JP2012103912A - Character input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a character input device attaining reduction of a burden of an operator by reducing the number of operations to input characters.SOLUTION: A character input device 1 includes: an operation device 10 to be operated by an operator; a display 8; a storage section 30 for storing word data 31 having words in association with syllable information of the words registered therein; common vowel group input means for receiving an input of a character for each common vowel group to which syllables of the character belong; character string extraction means for extracting from the word data 31 a character string constituted by the same combination as the inputted common vowel group; and conversion candidate display means for displaying a conversion candidate including the extracted character string as a list on the display 8.

Description

  The present invention relates to a character input device.

  Conventionally, when searching for a destination by car navigation or searching for a song name to be played back by car audio, a character input device for a user to input a search term such as the destination or a song name has been used. It has been.

  As an example of a character input device conventionally used in a car navigation system, there is one in which a user, who is a user, inputs characters while viewing a keyboard image (soft keyboard) displayed on a display (see, for example, Patent Document 1). ).

  An operation device used for performing such character input includes, for example, an XY operation type operation switch such as a joystick or a cross key, and is adjacent to the display or for enabling remote operation of the vehicle center console. It is mounted on remote control devices that are connected by wireless communication.

  According to the conventional character input device, when inputting characters, an image of a soft keyboard in which kana characters are arranged for each of the 50 tones is displayed on the display, and the operator selects kana characters corresponding to syllables such as a search word to be input. Characters are entered by selecting each character in turn from the soft keyboard.

JP 2005-85083 A

  However, when inputting a character string by the above-described conventional method, 46 kana characters corresponding to syllables, “a” to “n”, and 50 or more characters including muddy and anti-turbid sounds are arranged. Therefore, it was necessary to search and select the corresponding characters from the soft keyboard one by one, and the operation was complicated. In particular, in the remote character string input operation using the operation device, the complexity increases and the burden on the operator is large.

  In addition, as an input method in which the number of characters to be selected is smaller than when inputting syllables directly with kana, there is a method of inputting characters corresponding to each syllable in alphabet (so-called Roman character input). However, in the input method using Roman characters, it is necessary to input the syllables into consonants and vowels twice, and the number of operations to be input is increased compared to the case of directly inputting the kana. For this reason, it cannot be said that it is the method which can fully eliminate the complexity of operation input.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a character input device that reduces the number of operations for inputting characters and reduces the burden on the operator.

[1] In order to achieve the above object, a character input device according to the present invention includes an operation input unit operated by an operator and an image display unit for displaying an image provided for operation using the operation input unit. A storage unit for storing word data in which a plurality of words are registered together with syllables constituting the word, and input of characters corresponding to one syllable made by operating the operation input unit. A syllable group input means that is received for each syllable group that includes syllable groups having a common sound to which the syllable group belongs, and a character string that is the same combination as the combination of syllable groups received by the syllable group input means is stored in the storage unit. A character string extracting means for extracting from the word data, and a conversion candidate table for displaying the character string extracted by the character string extracting means as conversion candidates on the image display unit. And means, the.

[2] The syllable group input means is a character input device that receives input of characters for each common vowel group including syllable groups having a common vowel.

[3] The syllable group input means is a character input device that receives input of characters for each common consonant group including syllable groups having common consonants.

