KR102584417B1 - Japanese text inputting method and apparatus for mobile device - Google Patents

Abstract

This invention relates to a new Japanese character input method and device that can effectively and quickly input Japanese characters on a mobile device employing a touch screen. According to the present invention, in order to input Japanese characters on a mobile device supporting a touch screen input method, English pronunciation is separated into consonants and vowels, and a combination of touch and dragging functions is used to quickly and intuitively input Japanese characters. Allows input. As a result, the number of finger movements per character when inputting is reduced as much as possible, and Japanese letters can be entered with one drag or two touches even in a small input box, such as a 3 × 3 input box. Through the present invention, it will be possible to resolve the inconvenience of the existing method of distinguishing between Japanese character keys exceeding 50 characters.

Description

{Japanese text inputting method and apparatus for mobile device}

The present invention relates to a technology for effectively and quickly inputting Japanese characters on a mobile device employing a touch screen.

The Romanji method using the kana keyboard and QWERTY keyboard is used to input Japanese characters on mobile devices. The kana keyboard is capable of touch input only, and uses a limited input separator to input more than 50 Japanese characters by touching it multiple times and using other function keys together to input Japanese 'hiragana' and 'katakana'. . Although this keyboard method has the advantage of being easy to use, it has the inconvenience of having to touch the keyboard multiple times to input, and as a result, many input errors occur.

In particular, 'kana', which uses the 10 keys of past mobile phones to input characters, requires one key to process an entire line of hiragana (a, e, i, o, u), so you have to touch it up to 5 times, reducing the number of touches. It has the disadvantage of increasing rapidly. To solve this shortcoming, the 'kana drag' method was proposed for smartphones. This is a method of expressing a combination of touch and 4-way drag to relieve the burden of having to touch many times with one key. However, because dragging in 4 directions on each of the 10 key input keys involves dragging in a small area, it is easy to make input errors that are confused with touch, and it is inconvenient to press an additional conversion key for loud and semi-thick sounds after inputting the sound. .

Meanwhile, QWERTY is a basic English keyboard layout widely used by the younger generation and is used in the Romanji input method, which transcribes Japanese with English pronunciation. In this method, since the pronunciation is input, it usually requires two or three touches to create one Japanese character, and since English must be written, there are many input separators and each cell is small, making it easy to make input errors.

As can be seen from the above-mentioned content, the following challenges must be solved for Japanese text input on mobile devices.

First, the number of input keys must be reduced as much as possible so that they can be placed in a small space. In other words, in order to reduce input errors caused by the size of the input keys themselves being small due to space constraints, efficient input must be possible while reducing the number of input keys.

Second, the input process must be simple. In other words, the number of input operations for entering characters must be reduced and the size of the movements must be reduced to reduce input fatigue. To achieve this, all characters of a consonant or vowel must be able to be processed with a single input.

Third, the input method should be intuitive, reducing the effort of learning to input. Even if it is a good input method, if a lot of studying is required for the input act, usability will be reduced.

Accordingly, the present inventor proposes a new Japanese character input method that can solve the above problems by effectively and quickly inputting Japanese characters on a mobile device employing a touch screen.

In order to solve the above problem, according to the present invention, in order to input Japanese characters on a mobile device supporting a touch screen input method, English pronunciation is separated into consonants and vowels, and touch and dragging functions are used. By using a combination of , you can input quickly and intuitively.

According to the present invention, the Japanese character input method on a mobile device includes a 'single-drag input' mode and a 'touch/drag input' mode, and the user can select these single-drag input and touch/drag input modes on the touch screen. . In the one-drag input mode, you can input letters combining consonants and vowels with a single drag to minimize the number of finger movements per character when inputting in a small number of input boxes, such as 3×3 input boxes, and touch/drag input. In this mode, consonants and vowels can each be input by touch. This makes it possible to resolve the inconvenience of the existing method of distinguishing between Japanese character keys exceeding 500 characters.

The one-time drag input can be performed on the 'basic input screen' of the character input screen according to the present invention, and the touch/drag input can be performed on the 'basic input screen and the vowel input screen switched therefrom'. These basic input screens and vowel input screens will be described in detail when describing the embodiment.

