JP3466306B2 - Key input device - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a key input device used in the field of a character input device or an input method, and more specifically, a small electronic notebook, a small word processor (word processor), a personal computer (personal computer), etc. The present invention relates to a key input device capable of performing an input operation as a keyboard used in.

[0002]

[Background Art] Word processors and personal computers have excellent functions such as inputting, editing, printing, and saving various characters, symbols, and figures, including "Kanji and Kana-Mixed sentences". It has become an indispensable tool ("writing instrument") in the times. By the way, when inputting Japanese on a word processor or a personal computer, there are various ways of typing such as "JIS kana", "Roman character input (QWERTY arrangement)", "thumb shift", "new JIS kana", etc. The method of inputting is also being developed.

[0003]

On the other hand, since English is written with 26 letters of the alphabet, punctuation marks, spaces, etc., it does not require troublesome operations such as conversion like Japanese, but it always uses one letter of the alphabet. Since it is designed to input English by striking each character, there is a problem that it is difficult to input characters at high speed.

The present invention has been proposed in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a key input device capable of inputting English sentences at high speed.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A key input device of the present invention comprises a composite input detecting means for detecting that a plurality of keys are simultaneously struck and an English sentence input by a plurality of keys struck at the same time. English sentence processing means for rearranging the spelling of the alphabet in a preset English sentence pattern , wherein the composite input detecting means is provided with a plurality of pressed keys.
Key released first and this key released
Struck simultaneously with the key released within a certain time from the time
The key is judged, that is, the key is released
It is characterized in that it is set so as to judge by timing .

At this time, the English sentence processing means is struck at the same time when a plurality of keys are struck simultaneously with a pattern recording means for recording the combination pattern for the English sentence and a character string corresponding to the pattern. Pattern comparing means for comparing the key combination with the pattern recorded in the pattern recording means, and the character string corresponding to the pattern from the pattern recording means when the corresponding pattern is found by the pattern comparing means. It is preferable to have a character string selection means for acquiring and outputting .

Further, the English sentence pattern has six patterns (A) consonants + vowels, (B) consonants + consonants, (C) vowels + vowels, and (D) overlaps in spelling of the English alphabet. Consonants, (E) overlapping vowels, (F)
Vowel + consonant and 9 patterns of 3 letters (G) consonant + vowel + vowel, (H) consonant + consonant + vowel, (I) consonant +
Consonant + consonant, (J) consonant + duplicate vowel, (K) vowel + vowel + consonant, (L) vowel + consonant + consonant, (M) vowel + duplicate consonant, (N) consonant + vowel + consonant, ( O) Vowel + consonant +
It is preferable that a total of 15 patterns of vowels are collected.

[0008]

[0009]

According to the present invention, when a plurality of keys are struck, such as a chord of a piano, the struck keys are rearranged in accordance with a preset English text pattern to form a character string. Is output. Therefore, even if a plurality of characters, for example, two or three characters are input at the same time without inputting the English characters one by one as in the conventional case, the data can be rearranged and output according to the English pattern that frequently appears in English beforehand. It is possible, the number of hits when inputting English text is reduced, the operability is improved, and high-speed input is possible. In addition, simultaneous input of multiple keys
Detected when the pressed key is released (raised)
Since a composite input detection means for
The detected key can be detected reliably and there is no false detection.
Select an input device that is less likely to cause detection or error input.
You can

In this case, the English sentence processing means is struck at the same time when a plurality of keys are struck at the same time as pattern recording means for recording the combination pattern for the English sentence and a character string corresponding to the pattern. Pattern comparing means for comparing the key combination with the pattern recorded in the pattern recording means, and the character string corresponding to the pattern from the pattern recording means when the corresponding pattern is found by the pattern comparing means. If it is configured with a character string selection unit that acquires and outputs, by appropriately setting the data of the pattern recording unit, it is possible to flexibly set the arrangement of the character strings that are struck at the same time. It can be set according to the degree of proficiency, etc., and operability is further improved.

[0011]

As the English pattern, it is preferable to check and set the spelling of the alphabet that frequently appears in English, but as a result of the study by the present inventor, words with high frequency in English have two or three characters. Many were easy and had a small number of characters. As a result of this research, the above-mentioned patterns are divided into 6 patterns of two letters (A) consonant + vowel, (B) consonant + consonant, (C) vowel + vowel, (D) overlapping consonant, (E) overlapping vowel , (F) vowel + consonant and nine patterns of three letters (G) consonant + vowel + vowel, (H) consonant + consonant + vowel, (I) consonant + consonant + consonant, (J) consonant + overlapping Vowel, (K) vowel + vowel + consonant, (L) vowel + consonant + consonant, (M) vowel + duplicate consonant, (N) consonant + vowel + consonant, (O) vowel + consonant + vowel If it is put together in a pattern, it is possible to input a high-frequency spelling by a composite input by striking a plurality of keys at the same time, and high-speed input is realized.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, an example in which the present invention is applied to a word processor main body 1 in which a liquid crystal screen 2a is hinge-coupled to a special key input device 3 having a reduced key arrangement will be described.

The word processor main body 1 is provided with a lid 2 with a liquid crystal screen 2a rotatably provided on a rear wall portion 1a of the word processor main body 1 via a hinge 1b. It is adapted to be locked to the word processor main body 1 by the provided cap portion 2b. Also, the key input device 3
Is a main key area 3A located on the rear wall portion 1a side of the word processor main body 1 and composed of a group of 15 keys in three rows of upper and lower rows and five rows of left and right rows.
And a control key area 3B located on the front wall portion 1c side of the word processor main body 1 and having keys arranged in one row below the main key area 3A, and a word processor main body arranged in a line with the main key area 3A. The sub-key area 3C in which keys are arranged in one row and three stages on the left side of 1 is mainly configured.

