JPH056240A - System and device for inputting characters and coordinates with one hand - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce an area to be set and to enable inputting even with one hand by arranging devices to detect the motions of finger tops corresponding to plural fingers and inputting cooridinates according to a contact place and the movement of the finger between the areas set later. CONSTITUTION:In the device to detect the contact of finger tops or pushing-down, parts contacted or pushed down by the finger tops are arranged as one line in the direction of moving the finger top. This arrangement is executed concerning the plural fingers. Next, after the part is contacted or pushed down by the finger, the finger is separated as it is and additionally, the other input excepting for the separation is enabled according to the movement of the finger before the separation and after the contact of the finger. In this device, five parts 1-20 to be contacted or pushed down are provided concerning the thumb, forefinger, middle finger and ring finger, and one part 21 to be contacted or pushed down is provided concerning the little finger. Since the devices to detect approach or contact to a certain area and to measure the position of the finger are provided concerning the plural fingers, the input of characters and coordinates or the like to a computer can be instructed according to the positions of fingers in the case of contact and the positions of the fingers in the case of separation.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a device used for inputting instructions for operating a computer, such as inputting characters to a computer and moving coordinates.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As conventional techniques for inputting characters into a computer or the like, there are a JIS keyboard, a Japanese syllabary keyboard, a Roman alphabet keyboard, a handwriting input device and the like. The coordinate pointing device may be a mouse, a tablet, a joystick, or the like.

[0003]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] With a conventional keyboard, when holding with one hand and inputting with the other hand,
When inputting with one hand, it is very inefficient, and you cannot input it without looking at the keys. The number of keys cannot be reduced, which is an obstacle to computer miniaturization. In addition, handwriting input is disadvantageous in terms of time. It is difficult to understand the explanation of the operation of the computer when a certain input is made because it is made by the characters printed on the keys. The character input device and the coordinate input device are separate, and it takes time to move the hand when operating together. When inputting, a sound is generated by touching or pressing, so if used in a quiet place, people around will be annoyed. There are many keys.
Only one character can be entered per stroke. In order to directly input the kanji, the assigned code must be input by operating the key twice or more, or a pen touch type input device must be used. Also, it is difficult to remember the correspondence between the assigned code and the kanji. I cannot attach the input device to my body. The display of the type of characters to enter, such as kana input and alphabetic input, is far from the input position.

[0004]

[Means for Solving the Problems] Not only the contact but also the movement of the finger after the contact is made to be released to reduce the number of areas and increase the number of cases where input is possible. In order to represent the type of input, we introduce a symbol that makes it possible to directly understand the contact area and the subsequent movement of the finger, and we will also explain the character in relation to that symbol. In order to detect the position of the finger in a non-contact manner, light, ultrasonic waves, etc. are transmitted in the air,
Utilizes the phenomenon of interacting with the finger. The number of recognitions should be reduced, and 27 types of input should be devised so that an alphabet can be input. Make arrangements so that multiple fingers can be contacted in order and multiple characters can be entered at once. Make arrangements so that multiple fingers can be contacted in order and kanji can be entered at once. Characters are assigned based on their reading for kanji so that the relationship between the kanji and the place where the finger touches, the order of contact, and the moving direction of the finger after touching can be easily remembered. A device for detecting the angle of the joint is attached to the joint, and the function such as movement of characters and coordinates is designated by the value of the detected angle. Make sure you know the type of characters to enter in the form of a cursor. By arranging an object that touches the finger, the position of the finger can be recognized.

