JP6702111B2 - Information processing device and character input program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing device and a character input program.

  With the arrival of the advanced information society, mobile information processing devices such as smartphones and tablet terminals are becoming popular. A touch panel is provided in these information processing devices, and a user operates the touch panel to input characters.

  Toggle input is widely used as a method of inputting characters to an information processing device. Toggle input is an input method in which a plurality of characters are assigned to one key and the character of the input candidate is changed each time the key is pressed. For example, in the key to which the Japanese syllabary is assigned, each time the key is pressed, the input candidate character is changed as "A" → "I" → "U" → "E" → "O". be able to.

  Since a plurality of characters are assigned to one key in this way, it is possible to reduce the total number of keys in toggle input, which is suitable for inputting from a touch panel with a limited space.

  However, the toggle input has room for improvement in terms of preventing erroneous input by the user.

JP-A-2005-203930 JP, 2010-176244, A JP, 2005-118438, A

  According to one aspect, it is an object to provide an information processing device and a character input program that can prevent erroneous input.

  According to one aspect, a character key that is assigned to a plurality of characters and is used to select a different character from among the plurality of characters at each touch, and to confirm the selection or input of the characters. A touch panel that displays a confirmation key to be used, the selection by the character key when the confirmation key is touched or when a first time has elapsed after the character key is touched, whichever is earlier. A selection confirmation unit for confirming the selection, an input confirmation unit for confirming the input of the character for which the selection is confirmed when the confirmation key is touched after the selection is confirmed by the selection confirmation unit, Information including a nullifying unit that nullifies an operation on the enter key until the second time has elapsed from the time when the selection was confirmed by the selection confirming unit due to the passage of time. A processing device is provided.

  According to one aspect, erroneous input can be prevented.

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an information processing device used for the examination. 2A and 2B are schematic diagrams (No. 1) showing an automatic method of automatically inputting characters in toggle input. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram (No. 2) showing an automatic method for automatically inputting characters in toggle input. FIGS. 4A and 4B are schematic diagrams (No. 1) showing a manual method of manually inputting characters in toggle input. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram (No. 2) showing a manual method of manually inputting characters in toggle input. FIGS. 6A and 6B are schematic diagrams (No. 1) for explaining a problem that may occur due to toggle input. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram (part 2) for explaining a problem that may occur due to toggle input. FIG. 8 is an overall configuration diagram of the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a hardware configuration diagram of the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram showing the functions of the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. 11A and 11B are diagrams showing display examples of the touch panel according to the first embodiment. FIG. 12 is a timing chart schematically showing the character input method according to the first embodiment. 13A and 13B are views (No. 1) showing a screen display example in the character input method according to the first embodiment. 14A and 14B are views (No. 2) showing a screen display example in the character input method according to the first embodiment. FIG. 15 is a flowchart of the character input method according to the first embodiment. FIG. 16 is a flowchart for explaining the process at the time of timeout in the character input method according to the first embodiment. FIG. 17 is a functional block diagram showing the functions of the information processing apparatus according to the second embodiment. FIG. 18 is a timing chart schematically showing the character input method according to the second embodiment. 19A and 19B are views (part 1) showing a screen display example in the character input method according to the second embodiment. 20A and 20B are views (No. 2) showing a screen display example in the character input method according to the second embodiment. 21A and 21B are views (No. 3) showing a screen display example in the character input method according to the second embodiment. FIG. 22 is a flowchart of the character input method according to the second embodiment. FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing the invalidation cancellation processing in the character input method according to the second embodiment.

  Before describing the present embodiment, a character input method studied by the inventor of the present application will be described.

  Hereinafter, a method of inputting characters to an information processing device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal equipped with a touch panel will be described.

  FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of the information processing apparatus.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing device 1 includes a touch panel 2 for displaying and inputting characters.

  On the touch panel 2, a character key 3, an enter key 4, and a conversion key 5 are displayed.

  Of these, a plurality of character keys 3 are displayed on the touch panel 2, and a plurality of hiragana characters are assigned to each of them. For example, to the character key 3 to which the character “A” is assigned, the other characters of the line “I”, “U”, “E”, and “O” are also assigned.

  Then, the confirm key 4 is used for confirming the selection of a character and confirming the input of the character to the own device as described later.

  On the other hand, the conversion key 5 is used to convert the character selected by the character key 3 into kanji.

  Further, the handwriting panel 6 and the input panel 7 are also displayed on the touch panel 2.

  The handwriting panel 6 is used to display a character being edited before being input to the own device. Then, on the input panel 7, the characters finally input to the device itself are displayed.

  Next, a method of inputting characters to the information processing device 1 by toggle input will be described.

  For toggle input, there are an automatic method in which the character selection is automatically confirmed when a time-out occurs, and a manual method in which the user manually confirms the character selection without waiting for the time-out.

<Automatic method>
2 to 3 are schematic diagrams showing the automatic method.

