JPH11237946A - Sound generating device by key input - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate the use of this device not only for a healthy person but also for a handicapped person by providing KANA (Japanese syllabary) keys for designating Japanese syllabary voiceless sound KANAs and arranged in the order of the Japanese syllabary and syllable keys for designating a syllable consisting of plural KANAs including a contracted sound. SOLUTION: The keys of an input device 10 are arranged in the order of the Japanese syllabary, that is, are regularly arranged in order of A, I, U, E and O (Japanese syllabary). Thus, the key arrangement is extremely easy to remember. Then, the acquisition of it needs a short time and many erroneous inputs are not made due to an understandable arrangement. Also, the device 10 is provided with syllable keys that designate a syllable consisting of plural KANAs including a contracted sound in addition to the keys of the Japanese syllabary voiceless sound KANAs. For instance, they designate a syllable such as 'cho' and 'shu' that have an extremely high frequency in use with one key and vocalize it. While a conventional JIS key arrangement has to operate a key input three times to input those syllables and Romaji (roman letter) inputting needs a key input four times, the syllable keys need a key input only one time. They make an input speed fast remarkably and also reduce the probability of erroneous inputs.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for generating a sound corresponding to an input key in response to a key input.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art There have been proposed some voice generators by key input. None of these conventional voice generating devices take special care for input keys, and merely use conventional Japanese word processors, English type or personal computer keyboards as they are.

[0003] A sound generator by key input is
Hearing impaired people and people with dysphonia are needed as a means of communicating with others. In addition to the voice utterance function, a display is usually provided so that characters entered by keys are displayed on the screen so that the characters can be confirmed.

Accordingly, not only hearing impaired persons such as deaf persons, but also visually impaired persons can communicate with others by key input and voice. Therefore, such a voice utterance device by key input can be used between people. It can be used not only for direct dialogue with people, but also as a means of communication for people with disabilities and the aged with impaired hearing and visual skills to continue participating in society in a wide-area network combined with communication means. Therefore, it is thought that it will be very necessary for a society that emphasizes welfare in the future.

[0005]

In a conventionally-proposed key-input type voice generating apparatus, the arrangement of kana keys is irregular and specially arranged according to the frequency of use of kana (for example, JIS arrangement). ), And it would take three months for a beginner to make an effort to learn this kana sequence. It also took at least two months to learn the alphabet arrangement as Roman alphabet input.

[0006] Of course, this learning period is for a normal healthy person, and for a visually impaired person, mastering the conventional key arrangement requires several times as much time as a normal person and considerable labor. Things can easily be imagined. Therefore, a voice generating device provided with an input device having a key arrangement that enables a visually impaired person to easily learn in a short period of time is expected.

Further, in a conversation between people, since communication progresses in real time, if a key input error occurs, a key input for correcting the key input is required, and the conversation is interrupted each time. Will not get.
Moreover, the dialogue is not only long-lasting, but also lasts long without a certain speed.

[0008] That is, the key input type voice generating device is required to easily learn the key arrangement, to reduce the possibility of erroneous key input, and to perform a fast input operation. This is an even more necessary requirement when used by visually impaired, vocal or hearing impaired persons.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide a practical key input voice utterance device which is easy to use for not only healthy persons but also persons with disabilities.

[0010]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a voice generating apparatus using key input according to the present invention.
An input device including a kana key arranged in a phonological order and a syllable key for designating a syllable composed of a plurality of kana including a murmur, and in response to pressing of a key of the input device, Means for generating a chord signal corresponding to a pressed key; a character data table for associating a code corresponding to a 50-syllable kana and the syllable with a character data corresponding to the 50-syllable kana and the syllable And a second data storing a voice data table in which a code corresponding to the Japanese syllabary and the syllable, and a voice data corresponding to the Japanese syllabary and the syllable are stored. Reading character data and voice data corresponding to the code from the first memory means and the second memory means in response to the code generated by the input means. Control means for outputting, a display means for displaying a kana or a syllable corresponding to the character data based on the character data output from the control means, and a sound data based on the sound data output from the control means. Sound output means for generating a corresponding sound.

[0011]

Since the keys of the input device are arranged in the order of the Japanese syllabary, that is, regularly arranged in the order of the alphabetical order, the key arrangement is very easy to remember. Therefore, the learning time is short, and since the arrangement is easy to understand, there are few erroneous inputs.

