JP2003316500A - Input device and method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an input device capable of improving operability of electronic equipment. <P>SOLUTION: The input device comprises a key input means (an operation part 3) for detecting whether first-depth or second-depth depression is made with an input key, with a two-depth switch employed; a key input lookup table 11 for storing an input process content through first-depth depression with the input key and an input process content through second-depth depression with the input key; and a CPU 1 for executing an input process in accordance with the input process content through the first-depth depression when the first-depth depression with the input key is detected, and an input process in accordance with the input process content through the second-depth depression when the second-depth depression with the input key is detected. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an input device and an input method suitable for use in electronic equipment such as mobile phones.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, mobile phones have been provided with a character input function for creating electronic mail and editing a telephone directory. As a conventional character input method for a mobile phone, a plurality of specific characters are assigned to each ten-key for inputting a telephone number, and the input characters are sequentially selected and displayed according to the number of times the ten-key is pressed from the assigned characters. Things are known. For example, the "1" key is generally assigned the character "A row" of the kana character. And
Press the "1" key once to display "A", press twice to select "I", press three times to select "U", press four times to select "E",
When you press the key 5 times, "O" is displayed as the input character. Also, if you press it 6 times, it will return to "A" and be displayed.
The characters "A line" are displayed cyclically according to the number of times the ten keys are pressed. As a result, the user can select and confirm the input characters while pressing the ten keys to display the input characters.

[0003]

However, in the above-described conventional character input method, the characters assigned to the ten keys are circulated and displayed according to the number of times the ten keys are pressed. If the key is pressed too many times, the numeric keypad for one more turn has to be pressed in order to select a desired character, which causes a problem of inefficient character input. For example, if you want to select “I” and you accidentally press the “1” key three times, “U” will be displayed. To display “I”, you must press the “1” key four more times. Don't

For this reason, it is convenient if the input characters can be selected by the backward feeding. Therefore, it is desired to realize the switching between the forward feeding and the backward feeding of the input character selection order by a simple operation. Similarly, it is required that simple operations be performed to convert uppercase and lowercase letters and to change character input modes (kanji input mode, katakana input mode, alphabetic input mode, number input mode, etc.). There is.

When using the phonebook of a mobile phone, the user generally presses the phonebook key to call the phonebook menu, and then, for example, calls the registration information of "A row". If you want to call the registration information of "Ah" by pressing the "1" key, the operability at the time of calling this phonebook registration information is poor, and you can call the desired phonebook registration information with a simple operation. There is also a desire to want.

The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an input device and an input method capable of improving the operability of an electronic device.

[0007]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the input device of the present invention uses a two-step push switch for an input key, which is either the first step or the second step of the input key. A key input means for detecting whether or not is pressed,
Storage means for storing the contents of the input process by pressing the first step of the input key and the contents of the input process by pressing the second step, and the input process according to the contents of the input process by pressing the first step of the input key And an input processing unit that executes the input processing according to the contents of the input processing by the second-step depression by detecting the second-step depression of the input key. According to the present invention, since the input processing means executes the input processing according to the content of the input processing corresponding to the number of pressed steps of the input key (first step or second step), different operations can be realized by only one input key. Therefore, the operability of the electronic device can be improved.

In the present invention, the input key is
A plurality of specific characters are assigned in advance, and the contents of the input process by pressing the first step are the contents of the forward feed mode and the contents of the reverse feed mode that indicate the order of selecting the input characters from the specific characters. There is a feature that the input processing content by pressing the second step is to switch between the forward feed mode and the reverse feed mode. According to the present invention, the input processing means, by pressing the first step of the input key,
The input character is selected from the characters of the press key according to the setting contents of the current input character selection order, and each time the second step of the input key is pressed, the forward character mode and reverse character mode are selected as the input character selection order mode. Since they are set alternately, it is possible to switch the order of input character selection between forward and reverse by a simple operation of pressing the second stage of the same input key for character input.

In the present invention, the input key is
Specific characters that can be written in uppercase and lowercase are assigned in advance, and the input processing content by pressing the first step is to select the specific character as an input character, and input by pressing the second step. The processing contents are such that uppercase letters and lowercase letters are mutually converted for the specific character. According to this invention, the input processing means selects the character of the pressed key as the input character by pressing the first step of the input key, and further, by pressing the second step of the input key, the uppercase letters of the selected input character are displayed. Since the mutual conversion between the uppercase and the lowercase is performed, the conversion between the uppercase and the lowercase can be realized by a simple operation of pressing the second stage of the same input key for character input.

