JP5102894B1 - Character input device and portable terminal device - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a character input device capable of correcting an erroneously input character with certainty by preventing a key press error by a simple operation when an input error is made.
A character input device 1 displays a character in response to an input from a QWERTY keyboard, and displays a cursor at a character input position, and a layout storing an array of a plurality of characters on the QWERTY keyboard From the layout table 146 and the layout table 146, the English character displayed at the cursor position when the predetermined operation is detected or the English character obtained by reverse conversion of the character in the predetermined language is set as the correction target English character. And a correction keyboard generation unit 148 that selects an English character and English characters arranged in the vicinity of the English character to generate a correction keyboard. The character display unit displays the correction keyboard so that touch input is possible, and displays a character input from the correction keyboard or a character converted from the character instead of the character at the cursor position.
[Selection] Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a character input device and a portable terminal device, and more particularly to a character input device equipped with a QWERTY keyboard and the like and a portable terminal device including the character input device.

  In recent years, touch panels have been widely used as character input means for small portable terminal devices such as mobile phones and tablet PCs. In such a small portable terminal device with a small screen, a method of assigning kana or alphabetic characters to the numeric keys 1 to 9 and switching input characters by toggle operation or flick operation has been adopted recently. With the spread of smartphones, a QWERTY keyboard that can be touch-operated even with a mobile terminal device having a relatively small screen is adopted. This QWERTY keyboard is adopted in many PCs and is the most popular keyboard at present. Therefore, there is an advantage that the user is accustomed to using it.

  As a conventional technique using the above touch panel as a character input means, for example, Patent Document 1 has a software keyboard on a touch panel, and displays characters input from this software keyboard in an input character field. A character input device is described that performs a predetermined operation according to the direction of flicking by touching and flicking the characters displayed on the screen. For example, flicking to the left "move one character to the left character on the keyboard", flicking to the right "move one character to the right character on the keyboard", flicking up "delete", flicking down It is set as “Modify”.

JP 2010-55207 A

  Here, when the QWERTY keyboard is displayed on the small screen of the mobile terminal device, the area of each key becomes smaller than the fingertip of the user, and erroneous input such as pressing the adjacent key by mistake when the key is pressed occurs. It becomes easy. Even if an attempt is made to correct an erroneously input character, a small key on the QWERTY keyboard must be pressed accurately, so that a pressing error is repeated many times, resulting in a problem that the erroneously input character cannot be corrected.

  On the other hand, in the case of the character input device described in Patent Document 1, the character correction operation can be selected by a flick operation, but after shifting to the correction operation, an erroneous input is made with a small key on the software keyboard. In order to correct the character, there is a high possibility of repeated pressing mistakes such as touching the adjacent key, and the above problem cannot be solved.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and when a character input error is made, it is possible to prevent erroneous key presses with a simple operation and reliably correct erroneously input characters. An object of the present invention is to provide a character input device that can be used and a portable terminal device including the character input device.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a first technical means of the present invention displays a keyboard on which a plurality of English characters are arranged, and English characters input from the keyboard or characters of a predetermined language converted from the English characters. And a character input device that displays a cursor at a character input position, the character input device including a layout table and a correction keyboard generation unit, the layout table An arrangement of a plurality of English characters on a keyboard is stored, and the correction keyboard generation unit detects an English character or a predetermined language displayed at the position of the cursor when a predetermined operation on the character input device is detected. From the layout table, the English character to be corrected and the English characters arranged in the vicinity of the English character are converted as English characters to be corrected. The selected plurality of English characters are generated as a correction keyboard having an individual key size larger than that of the keyboard, and the character display unit touch-inputs the correction keyboard generated by the correction keyboard generation unit. And displaying an English character input from the correction keyboard or a character in a predetermined language obtained by converting the English character in place of the English character at the cursor position or the character in the predetermined language. Is.

  A second technical means includes a character conversion unit that converts an English character input from the keyboard into a character of a predetermined language in the first technical means, and the character of the predetermined language converted by the character conversion unit is When displayed at the cursor position, the correction keyboard generation unit reversely converts the character of the predetermined language displayed at the cursor position into one English character, and the one English character after the reverse conversion Is selected from the layout table as the correction target English characters and the English characters arranged in the vicinity of the English characters, and the correction keyboard is generated from the selected plurality of English characters, The character conversion unit converts an English character input from the correction keyboard into a character of a predetermined language, and the character display unit converts the character of the predetermined language converted by the character conversion unit into the cursor. Is obtained is characterized in that is displayed instead of the predetermined language character position.