While holding the word processor main body 1 with the left hand, strike the keys in the main key area 3A and the control key area 3B with the right finger, and strike the keys in the sub key area 3C with the thumb of the left hand. May be used.
In this case, it is also possible to strike two adjacent subkeys simultaneously with the belly of the left thumb. Alternatively, the word processor main body 1 may be placed on a desk, and the forefinger and the middle finger of the left hand may be added to the sub key area 3C for input. In this case, the sub key can be hit with the left index finger and the middle finger, and part of the control key can also be hit with the left thumb.

FIG. 2 shows the main key area 3A shown in FIG.
Focusing on inputting Japanese into 15 keys in the upper and lower 3 rows and 5 columns in the left and right, 4 keys in 1 row forming the control key area 3B, and 3 keys forming the sub key area 3C This is an example of allocating the "word processor array". In this example, Roman letters are used as input characters so that Japanese and English can be entered in a common array.
Further, in FIG. 2, as is apparent from the drawing, the numbers / symbols / functions / modes are made to coexist with the 15 character keys of the upper, lower, third, left and right, five columns forming the main key area 3A to form the control key area 3B. It is designed to use 4 keys in 1 row and 3 keys that make up the sub-key area 3C so that the numbers, symbols, functions and modes are not carried to the remote position, There is an advantage that you can input without looking at.

Further, the arrangement of the character keys in the main key area 3A is such that the order of ease of hitting each key in the main key area 3A and the frequency of use of vowels and consonants of the alphabet at the time of inputting Roman characters. The vowels and consonants are arranged in the middle, upper, and lower rows in the order of ease of tapping on this key arrangement, in descending order of frequency of use. , The key of each step has a structure arranged from the reference side to the opposite side.

The three keys 120 and 12 of the sub key area 3C arranged next to the main key area 3A are provided.
Reference numerals 1 and 122 are mainly used for inputting a conversion function (abbreviation conversion, abbreviation conversion, etc.) provided in a word processing function, common symbols, numeric keys, etc. Use three keys in combination. To operate the word processing function. However, when inputting an English sentence according to the present invention, it is also used for specifying the character order.

As described above, the key input device 3 according to the present embodiment has a key arrangement having a very distinctive feature, but since it is difficult to understand because there are parts that are not directly related to the present invention, it is used for inputting English. FIG. 3 shows only the sequences to be extracted. Fig. 3 shows the characters that appear when inputting English in a total of 15 main key areas 3 in the upper and lower 3 rows and the left and right 5 columns.
It is a figure showing a state arranged in A, and it is considered that the main key area 3A of the embodiment is input by using the right hand. That is, one side (the left side in the illustrated example) of the main key area 3A is the reference side where the index finger is the home position, and the area consisting of the two groups of keys on the reference side mainly outputs vowels. The main key area 3A is set to the area 3D, and the area consisting of the remaining three columns of keys in the main key area 3A is set to the consonant area 3E for inputting a consonant.

Then, 101, 102, 106, 107, 1 are provided in the vowel area 3D composed of the two groups of keys on the reference side.
Six keys 11 and 112 are provided, and each of these keys 1
Vowel keys “A”, “I”, “U”, “E”, and “O” representing vowels are arranged on 01, 102, 106, 107, and 112 respectively as follows. That is, among the vowel keys, the keys 107 and 106 in the middle row are arranged with the striking keys "A" and "I", respectively.
02 and 101 are arranged with “U” and “E” hit keys, and further lower keys 112 and 111 are arranged with “O” and “X” hit keys.

In this arrangement, the right forefinger is placed in the vowel area 3D.
When the home position of the forefinger is set to the home position of the index finger, the key “A” that is frequently used for the Roman alphabet is arranged on the key 107, and the key 10 beside the key is used.
The key of "I" is arranged at 6, and further "U", "E",
The "O" key is arranged. Note that the arrangement on the vowel area 3D in the illustrated example does not necessarily match in the order of the frequency of use of the characters, but it is "A", "I", "U", " This is because consideration was given to the ease of remembering the characters so that they would be “E” and “O”.

Further, in the illustrated example, the key 107 is formed with a home position indicating means 130 for indicating a home position. Here, the home position instruction means 13
A square frame is formed so as to surround the character A on the key 107, and the inside of the square frame is a convex portion so that the key 107 can be recognized when a finger is placed. However, the home position instructing means 130 is not limited to such an illustrated example, and other means (for example, changing the color of the key 107 or blinking the LED) as long as the key 107 can be recognized. Means).

On the other hand, in the consonant areas 3E on the right three columns, "C", "S", "T", "N", "H", which represent consonants,
Consonant keys of "M", "Y", "R", and "W" are arranged. More specifically, the middle keys 108, 109,
110 is the "C", "S", and "T" keys from the left, and the upper keys 103, 104, and 105 are the "N", "H", and "M" keys from the left. Further, the keys 113, 114, and 115 in the lower row have a basic structure in which keys “Y”, “R”, and “W” are sequentially arranged from the left side. It is needless to say that such an array is set in consideration of ease of hitting, memorability, appearance frequency of alphabets, and the like, like the array of vowels.

On the other hand, the shift state of each key of the vowel area 3D (shift key 116 arranged in the control key area 3B to switch each key of the main key area 3A between the shift state and the non-shift state is operated. A hyphen "-", an apostrophe "'", a period ".", A comma "," as well as "J" and "Q" are assigned to (state). Specifically, the hit keys 101, 10 corresponding to the upper "E" and "U"
2 has "-" and "'" arranged, and the middle "I",
"." And "," are arranged on the hit keys 106 and 107 corresponding to "A", and further "X",
“J” and “Q” are arranged on the hit keys 111 and 112 corresponding to “O”.