  First, as shown in FIG. 2A, it is assumed that the user touches the character key 3 of "A" with the finger F.

  Immediately after the touch, the character “A” is selected, and the character “A” is displayed on each of the handwriting panel 6 and the input panel 7.

  However, until the time-out, it is possible to select the other characters in the line, "i", "u", "e", and "o", each time the same character key 3 is touched. .. The state in which other characters can be selected in this way is also called toggle.

  The time-out period is about 1 second.

  In this example, the background color 10 is added to “A” displayed on the handwriting panel 6 in order to clearly indicate to the user that the toggle is in progress.

  Further, the character "A" displayed on each of the handwriting panel 6 and the input panel 7 is displayed with an underline indicating that the character can be converted into Kanji. Then, when the conversion key 5 is touched in this state, “a” can be converted into the hiragana “a” and the Chinese character “a” which has the same sound.

  Then, the timeout causes the background color 10 on the handwriting panel 6 to disappear, as shown in FIG.

  As a result, even if the user touches the character key 3 of "A" again, it is not possible to select another character of the line "A" in place of the character "A", and the selection of the character "A" is confirmed. become.

  At the same time, the cursor 9 is displayed behind the character "A" on the handwriting panel 6, and the selection of the character following "A" is accepted.

  Even in this state, the character "a" on the handwriting panel 6 is underlined, and it is possible to convert "a" into kanji by touching the conversion key 5.

  However, at this stage, the character string to be input to the information processing device 1 is only edited by the handwriting panel 6, and the character “a” is not input to the application program or the like installed in the information processing device 1.

  After that, as shown in FIG. 3, when the user touches the enter key 4 with the finger F, the input of the character “A” to the application program etc. is confirmed.

  In this example, the handwriting panel 6 disappears and the underline of the character “a” on the input panel 7 disappears to indicate that the input is confirmed.

<Manual method>
4 to 5 are schematic diagrams showing the manual method.

  First, as shown in FIG. 4A, it is assumed that the user touches the character key 3 of “A” with the finger F as in the example of FIG. 2A.

  Immediately after the touch, since the toggle is in progress, the character "A" on the handwriting panel 6 is in the state in which the background color 10 is added. In addition, an underline indicating that the character "a" can be converted into kanji is also displayed under the character "a".

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4B, the user touches the confirm key 4 with the finger F without waiting for the timeout. As a result, the toggled state is released and the selection of the character "A" is confirmed. As a result, even if the user touches the character key 3 of “A”, it becomes impossible to select another character of the A line in place of the character “A”.

  The confirm key 4 touched during the toggle has a function of confirming the character selection in this way.

  Note that, like the automatic method, the character "a" has not yet been input to the device itself at this stage.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 5, when the user touches the confirm key 4 with the finger F in the same manner as in the automatic method, the input of the character “a” to the own device is confirmed.

  As described above, the confirmation key 4 touched in the state where the selection of the character is confirmed has a function of confirming the input of the character to the own device.

  As described above, the confirmation key 4 has two functions, that is, a function for confirming the character selection during the toggle and a function for confirming the input of the character to the own device. If the enter key 4 has two functions in this way, the following problems may occur depending on the timing of touching the enter key 4.

  6 to 7 are schematic diagrams for explaining the problem.

  First, it is assumed that the user touches the character key 3 of "A" as shown in FIG.

  Here, it is assumed that the user tries to touch the enter key 4 before the time-out in order to promptly input the character, but the touch timing is slightly delayed and the time-out occurs immediately before the touch.

  In this case, as shown in FIG. 6B, the selection of the character "A" is first confirmed by a timeout.

  Then, as the user touches the enter key 4 with the finger F immediately after the timeout without noticing that the timeout has occurred, as shown in FIG. Wrong input to the device.

  As a result, for example, even if the user tries to convert the character "a" into kanji, the character "a" is already input at this stage, so the conversion into kanji cannot be performed.

  Below, each embodiment which can solve such a problem is described.

(First embodiment)
[overall structure]
FIG. 8 is an overall configuration diagram of the information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment.

  The information processing device 21 is a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or the like, and has a touch panel 22.

  The touch panel 22 is a device in which a display for displaying various kinds of information and a touch sensor for detecting a user's finger are combined, and its drive system is a capacitance system, a resistive film system, an infrared system, and an electromagnetic induction system. Etc. can be adopted.

  The type of keys displayed on the touch panel 22 is not particularly limited, but in this example, the character key 23, the enter key 24, and the conversion key 25 are displayed on the touch panel 22.

  Of these, a plurality of character keys 23 are displayed on the touch panel 22. The hiragana of each line of the Japanese syllabary is assigned to each character key 23, and the first hiragana of each line, “a”, “ka”,..., “Wa”, is displayed large on each character key 23. ..

