CN100380998C - Character input method and character input device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a character input method and a character input device. The character input device comprises a storage unit, an operation unit, a display unit and a control unit, wherein the storage unit classifies retrieval object characters into combinations of a first pronunciation element and a second pronunciation element and stores the combinations; the operation unit gives a first direction indication, a second direction indication and a determination indication; the display unit displays the retrieval object characters; according to the first direction indication, the second direction indication and the determination indication of the operation unit, the control unit orderly controls the display on the display unit to be in display states of the following selection: the selection of the first pronunciation element, the selection of the second pronunciation element, the selection of the first stroke of stroke order and the selection of retrieval object characters.

Description

Character input method and character input device

technical field

The invention relates to a character input method and a character input device, especially suitable for relatively small electronic devices such as mobile phone terminals.

Background technique

Small electronic devices such as mobile phone terminals and pager devices include display units such as liquid crystal displays for displaying various information such as numbers, characters, and graphics. For example, in the case of a mobile phone terminal, there is a model that has a function called an electronic phone book, capable of storing about hundreds of phone numbers, and at the same time, for each phone number stored, a name or name (company name, etc.) to indicate that the phone number is the phone number sent to, and the stored phone number and name can be displayed. In addition, in the case of a mobile phone terminal having a character message transmission function, it is possible to transmit character information input with the mobile phone terminal to other telephone sets, or to receive character information transmitted from other telephone sets in the mobile phone terminal, and displayed on the display unit.

Here, in the case of displaying Chinese characters on the display unit of such an electronic device, since there are 6 to 7 thousand characters even for commonly used Chinese characters, it is necessary to solve the input method of the characters. That is, in the case of a relatively large electronic device with a keyboard capable of inputting letters, the keyboard can be used to input the pronunciation of the Chinese character you want to input with letters, and the candidate characters with the pronunciation are sequentially displayed on the display unit, from which to find desired characters.

However, in relatively small electronic devices such as mobile phone terminals, the number of keys that can be configured on the terminal is limited, usually only dial keys corresponding to numbers such as 1, 2, 3...9, 0, and several functions key. Therefore, processing such as inputting Chinese characters by inputting letters cannot be applied to small electronic devices such as mobile phone terminals. In some models, about 3 letters are assigned to each dial key of the mobile phone terminal, and letters can be input by pressing the number of times of the key. However, it is very troublesome to input Chinese characters with such letter input.

In the Chinese character input processing of Chinese in the mobile phone terminal that proposes in the past, there is a kind of processing, for example, assign each stroke that forms the radical of Chinese character to each dial key, designate each stroke sequentially according to stroke order, thereby designate radical, by The radical finds the required characters for input. For example, when specifying the radical of "王", since the radical is composed of the strokes "一" and "丨", input "一", "一", "丨", "一" in sequence according to the stroke order, By performing this operation, the radical of "Wang" is specified, and the Chinese characters combined with the radical "Wang" are displayed as "Wang, Wang, Mei..." in sequence, and the characters to be found are found from the displayed characters. desired character, thereby specifying the found character.

However, when using this radical input processing, it is necessary to correctly remember the stroke order of each radical from the first stroke of the stroke order to the last stroke of the stroke order. Even if the operator only misremembers one stroke order, he cannot find the Chinese character to be searched. , At the same time, in the case of a large number of radicals, the number of key operations is too many, and the desired character cannot be quickly searched for and input.

Here, the problem in the case of inputting Chinese characters in the mobile phone terminal is described, but, in the case of inputting Chinese characters such as Chinese in various electronic devices similar to the mobile phone terminal, there are also problems. same question.

Contents of the invention

An object of the present invention is to enable character input such as Chinese characters to be performed favorably in an electronic device having a limited space for arranging operation keys and the like.