The shift state of each key in the consonant area 3E is "P", "B", "L", "G", "Z",
“D”, “F”, “V”, and “K” are assigned. Specifically, the hit keys 103, 104, 105 corresponding to “N”, “H”, and “M” in the upper row have “P”,
“B” and “L” are arranged, and “C”, “S” in the middle row,
The hit keys 108, 109, and 110 corresponding to "T" are arranged with "G", "Z", and "D", and the hit keys corresponding to "Y", "R", and "W" in the lower row. Ken key 113,
“F”, “V”, and “K” are arranged in 114 and 115. In the embodiment, the key arrangement is for the case of operating with the right hand, but it is needless to say that when operating with the left hand, the reference side is the reverse of the illustrated example and is arranged in the left-right direction.

On the other hand, to supplement the explanation of the keys in the control key area 3B, the four keys 116, 1 arranged in the control key area 3B will be described.
Keys 17, 118, and 119 mainly have functions of conversion, non-conversion, shift, etc., and are combined with 15 keys arranged in the main key area 3A.
It is designed to operate various functions in. Since the "kana-kanji conversion" function is not required when inputting an English sentence, in the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the reference side (left side)
Shift key 116 having a shift function and F shift key 11 having an F (function) shift function
7 and space key 118 with space input function
And an L shift key 119 having a function of inputting consonants and vowels in duplicate, and the L shift key 119 has a width approximately double that of the other keys 116, 117, 118, etc. It is designed to be easy to hit.

By the way, the key layout shown in FIG. 2 is designed so that the keyboard layout for inputting Japanese can be set because the operability when inputting Japanese is taken into consideration as described above. . That is, the English input mode (English character mode) and the Japanese input mode (Japanese input mode by Roman character input) can be switched by an appropriate switching means (for example, the function shift key 118 + key 104 + key 105 are simultaneously pressed). In the alphabet mode, the character on the left side of the "/" display of each key shown in Fig. 2 is input. In the Japanese input mode, the "/" display of each key is displayed. The characters on the right side are input. It should be noted that keys that are not divided by the "/" key are set so that the same characters are input in each of the English and Japanese input modes. For example, the key of 108, which is the home position of the middle finger,
It is arranged as a character of "C / K", and the key of the "C / K" becomes "K" in the Japanese mode.
The alphabet mode character is set to be the letter "C". Other than the above, various function execution keys are set to the keys shown in FIG. 2, but since they are not directly related to the present embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

Next, the function of the key input device 3 having the above-mentioned key arrangement will be described with reference to the block diagram shown in FIG. 4 and the flowchart shown in FIG. When a key is input in the key input unit 140 in which the above-described key areas 3A, 3B, 3C are arranged (step 1, hereinafter "step" is abbreviated as "S"), the key input is a single input (key. Are input one by one) or composite input (inputting a plurality of keys at the same time) is detected by the composite input detecting means 141 (S2). If it is determined that the input is a single input, a signal (character string) of the input key is sent to the display device control section 143 and displayed on the screen 144 (S5). Therefore, it is also possible to input English characters one by one as in the conventional keyboard.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the input is a composite input, the character string generation processing means 142 performs character string generation processing (S3). This character string generation processing (S3) will be described in detail later. In addition, depending on the number of keys pressed simultaneously,
Since it may not be possible to determine all the characters in one character string generation process (S3), it is determined whether all the characters have been determined (S4), and the character string generation process (S3) is repeated as necessary.

When all the characters are confirmed (S4),
The signal (character string) of the confirmed input key is sent to the display device control unit 143 and displayed on the screen 144 (S5). At this time, if the combination of input keys is wrong,
Display an error. Further, depending on the key operation, various functions such as cursor movement and backspace may be executed. When a key combination instructing such an operation is input, a function process (S6) is performed.

Further, the conversion key 116 and the non-conversion key 117
When is pressed, various conversion processes (S7) such as kana-kanji conversion are performed. As described above, when the processing for one hitting operation is completed and the next key input is made, the above processing is repeated to successively perform the key input.

Next, the procedure in the key input section 140 and the composite input detecting means 141 will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, the key input device 3 has “DOWN-TMP” (for storing the data of the pressed key) and “UP” (for storing the data of the key that is lifted when the hand is released from the key). ), "DOWN-ING" (for storing the data of the key that is continuously pressed) data storage areas 151, 15
2, 153 are provided. Each data storage area 15
1, 152, 153 are counters (CNT) 151A, 152A, 153A for storing the number of pressed keys, released keys, and the number of continuously pressed keys, and a buffer for storing the key number of each key. 151B, 152B, 15
3B is provided.

First, an interrupt input is made in accordance with a preset sampling time (S11), and it is checked whether or not there is a change in the state of the key. If any key is pressed (S12), the number of the key is stored in the DOWN-TMP buffer 151B and the number of the DOWN-TMP counter 151A is incremented by 1 (S13). After that, the presence or absence of a change in the state of the key is checked again, and if another key is pressed, the process of S13 is repeated. This makes DO
The WN-TMP counter 151A stores the total number of pressed keys, and the DOWN-TMP buffer 151B stores the number of each pressed key.

When checking the change of the state of the key, if the key is not pressed, it is checked whether or not there is a released key (S14). Here, if there is no key that has been raised, the check for the change of the key state is repeated. On the other hand, if there is a key that went up, enter the number of that key.
The value is stored in the UP buffer 152B and the number of the UP counter 152A is incremented by one. Further, the number of DOWN-TMP counters 151A is decremented by 1 and a timer for measuring the elapse of a fixed time is started (S15).

Then, it is detected whether a preset elapsed time has passed (timed up) or the number of DOWN-TMP counters 151A has become 0 (S16).
Here, the time is not up and the counter 151A is 0.
If not, check whether there is a raised key (S1
7) If there is an up key, the key number is stored in the UP buffer 152B, the number of UP counter 152A is incremented by 1, and the number of DOWN-TMP counter 151A is decremented by 1 (S18). ).

Then, the process returns to S16 to continue the check. Also, if there is no key that has been raised in S17, S
Return to 16 to continue the check.

