JP4254735B2 - Character data input device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a character data input device used for inputting special characters in European languages and the like.

  Conventionally, as this type of device, for example, it has a plurality of special function keys, and the function of each special function key can be displayed on the screen of the LCD display unit in any one of a plurality of languages. A technique is known in which data is stored in a PROM, and when a language is selected, display data of all special function keys is simultaneously read out by a microprocessor (for example, Patent Document 1).

  In addition, message data for each language and a plurality of keyboard layout data stored in advance are selected in accordance with a user operation, and a message and a keyboard object are displayed on the display means by using this selection data. The key top object included in the keyboard object is selected according to the user's operation, and the numbers and characters assigned to the selected keyboard object are output. A technique is also known in which message data and a plurality of keyboard layout data can be freely selected (for example, Patent Document 2).

Further, when the first character of the first language is displayed, a technique for replacing the second character with the second character of the second language, that is, another language corresponding to, for example, the alphabet (e) of English (American) (E.g. French) letters, e-axe tegu, e-axe grab, e-axle sill conflex, e-trema are stored in the character table ROM, and when the letter e of the letter keys is operated, When the character e is displayed on the display unit 31 and the character conversion key (CHARACTER) is operated next, another corresponding character, eaxanteg, eaxang grab, eaxillance conflux, e trema A technique has also been proposed in which display characters are sequentially replaced (for example, Patent Document 3).
JP 2002-502141 A JP 2000-56927 A JP-A-6-139228

  However, in the above-described prior art, although there was an operation environment for a relatively wide input operation display screen area or an input operation display screen area extremely limited, a special character of language A character data input technique that makes it possible to easily input special characters or the like even when the display screen is too narrow to display all of the above is not disclosed.

  That is, for example, in order to input characters in European languages, a special screen on which special characters are displayed must be provided, and special characters must be selected on the screen. When characters and special characters that are displayed in common, such as alpha letters, are input alternately, the special character input screen and the common character input screen must be switched alternately. The operation is a heavy burden on the user operation.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and even in a work environment where a group of commonly used characters, special characters, etc. cannot be displayed collectively for a plurality of languages, special operations can be performed with a simple operation. An object of the present invention is to provide a character data input device that can input characters and can greatly reduce an operator's input work burden.

The above problem is solved by the following means.
(1) As a keyboard for inputting characters according to a language selected from a plurality of languages, a character group common to each language, a language-specific character group, and a combination of the common character group for each language A character data input device comprising display means for displaying each key of a control group for forming characters on one screen.
(2) The common character group is an alphabet, the language-specific character group cannot be formed by adding a special symbol to the alphabet, and the control group is combined with the alphabet to form a special character. The character data input device according to item 1, wherein the character data is
(3) On the screen of the display means, each key of the common character group and language-specific character group is displayed in a first display area, and each key of the control group for forming the special character is 3. The character data input device according to item 1 or 2, which is displayed in a second display area different from the first display area.
(4) The special character is input by selecting a desired control key from the control group and selecting the desired key from the common character group in a state where the control key is selected. 4. The character data input device according to any one of items 1 to 3.
(5) The input of the special character is executed by selecting a desired key from the common character group and selecting the desired key of the control group in a state where the key is selected. 4. The character data input device according to any one of 3.
(6) In the preceding item 4 or 5, it is possible to set which one of the desired key of the common character group and the desired control key of the control group is designated first for inputting the special character. Character data input device.
(7) When a key of a common character group that does not have a combination with a control key is selected to input the special character, select whether to enable or disable the input of the common character group 7. The character data input device according to any one of items 1 to 6, which is enabled .

  According to the invention described in item (1), when a language in which a character is desired to be input is selected, a character group, a language common to each language is displayed on the screen of the display unit as a character input keyboard for the selected language. Each key of the control group that forms a special character for each language in combination with the unique character group and the common character group is displayed, so the user can select the language selected using the character input keyboard on this screen. It becomes possible to input characters.