  According to a third technical means, in the first technical means, a character conversion unit that converts an English character input from the keyboard into a character of a predetermined language, the character of the predetermined language converted by the character conversion unit is When displayed at the cursor position, the correction keyboard generation unit reversely converts the characters of the predetermined language displayed at the cursor position into a plurality of English characters, and the plurality of reversely converted English characters From the layout table, the English character to be corrected and the English characters arranged in the vicinity of the English character are selected from the layout table, and one of the selected English characters is selected as the English character to be corrected. The correction keyboard is generated by the character conversion unit, and the character conversion unit converts the English characters input from the correction keyboard and other English characters other than the correction target English characters included in the plurality of reversely converted English characters. Is converted into a character of a predetermined language, and the character display unit displays the character of the predetermined language converted by the character conversion unit instead of the character of the predetermined language at the cursor position. It is characterized by making it.

  A fourth technical means includes a character conversion table for converting one or more English characters and characters of a predetermined language to each other in the second or third technical means, and the correction keyboard generating unit includes According to the character conversion table, the character in the predetermined language at the cursor position is reversely converted into one or more English characters corresponding to the character.

  A fifth technical means is the fourth technical means, wherein the character conversion table has a plurality of English character strings registered for specific characters in a predetermined language, and the correction keyboard generating unit According to the conversion table, the specific character in the predetermined language at the position of the cursor is reversely converted into any of a plurality of English character strings corresponding to the specific character.

  According to a sixth technical means, in any one of the first to fifth technical means, the character in the predetermined language is a Japanese kana character.

  A seventh technical means is the technical means according to any one of the first to sixth technical means, wherein the character display unit includes a character display area for displaying characters according to an input from the keyboard, and an editor area capable of touch input. The predetermined operation for the character input device is a double tap operation on the editor area, and the correction keyboard is displayed in the vicinity of the place where the double tap operation is performed. It is.

  An eighth technical means is the seventh technical means, wherein the keyboard is a QWERTY keyboard, the correction keyboard is capable of inputting characters by flicking, and has the same character arrangement as the QWERTY keyboard. It is characterized by.

  A ninth technical means is a portable terminal device including the character input device according to any one of the first to eighth technical means.

  According to the present invention, when a character input error is made on a QWERTY keyboard or the like, a correction keyboard having a key size larger than that of the QWERTY keyboard is generated according to a predetermined operation by the user, and the correction keyboard is touch-operated. Since it can be displayed as possible, it is possible to prevent erroneous key presses with a simple operation and to correct erroneously input characters with certainty.

It is a figure which shows the example of a screen of the character input device which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the character input device shown in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the character input function control part shown in FIG. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the operation example of the keyboard generation part for correction shown in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the double tap operation on an editor area | region. It is a figure which shows an example of the touch key for edit character selection. It is a figure which shows an example of the keyboard for correction (multidirectional flick guide). It is a figure which shows an example of a confirmation guide.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a character input device according to the present invention and a mobile terminal device including the character input device will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a screen example of a character input device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 1 indicates a character input device. The character input device 1 is mounted on, for example, a smartphone equipped with a touch panel function, and the display screen is configured integrally with the touch panel. The character input device 1 includes a QWERTY keyboard 2 which is an example of a keyboard in which a plurality of English letters (A to Z, also referred to as Roman letters), numbers 1 to 9, 0 (numeric keys), and the like are arranged according to a predetermined rule, The QWERTY keyboard 2 and the character display unit 3 are provided with a character display unit 3 that displays English characters input from the QWERTY keyboard 2 or characters in a predetermined language converted from English characters and displays a cursor 4 at a character input position. Configure the editor screen. The character display unit 3 includes a character display area 3a for displaying characters according to input from the QWERTY keyboard 2 and an editor area 3b capable of touch input.

