JP3459427B2 - Three-dimensional keyboard - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a three-dimensional keyboard used as a data input device for, for example, a word processor, a computer, etc., which is independently used for right hand and left hand.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Keyboards and mice are used as data input devices used in computers and the like. The keyboard and mouse are usually prepared separately, and they are operated by holding them when operating. As a keyboard having a well-known structure, there is a keyboard in which a large number (several tens to hundreds or more) of keystroke keys are attached in a predetermined arrangement on the surface of a flat plate. In the case of a keyboard having such a structure (hereinafter, referred to as "general-purpose keyboard for two-handed operation"), the operator needs to strike out a plurality of keystroke keys with the five fingers of both hands, so that the operator cannot accurately see the keystroke keys. There is a problem that it is difficult to type in. Further, since both hands are usually lifted and the keys are tapped, there is also a problem that when the work is performed for a long time, the operator tends to get tired. Further, since a large number of keystroke keys are arranged, there is a problem that it is not possible to downsize the keypad without sacrificing usability.

As a keyboard for solving the above-mentioned problems in a general-purpose keyboard for two-handed operation, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Sho 61-61
Left-right separable movable keyboard (hereinafter referred to as "conventional example 1") disclosed in JP-A-131023, JP-A-62-009419.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 58-115154 (Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 60-0)
No. 25040), a general-purpose keyboard for one-handed operation (hereinafter referred to as "conventional example 3") disclosed in Microfilm has been proposed.

In the conventional example 1, two keyboards are used, one of which is a character key group / function key group which is arbitrarily determined to be typed with the right hand, and the other keyboard is arbitrary which is typed with the left hand. The character key group and the function key group defined in Section 2 are arranged so that the left and right hands can be pressed while keeping the positional relationship between the left and right hands convenient for the operator. This keyboard is designed to reduce fatigue during keystroke operation by allowing the position of the keyboard to be easily adjusted without removing it from the keyboard. Conventional Example 2 is also a keyboard having two keyboards, but each finger can operate two keystroke keys, and each keyboard has a hand on it. This is different from the prior art example 1 in that it is supported so as to be able to pivot substantially horizontally, and that the pivotal movement activates a shift switch different from the switch operated by each finger. Conventional Example 3 is a keyboard for one-handed operation, a key plate provided on the board so as to be rotatable left and right with respect to the board, and a key plate that is rotatable left and right with respect to the key plate. Thumbstrap provided on the top, a plurality of keystroke keys that can be operated with one finger of the hand, a first switch for detecting rotation of the key plate to the left or right, and left or right of the thumbstrap Any character can be designated by a combination of a second switch for detecting the rotation of the key, operation of a keystroke key, rotation of the first switch, and rotation of the second switch.

[0005]

Although each of the conventional examples can obtain an operability different from that of the general-purpose keyboard for two-handed operation, the following problems remain. Conventional example 1
Then, the total number of keystroke keys that must be prepared is the same as that of the general-purpose keyboard for two-handed operation. Therefore, it is necessary to separately strike a plurality of keystroke keys with one finger, and it is difficult to accurately type the keystrokes without looking at the keystroke keys. In the conventional example 2, since the left and right keyboards are rotated on the plane with the wrist position as an axis and only the left and right directions are shifted, there are only two types of shift operations. Even if the original position is combined, there are a maximum of three ways You can only choose Therefore, in order to satisfy the number of keys necessary for practical use as a keyboard, it is necessary to combine a plurality of fingers and the shift operation of the other keyboard at the same time to operate, and the operation becomes complicated. In Conventional Example 3,
Since the four fingers except for the thumb and the thumb have to perform the shift operation independently at the same time, it is very difficult to operate, and it takes time to master the operation. In addition, since the four-finger portion is the wrist and the thumb portion is the thumb base portion, the rotation axis during the shift operation is easily fatigued.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a general-purpose keyboard for two-handed operation and a three-dimensional keyboard which can solve the problems of the conventional examples.

[0007]

The three-dimensional keyboard according to the present invention is a natural keyboard in which the operator holds the palm and bends each finger lightly.
A keyboard body three-dimensional shape that can be one-handed operation to conform to the shape, the keyboard body, the longitudinal and lateral oblique
Inclined or horizontal movement of the either direction, or those having a base section for supporting at a movable structure which permits the vertical movement. On all or part of the surface of the keyboard body where the fingers and the palm bottom are in contact with each other, a keystroke key assigned to each of the fingers or the palm bottom is provided. , The keyboard body is tilted or horizontally moved to a predetermined part of the keyboard body or the base part by one-handed operation by the operator.
Moving to, or moved up and down, a predetermined number of switches relative position is activated when the predetermined positions respectively are disposed relative to the base portion. Then, when any one of the keystroke keys is pressed and any switch is activated, a key function can be realized by a combination of the keystroked key and the activated switch.
The bottom of the palm is a portion of the palm near the wrist.