[0012] In addition to the key of the 50-syllable kana, there is also provided a syllable key for designating a syllable composed of a plurality of kana including a murmur. This is for, for example, specifying a syllable that is used very frequently, such as “cho” or “shu”, with a single key and uttering it. Conventional JIS
In the case of an array key, for example, "cho" is three key inputs, and in the case of conventional Roman character input, four key inputs are required, but only one input is required. As a result, the input speed is significantly increased, and the probability of erroneous input is reduced. Therefore, the dialogue with smooth and fast voice becomes possible,
It is optimal and practical as a means of communication for people with disabilities and the elderly.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a key input voice utterance device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 denotes a keyboard (input device) having a key arrangement special to the present invention, which has a key arrangement as shown in FIG. When any key of the keyboard 10 is pressed, a coordinate signal from the key is input to the code generator 11 via the bus 20. The code generator 11 generates a code signal corresponding to the key coordinates and outputs the code signal to the bus 20.
Is output to This code signal is transmitted to the microprocessor 1
Read at 2. The microprocessor 12 may be a commercially available general one.

A first memory device 13 and a second memory device 14 are connected to the microprocessor 12 via a bus 20. The first memory device 13 stores a code corresponding to the Japanese syllabary and the syllable, and character data corresponding to the Japanese syllabary and the syllable. Stored in data table format. For example, a certain code corresponds to data of a clear character of "A", and another code corresponds to data of a syllable of "Cho". Second memory device 1
In 4, there are chords corresponding to the 50 syllable kana and the syllable,
Voice data corresponding to syllables and voice data corresponding to syllables are stored, and codes and voice data are stored in association with each other in a voice data table format. For example, a certain code corresponds to voice data of a clear sound of “A”, and another code corresponds to voice data of a syllable of “Cho”.

For example, when a "syllable" syllable key on the keyboard 10 is pressed, a coordinate signal from the key is transmitted to the bus 20.
Is input to the code generation unit 11 via. In the code generator 11, a code signal corresponding to the coordinates of the “cho” key is generated and output to the bus 20. In response to the reading of the code, the microprocessor 12 refers to the character data table of the memory 13 and reads out the character data of “chow” corresponding to the read code of the “chow” key. Further, in response to the reading of the code, the microprocessor 12 refers to the voice data table of the memory 14 and reads out the voice data of “butterfly” corresponding to the read “butterfly” key code.

The read character data of "butterfly" is provided to the display 15 via the bus 20, and is displayed as "butterfly". If the keyboard 10 includes a kanji conversion key, it can be converted to "super" or "town" by pressing it.

Further, the read character data of "butterfly" is given to the audio signal generator 16 via the bus 20. The audio signal generation device 16 is, for example, a general DSP
(A digital signal processor), or can be realized by loading a program for executing the function into the microprocessor 12. The digital audio signal corresponding to “butterfly” generated by the audio signal generation device 16 is converted into an analog signal by the D / A converter 17. The analog audio signal is amplified to a predetermined amplitude by the amplifier 18, and the amplified signal is input to the speaker 19, and a voice “choo” is uttered.

It should be noted that the first memory device 13 and the second memory device 14 are CDROs even if they are semiconductor memories.
M or a memory medium such as an IC card.
Although the first and second memory devices are illustrated separately in FIG. 1, it is also possible to store both the character data table and the voice data table on a common memory medium.
Depending on the type of keys on the keyboard, these memory devices can be interchanged to accommodate various keys.

The key input voice utterance device of the present invention can be used together with an existing personal computer system. The character data and voice data read by the microprocessor 12 are transmitted to the personal computer system 2 through the interface 21.
2 and display and voice utterance can be made on the display and speaker of the personal computer system 22. In this case, the first memory device 13 and the second memory device 14 may be external memories (floppy disk, hard disk, or CDROM) of the personal computer system 22. Further, the microprocessor 12 can be executed by a CPU (not shown) in the personal computer system 22.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the key arrangement of the keyboard 10. As shown in FIG. In the first column, Kana Kiyone in a row to the left from the alternate long and short dash line 30 is regularly arranged in the order of the Japanese syllabary as "What is it?" The key of "ni" also serves as a syllable key of "nyu". The key of “ne” also serves as a syllable key of “nyo”. The "no" key also functions as the "no" syllable key. These are selectively input depending on whether or not the shift key 32 is pressed at the same time. Furthermore, Kana Kiyone in a row in the right direction from the dashed-dotted line 31 in the first column is regularly arranged in the order of the Japanese syllabary as "Aioe".

