JPS6213686B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a key input method for characters, for example, characters, and more specifically, the present invention relates to a key input method for characters, such as characters, and more specifically, a method for displaying characters at a predetermined display position by operating a key for inputting a desired character. Regarding the key input method of the character.

Conventionally, a plurality of character input keys individually corresponding to characters as characters are arranged, and by operating the character input keys, a desired character is displayed at a predetermined display position. However, since a large number of character input keys are required, there is a drawback that the operation surface of the character input keys becomes large. Particularly, although it is desired that devices such as electronic translators be made smaller, they cannot be made much smaller due to operability issues. Furthermore, although a method has been proposed in which a large number of characters can be input in sequence by changing the key operations of a small number of character input keys, it takes time to input a desired character when the number of characters is large.

The purpose of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned technical problems,
To provide a character key input method capable of reducing the operation surface of character input keys and inputting a desired character relatively quickly.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an electronic translator according to an embodiment of the present invention. On the top surface of the main body 1 of the electronic translator, there are a single character input key 2 for inputting English characters arranged in a predetermined order and some kana characters, and a single character input key 2 for inputting English characters arranged in a predetermined order and some kana characters arranged in a predetermined order. Another single character input key 3 for inputting other kana characters and special symbols, a display 5 for displaying input characters at a predetermined display position, and a display 5 for inputting characters displayed on the display 5. A reverse key 6 for moving characters in the opposite direction of the arrangement direction, a forward key 7 for moving characters from the characters displayed on the display 5 in the forward direction in the arrangement direction, and a function key 4. is provided. Function key 4
There is a clear key 8 for clearing, a translation key 9 for translating from English to Japanese or from Japanese to English, and a power-off, power-on, English-Japanese mode for inputting English characters, or a power-on, English-Japanese mode for inputting English characters, and a A mode switching key 10 for selecting a Japanese/English mode for inputting characters and special symbols is included. Each of these keys 2, 3,
4, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 form a keyboard 19.

When the mode switching key 10 is set to the English-Japanese mode, English characters are input in response to the pressing operation of the character input key 2. When the mode switching key 10 is set to the Japanese-English mode, kana characters and special symbols are input in response to pressing operations on the character input keys 2 and 3. If the input character is not the desired character, adjustment is made by operating the forward key 7 or reverse key 6, and the desired character is input.

Assume that the mode switching key 10 is in the English-Japanese mode and the character input key 2 is operated. If the character input key 2 near where the letter "p" is printed is pressed with the finger 11 as shown in FIG.
When "p" is input, "p" is displayed at a predetermined display position, that is, the first digit. If the displayed character "p" is not the desired character "o", pressing the reverse key 6 as shown in FIG. 2 will display the desired character "o" instead of the character "p". be done. Next, if the character input key 2 near where the character "n" is printed is pressed, "n" will be input as shown in Fig. 2, and "on" will be displayed in the first and second digits. be done. In this way, desired characters are input. Note that the same applies to kana characters and special symbols.

FIG. 3 is a simplified cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the character input keys 2 and 3. The character input keys 2 and 3 are made of a flexible and electrically insulating rubber sheet 31.
In addition to being integrally formed with the sheet-like body 31
It projects upward in a convex shape. Further, the character input keys 2 and 3 extend in a bar shape in the left-right direction as shown in the first diagram.
A common contact 32 made of flexible and conductive rubber is integrally provided at the bottom of the character input keys 2 and 3. A large number of short protrusions 33 are provided on the lower surface of the sheet-like body 31. On the substrate 34 corresponding to the lower surface of the sheet-like body 31, a plurality of individual contacts 35 are provided in a row in correspondence with the common contacts 32. The distance between the individual contacts 35 is a small distance shorter than the width of the finger 11. The common contact 32 and each individual contact 35 constitute a plurality of switches.

When the character input keys 2 and 3 are pressed with the finger 11, the common contact 32 and the individual contact 35 below the finger 11 are electrically connected. In other words, the switch below the finger 11 is turned on. The pressed area is detected by this switched on switch. When the finger 11 is separated from the character input keys 2 and 3, all the switches are shut off by the protrusion 33.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the main structure of the electronic translator. The microprocessor 18 is
Outputs the key strobe signal KS to the keyboard 19, and outputs the key return signal KI from the keyboard 19.
The operated key is determined by reading the . The microprocessor 18 also operates a memory 20 in which English and Japanese dictionary information is stored in advance.
(ROM) via the address bus 22, and the stored contents are read via the data bus 23. Inside the microprocessor 18,
A ROM 24 that stores a control program, a RAM 25 used as registers A, B, C, (not shown) is provided. The display control unit 21 has a built-in memory that stores lighting and non-lighting corresponding to each dot (segment) of the display 5, and information corresponding to the display pattern from the microprocessor 18 is written to the memory. Once the memory is loaded, a display signal for causing a predetermined display corresponding to the contents of the memory to be displayed continues to be outputted to the display 5 until the next information is written.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the procedure of character input processing. In the first step l1, a key strobe signal is sent to all keys of the keyboard 19.
KS is output, and in a second step 12 it is determined whether there is any input from any key on the keyboard 19. If not, the process returns to the first step 11, and if there is, the process proceeds to the third step 13. In the third step 13, it is determined whether the key input is from the character input keys 2 and 3.