In order to achieve this object, the present invention provides a character input method for inputting Chinese characters on a device including a storage unit and an operation unit, the storage unit storing characters represented by a combination of a first pronunciation element and a second pronunciation element, according to each The search object characters classified by each combination of the first pronunciation element, the second pronunciation element and the first stroke in the stroke order, and the operation unit includes at least a first direction key for operating in the first direction, and a second direction key for operating in the second direction. The direction key and the confirmation key for determining the operation perform the first direction operation, wherein the operation is opposite to the first direction and the second direction is opposite to the operation and the determination operation. The method includes the steps: through the first direction key or the second direction key, so that the display of the mark representing the first pronunciation element is carried out along the forward direction or the reverse direction, and the mark of the first pronunciation element to be selected is determined by the determination key to select the first pronunciation element to be selected; The order display represents the mark of the second utterance element that can be combined with the first utterance element to be selected; through the first direction key or the second direction key, the display of the mark representing the second utterance element is along the forward direction or Carry out in the opposite direction, and determine the mark of the second pronunciation element to be selected to select the second pronunciation element to be selected by the confirmation key; specify the second pronunciation element to be selected and the first pronunciation element to be selected The group of search object characters represented by the combination; display the mark of the first stroke in the stroke order existing in the search object characters of the specified group according to the specified order; use the first direction key or the second direction key to make the symbol indicating the first stroke order The display of the mark of one stroke is carried out along the forward direction or the reverse direction, and the mark of the first stroke of the stroke order to be selected is determined by the confirmation key to select the first stroke of the stroke order to be selected, and the first stroke of the stroke order is displayed according to the prescribed order It is the search object character of the first stroke of the stroke order to be selected; and through the first direction key or the second direction key, the display of the search object character is carried out along the forward direction or the reverse direction, and through the determination key from the Select any character from the displayed search target characters.

According to the present invention, a character input device is also provided, wherein the character is a Chinese character, and the device includes: a storage unit for storing a combination of the first pronunciation element and the second pronunciation element, according to each first pronunciation Elements and the second pronunciation element and the retrieval object character of each combination classification of the first stroke of stroke order; Operation unit, be used for carrying out the first direction operation, the second direction operation opposite to the first direction and confirming operation; Display unit, display The first pronunciation element, the second pronunciation element, the first stroke of the stroke order and the search object character stored in the storage unit; the control unit, through the first and second directions of the operation unit Operation and confirmation operation, the display on the display unit is sequentially controlled to be the display state of following selection: the selection of the first pronunciation element, the selection of the second pronunciation element that can be combined with the selected first pronunciation element, the stroke order The selection of the first stroke is the selection of the character to be searched that can be represented by a combination of the selected first and second pronunciation elements and the stroke order first stroke.

Description of drawings

Fig. 1 is a structural diagram of a mobile phone terminal example of an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an appearance example of a mobile phone terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 3 is the flow chart of the character input processing example of an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 4 is the flowchart of the character input processing example of the stroke order first stroke mode of an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a display example of an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 6 is the perspective view of the mobile phone terminal example of another embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of an example of a mobile phone terminal according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed ways

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

This embodiment is applicable to the case of character input in a mobile phone terminal that performs wireless communication with a base station for a wireless phone through a prescribed wireless phone line, and is capable of performing conversations realized by voice data transmission, and various data communication.

First, the configuration of a mobile phone terminal will be described. FIG. 1 shows the internal structure of the mobile phone terminal of this example. This mobile phone terminal has a central control unit (CPU) 31 composed of a microprocessor. Under the control of the central control unit 31, communication as a wireless phone, and various functions that this terminal has.

In a configuration in which wireless communication is performed, the voice signal picked up by the microphone 11 is subjected to baseband processing in the amplifier 12 or the like. The baseband processed voice signal is converted into digital voice data of a predetermined format in the analog-to-digital converter 13 . The digital voice data converted in the analog-to-digital converter 13 is provided to the data processing unit 14, and converted into a data structure for transmission. At this time, control data and the like supplied from the central control unit 31 are also added to the transmitted data. The transmission data processed in the data processing unit 14 is supplied to the modulation unit 15 for modulation. The data signal modulated in the modulation unit 15 is provided to the transmission high-frequency circuit unit 16 for transmission frequency conversion processing. The transmission signal subjected to frequency conversion processing by the high-frequency circuit unit 16 is supplied to the antenna 18 through the antenna changeover switch 17 , and is wirelessly transmitted from the antenna 18 .