Specifically, according to one aspect of the present invention, a Japanese character input method performed by a text processor included in a mobile device includes (1) character keys input by touch and character keys input by dragging on a touch screen; providing a basic input screen including; (2) processing consonants entered by the user on the basic input screen; (3) providing a vowel input screen on a touch screen, including character keys input by touch and character keys input by dragging; (4) processing the vowel input by the user on the vowel input screen; and (5) performing the processing of steps (2) and (4) above to generate characters corresponding to the consonants and vowels input by the user.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a basic input screen is provided on a touch screen for a user to input consonants, and includes a character key input by touch and a character key input by dragging; A vowel input screen provided on a touch screen to allow a user to input a vowel; and a mobile device comprising a processor configured to process consonants input by the user in the basic input screen, process vowels input by the user in the vowel input screen, and generate characters corresponding to the consonants and vowels input by the user. A Japanese character input device is provided.

The configuration and operation of the present invention will become clearer through specific embodiments described later with drawings.

First, on the touch screen of a mobile device where the input device is space-constrained, Japanese characters can be effectively input with one drag or two touches using a relatively small number of input keys, such as 3×3 or 3×5 input keys. .

Second, English pronunciation input can be automatically converted into consonant input and vowel input sequentially, allowing various combinations to be created and input processing faster than existing methods.

Third, the multi-function key (' ') can be used effectively to input text intuitively.

Fourth, because you can enter characters that combine consonants and vowels with up to two touches or one drag, it reduces the number of incorrect inputs from the traditional method of entering by touching multiple times.

Fifth, among the words generated through English pronunciation input, related candidate words are listed and displayed according to the user pattern, and the user can select the desired one, so that it can be converted to distinguish between hiragana and katakana or between large and small characters. This can reduce the hassle of entering keys.

1 is a flowchart of a text input process according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 shows a basic input screen according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 displays the positions of consonants that can be input through touch and drag when entering consonants on the basic input screen.
Figure 4 is a vowel input screen that is switched and displayed after consonant input on the basic input screen, and displays the positions of vowels that can be input through touch.
Figure 5 explains the location and dragging method of characters and special keys entered with a single drag on the basic input screen.
Figure 6 explains the dragging method for the basic vowel character and the 'や' line character entered with a single drag on the basic input screen.
Figure 7 explains the dragging method for the audible character and the audible yaoum character entered with a single drag on the basic input screen.
Figure 8 explains the dragging method for a tsk sound character and a tsk sound character entered with a single drag on the basic input screen.
Figure 9 explains how to input the わ lines わ (wa) and を (wo) with a single drag.
Figure 10 shows another embodiment of the basic input screen of Figure 2.

The advantages and features of the present invention, and methods of achieving them, will become clear with reference to the preferred embodiments described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below and may be implemented in various other forms. The examples are provided only to completely disclose the present invention and to fully inform those skilled in the art of the invention and the scope of the invention, and the present invention is defined by the contents of the claims. will be. Additionally, the terms used in this specification are for describing embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. In this specification, singular forms also include plural forms unless otherwise specified. Additionally, the term 'comprise, comprising, etc.' used in the specification refers to the presence or absence of one or more other components, steps, operations, and/or elements other than the mentioned elements, steps, operations, and/or elements. It is used in the sense that it does not exclude addition.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the embodiments, if a detailed description of a related known configuration or function may obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted.

1 is a process flowchart of a Japanese character input method according to an embodiment of the present invention. The processing process of FIG. 1 may be executed by a text processing unit configured within the mobile device.

101: Step where the user selects one-time drag input on the basic input screen (see FIG. 2). The user selects one-drag input on the basic input screen displayed by default on the touch screen of the mobile device. The basic input screen will be described in Figure 2.

102: A step in which the text processor performs text input processing when the user inputs text using the single-drag method on the basic input screen when single-drag input is selected in step 101. The text input method using a single drag is explained below.

103: Explained after steps 104 and 105.

104: If the one-time drag input mode is not selected, providing a basic input screen on the touch screen and processing the consonants entered by the user. At this stage, consonant input can be done on the basic input screen as mentioned above. The user can input by touching or dragging the desired character key on the provided basic input screen (displayed on the touch screen) (drag in this case is different from single-drag).

105: After the user inputs a consonant on the basic input screen, automatically providing a vowel input screen on the touch screen and processing the vowel input by the user. Even at this time, the user can input by touching the desired character key on the provided vowel input screen (displayed on the touch screen).