[0005]

[Function] Not only the position where the finger is touched, but the number of input cases is increased by adding the movement of the finger after touching or approaching. Therefore, the number of positions in the learning area is reduced. It becomes easy to input without looking. You can also expect to save space. By detecting the angle of the joint and using it for input, the space of the input device can be reduced. It becomes easier to understand the operation of the computer by using the symbols that directly express the movement of the finger on the screen or in the manual. The coordinates can be specified by detecting the front and back positions of the fingertip and using a combination of two or more values. Further, with the same device for inputting characters, it is possible to switch between inputting characters and inputting coordinates by merely moving the fingertips without changing the position of the hand. Therefore, the inconvenience associated with the movement of the hand position can be eliminated. By allocating one row of regions to one finger, the pronation and supination movements of the hand become unnecessary. By changing the assignment of letters, many types of letters can be entered. By being able to input 27 types of characters, it becomes possible to input alphabets with one assignment table. You can speed up typing by entering multiple characters at once. By directly inputting kanji, ambiguity due to kana-kanji conversion can be eliminated. By assigning two sounds based on the reading and assigning a finger movement based on the two sounds to the kanji, the learning efficiency is increased. By displaying the type of the input character by the shape of the cursor, the movement of the line of sight is reduced and the work efficiency is improved.
By arranging the object in the vicinity of the area, the position of each area can be estimated by touching the object with a finger, and mistakes in the contacted area can be reduced.

[0006]

