JPS60198623A - Data input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To attain a data input device which is easily operated with reduction of misoperations by providing plural contacts on a display unit and displaying the key form significance in response to each input situation. CONSTITUTION:A data input device consists of a key unit 1, a display unit 2 and a control unit 3. The unit 3 contains a logical device 101, etc. as shown in the diagram. Thus the display item information stored in a display data table group 109 is displayed by a display unit 2 via a display drive unit 32 with a display instruction contained in a control command. While for the data given from the unit 1, the definition state is checked by a key item table group 110 via a key analyziug unit 111. Then the converted data is stored to an output buffer unit 105. A keying action given at a key boundary is discriminated by a key control unit 14. Thus a free array of keys is possible and furthermore the information on said table groups 109 and 110 are changed to secure flexibility.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the structure of a data input device connected to an electronic computer, a control device, a terminal device, etc.

Keyboards have been widely used since the birth of electronic computers as a data input means between humans and machines in electronic computers, various control devices, terminal devices, etc. (hereinafter collectively referred to as logic devices).

``Keyboards as a means of inputting data to logic devices are realized in Europe and America based on the keyboard layout of typewriters, and in Japan based on the keyboard layout of kana typewriters that include kana characters. Therefore, in most cases, the number of keys in the keyboard and the meanings of the keys are such that several types of function keys unique to logic devices are added to the silver keyboard of a kana type writer, and only numeric keys are provided separately.

On the other hand, as the scope of application of logical devices expands, the number of people who operate them and the data that must be input become diverse. Their physical dimensions have become too large to be practical. For this reason, page mat systems and form overlay systems have emerged in which a single key has multiple meanings, which are switched depending on the input situation. However, with these keyboards, only the meaning of the keys changes; in each situation in which a key is to be pressed, the shape of the key is changed, or the meaning of the key in that situation is clearly expressed to inform the operator. However, it was not possible to provide higher quality guidance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a data input device that is suitable for a variety of logic device applications. In other words, the present invention provides a data input device that can reliably guide even users who do not have specialized knowledge of equipment the meaning of data to be input, which becomes more diverse as the applications of logic devices expand. There is a particular thing.

According to the present invention, an external connection mechanism that receives data input control information from a logical device, a mechanism that analyzes this data input control information, and a mechanism that displays multiple information as a result of the analysis;
A group of translucent switches, a mechanism that compares and discriminates data generated from this switch group with information obtained as a result of analyzing data input control information, and based on this discrimination result, only authorized data is directly or has a mechanism for inputting data to the logic device via a code conversion mechanism and an external connection mechanism, and is characterized in that it guides data input by arranging a group of translucent switches above the display mechanism. A data input device is obtained.

Next, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is an external view of a data input device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a structural diagram of a physical unit in one embodiment of the present invention, which includes a key unit 1, a display unit 2, and a control unit 3. In FIG. 3, the key unit 1 is provided with a translucent insulator 13 that protects the vertical axis electrode 11 made of fine wires, the horizontal axis electrode 12 also made of fine lines, and the vertical and horizontal axis electrodes 11 and 12. and a key control unit 14 is connected thereto. When a point on the outside of the transparent insulator 13 is pressed with a finger or the like, the intersection of the vertical axis electrode 11 and the horizontal axis electrode 12 comes into contact, and a signal is input to the key control unit 14. The control unit 14 determines which point on the key unit has been pressed.

In FIG. 4, the display unit 2 is provided with a thin display 21 that can display each point brightly or darkly with a mesh smaller than that formed by the vertical axis electrode 11 and the horizontal axis electrode 12 of the key unit 1. A further drive unit 21 is connected to display control or guidance data.

In FIG. 5, the control unit 3 includes a logical device 101 and an external connection unit) 102. input/output control unit 103,
Input buffer unit 104, output buffer 1 unit 1
05, code analysis unit 106, display data analysis unit) 107. It has a key item analysis unit 108, a display data table group 109, a key item table group 110, a key analysis unit 111, a key code conversion unit 112, and a display attribute control unit 113.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of data input control information issued from the logic device 101 for data input, and the data input control information includes information 31 instructing the meaning of keys, and information 32 to be displayed on the display unit. , and control command information 3
Consists of 3.

Next, the operation of the control unit 3 will be explained.

