JPH11161406A - Character input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To input characters through an operation with a single and, to unnecessitate the confirmation of inputted characters on a display device and to miniaturize a device as a whole concerning the character input device to be used for the character input of electronic equipment. SOLUTION: A character selecting means 2 selects the characters of candidates out of character data in a character table 3 corresponding to the operating state of a lever 1a at a triaxial switch 1. Concretely, the characters of the Japanese syllabary(KANA) are arranged in the character table in the order of row starting from 'a', row starting from 'ka', row starting from 'sa'... from the right side and a pointer 3a is moved in respective characters. The character selecting means 2 switches the characters of candidates by moving the position of the pointer 3a corresponding to the motion of the lever 1a of the triaxial switch 1 on X and Y axes. The character, on which the pointer 3a is placed, is outputted in voice through a speaker 4a by a character voice output means 4 as the candidate of the selected character. When the lever 1a of the triaxial switch 1 is pressed, the input of the lever 1a in Z-axis direction is detected. A character determining means 6, which detects ths input, defines the character, on which the pointer 3a is placed at present, as a determined character and adds it to a determined character string 7a in a memory 7.

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 used for character input of electronic equipment.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, small portable electronic devices such as portable information terminals and mobile phones have become widespread. Character input devices used in these devices are required to have both features of ease of use and miniaturization.

As a character input device of a small portable terminal device, a keyboard and a handwritten character recognition device have been conventionally used. As a product using a keyboard, there is, for example, a portable computer product HP200LX manufactured by Hewlett-Packard Company, USA. On the other hand, as a product using the handwritten character recognition device, there is an information portable terminal PI6000 of Sharp Corporation.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a small portable terminal device using a conventional keyboard. The small portable terminal device 50 mainly includes a keyboard 51 and a liquid crystal display device 52. The keyboard 51 is composed of a large number of push button switches, and one or a plurality of alphabets, numbers, and symbols are assigned to one switch. Characters input by the keyboard 51 are displayed on a character display area 52a of the liquid crystal display device 52.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a small portable terminal device using a conventional handwritten character recognition device. The small portable terminal device 60 mainly includes a liquid crystal display device 61 and an input pen 6.
And 2. In this small portable terminal device 60, when a character is written on the handwriting input area 61a on the liquid crystal display device 61 with the input pen 62, the character is recognized on the main body side and displayed on the character display area 61b.

[0006] In addition, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-2
As disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3261, a plurality of characters are assigned to input keys of an operation unit, and by continuously pressing the input keys, a plurality of characters can be cyclically changed so that characters can be input.

Further, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-158595, when there is an input from a keyboard having a kana / alphanumeric key or the like, the input character is output as sound through an earphone.

[0008]

By the way, portable electronic devices are often used while walking or standing outdoors. In this case, since the user often holds luggage in his hand, it is desirable that the character input device can be operated with one hand.
Further, although the input of characters is usually performed while confirming it on the display device, there are cases where the display device cannot be seen in a crowded train or the like. Therefore, it is preferable that characters can be input without looking at the display device.

However, in the small portable terminal device 50 shown in FIG. 5, since the keyboard 51 is used, it is difficult to reduce the size. This is because when the size of the keyboard 51 is reduced, the intervals between the switches become narrower, and it becomes difficult to select or press the switches. In addition, the number of switches on the keyboard 51 is generally as large as 50 or more, so that the installation area is wide, and it is difficult to operate with one hand. further,
There has been no method of confirming characters input by the keyboard 51 only on the liquid crystal display device 52.

Similarly, the mobile phone disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-23261 does not allow one-handed operation because characters are input using numeric keys or command buttons, and relies on the liquid crystal display device for confirmation.

Further, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 5-158595, the input characters can be heard by voice, but it is difficult to perform one-handed operation because the characters are input using a keyboard. On the other hand, when the miniature portable terminal device 60 in FIG. 6 is miniaturized, the handwriting input area 61a becomes small, and handwriting input becomes difficult. In addition, a reduction in the resolution of handwritten characters may increase the false recognition rate. Further, when the user stands up and uses the device, it is necessary to hold the device with one hand and input characters with the other hand, so that one-handed operation cannot be performed. In addition, as in the case of the small portable terminal device 50, the input characters must be confirmed on the liquid crystal display device 61.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and allows one-handed character input, eliminating the need to check the input characters on a display device, and reducing the size of the entire device. It is an object of the present invention to provide a character input device capable of performing the following.