A three-dimensional keyboard having another structure has a three-dimensional keyboard main body which allows the operator to hold one's fingers in the palm and bend it with a natural shape so that one-handed operation is possible. It has a base part supported by a movable structure that allows rotation. The keyboard body has a substantially hemispherical opening hollow portion,
The base portion has a substantially hemispherical surface portion that is housed in the hollow opening. On all or part of the surface of the keyboard body where the fingers and the palm bottom are in contact with each other, a keystroke key assigned to each of the fingers or the palm bottom is provided. A predetermined number of switches are arranged on the surface of the base. Then, when the keyboard body is tilted or rotated by one-handed operation by the operator, the position where any keystroke key is arranged reaches the position where any switch is keyed, and when the keystroke key is pressed, the switch is pressed. Is configured to operate, it is possible to realize a predetermined number of key functions by the keystroke keys keyed according to the relative position of the keyboard body with respect to the base.

The mouse function mode can be assigned to one of the plurality of switches, and the cursor movement can be performed by activating the switch and activating either switch by tilting or horizontal movement of the keyboard body. The configuration is also within the scope of the present invention. From the viewpoint of improving the operability, a protrusion is provided on the surface of the keyboard body at a portion near the base of each of one or more fingers when the palm is placed.

[0010]

EXAMPLES Examples of the three-dimensional keyboard of the present invention will be specifically described below. FIG. 1 is an elevation view of a three-dimensional keyboard of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view. This three-dimensional keyboard is configured separately for the right hand and the left hand, respectively, and is a movable hemispherical portion 1 as an example of the keyboard body.
And a base part 2.

The movable hemispherical portion 1 has a three-dimensional shape which allows the operator to operate it with one hand in a natural state in which each finger is gently bent with the palm.
For example, a three-dimensional shape of about the upper half of a sphere, an ellipsoid, a cylinder, a case cylinder, a polyhedron, a curved body, etc. (In this specification,
The term "hemisphere" or "substantially hemisphere" is used as a representation of these shapes). With such a three-dimensional shape, the weight of the hand at the time of operation can be received in a natural form, so that it can be suitable for operation for a long time. It should be noted that the surface portion of the movable hemisphere portion 1 may be provided with a recess adapted to the finger of the hand.

The movable hemisphere 1 is supported by a movable structure on a base 2 having the shape shown in FIGS. The movable structure referred to here is a structure in which the movable hemisphere portion 1 is not completely fixed to the base portion 2 but is supported in a state of being moved according to an operation amount of an operator. As a mode of support, as shown in FIG. 2, a recess having a flat bottom is formed in the vicinity of the central portion of the base portion 2, and the movable hemispherical portion 1 is placed in such a recess that it can be moved in parallel. As shown in FIG. 1, there is a mode in which the device is slightly floated from the depression so that it can be tilted, rotated, or moved up and down. When it is supported, it can be tilted or horizontally moved in any of the front, back, left, and right directions, it can be rotated clockwise or counterclockwise from the center of the palm, and it can be displaced downward. Etc. In this way, the movable hemisphere portion 1 can freely move on the base portion 2 according to the operation content of the operator.

On the surface of the movable hemisphere portion 1, six keystroke keys 3 to 8 and one protrusion 9 are provided. These keystroke keys 3-8 are 1 for each finger or palm bottom so that the operator can type accurately without looking at them.
Are assigned to each finger, and are arranged at the site where the pad or palm of each finger contacts. In the case of right-hand operation, the keystroke key 3 is the belly of the little finger, the keystroke key 4 is the ring of the ring finger, the keystroke key 5 is the center of the middle finger,
The keystroke key 6 is provided on the forearm of the index finger, the keystroke key 7 is provided on the belly of the thumb, and the keystroke key 8 is provided at a portion where the palm bottom portion abuts. In addition,
There are six keystroke keys when they are provided for all fingers and the palm bottom, but when they are provided only for fingers,
Five is enough.