In S16, when the time is up or the counter 151A becomes 0, the key number currently pressed in the DOWN-ING buffer 153B (the data in the DOWN-TMP buffer 151B to the UP buffer 151B) is displayed. However, when a raised key is detected,
If the key number that has gone up is deleted from the DOWN-TMP buffer 151B, the DOWN-TMP buffer 151B
The content of can be transferred as it is. ), DOWN-I
The number of keys currently pressed on the NG counter 153A (=
The DOWN-TMP counter 151A data is stored (S
19).

In the present embodiment, the detection of the simultaneous input is detected at the timing when the key is released and is raised for the following reason. That is, as shown in FIG. 8, the key (1) released at the same time is compared with the timing deviation t1 when a plurality of keys (1) to (5) are simultaneously pressed.
This is because the timing deviation t2 of (4) to (4) is smaller and the variation is smaller, so that the simultaneous input keys can be reliably detected. It should be noted that t2 may be set to, for example, about 5 to 10 msec, but since there are individual differences, the set value may be appropriately changed. Further, the key (5) which is kept pressed even after t2 is exceeded is the DOWN-ING buffer 153.
B and the counter 153A.

Then, the number and the number (UP
Counter 152A, buffer 152B) and the number and number of keys that are continuously pressed (DOWN-ING counter 15
3A, buffer 153B) and the character string generation processing means 14
2 (if the number of keys is one, it is transmitted to the display device control unit 143) (S20). The plurality of key numbers are processed by the character string generation processing means 142, and the corresponding character strings are displayed on the screen 14.
4 is displayed.

As shown in FIG. 9, the character string generation processing means 142 includes a subkey processing means 161, a double vowel processing means 162, a consonant 2 key processing means 163, a sound repellant key processing means 164, which function in the Japanese input mode. Each processing unit of the English sentence processing unit 165 that functions in the English character mode is provided, and the processing unit corresponding to the number of the transmitted key (usually one processing unit, but depending on the key struck) It may be processed by a plurality of processing means) to generate a character string for the key hit.

The sub-key processing means 161 includes the sub-keys 120 and 12 shown in FIG.
In this embodiment, "I, U, Ki, Ku, Chi, Tsu, Tsu", which has a high appearance frequency at the second syllable, is defined in the present embodiment. It is set so that you can enter characters that cannot be entered with one key (except for vowels and "n"), "ki-ku-chi-tsu-tsu".

The double vowel processing means 162 includes the vowel keys 101 and 10 shown in FIG.
When two keys out of 2, 106, 107, 112 are pressed, the order of the vowels is set in advance according to the frequency of occurrence of Japanese and rearranged based on that rule. It defines the processing.

The consonant 2 key processing means 163 outputs the characters above each key in the consonant area 3E by pressing another adjacent consonant key instead of the normal output method of pressing the shift key 116 at the same time. Is defined. In the present embodiment, the consonant key to the right of each consonant key (the key 10 diagonally above the rightmost key 110, 115 to the left).
(4, 109) are pressed simultaneously to output the characters above each key.

The sound-repellent key processing means 164 defines the processing when the sound-repellent "n" key 111 is hit among a plurality of hit keys. That is,
If the "n" key 111 is included, "consonant,
(Y), vowels, n ”are output in this order. For example, when the number of characters struck is 2 (vowel + N, A, etc.), when the number of characters is 3 (consonant + vowel + N, KA, etc.), when the number of characters is 4, (consonant + Y + vowel + N, SYA etc.). When the number of characters is 2, and there is no consonant, there is no corresponding Roman character, so that it is set to be specially processed as “consonant + UU” (YUU etc.).

The English sentence processing means 165 defines the processing when a plurality of keys are input while the English mode is set, and will be described in detail later.

Next, referring to FIG. 10, English sentence processing means 1
65 will be described. In the figure, reference numeral 170 is a characteristic of the present invention, and when a plurality of keys arranged in the main key area 3A are struck at the same time, a symbol code preset for the combination of the simultaneously struck keys is generated. It is a compound input method that realizes high-speed input of English sentences.
A pattern recording means 171 which records a combination pattern of a plurality of keys and a character string corresponding to the pattern, and a combination of the simultaneously struck keys when the plurality of keys are struck simultaneously are recorded in the pattern recording means 171. Pattern comparing means 172 for comparing with the recorded pattern
And a character string selecting means 173 which acquires and outputs the character string corresponding to the pattern from the pattern recording means 171 when the pattern comparing means 172 finds a corresponding pattern.

This composite input means 170 realizes high-speed input by utilizing the characteristics of English, so that will be described first. "High-speed input of English" Because English is written with only 26 letters of the alphabet and punctuation marks, it does not require troublesome operations such as "Kana-Kanji conversion" unlike Japanese, but it does after consonants like Japanese. It is not always accompanied by vowels, there are many consonants and there are many "consonant syllables", and 21 consonants and 5 vowels are pronounced in many ways. The types are complicated and huge. For example, the Japanese words "hon (book)" and "sora (empty)" each have two "kana" characters and two syllables. The syllables are simple and the pronunciation and writing are the same. "BOOK" has 4 characters and becomes 1 syllable.
Since "Y" is one syllable with three letters, the syllable is complicated and the pronunciation and writing are not the same. Because of these characteristics, English is
It is not suitable for two-syllable unit "composite input" such as Japanese. Therefore, in the present invention, regardless of the syllable or pronunciation format, a certain rule is found in the spelling of the alphabet, all words are decomposed into 2 or 3 character units, and high speed input is performed. .

To supplement the explanation about this point, an English word is composed of only 26 characters, of which one word is only the indefinite article "a" and the personal pronoun "I". However, easy-to-use two-letter words are often used in difficult sentences, and the average is 4-5.
There are many spelling letters. Also, long and difficult words consist of a combination of stem parts that are relatively simple in etymology and typological prefixes and suffixes. With the standard English input, two-letter words composed of "consonant + vowel" in order can be "combined" with a single hitting operation. However, the two-letter word is "vowel + consonant"
There are some combinations of "consonant" and "consonant + consonant", and it will be very convenient if you can easily perform "composite input" including them. 2 letters with high appearance frequency are 3 words
It is divided into two and listed as follows. 1. be, do, go, he, me, no, so, to, we “Consonant + vowel” 2. by, my "Consonant + consonant" 3. am, an, as, at, if, in, is, it, of, on, or, up, us “vowel + consonant” These words have very few “consonant + consonant”. Also,
The above 1. And 3. Then, the positions of consonants and vowels are reversed.
When trying to perform two-character "composite input" in the same way for all three types, only "no" and "on" are combinations of the same characters in different orders and cannot be identified as they are. However, the other words are not confused with each other because they all have different letter combinations. In this way, if the "composite input" is limited to two-letter words, there is no need for a very difficult rule, but even for words with a large number of characters, if you divide them into two-letter parts and perform "composite input", Some ingenuity is required. Therefore, if consonants and vowels are opposite, such as "on," the "Sub III" key 122
I was able to distinguish them from others by hitting at the same time with my left finger to act as a "reverse order" key.

As in the case of two characters, even for three characters, words such as “the, she, you, who, how” which have a high frequency of appearance are simply “combined input” with one hitting operation. "can do. However, of these, "who"
Since "and" and "how" are combinations of the same characters with different spellings, they cannot be identified by the same input method. Therefore, when there are three consonants and vowels with three letters like "how", the "sub I" key 120 is simultaneously hit with the left finger to act as an "alternate" key so as to be distinguished from others. .

It is difficult to input a word having four or more characters with a large number of characters by one hitting operation, but if it is separated into two or three character units separately from syllable breaks, it is relatively easy and fast. You will be able to enter. However, "combined input" in units of 2 and 3 characters is the same as "no" and "on",
It is necessary to set rules for the spelling order to distinguish between them, such as "who" and "how". Therefore, it was decided to divide the unit of 2 characters and 3 characters as follows. 1. Orthogonal division Two- or three-letter units with consonants such as "he" and "you" that come first and vowels after, or those that have only consonants like "sky" (or vowels only) ) Shall be treated as "regular order". 2. Reverse order division In units of 2 or 3 characters, vowels such as "as" and "and" that precede vowels and consonants come later are defined as "reverse order" and are distinguished from others using the "Sub III" key 122. To do. 3. Alternate three-letter units such as "him" and "one" that have alternate consonants and vowels are "alternate" and are distinguished from others using the "sub I" key 120. The tables shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 show that the spelling of the alphabet is classified into 15 patterns according to the above classification.
In the patterns shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, portions where the same consonant or vowel overlaps are input using the L shift key 119, and consonants in the shift state of each key are input by using the shift key 116 or the F shift key 117. I tried to input using.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, as described above, 15 English patterns ((A) to (O) patterns) are recorded in the pattern recording means 171 of the composite input means 170,
When a plurality of keys are operated by one stroke, the pattern of the combination of the keys is compared by the pattern comparison means 172, and when the corresponding pattern is found by the pattern comparison means 172, the characters are recorded from the pattern recording means 171. Since the word corresponding to the pattern is output by the column selection means 173, all words can be input at high speed by "composite input" in units of two letters or three letters.

It should be noted that the two characters "regular order" shown in FIG.
When inputting the patterns of (A), (B), and (C), the target two characters are input by simultaneously striking them with the right finger.
(D) is to input one of the consonants and (E) is to input one of the vowels by simultaneously striking the L shift key 119 with the right thumb or little finger while inputting with the right finger. In the case of inputting the pattern (F), the "sub III key (reverse order)" 122 may be simultaneously input with the right thumb or left finger while simultaneously inputting vowels and consonants with the right finger.

The consonants in the shifted state of each key are input by the thumb shift. "By" in "Composite input" with two consonants
If the first consonant is at the shift position, as in, enter the shift key 116 with the right or left thumb at the same time to enter "slo
If the second consonant is the shift position, as in "w", the F-shift key 117 is simultaneously pressed with the right thumb to input. If both of them are in the shift state such as "blue", the shift key 116 and the F shift key 117 are simultaneously input with the left and right thumbs.

In the "composite input" in which two consonants are consecutive, the order of the consonants is almost fixed, but the case where there are two pairs of the consonants is also suitable. For example, "st" and "ts" in "most" and "nuts". Since the parts are opposite to each other, the composite input means 170 automatically spell-checks the relationship with the preceding character,
The proper order can be selected mechanically. If the characters that come before are the same as in "cast" and "cats" but the "st" and "ts" parts in the latter half are reversed, give priority to the "st" that appears frequently, When you want to input "", you can press the "Sub III key (reverse order)" key 122 with your left finger at the same time, or enter "st" and then press the conversion key 116 with your right or left thumb to input conversion. ing. Also, "ea" has priority for "each" and "aero", which have two vowels, and they can be separated in the same way as consonants.

FIG. 13 shows an example of (A) "consonant + vowel" input of two-character composite input in English input, which includes the right thumb, right index finger, right middle finger, right ring finger, and right little finger. Use five fingers in the positions shown in the figure to
It is possible to input English words such as "some", "give", "have", "take", "like". In addition, FIG. 14 also shows an example of two-character composite input in English input, using the five fingers of the right thumb, right index finger, right middle finger, right ring finger, and right little finger at the positions shown in the figure. "Ea shown in the figure
st "," gets "," jump "," help "," pass "," al "
It is possible to input English words such as "so" (the patterns B to F).

Further, (G) through 3-character units shown in FIG.
The pattern (O) is input as follows. That is, in the three-character “normal order” (G), (H), and (I) patterns, the target three characters are simultaneously typed with the right finger, but in the (J) pattern, consonants and vowels are input. While striking with the right finger at the same time, the L shift key 119 is simultaneously striking with the right thumb or little finger to input. Also, the three-character "reverse order" (K)
In the pattern of (L), while pressing three characters at the same time with the right finger, the "sub III key (reverse order)" key 122 is simultaneously pressed with the left finger to input, but in the pattern of (M), vowels and consonants are input to the right. "Sub III key (reverse order)" while simultaneously striking with fingers
The key 122 and the L shift key 119 may be simultaneously input with the left finger and the right thumb or the little finger, respectively. Further, in the three-character “alternate” (N) / (O) pattern, the “sub I key (alternate)” key 12 is pressed while simultaneously striking the three characters with the right finger.
You can hit 1 with your left finger at the same time.