In this way, in steps 104 and 105, when a consonant is input into the basic input screen, it is detected and the vowel input screen is automatically switched and displayed so that the user can input the consonant and vowel in order. As a method for automatically switching between the basic input screen and the vowel input screen, it is possible to display both screens alternately, and consonant and vowel notation can be activated (displayed for the user to see) or deactivated (displayed for the user to view) on the same screen. It is also possible to leave it blank or dim so that it is barely visible.

On the other hand, depending on the character, there are cases where a vowel can be input alone without a consonant. To this end, if the user wants to create a letter by inputting a vowel alone, they can skip the basic input screen and select to show the vowel input screen right away. You can. This is step 103 in Figure 1.

103: When the user omits the consonant input (104) on the basic input screen and wants to immediately input a vowel and touches the skip function key on the basic input screen, the operation signal of this skip function key is received and the consonant input step (104) Steps to handle skipping. Here, as a means of skipping the basic input screen for consonant input and selecting the display of the vowel input screen for sole input of vowels, a specific function key (for example, 'described below') 'key) can be set. As will be described later, in an embodiment of the present invention, this skip function key also performs various other functions related to input. By having 103 steps like this, all Japanese characters can be input quickly and effectively using a small number of input keys and a narrow area.

Referring again to Figure 1, the subsequent steps are described.

106: Candidate words generated in connection with characters input through the one-time drag input in step 102 and the touch/drag input in steps 104 and 105 are displayed in order of high frequency in the text window (see FIG. 2), and the user can select them. steps to enable

107: Step of inputting and processing the word selected by the user in step 106

108: When one cycle of processing routine consisting of the above steps is completed, the process returns to the initial step 101 so that the user can input the next character. When the user's text input is finally terminated, the process in FIG. 1 is terminated.

Now, preferred embodiments of the basic input screen and vowel input screen displayed on the touch screen of a mobile device will be described.

Figure 2 shows an example of a basic input screen. This is a character input screen with a 3×3 input box, and is a basic input guidance screen that shows the location of characters entered by touch and the locations of characters and function keys entered through drag. (On the basic input screen, it is possible to input consonants and vowels by single-drag, as mentioned above, or to input consonants by touch/drag.)

There are only 9 touch zones in total on the 3×3 input touch screen, which is far short of the 50 or more characters that must be entered in Japanese hiragana. Therefore, in the 'Romanji' input method that displays pronunciation in English, the number of possible input cases can be increased by processing consonants and vowels in the same area. However, for this, a function key is needed to change the mode of consonant input and vowel input.

In the present invention, there is no such consonant/vowel input mode conversion key, but character input is automatically converted to vowel input mode after executing the consonant input mode according to the structural principle of Japanese in which the form of 'consonant + vowel' is determined for one syllable. suggest a method In other words, according to the basic Japanese structure that starts with a consonant and ends with a vowel, the consonant input mode and vowel input mode are automatically switched so that the user can input consonants and vowels in order, so that in case of character input using 3×3 input keys, Increase the number of For this purpose, if the user does not select the one-drag input mode, the basic input screen is provided (displayed) on the touch screen, and when the user inputs a consonant, it is automatically converted to the vowel input screen and enters the vowel input standby state. When the user inputs a vowel, the basic input screen is automatically provided again to wait for consonant input.

However, in some cases, it may be necessary to input a vowel alone without inputting a consonant, so as mentioned earlier, a function key that allows the user to skip the consonant input mode (for example, ' When you touch the 'key), you can immediately enter vowels 'a' (あ), 'i' (い), 'u' (う), 'e' (え), and 'o' (お) without entering consonants on the basic input screen. ) Switch to the vowel input screen so that you can input it alone. Additionally, by assigning 'ya' (ゃ), 'yu' (ゅ), and 'yo' (ょ) in the 'や' line, which acts as a vowel when creating a consonant, to the vowel input screen, they can be entered in the same way as inputting a vowel alone. make it possible

In addition, the screen can be switched according to the consonant input mode and vowel input mode, but as mentioned above in Figure 1, by selecting the one-time drag input mode, you can select a specific consonant key on the basic input screen and start dragging. You can also end the drag on the selected vowel key, allowing you to input consonants and vowels with a single drag on the basic input screen without switching screens.

The objects displayed on the basic input screen of FIG. 2 are briefly described as follows.