  Since the QWERTY keyboard 2 is formed on the touch panel, when the user touches a desired key with the finger 5, the coordinate position of the touched key is obtained, and the character corresponding to the coordinate position is displayed in the character display unit 3. Are displayed in the character display area 3a. At this time, the cursor 4 is displayed at the character input position. The character at this cursor position is a character in an unconfirmed state (unconfirmed character). For example, when the “confirm” key of the QWERTY keyboard 2 is pressed, the input of the unconfirmed character is confirmed. When the character input is confirmed, the cursor 4 moves from the left to the right on the screen, and shifts to the next character input waiting state.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the character input device 1 shown in FIG. The character input device 1 includes a touch input unit 11, a touch operation control unit 12, an editor input unit 13, a character input function control unit 14, a character input conversion unit 15, a dictionary unit 16, a character input display control unit 17, and an editor display control unit. 18, a screen display control unit 19 and a screen display unit 20 are provided. The touch input unit 11 is configured as a touch panel, and the screen display unit 20 is configured as a liquid crystal panel.

  When the touch operation control unit 12 detects a touch input from the touch input unit 11, it analyzes the coordinates, locus, timing, etc. of the touch position, converts it into a gesture event, and notifies this gesture event to the editor input unit 13. . The editor input unit 13 notifies the gesture event to the editor display control unit 18 or the character input function control unit 14 according to the content of the gesture event notified from the touch operation control unit 12.

  The editor display control unit 18 controls the editor application that provides the editor screen in accordance with the gesture event notified from the editor input unit 13, and executes editor screen generation and editing processing. In addition, the character input function control unit 14 converts the character touch-input from the touch input unit 11 into a Yomi character in response to a gesture event notified from the editor input unit 13, and then inputs the converted Yomi character as a character. The data is passed to the conversion unit 15. The character input conversion unit 15 searches the dictionary unit 16 based on the reading character passed from the character input function control unit 14 and acquires conversion candidate characters from the dictionary unit 16. For example, in the case of Japanese Romaji conversion, when “HA” is input from the touch input unit 11, it is converted into “HA” as a “HA” reading character, and “ha” conversion candidate characters are “ Blades, waves, teeth, ... "etc. are acquired.

  The character input conversion unit 15 passes the conversion candidate character acquired above to the character input function control unit 14, and the character input function control unit 14 passes the reading character and the conversion candidate character to the character input display control unit 17. The character input display control unit 17 lays out the reading character and the conversion candidate character passed from the character input function control unit 14 at appropriate positions. The editor display control unit 18 synthesizes the reading character and the conversion candidate character laid out by the character input display control unit 17 on the editor screen and outputs them to the screen display control unit 19. The screen display control unit 19 draws the reading character and the conversion candidate character synthesized on the editor screen on the screen display unit 20.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the character input function control unit 14 shown in FIG. In this example, a configuration for converting Roman characters (English characters) input from the QWERTY keyboard 2 into Japanese Kana characters will be described. The character input function control unit 14 includes a gesture event processing unit 141, a Romaji acquisition unit 142, a Romaji / Kana character conversion unit 143, an input reading character holding unit 144, a conversion candidate acquisition unit 145, a QWERTY key layout table 146, a Romaji / Kana character. A conversion table 147 and a correction keyboard generation unit 148 are provided.

  The gesture event processing unit 141 notifies the gesture event input from the editor input unit 13 to the Romaji acquisition unit 142 or the correction keyboard generation unit 148 according to the touch coordinates and the event content. In the case of normal character input, the Roman coordinates acquisition unit 142 is notified of the touch coordinates when the user touches a desired key on the QWERTY keyboard 2.

  The Roman character acquisition unit 142 searches the QWERTY key layout table 146 based on the touch coordinates notified from the gesture event processing unit 141, and acquires the Roman characters corresponding to the touch coordinates. The romaji / kana character conversion unit 143 searches the romaji / kana character conversion table 147 based on the romaji acquired by the romaji acquisition unit 142, and converts the romaji into kana characters according to the rules of the romaji / kana character conversion table 147. Convert to The input reading character holding unit 144 is, for example, a non-volatile or volatile memory, and temporarily holds a kana character converted by the Roman / Kana character conversion unit 143.

  In response to the gesture event notified from the gesture event processing unit 141, the conversion candidate acquiring unit 145 acquires the character conversion candidate characters (including kanji characters) held in the input character reading holding unit 144. The input conversion unit 15 is instructed. Then, the conversion candidate acquisition unit 145 passes the conversion candidate characters acquired by the character input conversion unit 15 to the character input display control unit 17. Since the processing content by the character input display control part 17 is as above-mentioned, description here is abbreviate | omitted.