In addition, the signal received by the antenna 18 is provided to the receiving high-frequency circuit unit 19 through the antenna switch 17, and frequency conversion processing is performed to convert the received high-frequency signal into an intermediate frequency signal (or baseband signal). The intermediate frequency signal converted in the high frequency circuit unit 19 is supplied to the demodulation unit 20 for demodulation. The signal demodulated in the demodulation unit 20 is supplied to the data processing unit 14 . Processing is carried out in the data processing unit 14 to extract speech data and control data from the received signal. The extracted voice data is converted into an analog voice signal in a digital-to-analog converter 21 . The voice signal converted by the digital-to-analog converter 21 is amplified by the amplifier 22 and the like, and then reproduced from the speaker 23 . Furthermore, the control data extracted in the data processing unit 14 is supplied to the central control unit 31 .

The central control unit 31 is connected to a memory 32 in which an operating program required for the radiotelephone is stored in advance. In addition, data set by user operations, such as electronic telephone directory data and character message information described later, are stored in the memory 32 under the control of the central control unit 31 . Here, in the case of the mobile phone terminal of this example, as electronic telephone directory data and character message information, in addition to characters such as alphabets, Chinese characters such as Chinese can also be stored, and it has a function of storing Chinese characters with predetermined codes. In addition, the memory 32 also stores retrieval processing information necessary for character input of the Chinese characters. The information necessary for the retrieval process of Chinese character input will be described later.

In addition, the mobile phone terminal has an operation keyboard 33, and the keyboard is equipped with numbers such as 1, 2, 3...9, 0 and numbers corresponding to numbers such as # and *, as well as a plurality of function keys such as a send key and an end key. , and at the same time, there is a rotation operation unit 34, and an input operation can be performed by rotation operation and pressing operation. This rotary operation unit 34 is a device called "jogdial (jog dial)" or the like. When the operation keyboard 33 and the rotation operation unit 34 are operated, their operation instructions will be provided to the central control unit 31 .

In addition, the mobile phone terminal of this example has a display unit 40 composed of a liquid crystal display, and under the control of the central control unit 31, it is possible to display a plurality of rows (for example, about 4 rows) on the display unit 40 with numbers and characters of predetermined digits. and graphics. This display unit 40 has a backlight, and the display can be confirmed even in a dark place.

An example of the appearance of the mobile phone terminal of this example is shown in FIG. 2. On the front of the housing that constitutes the mobile phone terminal 10, the microphone 11 is arranged on the lower side, and the speaker 23 is arranged on the upper side. An operation keyboard 33 and a display unit 40 are provided. Further, on the left side of the surface on which the operation keyboard 33 and the display unit 40 are arranged, a rotation operation unit 34 is arranged. The rotary operation unit 34 is a rotary switch called a jog dial, etc., and only a part of the disk-shaped part protrudes from the body of the terminal. The operation of rotating in the downward direction shown and the operation of pressing toward the main body side shown by the arrow c, when each operation is performed, corresponding operation information is provided to the central control unit 34 . By using the rotation operation unit 34, for example, when the mobile phone terminal 10 is held with the left hand, the vertical rotation operation and the pressing operation can be performed only with the thumb of the left hand. In this example, character input can be performed using the rotary operation unit 34 .

In addition, as shown in FIG. 2 , on the display unit 40 provided in the mobile phone terminal of this example, at least a first display line 41 and a second display line 42 are prepared as display lines for displaying numerals and characters. In addition, a display line 43 for displaying the reception level, the remaining battery level, and the like in graphics or the like is provided.

In the first and second display lines 41, 42 of the display unit 40, for example, when the terminal is used for sending operations, or when there is an incoming call to the terminal, according to the control of the central control unit 31, the second display line The telephone number of its receiving end and the telephone number of the sending end are displayed with numbers on 42 . In addition, when the registration process of the telephone number of the receiving end is performed according to the electronic telephone directory function, according to the control of the central control unit 31, two display lines 41, 42 are used to display the registered telephone number with numbers, and with characters, etc. Displays the name (or company name, etc.) to which the phone number relates. Here, in the case of this example, the name and title related to the phone number can be displayed using characters such as Chinese characters and alphabets.

In the mode in which the registered telephone number is displayed on the display unit 40, under the control of the central control unit 31 based on the upward or downward rotation operation of the above-mentioned rotary operation unit 34, the predetermined order or the reverse order are followed. , changing in turn to display phone numbers and names one by one. When the telephone number to be sent is displayed on the display unit 40 by such an operation, the operation of pressing and rotating the operation unit 34 is performed, and at this time, the central control unit 31 performs processing of calling with the telephone number.

Similarly, when the receiving end displays the sending end's phone number, if the phone number is a phone number registered in advance with the above-mentioned electronic phone book function, the registered name and the like are displayed in addition to the phone number.

In addition, the mobile phone terminal of this example can send and receive character messages according to the control of the central control unit 31, and store the received character messages in the memory 32 in the case of receiving character messages. The stored character messages are displayed on the display unit 40 . In addition, under the control of the central control unit 31 , the character message displayed on the display unit 40 through a user input operation can be sent to a recipient of an arbitrary telephone number. As in the case of the telephone directory function described above, this character message can also be displayed using characters such as Chinese characters such as Chinese and alphabets.

Next, the processing when character input is performed using the mobile phone terminal of this example will be described. Here, the case of inputting Chinese characters in Chinese will be described as an example in order to use the above-mentioned electronic telephone directory function to register a name, etc., or to perform character input in order to prepare a character message to be sent.

First, Chinese character codes are classified according to the pronunciation of each character, and stored in the memory 32 of the mobile phone terminal of this example. Here, it is noted that the pronunciation of each Chinese character is composed of the pronunciation elements of the consonant part called the initial consonant and the pronunciation element of the part containing the vowel called the final, so according to the pronunciation elements of the initial and the final Classify, and then classify and store the Chinese characters classified by the pronunciation elements of initial consonants and final vowels according to the first stroke of their stroke order.

That is, the initial consonants constituting the pronunciation of Chinese characters in Chinese can basically be classified into 21 pronunciations, as shown by the Latin alphabetized symbols (pinyin) in the initial consonant column of [Table 1] below. In addition, the finals can be classified into 35 pronunciations as indicated by the Latinized symbols (pinyin) in the finals column of [Table 1].

[Table 1]

Contents of initials and finals

Here, in the case of this example, for each of the 21 initials, information on finals that can be combined with the initial is stored in the memory 32 . The following [Table 2] shows an example.

[Table 2]

Examples of initials and finals

consonant vowels f a an ang ei en eng o ou u j i ia ian iang iao ie in ing iongiu u uan ue un r an ang ao e en eng i ong ou u uan ui un uo W a ai an ang ei en eng o u y a an ang ao e i in ing o ong ou u uan ue un

For example, the finals that can be combined with the initial [f] are 9 shown in [Table 2], and the finals that can be combined with the initial [j] are 14 shown in [Table 2]. In addition, when the pronunciation is determined with such a combination of initial consonants and finals, the number of Chinese characters corresponding to the determined pronunciation usually ranges from a few to a dozen. Here, information of Chinese characters determined by combinations of initial consonants and finals is stored in the memory 32 .

In addition, in this example, the Chinese characters defined by the combination of the initial consonant and the final are classified according to the first stroke of each stroke order, that is, the first stroke of the stroke order, and stored in the memory 32 . That is, the representative strokes of the first stroke include five strokes of "一", "丨", "丿", "丨", and "". Here, in the case of handwritten Chinese characters, according to which of the five strokes the first stroke is, the Chinese characters defined by combinations of initials and finals are classified and stored in the memory 32 .

Specifically, for example, according to a certain dictionary, Chinese characters pronounced "chang" have 31 characters, and are classified according to the first stroke of the stroke order as follows.

The first stroke in the stroke order is "一" 8 characters

The first stroke in stroke order is "1" character 6 characters

The first stroke in stroke order is "丿" character 9 characters

The first stroke in the stroke order is "严" character 8 characters

Characters whose first stroke is "" 0 characters

In addition, looking up a dictionary, the Chinese characters pronounced "ji" have 121 characters, and they are classified according to the first stroke of the stroke order, as shown below.