201: Display of black consonant keys in fields entered by touch

202: Display of basic bar keys in blue in fields entered by touch

203: ' acts as a skip key and various function keys 'Sign of

204: Display of consonant key input by dragging. From ‘k’ to ‘ ' When you drag past two spaces, 'g' is input, indicating the drag input method and drag direction - the function key at this time ' ' is the drag end point. And the letters within the pentagon represent the letters input when dragging from the drag start point, that is, 'k', to the drag end point. The triangular vertices of the pentagon indicate the drag direction.

205: Display of semi-vocal consonant keys entered by dragging. From ‘w’ to ‘ When you drag across two spaces, 'p' is input, indicating the drag input method and drag direction.

206: Display of や row keys in blue in fields entered by touch

207: Displaying consonant keys with double pronunciation among the consonant keys that are used in the input field by touch

208: Display of consonant keys with double pronunciation among semi-vocal consonant keys entered by dragging.

209: Key display for the ん (N) character, which is the consonant sound entered with a single drag

210: Key display for ‘comma’ character input by single drag

211: Drag key location for ‘delete input’

212: Display a window listing candidate words generated from input characters in order of frequency

Hereinafter, the input method for each character will be described in detail.

For convenience of explanation, Figure 3 shows only the consonant input portion of the basic input screen of Figure 2, and displays the positions of consonant characters that can be input through touch on the 3×3 input touch screen screen. The consonants 'k', 's', 't', 'n', 'h', 'm', and 'r' and the semi-consonant 'w' are displayed in black to indicate that touch input is possible. . By arranging the positions of the consonant keys in hiragana order, the user's inconvenience in determining the location of the keys was resolved. In addition, the skip function key for entering vowels alone without entering consonants is ' is also displayed in the center, indicating that touch input is possible. Other consonants 'g', 'z', 'b', and 'd', and the half-voice consonant 'p', are marked with a blue pentagon. The blue pentagon mark of these letters indicates that they can be entered by dragging.

Figure 4 is a vowel input screen, showing the positions of vowel letters that can be input through touch on a 3×3 input touch screen. As mentioned before, the vowel input screen of FIG. 4 may be automatically switched and displayed following the display of the basic input screen (FIG. 2). Alternatively, if the user selects skip consonant input (103 in FIG. 1), the vowel input screen of FIG. 4 may be immediately displayed on the touch screen. In Figure 4, the vowels 'a', 'i', 'u', 'e', and 'o' and the や lines 'ya' (ゃ), 'yu' (ゅ), and 'yo' (ょ) are in blue. It is activated to indicate that touch input is possible (consonants shown in FIG. 3 are deactivated).

FIG. 5 shows characters and special function keys entered with a single drag on the basic input screen of FIG. 2.

In other words, the consonant 'ん' (N) is a character entered at once without combining a consonant and a vowel, and is changed from 'n' to ' ' indicates that input is possible by dragging. 'Comma' (、), a symbol frequently used along with a period, is changed from 'm' to ' ' is indicated for dragging. Here, you can assign a 'Symbol' key instead of a comma to use it as a screen transition key to input various symbols and functions. Also, the function key '×' for 'cancel input' changes from 'r' to ' ' is indicated for dragging. This input cancellation function key can be executed whenever the input of the character to be canceled is finished, and it does not affect the input mode, which automatically switches between consonant input and vowel input. Therefore, if you drag this input cancellation function, it will wait in the most recent input mode when the input was canceled. In other words, if the consonant input is canceled, it goes to the basic input wait, and if the vowel input is canceled, it goes to the vowel input wait. The function keys shown in FIG. 5 are exemplary, and are not limited to these, and other function keys or symbols can be additionally input by dragging.

The first feature of the present invention is the multi-function key ' ' keys are used, and the second is that not only 'touch' but also 'drag' is used. And the third is that it allows you to input keys separately by consonant and vowel. This can solve the problem that the number of input fields is small compared to the number of characters to be processed. In this way, the multi-function key ' The characteristics of the Japanese character input method according to the present invention, which is implemented by the use of ', a drag function, and separate input of consonants and vowels, are as follows.

First, as previously mentioned in the description of Figure 1, when you want to skip consonant input, press the multi-function key ' ' is used as a skip function key. For example, if you touch this key once, the 'skip' function is processed, the basic input screen that allows consonant input is skipped, and the vowel input screen is immediately displayed on the touch screen.

Second, this key ' ' is used as a function to input a 'period' (。) by touching it twice in succession. In addition, the input screen can be designed to switch when this 'period' is entered - for example, after entering a consonant on the basic input screen and then entering a vowel on the vowel input screen, ' If you touch the ' key twice in succession, '。' is input, the input mode switches back to the basic input standby mode, and the basic input screen is displayed on the touch screen.

The third is the ‘extension of clear and semi-clear sounds’ function. This means that on the basic input screen, the user starts dragging from the consonants of 'k', 's', 't', and 'h' This means that when you finish dragging at ', the sound character is entered. In other words, the vocal consonants corresponding to the auditory consonants 'k', 's', 't', and 'h' respectively are 'g', 'z', 'b', and 'd', which are the Japanese auditory consonants. The principle of converting the sound 'た' (ki) to the sound 'だ' (gi) was linked to the phonetic notation to make it easier to associate. You can also start dragging from 'w' When the drag is finished, 'p', a semi-voiced consonant, is entered. In Figure 3, the location and dragging method of consonants that are voluminous and semi-voiced consonants that are input by dragging on the basic input screen and the method of dragging are explained. To enter the consonants 'g', 'z', 'b', and 'd', which are voiced consonants, change from 'k' to ' ', enter 'g', and change 's' to ' ' and enter 'z', then 'h' to ' ' and enter 'b', then 't' into ' ' and enter 'd'. Also, in order to enter the semi-vocal consonant 'p', 'w' becomes ' 'Drag it. In these cases ' ' becomes the drag end point. Additionally, as mentioned earlier, in Figure 3, the user is guided in the direction of dragging in the direction of the triangle vertex of the pentagon.

The fourth is the 'basic vowel' and 'や' line input function. Consonants and vowels are separated, so to input the basic vowel and 'や' line, which are single characters, you must skip the basic input screen and touch the basic vowel and 'や' line on the converted vowel input screen. However, in the basic input screen of Figure 2, the function key ' If you drag ' to the starting point, you can enter the basic vowel and 'や' line with a single drag. Figure 6 is presented to help understand this.

Fifth, there is a function that allows you to quickly enter ‘yo-eum’. The consonants k, s, h, t, n, m, r are in the 'い' character 'き', 'し', 'ち', 'こ', 'ひ', 'み', 'り'. 'や' is a combination of the small letters 'ya' (や), 'yu' (ゆ), and 'yo' (よ), and becomes 'きゃ', 'きゅ', and 'きょ'. Because there is only one pronunciation but two characters, the existing Japanese character input method requires entering two Japanese characters.

The present invention proposes a method of processing the yaw sound with a single drag. Basically, yo sounds can be entered in two ways. First, you can input the corresponding consonant by touching it and then touching the 'や' line. For example, if you touch 'k' on the basic input screen in Figure 2, it automatically switches to the vowel input screen in Figure 4, where if you touch 'ya', it becomes 'kya' and is input as 'きゃ'. Additionally, when you touch 'h' on the basic input screen, it automatically switches to the vowel input screen, and when you touch 'yu' here, it becomes 'hyu' and is input as 'ひゅ'. Second, in the basic input screen of FIG. 2, a consonant key is assigned to the drag start point and a vowel key is assigned to the drag end point, as shown in FIG. 7, so that extended consonants can be input quickly with a single drag. That is, in the example of Figure 7, if you drag from 's(sh)' → 'ya', it becomes 'shya' and is input as 'しゃ', and if you drag from 's(sh)' → 'yu', it becomes 'shyu'. It is inputted as 'しゅ', and if you drag from 's(sh)' → 'yo', it becomes 'shyo' and inputted as 'しょ'. If the same start and end points are in the same position, such as 'k' → 'ya', you can input by circular drag. In the example of Figure 7, 's(sh)' → 'u' are keys in the same position, so circular drag is indicated.