[0013]

According to the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in a character input device used for character input of electronic equipment, a three-axis switch for detecting an operation in three-axis directions; Character selecting means for selecting a candidate character from character data prepared in advance in accordance with movements of the switch in the first axial direction and the second axial direction, and sounding the selected character via a speaker An audio output means for outputting, and a movement of the three-axis switch in a third axial direction,
A character input device comprising: a character determination unit that determines the candidate character and stores the character in a character storage unit.

In such a character input device, the three-axis switch moves in the first and second axial directions,
The character selection means selects a candidate character from character data prepared in advance. The voice output means outputs the selected candidate character as voice via a speaker. As a result, the user can confirm the character input by himself without looking at the display.

In accordance with the movement of the three-axis switch in the third axial direction, the character determination means determines the candidate character and stores it in the character storage means. As described above, since characters can be input only by operating the three-axis switch, one-hand operation can be performed, and operability is improved. Further, since there is no need to provide a keyboard or a pen input device, the entire device can be downsized.

[0016]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of the function of the present embodiment.
The three-axis switch 1 can perform inputs in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction by operating the lever 1a forward, backward, left, and right. Further, the lever 1a also functions as a push button, and can perform input in the Z-axis direction by being manually pressed. Such a detection signal of the three-axis switch 1 is received by the character selection means 2.

The character selecting means 2 selects a candidate character from the character data of the character table 3 according to the operation state of the lever 1a of the three-axis switch 1. More specifically, in the character table 3, as shown in the figure, hiragana characters are arranged in order from the right, such as a line, a line, a line, etc., and the pointer 3a moves between the characters. It is supposed to. The character selecting means 2 includes a lever 1a of the three-axis switch 1.
The position of the pointer 3a is moved in accordance with the movement of the X-axis and the Y-axis, and the candidate character is switched.

For example, if the lever 1a is operated in the minus direction of the X axis, that is, to the left when the current candidate character is "su", the character selecting means 2 sets the pointer 3a
Is moved to the left, such as "one" or "nu". on the other hand,
When the lever 1a is operated in the positive direction of the X axis, that is, in the right direction, the character selecting means 2 moves the pointer 3a to "
Move to the right, like "U". In addition, lever 1
When "a" is operated in the positive direction of the Y axis, that is, in the upward direction, the character selecting means 2 moves the pointer 3a to "", ""
And so on. Similarly, if lever 1a is Y
When operated in the minus direction of the axis, that is, in the downward direction, the character selecting means 2 moves the pointer 3a downward, such as "K" or "K".

The character on which the pointer 3a is placed is output as a selected character candidate by the character / speech output means 4 via the speaker 4a. At this time, if the pointer 3a continues to stop at the position of the same character, sound is repeatedly output at predetermined time intervals. The character display means 5 displays the character table 3 and the pointer 3a on the display device 5a.

The user can recognize the currently selected candidate character at least by voice, and if the currently selected character is a desired character, depresses the lever 1a of the three-axis switch 1. Thus, the input of the lever 1a in the Z-axis direction is detected. Upon detecting this, the character determination means 6 sequentially stores the character on which the pointer 3a is located as a determined character in the memory 7 and adds it to the determined character string 7a. In addition, the character voice output means 4 outputs the voice of the newly determined character via the speaker 4a. Further, the display unit 5 displays the confirmed character string 7a on the display device 5a.

Although only hiragana characters are shown on the character table in the figure, punctuation marks, punctuation marks, numbers, symbols, and the like can be naturally selected. Next, a specific example of a character input device having such a function will be described.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an external configuration of a portable telephone provided with the character input device of the present embodiment. The case 11 of the mobile phone 10 is provided with an antenna 11a. Also, on the front side of the case 11, there are a voice output unit 12 for outputting a voice and a ringing tone of a conversation partner, a liquid crystal display device 13 for displaying an inputted message and a telephone number, etc., a numeric keypad and characters for entering a character input operation. A button unit 14 including an input command button and the like, and a sound collecting unit 15 for collecting a user's voice and the like are provided. A three-axis switch 16 is provided on the front surface of the case 11.