If the first consonant is the shift position, such as "dry" in the three-character "composite input", the shift key 1
If 16 is input with the right or left thumb at the same time, and if the second consonant is the shift position like "and", the F shift key 117 can be input with the right thumb at the same time. If two consonants such as "dig" are both in the shift position, the shift key 116 and the F shift key 11
Type 7 with your left and right thumbs at the same time. Since all three consonants are not in the shift position, the description thereof will be omitted.

Although it is not a case, if the order of characters is interchanged in the combination of exactly three characters such as "ten" and "net", the frequently-used "ten" is input as it is and "net" is input. ", The three sub-keys (sub-III key (reverse order)) key 122 at the same time, or after entering" ten ", the conversion key 116 and" ne
Convert it to "t" and enter it.

FIG. 15 shows an example of three-character composite input in English input, using the five fingers of the right thumb, right index finger, right middle finger, right ring finger, and right little finger at the positions shown in the figure. , "Sketch", "weight", "prefer" shown in the figure,
It is possible to input English words such as "degree", "offend" and "outage".

FIG. 16 shows an example of compound input using variable-speed finger input in English input. The five fingers of the right thumb, the right index finger, the right middle finger, the right ring finger, and the right little finger are placed at the positions shown in the figure. Use the "shadow", "outlaw", "quarts",
It is possible to input English words such as "twenty", "paying", and "bring". In addition, in principle, the "composite input" method of using the finger is such that the position of the finger is protected while the finger is partially shifted, but as in the example shown in FIG.
When simultaneously pressing the keys in the same column in the "consonant area", the positions of the middle finger, the ring finger, and the little finger can be shifted by one row, or the thumb can be added. Similarly,
In the case of hitting two or three keys in the same column at the same time in the "vowel area", the thumb or middle finger may be added to the index finger.

The key input device 3 of this embodiment is designed so that different keys can be combined as much as possible so that "composite input" can be performed. Although the characters at the positions do not appear at the same time, for example, "fy" such as "defy" or "film"
Only for the combination of and "lm" part, it is necessary to "composite input" the characters at the shift position and the non-shift position of the same key. In this case, the shift key 116 and the F shift key 117 can be input by simultaneously pressing the shift key 116 and the F shift key 117 with the left and right thumbs while pressing the "Y" key and the "L" key. Also, for three characters, "pan, e" such as "pantry" or "every"
In the ve part, it is necessary to enter the same key alternately, but in this case, while typing "P + A" or "E + V",
"Sub I (alternate)" key 120 and "Sub III (reverse order)"
"Composite input" can be performed by simultaneously pressing the keys 122 with the left finger. Also, since "X" is often used at the end of syllables such as "mix" and "oxen", it is arranged at the left end of the lower row so that it can be easily hit with the right thumb.
When inputting by typing at the same time as "consonant + vowel", "Sub I
(Alternate) key 120 and "Sub III (reverse order)" key 122
You can do "composite input" without using. Note that FIG. 17 shows an example of a composite input of a special operation, and a word as shown in the figure can be input using the left finger, thumb, forefinger, middle finger, ring finger, and little finger.

In the above-mentioned "composite input", there is no specific rule on how to divide a word in units of 1 to 3 characters. Just do it. For example, the four-letter words "give" and "fish" are "2 + 2"
Divide into letters, and "this", "when" and "next" are "3+
If you divide it into "1" characters, it will be easier to type. Also, the five-letter words "field" and "grass" are "3+
Divide into 2 "characters, and" fight "and" basic "are" 2+
If you divide it into 3 "characters, it will be easier to type. As I mentioned before, there are many English words that are easy and have a small number of letters. In a two-letter word, the correct order is "he, me,
we, do, go, no, so, to, by, my "and reverse order" an, it, us, am,
is, at, in, on, as ". With three letters, the normal order "th
"e, she, you, why", reverse and alternate "and, him, for", and suffixed "~ ing, ~ ght, ~ tch". further,
In four characters, it is "this, they, them, come, have" and the ending "~ tion, ~ ough". The combination of these words and characters can be entered very easily by the "composite input" explained so far.

Instantly determine as many as 15 types of patterns,
The operation of hitting multiple keys at the same time seems difficult without some skill. However, here, in order to enable "composite input" for all words, I gave an example of a slightly complicated and difficult striking method, and explained the case that it is rarely used. Therefore, it is not necessary to try all the striking methods, and even the above-mentioned frequently used easy-to-type words are sufficiently effective, and it is relatively easy to introduce them by gradually stepping from easy words to gradually difficult words. that time,
With regard to the usage of the finger that is difficult to type with a combination of three characters, it is sufficient to input the characters in units of two characters or one character. In addition, if you do not try to remember this "composite input" very much, master the rules, master each word with the shape of your finger, and after hitting, add a habit of always returning your finger to the home position, High-speed input with a smooth flow is important.

Now, as shown in FIG. 10, the English sentence processing means 165 of the present embodiment is provided with a function for allowing various various inputs in addition to the composite input means 170, and therefore a supplementary explanation will be given. To do. That is, the abbreviation / abbreviation conversion control unit 174 registers “frequently used words and symbols so that they can be easily called by abbreviations such as acronyms” or automatically converts once-converted words and phrases. To register,
"Abbreviated conversion" that can be called with one or two initial letters
Each of the functions is realized by hitting the subkeys 120 to 122 and the function shift key 118 at the same time.