  In addition, each character key 23 is used to select a different character from a plurality of assigned characters each time the character key 23 is touched. For example, in the character key 23 to which the character “A” is assigned, the character is selected in the order of “A”→“I”→“U”→“E”→“O” at each touch.

  Then, the confirm key 24 has two functions, that is, a function of confirming the selection of the character and a function of confirming the input of the character to the own device, as described later.

  On the other hand, the conversion key 25 is used to convert the hiragana selected by the character key 23 into kanji.

  Further, the display unit 22 also displays a handwriting panel 26 and an input panel 27.

  The character being edited is displayed on the handwriting panel 26. Then, the characters input to the application program are displayed on the input panel 27.

[Hardware configuration]
FIG. 9 is a hardware configuration diagram of the information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the information processing device 21 includes a storage unit 31, a main memory 32, a processor 33, a clock 34, and a bus 36 in addition to the touch panel 22 described above.

  Of these, the touch panel 22 has a display 22a and a touch sensor 22b.

  The display 22a is a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (electroluminescence) display, and displays each of the character key 23, the enter key 24, and the conversion key 25 described above.

  In addition, the touch sensor 22b is an input device that performs input by a user touching a finger.

The information output by the touch sensor 22b is not particularly limited. In this example, the touch sensor 22b outputs touch information S _touch indicating that any one of the character key 23, the enter key 24, and the conversion key 25 described above is touched. The touch information S _touch also includes identification information for identifying which of the character key 23, the enter key 24, and the conversion key 25 is touched.

Further, when the character key 23 is touched, the touch sensor 22b also outputs the character data S _char including the character assigned to the character key 23, while the storage unit 31 is a nonvolatile memory such as a flash memory. And stores the character input program 40 and the application program 41.

  The application program 41 is an arbitrary program that inputs a character string. For example, mail software for transmitting the character string to another information processing device, a text editor for editing the character string, and the like are examples of the application program 41.

  The character input program 40 is a program for inputting characters according to the operation contents to the application program 41 when the user operates the touch panel 22.

  The character input program 40 may be recorded in a computer-readable recording medium 35 and the processor 33 may be caused to read the character input program 40 of the recording medium 35.

  Examples of such a recording medium 35 include physically portable recording media such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc-Read Only Memory), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), and a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory. Further, a semiconductor memory such as a flash memory or a hard disk drive may be used as the recording medium 35. These recording media 35 are not temporary media such as carrier waves having no physical form.

  Further, the character input program 40 may be stored in a device connected to a public line, the Internet, a LAN (Local Area Network) or the like, and the processor 33 may read and execute the character input program 40.

  On the other hand, the main memory 32 is hardware such as DRAM (Dynamic RAM) that temporarily stores data, and the character input program 40 described above is developed on it.

  The processor 33 is hardware such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that controls each unit of the device itself and that executes the character input program 40 in cooperation with the main memory 32.

Further, the clock 34 outputs the time information S _time indicating the current time by counting the pulse signals oscillated by the crystal oscillator, for example.

  The bus 36 connects the touch panel 22, the storage unit 31, the main memory 32, the processor 33, and the clock 34 to each other.

[Function configuration]
FIG. 10 is a functional configuration diagram showing functions of the information processing device 21 according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the information processing device 21 includes an input unit 50, a selection confirming unit 51, an input confirming unit 52, an invalidating unit 53, a confirm key function switching unit 55, a time counter side unit 56, and a time comparing unit 57. Have. In addition to this, the information processing device 21 also includes a character string holding unit 58, a character string sending unit 59, a Kana-Kanji conversion unit 60, and a display unit 61.

  Each of these units can be realized by the processor 33 executing the character input program 40 in cooperation with the main memory 32.

Of these, the input unit 50 receives the above-mentioned touch information S _touch from the touch sensor 22b (see FIG. 9), and receives it from the selection confirmation unit 51, the input confirmation unit 52, the confirmation key function switching unit 55, and the time counter side unit. Notify each of the 56.

Further, when the input unit 50 receives the above-mentioned character data S _char from the touch sensor 22b, it sends it to the character string holding unit 58 and the kana-kanji conversion unit 60, respectively.

Further, the selection confirming unit 51 transmits the selection confirming instruction S _select instructing to confirm the selection of the character to the character string holding unit 58 to confirm the selection of the character by the character key 23 at a predetermined time.

The time when the selection confirmation unit 51 confirms the selection of the character is when the confirmation key 24 is touched or when the first time t ₁ has elapsed after the character key 23 is touched, whichever is earlier.

The first time t ₁ is a time-out time for automatically confirming the character selection when the character key 23 is touched, and in this example, it is 0.2 seconds to 2 seconds, for example, about 1 second.

The selection confirming unit 51 can determine whether or not the character key 23 is touched based on the touch information S _touch described above. Further, whether or not the first time t ₁ has elapsed can be determined by the selection confirming unit 51 on the basis of a timeout signal S _timeout sent from a time comparing unit 57 described later.

