JP2852219B2 - Optical key input device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to an optical key input device, and more particularly to an optical key input device for inputting information to an information processing device such as a personal computer or a word processor without pressing a key with a finger.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art To input information such as data and documents to an information processing device such as a personal computer or a word processor, it is necessary to input desired information by pressing input keys arranged on a keyboard with a finger. This is the most common method. However, a normal keyboard needs to directly touch an input key, and it is not easy to operate when the keyboard is at a remote place or a physically handicapped person who has difficulty in directly touching the input key. . For this reason, as an input device capable of inputting information without directly touching input keys, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-298822 proposes an optical keyboard using visible light.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of an optical keyboard device disclosed in the above publication. A visible light spot 12 from a visible light source 11 using a light emitting diode or a semiconductor laser attached to the head is applied to a photodetector 13 corresponding to information to be input in a photodetector matrix arranged on a panel, and selected with a foot. By operating the switch 14, desired information is input to a computer or the like and displayed on the CRT 15. The interval between each photodetector is
The visible light spot is selected so that it does not illuminate the two photodetectors simultaneously.

[0004]

The above-mentioned conventional optical keyboard device is similar to the case of a normal keyboard.
Information such as characters corresponding to the photodetector input by the selection switch is displayed on the CRT, but the determination of the character to be input is displayed at or near the position of the photodetector irradiated with the visible light spot. It is done by the characters that are being used.
In a normal keyboard, a plurality of characters and the like are assigned to one input key, and one of them is input in response to an operation of a shift key or a switching key. That is, even if the same input key is used, depending on the state of the shift key or the switching key, a character or the like that is not desired is input, and a situation occurs in which re-input is forced. This problem is an important problem that needs to be dealt with in this type of key input device, which requires extra man-hours and time for input compared to a normal keyboard.

A first object of the present invention is to provide an optical key input device capable of reducing erroneous input by displaying characters to be input in advance so as to be easily viewed. Further, another object of the present invention is to reduce the inconvenience in use and the design restriction based on the relationship between the spread of the visible light spot and the interval between the photodetectors. It is to provide an input device.

[0006]

According to a first optical key input device of the present invention, a visible light receiver corresponding to each key of a keyboard and an output of the receiver are set to a predetermined value.
When it exceeds, the effective output of the receiver is enabled and other receivers are activated.
Alternative enabling means for disabling the effective output of
The status of the effective output activated by the
Even if the output of the receiver disappears, it will be invalidated by the output of the other receiver.
An optical keyboard with continuous holding means for holding for a fixed time unless otherwise specified, and a keyboard indicator with a visible light emitting light source for designating any one of the light receivers on the optical keyboard. An input information display device that is installed near the optical keyboard and displays one key input information corresponding to a light receiver indicated by visible light from the keyboard indicator; and an input information display device. An execution instruction switch for instructing execution of input of key input information.

[0007] The second optical key input device of the present invention is a key input device.
-A visible light receiver corresponding to each key on the board
Comparing the outputs of the two receivers, the output value is large and
Select one of the receivers that exceeds the predetermined value.
And apply a logical signal "1" to the output terminal corresponding to the receiver.
Output comparing and judging means and a plurality of
Is obtained by calculating the logical product of the comparison / determination means.
An optical keyboard having a determination means for output;
Specify any one receiver on the optical keyboard
Indicator with visible light radiation source for
And the keyboard installed near the optical keyboard.
Corresponding to the receiver indicated by the visible light from the
An input information display device for displaying one key input information;
Input of key input information displayed on the input information display device
And an execution instruction switch for instructing execution of
ing.

[0008]

[0009]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the first embodiment of the present invention.

The optical key input device of the present embodiment is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, an optical keyboard 1 in which light receivers 2 corresponding to respective input keys of a normal keyboard are arranged in a matrix, and a radiation source of visible laser light for designating any one light receiver are provided. A keyboard indicator 3, an input information display device 4 installed near the optical keyboard 1 for displaying one key input information corresponding to the light receiver indicated by the keyboard indicator 3, a personal computer 5, and an input information display PC 5 of key input information displayed on device 4
And an auxiliary keyboard 6 including a selection key 7 for instructing execution of an input to the device. The auxiliary keyboard 6 is configured to be operated by foot, and the selection key 7
In addition, a switching key 8, a shift key 9, and the like are provided.