For character input keys 2 and 3, the fourth step l
4, a key strobe signal KS is sequentially output to the character input keys 2 and 3. In the fifth step 15, it is determined which switch of the character input keys 2 and 3 is turned on. That is, it is determined which part of the character input keys 2 and 3 has been operated. That is, the pressed area is determined.
If there is no return signal KI from the switch, the process returns to the fourth step l4, and if there is a return signal KI from the switch, the process proceeds to the sixth step l6, where the character code corresponding to the conductive switch is stored in register B and register. Store them in C and C respectively. Further, in a seventh step 17, a key strobe signal KI is output, and it is determined whether the switch adjacent to the above-mentioned switch is conductive.

If the adjacent switch is conductive, the process proceeds to the ninth step 19, where the stored contents of the register C are cleared, and the character code corresponding to the adjacent switch is re-stored in the register C, and the process returns to the seventh step 17. If it is determined that the adjacent switch is blocking, the process starts from the eighth step l8.
10 Proceed to step l10. That is, both ends of the pressed area are detected.

In the tenth step l10, the stored contents of register B and the stored contents of register C are added and stored in register A. In other words, the character code stored in register B and register C
The character code stored in the arithmetic control unit 2
6, and the added character code is stored in register A. Next, the process proceeds to the 11th step l11, where the stored contents of register A are shifted to the right by 1 bit. Furthermore, the 12th step l12
The contents of register A shifted to the right by one bit are stored in the nth digit of register X.
This value of n represents the display position to be input. In addition, in preparation for inputting the next character, the pointer P is
It is incremented by "1".

For example, assume that a region near the letter "p" is pressed and switches corresponding to the letters "o", "p", and "q" are turned on. In register B,
A character code such as "00000011" is stored. A character code such as "00000101" is stored in register C. Therefore, the character code "00001000" is stored in register A. In the arithmetic processing unit 26, the stored contents of register A are halved, and the character code "00000100" corresponding to the character "p" is stored in register X. That is, shifting the stored contents of register A to the right by 1 bit is equivalent to halving the stored contents of register A. In addition,
The fraction is predetermined to be either rounded up or rounded down.

The character code thus stored in the register X at the twelfth step l12 is decoded by the display control section 21 at the thirteenth step l13, and the character "p" is displayed on the display 5 at the fourteenth step l14. From the 14th step l14, the process proceeds to the 15th step l15.

In the fifteenth step l15, it is determined whether the character input keys 2 and 3 have been separated. If the separation operation is not performed, the process returns to the 15th step l15 and continues to rotate until the separation operation is performed. When the separation operation is performed, the process returns to the first step 11.

In the third step l3, character input keys 2,
If the key is not 3, it is determined in the 16th step l16 whether the forward key 7 is pressed. If it is the forward key 7, proceed to the 17th step l17, increment the store contents of register A by "1", and
18 The stored contents of register A, which was incremented by 1 in step l18, are stored in n of register
Store in the digit (decrement by "1") and return to the first step l1. That is, the 14th step l14
If the displayed character "p" is not the desired character, move the desired character "q" to a predetermined position on the display 5 by operating the forward key 7 in the desired direction.
is displayed.

If it is not the forward key 7 at the 16th step l16, it is determined whether the forward key 6 is the reverse key 6 at the 19th step l19. If the reverse key is 6, the process proceeds to the 20th step l20, where the stored contents of register A are decremented by "1", and in the 18th step l18, the stored contents of register A, which were decremented by "1", are stored in the nth digit of register X. (“1”
Increment) and store it in the first step l1
Return to That is, if the character "p" displayed at the fourteenth step l14 is not the desired character, by operating the reverse key 6 in the desired direction, the desired character "o" is displayed at a predetermined position on the display 5. is displayed and input.

In the 19th step 119, if it is not the reverse key 6, another key processing routine (not shown) is entered, that is, the processing routine for the function key 4, and then the process returns to the first step 11.

In addition, in the description of the present invention, characters as characters are explained using English letters, kana characters, and special symbols, but other characters such as numbers, figures, etc. may be used. It goes without saying that other devices may also be used.

As described above, according to the present invention, the operation surface of the character input key can be made small, and a desired character can be input relatively quickly. Also,
Unlike the prior art, there is no need to check the character input keys while operating the keys, and a desired character can be input with fewer key operations, improving operability.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an electronic translator according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a diagram for explaining the character input operation, and Fig. 3 is a simplified view of the vicinity of character input keys 2 and 3. 4 is a block diagram showing the main structure of the electronic translator of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the procedure of character input processing. 2, 3... Character input key, 5... Display, 6...
...Reverse key, 7...Forward key, 11...Finger,
32...Common contact, 35...Individual contact.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A character key input method in which the character is displayed at a predetermined display position by operating a key for inputting a desired character, comprising: a plurality of characters arranged in a predetermined order; A single character input key is arranged between the characters, a pressed area along the arrangement direction by the pressing operation of the character input key is detected, a single character within the pressed area is displayed, and the displayed character is By operating a forward or reverse key for moving the displayed character forward or backward in the arrangement direction, the displayed character is erased and a different character adjacent to the displayed character is moved in the direction of movement. A character key input method characterized by displaying a character.