The protrusion 9 is for preventing the position of the hand from being displaced and not accidentally touching another keystroke key, and for reliably transmitting the stress of the hand or finger to the movable hemisphere part 1. When the palm is placed on 1, it is fixed at a site that is near the base of one of the fingers. In the illustrated example, the protrusion 9
Although there is only one, it may be provided near the base of a plurality of fingers.

In order to compensate for the small number of keystroke keys, in the three-dimensional keyboard of this embodiment, the relative position to the inside of the movable hemisphere portion 1 or the base portion 2 is a predetermined position with respect to the base portion 2. By arranging a plurality of switches that operate when a key is pressed, and by using the keystroke keys 3 to 8 in combination with any of these switches, it is possible to assign a plurality of different key functions to one keystroke key. . That is, when the movable hemisphere portion 1 moves on the base portion 2 by the operation of the operator to activate any switch and any keystroke key is pressed, the combination of the switch and the keystroke key is used. The key function is realized.
If there are N switches on the 3D keyboard,
Along with the case of the original position in which no switch is operated, one keystroke key can realize N + 1 key functions with only one stereo keyboard.
The number of switches is 4 in the movable hemisphere 1
If the number of movements is 5 degrees, the number is 8, but 3
If the intervals are further subdivided such as 0 degree intervals, 12 or more intervals will be provided. In this way, since N + 1 different selections can be made with one stereo keyboard, the number that can be selected by the shift operation sufficiently satisfies the number practically required as a keyboard, and is the same level as a general-purpose keyboard for two-handed operation. Simple operation is possible.

The operation of each switch is as shown in FIG.
This can be achieved by inclining the lower end of the movable hemisphere 1 to the position where the switch 10 is arranged. Figure 4
The movable hemisphere 1 as shown in FIG.
Of the switch 10 is rotated horizontally, or the switch 10 is rotated clockwise or counterclockwise as shown in FIG. 5, or the switch 10 is pressed downward from above as shown in FIG. Can also be activated.

As described above, in the three-dimensional keyboard of this embodiment, each finger or palm bottom always presses only one fixed keystroke key, so that the keystroke key can be pressed without looking at it at all. Therefore, it can be used by people who cannot see, and can also be used as input for Braille. At this time,
If the input information is notified by artificial voice, the usability will be further improved. Also, the three-dimensional keyboard is
The number of effective keys can be set to 100 or more so that it can be used with either one of the left-handed and right-handed three-dimensional keyboards, and it can be used by people who can use only one hand, or by moving their wrists and fingertips. Therefore, it can be easily used by persons with physical disabilities, which were difficult to use with a general-purpose keyboard for two-handed operation. Further, since this three-dimensional keyboard can perform an input operation with a movement as simple as a movement of a hand operating a general-purpose keyboard for two-handed operation, learning is very easy. Further, since the palm is placed on the top of the movable hemisphere portion 1 and the natural shape of the hand can be always maintained, the hand is less likely to get tired even when operated for a long time.

Further, since the left hand and the right hand are separated and independent, and can be downsized, they can be easily placed in a convenient position such as on an armrest of a chair, and the keystroke can be performed relaxedly. It is possible.

If the meanings of the key functions depending on the direction in which the movable hemisphere portion 1 is tilted are arranged, it is possible to improve the usability, for example, when it is tilted forward, it becomes a numeric key. Further, in addition to tilting the movable hemisphere portion 1, the key function is further increased by horizontally moving in the front-back, left-right, and diagonal directions on the base portion 2, or moving it in the vertical direction. In this case, it is more effective to use it for switching the use mode of the keystroke keys 3 to 8. For example, as a key function, when the movable hemisphere portion 1 is horizontally moved to the front, it is dedicated to a character, and when it is moved backward, it is dedicated to a function. In addition, if each key function in the current state (the key function has changed due to tilt, horizontal movement, etc.) is displayed in a corner of the display, such as the lower corner, the usability and proficiency will be further improved. improves.

In the three-dimensional keyboard of this embodiment, a mouse function mode can be set for one of the key functions, so that in addition to the key input function such as character input, the movable hemisphere portion 1 is pushed down or clockwise or counterclockwise. It also has the function of moving the cursor (display indicating the current selection on the screen or program) by tilting it in the front-back, left-right, or diagonal directions or moving it horizontally while rotating it in any direction. You can Therefore, the operability can be much improved as compared with the conventional keyboard which needs a mouse separately.