  That is, for the selected language, each key of the control group that forms a special character for each language in combination with the common character group, the language-specific character group, and the common character group is displayed on the same screen. The special keys can be operated in the prescribed order, so that special characters can be easily input even in a display / operation environment where all special character keys cannot be displayed at once. The burden of character input operation is reduced as compared with the operation of switching between the character group display screens.

  According to the invention described in (2) above, a special character is formed by combining an alphabet common to each language, a language-specific character group that cannot be formed by adding a special symbol to the alphabet, and the alphabet. For example, special characters in a European language can be easily input by operating desired keys of a control group for a predetermined order.

  According to the invention described in item (3) above, on the screen of the display means, a key of the control group is different from a series of keys consisting of the keys of the common character group and the keys of the language-specific character group. Can be clearly distinguished, making it easier to select characters for input.

  According to the invention described in item (4) above, after selecting a desired control key of the control group, selecting a desired key from the common character group enables, for example, input of special characters in European languages. It can be done quickly.

  According to the invention described in (5) above, by selecting a desired key from the common character group and then selecting a desired key of the control group, for example, special characters in European languages can be input quickly. Can be done.

  According to the invention described in (6) above, the user sets which one of the desired key of the common character group and the desired control key of the control group is designated first for inputting the special character. be able to.

  According to the invention described in (7) above, when the key of the common character group that is not combined with the control key is selected, the input of the common character group is performed according to the preset content. Can be enabled or disabled.

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

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of a character data input device 1 applied to a European language input device.

  In FIG. 1, a character data input device 1 displays a character group key of a language to be input, a display / input unit 11 for selecting and inputting character data, and a language selection for selecting a language to be input. Unit 12, a storage unit 13 that stores character data necessary for multilingual input, a display switching control unit 14 that switches display of character data according to the selection result of the language selection unit 12, and a plurality of input operation methods. And an input operation switching control unit 15 for selecting one input operation.

  The display / input unit 11 includes a display unit 11A and an input unit 11B.

  The display unit 11A displays display key data of a keyboard corresponding to a selectable language, for example, a touch input type keyboard, on the keyboard display unit 11a which is a display screen, and displays characters necessary for the language to be input. Selection (input) can be performed using a keyboard displayed on the keyboard display section 11a.

  On the keyboard, a character group that is fixedly displayed for each language, in other words, a character group that is common to each language, the alphabet is displayed as a key, and a special symbol for the alphabet is used as a language-specific character group. Characters that cannot be formed by adding keys are displayed as keys, and as a control group, characters for forming special characters by combining with the alphabet are displayed as keys.

  Since the number of keys to be displayed differs depending on the language, the display switching control unit 14 switches the display content of the touch input type keyboard according to the language selected by the language selection unit 12. Yes.

  The input unit 11B has a character data input unit 11b. Character data corresponding to a character selected by the keyboard displayed on the keyboard display unit 11a is read from the data storage unit 13 and inputted as character data. The selected character is displayed on the display unit 11A.

  In this example, the keyboard is described as a touch key type, but a key selection operation with a cursor may be used. When a character key on the keyboard is selected, a code corresponding to the character is stored.

  The language selection unit 12 selects a desired language according to the user's operation from multilingual languages (such as European languages) that can be input. In addition to the character data switching processing unit 12A, the language selection unit 12 selects a language. The character code conversion table switching unit 12B that switches the character code conversion table for associating the input character key with the input character code is provided. Note that the language can be selected by displaying a list of selectable languages when the apparatus is activated and allowing the user to select a language. Further, when another language is selected when a keyboard screen of a certain language is displayed, it can be selected by operating a language selection key displayed on the display unit 11A or a predetermined combination of keys on the keyboard. You can display a list of various languages and select them.

  The display switching control unit 14 is selected in addition to the keyboard display key switching unit 14A for switching the display contents of the keyboard to be displayed according to the language selected by the language selection unit 12 and the setting by the operation method switching control unit 15. The keyboard display font switching unit 14B can switch the font of the displayed characters of the keys on the keyboard when switching to the keyboard display corresponding to the selected language.

