JPH02126362A - Chinese language input apparatus and keyboard thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To unequivocally input all consonants and vowels, which are to be inputted, by operating 26 keys of a keyboard to which the consonants and the vowels, which constitute the piny in of KANJI (Chinese character) are allocated. CONSTITUTION: When keys to which the consonants constituting piny in are allocated from the keyboard (a) are operated, the consonants are generated from the key data conversion means (b). When keys to which the vowels following the consonants are operated, the vowels are generated from the means (b). KANJI applied to piny in constituted by the consonants and the vowels are retrieved from a single KANJI dictionar (c) by a retrieval means (d). Then, it is stored in a first storage means (e) as the input candidate KANJI and is displayed on a display device (i). When KANJI to be inputted exists in the displayed KANJI and a number or the like for selecting KANJI is inputted from the keyboard (a), the pertinent KANJI is selected from a selection means (g), is stored in a second storage means (f) and is displayed on the other prescribed area of the device (i).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a Chinese input device for inputting Chinese characters (kanji) from a keyboard based on reading (pinyin) and its keyboard.

(Prior art) As a conventional technology in this field, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 81-1
No. 82164, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 81-275969,
JP-A-62-75757, JP-A-82-1454
There are those described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 81, Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 187364/1983, and the like.

In conventional devices of this type, there are two methods for inputting Pinyin: a whole phoneme input method and a dual Pinyin input method.

The whole phoneme input method is the normal alphabet r except for ■.
a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i.

j,to,Rlm,n,o,p,q,``,s,t.

The Chinese character Pinyin, which consists of a combination of 26 phonemes (up to 6) represented by ``u, w, Input one item at a time based on the information.

In addition, the double Pinyin input method is to input the Chinese character Pinyin consisting of a combination of the 26 phonemes mentioned above, and 20 consonants (single consonants) rb-c* of the 26 phonemes.
d+ f9g+ h* J* k+ I)+m
, nl p, ql rl S, t, WI X,
y, z'' and three consonants (twins) rch consisting of a combination of two consonants among the 26 phonemes.

23 consonants consisting of sh, zhJ and 6 vowels (single vowels) of the 26 phonemes r a + e
+t, O, u, uJ and 2 of the above 26 phonemes
27 vowels (diphthongs) consisting of ~4 combinations r
at, an, ang, ao, ei, en.

eng, ia, ian, iang, iao, ie.

in, ing, iong, iu (or L ou )
, .

ong, ou, ua, uai, uan, uang.

It is broken down into 33 vowels consisting of ue, ui, un, uo, and ueJ, and inputs one consonant and vowel each, or one or two vowels based on a single keystroke on the keyboard. be.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) However, in the conventional device using the above-mentioned all-phoneme input method, the unique symbol "i" is simply assigned to any key of a normal keyboard equipped with an alphabet and used as is. However, it is difficult to increase the input speed as it requires up to 6 keystrokes for one kanji. Met.

In addition, with conventional devices using the double Pinyin input method described above, if a keyboard with keys corresponding to each of the 23 consonants and 33 vowels is used, it is possible to enter the Pinyin corresponding to one Chinese character twice. However, since it is a special keyboard, it is difficult to input it efficiently unless you are an expert, and it is also difficult to input other phonemes, such as diphthongs, on one key on a regular keyboard. It is also possible to use a keyboard in which the shift key is used for different assignments, but in this case, the shift key will have to be operated frequently, and the original advantage is that pinyin corresponding to one Chinese character can be entered with two key operations. I couldn't make it work.