In the second column, to the left from the alternate long and short dash line 30,
The Kana Kiyone of the row is regularly arranged in the order of the Japanese syllabary as "Hahifueho". In addition, Kana Kiyone in the right column from the one-dot chain line 31 in the second column is regularly arranged in the order of the Japanese syllabary as "Kakikukeko". The keys in the second column are common to a syllable key for specifying a syllable composed of a plurality of kana including a repetitive sound. That is, the dash-dot line 3
The syllable keys of “hyo”, “ryo”, “ryoku”, and “ho” are arranged in the left direction from 0. In addition, “Kyo”, “Kyo”,
"Gyo", "Kyu", "Gyu", "Chou" are arranged. These syllable character keys can be input by pressing them together with the shift key 32.

In the third column, to the left from the dashed-dotted line 30,
Kana Kiyone of Ma-Gyo-Tora is regularly arranged according to the order of the Japanese syllabary, such as "Mamimumemo" and "Rirurerero". Furthermore, Kana Kiyone in a row in the right column from the dashed-dotted line 31 in the third column is regularly arranged in the order of the Japanese syllabary as "Sashisuse Soso". The keys on the right side of the third column are also used as “shu”, “sho”, “jo”, “shu”, and “ju”. These are selected by the shift key 32.

In the fourth column, to the left from the dot-dash line 30,
The Kana Kiyone in the row is regularly arranged in the order of the Japanese syllabary as "Yayuyo". In addition, Kana Kiyone in a row to the right from the dashed line 31 in the third column is regularly arranged in the order of the Japanese syllabary as "Tatsutsuto". "Wa" and "wo", "ta",
The key of “to” also serves as the syllable keys of “you” and “you”, and “cha” and “to”, and these are shift keys 32
Is selected.

The central key sandwiched between the alternate long and short dash lines 30 and 31 is "tsu, kyu", "kyu", "sha", and "n,
"Sho" in order.

The syllables of the syllabic key consisting of a plurality of kana characters are selected from the syllables most frequently used by the present inventor after researching and studying a vast amount of data for many years. The frequency of the character syllables and the like are described in detail in the specification of Japanese Patent Application No. 2592020, which is a patent filed in Japanese Patent Application No. 3-324479 filed by the present applicant.

It is to be noted that the type and arrangement of keys are changed according to the user's use environment and use purpose, and at the same time, the first and second keys are changed.
The contents of the character data table and the voice data table of the memory device can be exchanged. Further, it is also possible to connect to the communication line 23 via the interface 21 to have a dialog with an external computer. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above.
It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements can be made based on the disclosure of the embodiments.

[0027]

According to the present invention, the number of keys of the input device is 50.
The key arrangement is very easy to remember because the arrangement is regular according to the arrangement according to the sound order. Therefore, it is easy to learn the key arrangement in a short time, and there is little erroneous input because the arrangement is easily understood.

Further, in addition to the keys of the 50-syllable kana, there is provided a syllable key for designating a syllable composed of a plurality of kana including a tongue. If this is a frequently used syllable key, a key input that has conventionally been required a plurality of times is reduced to a single input, so that the input speed is significantly increased and the probability of erroneous input is reduced. As a result, smooth and fast spoken dialogue becomes possible, making it ideal and practical as a means of communication for the hearing impaired, the visually impaired, or those who have little freedom compared to ordinary people or the elderly. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a key input sound generation device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an example of a key layout of a keyboard of a key input voice generating device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 keyboard 11 code generator 12 microprocessor 13 first memory device 14 second memory device 15 display 16 audio signal generator 17 D / A converter 18 amplifier 19 speaker 20 bus 21 interface 22 personal computer system

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An input device comprising: a kana key arranged in the order of the Japanese syllabary designating a Japanese syllabary and a syllable key designating a syllable composed of a plurality of kana including a syllabary; Means for generating a code signal corresponding to the pressed key in response to the key being pressed;
First memory means for storing a character data table in which a code corresponding to a 50-syllable kana and the syllable, and a character data table in which the 50-syllable kana and the character data corresponding to the syllable are stored; Second memory means for storing a code corresponding to the syllable, a voice data table in which the 50th syllable kana and voice data corresponding to the syllable are stored, and a response to the code generated by the input means Control means for reading and outputting the character data and the voice data corresponding to the code from the first memory means and the second memory means, and the character data output from the control means. Display means for displaying a kana or a syllable corresponding to the character data based on the character data, and a sound corresponding to the sound data based on the sound data output from the control means. Sound generation device according to the key input and having an audio output means for raw. 2. A syllable key of the input device for designating a syllable composed of a plurality of kana including the repetitive sound is “Ryo”, “Ryo”, “Hyo”, “Kyo”, “Gyo”. At least one of the following syllables: 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a key for designating one syllable. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the input device is a "noon",
"Kou", "Go", "Kyu", "Ho", "Kyo",
"Sha", "shu", "how", "you" and "you"
3. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a syllable key for designating at least one of the syllables.