Further, in the present invention, the input key is
Specific characters that can be written in uppercase and lowercase are assigned in advance, and the input processing content by pressing the first step is to select the specific character as an input character, and input by pressing the second step. The processing content is characterized by switching between an uppercase input mode and a lowercase input mode. According to the present invention, the input processing means selects the character of the pressed key as the input character by pressing the first step of the input key, and further presses the second step of the input key to input the uppercase character input mode and the lowercase character input mode. Are alternately set, it is possible to switch between the uppercase character input mode and the lowercase character input mode by a simple operation of pressing the second input key of the same input key for character input.

Further, in the present invention, the input key is
A specific character is assigned in advance, the input processing content by pressing the first step is to select the specific character as an input character, and the input processing content by pressing the second step is a plurality of specific characters. It is characterized in that it indicates the order of selecting one of the input modes. According to the present invention, the input processing means selects the character of the pressed key as an input character by pressing the first step of the input key, and further sequentially selects the specific character input mode by pressing the second step of the input key. Therefore, the character input mode can be changed by a simple operation of pressing the same input key for character input as the second step.

Further, in the present invention, the input processing means, when the character input mode is changed by the detection of the pressing of the second step, clears the selected input character by pressing the first step of the input key. Is preferred. According to the present invention, the input processing means clears the selected input character by pressing the first step immediately before when changing the character input mode, so that the labor for clearing the input character can be omitted.

Further, in the present invention, the input key is
A specific character is assigned in advance, the input processing content by pressing the first step is to select the specific character as an input character, and the input processing content by pressing the second step is the same as the specific character. The present invention is characterized in that the predetermined registration information related thereto is called. According to the present invention, the input processing means selects the character of the press key as the input character by pressing the first step of the input key, and further relates to the character of the press key by pressing the second step of the input key. Since the predetermined registration information to be called is called, it is possible to call the desired registration information such as the phone book registration information by a simple operation of pressing the second step of the same input key for character input.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the input method of the present invention employs a two-stage push switch, which is one of the input keys.
When the process of detecting whether the first step or the second step is pressed and the first step pressing of the input key is detected, the input process is performed according to the preset input process contents by the first step pressing. The process of execution and 2 of the input keys
When the second-step press is detected, a process of executing the input process according to the preset input process contents by the second-step press is included. According to the present invention, it is possible to realize different operations with only one input key by executing the input processing according to the content of the corresponding input processing according to the number of pressed steps of the input key (first step or second step). Therefore, the operability of the electronic device can be improved.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, a case where the input device of the present invention is applied to a mobile phone will be described as an example. FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of the mobile phone according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 1, the mobile phone includes a CPU (central processing unit) 1 for controlling each circuit unit, a storage unit 2 for storing programs and various data of the CPU 1, a numeric keypad for inputting a telephone number, various function keys, and the like. A communication processing unit that transmits / receives a wireless signal through an operation unit 3 provided, a display unit 4 including a liquid crystal display panel and a display control circuit, and an antenna 5, and performs communication control for establishing a wireless telephone line. 6 and a voice processing unit 7 that processes voice transmitted and received via the wireless telephone line established by the communication processing unit 6.
And a microphone 8 for inputting voice to the voice processing unit 7,
A speaker 9 that outputs the voice input from the voice processing unit 7.
Composed of and.

The key input correspondence table 1 is stored in the storage unit 2.
1 is recorded in advance. The key input correspondence table 11 stores the contents of input processing by each key of the operation unit 3.

FIG. 2 shows a part of the key structure of the operation unit 3 of FIG. FIG. 2 shows a configuration example of the numeric keys A1 to A10. Numeric keys A1 to A9 and A10 are numeric input keys of 1 to 9 and are assigned a plurality of specific characters. For example, the numeric keypad A of the "1" input key
The kana character "A line" is assigned to 1. Further, the ten keys A2 of the "2" input key are assigned the kana character "ka line" and the alphabetic characters (A to C).

In the operation section 3, the ten keys A1 to
A key input unit is constructed by using a two-step push switch for A10. FIG. 3 shows an example of the configuration of this key input unit. In FIG. 3, ten two-step push switches 21 corresponding to the ten keys A1 to A10 are connected to the input detection unit 22, respectively. The second-stage push switch 21 outputs the first-stage connection signal by pressing the first stage, and outputs the second-stage connection signal by further pressing the first stage (second stage).

