JPH047625A - Liquid crystal touch keyboard - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simplify character generating work by converting a character written within a character pattern setting frame displayed by a screen control means to display the character pattern setting frame into a character pattern, and using it as the key name of a key picture. CONSTITUTION:Liquid crystal touch keys 21 and normal keys 22 are provided, and as for the liquid crystal touch keys 21, 80 pieces (10 X 8) per one page of the commodity keys are arranged in the form of a matrix on a liquid crystal panel, and a plane consisting of this commodity key group is changed extending over N (N >=1) pages, and the key name can be liquid-crystal-displayed. On the other hand, a normal keyboard 22 is provided with a page key for selecting the commodity key group plane. Besides, a mode change-over switch 23 to switch a usual mode in which the liquid crystal touch key 21 is used as a key input means and a mane pattern setting mode in which it is used as the character generating means of the key name is provided. Thus, since the character or LOGO, etc., can be registered directly from the keyboard, the character generating work is simplified.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a liquid crystal touch keyboard used, for example, as a keyboard for a POS (point of sale) terminal.

[Prior art] An LCD touch keyboard displays a preset key screen on an LCD panel, detects key input, and outputs the corresponding key signal to the outside. Since it can handle keys, POS installed in restaurants, supermarkets, etc.
It is used as a keyboard for product registration on the terminal.

By the way, the key name indicating the function of each key is displayed on the key screen, but the key name data is usually set as a character code such as JIS or ASCII by the higher-end model, and is stored in the character generator stored in the internal memory. It is converted into a dot matrix character pattern and displayed at the corresponding position on the liquid crystal panel.

However, some users may wish to use characters with shapes different from the character pattern generated by the character generator as key names.

There are also cases where it is desired to use a logo or mark other than text as a key name. Therefore, a special character creation device is used to create the relevant characters or logos as dot images, the dot images are converted into character patterns, imported into the higher-end model, and the character patterns are transmitted from the higher-end model to the LCD touch keyboard. It is conceivable to register it in the storage section of the keyboard.

In this case, as a character creation device, for example,
There is a kanji display device described in Japanese Patent No. 89785.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] As described above, in the conventional LCD touch keyboard, when unspecified characters or logos are used as key names indicating the functions of each key displayed on the key screen on the LCD panel, , a dedicated character creation device was required, and higher costs due to larger equipment were unavoidable. Moreover, the character patterns created by this dedicated character creation device had to be registered via a host model, which was complicated.

Therefore, the present invention enables characters arbitrarily drawn on the liquid crystal panel to be converted into character patterns and directly registered, and the registered characters can be used as key names, eliminating the need for a dedicated character creation device. The purpose of this invention is to provide a liquid crystal touch keyboard that can be used to create characters and simplify character creation work.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention provides a liquid crystal touch keyboard that displays a preset key screen on a liquid crystal panel, detects input of the key, and outputs a corresponding key signal to the outside. screen control means for displaying a character pattern setting frame corresponding to the dot matrix of the character pattern on all or part of the key screen of the liquid crystal panel based on a mode instruction;
character pattern storage means for converting characters drawn within the character pattern setting frame displayed by the screen control means into a character pattern and storing the character pattern in a memory; This is used as a key name.

[Function] With a liquid crystal touch keyboard that takes such measures, if an attempt is made to use a character or logo that has not been set as a character generator as a key name, it will instruct the character pattern setting mode, and this will cause the liquid crystal panel to change. By drawing a desired character or logo in the character pattern setting frame displayed in whole or in part, the character or logo is converted into a character pattern in the dot matrix system and stored in the memory. The character pattern stored in this memory is then used as the key name on the key screen.

Therefore, a dedicated character creation device is not required, and characters, logos, etc. can be registered directly from the keyboard, which simplifies character creation work.