  The main feature of the present invention is that when a character input mistake is made, a mistake in pressing a key can be prevented with a simple operation, and the erroneously input character can be corrected reliably. As a configuration for this, when the character input device 1 detects a predetermined operation on the QWERTY key layout table 146 corresponding to the layout table storing the arrangement of a plurality of Roman characters on the QWERTY keyboard 2 and the character input device 1 The roman character displayed at the position of the cursor 4 or the roman character reversely converted from the character of the predetermined language is set as the roman character to be corrected, and the roman character to be corrected and the roman characters arranged in the vicinity of the roman character from the QWERTY key layout table 146. And a correction keyboard generation unit 148 that generates a plurality of selected Roman letters as a correction keyboard (see FIG. 7 to be described later) having an individual key size larger than that of the QWERTY keyboard 2.

  Then, the character display unit 3 displays the correction keyboard generated by the correction keyboard generation unit 148 so as to be capable of touch input, and displays the Roman characters input from the correction keyboard or characters in a predetermined language converted from the Roman characters as a cursor. It is displayed in place of the Roman character at the position 4 or the character in the predetermined language. The correction keyboard has the same Roman character arrangement as the QWERTY keyboard 2 and is displayed in the editor area 3b so as not to overlap the character display area 3a of the character display section 3. The correction keyboard enables character input by a flick operation.

  In the above description, the predetermined operation on the character input device 1 is a specific gesture event (for example, a double tap operation) on the editor area 3 b of the character display unit 3, and this specific gesture event is the gesture event processing unit 141. Is detected and notified to the correction keyboard generation unit 148.

  For example, when a double tap operation is detected on the editor area 3b of the character display unit 3 in a state where the Roman character input from the QWERTY keyboard 2 is displayed at the cursor position without being converted, the correction keyboard generation unit 148 designates the roman character displayed at the cursor position as the roman character to be corrected, selects the roman character to be corrected and the roman characters arranged in the vicinity of the roman character from the QWERTY key layout table 146, and uses the selected roman characters for correction. Generate a keyboard. The character display unit 3 displays the correction keyboard in the vicinity of the place where the double-tap operation is performed, and displays the Roman characters input from the correction keyboard instead of the Roman characters at the cursor position. Whether the character at the cursor position is Roman or not can be determined from the character code of the character displayed at the cursor position.

  In the above, for example, when it is desired to correct “H” as the Roman character on which the cursor 4 is hit, when the user performs a double tap operation on the editor area 3b of the character display unit 3, a keyboard for correction is displayed on the editor area 3b. Is displayed to enable touch operation. As shown in FIG. 7 to be described later, this correction keyboard includes, for example, the Roman letters “Y”, “U”, “G”, “J”, “B”, which are arranged in the vicinity of the Roman letter “H” on the QWERTY keyboard 2. Since only “N” is displayed, each key size can be displayed larger than the QWERTY keyboard 2 that displays all Roman characters. For this reason, it is possible to prevent an unconfirmed character from being corrected by preventing an erroneous key press. In most cases, it is sufficient to display a few characters adjacent to the Roman character that you want to correct in this way, because most of the input mistakes cause you to press the adjacent key by mistake.

  Here, the character input function control unit 14 of this example is a Roman character / kana that is an example of a character conversion unit that converts Roman characters input from the QWERTY keyboard 2 into characters of a predetermined language (for example, Japanese Kana characters). A character conversion unit 143 is provided. In the case of this Roman character / kana character conversion unit 143, the Roman character is converted into a Japanese kana character. When a double tap operation in the editor area 3b is detected in a state where the Japanese Kana character converted by the Romaji / Kana character conversion unit 143 is displayed at the cursor position, the correction keyboard generation unit 148 displays the cursor position. Converts kana characters back to one or more Roman characters.

  Specifically, the character input function control unit 14 is a Roman character / kana that is an example of a character conversion table for mutually converting one or more Roman characters and characters in a predetermined language (here, Japanese Kana characters). A character conversion table 147 is provided. The correction keyboard generation unit 148 can reverse-convert the kana character at the cursor position into one or more corresponding Roman characters by searching the Roman / kana character conversion table 147 based on the kana character at the cursor position. Whether or not a kana character is displayed at the cursor position can be determined by, for example, the character code of the character.