The input detection unit 22 includes ten keys A1 to A10.
For each two-step push switch 21 corresponding to, the first-step press signal is detected by the first-step connection signal, and a key input signal for notifying the presence of the first-step press of the corresponding key is output. Similarly,
The second stage connection signal is used to detect the second stage depression, and a key input signal for notifying that the second stage of the corresponding key is depressed is output. Based on this key input signal, the CPU 1 of FIG. 1 detects the presence of input by pressing the first key or the second key of each of the ten keys A1 to A10. As a result, each numeric keypad A
1 to A10 enable the input by pressing the first step and the input by pressing the button in the other step (second step).

FIG. 4 shows a configuration example of the key input correspondence table 11 of FIG. In FIG. 4, numeric keys A1 to A of FIG.
The content regarding 10 is the content of input processing at the time of inputting kana characters. As shown in FIG. 4, the key input correspondence table 11 stores the input processing contents by pressing the first step and the input processing contents by pressing the second step for each of the ten keys A1 to A10.

The input processing contents by pressing the first step are composed of contents in the forward feed mode and contents in the reverse feed mode. The contents in the forward feed mode are to sequentially select the input characters from the letters on the kana line of the pressed numeric keypad in the forward feed according to the number of presses. In the reverse feed mode, the input characters are sequentially selected from the characters on the kana line of the pressed numeric keypad by reverse feed according to the number of times of pressing.

For example, in the case of the ten key A1 of the "1" input key, in the forward feed mode, the CPU 1 circulates the characters "A line" in the order of "A" to "O" each time the first step is pressed. It is selected and displayed on the screen of the display unit 4. On the other hand, in the reverse feed mode, the CPU 1 circulates and selects and displays the characters "A line" in the order of "O" to "A" each time the first step is pressed.

The content of the input process by pressing the second step is to switch the forward feed mode and the reverse feed mode by pressing the second step. For example, the CPU 1 sets the initial value of the input character selection order mode at the time of kana character input to the forward feed mode, and when any one of the ten keys A1 to A10 is pressed at the second stage during the kana character input, the backward feed mode is set. Change the input character selection order mode setting to
When any one of to A10 is pressed in the second step, the forward feeding mode and the backward feeding mode are alternately repeated to set the input character selection order mode.

Next, with reference to FIG. 5, an operation relating to the input of kana characters by the ten keys A1 to A10 of the mobile phone of FIG. 1 will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of input processing performed by the CPU 1 shown in FIG. In FIG.
The CPU 1 uses the ten keys A1 to A based on the key input signal.
It is determined whether or not any one of 10 has been pressed in the first step (step S1). Next, when any one of the ten keys A1 to A10 (here, the ten key A1 for convenience) is pressed down for the first step, the key input correspondence table 11 of the storage unit 2 is referred to (step S2). Next, among the contents of the input process by pressing the first step, according to the contents of the input process of the currently set input character selection order mode (here, forward mode for convenience), the corresponding kana character of the numeric keypad A1 (here, the third character for convenience) "U" corresponding to the first-step depression of "" is selected and displayed as an input character (step S
3).

Next, the CPU 1 determines whether or not the ten-key A1 has been depressed in the second step (step S4). Here, if the second step is not pressed within a predetermined time after the first step is pressed, the CPU 1 determines that the second step is not pressed, and returns to step S1.

On the other hand, if the second step is pressed, the CPU 1
Changes the setting of the input character selection order mode from the forward feed mode to the reverse feed mode in accordance with the contents of the input processing by pressing the second step of the key input correspondence table 11, and the above step S1.
It returns to (step S5). After this, ten keys A1 to A
When 10 is pressed in the first step, the CPU 1 selects and displays a kana character by reverse feeding. Therefore, although "u" is currently selected and displayed as the input character, the user can return to "i" and select and display the input character by pressing the ten-key A1 only once for the first step. . Further, when it is desired to return the input character selection order mode to the forward mode, any one of ten keys A1 to A10 may be pressed in the second step.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the key input section is constructed by using the two-step push switch on the ten-key pad. Then, when the first key of the numeric keypad is pressed, an input character is selected from the characters of the pressed key according to the current setting contents of the input character selection order mode. In addition, each time the second key of the numeric keypad is pressed, the forward character mode and the reverse character mode are set alternately as the input character selection order mode. It can be realized by a simple operation of pressing the second key of the same numeric keypad as. This gives, for example,
Even if the user mistakenly presses the numeric keypad one more time when inputting kana characters, it becomes possible to return to the previous input character and select it as the reverse feed mode with a simple operation of pressing the second key of the numeric keypad. Thus, the operability of the mobile phone can be improved.