[Example] Hereinafter, an example in which the liquid crystal touch keyboard of the present invention is used as a keyboard of a POS terminal for a restaurant will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the POS terminal. The POS terminal main body 1 is connected to a CPU (central processing bag 2) which constitutes a control section via a pass line 3.
A transmission line 8 is used between the storage units of OM (read only memory) 4 and RAM (random access memory) 5, a clock circuit 6 that measures the current date and time, and a host computer 7 that is a host model. MODEM (network control device) 9, FDD (
F that controls the drive of the floppy disk driver (floppy disk driver) 10
A DC (floppy disk controller) 11, an output port 14 that outputs drive signals for the drawer 12 and the buzzer 13, and a liquid crystal touch keyboard 15. It has a configuration in which communication 1/Fs (interfaces) 18, 19 and 20 are connected, respectively, for transmitting and receiving data to and from a CRT display 16 and a receipt/journal printer 17, respectively.

And, in the above ROM4, "Registration", "Payment", "Settings"
Program data for executing each branch business, such as, and character generator data for characters for display or printing are stored. Further, in the RAM 5, a menu file and the like are formed in which names (character codes), prices, etc. are set in correspondence with menu codes attached to each product (menu item), and sales are accumulated for each product.

The liquid crystal touch keyboard 15 is provided with liquid crystal touch keys 21 and normal keys 22, as shown in FIG. The liquid crystal touch key 21 has 80 product keys per page (10x8) arranged in a matrix on the liquid crystal panel. ≧1) It is possible to switch over pages. Then, the key names can be displayed on the liquid crystal display in correspondence with all of these [80XN1 product keys. On the other hand, the normal keyboard 22 is provided with a number key, a subtotal key, a close key, etc. for inputting numerical data, as well as a page key for selecting a group of product keys of the liquid crystal touch keys 21.

Further, the keyboard 15 is provided with a mode changeover switch 23 for switching between a normal mode in which the liquid crystal touch keys 21 are used as a manual key means and a name pattern setting mode in which the liquid crystal touch keys 21 are used as a key name character creation means.

As shown in FIG.
A storage section of OM26 and RAM27, a communication interface 28 for transmitting and receiving data with the POS terminal main body 1 side, the liquid crystal touch key 21 and the normal key 22.
In addition to capturing human input signals, the LCD touch keys 21
A signal is input from the key 1/F29 which outputs display data to the mode changeover switch 23, and
It has a configuration in which I10 boats 31 that output drive signals to the buzzers 30 are connected to each other.

The ROM 26 stores fixed data such as communication programs. In addition, the RAM 27 includes a key manual buffer for temporarily storing key manual data from the liquid crystal touch keys 21 and normal keys 22, a transmitting/receiving buffer used for transmitting and receiving data to and from the terminal main body 1, etc. A key setting table 41 and a key name management table 42 shown in FIG. 4 are provided.

The key setting table 41 stores the menu codes of the products assigned to each of the 80 (10×8) product keys provided on the LCD touch key 21, and is prepared for N pages. . The menu code settings for this table 41 are
This is done by down line loading from the S terminal body 1.

On the other hand, the key name management table 42 stores the key name of each product in a dot matrix character pattern corresponding to the menu code of that product. The character pattern settings for this table 42 are performed by down line loading from the POS terminal body 1,
Alternatively, it may be performed directly by inputting from the liquid crystal touch keyboard 15.

That is, the CPU 24 of the liquid crystal touch keyboard 15
After turning on the power, check the state of the mode changeover switch 23.

If the normal mode is selected, the key screen shown in FIG. 6 is displayed on the liquid crystal panel and a key input from the liquid crystal touch key 21 or the normal key 22 is waited for.

On the other hand, if the name pattern setting mode is selected, the process shown in FIG. 5 is executed. First of all, is it the setting of the key name displayed on the LCD touch key 21 as an STI?
Or it is determined whether it is a setting of a print/display name used for printing on receipts and journals by the printer 17 or displaying on the CRT display 16. This distinction is made, for example, by operating a predetermined key of the normal key 22.

Here, when a key name setting is instructed by operating a predetermined key of the normal key 22, the display screen of the liquid crystal panel is set to the key name pattern setting screen shown in FIG. On the other hand, when the setting of the print/display name is instructed, the display screen of the liquid crystal panel is set to the print/display name pattern setting screen shown in FIG. (Screen Control Means) Incidentally, the key screen shown in FIG. 6 is composed of 640×200 dots, and a key frame 51 of 10 items horizontally and 8 items vertically is displayed. Further, name patterns corresponding to each menu code are retrieved from the key name management table 42 according to the settings in the key setting table 41, and are displayed in the key frames 51, respectively.

