JPH07200123A - Character input device, game device, and character input method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a character input device, game device, and character input method which enables an operator to perform character input operation which is neither troublesome nor complicated at a high speed and makes the operator neither feel stress nor perform wrong character input operation. CONSTITUTION:The operator performs the character input operation through an operation part 12 and a processing part 100 performs a processing for image composition on the basis of the operation signal from the operation part 12. And, an image composition part 10 composes an image bases on the image composing process of the processing part 100 and outputs the image to an image display part 10. Through the image composing process of the processing part 100, plural characters as candidates to be selected are displayed at the image display part 10. When the operator selects one of the characters through the operation part 12, modified characters of the selected character are selected and displayed at the image display part 10 so that even a modified character can be selected.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a character input device, a game device and a character input method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various character input devices for an operator to input characters have been known in electronic devices such as home and commercial game devices and electronic notebooks.
Hereinafter, taking a game device, for example, a home game device as an example,
A conventional character input device will be described.

For example, a roll-plane game (hereinafter, RP
In a game such as a G game), it may be necessary to break through a barrier in the game or input characters to input the name of the main character of the game. In such a case, the operator, that is, the player operates the operation unit such as the joypad or the joystick to input characters while looking at the character input screen displayed on the image display unit such as the CRT or the television. FIG. 9A shows an example of a screen displayed on the image display unit during such a character input operation.
Further, FIG. 9B shows an example of the operation unit 12 operated by the player in this case.

As shown in FIG. 9A, in this case, a selection candidate display 50, a selected character character display, for example, a cursor 52, a mode display 54, and an input character display 56 are displayed on the screen.
Etc. are displayed.

Here, the selection candidate display 50 is a display showing a plurality of character characters that are selection candidates. Figure 9
In (A), it consists of an uppercase letter "a", a lowercase letter "aa", a dumb sound "ga-bo", and a semi-voiced sound "pa-po".
Zero selection candidate character characters are displayed. Also, the selected character character display is, for example, what is called a cursor 52, and is a display showing a character character that the player is going to select. Player is operating unit 1
4, the cursor 52 is sequentially moved in the vertical direction or the horizontal direction for each character character, and the desired character character is selected.

The mode display 54 is a display for switching the screen mode. In FIG. 9A, for example, the above-mentioned cursor 5 is displayed on the display of "katakana".
When 2 is moved and selected, the "Hiragana character" shown in the selection candidate display 52 is switched to the "Katakana character". Similarly, if "return" is selected, the cursor 52 returns, and if "end" is selected, the character input mode ends. Also, the input character display 56
Is a display showing character characters input by the player. With this display, the player can confirm the characters that he has input.

As shown in FIG. 9B, the operation section 12 is provided with a cross button 14, a button 16, and a button 18. The cross button 14 is for moving the above-mentioned cursor 52 in the left-right up-down direction and, in some cases, in the oblique direction, which enables digital azimuth input. The button 16 is a button for determining selection, input, and the like. For example, when the button 16 is pressed in the state shown in FIG. 9A, the selection and input of the character "ha" is decided. Further, the button 18 is a button for canceling selection, input and the like. For example, if the button 18 is pressed in the state of FIG. 9A, the selection and input of the character "ha" will be canceled.

Next, the operation of the conventional character input device will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. First, when the input is started in step P1, the screen shown in FIG. 9A is displayed on the image display unit. Next, as shown in step P2, the cursor 52 causes the player to select a desired character character from the 80 character candidates displayed in the selection candidate display 50. For example, it is assumed that the player uses the cross button 14 to move the cursor to the position of the kana capital letter "ha", and the button 16 selects and confirms. Then, as shown in step P3, the kana capital letter "ha" is displayed on the input character display portion 56. Then, when the input is determined by the button 16, the process returns to step P2. Next, the player uses the cross button 14 to move the cursor to the position of Kana lowercase, for example, "ya", and press the button 1
It is assumed that it is selected and decided by 6. Then, as shown in step P4, the kana lowercase letter "ya" is displayed on the input character display portion 56. Then, when the input is determined by the button 16, the process returns to step P2. Similarly, if you select a kana dakuten, for example, the character "ga," step P5
“Ga” is displayed as shown in, and the step P
Return to 2.

In this way, when the player inputs all the characters he wants to input and selects "end" on the mode display portion 54, the character input operation is ended as shown in step P6.

FIG. 11 shows an example of a screen displayed on the image display unit during a character input operation in another conventional character input device.

As shown in FIG. 11, in this case, the selection candidate display 50, the cursor 52, and the mode display 5 are displayed on the screen.
4. A display such as the input character display 56 is displayed.
Then, unlike the above-described FIG. 9A, the selection candidate display 50 shows a dull / semi-dumb sound selection display 58. The dakuten / semi-dakuten selection display 58 is a display for selecting a dakuten or a half-dakuten added to the previously input character. For example, after entering "ha" last time,
If, for example, a dakuten is selected from the semi-dakuten selection display 58,
The "ba" is selected and input.