  On the other hand, when the confirmation key 24 is touched after the selection of the character is confirmed by the selection confirming unit 51 as described above, the input confirming unit 52 confirms the input of the selected character to the application program 41.

The input confirming unit 52 can determine whether or not the confirm key 24 is touched, based on the touch information S _touch described above.

Further, when confirming the input, the input confirming unit 52 sends an input confirming instruction S _input for instructing to confirm the input of the character string to the application program 41 to the character string sending unit 59.

The invalidation unit 53 notifies the input confirmation unit 52 of key state information S _state indicating whether the operation on the confirmation key 24 is valid or invalid.

When the key state information S _state is “invalid”, the input confirming section 52 cannot output the input confirming instruction S _input described above even when the user touches the confirm key 24. As a result, under the control of the invalidation unit 53, the operation on the confirm key 24 can be invalidated.

Further, the period in which the invalidation unit 53 sets the key state information S _state to “invalid” is determined when the selection confirmation unit 51 confirms the selection of the character due to the lapse of the first time t ₁ described above. It is the period from the time when the second time elapses until the _second time t ₂ elapses.

The second time t ₂ is set to invalidate the touch operation when the user mistakenly touches the confirm key 24 immediately after the first time t ₁ which is the timeout time has elapsed.

  In this case, since the user touches the confirm key 24 without noticing the timeout, the time when the timeout comes and the touch time of the confirm key 24 are very close, and it is considered that the difference between the two times is about human reaction time.

Therefore, the second time t ₂ to disable the operation of the decision key 24 in this example is 200 ms to 300 ms is a human reaction time sufficiently shorter than the first time t _1.

The invalidation unit 53 notifies the time measurement unit 56 of the invalidation information S _disabled indicating that the operation of the enter key 24 has been invalidated when the operation of the enter key 24 is invalidated in this way.

After the lapse of the second time t ₂ described above, the invalidation unit 53 sets the key state information S _state to “valid”. In this way, when the key state information S _state becomes "valid", the input confirming section 52 can send out the input confirming instruction S _input , whereby the operation of the confirm key 24 becomes effective. ..

On the other hand, the confirm key function switching unit 55 switches the function of the confirm key 24 based on the touch information S _touch described above and the switching instruction S _switch notified from the time comparing unit 57 described later.

For example, the confirm key function switching unit 55 recognizes that the character key 23 is being toggled when detecting that the character key 23 is touched based on the touch information S _touch , and confirms the character selection to the confirm key 24. Have the function to

Further, when the switching instruction S _switch is notified from the time comparison unit 57, the confirmation key function switching unit 55 causes the confirmation key 24 to have a function of confirming the input of characters to the application program 41.

As will be described later, the timing when the time comparison unit 57 notifies the switching instruction S _switch is the time when the first time t ₁ has elapsed since the character key 23 was touched.

The time measuring unit 56 measures the elapsed time from each predetermined time point by referring to the time information S _time output from the clock 34.

For example, the time measuring unit 56 detects that the character key 23 is touched based on the touch information S _touch , and measures the elapsed time from the time of the touch. Then, the time counter side unit 56 notifies the time comparison unit 57 of the first elapsed time S _elapsed1 which is the measurement result.

Furthermore, when the invalidation information S _disabled described above is notified from the invalidation unit 53, the time measuring unit 56 measures the elapsed time from the time of the notification. Then, the time counter side unit 56 notifies the time comparison unit 57 of the second elapsed time S _elapsed2 which is the measurement result.

The time comparison unit 57, by comparing the first elapsed time S _Elapsed1 a first time t ₁ of the foregoing, whether or not the first elapsed time S _Elapsed1 becomes equal to the first time t ₁ to decide. When the first elapsed time S _Elapsed1 is determined to have become equal to the first time t _1, the time comparison section 57 notifies the above-mentioned time-out signal S _timeout in the selection decision unit 51.

Simultaneously with the notification of the timeout signal S _timeout , the time comparison unit 57 notifies the confirmation key function switching unit 55 of the switching instruction S _switch . The switching instruction S _switch is a signal for instructing to switch the function of the enter key 24, and the enter key function switching unit 55 which receives this signal determines the function for entering the character to the application program 41 as described above. Hold on key 24.

Furthermore, whether the time comparison unit 57, by comparing the second elapsed time S _Elapsed2 a second time t ₂ described above, the second elapsed time S _Elapsed2 is the second time t ₂ previously not To judge.

When the second elapsed time S _Elapsed2 is determined to be the second time t ₂ Previously, the time comparison section 57 notifies the invalid instruction S _disable the invalidation portion 53.

The invalidation instruction S _disable is an instruction to invalidate the operation on the enter key 24. Receiving the instruction, the invalidation unit 53 invalidates the operation on the enter key 24 as described above by changing the content of the above-mentioned key state information S _state from “valid” to “invalid”.
On the other hand, when the second elapsed time S _Elapsed2 is judged to have passed a second time t _2, the time comparison section 57 notifies the disable cancellation instruction S _{(enable 1)} the invalidation portion 53.