  Then, when there is one roman character reversely converted from the kana character at the cursor position, the correction keyboard generation unit 148 sets the reversely converted roman character as the roman character to be corrected, and reads the roman character to be corrected from the QWERTY key layout table 146. A romaji arranged in the vicinity of the romaji is selected, and a correction keyboard is generated from the selected romaji. The Romaji / Kana character conversion unit 143 converts the Roman character input from the correction keyboard into Japanese Kana characters, and the character display unit 3 displays the Japanese Kana characters converted by the Romaji / Kana character conversion unit 143. Display characters instead of the kana character at the cursor position.

  For example, if the kana character at the cursor position is “I” and it is desired to correct it to “U”, “I” that has been input incorrectly is converted to “I” and converted to “I”. In this case, since the reversely converted Roman letter is one (“I”), this “I” becomes the Roman letter to be corrected. The correction keyboard generation unit 148 searches the Roman letter “I” from the QWERTY key layout table 146, and, for example, Roman letters “U,” arranged in the vicinity of the Roman letter “I” and the Roman letter “I” from the QWERTY key layout table 146. “O, J, K” is selected, a correction keyboard is generated from the selected Roman letters “I, U, O, J, K” and displayed on the character display unit 3. The Roman character / kana character conversion unit 143 converts the Roman character ("U" in this case) input from the correction keyboard into the Japanese kana character "U", and the character display unit 3 displays the Roman character / Kana character. The Japanese kana character “u” converted by the character conversion unit 143 is displayed instead of the kana character “i” at the cursor position.

  In addition, when there are a plurality of Roman characters reversely converted from the kana character at the cursor position, the correction keyboard generation unit 148 selects one Roman character from among the plurality of reversely converted Roman characters, and sets this Roman character as the Roman character to be corrected. From the QWERTY key layout table 146, the Romaji to be corrected and the Romaji arranged in the vicinity of the Romaji are selected, and a correction keyboard is generated using the selected Romaji. The Romaji / Kana character conversion unit 143 converts a Romaji string composed of a combination of Romaji input from the keyboard for correction and other Romaji that was not selected from the reversely converted Romaji into Japanese Kana characters. Then, the character display unit 3 displays the Japanese Kana character converted by the Romaji / Kana character conversion unit 143 instead of the Kana character at the cursor position.

  For example, if the kana character at the cursor position is “ha” and it is desired to correct it to “na”, the erroneously entered “ha” is converted back to romaji, resulting in “HA”. In this case, since there are two reversely converted Roman letters (“HA”), any one of the “HA” is set as a Roman letter to be corrected. As a method for selecting Roman characters, for example, “HA” can be displayed on the character display unit 3 and selected by the user. Here, “H” is selected by the user, and “H” becomes a Roman character to be corrected. The correction keyboard generation unit 148 searches the Roman letter “H” from the QWERTY key layout table 146 and, for example, Roman letters “Y,” arranged in the vicinity of the Roman letter “H” and the Roman letter “H” from the QWERTY key layout table 146. “U, G, J, B, N” is selected, and a correction keyboard is generated with the selected Roman letters “H, Y, U, G, J, B, N” and displayed on the character display unit 3.

  Then, the Roman character / kana character conversion unit 143 uses the above correction keyboard to input the Roman character “N” input by the user's flick operation or the like, and another Roman character “A” that is not selected from the reversely converted Roman characters. Is converted into a Japanese Kana character “NA”, and the character display unit 3 displays the Japanese Kana character “NA” reconverted by the Roman / Kana character conversion unit 143. Is displayed instead of the kana character “ha” at the cursor position.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining an operation example of the correction keyboard generation unit 148 shown in FIG. In this example, a case where Roman characters input from the QWERTY keyboard 2 are converted into Japanese Kana characters will be described as an example. When the gesture event processing unit 141 detects a specific gesture event, the correction keyboard generation unit 148 starts a correction keyboard generation operation. This gesture event is a specific gesture, a key press, or the like, and in this example, it will be described as a double tap operation on the editor area 3b constituting the character display unit 3 for ease of operation.