The optical keyboard 1 has a large number of visible laser light receivers 2 arranged in a matrix corresponding to each input key of a normal keyboard, and does not include a shift key or a switching key. The light receiver 2 is a photodetector that selectively has sensitivity to the visible laser light generated by the keyboard indicator 3. A plurality of characters or symbols (key input information) are assigned to each light receiver in the same manner as a normal keyboard, but FIG. 1 shows only lowercase Roman letters.

The keyboard indicator 3 is a device for generating visible laser light which is worn on the user's head and used, and generates a light beam for selectively irradiating the light receiver 2 of the optical keyboard 1. Visible laser light is used so that the user can visually recognize the irradiating light receiver.

The input information display device 4 displays which character or symbol in the key input information assigned to the photodetector of the optical keyboard 1 to which the visible laser beam is currently irradiated is to be input. Display device. As shown in FIG. 1, when the switch key is in an alphanumeric input state and the shift key is in a state of selecting a capital letter when the visible laser beam is irradiated on the light receiver of "b", the input information display is performed. “B” is displayed on the device 4.

The auxiliary keyboard 6 is provided with a small number of auxiliary keys that are operated with a foot and used together with the optical keyboard 1. Selection key 7 for instructing execution of input of key input information displayed on input information display device 4 to personal computer 5
In addition to the above, a switching key 8 for switching between alphanumeric characters and kana (kana) characters and a shift key 9 for selecting uppercase and lowercase letters are included. For example, if the switch key 8 is operated with an arbitrary foot to set the alphanumeric mode, and the shift key 9 is pressed with the left foot and the light receiver "b" is pointed by the keyboard indicator 3, "B" is displayed on the input information display device 4. Characters are displayed. Here, by pressing the selection key 7 with the right foot,
The character "B" is input to the personal computer 5 and displayed on the display screen.

With the above configuration, when characters and symbols are input to the personal computer 5, when the optical receiver corresponding to the characters or symbols desired to be input on the optical keyboard 1 is irradiated with visible laser light from the keyboard indicator 3, Characters or symbols that are actually input from among a plurality of key input information assigned to the light receiver are displayed on the input information display device 4. As a result, the user can confirm the characters and symbols to be input in advance by looking at the input information display device 4, and after confirming, can operate the selection key 7 with his / her foot to input. Waste can be prevented.

In the above embodiment, the visible laser light is used. However, the present invention is not limited to the laser light, and a light beam may be generated using a light emitting diode and an optical lens. . Although the switching key and the shift key are provided together with the selection key on the auxiliary keyboard operated by the foot, the functions of the switching key and the shift key may be provided in the optical keyboard. In this case, the function of the shift key needs to be a shift lock function instead of a normal shift function that is effective only during operation. This can eliminate the need to use both feet at the same time. Further, the selection keys are not limited to those operated by the feet, and other parts of the body such as the mouth may be used.

The description so far has been made on the assumption that the luminous flux of visible light is narrow with respect to the effective area of the light receiver on the optical keyboard, and one light receiver can be easily selected and designated by the keyboard indicator. However, depending on the type of light source of the keyboard indicator, it may not be possible to make the spot diameter of visible light sufficiently small, or it may be difficult to make the effective area of the light receiver sufficiently large. For this reason, as described above, even in the prior art, the interval between the light receivers is made wider than the spot diameter, and attention is paid so that visible light does not irradiate the two light receivers at the same time. In this case, there is a problem that the size of the optical keyboard becomes large. To suppress this, it is necessary to reduce the effective area of the light receiver. If the light receiver is small, it is difficult to direct visible light, and the operation may be unstable particularly when the spot diameter is small. The use of the above-described basic configuration of the present invention, in which an input information display device is provided to display characters that are actually input, makes it possible to relatively easily provide solutions to these problems. Hereinafter, two solutions to the above problem will be described.

