KR20040034205A - Letter input apparatus of hand held terminal using sensor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A device for inputting characters in a portable terminal using a sensor is provided to dispose many keys sensing contacted fingers of a user between number keys of a keypad, and to enable a controller to compare arrays of sensed keys with stored character expressions to output equal characters on a screen, thereby enabling the user to easily input desired characters. CONSTITUTION: A touch sensor(20) consists of the number of predetermined sensor keys located between number buttons on a keypad, and recognizes whether a user's finger is contacted. A contact sensor(30) senses whether each key is contacted from the touch sensor(20), and senses an order of touching the keys. Character expression storages(50,60) touch the touch sensor(20), and store character expressions expressed in similar shapes to substantial characters. A controller(40) compares sensed results of the contact sensor(30) with the character expressions stored in the character expression storages(50,60), and outputs equal character expressions.

Description

LETTER INPUT APPARATUS OF HAND HELD TERMINAL USING SENSOR}

The present invention relates to a character input device of a portable terminal using a sensor, and more particularly, a plurality of keys for recognizing that a user's finger is in contact with a keypad of the portable terminal are provided between each numeric button, and the user can enter a text. The present invention relates to a character input device of a portable terminal using a sensor that enables easy character input by touching a finger with each key according to a designated method for input.

In recent years, the concept of a portable terminal has changed a lot from the past, and it is now one of the essential personal care products.

In addition, as the population of portable terminals has explosively increased, the use of portable terminals is not simply a method of communication required by individuals using voices, but information is acquired and shared through various methods using portable terminals. By using them, the range of use of portable terminals is increasing.

As the usage method of the portable terminal is diversified as described above, it is a type of text input in the portable terminal.

However, the mandatory requirement for text delivery using such a portable terminal is to allow a user to enter text easily and quickly. The currently used text input method is a schedule of Korean and English letters for each numeric key on the keypad. The numbers are arranged, and the user uses a method of pressing a numeric key to which the input letter belongs to enter a letter until the desired letter is selected.

This method is used because the handheld terminal has a limited button, and the slow and difficult input format in actual use enables users to input correct texts by investing a lot of time and effort. There is a lot of difficulties in the text input method does not use the text message service properly.

On the other hand, a telephone system for recognizing the shape of a numeric key touched by touching each numeric key on the keypad as a letter is disclosed in Korean Utility Model Publication No. 1998-008498 (a telephone system capable of touch type character input). .

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a telephone capable of inputting a text, including: a keypad having a touch type numeric key for text input; A sensing unit for sensing a numeric key touched on the keypad and outputting a sensing signal; A controller which controls the numeric keys touched on the keypad to emit light according to the detection signal of the sensing unit, and recognizes the shape of the touched numeric keys as a character; And display means for emitting and displaying the numeric keys touched under the control of the controller.

However, as shown in FIG. 1, the above-described "touch-type character telephone system" uses a numeric key on the existing keypad 10 as a sensor key for character input, and thus, due to the characteristics of the terminal being miniaturized, Since there is a narrow between the numeric keys, a human finger does not touch one numeric key but simultaneously touches two or more numeric keys, which may cause an error.

In addition, there is a problem in high cost because the keypad of the method developed in order to express the character must be discarded and a large number of touch keys are provided, and the numeric keys are pressed and used in many functions as well as character input. Because of having a touch function can easily cause a problem, there is a problem that it is difficult to use for a long time.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, the object of which is to provide a plurality of keys between the numeric keys of the keypad for detecting the contact of a human finger, while the control unit is based on the arrangement of the detected keys The present invention provides a character input device of a portable terminal using a sensor for outputting a matched character through a liquid crystal screen compared to a stored character expression.

1 is a view showing a mobile phone character input device of the prior art.

2 is a view showing a character input device to which the present invention is applied.

Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the internal system of the character input device to which the present invention is applied.

4 is a table showing a configuration example of a Korean code storage unit to which the present invention is applied.

5 is a table showing a configuration example of an English code storage unit to which the present invention is applied.