Next, the operation of the conventional character input device will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. First, the input is started in step Q1, and then in step Q2, the player selects a desired character character from the 61 character candidates shown in the selection candidate display 50 with the cursor 52. For example, it is assumed that the player selects the kana capital letter “ha” and decides. Then, as shown in step Q3, the kana capital letter "ha" is displayed on the input character display portion 56. Similarly, when the player selects and determines the kana lower case "ya", the kana lower case "ya" is displayed as shown in step Q4.

Now, for example, when the player wants to select and input the voiced sound "ba", the following is done. That is, in this case, first, in steps Q2 and Q3, the kana capital letter "ha" is selected and input. And then, step Q
By 2, the dakuten is selected from the dakuten / semi-dakuten selection display 58. Then, in step Q5, a kana capital letter "ha" with a dakuten on it is displayed. After that, when the player determines the selection with the button 16, the "ba" is input. When all the inputs have been completed, the character input operation is completed in step Q6.

[0014]

The conventional character input device described above has a problem that the character input operation is very complicated and time-consuming.

Consider, for example, the case of inputting the character "Shizukada" with the character input device described with reference to FIG.
In this case, first, "shi" at the point K1 in FIG. 9A is selected and input. Next, with the cross button 14, the cursor 52 is moved to the right by 6 characters and the cursor is moved down by 4
The character character is moved (10 character characters in total), and "Z" at K2 is selected and input. Next, the cursor 52 is moved to the left by two characters and moved upward by five characters (total of seven characters moved), and "ka" at K3 is selected and input. And
Finally, move 5 characters to the left and move 6 characters down (11 characters in total), then K
Select and enter the four dashes.

As described above, in the conventional character input device, it is necessary to move the cursor by 28 character characters in total to select and input the character character. For this reason, the character input operation becomes very complicated and complicated, and the operation takes a very long time. This also causes the player to feel a great deal of stress, or may cause an erroneous character input operation.

Such a problem similarly occurs in the conventional character input device described with reference to FIG. That is, in the conventional character input device shown in FIG. 11, when "Shizukada" is input, it is performed as follows.

First, in FIG. 11, the "shi" at the L1 point is selected and input. Next, the cursor 52 is moved to the right by one character by using the cross button 14 (a total of one character is moved), and "su" at the L2 point is selected and input. Next, the cursor 52 is moved to the right by 8 characters and moved upward by 2 characters (10 characters in total), and the dakuten at the point L3 is selected. As a result, "zu" is input. Next, the cursor 52 is moved 10 characters to the left and 1 character downward (a total of 11 characters are moved), and "ka" at L4 is selected and input. Next, the cursor 52 is moved downward by two characters (a total of two characters are moved), and "ta" at L5 is selected and input. Finally, the cursor 52 is moved 10 characters to the right and 3 characters upward (a total of 13 characters are moved) to select the dakuten at L3. As a result, "da" is input.

As described above, in the conventional character input device, the cursor must be moved for a total of 37 characters to select and input the character. Therefore, there is a problem that the character input operation is more complicated and complicated than the character input operation shown in FIG. 9A, and the operation takes a very long time. This causes the player to feel more stress or causes an incorrect character input operation.

The present invention has been made in view of such conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to perform a character input operation at high speed without being complicated and complicated, and to make an operator feel stress. An object of the present invention is to provide a character input device, a game device, and a character input method that rarely cause an incorrect character input operation.

[0021]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an operation unit for an operator to perform an operation for inputting characters, and a process for performing an image composition process based on an operation signal from the operation unit. A character input device that includes a unit, an image combining unit that combines images based on the image combining process in the processing unit, and an image display unit that displays the combined image,
By the image combining process in the processing unit, a plurality of character characters that are selection candidates are displayed on the image display unit, and when the operator performs a character selection operation on any of these character characters by the operation unit, the selection is made. A modified character selection display is performed on the image display unit so that a character selection operation can be performed on a modified character of the character.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the modified character selection display on the image display unit is performed by displaying a list of the selected character characters and the modified character characters as selection candidates. It is characterized by

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the modified character selection display on the image display unit alternately displays the selected character character and the modified character character as selection candidates. It is performed by.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, a plurality of windows including a first window and a second window are displayed on the image display section by the image combining processing in the processing section, and the selection candidates are selected. A plurality of character characters are displayed in the first window, and the operator displays the first character.
When any one of the character characters is selected from the window by the operation unit, the selected character character and its modified character character are selected such that the modified character character of the selected character character can be selected. It is characterized by being displayed in a list in a window.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the character selection operation by the operation unit is
With respect to the plurality of character characters arranged at a predetermined interval in a matrix, the selected character character display showing the character character to be selected is sequentially moved for each character character.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fifth aspects, the modified character character is an uppercase character, a lowercase character, a dull sound, or a half-done sound of the selected character character.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a game device including the character input device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, in which an operator performs a game operation with the operation unit, and the processing unit operates from the operation unit. Process for synthesizing a game image based on the game operation signal, the image synthesizing unit synthesizes a game image based on the game image synthesizing process in the processing unit, and the game synthesized on the image display unit. The feature is that an image is displayed.