The invalidation cancellation instruction S _enable1 is an instruction to enable the operation on the enter key 24. Receiving the instruction, the invalidation unit 53 validates the operation on the enter key 24 by changing the content of the above-mentioned key state information S _state from "invalid" to "valid".

The character string holding unit 58 temporarily holds the character string D _string obtained from the plurality of character data S _char . When the user inputs a single character, the character string D _string consists of only one character.

Then, when the selection confirmation unit 51 notifies the selection confirmation instruction S _select described above, the character string holding unit 58 transmits the confirmed character string D _string to the character string transmission unit 59.

Further, the character string holding unit 58 notifies the display unit 61 of the fixed state information S _define . The fixed state information S _define is information indicating whether the character selection is fixed. In a state where the character string holding unit 58 has not received the notification of the selection confirmation instruction S _select , the fixed state information S _define becomes “not confirmed”, and the character string holding unit 58 receives the notification of the selection confirmation instruction S _select. In this state, the fixed state information S _define is “fixed”.

When receiving the input confirmation instruction S _input from the input confirmation unit 52, the character string transmission unit 59 transmits the character string D _string to the application program 41.

The kana-kanji conversion unit 60 also receives the above-mentioned character data S _char from the input unit 50. Then, when the conversion key 25 is touched, the kana-kanji conversion unit 60 converts the hiragana included in the character data S _char into kanji and sends the converted character data S _char _ _trans to the character string holding unit 58. To do.

  The characters to be converted by the kana-kanji conversion unit 60 are hiragana characters in a state before the input confirmation unit 52 confirms the input.

When the character string holding unit 58 receives the character data S _char _ _trans after conversion in this way, it replaces the character data S _char before conversion held by itself with the character data S _char _ _trans after conversion. ..

The display unit 61 displays a screen for the application program 41 on the touch panel 22 based on the image data D _image generated by the application program 41. The image data D _image is data for displaying a predetermined screen on the touch panel 22, and, for example, data for displaying the input panel 27 (see FIG. 8) is also included in the image data D _image .

  Further, the display unit 61 displays each of the character keys 23, the enter key 24, the conversion key 25, and the handwriting panel 26 described above on the touch panel 22.

Then, when the content of the fixed state information S _define notified from the character string holding unit 58 is “not fixed”, the display unit 61 hand-writes the background color indicating that the character selection is not fixed. The characters are displayed on the panel 26.

  11A and 11B are diagrams showing display examples on the touch panel 22.

  FIG. 11A is a display example when the selection of the character is not confirmed.

  In this case, the display unit 60 adds the background color 62 to the character “A” on the handwriting panel 26. As a result, the user can recognize that the selection of the character "A" is in an undetermined state. Then, every time the user touches the character key 23, the character is selected in the order of “A”→“I”→“U”→“E”→“O”.

  In this example, a plurality of input candidates 28 starting with the character “A” are also displayed on the touch panel 22, and the user can select the input candidates 28 by touching the input candidates 28.

  FIG. 11B is a display example when the character selection is confirmed.

In this case, the content of the fixed state information S _define is "fixed", and the display unit 60 which received it clears the background color 62. At the same time, the display unit 60 displays the cursor 63 after "a" so that the character following "a" is accepted.

[Character input method]
Next, the character input method according to this embodiment will be described.

<Timing chart>
FIG. 12 is a timing chart schematically showing the character input method according to this embodiment.

  The chart of FIG. 12 shows whether the operation on the enter key 24 is valid or invalid. When the chart is valid, the chart is at a high level, and when it is invalid, it is at a low level.

  Further, in FIG. 12, the handwriting panel 26 is also shown for the sake of clarity.

First, at time T ₁ in FIG. 12, it is assumed that the user has touched the character key 23 of the letter "A".

  As a result, the character "A" is displayed on the handwriting panel 26. However, the character selection has not been finalized at this point, and the background color 62 is added to the character “A”. Further, the enter key 24 is in a state where the operation is valid.

Next, at time T ₂ , it is assumed that the first time t ₁ which is the time-out time has elapsed.

  By timing out in this way, the selection of the character "A" is confirmed. At the same time, the operation of the confirm key 24 becomes invalid.

The period during which the operation of the confirm key 24 is invalid is the second time t ₂ as described above. Therefore, in the period before the _second time t ₂ elapses, even if the user mistakenly touches the enter key 24, the character “a” is input to the application program 41 against the user's intention. Can be prevented.

  Further, when the character selection is confirmed in this way, the cursor 63 is displayed after the character "A", and the selection of the character following "A" is accepted.

Next, at time T ₃ , the user again touches the character key 23 of the character “A”.

  Immediately after the touch, the selection of the second character "A" is not fixed, and the background color 62 for indicating this is added to "A".