EXAMPLE FIG. 1 shows an example of an arrangement of regions to which a finger contacts. In this example, the device is operated by the right hand, and five regions arranged in the moving direction of the fingertip are allocated to the thumb, index finger, middle finger, and ring finger. These five areas are called “dan”,
From the front, we call them the bottom, bottom, middle, top, and top. Input is performed by bringing a finger into contact with this area and releasing the finger as it is, or by moving the finger to an adjacent area and then releasing the finger. The movement from the contact to the release of the finger is called "finger direction", the release of the finger after the contact is "immovable", the forward movement is "downward", and the opposite is "upward". Since the little finger cannot be moved dexterously, only one area is provided. Note that the technique for detecting the contact of a finger is known. In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, a switch that can input three types of pressing and movement in the front direction and the opposite direction, as shown in FIG.
A device that allows the same input by allocating 3 to 5 books is also conceivable. A device in which the regions of the thumbs are arranged at right angles to the others so that the region shown in FIG. 1 can be fitted to the shape of the hand and the display device can be arranged between the regions of the index finger and the thumb is also possible. . It is also possible to further subdivide the region shown in FIG. 1 in the direction in which the fingertip moves. By doing so, the position of the finger can be detected more finely, and the finer operation can be performed when the coordinate operation is performed by this device. A device that uses light to detect the front, rear, and upper and lower positions of the finger is also conceivable. This is provided with a device that detects whether the lowest part of the finger is above or below the light path by blocking the light path with the finger, and makes the light cut correspond to the contact of the finger. Regarding the position of the front and back of the finger, in addition to the method of blocking the light by the finger, the direction of the light applied to the finger is changed by a rotating reflecting mirror, etc., and the intensity of the light reflected by the finger to the highly directional light receiving device It is also possible to detect the position of the finger and determine the front and back positions of the finger by changing the direction of the light to the finger and the intensity of the reflected light from the finger. A plurality of fingers are provided with such a light distance measuring device. In this way, it is possible to specify the coordinates and the approaching area by moving the finger after blocking the light to detect the obtained finger position, especially the up and down of the fingertip. become. A device that can detect the front and rear positions of a finger from an echo of an ultrasonic wave can be used similarly to the device using light. This utilizes the fact that the finger reflects the ultrasonic wave, and the position of the finger can be obtained from the time from the transmission of the pulse of the ultrasonic wave to the reception of the reflected wave. Regarding the upper and lower positions, a method using light or a method of detecting contact with a certain object can be considered. In this way, by utilizing the phenomenon of interacting with the finger, two types of values are used for the upper and lower sides of the finger, whether or not they are in contact with each other, or whether they are above or below a certain boundary, and about 5 before and after. If a device devised so as to be able to represent more than one kind of value or a continuous value is used, it is possible to input in the same manner as the above method. For the sake of simplicity, with respect to the upper and lower sides of the finger, the time below the boundary is referred to as “contact”.
As an example of the method for specifying the coordinates, a method of performing a horizontal operation with the thumb and a vertical operation with the middle finger and moving the coordinates with the movement of the finger in contact can be considered. Devices are known for detecting the angle of a joint using an optical fiber whose light decreases when bent. For fingers other than the little finger, the angle of two joints, for example, the angle of the metacarpophalangeal joint and the proximal phalangeal joint, or one joint for the thumb,
Can detect the angle of one direction. By assigning one of these values to the up and down movements of the fingertip and one value to the forward and backward movements of the fingertip, it is possible to instruct the computer to input characters and operate coordinates in the same manner as the above method. For example, the bending of the metacarpophalangeal joint is used for distinguishing the upper and lower sides of the fingertip, that is, contact and non-contact, and the bending of the proximal phalanx joint is converted to the position in the anterior-posterior direction of the fingertip. Regarding the thumb, a value can be obtained from two directions, that is, a direction in which the thumb is separated from the index finger and a direction in which the thumb is rotated around the index finger. FIG. 2 shows an example of a symbol that represents a region in which the finger comes into contact and a direction in which the finger moves until it is released. The arrow indicates that the finger is brought into contact with the root region, and the finger is moved to the region at the tip of the arrow and released. In the example of this symbol, the areas assigned to the thumb and index finger are arranged on the left side of the vertical line, and for the middle finger and the ring finger, they are arranged on the right side of the vertical line. Vertical line 3
A square with one side of one-half the length is defined as one area, and 5