The invention of claim 8 is a character input method in which an operator can perform a character input operation through the operation unit while looking at the character characters displayed in the image display unit, wherein (A) a plurality of selection candidates. A step of displaying a character on the image display section; (B) a step of causing an operator to perform a character selection operation by the operation section on any one of the plurality of character characters displayed on the image display section; After the step (B), the step of displaying the modified character selection display on the image display unit so that the modified character of the selected character character can also be selected, and (D) the operator based on the modified character selection display. And a character input operation is performed.

According to the invention of claim 9, in claim 8, the modified character selection display in the step (C) is performed by collectively displaying the selected character character and the modified character character as selection candidates. It is characterized by

The invention of claim 10 is based on claim 8
The modified character selection display in the step (C) is performed by alternately switching and displaying the selected character character and its modified character character as selection candidates.

According to the invention of claim 11, in claim 8,
A plurality of windows including a first window and a second window are displayed on the image display unit, and in the step (A), a plurality of character characters that are selection candidates are displayed in the first window, and the step ( In B), the operator is caused to perform a character selection operation of any of the plurality of character characters displayed in the first window by the operation unit, and in the step (C), selection is performed after the step (B). The character character selected so that the character selection operation can be performed also on the modified character character of the selected character character and the modified character character are displayed in the second window, and in (D), the display of the second window screen. The character input operation is performed by causing the operator to select a character based on the above.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the eighth to eleventh aspects, the character selecting operation in the step (B) is performed on the plurality of character characters arranged in a matrix at predetermined intervals. It is characterized in that the selected character display showing the character to be selected is sequentially moved for each character.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the eighth to twelfth aspects, the modified character characters that can be selected and operated in the step (C) are uppercase letters, lowercase letters, voiced sounds and semi-voiced sounds of the selected character characters. Is characterized in that.

[0034]

According to the invention of claims 1 and 8, a plurality of character characters which are selection candidates are displayed on the image display portion. Then, when the operator performs a character selection operation on any of those character characters, a modified character selection display is performed so that the modified character character of the selected character character can also be character selected. Therefore, it is not necessary to display the deformed character as the first selection candidate on the image display unit, so that the selection candidate display range can be made extremely narrow. As a result, the operator can perform the character selection operation in a very narrow range. Then, the modified character is displayed in the modified character selection display.
Therefore, by selecting a desired modified character from the modified character selection display, it is possible to perform a character input operation for the modified character.

According to the second and ninth aspects of the present invention, the modified character selection display described above is performed by displaying a list of the selected character character and the modified character character as selection candidates. Therefore, the operator can perform a character input operation by selecting a desired character character or modified character character from the modified character selection display displayed in the list.

According to the inventions of claims 3 and 10,
The aforementioned modified character selection display is performed by alternately switching and displaying the selected character character and its modified character character as selection candidates. Therefore, the operator can perform a character input operation by selecting a desired character character or a modified character character from the modified character selection display that is alternately switched.

According to the inventions of claims 4 and 11,
A plurality of windows are displayed on the image display unit. When the operator performs a character selection operation on any of the character characters from the first window, the selected character character and its modified character character are selected so that the modified character character of the selected character character can also be selected. Listed in the second window. Then, when the character selection operation is performed in the first window, next, the character selection operation for the modified character characters listed in the second window becomes possible. By thus dividing the display into the first and second windows, the character selection operation by the operator becomes very simple.

According to the inventions of claims 5 and 12,
The character selection operation by the operation unit is performed by sequentially moving the selected character character display for each of the plurality of character characters arranged in a matrix at predetermined intervals. As described above, when the character selection operation is performed by moving the selected character display for each character, the present invention can particularly easily perform the character input operation at high speed.

According to the inventions of claims 6 and 13,
The modified character characters are the uppercase letters, lowercase letters, voiced sounds, and semivoiced sounds of the selected character character. Therefore, when inputting a character string in which these uppercase letters, lowercase letters, voiced sounds, and semi-voiced sounds are mixed, the character input operation can be performed very easily and at high speed.

According to the invention of claim 7, the operator performs a game operation with the operation unit, and the processing unit performs a predetermined process based on the game operation signal from the operation unit, whereby not only the character image but also the character image is obtained. Game images will also be combined. As described above, the present invention can be applied not only to a normal character input device but also to character input in a game device.

[0041]

【Example】

1. First Embodiment FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a character input device according to the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the first embodiment comprises an operating section 12, a processing section 100, an image synthesizing section 200, and an image display section 10.

The operation unit 12 is used by the operator to perform an operation for inputting characters. As the operation unit 12 used in the first embodiment, a very large number of types are conceivable as shown in FIGS. 8 (A) to (F), for example. However, in the following, in order to simplify the description, the operation unit 12 is shown in FIG.
The case where the one shown in (A) is used will be described. That is, the operation section 12 is provided with the cross button 14, buttons 16 and 18 as in the case of the conventional example. The operator operates the cross button 14, buttons 16 and 18 to perform a character input operation.

The processing unit 100 performs a predetermined process for image composition or the like based on an operation signal from the operation unit. That is, the processing unit 100 performs a process of determining which character character is to be arranged at which position, for example. When the operator inputs an operation signal to the operation unit 12, the selected character display, for example, the process of moving the cursor, is performed in response to the operation signal. Further, in accordance with an operation signal from the operation unit 12, processing such as changing the characters to be displayed, selecting, deciding input, or canceling is also performed.