<Description of Symbols for Main Parts of Drawings>

1: 1st key 2: 2nd key

3: third key 4: fourth key

5: fifth key 6: sixth key

7: seventh key 10: keypad

20: sensor unit 30: contact detection unit

40: control unit 50: Hangul character storage unit

60: English character storage unit 70: liquid crystal display device

Character input device of a portable terminal using a sensor according to an aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object consists of a predetermined number of sensor keys respectively located between each number button on the keypad 10 of the portable terminal of the user's finger A touch sensor unit 20 for recognizing whether or not a contact is made; A touch sensing unit (30) for sensing whether each key is touched from the touch sensor unit (20) and the order of touching; A character storage unit (50, 60) for storing character expressions that can be expressed in a shape similar to the actual character by touching the touch sensor unit (20); And a controller 40 for outputting a matched character expression to the outside by comparing the detection result of the touch sensing unit 30 with the character expression stored in the character storage units 50 and 60.

Preferably, each key (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) of the touch sensor unit 20 is characterized in that consisting of a contact or non-contact sensor.

More preferably, each of the keys of the touch sensor unit 20 is the second key 2 to the "1" button side and the third key (3) button to the "1" button side centering on the "5" button of the keypad 10. 3), the fourth key 4 on the "7" button side and the fifth key 5 on the "9" button side are respectively positioned, and the sixth key (6) on the "*" button side from the bottom of the "8" button on the keypad. ), The seventh key 7 is positioned to the "#" button side, and the first key 1 is positioned upward between the "2" button and the "3" button of the keypad.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Hereinafter, the present invention is provided with a touch sensor unit for detecting a finger contact between the respective numeric keys in the portable terminal by comparing the arrangement in contact with each key of the touch sensor unit with the pre-stored character expression to match the characters Although the character input device of the portable terminal using the sensor to be output will be described as a preferred embodiment, the technical idea of the present invention is not limited to this, but can be variously modified and implemented by those skilled in the art.

2 is a diagram showing a character input apparatus to which the present invention is applied, FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an internal system of the character input apparatus to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 4 is a table showing a configuration example of a Korean code storage unit to which the present invention is applied. 5 is a table showing a configuration example of an English code storage unit to which the present invention is applied.

The character input device of a portable terminal using a sensor to which the present invention is applied includes a touch sensor unit 20 for recognizing a finger of a user who is in contact, and a touch sensor unit for detecting a shape of a contact method recognized by the touch sensor unit 20 ( 30, the controller 40 for outputting the shape detected by the touch sensing unit 30 to the outside compared to the pre-stored character expression.

Referring to Figure 2 to Figure 3 in more detail with respect to the character input device of the mobile phone using the sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention,

The touch sensor unit 20 is located on the keypad of the portable terminal. The touch sensor unit 20 includes seven sensor keys, one at each of four corners of the "5" button, and one at each of two lower corners of the "8" button. And one is positioned upward between the "2" button and the "3" button.

That is, the second key 2 to the "1" button side, the third key 3 to the "3" button side, the fourth key 4 to the "7" button side, and the "9" centering on the "5" button of the keypad. The fifth key 5 is located at the "button" side, the sixth key 6 at the bottom of the "8" button on the keypad and the seventh key 7 at the "#" button side, respectively. And a first key 1 positioned upward between the "2" button and the "3" button of the keypad, and each of the keys 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, of the touch sensor unit 20. 6, 7) recognizes that the user's finger is rubbing and coming in contact.

At this time, each of these keys is a general-purpose sensor is preferably formed of a touch type touch switch or a micro switch to recognize that a human finger is in contact.

The touch sensing unit 30 receives a state in which each key is touched by the user's finger in the touch sensor unit 20 and detects the order thereof.

That is, by detecting the touch of each key by the user's finger passing and the order in which the touched keys are contacted, and outputs such a contact signal to the outside.

The control unit 40 receives a contact signal from the touch sensing unit 30 and compares it with a text expression of a pre-stored Korean character storage unit 50 or English character storage unit 60, and the user of the comparison result. The character expression corresponding to the character expression input by the contact of the user is determined to be a character expression to be input by the user and is output through the liquid crystal display device 70.

In this case, the Hangul character storage unit 50 is a certain character expression of the consonants and vowels of the Korean to be expressed through the touch sensor unit 20 is stored, and similarly the English character storage unit 60 of the English alphabet Consisting of certain consonants and vowels is stored, and the Korean and English character expressions are structured to be similar to the shape of the actual character so that the user can easily remember and use.