Furthermore, conventional devices have the problem of not being able to efficiently input words consisting of a combination of a plurality of kanji characters.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, does not require any shift key operation, and is similar to normal alphanumeric characters.
To provide a Chinese input device that only requires the operation of six keys, enables high-speed input operations, and can be operated efficiently even by beginners. It is an object of the present invention to provide possible Chinese input devices and also to provide a keyboard suitable for these devices.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a Chinese human-powered device that inputs Chinese characters from a keyboard based on Pinyin, in which each of the 23 consonants constituting the Pinyin of Chinese characters is assigned to a different key. At the same time, out of the 33 vowels that make up the pinyin of Chinese characters, the 33 vowels, including the key to which the consonant is assigned, are set so that only those vowels that have exclusivity in connection with the immediately preceding consonant overlap. When the keyboard is assigned to 26 keys and the key to which a consonant is assigned as the first operation key is operated, the corresponding consonant is generated, and when the key to which the consonant is assigned as the second operation key is operated. When a consonant is assigned as the third operation key, a corresponding vowel is generated, and in other cases, a vowel that can be connected to the previous consonant is generated. A key data conversion means that generates a corresponding vowel, a single Chinese character dictionary that stores a large number of Chinese characters in correspondence with their Pinyin, and a single Chinese character dictionary that inputs Chinese characters corresponding to the Pinyin input from the keyboard through the key data conversion means. a search means for searching from a kanji dictionary; a first storage means for storing the kanji searched by the search means as an input candidate kanji; and a first storage means for storing a kanji among the input candidate kanji based on information such as numbers inputted from the keyboard. a second storage means for storing the selected kanji from the input candidate kanji as an input kanji; and a display control means for displaying the input candidate kanji and the input kanji in predetermined areas of the display device, respectively. A first Chinese input device is equipped with a Chinese character input device that inputs Chinese characters from a keyboard based on Pinyin, and a single Chinese character dictionary that stores a large number of Chinese characters corresponding to the Pinyin, and a Chinese character dictionary that stores a large number of Chinese characters corresponding to the Pinyin. A word dictionary that is stored in correspondence with a word food based on predetermined consonants and vowels or only consonants among the pinyin consonants and vowels of all the Chinese characters that make up a word, and a word dictionary in which pinyin input from the keyboard is used for inputting Chinese characters. An input discrimination means for determining whether the input is for pinyin input from the keyboard, a kanji search means for searching a single kanji dictionary for the kanji corresponding to the pinyin input from the keyboard, and a word code based on the pinyin input from the keyboard. a word search means for searching a word from a word dictionary;
a first storage means for storing kanji or words searched by the kanji search means or word search means as input candidate kanji or input candidate words; and input candidate kanji or input candidates based on information such as numbers inputted from the keyboard. a selection means for selecting one kanji or word in a word; a second storage means for storing the selected kanji or word among the input candidate kanji or the input candidate word as an input kanji or input word; a second Chinese input device equipped with a display control means for displaying input candidate words and input Chinese characters or input words in predetermined areas of the display device; At the same time, out of the 33 vowels that make up the pinyin Chinese characters, the 33 vowels are mapped to include the key to which the consonant is assigned, so that only the vowels that have exclusivity in connection with the immediately preceding consonant overlap. We propose a keyboard with 26 keys assigned to it.

(Function) According to the first Chinese input device of the present invention, in order to input the Chinese character Pinyin from the keyboard, for example, when a key to which the first consonant constituting the Pinyin is assigned is operated, the key assigned to the key is pressed. When the consonant is generated by the key data conversion means regardless of the vowel assigned to the key, and a key to which a vowel following the consonant is assigned is operated, the key data is generated regardless of the consonant or other vowel assigned to the key. The conversion means generates the vowel, and the search means searches a single Chinese character dictionary for a Chinese character corresponding to Pinyin composed of the consonant and vowel, and stores this as an input candidate Chinese character in the first storage means; The information is displayed in a predetermined area of the display device by the display control means. Here, when there is a kanji that you want to input among the displayed kanji, and information such as a number to select the kanji is input from the keyboard, the corresponding kanji is selected from the input candidate kanji by the selection means, and this kanji is selected. The input kanji is stored in the second storage means and displayed in another predetermined area of the display device by the display control means. Also,
There is no kanji that you want to enter among the displayed kanji,
When information requesting the display of the next input candidate kanji is input from the keyboard, the next input candidate kanji is taken out from the single kanji dictionary by the selection means, and this is stored in the first storage means in the same manner as described above, and hereafter, Processed in the same manner as above.

Furthermore, according to the second Chinese input device, since words are input from the keyboard, when a specific code, etc. is input, this is detected by the input discrimination means, and then a word based on the pinyin of Chinese characters input from the keyboard is detected. A word corresponding to the code is searched from the word dictionary by the word search means, and this is stored in the first storage means as an input candidate word.Hereafter, it is processed in the same manner as in the case of kanji in the first device, and the above-mentioned If you enter the pinyin of a Chinese character from the keyboard without inputting a specific code, etc., the corresponding Chinese character is searched for in the single Chinese character dictionary by the Kanji search means based on the Pinyin, and this is stored first as a human-powered candidate Chinese character. The information is stored in the device and is subsequently processed in the same manner as in the first device.

