JPH01106128A - Character input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To display many types of characters with no limitation of the number of display positions of a display device by using a changeover switch to select the types of characters which are displayed on the display device. CONSTITUTION:When a changeover switch 17 is set at a certain set position, a liquid crystal display circuit 13 is controlled by a control part 11 in response to the signal sent from the switch 17. Then the character of the designated type is displayed on a liquid crystal display device 14. When a touch panel 15 companion to the device 14 is pushed, the information on this pushed position is delivered through a touch panel control part 16. This information is collated with the display data stored previously at the due position of the device 14 via the part 11. Thus a specific display character corresponding to said pushed position is decided and at the same time, the character code of the pushed position is given to a host device (not shown here).

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] This invention displays an arrangement of a large number of characters at a plurality of display positions on a display device, and when an operator's finger or the like touches the display position of a character to be selected, that character is displayed. The present invention relates to a character-powered device that outputs information.

(Prior Art) FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a conventional character input device. The control unit 1 includes a character generator 2 that converts character data of characters to be displayed (including katakana, alphabets, numbers, symbols, etc.) into display data and outputs the data, and a character generator 2 that manually converts character data from the character generator 2. The liquid crystal display drive circuit 3 is controlled by the liquid crystal display drive circuit 3. The display drive circuit 3 is
A liquid crystal display device 4 is driven in accordance with control signals from a control section 1 and character data from a character generator 2. A liquid crystal display device 4 using liquid crystal as a display device is paired with a touch panel 5 to form a touch-type keyboard.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a liquid crystal display device 4 forming such a touch-type keyboard. The liquid crystal display device 4 is arranged in a grid pattern and has a plurality of display positions (nine in this case), and the liquid crystal display drive is performed at each character display position as indicated by the numbers 1.2,3°-,9. By driving the circuit 3, predetermined characters are displayed. A transparent touch panel 5 having a grid-like detection board is arranged corresponding to these display positions. When an operator's finger touches a display position, for example, the display position of the number "1", it functions as a detector that generates an output signal representing the display position.

The output signal of the touch panel 5 is manually input to the touch panel control section 6. The touch panel control unit 6 is a touch panel.
Based on the output signal from 5, pressed position information representing the display position of the liquid crystal display device 4 touched by the operator's finger is generated, and this pressed position information is manually input to the control unit 1.

What is notified to the control unit 1 here is the pressed position information, and not the character information itself at the display position touched by the operator. Therefore, the control unit 1 uses this pressed position information to determine which display character corresponds to the pressed position by comparing it with display data that is predetermined and stored corresponding to the pressed position. The character code at the pressed position is output to a host device (not shown).

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) However, in the character input device having such a configuration, one type of display character corresponds to one display character position on the touch panel, so if the number of types of characters to be displayed is increased, , display devices and touch panels have become larger,
When this increase was not possible, it was necessary to limit the types of characters displayed.

The present invention eliminates the problems of conventional text input devices and increases the number of types of characters that can be displayed.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a character input device that can be miniaturized.

(Means for Solving the Problems) A human-powered character device according to the present invention includes a display device that has a plurality of display positions and displays predetermined characters at each display position, and displays characters to be selected. a changeover switch configured to output information on the character by touching the display position where the display is located, and having a plurality of setting positions each uniquely specifying the type of character to be displayed on the display device; It has a plurality of conductive plates arranged corresponding to the display positions of the display device, overlapped with each other at minute intervals, and arranged in the X direction and the Y direction, and synchronized with the display of the display device. The touch panel is driven by
1. A touch panel control unit that determines which display position of the display device is selected based on the output of the touch panel and outputs a signal for the selected display position; A control unit that controls the display device to display a type of character corresponding to the set position on the display device, and outputs information on the character at the display position selected by an operator's touch. It is characterized by:

(Function) According to the human-powered character device of the present invention, the setting position of the changeover switch is selected in accordance with the type of character to be displayed on the display device, and in response to this selection, the control section controls the control corresponding to the character. In addition to generating the signal, the touch panel control section determines which display position of the display device has been selected from the output of the touch panel in synchronization with the control signal from the control section, and further, the control section determines which display position of the display device has been selected based on the determined result. Outputs information about the character at the displayed position.

(Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a character input device showing a first embodiment of the present invention. A character generator 12 and a liquid crystal display drive circuit 13 are connected to the control section 11 , and the liquid crystal display drive circuit 3 is connected to a liquid crystal display device 4 .

A touch panel 15 is arranged corresponding to the liquid crystal display device 14, and the touch panel 15 is connected to the control section 11 via a touch panel control section 16.

Each configuration from the control unit 11 to the touch panel control unit 16 has the same configuration as each of the control unit 1 to the touch panel control unit 6 described above.