In the image composition section 200, the processing section 100
Image synthesis of a character image or the like is performed on the basis of the image synthesis processing in FIG. For example, image composition is performed in which a character is displayed at a position determined by the processing of the processing unit 100. Further, image composition such as moving a cursor to a position determined by the processing of the processing unit 100 is performed. Further, when selection, input is determined, or cancellation is performed by the processing of the processing unit 100, image synthesis such as displaying or erasing a character character is performed accordingly.

In the image display section 10, the image combined by the image combining section 200 is displayed. This image display unit 10
Various devices such as a CRT, a television, a liquid crystal display device, etc. can be considered.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a screen displayed on the image display unit 10 in the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, in this case, a plurality of windows are displayed on the screen.
That is, the first to fifth windows 60 to 68 are displayed.

The selection candidate display 50 is displayed in the first window 60. The selection candidate display 50 is a display showing a plurality of character characters that are selection candidates, as in the above-described conventional example. However, in the selection candidate display 50 in the first embodiment, only the uppercase character “A-n” and other character characters “mode”, “END”, “Susumu”, and “Return” are displayed, and FIG. The lowercase letters "aa", the dakuon "ga-bo", and the semi-dakune "pa-po" displayed in the conventional example shown in (A) are not displayed. Further, the lowercase letter "a" and the dakuten / semi-dakuten selection display 58 which are displayed in the conventional example shown in FIG. 11 are not displayed. As a result, the selection candidate characters, which were 80 characters in the conventional example of FIG. 9 (A) and 61 characters in the conventional example of FIG. 11, become very few 51 characters in the first embodiment. Therefore, the range of movement of the cursor 52, which is the selected character display, can be made extremely narrow, and the types of character characters that the operator must select can be greatly reduced. This makes it possible to simplify and speed up character input, prevent erroneous character input operations, and reduce operator stress.

The selected character display is a display showing the character that the operator is trying to select as described above. In the first embodiment, what is called a cursor 52 is used as the selected character display. The operator sequentially moves the cursor 52 one by one for each character to perform a character character selection operation. As a method for displaying the selected character, various methods other than the method called cursor display shown in FIG. 2 can be used. For example, a method in which the color of the character character selected by the operator and the color of the non-selected character character are different may be considered. Further, a method of blinking the character selected by the operator, or displaying an arrow in the immediate vicinity of the selected character is also conceivable.

The mode display 54 is a display for switching the mode of the screen, and in the first embodiment, the third to the third modes are used.
It is displayed in the fifth windows 64-68. Then, these modes are selected by selecting the "mode" displayed in the selection candidate display 50. As a result, in the first embodiment, the character characters displayed in the selection candidate display 50 can be switched to "Hiragana characters", "Katakana characters", and "alphanumeric characters". It should be noted that “advance” in the selection candidate display 50 is a display for moving the cursor to the right in the character input display 56, and “return” is a display for moving to the left. Further, “END” is a display for ending the character input operation.

The input character display 56 is a display for showing the character input by the operator, and is displayed in the second window 62 in the first embodiment. From this display, the operator can confirm the characters that he / she has entered.

The modified character selection display 70 is a display displayed on the screen so that the modified character of the selected character can be selected. Book first
In this embodiment, the modified character selection display 70 is displayed in the second window 62.

Here, the modified character character means, for example, uppercase letters, lowercase letters, voiced sounds, semi-voiced sounds, etc. of the selected character characters. For example, lower case letters "tsu", dakuon "zu", etc. can be considered as the deformed character characters of the capital letter "tsu". Also, a capital letter "J" or the like can be considered as a deformed character of the lower case letter "j". In FIG. 2, in the modified character selection display 70, an uppercase character “ha” which is the selected character character and a dakuon “ba” which is the modified character character thereof,
The semi-voiced sound "pa" is displayed as a list as a selection candidate. Then, in this case, in order to make it easier for the operator to confirm the character input or to select the modified character, the modified character selection display 70 is displayed just below the character input display 56. And its modified character characters are arranged in the vertical direction.

Next, the operation of the character input device according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. First, at the start of input in step S1, a plurality of windows 60 to 58 as shown in FIG. 2 are displayed on the image display device. Next, as shown in step S2, the operator is made to select a desired character character with the cursor 52 from the 51 character candidates displayed in the selection candidate display 50 in the first window 60.

Next, it is assumed that the operator uses the cross button 14 to move the cursor to the position of a character without lowercase letters, voiced sounds, or semivoiced sounds, for example, "NA", and selects and confirms with the button 16. Then, as shown in step S3, the kana capital letter "na" is displayed on the input character display portion 56. Then, when the input is determined by the button 16, "NA" is input, and the process returns to step S2. This way the first book
In this embodiment, when a character without lowercase letters, voiced sounds, or semi-voiced sounds is selected, no subsequent secondary processing is performed, and the character is input as it is according to the selection decision.

Next, it is assumed that the operator uses the cross button 14 to move the cursor to the position of a character having lowercase letters, voiced sounds, or semivoiced sounds, for example, "ha", and selects and confirms with the button 16. Then, as shown in step S4, the following secondary processing is performed to display candidates for uppercase letters, lowercase letters, voiced sounds, and semivoiced sounds. Specifically, when the cursor 52 is moved to the M1 point in the first window 60 and the selection is confirmed by the button 16, the cursor 52 is moved to the second window 6
Move to the position of M2 point 2. Then, in the second window 62, the modified character selection display 70, that is, "ha",
"Ba" and "Pa" will be displayed.