The three-axis switch 16 is, for example, a digital map navigation system NVX-D7 of Sony Corporation.
7 is used. The triaxial switch 16 is provided with a lever 16a having a size and elastic force enough to be moved by a finger. 3
The axis switch 16 detects the movement of the lever 16a in the left-right direction (here, called the X-axis direction) and the movement of the lever 16a in the vertical direction (here, called the Y-axis direction). The lever 16a also functions as a push button switch, and is detected as a movement in the Z-axis direction by pushing its head in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration inside the mobile phone 10. As shown in FIG. The operation of the mobile phone 10 is controlled by a controller 21. Controller 21
Are mainly composed of a processor, a ROM, and a RAM corresponding to the memory 7 shown in FIG. The controller 21 includes the liquid crystal display device 13, the button unit 14, the three-axis switch 16, the speaker 12 a that outputs sound from the sound output unit 12, and the microphone 15 a that collects sound via the sound collecting unit 15 shown in FIG. It is connected. Controller 2
1 performs various operation controls such as call execution control and display control on the liquid crystal display device 13 in accordance with the operation of the button unit 14 and the three-axis switch 16. Controller 2
1 is a character selection means 2, a voice output means 4, shown in FIG.
The functions of the display means 5 and the character determination means 6 are executed.

Further, a storage device 22 backed up by a battery is connected to the controller 21.
The character table 3 shown in FIG. 1 and the like are stored in the storage device 22 in advance.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure on the controller 21 side regarding the character input operation. [S1] The character table 3 is initialized. [S2] Initial setting of the position of the pointer 3a of the character table 3 is performed. [S3] The character at which the pointer 3a is currently placed is output as voice at predetermined time intervals. [S4] It is determined whether or not the triaxial switch 16 has been input. If the triaxial switch 16 has been input, the process proceeds to step S5. If not, the process returns to step S3. [S5] It is determined whether or not the lever 16a of the triaxial switch 16 is in the right direction. If the lever 16a is in the right direction, the process proceeds to step S6; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S7. [S6] The pointer 3a of the character table 3 is shifted to the right. [S7] It is determined whether or not the lever 16a of the triaxial switch 16 is in the left direction. If the lever 16a is in the left direction, the process proceeds to step S8; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S9. [S8] The pointer 3a of the character table 3 is shifted to the left. [S9] It is determined whether or not the lever 16a of the triaxial switch 16 is in the upward direction. If the lever 16a is in the upward direction, the process proceeds to step S10; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S11. [S10] The pointer 3a of the character table 3 is shifted upward. [S11] It is determined whether or not the lever 16a of the triaxial switch 16 is in the downward direction. If the lever 16a is in the downward direction, the process proceeds to step S12,
Otherwise, go to step S13. [S12] The pointer 3a of the character table 3 is shifted downward. [S13] It is determined whether or not the lever 16a of the triaxial switch 16 is in the Z direction. If the lever 16a is in the Z direction, the process proceeds to step S14.
Otherwise, the process returns to step S3. [S14] The character on which the pointer 3a is placed is stored in the storage device 22 as a fixed character.

As described above, in this embodiment, the three-axis switch 1
Since a character is selected according to the operation direction 6 and the selected character is output as voice, the character can be easily input with only one finger without using a keyboard or a display device.

In this embodiment, the input characters are also displayed on the liquid crystal display device 13, so that the characters can be visually confirmed. Note that, in addition to the configuration of the present embodiment, a switch that can confirm the confirmed character string stored in the storage device 22 may be provided. That is, by pressing this switch, the determined character string can be reproduced by voice or display from the beginning or from any character. Also,
A conventional switch may be used as the confirmation switch.

In the above description, only the operation of inputting characters has been described. However, characters which have been input once can be deleted by a predetermined operation. Specifically, by pressing the lever 16a of the three-axis switch 16 twice or more in the Z-axis direction within a certain time, or by pressing the lever 16a for a certain time or more, the determined character can be erased. In this way, the user can repeatedly input and delete characters without releasing the hand from the three-axis switch 16.