Further, according to the keyboard of the present invention, 23 consonants and 3
Pinyin of 56 Chinese characters consisting of 3 vowels can be assigned to 26 keys similar to the alphabet, and unique key data can be obtained according to the Pinyin method without the need for shift operations etc. I can do that.

(Implementation tis> Figure 1 shows an outline of the Chinese input device of the present invention.
In the figure, a is a keyboard, b is a key data conversion means, C is a single kanji dictionary, d is a search means, e and f are first and second storage means, g is a selection means, h is a display control means, i is a display device.

Keyboard a has 26 keys, 23 keys that make up the pinyin Chinese characters, similar to the keyboard for inputting alphabets.
In addition to assigning each consonant to a different key, the 33 vowels are arranged so that only those vowels that have exclusivity with respect to the connection with the immediately preceding "consonant" overlap among the 33 vowels that make up the pinyin of Chinese characters. The consonants are assigned including the keys to which they are assigned.

The key data conversion means generates a corresponding consonant when a key to which a consonant is assigned as the first operation key on keyboard a is operated, and a key to which a consonant is assigned as the second operation key is operated. When the corresponding vowel is connected, a vowel that can be connected to the previous consonant is generated, and when a key to which a consonant is assigned as the third operation key is operated, the corresponding vowel is generated, and in other cases, the corresponding vowel is generated. It seems to produce a vowel sound.

The single kanji dictionary C stores a large number of kanji (approximately 6,700 words) commonly used in Chinese, corresponding to their pinyin.

The search means d searches the single Chinese character dictionary C for a Chinese character corresponding to the pinyin of the Chinese character input from the keyboard a through the key data conversion means S.

The first storage means e stores the kanji searched by the search means d as input candidate kanji, and the second storage means f stores the kanji selected from the input candidate kanji as input kanji.

The selection means g selects one of the input candidate kanji characters based on information such as numbers inputted from the keyboard a.

The display control means displays each of the input candidate kanji and the input kanji in a predetermined area of the display device i.

Further, FIG. 2 shows an outline of another Chinese input device according to the present invention, and in the figure, the same components as in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same symbols. That is, C is a single kanji dictionary, e and f are first and second storage means, g is selection means, h is display control means,
i is a display device, j is a keyboard, k is a word dictionary, g is an input discrimination means, m is a kanji search means, and n is a word search means.

The keyboard j may have any configuration as long as it is possible to input Chinese characters with pinyin manually.

The word dictionary stores a large number of words in correspondence with word codes based only on predetermined consonants and vowels or consonants among the pinyin consonants and vowels of all Chinese characters constituting the word.

The input determining means g determines whether the pinyin input from the keyboard j is for inputting Chinese characters or for inputting words.

If the pinyin of the kanji input from the keyboard j is for inputting kanji, the kanji search means m searches for the corresponding kanji from the single kanji dictionary C, and the word search means n searches for the corresponding kanji from the single kanji dictionary C. If the pinyin of the Chinese character used is for word input, the word dictionary is searched for the word corresponding to the word code based on this pinyin.

Note that the kanji search means g is substantially the same as the above-mentioned search means d.

3 to 12 show an embodiment of the Chinese input device of the present invention, and here an embodiment including all the configurations described in FIGS. 1 and 2 is shown.

FIG. 3 shows the hardware configuration of this embodiment. In the figure, 1 is a keyboard, 2 is a memory, 3 is a floppy disk drive (FDD), 4 is a display device, 5 is a printer, and 6 is a microprocessor ( CPU).

Figure 4 shows keyboard 1 corresponding to keyboard a mentioned above.
This is an example of a keyboard layout, and the 23 consonants and 3 consonants that make up the aforementioned Pinyin (Chinese pronunciation) are displayed on a keyboard equipped with an alphabet layout according to the well-known JIS standard.
3 vowels and 15 types of identification codes "1", which will be described later.
1" to "53" are assigned.