An example of a character expression stored in the Korean character storage unit 50 and the English character storage unit 60 is illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, respectively.

4 and 5, one consonant or vowel is composed of one character expression, but the principles of the present invention can represent one consonant or vowel with one or more character expressions. You can express the alphabet by selecting a letter expression similar to the expression method you normally use.

Referring to the operation of the character input device of the portable terminal using the sensor according to the present invention having the above configuration in detail as follows.

First, in the case of inputting the consonant "ㅁ" in the Hangul mode, the user of the portable terminal touches the second key 2 and the fourth key 4 in turn with his or her finger, and then touches the second key ( 2), the third key 3 and the fifth key 5 are touched in this order, and the fourth key 4 and the fifth key 5 are touched so that " " Will be entered.

Accordingly, the user touches each key with his or her finger in the form similar to the actual "ㅁ" in the touch sensor unit 20, thereby simply and quickly entering a desired character.

Next, the touch sensing unit 30 receives a touched key from a user sensed through the touch sensor unit 20, and the control unit 40 as a touch signal along with the touching sequence of each touched key. Will output

Next, the control unit 40 receives the contact signal and compares it with the character expressions previously stored in the Hangul character storage unit 50 to select a matching character expression and output the same through the liquid crystal display device 70. .

On the other hand, each of the keys (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) of the touch sensor unit 20 to recognize the user's finger is a contact method for recognizing that the human hand is in contact in the detailed description Although described and described as a sensor, the principles of the present invention can be applied by being configured as a non-contact type proximity switch or an optical sensor capable of recognizing an object in which each key of the touch sensor unit 20 has a predetermined sensing distance. Can be.

The present invention described above is capable of various substitutions, modifications, and changes without departing from the spirit of the present invention for those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. It is not limited to the drawing.

As described above, the character input device of the portable terminal using the sensor shown in the present invention is to place each key formed of the minimum number of touch sensors that can represent characters between the numeric keys located on the keypad, When the user touches the character shape with his or her finger, the user enters the desired character easily and quickly by inputting the desired character, while each key located between the numeric keys maintains a wide gap. There is an effect that can prevent the error caused by the key is in contact with the finger at the same time.

In addition, there is an effect that the user can easily learn and use the input method by configuring the Korean and English character formula to input the input method in the form similar to the actual character shape in inputting the character.

In addition, the number buttons on the keypad are used as buttons for entering numbers, and each key of the touch sensor unit is used for inputting letters, thereby reducing the frequency of use of the number keys to prevent malfunctions, Because you do not need to record the effect of maintaining the appearance of a clean keypad that looks neat.

In addition, by configuring each key of the touch sensor unit located on the keypad to the minimum number that can represent a character, it reduces the number of sensors and circuits used, and part of the keypad case without discarding the keypad of the existing method It is possible to produce mass production just by modifying it, which has the effect of saving cost.

Claims (3)

A touch sensor unit 20 consisting of a predetermined number of sensor keys respectively positioned between each number button on the keypad 10 of the portable terminal to recognize whether a user's finger is in contact; A touch sensing unit (30) for sensing whether each key is touched from the touch sensor unit (20) and the order of touching; A character storage unit (50, 60) for storing character expressions that can be expressed in a shape similar to the actual character by touching the touch sensor unit (20); And Using the sensor characterized in that it comprises a control unit 40 for outputting a matching character expression to the outside by comparing the detection result in the touch detection unit 30 with the character expression stored in the character storage unit (50, 60) Character input device of a portable terminal. The method of claim 1, Each key (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) of the touch sensor unit 20 is a character input device of a portable terminal using a sensor, characterized in that consisting of a contact or non-contact sensor. The method of claim 1, Each of the keys of the touch sensor unit 20 is the second key 2 toward the " 1 " button and the third key 3 and " 7 " The fourth key 4 on the button side and the fifth key 5 on the "9" button side, respectively, and the sixth key 6, "#" on the "*" button side from the bottom of the "8" button on the keypad. Characters of the portable terminal using the sensor, characterized in that the seventh key (7) is located to the button side, respectively, and composed of the first key (1) located above between the "2" button and the "3" button of the keypad Input device.