  The data storage unit 13 includes a character data storage area 13A for storing character data for each language, a storage area 13B for a character code conversion table in which a key selected by a keyboard is associated with a character code, and a selectable language. A list data storage area 13C, a key data storage area 13D to be displayed as a keyboard, a character font data storage area 13E to be displayed on a key on the keyboard, and an input operation method for switching input operations. And an input operation method control table storage area 13F.

  The operation method switching control unit 15 includes an operation method switching unit 15A for switching a plurality of input operation methods stored in the storage area 13F of the input operation method control table in accordance with a user instruction.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a table storing special characters for each language.

  In FIG. 2, a special character table for each language (French, German, Spanish, Portuguese,...) Is stored in the character data storage area 13A of the data storage unit 13, and according to the type of language. A group of control keys (for example, "~" in Spanish, German or other languages) that are special characters in combination with a key group that exists as a key alone (for example, "β" in German) and an alphabet that is a common language character. Spanish, etc.) and a combination table that defines characters that can be combined with control keys.

  In this example, it was explained in French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, etc., but in other European languages, languages that can become special characters by combining some of the common characters such as the alphabet and special characters Can all be stored as tables.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the special character input operation method stored in the input operation method control table 13F.

  Language independent common characters (such as alphabets and general symbols) and language specific single special characters are generated by operating the corresponding character keys. A special character using a common character independent of the language is generated by combining the common character with a special symbol depending on the language. For example, by selectively combining “˜” and “n”, a special character in which “˜” is added on “n” is generated.

  The method for defining the combination has a plurality of options such as selecting a special symbol first, selecting it later, or selecting it at the same time, and can be switched by the user. Specifically, for example, by simultaneously pressing a plurality of specific keys on the keyboard displayed on the keyboard display unit 11a, an operation method selection screen is displayed, from which the user selects one of the operation methods. Then, this is accepted by the operation method switching unit 15A of the operation method switching control unit 15 and set as the selected operation method.

  Since the input operation depends on the character data input device to be input and displayed, an input operation method that can be selected by the operation method switching control unit 15 according to the type of the character data input device is selected when selecting the input operation method. It may be selected in advance so that an operation method that is impossible as an input operation cannot be selected.

  FIG. 4 shows a special character table for each language (French, German, Spanish, Portuguese...), And a special character for each language by combining a predetermined control group (special character control key) with a certain alphabet. Are formed, but all combinations of alphabets that become special characters and control groups are stored.

  FIGS. 5A to 5D are explanatory diagrams of a keyboard for each European language displayed on the keyboard display section 11a of the display section 11A.

  FIG. 5A shows a Spanish keyboard display screen and Spanish special characters, and FIG. 5B shows a French keyboard display screen and French special characters. FIG. 5C shows a Portuguese keyboard display screen and Portuguese special characters, and FIG. 5D shows a German keyboard display screen and German special characters.

  Characters that can be input by combining a single key, special character control key, and alphabet key as special characters differ depending on each language.

  In addition, the keyboard display unit 11a has a limited display size and can display up to 11 keys from the key "Q" to the key "@" in the horizontal direction, but 12 or more like a general-purpose keyboard. Cannot be displayed.

  In addition, each key of the alphabet and the language-specific character group is displayed as a group in the upper display area S1, and in the lower display area S2 different from the display area S1, special characters are combined with the alphabet. Each key of the control group forming the group is displayed. Therefore, on the screen of the display unit 11A of the display / input unit 11, each key of the control group can be clearly distinguished from each key consisting of the alphabet and the language-specific character group, and the key can be easily selected. .

  In this way, when the language to be input is selected, the screen of the display unit 11A in the display / input unit 11 displays a character group and language commonly used in each language as a character input keyboard for the selected language. Each key of a control group that forms a special character for each language in combination with a unique character group and the common character group is displayed. Therefore, the user can input characters in the selected language using the character input keyboard on this screen.