Here, among the consonants and vowels that make up Pinyin, there are 20 single consonants that are common to the alphabet, namely rb, C, d*
fr g+ h+ J+ k+ 1+ m
, nr1'+ Q, '+ S, t+ Wr X+ Yr
zJ and five monophthongs: ra, e, i, o, uJ
are assigned according to the JIS arrangement, and the remaining monophthongs ru
J is assigned to rvJ, which is not used in Pinyin, and for twins rch, sh, and zhJ, three monophthongs r that do not come at the beginning of Pinyin are assigned among the six monophthongs.
i, u, u (v) are assigned to J, respectively.

In addition, for the 27 diphthongs, the 23 keys to which consonants are assigned are used to connect vowels that have exclusivity with respect to the connection with the immediately preceding consonant.
ngJ and “uangJ.

renJ and “ia”, ruaiJ and rtaoJ, ruJ
, ruaJ, rieJ, rueJ, and ruiJ are duplicated and assigned to the same key, and diphthongs that can be connected with monophthongs to form other diphthongs, i.e., ``a t, an,
ao, ang, ongJ, and three-letter diphthongs that cannot be formed by combining a monophthong with another diphthong, i.e.
eng and ingJ are assigned to positions that are easy for the operator to remember, ie, near the home position.

In the keyboard 1 mentioned above, the monophthong r a + e
Except for the key to which "+0" is assigned, two or more consonants and vowels are assigned to one key, but when one key is operated, the information recognized by the CPU 6 based on the key operation (key data) must be uniquely defined.

Generally, pinyin Chinese characters are "consonant + vowel".

There are three combinations of "vowel" and "vowel + vowel", but there are only a few pinyin that consist of only vowels, and not all vowels constitute the above-mentioned pinyin combinations. Also, Pinyin is a “consonant + vowel”
, the vowel does not come before the consonant.

Therefore, if a key to which a consonant is assigned is operated first, key data for the corresponding consonant will be generated, and if a key to which a consonant is assigned is operated subsequently, that key data will be generated as the second key data. The vowel assigned to is generated.

By the way, according to the ``Chinese Pinyin Scheme,'' there are certain rules for combining consonants and vowels, and not all consonants are combined with all vowels.

For example, the consonant rgJ is combined with the vowel ``iangJ, but not with the vowel ``uangJ,'' and the consonant rhJ is combined with the vowel ``uangJ, but not with the vowel ``iangJ.'' That is, the vowel ``uangJ and [iangJ
There is exclusivity between the consonant and the immediately preceding consonant.

In the keyboard, two or more vowels are assigned to one key so that only vowels with exclusivity as described above overlap, so check in advance whether each vowel can be connected to each consonant, and By creating a table, when a key to which two or more vowels are assigned is operated second, it is possible to uniquely determine the vowel to be generated as key data.

Figure 5 shows the table mentioned above, where the horizontal axis shows the first
The consonants input as key data (however, the first square indicates the case where no consonant is input) are shown, and the vertical axis represents the vowels input as the second key data. In the figure, combinations marked with O indicate connectable combinations.

In addition, when inputting Pinyin consisting of a combination of "vowel + vowel" or "vowel", for example, when inputting a vowel in a key to which consonants and vowels are assigned, operate the key and then enter the single Chinese character described later. By operating the conversion request key to
This is done separately from the case described above.

By using the keyboard 1 described above, it is possible to input pinyin of all Chinese characters consisting of a maximum of six phonemes with a maximum of three key operations.

In other words, for a Pinyin consisting of three or fewer phonemes, by operating the key corresponding to the Pinyin, or by operating the key to which the consonant constituting the Pinyin is assigned, and then converting the following diphthong to the diphthong. Pinyin consisting of four or more phonemes is input by operating the assigned key, and the consonant constituting the Pinyin is input by operating the key assigned, and the diphthong following this is input by operating the key assigned to the consonant constituting the Pinyin. input by operating a key to which the monophthong is assigned, or by separating the diphthong into a monophthong and another diphthong and operating a key to which the monophthong is assigned and a key to which the other diphthong is assigned. (However, the twin sounds rch, sh, and zhJ are considered to be one phoneme.)

The above-mentioned pinyin input method for Chinese characters is the same as the conventional all-phoneme input method (however, the twin sounds "ch.