[4] The operation input unit is a character input device including a remote operation type operation switch operable in a first direction and a second direction orthogonal to the first direction.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the number of operations for inputting characters and reduce the burden on the operator.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which an operation device provided in a character input device according to an embodiment of the invention is attached to a center console in a vehicle. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a system including a character input device, car navigation, and car audio according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a character input operation and a procedure performed by the operator using the character input device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an initial character input screen according to the first embodiment. FIGS. 5A and 5B are diagrams respectively illustrating character input screens displayed when the common vowel group input unit according to the first embodiment is activated. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a character input screen that is displayed when the common vowel group to which the first syllable having the syllable configuration “Touzaidai” belongs is selected and determined in the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a character input screen displayed when the common vowel group to which the second syllable group having the syllable configuration “Touzaidai” belongs is selected and determined in the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a character input screen that is displayed when the common vowel group to which the last sixth syllable of the syllable configuration “Touzaidai” belongs is selected and determined in the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a modification of the character input screen according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a conversion candidate display screen according to the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a modification of the conversion candidate display screen according to the first embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a character input screen that is displayed when a part of the syllable of the character string to be input is directly input as a kana character in the second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a character input screen by the common consonant group input unit according to the third embodiment. FIGS. 14A and 14B are diagrams respectively showing modifications of the character input screen according to the third embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, in each figure, about the component which has the substantially same function, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the duplicate description is abbreviate | omitted.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which an operation device as an operation input unit provided in the character input device according to the first embodiment of the present invention is attached to a center console in a vehicle. The center console 6 is provided near the center of the vehicle adjacent to the left side of the driver's seat 5. The instrument panel 9 on the left side of the steering 7 is provided with a display 8 as an image display unit of a car navigation system or a car audio system. The display 8 also serves as a component of the character input device 1 by displaying an image such as a character input screen 100 described later.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a system including the character input device 1 according to the present embodiment, and car navigation and car audio.

  The character input device 1 according to the present embodiment includes an operation device 10 that is operated by an operator, an input device ECU (ECU: Electric Control Unit) 20, and a first storage unit 30 that stores word data 31. The display 8 described above is provided.

  The operation device 10 includes an XY operation type operation switch that can be operated in a first direction X and a second direction Y orthogonal to the first direction X. In addition, the operation device 10 is provided in the center console 6 as a remote operation type operation input unit that allows an operator to input characters by hand operation while looking at an image displayed on the display 8. As shown in detail in the circle of FIG. 1, the operation device 10 has a disk-shaped operation key plate 16 and the operation key plate 16 is pressed or touched in the left-right (X) direction and the front-back (Y) direction, respectively. The four micro switches 11 to 14 that are activated by the operation and the determination button 17 that activates the small push switch 15 provided at the center of the operation key plate 16 are configured.

  The operation device of the character input device 1 is not limited to the one described above, and may be switches of various operation types such as a joystick, a slide, or a rotary. The operation device may be a transparent touch panel switch arranged in a matrix on the screen of the display 8.

  As will be described later, the input device ECU 20 performs processing such as displaying an image such as the character input screen 100 on the display 8, moving the cursor based on the operation of the operation device 10, and converting the selected syllable group. As shown in FIG. 2, the operation device 10 and the first storage unit 30 are connected to the input device ECU 20.

  The input device ECU 20 is connected to an in-vehicle LAN (LAN: Local Area Network) 90 provided in the vehicle so as to be able to communicate with each other. A display 8 and a speaker 4 are connected to the in-vehicle LAN 90. The speaker 4 outputs guidance voice from the car navigation device 50, music reproduced by the car audio device 60, radio reception sound, and the like.

  In the present embodiment, a car navigation device 50 will be described as an example of a target device for character input by the character input device 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the car navigation device 50 includes a car navigation ECU 51, a GPS sensor 52, a vehicle speed / orientation sensor 53, and a second storage unit 54. The GPS sensor 52, the vehicle speed / orientation sensor 53, and the second storage unit 54 are connected to the car navigation ECU 51, respectively.

  The car navigation ECU 51 is communicably connected to the input device ECU 20 of the character input device 1 via the in-vehicle LAN 90. Map data 55 is stored in the second storage unit 54. The map data 55 includes map information based on information such as latitude and longitude, administrative divisions, routes such as roads, rivers and topography, and facilities, stores, landmarks and the like searched as destinations in latitude and longitude on the map. And associated location information. The location information includes, for example, the location name referred to as the destination and the latitude and longitude in which the location is located, and the location attributes such as the purpose of the facility, the type of the store, and the address.