  Further, as described above, since the operation of the confirm key 24 is invalid, even if the confirm key 24 is touched at this point, the selection of the second character "A" is not confirmed.

Next, by the second time t ₂ has elapsed at time T _4, the operation of the decision key 24 is valid.

Then, when the user touches the confirm key 24 at time T ₅ , the selection of the second character “A” is confirmed.

According to the present embodiment described above, when the selection of the characters is determined by the timeout at time T _2, to disable the operation of the enter key 24 to the second time t ₂ has elapsed.

  Therefore, even if the user mistakenly touches the confirm key 24 without noticing the timeout, it is possible to prevent characters from being erroneously input to the application 41 against the user's intention.

Moreover, since characters are not input to the application program 41 in this manner, kana-kanji conversion can be performed at the second time t ₂ , and the user can convert the characters to kanji by touching the conversion key 25. It will be possible.

Furthermore, since the second time t ₂ is sufficiently shorter than the first time t ₁ which is the time-out time, it is possible to shorten the period during which the enter key 24 cannot be operated, and the user is not inconvenienced.

<Screen display example>
In the example of FIG. 12 described above, only the handwriting panel 26 is shown in the timing chart.

  In the following, in order to make the transition of the screen easy to understand, the character input method according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the entire screen display example of the touch panel 22.

  13 and 14 are diagrams showing screen display examples in the character input method according to the present embodiment.

  First, as shown in FIG. 13A, it is assumed that the user touches the character key 23 of the character “A” with the finger F.

Then, as shown in FIG. 13 (b), selected from the touch of the character "A" by the first time t ₁ has elapsed is determined. As described above, the operation on the confirm key 24 is invalid in the period from the time of confirmation in this way until the _second time t ₂ elapses.

Next, as shown in FIG. 14A, after the second time t ₂ has elapsed and the operation on the enter key 24 has become effective, the user touches the enter key 24 with the finger F.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 14B, the input of the character "A" to the own device is confirmed.

<Flowchart>
Next, a flowchart of the character input method according to this embodiment will be described.

-Overall Flow FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the overall flow of the character input method according to this example.

  First, in step S101, the user touches any of the keys displayed on the touch panel 22.

Then, by touching in this manner, the input unit 50 notifies the selection confirmation unit 51 and the time measurement unit 56 of the touch information S _touch .

Next, the process proceeds to step S102, and it is determined whether the invalidation unit 53 has received the notification of the invalidation instruction S _disable from the time comparison unit 57.

  If it is determined that the notification is received (YES), the process branches in step S103 according to the type of the key touched in step S101.

  If the touched key is the enter key 24, the process proceeds to step S104, and the invalidation unit 53 invalidates the operation on the enter key 24.

  On the other hand, when the touched key is the character key 23, the process proceeds to step S105.

In step S105, when the user touches the character key 23 before step S101, the time measuring unit 56 stops measuring the first elapsed time S _elapsed1 which is the timeout time for the character key 23. To do.

Next, in step S106, the input unit 50 sends the character data S _char of the character key 23 touched by the user in step S101 to each of the character string holding unit 58 and the kana-kanji conversion unit 60.

Then, the process moves to step S107, and the time measuring unit 56 starts measuring the first elapsed time S _elapsed1 for the character key 23 touched by the user in step S101.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S102 that the notification of the invalidation instruction S _disable has not been received (NO), the process branches in step S109 according to the type of the key touched in step S101.

  Here, when the touched key is the enter key 24 or the conversion key 25 other than the character key 23, the process proceeds to step S110, and the process according to the type of the key is performed.

For example, when the touched key is the enter key 24, the input confirming unit 52 notifies the character string sending unit 59 of the input confirming instruction S _input , whereby the character input to the application program 41 is confirmed.

When the touched key is the conversion key 25, the kana-kanji conversion unit 60 converts the hiragana included in the character data S _char into kanji, and the converted character data S _char _ _trans is stored in the character string holding unit 58. Send out.

  On the other hand, when the touched key is the character key 23, the process proceeds to step S111.

In step S111, the input unit 50 sends the character data S _char to each of the character string holding unit 58 and the kana-kanji conversion unit 60. As a result, the character corresponding to the touched character key 23 is held in the character string holding unit 58, and the character is selected.

Next, the process moves to step S112, and the time counter side unit 56 starts measuring the first elapsed time S _elapsed1 since the character key 23 was touched in step S101.

  This completes the basic steps of the character input method according to the present example.

  According to the character input method described above, the invalidating unit 53 invalidates the operation on the confirm key 24 in step S104. Therefore, even if the user mistakenly touches the confirm key 24 when the selection of the character is confirmed by the time-out, it is possible to prevent the character from being erroneously input to the application program 41 against the intention of the user.

- flow timeout Then, character keys 23 has elapsed since the touching first time t ₁ is described processing for determining the selected character of a timeout.

  FIG. 16 is a flowchart for explaining the processing at the time of timeout.