  First, as shown in FIG. 5, when the user tries to input a character “Akasana” and accidentally inputs “Akasataha”, and the cursor 4 hits “ha” that is erroneously input, When the editor area 3b is double-tapped, the gesture event processing unit 141 detects this double-tap operation (step S1). In response to this, the correction keyboard generation unit 148 obtains an undetermined character at the cursor position (corresponding to the kana character “ha” in the example of FIG. 5) (step S2), and the undetermined character is “kana”. Is determined based on the character code (step S3).

  Next, when it is determined in step S3 that the unconfirmed character is “kana” (in the case of YES), the correction keyboard generation unit 148 reads the Roman character corresponding to the unconfirmed kana character from the romaji / kana character conversion table 147. And Kana characters are converted back to Roman characters (step S4). If it is determined in step S3 that the unconfirmed character is not “kana” (in the case of NO), the process proceeds to step S8. In the example of FIG. 5, since the unconfirmed character is the kana character “ha”, it is determined YES in step S 3, and the roman character “HA” corresponding to the kana character “ha” is determined from the romaji / kana character conversion table 147. To be acquired.

  Here, the romaji / kana character conversion table 147 can also have a plurality of romaji strings registered for specific Japanese kana characters. For example, a plurality of Roman character strings such as “XYA” and “LYA” are registered for Japanese “nya (lowercase)”. In this case, the correction keyboard generation unit 148 searches the Roman character / kana character conversion table 147 based on the specific kana character at the cursor position, and selects the specific kana character at the cursor position from any of the corresponding Roman character strings. You may make it carry out reverse conversion. In the case of the above “nya (lowercase)”, for example, the previously searched Roman character string may be selected from among “XYA” and “LYA”.

  Next, the correction keyboard generation unit 148 determines whether or not the Roman character acquired in step S4 is composed of a plurality of Roman characters (step S5). When it is determined that the Roman character is composed of a plurality of Roman characters (in the case of YES), FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the edit character selection touch key 6 is displayed in the editor area 3b of the character display unit 3 (step S6), and whether or not any key of the edit character selection touch key 6 is selected by the user. Determination is made (step S7). In the case of the example of FIG. 6, since a plurality of Roman letters “HA” are acquired in step S4, the Roman letters “HA” are displayed so as to be touch-selectable. In Step S5, when it is determined that it is composed of one Roman character instead of a plurality (NO), the process proceeds to Step S8.

  Next, when the correction keyboard generation unit 148 determines in step S7 that any of the editing character selection touch keys 6 has not been selected (in the case of NO), the correction keyboard generation unit 148 shifts to a selection waiting state in step S7. To do. If it is determined in step S7 that any one of the editing character selection touch keys 6 has been selected (YES), the Roman character of the selected key is adjacent to the Roman character from the QWERTY key layout table 146. Romaji is acquired (step S8). In the example of FIG. 6, since “H” is selected among “HA” of the edit character selection touch key 6, the Roman letter “H” and the Roman letter “H” adjacent to the Roman letter “H” are selected from the QWERTY key layout table 146. Y, U, G, J, B, N ”are acquired.

  It should be noted that the display position of the edit character selection touch key 6 is desirably displayed in the vicinity of the portion double-tapped in the editor area 3b in order to reduce the operation steps. However, when the double-tapped location is close to the character display area 3a or the QWERTY keyboard 2, it may be displayed at the center of the screen.

  Next, the correction keyboard generation unit 148 generates a correction keyboard (also referred to as multi-directional flick guide) 7 as shown in FIG. 7 from the plurality of Roman characters acquired in step S8, and this is displayed on the character display unit 3. Is displayed in the editor area 3b (step S9). This correction keyboard 7 enables input by flick operation, and is generated and displayed in the same layout (staggered layout) as the key layout of the QWERTY keyboard 2, but is larger than the key size of the QWERTY keyboard 2, so that the user Can reliably select a desired key.

  The correction keyboard 7 may be arranged in a vertical and horizontal grid like a flick guide often found in a touch kana input method, but the main purpose of the present invention is to correct an input error due to a key press error. For this reason, it is more desirable to use the same layout as the key layout of the QWERTY keyboard 2 because an input error at the time of correction can be prevented and an intuitive operation can be performed.

  Next, the correction keyboard generation unit 148 determines whether or not a flick operation has been performed on the correction keyboard 7 of FIG. 7 (step S10), and when it is determined that a flick operation has not been performed (NO) ), And shifts to a flick operation waiting state in step S10. If it is determined in step S10 that a flick operation has been performed (in the case of YES), as shown in FIG. 8, a Roman character fixed guide 8 determined by the flick operation is displayed (step S11), and Roman / Kana character conversion is performed. According to the table 147, this Roman character is converted into a kana character (step S12).