The middle one of the two areas should be level with the middle of the vertical line. For the little finger, contact was made when there was the same line as the vertical line to the right of the area of the ring finger, and no contact was made when there was no line. It is possible to express the order in which the fingers are brought into contact with each other by the size of the portion showing the direction of the finger after the touch. For example, the larger ones are contacted first. By using this symbol on screens and manuals, it becomes easier to understand the functions of the computer. The position of the vertical line may be placed between other fingers, for example, between the thumb and the index finger. Also, make the vertical line a dotted line, change the color,
You can display whether or not the input is possible by deleting it. FIG. 3 illustrates an example of the assignment of alphabetic lowercase letters, alphabetic capital letters, numbers, and symbols using the symbols described in FIG. It is designed so that you can easily enter frequently used characters. In this assignment, since the thumb is not used for inputting characters, it is possible to use the thumb for specifying assignment change. Further, the character table can be changed relatively easily by software or the like, and the user may make a character allocation table for himself. FIG. 4 shows the index finger, the middle finger,
It is an example of character allocation by using one of the ring fingers and the thumb at the same time. Note that “at the same time” means that there is a moment when two fingers are in contact with each other.
Here, the order of contact of two fingers that contact each other does not matter. To input two characters in the assigned character table at once, touch the fingers in that order. However,
When inputting the characters in the same column of the character table, touch your thumb at the same time. "At once" means between the time a finger is touched and all the fingers are released. Also, the uppercase alphabet table is "A table", the lowercase alphabet table is "a table", and the numerical symbol table is "0".
Table ”. Regarding the input of two characters, two fingers out of the index finger, the middle finger, and the ring finger are contacted at the same time in order.
At the same time, touch the thumb. At this time, if the step and direction of the thumb are “upper row immovable”, “A table” + “A table”, and the second character is the first character and the character in the same row on the character table. If it is "upward," then "A table" + "A table", the second character is the first character and the character in a different column on the character table. If it is "upward downward", it is "A table" + "a table", and the second character is the first character and the character in another column on the character table. "Middle-up" is "a table" +
In the "a table", the second character is a character in a different column from the first character in the character table. If it is "middle stage immobility", "a table" + "a table",
The second character is the character in the same column as the first character in the character table.
If it is "middle row downward", it is "A table" + "a table", and the second character is the character in the same column on the character table as the first character. If it is "downward upward", it is "0 table" + "0 table", and the second character is the first character and the character in another column on the character table. If it is "Lower Fudo", it is "0 table" + "0 table", and the second character is the first character and the character in the same column on the character table. If they are in the same row, 2
As for the finger for specifying the step and direction of the character, if the finger on the little finger side is selected from the fingers other than the finger used for the first character, more types of input can be performed. To enter three characters of one assigned character table at a time, first indicate the first column, the direction of the finger, and the row of the character table with the first finger of the index finger, middle finger, and ring finger. . The column of the second character, the direction of the finger, is indicated by the index finger, the middle finger, the ring finger, and the finger on the thumb side of the two fingers other than the first finger that touches. specify. In other words, if the step of the thumb is the upper row, the second character is the right column of the character table, and if it is the middle row, the second character is the middle row of the character table.
In the lower row, the second character is the left column of the character table. The row of the third character and the direction of the finger are indicated by the remaining one of the index finger, the middle finger, and the ring finger, and the row of the character table is designated by the direction of the thumb. That is, if facing upward, the third character is the right column of the character table, if it is immovable,
The third character is the middle column of the character table, and if it is facing downward, the third character is the left column of the character table. In this method, the finger showing the first character of the index finger, the middle finger, and the ring finger has to be brought into contact with the other fingers before the other fingers, but the remaining two fingers have the second character on the thumb side and the third finger on the little finger side. Since it is decided that it is the first character, the temporal relationship of contact does not matter for these two fingers, so it is easier to input. When the little fingers are touched at the same time, the input speed can be increased by devising a space after the input character. FIG. 5 shows an example of an assignment table of kana, numbers and symbols. The assignment is based on the Japanese syllabary as much as possible, and it is devised so that the dull sounds corresponding to single notes come to similar positions. "Ah"
"A table" and "ha" that contain kana from "to"