  The car navigation ECU 51 of the car navigation device 50 accurately detects the position on the map where the vehicle is located based on the current position information of the vehicle detected by the GPS sensor 52 and the speed information from the vehicle speed / direction sensor 53. In addition, the car navigation ECU 51 can perform more accurate position detection by performing matching processing with the map data 55 stored in the second storage unit 54.

  In addition, the car navigation ECU 51 searches the map data 55 for the optimum route from the current location to the destination input by a method described later, and displays the result on the display 8 together with the map image.

  The car audio device 60 includes a car audio ECU 61, a CD / smart media reader 62, a radio receiver 63, and the like. The car audio ECU 61 is communicably connected to the input device ECU 20 of the character input device 1 via the in-vehicle LAN 90. Although not described in detail here, the car audio ECU 61 stores a CD or the like set in the CD / smart media reading unit 62 based on an album name or a song name input via the character input device 1. It is also possible to retrieve music data from the medium and play it.

(Character input operation according to the first embodiment)
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the character input operation by the character input device 1 and the procedure performed by the operator. Hereinafter, with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 3, in order to search for a route by the car navigation device 50, a case where “Tozai Dai” is input as a search term indicating the destination is given as an example. A specific method of character input will be described. Note that each operation by the character input device 1 shown in FIG. 3 is executed when each means such as a syllable group input means described below provided in the input device ECU 20 performs arithmetic processing according to a program.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an initial character input screen 100 for character input, which is displayed on the display 8 when searching for a route using the car navigation device 50. When the input device ECU 20 receives a search word input command necessary for searching for a destination from the car navigation ECU 51, the input device ECU 20 first displays a character input screen 100 as shown in FIG. 4 on the display 8 (step S1). Then, the input device ECU 20 performs an initialization process such as setting “1” to the count variable n for character input (step S2).

  Here, the character input screen 100 displayed on the display 8 includes a 50-tone arrangement table 111, an input character area 112 for displaying the input characters, and a mode switching icon 113 for appropriately switching the input mode. Configured. The mode switching icon 113 includes a plurality of icon areas such as “easy mode” 113a, “correction” 113b, “lowercase” 113c, “kana” 113d, and “start search” 113e.

  When “easy mode” 113a of mode switching icon 113 is clicked on initial character input screen 100 shown in FIG. 4, syllable group input means provided in input device ECU 20 is activated. As will be described in detail below, when an operator inputs a character string such as a search word, the syllable group input means accepts input in units of syllable groups to which the syllable belongs for each syllable constituting the character string.

  Here, the “syllable group” refers to a group of syllable groups having a common sound. The “common vowel group” described below is a group composed of syllable groups with common vowels, and is a subordinate concept of “syllable group”. A “common consonant group” to be described later is a group composed of syllable groups with common consonants, and is also a subordinate concept of “syllable group”.

  In the first embodiment, a case where the common vowel group input unit is activated as an example of the syllable group input unit will be described.

  FIGS. 5A and 5B are diagrams showing character input screens 101 and 102 displayed on the display 8 when the “simple mode” 113a is selected and the common vowel group input means is activated. In this “simple mode”, a horizontally long cursor 114 is displayed surrounding any stage of each common vowel group represented by “a” to “o” in the 50-tone arrangement table 111. In the example of the character input screen 101 in FIG. 5A, the cursor 114 is displayed in the row of the common vowel group sharing the vowel “A”. In the example of the character input screen 102 in FIG. 5B, the cursor 114 is displayed at the common vowel group stage sharing the vowel “o”. When the operation key plate 16 of the operation device 10 is operated in the up and down direction (second direction Y), the micro switches 11 and 12 are activated, and the cursor 114 of the 50-tone arrangement table 111 is accordingly moved to the common vowel group stage. Move up and down every time. The stage of the common vowel group surrounded by the cursor 114 is in a state where it can be selected and determined by the next operation. Note that the representative character of the common vowel group that can be selected and determined ("A" in the example of FIG. 5A and "O" in the example of FIG. 5B) is displayed in the input character area 112. Good.