First, in step S201, when the time measuring unit 56 measures the first elapsed time S _elapsed1 measured from the time of the touch exceeding the _first time t1, the first elapsed time S _elapsed1 is measured. To finish.

Next, in step S202, the time comparing unit 57 notifies the selection confirming unit 51 of the timeout signal S _timeout , so that the selection confirming unit 51 confirms the selection of the character.

Succeedingly, in a step S203, the time comparison unit 57 notifies the invalidation unit 53 of the invalidation instruction S _disable . Then, the invalidation unit 53 that has received the notification invalidates the operation on the confirm key 24.

After that, the process moves to step S204, and the time measuring unit 56 starts measurement of the second elapsed time S _elapsed2 after the confirmation key 24 is invalidated.

  With the above, the basic steps at the time of timeout are completed.

(Second embodiment)
In the present embodiment, characters can be promptly input to the device itself as follows.

  The overall configuration and the hardware configuration of the information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment are the same as those described in FIGS. 9 and 10 of the first embodiment, respectively, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted.

[Function configuration]
FIG. 17 is a functional configuration diagram showing functions of the information processing device 21 according to the present embodiment.

  Note that, in FIG. 17, the same elements as those described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment, and description thereof will be omitted below.

  As shown in FIG. 17, the information processing device 21 according to the present embodiment includes an invalidation canceling unit 54.

  The invalidation canceling unit 54 can be realized by the processor 33 (see FIG. 9) executing the character input program 40 in cooperation with the main memory 32, like the other units.

The invalidation canceling unit 54 receives the notification of the touch information S _touch described in the first embodiment from the input unit 50, and _confirms that any of the plurality of character keys 23 is touched based on the touch information S _touch. recognize. Upon recognizing in this way, the invalidation canceling unit 54 notifies the input confirming unit 52 of the invalidation canceling instruction S _enable2 .

The input confirming unit 52, to which the invalidation cancellation instruction S _enable2 is notified, sends out the above-described input confirming instruction S _input even when the control of the confirm key 24 is invalidated under the control of the invalidating unit 53. You will be able to. As a result, under the control of the invalidation canceling unit 54, invalidation of the operation on the confirm key 24 is canceled.

[Character input method]
Next, the character input method according to this embodiment will be described.

<Timing chart>
FIG. 18 is a timing chart schematically showing the character input method according to this embodiment.

  Also in FIG. 18, similarly to FIG. 12 of the first embodiment, the chart becomes high level when the operation on the enter key 24 is valid, and becomes low level when the operation is invalid.

  Further, in FIG. 18, the handwriting panel 26 is also shown for the sake of easy understanding.

First, at time T ₁ of FIG. 18, it is assumed that the user has touched the character key 23 of the letter "A".

  At this point, the character selection has not been finalized, and the operation of the finalization key 24 is valid.

Next, at time T ₂ , it is assumed that the first time t ₁ which is the time-out time has elapsed.

  By thus timing out, the selection of the character "A" is confirmed. At the same time, the operation of the confirm key 24 becomes invalid.

The period during which the operation of the enter key 24 is invalid is the second time t ₂ as in the first embodiment. In this period, even if the user mistakenly touches the enter key 24, it is possible to prevent the character "a" from being input to the application program 41 against the user's intention.

Here, at time T ₃ is before the time at which the second time t ₂ has elapsed, it is assumed that the user has touched the character key 23 of the letter "A".

  When the character key 23 is touched in this manner, the character “A” and the background color 62 are displayed on the handwriting panel 26, and the operation of the enter key 24 is performed under the control of the invalidation canceling unit 54 as described above. Is disabled.

Thus, when the user touches the enter key 24 at time T ₄ after the time T _3, without waiting for the second time t ₂ has elapsed, the selection of a second of the letter "A" Can be confirmed.

Then, at time T ₅ , when the user touches the confirm key 24, the character string “aa” is sent to the application program 41.

According to the present embodiment described above, even when the invalidation unit 53 invalidates the operation on the confirm key 24 after the second time t ₂ has not elapsed, any one of the plurality of character keys 23 is When or is touched, the invalidation canceling unit 54 cancels invalidation.

Therefore, the user can determine the character without waiting for the second time t ₂ to elapse, and the character can be promptly input to the information processing device 21.

<Screen display example>
In the example of FIG. 18 described above, only the handwriting panel 26 is shown in the timing chart.

  In the following, in order to make the transition of the screen easy to understand, the character input method according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the entire screen display example of the touch panel 22.

  19 to 21 are diagrams showing screen display examples in the character input method according to the present embodiment.

  First, as shown in FIG. 19A, it is assumed that the user touches the character key 23 of the character “A” with the finger F.

Then, as shown in FIG. 19 (b), selected from the touch of the character "A" by the first time t ₁ has elapsed is determined. In the period from the time of confirmation in this way until the _second time t ₂ elapses, the operation on the confirmation key 24 is invalid.