More specifically, when one or more short abbreviations are typed together with the sub I key 120 and the function shift key 118, the English idioms are called and output, and the abbreviations are written with the sub II key 121 and the function shift key 118. When you hit it, proper nouns, foreign words, numbers, symbols, etc. are called. On the other hand, the sub III key 122 automatically registers the words that have been converted once, and the
It works as a "shortcut conversion" key that can be called with ~ 2 characters, and while typing the first or second character with the right finger, the sub
By pressing the III key 122 with the left finger and the function shift key with the right thumb at the same time, the abbreviated characters are called out. In this case, the conversion key may be called as the next candidate and the non-conversion key may be called as the previous candidate independently.

The space control unit 175 uses the space key 1
It realizes the function of inputting 18 at the same time as the letters and punctuation marks at the end of a word. That is, since English is written in the alphabet, it is necessary to make a sentence delimiter easy to understand, so be sure to put a space between words to make a "dividing". Therefore, space key 118
Is very frequently used, and if you can enter this space key 118 at the same time as the letters and punctuation marks at the end of the word, about 20%
The space control unit 175 is provided to shorten the keystroke time. The "composite space" in which the space key 118 is input at the same time as this character or punctuation mark is performed using the sub II key 121 as follows. 1) Compounding with the end of a word For compounding with the end of a word, composite input in units of 2 or 3 characters or hit the sub-II key 121 with the left finger at the same time while typing the last character of the word, and then enter a blank. To do. 2) Compounding with punctuation marks For compounding with punctuation marks, enter a blank after the punctuation mark by pressing the comma (,) and period (.) With the thumb shift and similarly pressing the sub-II key 121 with the left finger.

FIG. 18 shows an example of input of a composite space, which is the right thumb, right index finger, right middle finger, right ring finger, and right little finger.
The fingers of the book can be used at the positions shown in the figure to enter a compound space as shown in the figure. As in the example of FIG.
"Composite input" in units of 2 to 3 letters for words of 2 or more letters
Alternatively, if the sub-II key 121 is pressed at the same time while the last character is being typed, a blank is entered after the character. However, 1
For the indefinite article “a”, which is a word of letters, in order to avoid confusion with the capital letters, one letter of the alphabet “A” and the L shift key 119 are simultaneously pressed with the right little finger, and the sub II key 121 And type a space after "a".

The capital letter control section 176 capitalizes English letters. Here, when a plurality of English letters are struck at the same time, the first one character or all of the struck letters are replaced. It is designed to be displayed in uppercase and output on the screen. Specifically, if you want to capitalize only one letter at the beginning of a sentence or the first letter of a proper noun, hold down the "Sub II key" 121 and press only the first letter of the word such as the beginning of the sentence or proper noun. If you just type it and you want to capitalize the abbreviations or specific words exactly, "Sub II key" 1
By pressing 21 and typing the alphabet one by one, it is possible to input the capital letters of several alphabets. FIG. 19 shows an example of inputting the capital letters of the initial words. Using the five fingers of the right thumb, the right forefinger, the right middle finger, the right ring finger and the right little finger at the positions shown in the figure, the initial words as shown in the figure are used. You can enter capital letters. In addition,
As in the example of FIG. 19, the capital letter “a” of the indefinite article or the personal pronoun “I”, which is a one-letter word, is entered together with one capital letter and a trailing blank.
While striking 1, type one of these characters at the same time, and further type the L shift key and the function shift key at the same time to input. In addition, the same "Sub II key 121" is used for "combine space" at the end of the above words and "capital letter", but capital letters are always entered after punctuation marks or spaces, so inconsistencies in the program may occur. There is no.

FIGS. 20 to 22 show examples of high-speed input of English sentences in relation to the finger. According to the present embodiment, the sentences of the sentence examples 1 to 10 shown in these figures are compared with the conventional ones. It can be entered with a small number of hits.

FIG. 23 shows a second embodiment of a key input device in consideration of application to a keyboard of a personal computer, instead of the above-mentioned arrangement of word processing functions, except that the display characters are in English. The configuration is almost the same as that of the above-described embodiment, and the same reference numerals are given here and the description thereof is omitted.

According to the present embodiment as described above, when inputting an English sentence, spelling of two or three characters can be input by one hitting operation. Therefore, the input time can be shortened and an English sentence can be input at high speed and with good operability as compared with the conventional input method of inputting an English character for each character.

Further, the order of the alphabetic characters input by the plurality of keys pressed at the same time is rearranged and output by the composite input means 170 including the pattern recording means 171, the pattern comparing means 172, and the character string selecting means 173. Therefore, the operability can be further improved. In particular, in the above embodiment, the spelling characteristics of the English alphabet were studied, and a total of 15 patterns of 6 patterns of 2 letters and 9 patterns of 3 letters were set. Yes, and appropriately subkeys 120-1
Since it is also possible to instruct the character order by using 22 together, it is almost unnecessary to retype the generated character string, and the operability can be further improved.

Further, since the pattern recording means 171 and the pattern comparison means 172 are provided, it is possible to add patterns in addition to the 15 patterns described above, and to record the rearrangement pattern according to the habit and demand of the input person. It can also be used, and the input operability can be further improved.
In addition to the composite input means 170, the English sentence processing means 165 also includes an abbreviation / abbreviation conversion control unit 174 and a space control unit 17.
5. Since the upper case control unit 176 is provided, the English sentence can be more effectively input, and the speed and operability can be further improved.

Further, in the present embodiment, the composite input detection means 141 checks whether or not a plurality of keys are simultaneously pressed by detecting the timing when the keys are released with little variation in the operation. At the same time, it is possible to reliably detect the pressed keys, and it is possible to eliminate a character input error or the like due to a false detection. Further, since the key input device 3 is provided with the three types of buffers 151A to 153A and the counters 151B to 153B, it is possible to detect not only the pressed keys but also the pressed keys continuously. A key combination can be realized, and various functions can be easily realized by the key combination.