In the key name setting pattern screen shown in FIG. 7, a character pattern setting frame 52 is displayed in the center, and the inside of this setting frame 52 is composed of 64×16 dots. Further, below the setting frame 52, function keys such as a null key 53, a clear key 54, and a setting end key 55 are arranged. Further, above the setting frame 52, there is a display area 56 for a menu code entered manually using a key, and
An area 57 for displaying the character pattern drawn in 2 in real time is provided.

In the print/display name setting pattern screen shown in FIG. 8, a character pattern setting frame 58 is displayed in the center, and the inside of this setting frame 58 is composed of 60x9 dots. However, since the pattern of characters for printing and display is 180x9 dots, three pages constitute one format. Therefore, below the setting frame 58, in addition to the null key 53, clear key 54, and setting end key 55, there is a previous page key 59 for instructing movement to the previous page, and a previous page key 59 for instructing movement to the next page. A next page key 60 is provided to perform the next page operation. Also, the setting frame 58 includes a display area 56 for displaying menu codes entered manually using a key, and an area 57 for displaying the character pattern drawn in the setting frame 58 in real time.
It is located above the . Note that the previous page key 59 is not necessary on the first page of the print/display name setting screen and is therefore omitted. Similarly, on the third page of the print/display name setting screen, the next page key 60 is unnecessary and is therefore omitted.

The explanation returns to the flowchart in FIG. When the key name pattern screen or the print/display name pattern screen is displayed in response to an instruction in the name pattern setting mode, the program waits for a menu code to be entered using the normal key 22 as Sr1. When menu: l-)' rXXXXJ is input, it is held in the RAM 27 and displayed in the area 56 of the screen.

Next, it waits until a touch key on the liquid crystal panel is pressed as Sr3 or a dot in the setting frame 52 or 58 is pressed as Sr4. When a dot is pressed, if the dot is already lit, it is turned off, and if it is already turned off, it is turned on. Next, the on/off state of each dot within the setting frame 52.degree. 58 is converted into a character pattern, and the character pattern is displayed in area 57 of the screen, waiting for the next input.

On the other hand, when the Nuri key 53, which is one of the touch keys, is input, all the dots within the setting frames 52 and 58 are lit and the next input is waited. In other words, this Nuri key 5
3 is used when creating inverted characters. Further, when the clear key 54 is input, all the dots in the setting frames 52 and 58 are turned off and the next input is waited. That is, this clear key 54 is used when initializing the setting frames 52 and 58.

On the other hand, when the setting end key 55 is input, the
Determine whether the key name setting instruction is a print/display name setting instruction. When the key name setting is instructed, the character pattern obtained based on the lighting/unlighting of each dot in the setting frame 52, 58 is displayed in the key name management table 4.
The name pattern is set in the name pattern setting area corresponding to the manual menu code No. 2, and this process ends. (Character pattern storage means) On the other hand, if the setting of a name for printing/display is instructed, the character pattern and input menu code are incorporated into a predetermined text message and sent to the POS via communication 1/F28. The data is sent to the terminal main body 1, and this process ends.

In addition, in the POS terminal body 1, the keyboard 1
The character pattern received from 5 is stored along with its input menu code, and the character pattern received from 5 is stored on the CRT display 16 as necessary.
Alternatively, it is configured to output to the printer 17.

In this embodiment configured in this way, character patterns generated from the character generator of the POS terminal main body 1 are normally used as the key names of the liquid crystal touch keys 21 on the liquid crystal touch keyboard 15, but character patterns other than the above character patterns are used. When using a character pattern or using characters or logos that do not exist in the character generator, the corresponding LCD touch keyboard 15
It is possible to register using .