Excludes input methods for sh and zhJ. ), and the method of inputting each consonant and vowel constituting Pinyin with one key, that is, inputting with two key operations in total, is the same as the conventional double Pinyin input method. Furthermore, the consonants that make up Pinyin are entered with one key, and the diphthongs that make up Pinyin are entered with two keys that correspond to monophthongs and other diphthongs, that is, a total of three key operations. This input method is a new input method proposed by the present invention, and will hereinafter be referred to as the mixed Pinyin input method.

Figure 6 shows an example of inputting the pinyin (reading) of Chinese characters using the three input methods described above.
The Chinese character ``state'' has the pinyin ``l''taiJ, which consists of three phonemes, but when inputting this using the all-phoneme input method, three phonemes rtJ, raJ, and f'iJ are respectively assigned. This is executed by operating the keys in sequence, and when inputting using the dual pinyin input method, operate the key assigned to the phoneme rtJ, then operate the rsJ key assigned to the phoneme rail (diphthong). (Note that it cannot be input using the mixed Pinyin input method.)

In addition, the kanji ``state'' consists of 6 phonemes, 1" z
It has a Pinyin called h u a n gJ, but if you want to input it using the mixed Pinyin input method, use rzh.
Operate the rvJ key to which the phoneme J (twin sound) is assigned, then operate the key to which the phoneme ruJ is assigned, and then operate the rgJ key to which the phoneme rangJ (diphthong) is assigned. is executed by, and
When inputting using the double pinyin input method, rzh as above
This is executed by operating the rvJ key to which the phoneme J (twin sound) is assigned, and then the rNJ key to which the phoneme ruangJ (diphthong) is assigned (note that this is performed by operating the rNJ key to which the phoneme ruangJ (diphthong) Therefore, it cannot be input using the whole phoneme input method.)

In the above-mentioned double Pinyin input method, you have to memorize all the key positions to which 27 diphthongs are assigned, but according to the mixed Pinyin manual method, the 7 diphthongs near the home position are assigned. Even beginners can input data efficiently because they only need to memorize the key positions.

Further, the display device 4 corresponds to the display device i described above, and the memory 2 is set with storage areas corresponding to the first and second storage means e and f described in (7), and the FDD 3
A floppy disk (not shown) in which the above-mentioned single kanji dictionary C2 word dictionary k and the operation program of this device (including the above-mentioned table) are stored in advance is inserted into the holder. Further, the program and the CPU 6 realize the key data conversion means b1 search means d (kanji search means m), the selection means g1 display control means, the input discrimination means g and the word search means n.

FIG. 7 shows a schematic structure of the single kanji dictionary in this embodiment, which is composed of a mask index 11, a high-frequency character table 12, a sub-index 13, and a data section 14.

Mask index 11 includes the 23 consonants mentioned above,
Among the six monophthongs, the first three vowels in Pinyin [a, e, oJ] are stored with different relative numbers (addresses).

The high-frequency character table 12 includes the most frequently used Chinese characters with pinyin that start with one of the 23 consonants and 3 vowels (hereinafter referred to as the initial character). The 10 kanji have the aforementioned 23 consonants and 3
Each vowel, that is, each first letter, is stored in correspondence with the relative number.

Furthermore, a large number of Chinese characters with identification codes are stored in the data section 14 as a set of Chinese characters having the same Pinyin (approximately 400 types). Also, sub index 1
3 shows the starting position (address) and data number of each set in the data section 14 along with each Pinyin (however, in the above-mentioned whole phoneme input method, mixed Pinyin input method, and double Pinyin input method, the same Pinyin may have different keys) If the data is entered, it is stored (along with all the key data Pinyin). In the data section 14, the kanji in each set are stored in order of frequency of use based on the "Chinese Modern Kanji Frequency Dictionary."

Figure 8 shows an example of the identification code, and the first stroke drawn (hereinafter referred to as the first stroke) is "- (horizontal) J, rl (vertical)", "ノ (left hand)". There are five types: J, r', - (right pay), and Otsu (curved), and the arrangement of the elements that make up the characters (hereinafter referred to as character shapes), here "left and right" and "up and down."

15 types of codes "11" to "53" are constructed from the combination with the three types of "other".

The identification codes "11" to "53" are operated on the keyboard 1 as shown in FIG. Assigned according to location. Note that the input of the identification code and the input of pinyin are distinguished by the difference in the request key for single-kanji conversion that is input after the operation, as will be described later.