Next, as shown in step S5, the operator is made to select a desired character character from a maximum of three candidates. Specifically, the operator moves the cursor 52 to the point M3 and selects a desired character character from "ha", "ba", and "pa". Then, the selected character is displayed in the character input display 56 as shown in step S6, and when the player selects the button 16 to select,
The character input for that character ends.

In this way, when the operator inputs all the desired characters and selects "END" on the selection candidate display 50, the character input operation ends as shown in step S7.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, the character input operation can be performed very easily and at high speed. This will be described below in comparison with the conventional example.

For example, as in the case of the conventional example, consider the case where the character "Shizukada" is input according to the first embodiment. In this case, first, "shi" at the N1 point in FIG. 2 is selected. Then, the cursor 52 jumps to the point M2, and "shi" and "ji" are displayed on the modified character selection display 70. Therefore, in this case, the button 16 is pressed while the cursor 52 is at the point M2 to determine the selection. Then,
The cursor 52 automatically returns to the position of "shi" in the first window 60, that is, the N1 point. Next, cross button 14
Thus, the cursor 52 is moved rightward by one character (a total of one character is moved), and "S" at the N2 point is selected. Then, the cursor 52 jumps to the point M2, and "su" and "zu" are displayed on the modified character selection display 70. Therefore, the operator moves the cursor 52 downward by two characters and selects "Z" to decide (a total of two characters moved). Next, after the cursor 52 returns to the N2 point, the cursor 52 is moved leftward by two characters and moved upward by one character (a total of three characters moved), and the "ka" at the N3 point is selected. And above "shi"
Select and decide in the same way as in the case of. And the cursor 52
After returning to the N3 point, move the cursor 52 downward by 2
The character character is moved (two character characters are moved in total), and “ta” at the N4 point is selected. Then, the cursor 52 is moved downward by two characters as in the case of "zu", and "da" is selected and determined (two characters in total).

As described above, in the first embodiment, "Shizukada" can be input by moving the cursor by a total of 10 characters. Therefore, as compared with the conventional example shown in FIG. 9 (A) which requires the cursor movement of 28 character characters in total and the conventional example shown in FIG. 11 which requires the cursor movement of 37 character characters in total, the movement of the cursor It is possible to significantly reduce the amount. As a result, it becomes possible to speed up character input by, for example, about 3 to 4 times that of the conventional example. In addition, as the cursor movement amount is reduced in this way, the area of the selection candidate display 50, that is, the cursor movement range is narrowed, and further, the types of character characters to be selected in the primary processing are reduced, so that the character input operation can be performed. It will be greatly simplified. This can effectively prevent erroneous character input operations,
It is possible to significantly reduce operator stress.

Now, FIG. 4 shows an example of a combination of the modified character selection display 70 when the selection candidate displayed in the selection candidate display 50 is "Hiragana". When the selection candidate is "katakana", the combination is exactly the same. When the selection candidate is “alphabet”, a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters such as “J” and “j” can be considered. This makes it possible to input characters with a name such as “James Adames” very easily and at high speed. Further, a combination of full-width and half-width can be considered. In addition, when the selection candidate is “numeric”, a combination of full-width and half-width characters, and a combination of Chinese numerals and Arabic numerals can be considered.

Further, for example, when a kana capital letter "ha" is selected, "ha" is displayed on the modified character selection display 70.
Not only "ba" and "pa", but also katakana "ha",
A list of “Ba” and “Pa” may also be displayed.

The form of the screen displayed on the image display unit 10 is not limited to that shown in FIG. 2 and various forms can be considered. For example, a mode in which a plurality of windows as shown in FIG. 2 is not displayed can be considered. Further, various display methods of the modified character selection display 70 can be considered.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the selected character character "ha" is not displayed at both points M2 and M3.
As shown in (A), it is also possible to display the selected character "ha" only at one place and share this "ha" between the modified character selection display 70 and the character input display 56.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5B, the modified character selection display 70 is displayed only at one position, and the selected character character and the modified character character are alternately selected as a selection candidate at this position, for example, "ha". A method of selecting and displaying modified characters by switching and displaying such as "ba" and "pa" is also conceivable.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5C, when "HA" is selected by the cursor 52, a method of displaying the window 62 at a position near "HA" is also conceivable. By doing so, it is considered that the character input operation is further simplified. In this case, the character input display 56 is fixed and displayed at another different position, and only the modified character selection display is displayed.
It may be displayed in the immediate vicinity of the selected character.

The first embodiment can of course be applied to the case where the character originally input as "Shizuka" is changed to "Shizuka". In this case, "Susumu", "Return", etc. in FIG. 2 are selected and the cursor is moved to the position of the character character "Su" to be changed. Then, the character character "SU" to be changed is selected and the modified character character 70 is displayed. After that, "zu" is selected from the modified character selection display 70.

2. Second Example A second example is an example of a game device to which the character input device and the character input method according to the present invention are applied.