In the above embodiment, the case of inputting kana characters has been described as an example. However, various characters such as katakana, English characters, symbol characters (“?”, “!”, “#”, Etc.) The same can be applied to the case of input.

Further, as another embodiment, the present invention may be applied to conversion between uppercase and lowercase characters such as kana characters, katakana, and English characters. In this case, key input correspondence table 1
It is set to perform mutual conversion between uppercase and lowercase in the input processing contents by pressing the second key of the ten keys A1 to A10. For example, for inputting English characters, the numeric keypad A2 shown in FIG. 2 is used.
Since a plurality of alphabetic characters are assigned to each of A9 to A9, the contents of the input process by pressing the ten keys A2 to A9 at the second stage are converted into uppercase and lowercase letters.

As a result, the CPU 1 sets the initial value of the upper / lower case selection mode to the lower case mode, for example, when inputting an alphabetic character, and in response to the number of times the ten-key A2 is pressed in the first step (for example, 3 times), the lower case character (“c”). When is selected, when the key is further pressed in the second row, the lowercase letter (“c”) is converted to an uppercase letter (“C”). Similarly, the conversion from uppercase letters to lowercase letters is also performed by pressing the second step.

By doing so, uppercase and lowercase letters can be converted by the simple operation of pressing the second key of the same ten-key pad for character input, and the operability of the mobile phone can be improved. Is obtained.

Note that, similarly to the switching of the input character selection order mode described above, the uppercase character input mode and the lowercase character input mode may be switched alternately. As a result, it becomes possible to switch between the uppercase input mode and the lowercase input mode by a simple operation of pressing the second key of the same numeric keypad as for character input, and the operability of the mobile phone can be improved. can get.

As another embodiment, it may be applied to change the character input mode (Kanji input mode, Katakana input mode, English character input mode, number input mode, etc.). In this case, the input processing contents by pressing the ten keys A1 to A10 of the key input correspondence table 11 in the second step include, for example, “Kanji input mode” → “Katakana input mode” → “English character input mode” → “Numerical input mode”. → Set to cycle through "Kanji input mode" ..., and select the character input mode.

Thus, when a character is input, the CPU 1 sets the initial value of the character input mode to the Chinese character input mode, and depresses any one of the ten keys on the second stage to change the character input mode to the katakana input mode. Or later,
When the second key of any of the ten keys is pressed, the character input mode is sequentially changed.

By doing so, the character input mode can be changed by a simple operation of pressing the second key of the same ten-key pad for character input, and the operability of the mobile phone can be improved. can get. When the character input mode is changed by pressing the second key of the numeric keypad (for example, numeric keypad A1) (for example, "Kanji input mode" → "Katakana input mode"), the input character selected by pressing the first key of the key is changed. By clearing ("A"), the time and effort required for clearing the input character ("A") can be saved, so that the usability is improved.

Further, as another embodiment, the present invention may be applied to calling of telephone directory registration information in a normal telephone call mode. In this case, predetermined registration information related to the specific character assigned to the pressed numeric keypad is called. For this reason, the contents of the input processing by pressing the second key of the ten keys A1 to A10 of the key input correspondence table 11 are set to call the telephone directory registration information of the corresponding kana row for each of the ten keys A1 to A10. For example, the ten-key A1 is set to call the registration information in the "A" row. In addition, key input correspondence table 1
For the input processing contents by pressing the first key of the ten-key numeric keys A1 to A9, A10, the numbers "1" to "9" and "0" are selected as input characters for telephone number input as in the conventional case. To do.

As a result, the CPU 1, when in the telephone call mode, presses the second key of the ten-key A1, for example,
The registered data in the "A" line is read out from the telephone directory data in the storage unit 2 and displayed. By doing so, desired phonebook registration information can be called by a simple operation of pressing the same input key for character input as the second step, and the operability of the mobile phone can be improved. can get. Note that the same can be applied to calling registration information other than the telephone directory.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the invention is applied to the mobile phone has been described as an example, but the invention can be applied to other electronic devices. For example, the same applies to mobile devices such as cordless phones, remote control devices such as televisions, mobile music playback devices, and mobile terminals called PDA (Personal Digital Assistants). You can

In addition, although there is a problem of downsizing in portable equipment, since it is not necessary to provide a new key by using a two-step push switch, the operability of the equipment is improved without hindering the downsizing. It has an excellent effect that it can be done.

In the embodiment described above, FIG.
The key input section composed of the two-step push switch 21 and the input detection section 22 shown in (1) corresponds to the key input means. The storage unit 2 that stores the key input correspondence table 11 corresponds to a storage unit. Also, a CP that executes the input process shown in FIG.
U1 corresponds to the input processing means.

The embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and design changes and the like within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention. included.

[0042]

As described above, according to the present invention,
By executing the input processing according to the corresponding input processing content according to the number of pressed steps of the input key (first step or second step), it is possible to realize different operations with only one input key, and to operate the electronic device. It is possible to improve the property.

Further, according to the present invention, every time the input key for character input is pressed in the second step, the forward character mode and the backward character mode are alternately set as the input character selection order mode.
It is possible to realize switching of the input character selection order between forward and reverse by a simple operation of pressing the same input key for character input as the second step.

Further, according to the present invention, when the input key for character input is pressed in the second step, the uppercase and lowercase characters of the selected input character are converted to each other. It can be realized by a simple operation of pressing the same input key in the second step.

Further, according to the present invention, since the uppercase input mode and the lowercase input mode are alternately set by pressing the second stage of the input key for character input, switching between the uppercase input mode and the lowercase input mode is performed by the character input. This can be realized by a simple operation of pressing the same input key as the input key for the second step.

Further, according to the present invention, since the specific character input mode is sequentially selected by pressing the input key for character input in the second step, the change of the character input mode can be changed by the second step of the same input key for character input. It can be realized by a simple operation of pressing the eyes.

Further, according to the present invention, when the character input mode is changed, since the selected input character is cleared by pressing the first step immediately before, it is possible to save the trouble of clearing the input character. This has the effect of improving usability.

Further, according to the present invention, by pressing the input key for character input in the second step, predetermined registration information related to the character of the pressed key is called, so that desired registration information such as telephone directory registration information is obtained. Can be called by a simple operation of pressing the same input key as the character input for the second step.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a mobile phone to which an input device of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a part of a key configuration of an operation unit 3 shown in FIG.

3 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a key input unit of an operation unit 3 shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a key input correspondence table 11 shown in FIG.

5 is a flowchart showing a flow of input processing performed by the CPU 1 shown in FIG.

[Explanation of Codes] 1 ... CPU, 2 ... Storage unit, 3 ... Operation unit, 4 ... Display unit, 5
... antenna, 6 ... communication processing unit, 7 ... voice processing unit, 8 ... microphone, 9 ... speaker, 11 ... key input correspondence table, 2
1 ... Two-step push switch, 22 ... Input detection unit, A1 to A1
0 ... Numeric keypad

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A key input means comprising a two-step push switch for an input key, for detecting whether the first step or the second step of the input key is pressed, and the first step of the input key. Storage means for storing the input processing contents by pressing and the input processing contents by pressing the second step; executing the input processing according to the input processing contents by pressing the first step by detecting the first pressing of the input key; An input processing unit that executes an input process in accordance with the contents of the input process performed by the second-step press detection of the second-step press detection. 2. The input key is a key to which a plurality of specific characters are assigned in advance, and the content of the input process by pressing the first step indicates a sequence of selecting an input character from the specific characters. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the input content is a content of a mode and a content of a reverse feed mode, and the content of the input process by pressing the second step is to switch between the forward feed mode and the reverse feed mode. 3. The input key is pre-assigned a specific character that can be written in uppercase and lowercase, and the contents of the input process by pressing the first step is to select the specific character as an input character. 2. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the contents of the input process by pressing the second step are mutual conversion between uppercase letters and lowercase letters for the specific character. 4. The input key is pre-assigned with a specific character that can be written in uppercase and lowercase, and the contents of the input process by pressing the first step is to select the specific character as an input character. 2. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the content of the input process by pressing the second step is to switch between an uppercase character input mode and a lowercase character input mode. 5. The input key is assigned a specific character in advance, and the input processing content by pressing the first step is to select the specific character as an input character, and the second step is pressed. 2. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the input processing content by means of indicating the order of selecting any one of the plurality of specific character input modes. 6. The input processing means, when the character input mode is changed by the detection of the second-stage press, clears the selected input character by pressing the first-stage of the input key. The input device according to claim 5. 7. The input key is assigned a specific character in advance, and the input processing content by pressing the first step is to select the specific character as an input character, and the second step is pressed. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the content of the input process is to call predetermined registration information related to the specific character. 8. A process of detecting which one of the first and second steps of the input key is pressed using a two-step push switch, and when the first step of the input key is detected, The process of executing the input process according to the preset input process contents by the first-step depression, and the detection of the second-stage depression of the input key, according to the preset input process contents by the second-stage depression An input method, comprising: a step of performing input processing;