FIG. 9 shows how word codes are assigned in this embodiment. Regardless of the number of characters, a fixed number of codes, in this case four codes, are used.

That is, for words with the number of characters "2", the first. 2nd゜3rd
and using the consonant of the first letter, the vowel of the first letter, the consonant of the second letter, and the vowel of the second letter as the fourth code, respectively,
Also, for words with the number of letters "3", the first letter is a consonant, and the second letter is a consonant.

Use the consonant of the 3rd letter and the vowel of the 3rd letter, and for words with 4 letters, use the consonant of the 1st letter, the consonant of the 2nd letter, the consonant of the 3rd letter, and the consonant of the 4th letter. For words with five or more letters, the consonant of the first letter, the consonant of the second letter, the consonant of the third letter, and the consonant of the last letter are used.

The input of each code is performed using the double pinyin input method for single Chinese character input described above, but to distinguish it from single Chinese character input, the identification code, here "
; (semicolon)" is entered.

Note that here, unlike the case of single kanji input, there may be two or more consonants in a row, and the CPU 6 may not necessarily recognize the consonant or vowel you are trying to input correctly.
The aforementioned codes actually use the alphabet itself (therefore, in Pinyin, the same code may be assigned to completely different words).

FIG. 10 shows a schematic structure of the word dictionary in this embodiment. In the figure, 21 is a mask index, 22 is a sub-index, and 23 is a data section.

In the data section 23, there is a large amount of data in which one unit (the amount of data is variable) is a word code consisting of the four codes (actually alphabet) described above and a set of words corresponding to the word code, which is arranged in code order, that is, in alphabetical order. The data section 23 is composed of a large number of blocks containing a certain amount of the above data. Further, in the sub-index 22, a word code corresponding to the data stored at the end of each block is stored together with a relative number (address) indicating each block. The mask index 21 also stores the relative number (address) of the word code whose first code is each letter of the 26-letter alphabet among the word codes stored in the sub-index 22. I remember it with.

FIGS. 11(a) and 11(b) show the flow of an operation program regarding word input in this embodiment, and the operation will be explained below in accordance with this flow.

First, when a key force is generated on the keyboard 1 (step spl, 5p2), the CPU 6 determines that the key data is "
;" (step 5p3), and if it is not ";", it is determined that it is single kanji manual mode and the process described below is executed; if it is ";", it is determined that it is word input mode, and from then on The alphabetic codes generated based on the manual input of the keys are received as they are without being converted (steps Sp4 + sp5).

When the CPU 6 receives four characters of the code (step 5pa), the CPU 6 searches the mask index 21 of the word dictionary using the first code (step 5p7), and further searches the sub-index 22 based on the relative number assigned to this code. Search and extract the word code at the end of the alphabet from the received word code (Step 5p8)
, further searching the data section 23 based on the relative number attached to the word code, and extracting the first 10 words from the set of words in the data with the received word code Sp9) , these are stored in a predetermined storage area of the memory 2, and in a predetermined area of the display device 4,
Display each number with a number (Step 5plO)
.

At this time, the word to be input is displayed on the display device 4, and the key to select the corresponding word from the keyboard 1, for example, the numeric key corresponding to the number attached to the corresponding word (or the selection is confirmed with this key) (CR key indicating
p13), the CPU 6 stores the corresponding word in another storage area of the memory 2, that is, the actual data input area, and displays it in another predetermined area of the display device 4 (step 51) 14).

Also, if the kanji you are trying to input is not displayed on the display device 4 and you press a key from the keyboard 1 that requests the display of the next 10 words corresponding to the word code, for example, the next screen (
or next candidate) key is input (step 5p15), the CPU 6 selects the next 10 from the corresponding set in the data section 23.
In step S plB), these words are stored in the memory 2 in the same manner as described above, and displayed on the display device 0!4.

Figures 12(a), (b), and (c) show the flow of the operating program regarding single kanji input in this embodiment.
The operation will be explained below.

As mentioned above, the first input key data is ";"
Otherwise, the alphabetic codes generated based on subsequent keystrokes will be converted based on the table described above and recognized by the CPU 6, so this point will not be described in detail hereafter.

