JPH04306717A - Feet operation key input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a feet operation key input device which can reduce the burden of a key operation on both hands by means of executing a part of the operation of keyboards with feet. CONSTITUTION:When the key 8 or the key 9 of a left foot operation keyboard 6 is depressed, an output part 7 outputs the signal of a key input. An output part 11 simultaneously outputs the signal as to the keys 12, 13, 14 and 15 of a right foot operation keyboard 10. Then, a signal mixer 3 converts an input from the left foot operation keyboard 6 and that from the right foot operation keyboard 10 in accordance with the value of a key recording memory 5. Furthermore, the converted signals from the foot operation keyboards 6 and 10 are mixed with an input signal from a manual operation keyboard, which is received in a manual operation keyboard reception connector 4, in a signal mixing part 3, and a mixed signal is outputted to a connector 1. Then, the connector 1 is connected to a computer mainbody and it outputs the inputs from the manual operation keyboard and the foot operation keyboards to the computer mainbody.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

[Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to computer operation,
It relates to a key input device used for inputting data and documents into a computer.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a keyboard, which is this type of key input device, has keys for inputting alphabets, numbers, general symbols, and spaces, as well as keys for inputting line breaks, ESC, etc.
, CTRL, TAB, SHIFT, cursor movement, conversion, no conversion, insertion, deletion, etc. are arranged, and all keys are designed to be input by hand.

0003

[Problem to be solved by the invention] However, the original keyboard was originally developed as a device for typing characters on a typewriter, and it is difficult to type letters, numbers, general symbols, etc. from the beginning to the end of a document. This is a device for sequentially inputting data in one direction. However, recent keyboards for advanced operations such as computers and word processors have a very large number of keys, making it difficult to perform comfortable operations and input. The present invention is a device to solve such problems, and it reduces the burden of key operations on both hands by replacing some of the keys on the keyboard with input using the feet. This provides a comfortable operating environment.

0004

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a foot-operated keyboard for the right foot and a left foot, and adds some keys of the conventional hand-operated keyboard to the foot-operated keyboard. Some keys have been arranged to correspond to the following. In addition, in order to enable use in addition to a conventional hand-operated keyboard, a signal mixer is provided that mixes and outputs input from the hand-operated keyboard and input from the foot-operated keyboard. Furthermore, a setting means is provided for freely setting which key on the foot-operated keyboard corresponds to which key on the conventional hand-operated keyboard.

[0005]

Therefore, according to the present invention, when a key input is performed from the foot operated keyboard, the foot operated keyboard outputs the key input signal to the signal mixer. The signal mixer converts this input into a signal corresponding to the input of the substituted manual keyboard key set by the setting means, mixes it with the output from the manual keyboard, and outputs it to the computer. . Due to the above-described effects, it becomes possible to perform some key operations using the feet.

[0006]

Embodiment FIG. 1 shows the structure of an embodiment of the present invention. The connector 1 is a connector for connecting a computer (not shown) to hand-operated and foot-operated keyboards 6 and 10. The signal mixer 2 mixes the input from the hand-operated keyboard and the converted input from the foot-operated keyboards 6 and 10, and outputs it to the connector 1. a hand-operated keyboard connector 4 for connecting the operating keyboard and the signal mixer 2; a key registration memory 5 in which corresponding settings for each key of the foot-operated keyboards 6 and 10 are substituted for each key on the manual keyboard; Set the key registration of this key registration memory 5,
It has a key setting switch (setting means) 16 for changing. The left foot operation keyboard 6 is for performing key operations with the left foot, and includes two keys, a CTRL key 8 and a DEL key 9, and an output section 7 that outputs signals. The right foot operation keyboard 10 is for performing key operations with the right foot, and has four keys: an up key 12, a left key 13, a down key 14, and a right key 15, and an output section 1 that outputs signals.
Consists of 1.