Additionally, consonants can also be made by combining the consonants g, z, b, d, which are voluminous sounds, and the consonant p, which is semi-voiced, with the line 'や'. Even in this case, you can enter quickly in two ways. First, select a consonant that is a consonant or semi-voice by dragging on the basic input screen and touch the 'や' line on the converted vowel input screen. For example, in the basic input screen, 'k' → ' If you drag with ', the sound expands to 'g' and automatically switches to the vowel input screen. If you touch 'yo' here, it finally becomes 'gyo' and is input as 'ぎょ'. The second method is to select a consonant that is a consonant or a semi-voiced consonant by dragging on the basic input screen as shown in Figure 8 and then continue dragging to the corresponding consonant. For example, 's(sh)' → ' When you drag from ' → 'yu', the consonant 'z(j)' and 'や' line 'yu' are selected and 'じゅ', which is 'jyu', is input. It is also possible to input other yaw sounds in the same way. This continuous dragging must be done using the function key ' ' and then select the 'や' row key.

The sixth is a function that allows you to quickly input 'audible', 'loud', and 'semi-audible'. There are two ways to input 'hearing' in the same way as the method of inputting the yin sound described above. First, touch a consonant on the basic input screen and then touch a vowel on the converted vowel input screen. The second is to start dragging from a consonant on the basic input screen and end dragging from a vowel. In this case, as shown in Figure 7, if both keys are in the same key position, such as 's(sh)' → 'u', they can be entered by circular drag. Figure 9 shows a method of inputting 'わ' (wa) and 'を' (wo), which are commonly used 'わ' lines that serve as grammatical particles during listening. You can quickly enter these characters by dragging once in the drag direction indicated by the arrow. Additionally, the method of inputting 'loud' and 'semi-loud' sounds is the same as the method of inputting 'loud' and 'semi-loud' sounds. For example, input can be made through continuous dragging as shown in Figure 8. However, what is different from the auditory input method is that the function key in the middle of continuous drag is ' ' must pass.

The seventh is a function that helps users input quickly by displaying candidate words related to the input character each time a character is entered. Like Japanese, even though they are the same characters, hiragana and katakana are distinguished, small characters are applied to particles and consonants, and the writing system that uses Chinese characters interchangeably makes it very cumbersome to distinguish and process all inputs. Therefore, the speed and convenience of input are increased by displaying high-frequency words related to the characters entered by the user as a candidate list and allowing the user to select them.

Additionally, when inputting 'audible' or 'loud' and 'semi-loud' using the single drag described above, there may be cases where it is not possible to distinguish between 'audible' and 'loud' inputs based on the dragging line itself. Even in this case, all cases can be displayed as a list of candidate words so that the user can select them. This configuration may display the associated predicted 'candidate words' first and then expand from the word level to the sentence level under a predetermined condition (for example, if the user does not select among the candidate words) to show the 'candidate sentence' list.

Figure 10 shows another embodiment of a text input screen. The input screen here is an expansion of the 3 × 3 input screen shown in Figure 2 to 3 × 5, and is a 3 × 5 input screen that integrates the basic and vowel input screens of the 3 × 3 configuration shown in Figures 3 and 4 into one. . All characters can be entered by touching and dragging on one screen without switching between the basic input screen and the vowel input screen. You can see that the positions of the letters have also been partially rearranged.

With this expansion, the consonant and vowel input areas are separated, allowing you to input the consonant area with your left hand and the vowel area with your right hand. The basic consonants 'k', 's(sh)', 't(ch)', 'n', 'h', 'm', 'r' and the semi-consonant 'w' are entered directly by touch. The consonants 'g', 'z(j)', 'd', and 'b', which are semi-voiced consonants, and the consonants 'p' which are semi-voiced are 'g' → ', respectively, according to the displayed image letters. 'Drag to 'z(j)' → ' 'Drag to 'd' → ' 'Drag to 'b' → ' 'Drag and enter. In addition, the consonant 'p', a semi-vocal consonant that is linked to the consonant 'h', is 'p', like the letters in the image shown. Just drag it to ' → 'h'. And the pronunciation 'ん' (N) is like the image letter, 'N' → ' 'Drag and enter.

In addition, the basic vowels 'a', 'i', 'u', 'e', and 'o' are entered by touch, and the わ lines わ(wa) and を(wo) are entered as 'w' → 'a', respectively. Drag to 'w' → 'o' to enter. In addition, 'ya', 'yo', and 'yu', which are 'や' lines, are entered by dragging 'y' → 'a', dragging 'y' → 'o', and dragging 'y' → 'u', respectively. . To make the yo sound, touch the consonant and then drag the 'や' row. Here, in the case of dragging a collection, even if input is made by touching each key, the input value is the same as in the case of dragging.