FIGS. 6A to 6D show an example of the screen of the game formed by the game device according to the second embodiment. This game is an RPG game in which a hero operated by a player travels around the world and walks to search for treasure. In the case of this RPG game, when the game is first started, the operator, that is, the player can give the hero a name of his or her choice. For example,
When the player gives the protagonist the name “Jaguar Torazo”, the player gives the protagonist a name using the character input method of the present invention. In this character input method,
This is particularly effective when inputting characters such as "Jaguar's Torazo" such as mixed voices and non-voiced sounds, lowercase letters and uppercase letters, and katakana and hiragana.

FIG. 6 (A) is a screen in which the player, the "Jaguar Torazo", goes to search for treasures treasures kept by pirates. In this case, the pirate requires the player to say a password. This "password"
Is a "password" that the player could know by talking with various people in various towns. The player is
From various "passwords" that I know, I will select a "password" suitable for this scene and perform character input operation. Then, when a character input operation is performed, a plurality of windows for character input are displayed on the game screen as shown in FIG. 6B. These windows are shown in Figure 2.
It is the same as that described in. In FIG. 6 (B), the player has input a "password" that he / she thinks is correct. In this case, this character input method is very effective when inputting "ge".

The "password" entered by the player
If the "Meme jellyfish" is correct,
The gatekeeper opens the door as shown in (C). vice versa,
If the “password” entered by the player is not the “password” in this scene, or if the wrong “password” or “memekure” is entered due to an incorrect character input operation, As shown in 6 (D), the protagonist is considered a suspicious person and is knocked by the gatekeeper. Then, after the player has been killed by the gatekeeper, the player again inputs another "password" or a correct "password".

In the above-mentioned game scene, for example, when there are many "passwords" which are candidates for character input, or when the "passwords" include a lot of dakuten, semi-dakuten, small letters, etc. In the conventional game device, the character input operation is slow and complicated, so that the player is very stressed. Therefore, in such a case, a game device capable of performing a smooth and simple character input operation has been desired.

FIG. 7 shows a block diagram of the game apparatus of the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, this game device is configured to include an operation unit 12, a processing unit 100, an image composition unit 200, and an image display unit 10.

The operation unit 12 is not limited to the character input operation,
For example, game operations such as moving a character who is the main character, casting magic, and operating a racing car are also possible.

The processing section 100 comprises a central processing section 102 and a main storage section 108. Then, the processing unit 100
In the above, various processes such as a process for synthesizing a game image, a process for synthesizing a game sound effect, and the like as well as a process for synthesizing a character image are performed. Various information such as a game program for performing these processes is stored in the main storage unit 108. Then, the central processing unit 102 reads information such as the game program from the main storage unit 108,
Various processes for image synthesis and voice synthesis will be performed.

The image composition section 200 includes an image processing section 202,
The image information storage unit 204 and the image buffer 206 are included. Then, in the image synthesizing unit 200, game image synthesizing, character image synthesizing, and the like are performed based on the image synthesizing process by the processing unit 100 described above. Image information storage unit 20
4 stores image information for synthesizing these images. Specifically, the image information storage unit 204 stores character information such as a character representing a hero, a character representing an enemy, a terrain map, and a character character. When the game device is a three-dimensional game device, for example, a game device of a type that forms a game screen with polygons, the image information storage unit 204 stores a hero character, a racing car, a fighter, a terrain map, Polygon information of an object representing a character or the like is stored.

The image processing section 202 reads the corresponding image information from the image information storage section 204 based on the image composition processing information from the processing section 100 and performs image composition for each field. Specifically, from the processing unit 100, in the field, the hero, the enemy, the racing car, the fighter, the terrain map, the character, and the like are displayed on the game screen or the virtual three-dimensional space (in the case of the three-dimensional game device). The image compositing process information for instructing which position to arrange is sent. Then, the image processing unit 202 performs processing such as reading out the corresponding image information from the image information storage unit 204 based on the image combining processing information and arranging the image information at the corresponding position. And the image buffer 2
At 06, the image to be displayed on the game screen in each field is stored. As this image buffer 206,
For example, what is called a video RAM is used. In addition, what is called a field buffer is used in the three-dimensional game device.

In the image display unit 10, the image buffer 206
Alternatively, the image to be displayed on the game screen in the field is read out from the image processing unit 204 and displayed to the player.

In FIG. 7, the main storage unit 108 and the image information storage unit 204 can be the external storage device 109. As the external storage device 109,
A game cartridge, a CDROM, a floppy disk or the like can be used.

Now, with the present game device, how is FIG.
A brief description will be made as to whether to form the character screen as described above.