The operation of the embodiment will be explained. First, key setting registration will be explained. The key registration memory 5 is
The correspondence between which key on the hand-operated keyboard each key on the foot-operated keyboards 6 and 10 replaces, that is, which key on the hand-operated keyboard corresponds to the input when each key on the foot-operated keyboards 6 and 10 is pressed. It is set and registered whether to convert the signal into a signal and output it, and by default, the two keys 8 and 9 on the left foot operated keyboard 6 are the CTRL key and the DEL key on the manual keyboard, and the 4 keys on the right foot operated keyboard 10 are set and registered. The three keys 12, 13, 14, and 15 are assumed to be associated with keys for moving the cursor position up, down, left, and right on a manual keyboard.

When the key setting switch 16 of the signal mixer 2 is pressed, a key setting state is entered in which key correspondence can be set.
It becomes possible to arbitrarily set and change which key of the hand-operated keyboard each key of the foot-operated keyboards 6, 10 corresponds to. In other words, in this key setting state, press the foot-operated keyboard 6 while pressing a key on the hand-operated keyboard.
, 10 keys, the keys on the manual keyboard are associated with the keys on the foot-operated keyboard 6, 10, and the signals from the keys on the manual keyboard are stored in the key registration memory 5.
will be registered. For example, while pressing the conversion key on the hand-operated keyboard in the key setting state, press the foot-operated keyboard 6, 10.
When the CTRL key 8 is pressed, the CTRL key 8 is associated with the conversion key, and henceforth, the CTRL key 8 acts as the conversion key. In the key setting state, press the key setting switch 1 again.
Pressing 6 ends the key setting state and returns to the normal key input state.

Next, the key input operation will be explained. CTRL key 8 or DEL on left foot keyboard 6
When the key 9 is pressed, the output section 7 outputs the key input signal to the signal mixer 2. The same applies to the right foot operated keyboard 10, and when the up key 12, left key 13, down key 14, or right key 15 is pressed, the output section 11 outputs a key input signal to the signal mixer 2. In the signal mixer 2, first, the signal mixer 3 converts the input from the left foot operation keyboard 6 and the input from the right foot operation keyboard 10 according to the values registered in the key registration memory 5. Furthermore, the converted input from the foot-operated keyboard and the input from the manual keyboard received by the manual keyboard receiving connector 4 are mixed in the signal mixing section 3, and the mixed signal is output to the connector 1. Connector 1 is connected to the computer main body, and outputs input from the hand keyboard and foot keyboard to the computer main body.

[0010]The foot keyboard has 4 keys on the right and 2 keys on the left.
Although this number has been described as a single number, this number may be increased or decreased.

[0011]

According to the present invention, a part of the operation of the hand-operated keyboard can be performed with the feet, so that the burden of key operation with both hands can be reduced. In addition, since the signal mixer mixes the signals from the hand-operated keyboard and the foot-operated keyboard, it is possible to perform some key operations by foot without making any changes to the computer program. In addition, the setting means allows the user to set which key on the foot-operated keyboard will replace the key on the conventional hand-operated keyboard, so it is possible to set the correspondence between the keys of the foot-operated keyboard and the keys of the conventional hand-operated keyboard. The usage of each key on the foot-operated keyboard can be changed accordingly.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

[Fig. 1] Block diagram of a foot-operated key input device in an embodiment of the present device

[Fig. 2] A perspective view of a foot-operated keyboard in an embodiment of this device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Connector 2 Signal mixer 3 Signal mixing section 4 Manual keyboard receiving connector 5 Key registration memory 6 Left foot operated keyboard 7 Output section 8 CTRL key 9 DEL key 10 Right foot operated keyboard 11 Output section 12 Up key 13 Left key 14 Down key 15 Right key 16 Key setting switch

Claims (1)

[Claims] Claim 1: For left foot, each having several keys;
A foot-operated keyboard for the right foot, a setting means that allows you to set which key on the hand-operated keyboard should be substituted with which key on the foot-operated keyboard, and inputs from the hand-operated keyboard and input from the foot-operated keyboard are mixed and output. Equipped with a signal mixer to connect to the computer and a connector to connect to the computer main unit.
Foot-operated key input device.