The above is an example of the case where a large number of key functions are realized by combining the keystroke keys 3 to 8 and the switch 10 (see FIGS. 3 to 6), but the switch 10 is required in advance. Several keys are arranged, and this is the keystroke key 3
According to the present invention, it is possible to make a distinction with each other. That is, the movable hemisphere portion 1 has a substantially hemispherical (or hemispherical) opening hollow portion, and the base portion 2 has a substantially hemispherical surface portion accommodated in the opening hollow portion. A predetermined number of switches are arranged on the surface of the unit 2 in advance. In other words, the movable hemisphere portion 1 and the base portion 2 have a so-called "double structure". The keystroke keys 3 to 8 are as described above. At the time of operation, when the movable hemisphere portion 1 is tilted or rotated by one-handed operation by the operator, the disposition portion of the keystroke key to be depressed reaches the disposition portion of the target switch and the keystroke key is depressed. The switch is activated. In this way, it is possible to realize a predetermined number of key functions by the keystroke keys keyed according to the relative position of the movable hemisphere portion 1 with respect to the base portion 2. At this time, it is desirable to provide the transmission pin 11 on each of the keystroke keys 3 to 8 as shown in FIG.

[0022]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, it is possible for the operator to reliably realize a plurality of key functions without looking at the keystroke keys, and even for long-term operation. It is possible to provide a small three-dimensional keyboard with less fatigue.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an elevation view of a three-dimensional keyboard of the present invention (however, for a right hand (a left hand is symmetrically arranged with a right hand))

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the movable hemisphere (however, for the right hand (the left hand is symmetrically arranged with the right hand))

FIG. 3 is an elevation view showing a state in which the movable hemisphere is tilted (however, for the right hand, in this case, a view tilted to the left when viewed from the operator).

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a state in which the keyboard body is horizontally moved (however, for the right hand, in this case, the view tilted to the left when viewed from the operator).

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a state in which the movable hemisphere portion is rotated (however, for the right hand, in this case, a diagram rotated clockwise as seen from the operator).

FIG. 6 is an elevation view showing the state in which the movable hemisphere portion is pressed downward (however, for the right hand)

FIG. 7 is an elevation view of a three-dimensional keyboard that separates switches on a base portion inside a movable hemisphere (however, for a right hand)

[Explanation of symbols]

1 movable hemisphere 2 base 3-8 keystrokes 9 protrusions 10 switches 11 Transmission pin

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A three-dimensional keyboard main body which allows an operator to hold one's fingers in the palm and flexibly bend each finger to operate with one hand and to operate the keyboard main body in front , rear, left and right.
A base part supported by a movable structure that allows tilting or horizontal movement in any diagonal direction or vertical movement , and each finger and palm bottom part of the surface part of the keyboard body. At all or a part of the part where and touch, a keying key assigned to each of the finger and the palm bottom is provided, and a predetermined part of the keyboard body or the base part is provided. the, the keyboard body by a one-handed operation of the operator, front, rear, left and right
Inclined or horizontal move in either direction of the oblique, or moved up and down, the relative position with respect to the base portion is a predetermined number of switches arranged to operate when the predetermined positions, respectively A three-dimensional keyboard capable of realizing a key function by a combination of the tapped key and the operated switch when any of the keyed keys is pressed and any of the switches is activated. 2. A three-dimensional keyboard body that allows the operator to hold one's finger in the palm and bend it with a natural shape and operate with one hand, and a movable body that allows the tilt or rotation of the keyboard body. And a base part that is supported by a structure, the keyboard body has a substantially hemispherical opening hollow part, and the base part is a substantially hemispherical surface housed in the opening hollow part. And a part of the surface of the keyboard body where each finger and the palm bottom contact each other, or one part is allocated to each part for the finger or the palm bottom, respectively. Keystroke keys are provided, and a predetermined number of switches are provided on the surface portion of the base portion, and the keyboard body is tilted or rotated by an operator's one-handed operation. The location of the keystroke key is By activating the switch when the key reaches the position where the switch is disposed and the key is pressed, the key is pressed according to the relative position of the keyboard body with respect to the base part. A three-dimensional keyboard that enables the function of a certain number of keys with keys. 3. A mouse function mode can be assigned to one of the plurality of switches, and the switch is activated, and any one of the switches is activated by tilting or horizontally moving the keyboard body. The three-dimensional keyboard according to claim 1, wherein the cursor movement is enabled by. 4. The protrusion is provided in a portion of the surface of the keyboard body, which is near the base of each of the one or more fingers when the palm is placed thereon. Three-dimensional keyboard.