  That is, a common character group, a language-specific character group, and each key of a control group that forms special characters for each language in combination with the common character group are displayed on the same screen, and a desired key is operated in a predetermined manner. Since operations may be performed in order, special characters can be easily input even in a display / operation environment in which all special character keys cannot be displayed. As a result, the user is freed from troublesome operations such as switching between the special character display screen and the common character group display screen when inputting special characters.

  When inputting the special character, if an alphabet key having no combination with the control key is selected, it can be selected on the screen whether the input is invalid or valid. May be.

  In other words, for example, when inputting special characters and normal alphabets alternately, characters that cannot be special characters even if a certain alphabet is selected while the control key is selected for special characters. May be invalidated or only the alphabet may be validated.

  The selection operation for defining whether it is valid or invalid in this case may be performed simultaneously with selection of valid or invalid at the time of selection of the input operation method. When the user selects valid or invalid, this is accepted and set by the operation method switching unit 15A of the operation method switching control unit 15.

  Next, the flow of character data input activation processing will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 6, when the apparatus is activated, language data information stored in the data storage unit 13 is acquired in step S101, and a selectable language list is created in step S102. In step S103, when the language to be input by the user is selected from the created language list, the language data is updated in step S104. In step S105, the keyboard display content, the character code conversion table, the input operation table, and the character string data are updated based on the updated data, and held in this state.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the data storage unit 13 for storing data necessary for inputting character data is provided in the character data input device 1 has been described. However, as shown in FIG. The character data input devices 1 and 2 may be connected to the network NW via the language switching server 3. In this case, the character data input devices 1 and 2 select the language according to the user operation by the language selection means, take out data necessary for inputting the selected language from the data storage unit 4, and use the character input keyboard. Display.

  Further, data necessary for inputting character data may be distributed over the network NW. For example, the character data is stored in the data storage unit 13 of the character data input device 1, the character data stored in the data storage unit 13 is read out by another character data input device 2, and the display / input of the read-out device 2 is performed. The unit 11 may display and input characters.

  Alternatively, the language switching server 3 may be configured such that the mobile phone 5 as a character data input device is connected to the network. In this case, it is possible to retrieve necessary character data on the mobile phone 5 via the server 3 and input characters using a display / input unit (not shown) of the mobile phone 5. Not only the mobile phone 5 but also a portable terminal such as a personal computer or a PDA.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the character data input device which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the table which memorize | stored the special character according to language. It is a figure which shows the table which memorize | stored the input operation method of the special character. It is a figure which shows the table which memorize | stored all the combinations of a common character group and a control group. (A)-(D) It is a figure which shows the keyboard display screen for every language, and the special character of the language. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a character data input process. Another embodiment of the present invention is shown, and is a configuration diagram of a network system using a character data input device.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Display / input part 12 Language selection part 13 (4) Data storage part 14 Display switching control means 15A Operation method switching part S1 Display area S2 Display area

Claims (7)

  As a keyboard for character input according to the language selected from multiple languages, special characters for each language are formed by combining character groups common to each language, language-specific character groups, and the common character groups. A character data input device comprising display means for displaying each key of the control group to be displayed on one screen.   The common character group is an alphabet, the language-specific character group is a character that cannot be formed by adding a special symbol to the alphabet, and the control group is a character for forming a special character by combining with the alphabet. The character data input device according to claim 1.   On the screen of the display means, each key of the common character group and language-specific character group is displayed in the first display area, and each key of the control group for forming the special character is displayed in the first display area. The character data input device according to claim 1, wherein the character data input device is displayed in a second display area different from the display area.   The input of the special character is executed by selecting a desired control key from the control group, and selecting a desired key from the common character group in a state where the control key is selected. Item 4. The character data input device according to any one of Items 1 to 3.   The input of the special character is executed by selecting a desired key from the common character group and selecting a desired key of the control group in a state where the key is selected. The character data input device according to any one of the above.   The character according to claim 4 or 5, wherein for inputting the special character, it is possible to set which one of a desired key of a common character group and a desired control key of a control group is designated first. Data input device.   When a key of a common character group that is not combined with a control key is selected to input the special character, it is possible to select whether to enable or disable the input of the common character group. The character data input device according to claim 1.

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