For data input from the logic device 101 to the external connection unit 102, data input control information shown in FIG. 6 is issued. Data input control information entering the external connection unit 102 enters the input buffer 1 unit 104 via the input/output control unit 103. Buff 1 unit 104
is a first-in, first-out buffer 1 (control unit) 103
The data input control information sent from the code analysis unit 106 is sequentially sent to the code analysis unit 106. The code analysis unit 106
The contents of the data input control information are analyzed and broken down into key item information that instructs the meaning of keys, display item information to be displayed on the display unit, and control command information. The display item information has an item number in the information, is analyzed by the display data analysis unit 107, and is stored in the display data table group 109 according to the item number.

The key item information also has an item number, is analyzed by the key item analysis unit 108, and is stored in the key item table group 110 according to the item number.

The control command controls display items to be displayed on the display unit 2 and controls permission/disapproval of keys.

The display item information accumulated in the display data table group 109 is sent to the display unit 2 via the display drive unit 22 and displayed in response to a display command included in the control command.

The key unit 1 enters a keystroke permission state by a key permission command included in the control command.

FIG. 7 shows an example where numeric data input from a numeric keypad is designated as data input control information.

When the user presses the key unit 1 here, the data from the key unit 1 enters the key analysis unit 111. The key analysis unit 111 is the key item table group 1
10, the current key definition status is checked, and if the key cannot be used, the incoming data is processed as error data and the user is notified of it, or it is discarded. If defined, the key analysis unit 111 is pressed and sends the input data to the key code conversion units 11, 2. The key code conversion unit 112 compares the key code with the instruction information of the key item table group 110 and converts the key code into a code separately defined for the input situation. At this time, if you want to process multiple keys as the same code, use the key item table group 110
It is sufficient to define the same definition code for multiple keys.

In addition, in order to notify the user whether or not the key has been pressed correctly, the display attribute unit 113 can notify the user of the pressed portion of the key display by blinking or reversing.

Data that is sequentially pressed and converted into a code defined by the key code conversion unit 112 is stored in the output buffer 1 unit 105, and when the input end instruction key is pressed, the data is transferred from the output buffer unit 105 to the input/output control unit. 103, the logic device 10 via the external connection unit 102
1.

If a plurality of vertical axis electrodes and horizontal axis poles intersect within one key display, no matter which key is pressed, the same code is sent to the logic device. Furthermore, if the key is pressed on the boundary between keys, the key control unit 14 determines this.

In this way, you can freely set the key arrangement and key size for each input phase (according to the logic device 1).
By changing the information in the display data table group 109 and the key item table group using the data input control information from 01, a flexible data input device can be configured.

As explained above, the present invention has a plurality of contact points arranged on the display unit and displays the shape and meaning of the key according to each input situation, thereby making it easier for the user to operate and reducing erroneous operations. , realizing a data input device.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view of a data input device showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a structural diagram of a physical unit, FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram of a key unit, FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram of a display unit, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the control unit, FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of data input control information, and FIG. 7 is a display example. 1...Key unit, 2...Display unit, 3...Control unit, 11...
・Vertical axis electrode, 12... Horizontal axis electrode, 13...
... Translucent insulator, 14 ... Key i control unit, 21 ... Thin display, 22 ... Display drive unit, 31 ... Key The meanings given are instruction information, 32...Display information, 33...Control command information, 101...Logic device, 102.
... External connection unit, 103 ... Input/output control unit, 104 ... Input buffer unit, 105 ... Output buffer 1 unit), 10
6... Court analysis unit, 107...
-Display data analysis unit, 108...Key item analysis unit, 109...Display data table group, 110...Key item table group, 111
...Key analysis unit, 112...Key code conversion unit, 113...Display attribute control unit. 1st leap $■ 4th closing leap 7th leap

Claims (1)

[Claims] a mechanism for analyzing data input control information specified by a host device; a mechanism for displaying a data input format based on the result of analyzing the data input control information; a group of translucent switches corresponding to the format; A mechanism that compares and determines whether data generated from a group of switches is within the input data range specified by the data input control information, and a mechanism that compares and determines whether data generated from a group of switches is within the input data range specified by the data input control information, and a mechanism that compares and determines whether data generated from a group of switches is within the input data range specified by the data input control information; A data input device characterized by having a mechanism for sending data to the device.