JPH05333987A - Keyboard device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To eliminate a sense of discomfort of an operator by balancing the processing speed of a host device with the operation speed of an operator, thereby realizing the optimum man-machine interface. CONSTITUTION:A scan interval controller 9 and a duplex communication controller 7 are provided in the keyboard. The scan interval controller 9 incorporates the scan interval register, and the scan intervals are controlled with a control instruction signal 10 from the host device. Thus, the processing speed of the host device can be balanced with the operation speed of an operator, and the sense of discomfort of the operator is eliminated.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a keyboard device used for office automation equipment such as a Japanese word processor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in order to determine the ON or OFF state of a key in a keyboard device, a scan check in which a key matrix reading control device cyclically checks the state of the key matrix at regular intervals via an address decoder for the key matrix. This is a method in which the vertical position of the key is determined by changing the address, and by reading the data in the horizontal position in synchronization with the change in the address, the key O
The state determination of N or OFF was possible. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a conventional keyboard device. Figure 2
In (a), 21 is a key matrix reading control device, 22 is a vertical position address decoder, 23 is a key matrix, 24 is a vertical position address (multiple bits) from the key matrix reading control device, and 25 is a vertical position address decoder. The vertical position line is shown, 26 is horizontal position data read in synchronization with the change in vertical position address, and 27 is the intersection of the key matrix, and the switches SW are arranged to intersect as shown in the enlarged view of FIG. 2B. Reference numeral 28 is read key data for the host device.

Next, the operation of the conventional example will be described. Figure 2
In the above, the key matrix read control device 21 causes the vertical position address 24 to circulate at regular scan intervals (shown in FIG. 3) and causes the vertical position address decoder 22 to shift the vertical position lines 0 to n of the key matrix 23 by the vertical position address decoder. The vertical position line 25 is selected. At this time, the key matrix reading control device 21
Reads the horizontal position data 26 in synchronization with changing the vertical position address 24. FIG. 3 shows the reading timing when the key at the key position (m, n) is (1, 1) is turned on. In FIG. 3, the vertical position address (ADRS) repeats 0 to n at constant scan intervals. At this time, only the lines corresponding to the vertical position address (ADRS) of the vertical position lines (T _LINE ) 0 to n are changed from the H level to the L level for that period. The horizontal position data (Y _DT ) 0 to m are read in synchronization with the change of the vertical position address (ADRS). That is, when the vertical position address (ADRS) is 0, none of the keys at the key position (m, 0) are turned on, so that the horizontal position data (Y _DT ) 0 to m are all at the H level. Is the vertical position address (AD
It is determined that the RS) 0 key is not turned on, and the key data 28 is not sent to the host device. However, at the vertical position address (ADRS) 1, since the key at the key position (1, 1) is ON, the horizontal position data (Y _DT ) 1 is at the H level to the L level during the vertical position address (ADRS) 1. The key matrix reading controller 21 is the vertical position address.
It is determined that the key of the lateral position data (Y _DT ) 1 of (ADRS) 1 is ON, and the read key data 28 corresponding to the key position (1, 1) is sent to the host device. Also, the key position (1,
When the key of 1) is ON until the next scan timing, the key of lateral position data (Y _DT ) 1 is ON as shown in FIG.
Judge that you are doing. As described above, it was possible to read the key position by the above-mentioned conventional method.

[0004]

However, since the scan interval is constant in the above-mentioned conventional method, when the processing contents of the host device greatly differ depending on the key data as in a Japanese word processor, the operator's key operation and processing are performed. The speeds were not synchronized and I felt uncomfortable. The present invention solves such a conventional problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a keyboard device which eliminates the operator's discomfort by making the scan interval variable.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a scan interval control device and a bidirectional communication function in a keyboard device, and changes a scan interval by a control command from a host device. The processing speed of the host device and the operation speed of the operator are harmonized to eliminate the operator's discomfort.

[0006]

Therefore, according to the present invention, the man-machine interface can be optimized and the operator's discomfort can be eliminated by eliminating the inconsistency between the processing speed of the conventional host device and the operation speed of the operator.

[0007]

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a keyboard device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 1 is a key matrix read control device, 2 is a vertical position address decoder, 3 is a key matrix, 4 is a vertical position address (a plurality of bits) from the key matrix read control device, and 5 is selected by a vertical position address decoder 2. Vertical position line, 6 is horizontal position data read in synchronization with a change in vertical position address 4, 7 is a bidirectional communication control device, 8
Is a read key data to the host device, 9 is a scan interval control device, 10 is a control command signal from the host device, 11 is key code data from the key matrix read control device 1, and 12 is a bidirectional communication control device 7. A control command code, 13 is a read synchronization timing signal to the key matrix reading control device 1.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described. In FIG. 1, the key matrix read controller 1 causes a vertical position address 4 to constantly circulate at a constant scan interval by a read synchronization timing signal 13 generated by a scan interval controller 9 and causes a vertical position address decoder 2 to vertically scan the key matrix 3. The position lines 0 to n are selected by the vertical position line 5 selected by the vertical position address decoder 2. At this time, the key matrix read control device 1 reads the horizontal position data 6 in synchronization with the change of the vertical position address 4. The key position information read by the key matrix reading control device 1 is sent to the bidirectional communication control device 7 as the corresponding key code data 11, and the bidirectional communication control device 7 confirms the competition with the control signal from the host device. Then, the read key data 8 is transmitted to the host device. When the bidirectional communication control device 7 receives the control command signal 10 from the host device, it decodes the content and sends only the control command code 12 necessary for the scan interval control device 9 to the scan interval control device 9. Scan interval control device 9
Has a scan interval register incorporated therein, and the read interval timing signal 13 is generated by controlling the scan interval by this register. That is, the scan interval register changes the scan interval in FIG. 3 described in the conventional example. Therefore, an optimum man-machine interface can be realized because the scan interval can be arbitrarily changed according to the state of the software application of the host device.

[0009]

The present invention has the following effects, as is apparent from the above-mentioned embodiments. (1) Optimal man-machine interface can be realized by changing the scan interval arbitrarily. (2) The discomfort of the operator can be eliminated by eliminating the incongruity between the processing speed of the host device and the operation speed of the operator.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration block diagram of a keyboard device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration block diagram of a keyboard device in a conventional example.

FIG. 3 is a keyboard position reading timing chart in a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

1,21 ... Key matrix reading control device, 2,22
... Vertical position address decoder, 3, 23 ... Key matrix, 4, 24 ... Vertical position address, 5, 25 ... Vertical position line, 6, 26 ... Horizontal position data, 7 ... Bidirectional communication control device, 8, 28 ... Read Key data, 9 ... Scan interval control device, 10 ... Control command signal, 11 ... Key code data, 12 ... Control command code, 13 ... Read synchronization timing signal, 27 ... Matrix intersection point.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A keyboard device having a bidirectional communication function and a key scan interval control register, wherein the key scan interval can be varied by a received control command.