  In addition, as a method of displaying the selectable and determined common vowel group level, the common vowel group level can be displayed brighter or the color can be changed without using the cursor 114 as in the present embodiment. Any mode may be used as long as the method can be visually distinguished from other levels such as display.

  The operator selects a common vowel group in order from the beginning for each syllable constituting the character string to be input while looking at the character input screens 101, 102 and the like. That is, in the “simple mode” according to the present embodiment, it is possible to input a character string to be input by the operator for each syllable in units of common vowel groups.

  FIG. 6 shows the top of the syllable structure “Tozai Dai” of “Tozai Dai”, which is an example of a character string that the operator wants to input as a destination search word in step S3 of the flowchart shown in FIG. = 1) is a diagram showing a character input screen 103 displayed when the stage of the common vowel group to which the first syllable “to” of 1) belongs is selected and determined. In this case, “o”, which is a character representing the common vowel group to which the kana character “to” corresponding to the syllable belongs (hereinafter referred to as “representative character”), is displayed in the input character area 112. The common vowel group is determined by moving the operation key plate 16 of the operation device 10 up and down to select one level (“O” in FIG. 6) of the 50-sound arrangement table 111 indicated by the cursor 114. When the push button 15 is actuated by pressing the decision button 17, the common vowel group at that stage is selected and decided. When a certain common vowel group is selected and determined, a horizontal arrow mark M1 as shown in FIG. 6 is displayed together with its representative character (“O” in FIG. 6) in order to distinguish it from the selectable state. .

  Next, the common vowel group input means increments the count variable n for character input (step S5) and accepts selection of the common vowel group to which the second syllable (n = 2) belongs. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a character input screen 104 displayed when the common vowel group to which the second syllable “U” belongs is selected and determined. The operator moves the operation key plate 16 of the operation device 10 to the common vowel group stage to which the second syllable “U” of the syllable structure “Touzaidai” belongs as in the operation of selecting the first character in the repeated processing of Step S3. Select by operating up and down. Then, by pressing the decision button 17 with the cursor 114 selected, the stage of “U” of the common vowel group is determined as shown in FIG. The mark M1 is displayed in the input character area 112.

  The operator repeats the selection determination operation for the common vowel group unit of the character string to be continuously input in the same operation procedure. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a character input screen 105 that is displayed when the common vowel group to which the last sixth syllable “I” of the syllable configuration “Toizaida” belongs is selected and determined. After the operator selects and determines the “yes” row of the last common vowel group, the operator finishes the selection input of the common vowel group by, for example, pressing and holding the determination button 17 of the operation device 10 (for example, 3 seconds or more) This is communicated to the input device ECU 20. It should be noted that the operator may instruct the selection input end by clicking the “search start” 113 e icon on the character input screen 105.

  Here, FIG. 9 is a figure which shows the modification of the character input screens 100-105 mentioned above. The common vowel group input means may display on the display 8 a common vowel group arrangement table 111a in which only representative characters of the common vowel group are arranged vertically instead of the 50-note arrangement table 111 as shown in FIG. . According to this modification of the character input screen, the display area of the representative characters of the common vowel group can be widened on the screen of the display 8. That is, by displaying the representative character in a large size, the visibility and operability of the operator can be improved.

  When the input device ECU 20 detects the operation of the push switch 15 connected to the determination button 17 or detects the click of the “search start” 113e and recognizes the end of the selection input of the common vowel group (step S4: Yes), The processing by the character string extraction means is started. The character string extraction unit according to the present embodiment extracts a corresponding character string by referring to the word data 31 stored in advance in the first storage unit 30 from the combination of the common vowel groups selected and determined in step S3. (Step S6). Here, the word data 31 is stored in the first storage unit 30 so that a combination of a registered word and a common vowel group corresponding to the syllable structure of the word can be mutually searched.