Further, in the present embodiment, since the input device 3 having a smaller number of keys than that of the ordinary keyboard is used, the size can be reduced and the operation with one hand can be performed. In particular, the key input device 3 of the present embodiment includes a main key area 3A having at least 15 rows of three rows of upper and lower rows and five rows of left and right sides, and one of the left and right sides thereof is a reference side, and the main key area 3A Of these, the area consisting of the two rows of keys on the reference side is set as a vowel area 3D for mainly inputting vowels, and the area consisting of the remaining three rows of keys of the main key area 3A is set as a consonant area 3E for entering consonants. Because it is set, if you put your hand on the key in this row of 3 rows and 5 columns at the time of key input, the vowel area 3D becomes the position of the index finger and the consonant area 3E becomes the position of the middle finger, ring finger, little finger, It is possible to perform an input operation of a vowel having a high appearance frequency with a large number of index fingers.

The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment. For example, the QW as shown in FIGS.
It may be applied to a key input device (keyboard) having an ERTY arrangement or a Dvorak arrangement. Further, the key input device of the present invention has a screen 2a similar to the word processor main body 1 of the above embodiment.
The present invention is not limited to the integrated type, but can be used for a key input device provided with only keys such as a keyboard of a desktop personal computer. In short, the present invention can be widely used as an input device for various devices such as word processors and personal computers.

The patterns to be recorded in the pattern recording means 171 are not limited to the 15 patterns (A) to (O) described above. For example, only a pattern of two characters may be recorded or a pattern of four or more characters may be added. It may be set appropriately for implementation. However, the 15 patterns have been set as a result of studying the character strings that frequently appear in English, and are excellent in that they can effectively input English. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the character strings having different character arrangements (forward order and reverse order) are set to be input by pressing the subkeys 120 and 122 at the same time. However, only the frequently used character order is patterned, and The character order with less number may be dealt with by pressing the conversion key or by inputting one character at a time.

[0078]

As described above, the present invention has the following excellent effects. According to the key input device of claim 1, when inputting an English sentence, it is possible to spell 2-3 letters of the alphabet by simultaneously striking a plurality of keys. The number of times can be reduced, the operability can be improved, and the input time can be shortened.

Further, according to the key input device of the first aspect , the composite input detecting means for detecting the simultaneous input of a plurality of keys at a timing when a plurality of pressed keys are released (raised) is provided. Therefore, the keys struck at the same time can be surely detected, and an input device can be provided in which detection without erroneous detection, that is, error input is small.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a key input device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a key arrangement of the key input device of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an example of character allocation when inputting English in the key input device of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the key input device of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the key input device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the composite input detection means of the above embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram showing a data storage area provided in the key input device of the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram of keystroke timings shown for explaining a compound input of the key input device of the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a character string generation processing means of the embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a configuration of English sentence processing means of the embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a pattern of an English sentence recorded in a pattern recording unit in units of two characters.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a pattern of an English sentence recorded in a pattern recording unit in units of three characters.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of composite input in English two-character units.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of composite input in English two-character units.

[Fig. 15] Fig. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of composite input of English in units of three characters.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of variable finger use in English composite input.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of finger use of a special operation in English composite input.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an input example of a composite space.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an input example of capital letters at the beginning of a word.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of high-speed input of English text.

FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of high-speed input of English text.

FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an example of high-speed input of English text.

FIG. 23 is a plan view showing the layout of characters in the key input device according to the personal computer specification according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a plan view shown for explaining a QWERTY array and a Dvorak array.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 word processor 2 lid 2a screen 3 key input device 3A main key area 3B control key area 3C sub key area 3D vowel area 3E consonant area 140 key input section 141 composite input detection means 142 Character string generation processing means 161 Subkey processing means 162 double vowel processing means 163 consonant 2 key processing means 164 Sound Repellent Key Processing Means 165 English processing means 170 Compound input means 171 pattern recording means 172 pattern comparison means 173 Character string selection means 174 Abbreviation / abbreviation conversion control unit 175 Space control unit 176 Upper case control

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-10-247128 (JP, A) JP-A-63-292315 (JP, A) Yoshiya Kato, Yoshikazu Kitakami, “Experiment of palm-type keyboard in composite input processing” , IPSJ Research Report "Human Interface", Japan, IPSJ, May 17, 1995, 95/42 / (HI-60 -3), 17-24 (58) Fields investigated (Int .Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G06F 3/023 G06F 3/02 350 G06F 17/22 502 H03M 11/08

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A pattern for English sentence, wherein a composite input detecting means for detecting that a plurality of keys are struck at the same time and a spelling of an English alphabet input by a plurality of the keys struck at the same time are set in advance. comprising the in rearranging English processing means, it of the complex input detecting means is pressed a plurality of keys
And the key that was first released and when this key was released
With the key released at the same time and the key that was hit at the same time
A key input device characterized by being set to judge . 2. The key input device according to claim 1, wherein the English sentence processing means includes a pattern recording means that records the combination pattern for the English sentence and a character string corresponding to the pattern, and a plurality of keys are pressed at the same time. Pattern comparing means for comparing the combination of the simultaneously struck keys when hit, and the pattern recording means when the corresponding pattern is found by the pattern comparing means And a character string selection means for acquiring and outputting the character string corresponding to the pattern from the key input device. 3. A key input device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the English pattern, for alphabetic spelling of English, two 6 in characters of the pattern (A) consonant + vowel, (B) consonant + Consonant, (C) vowel + vowel,
(D) Overlapping consonants, (E) Overlapping vowels, (F) Vowels + consonants, and 9 patterns in 3 character units (G) Consonants + vowels +
Vowel, (H) consonant + consonant + vowel, (I) consonant + consonant + consonant, (J) consonant + duplicate vowel, (K) vowel + vowel + consonant, (L) vowel + consonant + consonant, (M) A key input device characterized in that a total of 15 patterns of vowels + overlapping consonants, (N) consonants + vowels + consonants, and (O) vowels + consonants + vowels are collected.