That is, after turning on the power of the main body, the operator selects the name pattern setting mode with the mode changeover switch 23, and then instructs setting of the key name by operating a predetermined key of the normal key 22. Then, the key name pattern setting screen shown in FIG. 7 is displayed on the liquid crystal panel functioning as the liquid crystal touch key 21. Therefore, first, the menu code of the product whose key name is to be registered is entered using the normal key 22. Next, use your pen or finger to select the settings frame 5 on the screen.
Draw the desired characters or logo within 2. Then, each time the dot in the setting frame 52 is pressed with a pen or a finger, the dot turns on and off, and a dot image character is formed in the setting frame 52 as shown in FIG. In addition, in the setting frame 52 in FIG. 9, the black part indicates the dot that is lit,
The white area indicates a dot that is off.

In this way, once you have finished drawing the desired characters or logo,
Enter the setting end key 55. Then, the setting frame 52
The character image drawn within is converted into a dot matrix character pattern corresponding to the dot format within the setting frame 52, and that character pattern is set in the name pattern setting area corresponding to the input menu code of the key name management table 42. be done.

After that, when the normal mode is selected using the mode changeover switch 23, the key screen shown in FIG. 6 is displayed on the liquid crystal panel. come to be used. Therefore, if the operator
The characters or logo drawn inside will be displayed on the key screen as the key name.

Note that when creating black and white inverted characters, it is sufficient to operate the null key 53 before drawing the characters within the setting frame 52.

On the other hand, in this embodiment, the liquid crystal touch keyboard 15
In addition to the key names in the CRT display 16
The name of the product displayed on the screen or the name of the product printed on a receipt or the like by the printer 17 can also be registered in the same manner using the keyboard 15.

However, since the format of the key name and the characters for printing/display are different, the number of dots in the setting frame on the name pattern setting screen is different. Then, the characters drawn in the setting frame 58 on this print/display name pattern creation screen (see FIG. 7) are converted into a character pattern according to the manual input of the setting end key 55, and are sent via the communication 1/F28. It is sent to the POS terminal body 1. As a result, the character pattern is managed by the POS terminal body 1, displayed on the CRT display 16 as necessary, and printed on a receipt or the like by the printer 17.

In this way, according to this embodiment, the liquid crystal touch keyboard 1
Key names in 5 or printer 17 and CRT
When using unset characters or logos as a name for printing/display on the display 16, the name can be directly input using the liquid crystal panel of the liquid crystal touch keyboard 15.

Therefore, there is no need to use a dedicated character creation device, so costs can be reduced.Furthermore, there is no need to connect the creation device to the POS terminal body, making the character creation process easier.

It goes without saying that the liquid crystal touch keyboard 15 of the present invention can be used not only as a keyboard for a POS terminal but also as a keyboard for various electronic devices.

[Effects of the Invention] As detailed above, according to the present invention, characters arbitrarily drawn on a liquid crystal panel can be converted into character patterns and directly registered, and the registered characters can be used as key names. It is possible to provide a liquid crystal touch keyboard that can eliminate the need for a dedicated character creation device and simplify character creation work.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The figures show an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a POS terminal, in which Fig. 1 is an external view of a liquid crystal touch keyboard, Fig. 2 is a control block diagram of the liquid crystal touch keyboard, and Fig. 3 is a control block diagram of a POS terminal. A block diagram showing the schematic configuration,
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the main memory configuration of the RAM in the LCD touch keyboard, FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the processing in the CPU name pattern setting mode in the LCD touch keyboard, and FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the key screen on the LCD panel. 7th
9 to 9 are diagrams showing examples of name pattern setting screens on the liquid crystal panel. 15...Liquid crystal touch keyboard, 21...Liquid crystal touch key 22...Normal key 23...Mode changeover switch, 42...Key name management table. Diagram

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a liquid crystal touch keyboard that displays a preset key screen on a liquid crystal panel, detects the input of the key, and outputs a corresponding key signal to the outside, the key screen of the liquid crystal panel is displayed based on instructions in the character pattern setting mode. A screen control means for displaying a character pattern setting frame corresponding to a dot matrix of a character pattern in whole or in part, and a screen control means for converting characters drawn within the character pattern setting frame displayed by the screen control means into a character pattern. 1. A liquid crystal touch keyboard, comprising: a character pattern storage means stored in a memory, and the character pattern stored by the storage means is used as a key name on the key screen.