In this invention, a changeover switch 17 having setting positions A, B, and C is connected to the control section 11. The changeover switch 17 has a function of specifying the type of character to be displayed on the liquid crystal display device 14 according to its setting position, and the setting position is selected by the operator. The changeover switch 17 is used to change the setting (when set to device A, characters in ``katakana'' are displayed on the liquid crystal display 14, and when set to setting position B, ``alphabet'' and ``numbers'' are displayed. and when the setting position C is set, a signal to display a "symbol" is manually inputted to the control section 11.

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram of the touch panel 15. The touch panel 15 is made of a transparent conductor, is arranged in the X direction, and receives a display control signal a from the touch panel control section 16.
, b and C are applied to conductive plates Xi, X2 and x3;
Also made from a transparent conductor, the conductive plate Xi,
It has conductive plates Yl, Y2, and Y3 arranged in the Y direction with a small interval from X2 and x3. Conductive plate Xi,
2 and x3 and the conductive plates Yl, Y2, and Y3 intersect at 211. ~Z33.

Conductive plates Yl, Y2. The output terminal of Y3 is connected to a resistor R1, respectively.
, R2, R3 to the power supply line of voltage Vcc, and Ov detectors DI, D2 . Connected to D3. Ov detector DI, D2. The output signal of D3 is input to the touch panel control section 16.

Here, the display control signals a, b, and C are outputted from the touch panel control section 16 via the liquid crystal display drive circuit 13 in synchronization with a control signal by which the control section 1 controls the display of the liquid crystal display device 14 .

The present invention will be described in detail with reference to the timing diagram of FIG. 5, which explains the operation of the circuit shown in FIGS. 1 and 4.

First, when the operator sets the changeover switch 17 to the illustrated setting position 1, the control section 11 controls the liquid crystal display drive circuit 13 in response to a signal that will be input from now on. According to this control, the liquid crystal display drive circuit 13 causes the liquid crystal display device 14 to display the type of character specified by the setting position 1 of the changeover switch 17.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 5a, b, and c, when the touch panel control unit 16 is applying 0 pulses whose phases are sequentially shifted to the conductive plates Xi, X2, and x3,
Assume that the operator's finger touches and presses down a part of the touch panel 2, for example, the intersection Zll between the conductive plates Y1 and x1, according to the display on the liquid crystal display device 14. As a result, when the conductive plate Y1 and the conductive plate x1 come into contact and become electrically conductive, and the OV pulse applied to the conductive plate x4 becomes Ov, OV is detected as shown in FIG. 5d. The Ov lightning voltage is output from the detector D3, and the outputs of the other detectors D1 and D2 maintain a high level state, as shown in FIG. 5e and f.

When the touch panel control unit 16 detects that the Ov lightning voltage is output from the Ov detector D3, it generates pressed position information indicating that a human finger has touched the intersection Zll, and inputs this to the control unit 11. . The control unit 11 determines that the pressed point on the touch panel 15 is the intersection Z11 based on the timing of applying the Ov pulse and the pressed position information from the Ov detector D3.

Thereby, the control unit 11 outputs the code of the character corresponding to the intersection zti to the host device.

The above operation was performed when the changeover switch 17 was in the setting position A, but by the same operation, the setting position B was set to `` and 3'', the alphabet and numbers were displayed on the liquid crystal display 14, and the setting position was set to C. When set to , the liquid crystal display device 14
to display the symbol.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above in detail, according to the present invention, by providing a changeover switch for selecting characters to be displayed on the display device, any one of several types of characters can be displayed at each display position of the display device. The type of characters selected can be displayed on the front surface, and many types of characters can be displayed without being limited by the number of display frames of the display device.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the character-powered device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a conventional character-powered device, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the structure of the touch panel shown in FIG. 2. 4 is a circuit diagram of the touch panel shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 5 is a timing diagram illustrating the operation of the touch panel control section shown in FIG. 4. 1.11... Control unit, 4.14... Liquid crystal display device, 5.15... Touch panel, 17... Changeover switch.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A display device having a plurality of display positions and displaying a predetermined character at each display position is provided, and by touching the display position where a character to be selected is displayed, the character can be selected. A character input device configured to output information, comprising: a changeover switch having a plurality of setting positions each uniquely specifying a type of character to be displayed on the display device; and a changeover switch arranged corresponding to each display position of the display device. a touch panel that has a plurality of conductive plates arranged in the X direction and the Y direction, which are overlapped with each other with a minute interval, and is driven in synchronization with the display of the display device; a touch panel control unit that operates in synchronization with the switch, determines which display position of the display device is selected based on the output of the touch panel, and outputs a signal of the selected display position; and a set position of the changeover switch. In response to this, the display device is controlled to display a type of character corresponding to the set position on the display device, and information about the character at the display position selected by the operator's touch is output. A character input device comprising: