character “KI” in the kana input mode using the key input unit 3 of the mobile phone.
Here, the key operation detection unit 4 of the mobile phone detects the pressing of the “2” input key, starts a timer, and measures the key pressing duration of the “2” input key. Further, the key operation detection unit 4 notifies the CPU 1 that the “2” input key is pressed (steps S1 to S2 in FIG. 4).

  Next, when notified of pressing of the “2” input key, the CPU 1 selects “ka”, which is an input character corresponding to this key input (pressing the “2” input key once), and the display control unit 6 displays it. 5 is displayed. Next, the CPU 1 refers to the character conversion table 21 and determines whether or not the selected character “ka” is to be converted to lower case (steps S3 to S5 in FIG. 4). In this case, since the character “ka” is not recorded in the character conversion table 21 as the object of conversion to lower case, the CPU 1 does not perform conversion to lower case (the determination result in step S5 of FIG. 4 is “NO”). If).

  Next, when the user depresses the “2” input key for the second time as shown in FIG. 5, the CPU 1 is an input character corresponding to the depressing of the “2” input key twice as in steps S <b> 1 to S <b> 5. “KI” is selected, and this character “KI” is displayed on the display 5 by the display control unit 6 instead of the displayed character “KA”. Also in this case, since the character “ki” is not recorded in the character conversion table 21 as a conversion target to lower case, the CPU 1 does not perform conversion to lower case.

  Next, in order to input the character “文字”, the user first presses the “8” input key once in a time shorter than the conversion confirmation time as shown in FIG. Here, as in steps S1 to S4, the key operation detection unit 4 starts a timer by pressing the “8” input key and measures the key pressing duration of the “8” input key. In addition, the CPU 1 selects “Y”, which is an input character corresponding to the “8” input key being pressed once, and displays it on the display 5 by the display control unit 6, and refers to the character conversion table 21 to select the selected character “ It is determined whether or not “” is to be converted to lower case.

  In this case, since the character “ya” is recorded in the character conversion table 21 as a conversion target to lower case (when the determination result in step S5 of FIG. 4 is “YES”), the CPU 1 detects the key operation detection unit. It is determined whether or not the key pressing duration time of the “8” input key measured in step 4 is equal to or longer than the conversion confirmation time in the character conversion table 21. Here, since the key pressing duration of the “8” input key is shorter than the conversion confirmation time, the CPU 1 does not convert to lower case (when the determination result of step S6 in FIG. 4 is “NO”).

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5, when the user presses the “8” input key for the second time in a time shorter than the conversion confirmation time, the CPU 1 is an input character corresponding to the “8” input key pressed twice “ “Yu” is selected, and this character “Yu” is displayed on the display 5 by the display control unit 6 in place of the displayed character “Ya”. In this case as well, the character “Yu” is recorded in the character conversion table 21 as an object to be converted to lower case. However, since the key pressing duration of the “8” input key is shorter than the conversion confirmation time, the CPU 1 converts it to lower case. Do not convert.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5, when the user continuously presses the third “8” input key for more than the conversion confirmation time, the CPU 1 inputs corresponding to the third press of the “8” input key. The character “Y” is selected, and this character “Y” is displayed on the display 5 by the display control unit 6 in place of the displayed character “Y”. In this case, the character “yo” is recorded in the character conversion table 21 as a conversion target to lower case, and the key pressing duration of the “8” input key is equal to or longer than the conversion confirmation time (FIG. 4). When the determination result in step S6 is “YES”), the CPU 1 performs conversion to lower case according to the conversion contents of the character conversion table 21. Thereby, the CPU 1 causes the display control unit 6 to display the character “「 ”on the display 5 instead of the displayed character“ Y ”(step S7 in FIG. 4). In this way, the user can convert the capital letter “yo” to the small letter “yo”.

  Next, when the user presses the “1” input key three times in a time shorter than the conversion confirmation time as shown in FIG. 5 in order to input the character “U”, the CPU 1 presses the “1” input key three times. The corresponding input character “U” is selected, and this character “U” is displayed on the display 5 by the display control unit 6. In this case, since the character “U” is not recorded in the character conversion table 21 as a conversion target to lower case, the CPU 1 does not perform conversion to lower case. Thereby, the input of “Kyo” by Hiragana is completed.

  In the example of inputting “Kyo” in the above hiragana, as shown in FIG. 5, the user presses the input key eight times for convenience, which is compared with the conventional eleven press shown in FIG. 7. There are few presses. As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to reduce the number of times the input key is pressed when converting from uppercase letters to lowercase letters even though the input key configuration is the same as the conventional one. As a result, it is possible to improve the character input efficiency without hindering the downsizing of the mobile phone.

  In the first embodiment described above, the character conversion process has been described by taking the case of inputting with hiragana as an example. However, the same can be applied to the case of inputting with katakana or inputting with alphabetic characters.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the following, the configuration and operation of the second embodiment will be described taking the case of application to a mobile phone having the same configuration as in FIG. 1, but the same reference numerals are given to the configurations corresponding to the respective parts in FIG. The description is omitted.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the character conversion table 22 stored in the data storage unit 2 in the second embodiment. The character conversion table 22 records a plurality of conversion contents for one conversion target character, and the recording contents include a plurality of conversion characters (first and second conversion characters in the example of FIG. 6). And the respective conversion confirmation times (first and second conversion confirmation times in the example of FIG. 6). In this way, by recording a plurality of conversion contents for one conversion target character in the character conversion table 22 and performing character conversion based on the recorded contents, for example, muddy sound in kana character conversion, It can also be converted to semi-turbid sound.
In the example shown in FIG. 6, the first and second conversion confirmation times are the same for all the conversion target characters, but the first and second conversion confirmation times are individually set for the conversion target characters. May be set.