  In the example of the present embodiment, for example, “Todai University” (Tozai Dai) is used as a character string corresponding to “Oaiai” (represented by a representative character) that is a combination of the selected and determined common vowel groups. , “Tokai River Bank”, “Tokai Confectionery”, “International Association” (Kokusai), “JGB Purchase” (Kokusai), “Ogura Kita City” (Kokura Kitashi), etc. Is extracted. Here, the combination of the common vowel groups to which each syllable of the extracted character string belongs matches the combination of the common vowel groups selected in step S3. In addition, the words constituting the character string (for example, “East / West”, “Tokai”, “International”, “Large”, “Sweet”, “Meeting”, “Buy”, etc.) are registered in the word data 31. Extracted.

  As described above, the character string extraction unit extracts, from the word data 31, a character string composed of the same combination of common vowel groups as the selected combination of common vowel groups.

  Subsequently, the input device ECU 20 starts processing by the conversion candidate display unit. Here, FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the conversion candidate display screen 121 displayed on the display 8 in step S7 of the flowchart shown in FIG. The conversion candidate display means according to the present embodiment extracts the destination name registered as the location information of the map data 55 stored in the second storage unit 54 in cooperation with the car navigation device 50. Those including the character string thus made are displayed as conversion candidates in the conversion candidate character string list 115 (step S7).

  In the example of FIG. 10, a name (for example, “Tozai University”, “" including a character string extracted corresponding to “Ouaiai”, which is a combination of input common vowel groups, and registered as location information. "Tokai River Bank", "International Conference Hall", etc.) are listed.

  The conversion candidate display means is a conversion candidate that is not registered in the location information of the map data 55 such as “JGB purchase” among the character strings extracted by the character string extraction means in step S6 described above. It is automatically excluded from the display of the character string list 115. In addition, when the search area (for example, within 5 km from the current position or within a specific prefecture) is limited in advance, or when the destination attribute (for example, restaurant, factory, university, etc.) is limited, only the location that satisfies the search condition It is also possible to narrow down to a list of conversion candidates.

  In step S7, the operator operates the operation key plate 16 of the operation device 10 in the left-right direction (first direction X) to activate the microswitches 13 and 14, thereby performing another conversion shown in FIG. The display on the display 6 can be switched to the candidate display screen 122.

  In the conversion candidate display screen 122 of FIG. 11, the character string corresponding to each character string in the conversion character string list 118 and the conversion character string list 118 in which the character string extracted by the character string extraction unit is expressed in kana characters is displayed. A hit number box 119 indicating the number of hits of the location name is displayed. From this conversion candidate display screen 122, the operator can confirm whether the character string input by selecting the common vowel group is correct.

  If there is a name (search word) of the destination to be originally searched among the conversion candidates displayed in the conversion candidate character string list 115 in FIG. 10 (step S8: Yes), the operator The operation key plate 16 is operated up and down to move the cursor 116, and the corresponding conversion candidate item is selected. Then, when the operator selects the item and presses the enter button 17, the final character string input operation is completed (step S9). If there is no corresponding name in the conversion candidate character string list 115 (step S8: No), the process proceeds to the re-input of characters or the cancel processing of the input characters (step S10).

  When the input device ECU 20 detects the operation of the push switch 15 connected to the determination button 17 and recognizes the determination of the character string input, the input device ECU 20 transmits information on the character string to the car navigation device 50 that is the target device (step S11).