Next, as shown in FIG. 20A, it is assumed that the user touches the character key 23 again with the finger F before the second time t ₂ elapses.

  In this example, the user touches the character key 23 to which “A” is assigned twice to select “I”.

By touching the character key 23 before the second time t ₂ elapses in this way, invalidation of the operation on the enter key 24 is released.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 20B, the user touches the confirmation key 24 with the finger F to confirm the selection of the character “i”.

  After that, as shown in FIG. 21, the user touches the confirm key 24 again with the finger F to confirm the input of the character string “ai” to the information processing device 21.

<Flowchart>
Next, a flowchart of the character input method according to this embodiment will be described.

-Overall Flow FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing the overall flow of the character input method according to this embodiment.

  Note that, in FIG. 22, the same steps as those described in FIG. 15 of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted below.

  As shown in FIG. 22, in this embodiment, the invalidation cancellation processing S300 is performed between step S106 and step S107 described in the first embodiment. The other processes are the same as those in the first embodiment.

The invalidation cancellation process S300 is a process of canceling the invalidation of the operation on the enter key 24 when the character key 23 is touched in step S101 before the second time t ₂ has elapsed.

When the character key 23 is touched in such a manner, each of the invalidation canceling unit 54 and the time measuring unit 56 receives the touch information S _touch from the input unit 50 in step S101.

  FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing the invalidation cancellation processing S300.

First, in step S301, the invalidation cancellation unit 54 that has received the notification of the touch information S _touch in step S101 notifies the input determination unit 52 of the invalidation cancellation instruction S _enable2 . As a result, the input confirming unit 52 can output the input confirming instruction S _input, and the invalidation of the operation on the confirm key 24 is released under the control of the invalidation releasing unit 54.

Then, the process proceeds to step S302, and the time measuring unit 56 that has received the notification of the touch information S _touch in step S101 stops measuring the second elapsed time S _elapsed2 , which is a period during which the operation of the enter key 24 is invalidated.

  With the above, the basic steps of the invalidation cancellation processing 300 are completed.

According to the above-described character input method, when the character key 23 is touched before the second time t ₂ has elapsed, the operation of the enter key 24 is enabled in the invalidation canceling process 300. By touching 24, the characters can be input promptly.

1, 21... Information processing device, 2, 22... Touch panel, 3, 23... Character keys, 4, 24... Confirmation key, 5, 25... Conversion key, 6, 26... Handwriting panel, 7, 27... Input panel, 9 , 63... Cursor, 10, 62... Background color, 22a... Display, 22b... Touch sensor, 31... Storage unit, 32... Main memory, 33... Processor, 34... Clock, 35... Recording medium, 36... Bus, 40... Character input program, 41... Application program, 50... Input section, 51... Selection confirming section, 52... Input confirming section, 53... Invalidating section, 54... Invalidation canceling section, 55... Confirm key function switching section, 56... Hour meter Side part, 57... Time comparison part, 58... Character string holding part, 59... Character string sending part, 60... Kana-kanji conversion part, 61... Display part.

Claims (6)

A character key that is assigned to a plurality of characters and is used to select a different character from among the plurality of characters for each touch, and a confirmation key that is used to confirm the selection or confirm the input of the characters. And a touch panel that displays
A selection confirmation unit that confirms the selection by the character key when the confirmation key is touched or when a first time has elapsed after the character key is touched, whichever is earlier.
An input confirming unit that confirms the input of the character for which the selection is confirmed when the confirmation key is touched after the selection is confirmed by the selection confirming unit;
When the selection confirmation unit confirms the selection due to the lapse of the first time, the invalidation unit that invalidates the operation on the confirmation key until the second time elapses from the time of the confirmation. When,
Information processing device having a. The touch panel displays a plurality of the character keys,
The invalidation unit further includes an invalidation cancellation unit that cancels the invalidation when any one of the plurality of character keys is touched while the invalidation unit invalidates the operation on the confirmation key. 1. The information processing device according to 1.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second time period is shorter than the first time period.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a conversion unit that converts the character before the input determination unit determines the input into a Chinese character. Information processing device with touch panel,
A character key that is assigned to a plurality of characters and is used to select a different character from among the plurality of characters at each touch, and an enter key that is used to finalize the selection or finalize the input of the character. Is displayed on the touch panel,
When the confirmation key is touched or when the first time has elapsed after the character key is touched, whichever is earlier, the selection by the character key is confirmed,
When the confirmation key is touched after the selection is confirmed, the input of the character for which the selection is confirmed is confirmed,
When the selection is confirmed due to the lapse of the first time, character input for executing a process of invalidating the operation on the confirmation key until the second time has elapsed from the time of the confirmation program. Displaying a plurality of the character keys on the touch panel,
The character input program according to claim 5, wherein when any one of the plurality of character keys is touched while the operation on the confirm key is invalid, the invalidity is released.

Images