A table including the following kana will be referred to as a “ha table”, and a table including a dakuon and a semi-voiced sound will be referred to as a “ba table”. When inputting two characters at a time from these three tables, the first finger of the index finger, the middle finger, and the ring finger comes into contact with the first character table row,
Specify the step and finger direction. The second contacting finger of the index finger, the middle finger, and the ring finger designates the column, step, and finger direction of the second character table. However, when the columns of the first and second character tables are the same, the little finger is touched at the same time and the index finger, middle finger,
Use the little finger side of the two fingers of the ring finger other than the one used for the first character. The type of the character table of the first character is designated by the step of the thumb. In other words, "a table" is the lower row, "ha table" is the middle row, and "ba table" is the upper row.
The type of the second character table is specified by the direction of the thumb. In other words, if it is “A front”, it is immovable, if “A front” is downward,
If it's a "face", then face up. Also, when inputting two characters at a time including the numerical symbol table, the thumb is "non-contact".
When "A table" + "A table", "Upward upward""Batable" + "Ba table", "Upper stationary" When "Ba table" + "A table", "Upward downward""Batable" + "Ha table", when "upward""watable" + "Ba table", "middle fixed""watable" + "a table", "middle downward""watable"
+ "Ha table", "bottom upward""atable" + "ba table", "bottom immovable""numerical symbol table" + "numerical symbol table", "bottom downward""atable" + "Ha is a table". In addition, to make a single sound of "A front" after the tapping sound, the little finger is touched at the same time, and the second finger of the index finger, the middle finger, and the ring finger has two fingers other than the first finger. Use my thumb side and specify the step and direction with the second finger. The direction of the thumb is used to indicate a row in the character assignment table for one sound after the sound of the thumb. That is, for example, when the thumb is pointing upward, the right column is designated, when it is immovable, the middle column is designated, and when it is facing downward, the left column is designated. The type of the table of the first note is specified by the step of the thumb. That is, for example, a table containing "Hya" in the upper row, a table containing "Bya" in the middle row,
In the lower row, specify a table that includes "Kya". Use two of your index finger, middle finger, and ring finger at the same time,
Sound can be input. This can be entered by using the first finger to enter the row and the second finger to enter the column in the Japanese syllabary.
By using the four fingers of the thumb, index finger, middle finger, and ring finger in order to make contact, the kanji can be directly input. In order to facilitate the memory of the relationship between finger movements and the corresponding Kanji, each Kanji has two tones such as a single tone, a Japanese syllable, and a dakuon based on the reading of that Kanji or the reading of frequently used idioms using that Kanji. assign. Of the first touched finger,
The row of the syllabary for the first character represents the row of the Japanese syllabary for the first character, the row of the finger touching the second character, and the row of the syllabary for the first character by the orientation of the finger. More specifically, when the first contacting finger is on the thumb side of the second contacting finger, the first contacting finger is
When "upper row is facing up", "ga row", when "upper row is immobile", "ka row", when "upper row is facing down", "a row", when "middle row is facing up", "za row", "middle row is immobile""Sarow","middle row downward""narow","lower row upward""darow","lower row immobile""tarow". The first finger touching is 2
When the little finger is closer to the second touching finger, the first touching finger is “upper row” when it is “upper row upward”, “ha row” when it is “upper row immovable”, and “ba row” when it is “upper row downward” , "Middle stage immobility"
When it is "No row", when it is "middle row downward" it is "Ya row", and when it is "Lower row immobility" it is "Ra row". When the second touching finger is "Upper immovable", "Adan", when "Upper downward", "Adan",
When "middle-up" is "Idan", when "middle-moving" is "U-dan", when "middle-down" is "hu-dan", when "lower-up" is "e-dan" when "lower-moving""Odan","Downward" when "Downward". The second sound is designated by the third and fourth touching fingers in the same manner as the first and second touching fingers in the first sound. Also, for the first sound, for example, in order to distinguish three types of “ko”, “kon”, and “ko”, the first and second fingers are
When "Indicator and Middle Finger", the first sound is a single note, and when "Indicator and Ring Finger", the first sound is "n",
When it is "middle finger and ring finger", "n" is placed after the first sound.
Other sounds will be added. The order of contact of the thumb is determined by the temporal relationship with the last finger of the index finger, middle finger, and ring finger. Thus, regarding character input, 5
Since the input that touches three of the three stages can be almost realized, the input that touches the lowermost stage and the uppermost stage can be assigned to a purpose other than the character input. In this input method, it is important which character in the table to enter, so by showing the table of characters to enter by the shape and color of the cursor,
It is possible to improve the efficiency by removing the anxiety of "I do not know which character is input" when inputting. For distinguishing each area, the brushes are fixed upside down on both sides of each area, and the position of the finger can be known by touching the brush with the finger. Also, the same effect can be obtained even if the object is one that can be touched without using a brush.