Further, the character data may be classified into a plurality of data in advance, and the display color on the liquid crystal display device 13 may be changed according to the classification. For example, enter Hiragana,
The lines are classified as "line", "line", and so on. The line is displayed in different colors, such as red for line, green for line, yellow for line, and so on. When the character on which the pointer 3a is currently located is, for example, "A", the character on the screen is displayed as "A", or the characters on the line are displayed in red. Here, in order for the user to move the pointer 3a to “く”, the lever 16 is moved.
When a is moved to the left, the pointer 3a moves to a row, and the display also changes to green.

The change in color allows the user to easily confirm that the position of the pointer 3a has changed from a row to a row. Therefore, if the lever 16a is further moved downward, the pointer 3a comes to the position "". At this time, even if the lever 16a is moved sideways by mistake, the display changes from green to another color, so that the erroneous operation can be immediately known.

In the present embodiment, the three-axis switch 16
Although the characters are selected one by one, a word composed of a plurality of characters is also prepared in the character table 3 so that a word can be selected and input by one switch operation.

Further, in the present embodiment, the input character can be confirmed both by voice and display, but it is also possible to use only one of the buttons for button selection. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, an example has been described in which sound is output from the sound output unit 12, but the sound may be heard using earphones.

Further, in the present embodiment, the example of the mobile phone 10 is shown as the terminal device provided with the character input device, but the present invention can be applied to other terminal devices such as a portable computer.

[0035]

As described above, according to the present invention, a candidate character can be selected from character data prepared in advance according to the movement of the three-axis switch in the first and second axial directions. The selected candidate character is output as voice through a speaker, and the candidate character is determined and stored in accordance with the movement of the three-axis switch in the third axial direction. As a result, the user can check the characters input by himself without looking at the display, and can input characters only by operating the three-axis switch, thereby performing one-handed operation and improving operability.

Further, since it is not necessary to provide a keyboard and a pen input device, the entire device can be downsized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of the function of the present embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an external configuration of a mobile phone including the character input device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration inside the mobile phone.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure on the controller side regarding a character input operation.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a small portable terminal device using a conventional keyboard.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a small portable terminal device using a conventional handwritten character recognition device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... 3-axis switch, 1a ... lever, 2 ... character selection means, 3 ... character table, 3a ... pointer, 4 ...
Voice output means, 4a ... speaker, 5 ... display means, 5
a display device, 6 character determination means, 7 memory
7a: fixed character string, 10: mobile phone, 12: voice output unit, 13: liquid crystal display device, 16: three-axis switch, 16a: lever

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A character input device used for character input of an electronic device, comprising: a three-axis switch for detecting an operation in a three-axis direction; and movements of the three-axis switch in a first axis direction and a second axis direction. Character selecting means for selecting a candidate character from character data prepared in advance, voice output means for voice-outputting the selected character via a speaker, a third of the three-axis switch A character input device, comprising: character determination means for determining the candidate character in accordance with an axial movement and storing the character in a character storage means. 2. The character input device according to claim 1, wherein the voice output unit repeats the voice output at predetermined time intervals when the same candidate character is continuously selected for a predetermined time or more. apparatus. 3. The voice output means according to claim 1, wherein, when a specific switch is operated, a determined character string already determined and stored in said character storage means is read out and output as voice. Character input device. 4. The character data is in a table format,
2. The character selection unit according to claim 1, wherein the character selection unit selects the candidate character by moving a pointer on the table according to the movement in the first axis direction and the second axis direction. Character input device. 5. A display device, and display means for displaying a character selected by the character selection means on the display device;
The character input device according to claim 1, further comprising: 6. The character data is in a table format,
The character selecting means selects the candidate character by moving a pointer on the table in accordance with the movement in the first axis direction and the second axis direction. 6. The character data in a format and the moving pointer are displayed.
A character input device as described. 7. The character input device according to claim 6, wherein the display unit classifies the character data into a plurality of data in advance, and changes a display form of the candidate character according to the classification. 8. The character input device according to claim 6, wherein the character data includes a word composed of a plurality of characters, and the character data can be selected for each of the words according to an operation of the three-axis switch. . 9. The character input device according to claim 6, wherein a specific character already determined and stored in said character storage means can be deleted by a predetermined operation. 10. The character input device according to claim 6, further comprising a confirmation method selection unit that selects and executes only one of the voice output unit and the display unit.