The first problem is that the effective area and the spot diameter of the light receiver are small and it is difficult to stably direct the light beam to the light receiver. In other words, even if the user intends to direct the light beam to the receiver that he / she wants to input, the output of the receiver is intermittent because the light beam moves and continuous output cannot be obtained. In this state, no input is performed. As a countermeasure, even if the output of the light receiver is cut off, it is possible to input the display characters or symbols while the characters or symbols are displayed on the input information display device. It will be easier.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a circuit used in the second embodiment of the present invention in which the above measures have been taken. Each light receiver 20a of the optical keyboard, 20b to the output of the ...... 20n, 2 binarizing circuit 21a, 21b flip-flop 2 via the ...... 21n 2 a, 2 2 b ...... 22n and counters 23a, 23b ...... 23n are connected, the output of the flip-flop 2 2 a, 2 2 b ...... 22n is effective output Xa of each light receiver is supplied to a matrix circuit for position determination as Xb ...... Xn. .. 24n are branch-connected to the outputs of the flip-flops. The binarization circuits 21a, 21b... 21n output a binary signal “1” when the outputs of the photodetectors 20a, 20b.
The value signal "0" is output. Counters 23a, 23b ...
... 23n is a timer for measuring a fixed time,
When timeout occurs, each flip-flop 22
a, 22b... 22n are reset. Differentiator 24
a, 24b... 24n are flip-flops 22a, 22
b... Detects the rise of the output of 22n to generate a pulse signal, and the output is supplied to the flip-flops and counters of the other light receivers. According to the above configuration, when the output of the light receiver 20a exceeds the specified value, the flip-flop 22a and the counter 23a are set, and the light receiver 20a
, The effective output Xa from the flip-flop 22a is held as it is until the reset signal is received. The flip-flop 22a is reset when the light beam is applied to the other light receivers 20b... 20n and a reset signal is received from the differentiating circuits 24b. The counter 23a is reset each time it receives an output from the binarization circuit 21a, restarts the counting operation from the beginning, stops the counting operation when receiving a signal from the differentiating circuits 24b... 24n, and stops the flip-flop 22 when a timeout occurs.
Reset a. As a result, the effective output can be kept stable even if the output of the light receiver is intermittent, and the effective output can be immediately turned off when another light receiver is irradiated. Can be displayed.
In the circuit of Figure 2, the use of the counter to a continuation signal of the input signal intermittently to, Ki out to achieve a similar function by using the time constant circuit instead of the counter <br / >

The second problem is that the interval between the light receivers is smaller than the spot diameter, and the light beam may irradiate a plurality of light receivers at the same time. Such a state occurs when the spot diameter cannot be reduced or when the size of the optical keyboard is limited. As a countermeasure in this case, even if there are outputs from a plurality of receivers, one character or symbol corresponding to the receiver with the larger output is displayed on the input information display device, and input of the displayed character or symbol is performed. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a circuit used in the third embodiment of the present invention in which the above measures have been implemented. Four light receivers 30 adjacent to one light receiver 30x of the optical keyboard
a, 30b, 30c, and 30d are provided with comparison / determination units 31a, 31b, 31c, and 31d, respectively, for comparing the outputs of the two photodetectors to determine a valid photodetector. Terminal X corresponding to the receiver 30x of the detector
1, X2, X3, and X4 are connected to an AND circuit 32. The output of the AND circuit 32 is the effective output X of the light receiver 30x.
Is supplied to a matrix circuit for position determination. Each comparison / determination device is provided with two input terminals and an output terminal. The input terminal receives an analog signal from each photodetector, and the output terminal outputs a binary signal as a determination result. As the output signal, when the output signal of one light receiver exceeds the specified value and is larger than the output signal of the other light receiver to be compared, the binary signal “1” is output to the output terminal corresponding to the light receiver. And a binary signal “0” is output to the output terminal corresponding to the other receiver. If the output signals of the two light receivers do not reach the specified values, "0" is output to both output terminals. If the output signals of both photodetectors exceed the specified value and the magnitudes of both are the same, "1" is output to one of them and "0" is output to the other. The outputs of the four comparison / determination units associated with one light receiver are connected to an AND circuit 32, and the output is an effective output X.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the circuit of FIG. 3, and shows the relationship between the spot position and the light receiving device. FIG. 4 shows nine light receivers arranged on the matrix with the light receiver 30x in FIG. 3 as the center only in lowercase Roman letters corresponding to FIG. As shown in FIG. 4A, when the beam spot is irradiated on the light receiver x, only the effective output of the light receiver x becomes “1”, and the effective outputs of the other light receivers become “0”. In the case of FIG. 4B, the conditions of the light receiver x and the light receiver b are the same, but only the effective output of one of the light receivers is determined by the output of the comparison / determination unit (31b in FIG. 3) between them. It becomes “1”. In the case of FIG. 4C, the photodetectors x, a, b, and e satisfy the same conditions, and therefore there are the following two cases. In the first case, the outputs of the four comparison / determination units between the four light receivers are in a state of circulating in a ring, and the effective output of each of the light receivers is "0". No characters are displayed on the display device. Second
, Two diagonal receivers x, e (or a, a,
This is the case where both the effective outputs of b) are "1". In this case, which character is to be displayed on the input information display device is determined on the display side. If no character is displayed, the same result as in the first case is obtained. In addition, when the comparison and judgment circuit is also provided between the photodetectors on the diagonal line and eight photodetectors are associated with one photodetector, even in the case of FIG. 1 ".