[0007]

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION A wide variety of easy-to-use input methods and devices that can efficiently input many types of characters with one hand, can input a few characters at a time, can also input Chinese characters at a time, and can double as a coordinate designation device. Expected to be used.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an example of a region touched by a finger.

FIG. 2 is an example of a symbol that directly expresses the area where the finger comes into contact and the direction of the finger. The arrow in the figure represents an operation of bringing a finger into contact with the area at the base of the arrow and moving the finger to the area at the tip of the arrow while keeping the finger in contact with the area.

FIG. 3 is an example of an assignment table of alphabets, numbers and symbols using the symbols of FIG.

FIG. 4 is an example of a character assignment table when the thumbs are touched at the same time.

FIG. 5 is an example of a kana, number, and symbol assignment table.

[Explanation of symbols]

Areas 1 to 5 are areas where the thumb is in contact. 6 to 10 are areas where the index finger is brought into contact. Areas 11 to 15 are areas for contact with the middle finger. 16 to 20 are areas where the ring finger contacts. Reference numeral 21 is an area where the little finger contacts. 1, 6, 11, 16 are the bottom row. 2,
7, 12, 17 are lower. 3, 8, 13, 18 are in the middle.
4, 9, 14, and 19 are upper rows. 5, 10, 15, and 20 are the top row. 101 to 501 are examples of symbols that directly represent the movement of the finger. 101 to 113 are symbols that represent the operation with the thumb. Symbols 201 to 213 represent operations with the index finger. Symbols 301 to 313 represent operations with the middle finger. Four
The symbols 01 to 413 represent operations with the ring finger. Reference numeral 501 is a symbol representing an operation by the little finger. 101, 201, 301,
Reference numeral 401 is a symbol indicating an operation of touching the bottommost step and releasing it as it is.
Symbols 102, 202, 302, and 402 represent operations of touching the lowermost stage, moving a finger to the lower stage, and then releasing the finger. 103,
Symbols 203, 303, and 403 represent operations of touching the lower stage, moving the finger to the lowermost stage, and then releasing the finger. 104, 204, 3
Symbols 04 and 404 represent an operation of touching the lower stage and releasing it as it is. 105, 205, 305, 405 contact the lower stage,
A symbol that represents the operation of moving your finger to the middle row and then releasing it. 10
Reference numerals 6, 206, 306, and 406 represent symbols for touching the middle stage, moving the finger to the lower stage, and then releasing the finger. 107, 20
Symbols 7, 307, and 407 represent the operation of touching the middle stage and releasing it. Symbols 108, 208, 308, and 408 represent an operation of touching the middle stage, moving the finger to the upper stage, and then releasing the finger.
Symbols 109, 209, 309, and 409 represent operations for touching the upper stage, moving the finger to the middle stage, and then releasing the finger. 110, 2
10, 310, 410 are symbols that represent an operation of touching the upper stage and releasing it as it is. Symbols 111, 211, 311, and 411 represent operations for touching the upper row, moving the finger to the uppermost row, and then releasing the finger. Symbols 112, 212, 312, and 412 represent operations of touching the uppermost stage, moving the finger to the upper stage, and then releasing the finger. 1
13, 213, 313, and 413 are symbols that represent an operation of touching the uppermost stage and releasing it as it is.

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A part of a device for detecting contact or depression of a fingertip, which is contacted or depressed by the fingertip, is arranged in a line in the direction of movement of the fingertip. (B) Do (a) for multiple fingers. (C) In addition to touching or pressing the finger and then releasing the finger as it is, by touching the finger and then moving the fingertip before the finger is released, an input different from the release can be performed. As described above, by increasing the number of types of input per touched or pressed portion, the number of touched areas can be reduced, and the device is devised so that input can be performed with one hand. 2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the big finger, the index finger, the middle finger, and the third finger have five contacting or pressing portions, and the little finger has one contacting or pressing portion. 3. A device capable of detecting the presence or absence of contact or approach to a certain area of a finger. (B) A device that can measure the position of the finger in the bending and stretching direction of the finger when it comes into contact with or approaches a certain area. Equipped with the above devices for multiple fingers and devised to instruct the computer to input characters, coordinates, etc., depending on the position of the finger when touching or approaching and the position of the finger when touching or releasing. Device 4. The angle of two joints or the angle of one joint in two directions is detected for one finger, and the value of the angle is detected in the same manner as the input method by the device of claim 1 or 2. A device designed to give instructions to a computer such as inputting characters or coordinates. 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, claim 2, claim 3 or claim 4, wherein a symbol is used to represent a place where a finger comes into contact when inputting, whether or not a fingertip moves until it is released, or a direction, A device and method devised so that the explanation of functions and characters by the input can be easily understood. 6. The apparatus according to claim 1, claim 2, claim 3 or claim 4, wherein the position of a fingertip or the angle of a joint is combined with respect to two or more fingers, and coordinates of two or more dimensions are used. A device devised so that it can be used for operation. 7. The device according to claim 1, claim 2, claim 3 or claim 4, wherein two or three characters can be input at one time by contacting a plurality of fingers in order. apparatus. 8. The device according to claim 1, claim 2, claim 3 or claim 4, wherein a plurality of fingers are contacted in order to directly input Chinese characters at once. . In addition, at this time, a method and a device devised to facilitate learning by using two sounds related to the reading of the kanji for the finger motion when inputting the kanji, and by making the finger motion based on the two sounds. . 9. The device according to claim 1, 2, or 3, wherein an object is arranged in the vicinity of each region where a finger comes into contact or approaches to facilitate recognition of each region. 10. The apparatus according to claim 1, claim 2, claim 3, or claim 4, wherein the type of character assignment is represented in the form of a cursor so that the type of input character can be recognized when inputting. A device designed to be easy.