  In step S11, in the example of FIG. 7, the roman letter “N” is selected by flicking diagonally to the lower right with respect to the correction keyboard 7. In the example of FIG. 8, this roman letter “N” is confirmed. A confirmation guide 8 is displayed. This confirmation guide 8 is for notifying the user of a confirmed character, and is erased after being displayed for a certain time. Note that the confirmation guide 8 is not an essential component and may not be mounted.

  In step S12, the correction keyboard generation unit 148 then determines the Roman letter determined in step S11 (“N” in the example of FIG. 8) and another Roman letter that was not selected in step S7 (in the example of FIG. 6, The Roman character string “NA” consisting of “A” of “HA” of the edit character selection touch key 6 is converted into a Kana character by the Roman character / Kana character conversion table 147. In this case, as shown in FIG. 8, the kana character “na” is converted to the kana character “na” and displayed at the position of the cursor 4. Finally, the correction keyboard generation unit 148 stores the kana character “na” converted in step S12 in the input reading character holding unit 144 (step S13).

  In the above embodiment, when converting an indeterminate Kana character being input into Roman characters, reverse conversion using the Roman / Kana character conversion table 147 is used. However, for Kana characters in an indeterminate state, A buffer may be provided, and the Roman character string before being converted into kana characters may be held in this buffer. Thereby, the Roman character string corresponding to the undetermined character (kana character) at the cursor position can be acquired from the buffer. For example, this is effective when there are a plurality of Roman character strings that can be input for the same kana character, such as “XYA” and “LYA” for “nya (lowercase)”. In other words, when “nya (lowercase)” is displayed at the cursor position, either the corresponding Roman character string “XYA” or “LYA” can be acquired from the buffer.

  Further, in the above description, the cursor position is described as being at the end of the character string being input, but the same is true at the beginning or midway. In this case, the character correction operation is performed by moving the cursor 4 and then double-tapping the editor area 3b of the character display unit 3.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, it is applicable not only to the type which can be touched with a user's finger | toe, for example, a touch panel which can be input only with a dedicated pen as well as a pressure-sensitive type or a capacitive touch panel. Even if the pen tip is a thin dedicated pen, there is a problem that it is difficult to press when the touch key area is small. However, according to the present invention, such a problem can be solved.

  In the above embodiment, the multi-directional flick guide is displayed as the correction keyboard and the character is determined by the flick operation. However, the character displayed on the displayed multi-directional flick guide is directly tapped or other gestures are performed. It may be confirmed by operation. However, since an effect that can be determined quickly and correctly by a flick operation can be expected, the possibility of another input error is reduced.

  In the above embodiment, the QWERTY keyboard is realized as a software keyboard on the touch panel. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the QWERTY keyboard may be realized as a hardware keyboard. In this case as well, when an input error is made with the QWERTY keyboard, it can be handled by displaying a multi-directional flick guide by double-tapping the editor area.

  Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the case of Japanese Kana conversion from Romaji to Kana characters has been described. However, if the input is from the QWERTY keyboard, it can also be applied to Romaji input without Kana conversion and Pinyin input in Chinese. Is possible. In the case of Roman characters, the reverse conversion process from Kana characters to Roman characters is not necessary. Further, in the case of Chinese kanji characters, instead of the romaji / kana character conversion table 147, the character input conversion unit 15 and the dictionary unit 16 capable of reverse conversion such as a morphological analysis function are used to reverse the kanji into romaji. This can be done by converting.

  As mentioned above, although it demonstrated centering on embodiment of the character input device based on this invention, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is good also as a form of the portable terminal device provided with this character input device. As a portable terminal device, it can apply to various portable terminals, such as a smart phone, a mobile phone, and PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), for example.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Character input device, 2 ... QWERTY keyboard, 3 ... Character display part, 3a ... Character display area, 3b ... Editor area, 4 ... Cursor, 5 ... Finger, 6 ... Touch key for edit character selection, 7 ... Keyboard for correction (Multi-directional flick guide), 8 ... confirmation guide, 11 ... touch input unit, 12 ... touch operation control unit, 13 ... editor input unit, 14 ... character input function control unit, 15 ... character input conversion unit, 16 ... dictionary unit , 17 ... Character input display control unit, 18 ... Editor display control unit, 19 ... Screen display control unit, 20 ... Screen display unit, 141 ... Gesture event processing unit, 142 ... Roman character acquisition unit, 143 ... Roman character / kana character conversion unit 144: Input reading character holding unit, 145 ... Conversion candidate acquisition unit, 146 ... QWERTY key layout table, 147 ... Romaji / kana character conversion table, 1 8 ... correcting keyboard generating unit.