  In the example shown in FIG. 6, a muddy sound “BA” is recorded as the first converted character and a semi-voiced sound “PA” is recorded as the second converted character with respect to the conversion target character “HA”. Are recorded as the first converted character, the muddy sound “bi”, and the semi-voiced sound “pi” as the second converted character. In addition, for the conversion target character “tsu”, a muddy sound “zu” is recorded as the first conversion character, and a lowercase letter “tsu” is recorded as the second conversion character. The conversion confirmation time (first conversion confirmation time) of these first conversion characters is 0.5 seconds, and the conversion confirmation time (second conversion confirmation time) of the second conversion characters is 1.0 seconds. Each is set. Note that the recording content of the second conversion character is left blank for a conversion target character that has only one conversion character (for example, a lower case letter) such as the character “Y” or an English letter.

  In the second embodiment, the CPU 1 performs the same process as the character conversion process shown in FIG. However, in the process corresponding to step S7 in FIG. 4, the CPU 1 compares the key press duration time of the input key with the conversion confirmation time according to the conversion content of the character conversion table 22, and based on the comparison result, a plurality of converted characters. The corresponding conversion character is selected from the above, and the input character is converted to this conversion character.

  For example, when the input character is “ha”, the key pressing duration of the input key is compared with the first conversion confirmation time (0.5 seconds) shown in FIG. Compared with the time (1.0 second), if the key pressing duration is longer than the first conversion confirmation time and less than the second conversion confirmation time, the first conversion character “BA” is selected as the conversion character. If the key pressing duration is equal to or longer than the second conversion confirmation time, the second conversion character “Pa” is selected as the conversion character.

  Further, the CPU 1 always converts the input character into the first conversion character if the key press duration is equal to or longer than the first conversion confirmation time for the input character in which the recording content of the second conversion character is blank. .

  In the second embodiment described above, the conversion character corresponding to the key pressing duration of the input key is selected. Therefore, even when multiple conversion characters are set for one conversion target character, the number of input key presses when converting characters may be the same, and the number of input key presses can be reduced compared to the conventional case. Is possible. As a result, it is possible to further improve the character input efficiency.

  In the second embodiment described above, the character conversion table 22 is stored in the RAM of the data storage unit 2 so that the converted character can be rewritten, and the conversion priority of the converted character is determined based on the frequency of use of the converted character. Then, the conversion content of the character conversion table 22 may be changed at any time according to the conversion priority.

  For example, the CPU 1 has a learning function, and the CPU 1 obtains the use frequency of each conversion character by the learning function, and rewrites each conversion character into a recording area corresponding to the conversion priority based on the use frequency. . In the example shown in FIG. 6, since the conversion priority of the first conversion character is higher than that of the second conversion character, the conversion character having a high usage frequency is recorded as the first conversion character. In this way, it is possible to convert a conversion character that is used more frequently with a shorter key pressing duration, and to improve the character input efficiency.

  In the above-described embodiment, the character conversion tables 21 and 22 are stored in the RAM of the data storage unit 2 so that the conversion confirmation time can be rewritten, so that the user of the mobile phone can change the conversion confirmation time. It may be. As a result, the user can set the conversion confirmation time in accordance with the habit when the user presses the key, and as a result, the effect of preventing erroneous conversion of characters can be obtained.

  As the mobile terminal of the present invention, as in the above-described embodiment, in addition to a mobile phone such as a so-called CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) system and PDC (Personal Digital Cellular System) system, PHS (registered trademark) (Personal Handyphone System) terminals or portable terminals called PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) are also included. In the case of a PDA, a communication unit may be built in or a communication unit may be connected from the outside.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and includes design changes and the like within a scope not departing from the gist of the present invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... CPU, 2 ... Data storage part, 3 ... Key input part, 4 ... Key operation detection part, 5 ... Display, 6 ... Display control part, 7 ... Antenna, 8 ... Transmission / reception part, 9 ... Data conversion part, 10 ... Audio processing unit, 11 ... microphone, 12 ... speaker, 21, 22 ... character conversion table

Claims (6)

A portable terminal having an input means consisting of input keys to which a character input function is assigned,
And a processing unit that converts an input character input by pressing the input key into a converted character previously associated with the input character based on a key pressing duration of the input key. Mobile device. The processing means includes
The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein when a plurality of conversion characters are set, a conversion character corresponding to the key press duration is selected. For input characters that can be converted, the conversion character according to the input character comprises a character conversion table recorded in association with the conversion confirmation time,
The processing means includes
The mobile terminal according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a conversion character of the input character is acquired from the character conversion table based on a key press duration of the input character. The character conversion table is stored in a rewritable storage means,
The mobile terminal according to claim 3, wherein the conversion confirmation time can be changed by a user's designation. The character conversion table is stored in a rewritable storage means, and for a specific input character having a plurality of corresponding conversion characters,
The processing means includes
The conversion priority of the conversion characters is determined based on the frequency of use of the plurality of conversion characters, and the conversion content for the specific input character in the character conversion table is changed according to the conversion priority. The mobile terminal according to claim 3. A character conversion method in a mobile terminal provided with an input means consisting of input keys to which a character input function is assigned,
A process of inputting an input character by pressing the input key;
A character conversion method comprising: converting the input key into a converted character previously associated with the input character based on a key pressing duration of the input key.

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