In addition, function keys other than 'cancel input' and 'comma' mentioned above include 'enter long sound' ('―'), 'small character' ('小'), and 'katakana' ( You can include keys such as 'ア'), 'symbol number' ('!1'), and 'next line'. These drag inputs can be entered in a way that allows both left and right dragging, and since the input field has been expanded, additional inputs such as function keys, special characters, and symbols other than these function keys can be configured to be processed by dragging.

In this way, according to the screen expansion as shown in Figure 10, the number of division cells increases, so more cases where touch input is possible can be set. Additionally, for users who are comfortable typing with two hands, the consonant input box and vowel input box can be divided into left and right areas, increasing the convenience of input.

In the above, the structure and operation of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this is only an example, and those skilled in the art will of course be able to make various modifications and changes within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should not be limited to the above-described embodiments, but should be determined by the description of the patent claims below.

Claims (20)

In a Japanese character input method performed by a text processor included in a mobile device,
(1) providing a basic input screen on a touch screen including character keys input by touch and character keys input by dragging;
(2) processing consonants entered by the user on the basic input screen;
(3) providing a vowel input screen on a touch screen, including character keys input by touch and character keys input by dragging;
(4) processing the vowel input by the user on the vowel input screen; and
(5) performing the processing of steps (2) and (4) above to generate characters corresponding to the consonants and vowels entered by the user,
The basic input screen further includes a drag function key that performs one of starting and ending dragging of the character key when the character key input by dragging is dragged. The method of claim 1, further comprising processing a character combining a consonant and a vowel entered by the user with a single drag on the basic input screen provided in step (1). The method of claim 2, wherein the single drag begins with a consonant and ends with a vowel. According to paragraph 1,
providing candidate words generated in association with the characters entered by the user in step (5) so that the user can select them; and
A method of inputting Japanese characters on a mobile device, further comprising inputting and processing a word selected by the user among the candidate words. The method of claim 1, wherein the basic input screen provided in step (1) is
In step (2), the user includes a skip function key that the user can select to perform step (3) without entering the consonant,
When the skip function key is selected, step (3) and subsequent steps are performed even if the user does not input a consonant in step (2). delete The method of claim 1, wherein the drag function key is
A method of inputting Japanese characters on a mobile device, characterized in that the drag end point is where the drag executed from the character key from which the drag was started is terminated. The Japanese character input method according to claim 7, wherein the character key from which the drag is started is a consonant input key, and a sound is input by dragging from the consonant input key to the drag end point. The method of claim 1, wherein the drag function key is
A method of inputting Japanese characters on a mobile device, characterized in that the drag start point is where the drag execution begins toward the character key where the drag ends. The method of claim 7, wherein the character key at which the drag ends is a vowel input key, and a consonant is input by dragging from the drag start point to the vowel input key. A basic input screen provided on a touch screen for a user to input consonants, including character keys input by touch and character keys input by dragging;
A vowel input screen provided on a touch screen to allow a user to input a vowel; and
A processor configured to process consonants input by the user in the basic input screen, process vowels input by the user in the vowel input screen, and generate characters corresponding to the consonants and vowels input by the user,
The basic input screen further includes a drag function key that performs one of starting and ending dragging of the character key when the character key input by dragging is dragged. Japanese character input device on a mobile device. The method of claim 11, wherein the processor
A Japanese character input device for a mobile device further configured to process characters combining consonants and vowels entered by a user with a single drag on the basic input screen. The Japanese character input device according to claim 12, wherein the single drag starts from a consonant and ends with a vowel. delete The method of claim 11, wherein the drag function key is
A Japanese character input device on a mobile device, characterized in that the drag end point is where the drag executed from the character key from which the drag was started ends. The Japanese character input device according to claim 15, wherein the character key from which the drag is started is a consonant input key, and a sound is input by dragging from the consonant input key to the drag end point. The method of claim 11, wherein the drag function key is
A Japanese character input device on a mobile device, characterized in that the drag start point is where drag execution begins with the character key where the drag ends. The Japanese character input device according to claim 17, wherein the character key at which the drag ends is a vowel input key, and a consonant is input by dragging from the drag start point to the vowel input key. The Japanese character input device according to claim 11, wherein the basic input screen is a 3×3 screen, and the vowel input screen is a 3×3 screen separate from the basic input screen. The Japanese character input device according to claim 11, wherein the basic input screen and the vowel input screen are integrated into a 3×5 screen.