  According to the first embodiment described above, by accepting input of characters corresponding to one syllable for each common vowel group to which the syllable belongs, the operation of character input is simplified and the number of operations is made more than before. Can be reduced. In particular, even when an operation switch having a simple configuration is used as the operation device 10 that can be operated remotely, the operation is not complicated, and the burden on the operator can be reduced.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment in which a part of the character input method by the common vowel group input means of the first embodiment described above is modified will be described. In the second embodiment, in step S3 for selecting the common vowel group shown in FIG. 3, not only the operation for selecting and determining the common vowel group corresponding to each syllable, but also the syllable arbitrarily supported by the operator. Direct input of kana characters is also allowed.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a character input screen 106 displayed when a part of a syllable of a character string to be input is directly input as a kana character in the second embodiment. In the example of FIG. 12, “to” corresponding to the first syllable of the syllable structure “Touzaidai” to be input by the operator and “ta” corresponding to the fifth syllable “da” are selected and determined by kana characters. The case is shown.

  When the operator directly inputs kana characters, the operator operates the operation key plate 16 up and down the cursor of the “a” stage, which is a common vowel group to which “ta” belongs, for example, the syllable to be input first. A selection is made by instructing at 114. Subsequently, when the operator operates the operation key plate 16 left and right, a circle cursor 114b that circles any one character of the selected common vowel group is displayed. The operator operates the operation key plate 16 to the left and right to indicate the kana character “ta” to be directly input with the circle cursor 114b, and presses the enter button 17 in this state. As a result, as shown in FIG. 12, the kana character “TA” corresponding to the fifth syllable “DA” is selected and determined. At this time, a circle mark M2 indicating that the kana character is directly input is displayed in the input character area 112 together with the kana character “ta”.

  When the determination button 17 is pressed and the input device ECU 20 recognizes the end of the character selection input, the input device ECU 20 starts processing by the character string extraction unit similar to that of the first embodiment. The character string extraction unit according to the present embodiment extracts a corresponding character string in consideration of the directly input kana characters together with the combination of the selected and determined common vowel groups.

  According to the second embodiment, since the syllable is fixed for the directly input kana character, it is extracted as compared with the case where it is based only on the combination of the common vowel groups described in the first embodiment. The number of character strings to be displayed and conversion candidates to be displayed can be reduced. Therefore, the accuracy of character string conversion can be further improved.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment, which is still another modified example of the character input method according to the first embodiment described above, will be described. In the third embodiment, common consonant group input means is activated as syllable group input means.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a character input screen 107 displayed on the display 8 by the common consonant group input means according to the third embodiment. In the 50 sound arrangement table 111 of the character input screen 107, common consonant groups including syllable groups with common consonants are arranged in a vertical column from the right in the order of “a”, “ka”, “sa”, “ta”, “na”,. Has been. A vertically long cursor 117 is displayed surrounding any common consonant group row.

  According to the common consonant group input means, when the operator operates the operation key plate 16 of the operation device 10 to the left and right to actuate the micro switches 13 and 14, the cursor 117 moves to each common consonant group column of the 50 sound arrangement table 111. Move left and right. Then, after the cursor 117 surrounds any common consonant group row so that it can be selected, the operator presses the enter button 17 and activates the push switch 15 to select and determine the common consonant group. . At this time, in order to distinguish from the state where selection can be made, a vertical arrow mark M3 as shown in FIG. 13 is displayed in the input character area 112 together with the representative character.

  The operator repeatedly operates the operation device 10 in this way, and sequentially selects and determines a character string to be input for each syllable in units of common consonant groups.

  FIG. 13 shows a case where a common consonant group from the first syllable to the fifth syllable of the syllable structure “Toizaida” of “Tozai Dai” which is an example of a character string to be input by the operator is selected and determined. A display example is shown. In the present embodiment, the representative character of the common consonant group displayed in the input character area 112 is the uppermost character of the 50-tone arrangement table 111. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 13, the representative character “Tasaasa” is displayed in the input character area 112 in correspondence with the syllable configuration “Toizaida” for which the common consonant group is selected.