[0023]

As described above, in the optical key input device of the present invention, the input information display device is provided near the optical keyboard so that a plurality of light receivers assigned to visible light can be assigned. Of the characters and symbols, one character or symbol that is actually input is displayed in advance in an easy-to-read manner, which has the effect of reducing erroneous input. In addition, the selection of characters or symbols to be displayed on the input information display device is not directly performed by the output of the receiver, but the output of multiple receivers is determined jointly, so that operability can be improved or design constraints can be eased. There is an effect that can be performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a circuit used in a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a circuit used in a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an operation of the circuit in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration example of a conventional optical keyboard.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 optical keyboard 2 light receiver 3 keyboard indicator 4 input information display device 5 personal computer 6 auxiliary keyboard 7 selection key 8 switching key 9 shift key 11 visible light source 12 visible light spot 13 photodetector 14 selection switch 15 CRT 20a, 20b, 20n Light receivers 21a, 21b, 21n Binarization circuits 22a, 22b, 22n Flip-flops 23a, 23b, 23n Counters 24a, 24b, 24n Differentiator circuits 30a, 30b, 30c, 30d, 30x Light receivers 31a, 31b, 31c, 31d Compare Judgment device 32 AND circuit

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A receiver for visible light corresponding to each key of a keyboard, and an output of the receiver is a predetermined value.
When it exceeds, the effective output of the receiver is enabled and other receivers are activated.
Alternative enabling means for disabling the effective output of
The status of the effective output activated by the
Even if the output of the receiver disappears, it will be invalidated by the output of the other receiver.
And optical keyboard and a continuation holding means for holding a predetermined time unless, before Symbol keyboard indicator having a radiation source of visible light for designating an arbitrary one of the photodetectors on the optical keyboard When the input information display device for displaying the one key input information is provided in the vicinity corresponding to the light receiving unit, which is indicated by the visible light from the keyboard indicator before Symbol optical keyboard, to the entering force information display device An optical key input device comprising: an execution instruction switch for instructing execution of input of displayed key input information. 2. The output of a visible light receiver corresponding to each key of a keyboard is compared with the output of two adjacent light receivers.
Force value is large and exceeds a predetermined value
Select one receiver and connect it to the output terminal corresponding to that receiver.
A comparing and judging means for outputting a logical signal "1", and
AND of a plurality of the comparison and determination means related to the container
And optical keyboard and a judging means for the effective output of the light receiver, a keyboard indicator that previous SL comprises a radiation source of visible light for designating an arbitrary one of the photodetectors on the optical keyboard, an input information display device for displaying the one key input information is provided in the vicinity corresponding to the light receiving unit, which is indicated by the visible light from the keyboard indicator before Symbol optical keyboard is displayed in the entering force information display device And an execution instruction switch for instructing execution of input of key input information.