That is, the keyboard 1 is operated (step s l +
s2), the CPU 6 checks whether the first input key is the first character of Pinyin (step S3).
If it is the first character, search the mask index 11 of the single kanji dictionary for the same character (step S4), and then search the high frequency character table 12 for 10 corresponding high frequency characters based on the relative number assigned to this character. The characters are extracted (step s5), stored in a predetermined storage area of the memory 2, and numbered and displayed in a predetermined area of the display device 4 (step s6).

At this time, when the kanji to be input is displayed on the display device 4 and the numeric key etc. for selecting the corresponding kanji is input from the keyboard 1 (steps s7, s8, s9),
The CPU 6 stores the corresponding kanji in the actual data input area of the memory 2 and displays it in another predetermined area of the display device 4 (step 510).

On the other hand, if there is no Chinese character to be input among the high-frequency characters, Pinyin will be input continuously from keyboard 1 (step all, 512), but this will indicate the end of inputting Pinyin and request conversion to Chinese characters. When a key indicating C, for example, the space key is input (step 513), C
The PU 6 searches the sub-index 13 of the single kanji dictionary for the pinyin that is the same as the pinyin input so far (step 514), and further retrieves a set of Chinese characters corresponding to the pinyin from the data section 14 based on the address attached thereto. Step 515) to extract the first 10 kanji characters.
, these are stored in a predetermined storage area of the memory 2, and are numbered and displayed in a predetermined area of the display device 4 (step 516).

At this time, the kanji to be input is displayed on the display device 4, and the numeric keys etc. for selecting the corresponding kanji are input from the keyboard 1 (steps 17. s 1g).
, s 19), the CPU 6 stores the corresponding kanji in the data input area of the memory 2 and displays it in another area of the display device 4 (step 520), and also displays the corresponding kanji in the data section 14 of the single kanji dictionary. Sort the homophones so that they are at the top of the set (step 521).
).

Also, the Chinese character to be input is not displayed on the display device 4, and the next screen (or next candidate) key is input from the keyboard 1 to request the display of the next 10 Chinese characters corresponding to the Pinyin ( In step 522), the CPU 6 extracts the next 10 kanji characters from the corresponding set in the data section 14 (step 523), stores them in the memory 2 in the same manner as described above, and displays them on the display device 4.

On the other hand, there are also keys that indicate the end of inputting Pinyin, inputting an identification code, and requesting conversion to Chinese characters, such as “
]" (angle brackets) When the key is entered or four key data are entered (step 524), the CPU
6 is the data entered up to that point, excluding the last input identification code, as Kanji Pinyin (with this device, Kanji Pinyin can be entered with a maximum of three key operations, so 4-key (The eye data is determined to be an identification code.), and this Pinyin is searched from the sub-index 13 of the single kanji dictionary (step 525)N.Furthermore, based on the address attached to this, the Chinese character corresponding to the Pinyin is searched from the data section 14. Step 526) of extracting the first 10 kanji having the same identification code as the input identification code from the set, storing these in a predetermined storage area of the memory 2, and displaying them in a predetermined area of the display device 4. , are numbered and displayed (step 527).

At this time, the kanji to be input is displayed on the display device 4, and the numeric keys etc. for selecting the corresponding kanji are input from the keyboard 1 (steps s28, s29).
．． s 30), the CPU 6 stores the corresponding kanji in the data input area of the memory 2 and displays it in another area of the display device 4 (step 531), and also displays the corresponding kanji in the data section 14 of the single kanji dictionary. Sort the homonyms so that they come first in the set (step 521)
).

Also, the Chinese character to be input is not displayed on the display device 4, and the next screen (or next candidate) key is input from the keyboard 1 to request the display of the next 10 Chinese characters corresponding to the Pinyin ( Step 532), the CPU 6 extracts the next 10 kanji having the identification code from the corresponding set in the data section 14 (step 533), stores them in the memory 2 in the same manner as described above, and displays them on the display device 4. let

(Effects of the Invention) As explained above, according to the present invention, the keyboard has 26
All consonants or vowels to be entered can be entered uniquely by operating only a few keys, so the pinyin can be entered efficiently and quickly, and the number of key operations is small. Even beginners can input data efficiently. Further, according to a device that inputs words using a word code based on Pinyin, it is possible to input words of two or more characters accurately and efficiently. , 56 Chinese pinyin characters consisting of 23 consonants and 33 vowels can be assigned to 26 keys similar to the alphabet, and all you need to do is assign the specified keys to a general keyboard, and you can perform shift operations, etc. It has the advantage of being able to obtain unique key data according to the Pinyin scheme without the need for .