Claims (9)

A keyboard in which a plurality of English characters are arranged, and a character display unit that displays English characters input from the keyboard or characters in a predetermined language converted from the English characters and displays a cursor at a character input position A character input device,
The character input device includes a layout table and a correction keyboard generation unit,
The layout table stores an array of a plurality of English characters on the keyboard;
The correction keyboard generator generates an English character to be corrected when an English character displayed at the cursor position or a character in a predetermined language is reversely converted when a predetermined operation on the character input device is detected. As the characters, the correction target English characters and the English characters arranged in the vicinity of the English characters are selected from the layout table, and the plurality of selected English characters have an individual key size larger than the keyboard. Produces as
The character display unit displays the correction keyboard generated by the correction keyboard generation unit so that the touch input is possible, and English characters input from the correction keyboard or characters in a predetermined language obtained by converting the English characters, A character input device for displaying in place of an English character at a position of the cursor or a character in a predetermined language.   The character input device according to claim 1, further comprising: a character conversion unit that converts an English character input from the keyboard into a character of a predetermined language, wherein the character of the predetermined language converted by the character conversion unit is a position of the cursor The correction keyboard generation unit reversely converts the character of the predetermined language displayed at the cursor position into one English character, and the one English character that has been reversely converted is to be corrected. The English character to be corrected and the English characters arranged in the vicinity of the English character are selected from the layout table, and the correction keyboard is generated from the selected plurality of English characters, and the character conversion The unit converts an English character input from the correction keyboard into a character of a predetermined language, and the character display unit converts the character of the predetermined language converted by the character converter to the position of the cursor. Character input device, characterized in that to display in place of the predetermined language characters.   The character input device according to claim 1, further comprising: a character conversion unit that converts an English character input from the keyboard into a character of a predetermined language, wherein the character of the predetermined language converted by the character conversion unit is a position of the cursor The correction keyboard generation unit reversely converts the character of the predetermined language displayed at the cursor position into a plurality of English characters, and the plurality of English characters converted in reverse Any one of the English characters is selected as a correction target English character, and the correction target English character and English characters arranged in the vicinity of the English character are selected from the layout table, and the correction is performed using the selected plurality of English characters. A character keyboard, and the character conversion unit includes a character input from the correction keyboard and a character other than the character to be corrected included in the plurality of reversely converted English characters. An English character string formed by matching is converted into a character of a predetermined language, and the character display unit displays the character of the predetermined language converted by the character conversion unit instead of the character of the predetermined language at the cursor position. A character input device characterized by that.   4. The character input device according to claim 2, further comprising a character conversion table for converting one or more English characters and characters of a predetermined language to each other, wherein the correction keyboard generation unit uses the character conversion table. A character input device that reversely converts a character in a predetermined language at the cursor position into one or more English characters corresponding to the character.   5. The character input device according to claim 4, wherein the character conversion table has a plurality of English character strings registered for specific characters of a predetermined language, and the correction keyboard generation unit is configured by the character conversion table. A character input device that reversely converts a specific character in a predetermined language at the cursor position into one of a plurality of English character strings corresponding to the specific character.   The character input device according to claim 1, wherein the character in the predetermined language is a Japanese kana character.   The character input device according to claim 1, wherein the character display unit includes a character display area that displays characters according to input from the keyboard, and an editor area that allows touch input. The predetermined operation for the character input device is a double tap operation on the editor area, and the correction keyboard is displayed in the vicinity of the place where the double tap operation is performed.   8. The character input device according to claim 7, wherein the keyboard is a QWERTY keyboard, the correction keyboard enables character input by a flick operation, and has the same character arrangement as the QWERTY keyboard. Character input device.   The portable terminal device provided with the character input device of any one of Claims 1-8.

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