The main storage unit 108 stores information about which scene during the game progress and how to display the character screen shown in FIG. Further, in the character screen shown in FIG. 2, information about which character character is to be arranged at which position is also stored. Central processing unit 102
Will read this information from the main storage unit 108 and perform processing for character image composition. Then, for example, when the player performs a character input operation with the operation unit 12 when a character screen is displayed, for example, how to move the cursor 52 or how to select and input a character, etc. Will be processed. Then, based on this processing, the image processing unit 202 synthesizes the images to be actually displayed on the image display unit 10. Specifically, the image processing unit 202 is input from the processing unit 100 with information such as the character number of the character character and the arrangement position information thereof. Then, the image processing unit 202
Based on this information, the image information of the corresponding character is read from the image information storage unit 204. Then, the image information about the character screen to be displayed in the field is sequentially written in the image buffer 206. As for the character character, the image information storage unit 2 includes a normal character character and its modified character character as a pair.
It is desirable to store it in 04. By doing so, it becomes possible to more easily form the above-described modified character selection display 70.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

For example, the form of the operation unit 12 is shown in FIG.
Not limited to that shown in (A), for example, FIGS.
Various forms such as those shown in can be used.
For example, in FIG. 8B, a button 1 for deciding selection and input
6, buttons 20 and 22 other than the cancel button 18
Is provided. By using the other buttons 20 and 22 for processing such as moving between windows and displaying modified character selections in this way, the character input operation can be further simplified.

Further, in FIG. 8C, a lever 28 is used instead of the cross button 14, and in FIG. 8D, a rotating ball 30 is used. For example, by tilting the lever 28 vertically or horizontally or by rotating the rotating ball 30 horizontally or vertically, the cursor (selected character display) 52 can be moved horizontally or vertically. As described above, in the present invention, as the form of the operation unit 12 for moving the selected character display (cursor or the like), not only the cross button 14 but any type can be used.

FIG. 8 (E) shows an example of the operation unit 12 when the present invention is applied to a racing car game. In this case, the selected character display can be moved by turning the handle 36 or the like. Further, by stepping on the accelerator 28 or the like, it is possible to select, input, cancel, etc., a character character.

Further, FIG. 8F shows an example in which the present invention is applied to an electronic device such as an electronic notebook. In this case, a liquid crystal panel or the like is used as the image display unit 10.
As the operation unit 12, buttons (keyboard) 42 to
49 is used. Then, to move the selected character display (cursor etc.) of the cursor 52 etc., the buttons 42 ...
48 and so on. Further, other commands can be issued by the button 49 or the like. By applying the present invention to such an electronic device as an electronic notebook, it becomes possible to perform character input in data construction, data search, etc. very easily and at high speed.

Further, as a game to which the present invention can be applied, not only the above-mentioned RPG game but all kinds of games can be considered. For example, in an adventure game, it can be applied to input characters when breaking through a barrier in the game. Also, it can be applied to a game such as a quiz game in which a question is given to a player and a character string is answered. It can also be applied to the case where a player's name is input in a fighting game or the like to register a player's play record, or his or her data is registered using a fortune telling machine or the like. Further, as long as the system allows the player to name the data created during the game, such as giving a favorite name to the character during the game, it can be applied to games of all genres. Further, the present invention can be applied to continue and the like by inputting a password.
For example, it can be applied to a "password continue method" or the like which is adopted when a game is temporarily suspended and it is desired to continue from the same state with a device having no memory backup function.

Further, all kinds of modified character characters in the present invention can be considered. For example, a character with a symbol above it, such as a German or French metaphor, is a modified character character. You can also do it. It is also possible to use a character character in which the color of the character character is changed as a modified character character.

[0090]

According to the first and eighth aspects of the present invention, it is not necessary to display the deformed character on the image display unit as the first selection candidate. Therefore, the selection candidate display range can be made extremely narrow. Further, regarding the modified character, a character input operation can be performed by selecting a desired modified character from the modified character selection display.
Therefore, the operator can select characters in a very narrow range,
Further, the number of character characters to be selected first can be reduced. As a result, it is possible to greatly simplify and speed up the character input operation, and it is possible to effectively prevent an erroneous character input operation from occurring, and it is possible to greatly reduce the stress on the operator.

According to the second and ninth aspects of the present invention, a character input operation can be performed by selecting a desired character character or a deformed character character from the displayed modified character selection display. Therefore, the operator can perform the character input operation while looking at the displayed list of the character characters and the deformed character characters, which enables a simpler and faster character input operation.

According to the inventions of claims 3 and 10,
A character input operation can be performed by selecting a desired character character or modified character character from the modified character selection display that is alternately switched and displayed. Therefore, in addition to simpler and faster character input operations,
The range in which the character characters and the modified character characters are displayed can be made very narrow as compared with the case of displaying the list.

According to the inventions of claims 4 and 11,
When the character selection operation is performed in the first window in which the first selection candidate is displayed, next, it becomes possible to perform the character selection operation for the deformed character characters listed in the second window. Therefore, the size of the first window in which the first selection candidate is displayed can be made extremely small. Further, since the display is divided into the first and second windows, whether the display currently selected is the first selection candidate display or the next selection candidate for the deformed character is displayed.
The operator can easily recognize it, and a simpler and faster character input operation becomes possible.

According to the inventions of claims 5 and 12,
The character selection operation is performed by sequentially moving the selected character display for each character. According to the present invention, the initial selection candidate display can be made within a very narrow range, and the selection of modified character characters is also easy. Therefore, when the character selection operation is performed by sequentially moving the selected character display for each character as described above, it is possible to perform a particularly simple and high-speed character input operation as compared with the conventional example.