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing an overview of the Chinese input device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing an overview of another Chinese input device of the invention, and FIGS. Fig. 3 shows a hardware configuration diagram, Fig. 4 shows an example of a keyboard key layout, and Fig. 5 shows a connection relationship between consonants and vowels. Figure 6 shows examples of reading input using three input methods, Figure 7 shows a schematic structure of a single kanji dictionary, Figure 8 shows an example of an identification code, and Figure 9 corresponds to the number of characters. Figure 10 is a schematic structure diagram of the word dictionary, Figure 11 (
12(a), 12(b), and 12(b) are flowcharts of an operating program related to word input, and FIGS. 12(a), 12(b), and 12(c) are flowcharts of an operating program related to single kanji input. a, j...keyboard, b...key data conversion means, C...single kanji dictionary, d...search means, e...first storage means, f...second memory means, g... selection means, h... display control means, i... display device, k.
...Word dictionary, g...Input discrimination means, m...Kanji search means, n...Word search means.

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) In a Chinese input device that inputs Chinese (kanji) from a keyboard based on the reading (pinyin), the 23 consonants that make up the pinyin of the Chinese character are assigned to different keys, and the pinyin of the Chinese character is formed. A keyboard in which the 33 vowels are assigned to 26 keys including the key to which the consonant is assigned, so that only those vowels that have exclusivity in connection with the immediately preceding consonant overlap. , When a key to which a consonant is assigned as the first operation key is operated, the corresponding consonant is generated, and when a key to which a consonant is assigned as the second operation key is operated, the corresponding vowel is generated immediately before. Key data conversion that generates a vowel that can be connected to a consonant, and also generates a corresponding vowel when a key to which a consonant is assigned as the third operation key is operated, and generates a corresponding vowel in other cases. a single kanji dictionary storing a large number of kanji characters corresponding to their pinyin; and a search means for searching the single kanji dictionary for kanji that correspond to the pinyin of the kanji input from the keyboard through the key data conversion means; a first storage means for storing the kanji searched by the search means as an input candidate kanji; a selection means for selecting one of the input candidate kanji based on information such as numbers inputted from a keyboard; and an input candidate. A Chinese device characterized in that it is provided with a second storage means for storing a selected kanji among the kanji as an input kanji, and a display control means for displaying each of the input candidate kanji and the input kanji in a predetermined area of a display device. Word input device. (2) In a Chinese input device that inputs Chinese (kanji) from a keyboard based on the reading (pinyin), a single kanji dictionary that stores a large number of kanji corresponding to their pinyin, and a large number of words that can be used to input the words. A word dictionary that is stored in correspondence with word codes based only on predetermined consonants and vowels or consonants among the Pinyin consonants and vowels of all the constituent Chinese characters, and whether the Pinyin input from the keyboard is for Chinese character input or not. An input discrimination means for determining whether the input is for word input, a kanji search means for searching a single kanji dictionary for kanji corresponding to the pinyin input from the keyboard, and a word corresponding to the word code based on the pinyin input from the keyboard. a word search means for searching a word dictionary for a word; a first storage means for storing the kanji or words searched by the kanji search means or the word search means as input candidate kanji or input candidate words; and numbers, etc. input from a keyboard. a selection means for selecting one kanji or word among the input candidate kanji or input candidate words based on the information of the input candidate kanji or input candidate words; and storing the selected kanji or word among the input candidate kanji or input candidate words as an input kanji or input word. A Chinese input device comprising: a second storage means; and a display control means for displaying the input candidate Chinese characters or input candidate words and the input Chinese characters or input words in predetermined areas of a display device. (3) The 23 consonants that make up the pinyin of Chinese characters are assigned to different keys, and among the 33 vowels that make up the pinyin of Chinese characters, only those vowels that have exclusivity in connection with the immediately preceding consonant overlap. A keyboard characterized in that the 33 vowels are assigned to 26 keys including the keys to which the consonants are assigned.