  Here, FIGS. 14A and 14B are diagrams showing a modification of the character input screen 107 described above. For example, the character input screen 108 shown in FIG. 14A displays a common consonant group arrangement table 111b in which only representative characters of the common consonant group are arranged in a horizontal row. Further, as shown in FIG. 14B, a common consonant group arrangement table 111c in which representative characters of a common consonant group are arranged in a matrix may be displayed on the character input screen. According to these modifications of the character input screen, the display area of the representative characters of the common consonant group can be widened on the screen of the display 8. In other words, the visibility and operability of the operator can be improved by displaying the representative character large.

  The character string extracting unit according to the third embodiment refers to the combination of the common consonant groups that is stored in the first storage unit 30 in advance based on the combination of the selected consonant groups. Extract a string consisting of

  Then, the conversion candidate display means displays the name including the extracted character string among the names of the destinations registered as the location information in the map data 55 of the car navigation device 50 as the conversion candidate in the conversion candidate character string list. To do. As a result, the final input of a character string such as a search word that the operator is trying to input can be performed by selecting a conversion candidate displayed in the conversion candidate character string list.

  According to the third embodiment described above, by accepting input of a character corresponding to one syllable for each common consonant group to which that syllable belongs, the number of operations for inputting a character can be reduced as compared with the conventional case. . Therefore, the burden on the operator can be reduced by eliminating the complexity of the operation.

  Although a plurality of preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and can be further modified and applied within the scope not changing the gist thereof. For example, it can be applied to a character input means for inputting a bank account or the like in a bank ATM system, or a character input means for searching for an address in a mobile phone.

  In the above embodiment, the case has been described in which the syllable group input means, the character string extraction means, and the conversion candidate display means are realized by a program. However, all or part of the program is implemented by hardware such as an ASIC (Application Specific IC). It may be realized by.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Character input device, 4 ... Speaker, 5 ... Driver's seat, 6 ... Center console, 7 ... Steering, 8 ... Display, 9 ... Instrument panel, 10 ... Operation device, 11-14 ... Micro switch, 15 ... Push Switch ... 16 Operation key plate 17 ... Enter button 20 ... Input device ECU 30 ... First storage unit 31 ... Word data 50 ... Car navigation device 51 ... Car navigation ECU 52 ... GPS sensor 53 ... Vehicle speed / orientation sensor, 54 ... Second storage, 55 ... Map data, 60 ... Car audio device, 61 ... Car audio ECU, 62 ... CD / Smart media reader, 62 ... Radio receiver, 90 ... In-vehicle LAN , 100 to 108 ... character input screen, 111 ... 50 sound arrangement table, 111a ... common vowel group arrangement table 111b, 111c ... common consonant group arrangement table, 112 ... input character area, 113 ... mode switching icon, 114, 114a ... cursor, 114b ... circle cursor, 115 ... conversion candidate character string list, 116, 116a, 117, 117a, 117b ... Cursor, 118 ... Conversion character string list, 119 ... Hit count box, 121,122 ... Conversion candidate display screen

Claims (4)

An operation input unit operated by an operator;
An image display unit for displaying an image provided for operation using the operation input unit;
A storage unit for storing word data in which a plurality of words are registered together with syllables constituting the word;
Syllable group input means for accepting input of characters corresponding to one syllable made by operating the operation input unit for each syllable group having a common syllable group to which the syllable belongs;
A character string extracting means for extracting a character string composed of the same combination as the combination of syllable groups received by the syllable group input means from the word data stored in the storage unit;
A character input device comprising: conversion candidate display means for displaying the character string extracted by the character string extraction means as a conversion candidate on the image display unit.   The character input device according to claim 1, wherein the syllable group input unit accepts input of characters for each common vowel group including a syllable group having a common vowel.   The character input device according to claim 1, wherein the syllable group input unit accepts input of characters for each common consonant group including a syllable group having a common consonant. 4. The character input device according to claim 1, wherein the operation input unit includes a remote operation type operation switch operable in a first direction and a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. 5. .

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