Further, according to the inventions of claims 6 and 13,
It is very easy and fast to input characters with a mixture of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, voiced sounds, and semi-voiced sounds. As a result, in particular, it becomes possible to easily and easily input hiragana and katakana as compared with the conventional example.

Further, according to the invention of claim 7, not only the character image but also the game image is synthesized. As a result, for example, it becomes possible to input the name of the game character in the game, register the player's name, input a character string for breaking through the game during the game, input a password, etc. very simply and at high speed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a character input device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an example of a character screen displayed on an image display unit.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a schematic explanatory diagram for explaining a combination of modified character characters.

5A to 5C are schematic explanatory diagrams for explaining various display formats in the modified character selection display.

FIGS. 6A to 6D are examples of game screens formed by the game device according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an example of a block diagram of a game device according to a second embodiment.

8 (A) to 8 (F) are schematic views showing various forms of an operation unit used in the present invention.

FIG. 9A is an example of a character screen displayed by a conventional character input device, and FIG. 9B is a schematic diagram showing an example of an operation unit.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of a conventional character input device.

FIG. 11 is an example of a character screen displayed by another conventional character input device.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the operation of another conventional character input device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 image display unit 12 operation unit 50 selection candidate display 52 cursor (selected character display) 54 mode display 56 character input display 60 first window 62 second window 64-68 third to fifth window 70 modified character selection Display 100 Processing unit 102 Central processing unit 108 Main storage unit 200 Image combining unit 202 Image processing unit 204 Image information storage unit 206 Image buffer

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. An operating unit for an operator to perform an operation for inputting characters, a processing unit for performing a process for image synthesis based on an operation signal from the operating unit, and the image synthesis process in the processing unit. A character input device that includes an image combining unit that combines images on the basis of an image and an image display unit that displays the combined image, wherein a plurality of selection candidates that are selection candidates are selected by the image combining process in the processing unit. The character characters are displayed on the image display unit, and when the operator performs a character selection operation on any of those character characters by the operation unit, the image is displayed so that the character selection operation can be performed on the modified character character of the selected character character. A character input device characterized in that a modified character selection display is performed on a display unit. 2. The modified character selection display on the image display unit according to claim 1, wherein the selected character character and the modified character character are displayed as a list as a selection candidate. Character input device. 3. The modified character selection display on the image display unit according to claim 1, wherein the selected character character and the modified character character are alternately switched and displayed as selection candidates. Character input device. 4. The plurality of window characters including the first window and the second window are displayed on the image display unit by the image combining process in the processing unit, and the plurality of character characters are the selection candidates. Is displayed in the first window, and when the operator performs a character selection operation on one of the character characters from the first window by the operation unit, the character selection operation can be performed on the modified character character of the selected character character. The character input device characterized in that the selected character and its modified character are listed in the second window. 5. The character selection operation according to claim 1, wherein the character selection operation by the operation unit selects a character character to be selected from the plurality of character characters arranged in a matrix at predetermined intervals. A character input device characterized in that the selected character display shown is sequentially moved for each character. 6. The character input device according to claim 1, wherein the modified character character is an uppercase character, a lowercase character, a voiced sound, or a semivoiced sound of the selected character character. 7. A game device including the character input device according to claim 1, wherein an operator performs a game operation with the operation unit, and the processing unit receives a game operation signal from the operation unit. Based on the game image composition processing in the processing section, the image composition section performs processing for game image composition based on the game image composition, and the combined game image is displayed on the image display section. A game device characterized by the above. 8. A character input method in which an operator can perform a character input operation using the operation unit while looking at the character characters displayed on the image display unit, wherein (A) a plurality of character characters that are selection candidates are displayed on the image. (B) a step of causing the operator to select one of the plurality of character characters displayed on the image display section using the operation section, and (C) a step of (B) After that, a step of selecting and displaying a modified character on the image display unit so that a modified character of the selected character character can be selected and operated, and (D) causing the operator to perform a character selection operation based on the modified character selection display. And a step of performing the character input operation. 9. The modified character selection display according to claim 8, wherein the modified character selection display in step (C) is performed by collectively displaying the selected character character and the modified character character as selection candidates. Character input method. 10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the modified character selection display in the step (C) is performed by alternately switching and displaying the selected character character and its modified character character as selection candidates. Character input method. 11. The plurality of windows including a first window and a second window are displayed on the image display unit, and in the step (A), a plurality of character characters that are selection candidates are displayed in the first window. Displayed in the first window, and in the step (B), the operator is caused to perform a character selection operation by the operation unit on any of the plurality of character characters displayed in the first window, and in the step (C) After the step (B), the selected character character and its modified character character are displayed on the second window so that the character selection operation can be performed on the modified character character of the selected character character. Then, the character input device is characterized in that the character input operation is performed by an operator based on the display of the second window screen. 12. The character selected according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein the character selection operation in the step (B) is a character to be selected with respect to the plurality of character characters arranged in a matrix at predetermined intervals. A character input method characterized in that a selected character character display indicating a character is sequentially moved for each character character. 13. The modified character character according to any one of claims 8 to 12, wherein the deformed character character that can be selected and operated in the step (C) is an uppercase character, a lowercase character, a voiced sound, or a semi-voiced sound of the selected character character. Character input method.