Characters whose first stroke is "一" in stroke order 41 characters

Characters whose first stroke is "丨" 14 characters

Characters whose stroke order is "丿" first stroke 35 characters

The first stroke in the stroke order is "严" character 20 characters

Characters whose first stroke is "" 11 characters

Using the information thus classified and stored in the memory 32, the central control unit 31 performs character input processing using the processing shown in the flowchart of FIG. During this character input process, the central control unit 31 uses the second display line 42 of the display unit 40 as a display position for input processing, and the user's input operation is to perform a character while looking at the display on the display line 42. Enter the action. In addition, the first display line 41 of the display unit 40 is used as a display position for inputting a determined character string. In the following processing, the input characters are displayed character by character on the display line 41 to form names and character messages, etc. . FIG. 5 shows a variation example of the display on the display lines 41 , 42 .

Next, the processing of the flowchart of FIG. 3 will be described. First, the central control unit 31 judges whether it is a mode for character input (step 101). Here, in the case of the character input mode, on the display unit 40 , symbols for pronunciation of initial consonants are sequentially displayed (step 102 ). A of FIG. 5 shows a display example at this time, for example, initial consonants are displayed in a predetermined order on the second display line 42 . Then, one of the displayed initials is marked to indicate that it is the selected initial. For example, in example A of FIG. 5 , an underline is added to the initial consonant displayed at the left end of the display line 42 to indicate that the initial consonant is selected.

With the initial consonant displayed, the user performing a character input operation rotates the rotary operation unit 34 so that the initial consonant of the character to be input is underlined. In the central control unit 31, it is judged whether or not there is a rotation operation of the rotation operation unit 34 (step 103). In the case of a rotation operation, determine the direction in which the rotation operation is carried out (upward direction a or downward direction b shown in FIG. 2 ) and the amount of rotation thereof, and change the display state of the initial consonant according to the rotation state (step 104). Specifically, for example, when the rotation operation unit 34 is rotated in the upward direction, the initial consonant display on the display line 42 is scrolled to the left, and when the rotation operation unit 34 is rotated in the downward direction, the initials on the display line 42 are displayed. The initial consonant display scrolls to the right. The underlined position is fixed at the left end, and the selected initial consonant changes according to the rotation operation of the rotation operation unit 34 .

Here, the user performing a character input operation presses and operates the rotary operation unit 34 once the initial consonant of the character to be input is underlined while looking at the display on the display unit 40 . The central control unit 31 judges whether there is this pressing operation (step 105), under the situation of judging that there is a pressing operation, the initial consonant that adds the underline at this moment is determined as the initial consonant selected, and the display of the final consonant that can be combined with the initial consonant of this determination is carried out Processing (step 106).

Now, the display on the display line 42 of the display unit 40, as shown in B of Fig. 5, the initial consonant of determination is displayed on the left end of the display line 42, and at the same time, the position of the additional underline is moved to the immediate right side of the initial consonant of determination . Then, the finals that can be combined with the determined initial are displayed sequentially on the right side of the determined initial, as shown in C of FIG. 5 . Therefore, in fact, the state shown in B of FIG. 5 is not displayed, but after a selection operation is performed in the initial consonant display state shown in A of FIG. 5, the display of the final shown in C of FIG. 5 is directly transferred.

In a state where the final is displayed, the user performing a character input operation rotates the rotary operation unit 34 so that the final of the character to be input is underlined. In the central control unit 31, it is judged whether or not there is a rotation operation of the rotation operation unit 34 (step 107). Under the situation of rotating operation, judge the direction (upward direction a or downward direction b shown in FIG. 2 ) and the rotation amount thereof that the rotating operation is carried out, and change the display state of finals according to the judgment state (step 108 ). Specifically, for example, when the rotation operation unit 34 is rotated in the upward direction, the final and final display on the display line 42 is scrolled to the left; The final vowel display scrolls to the right. Only, the display of the determined initial consonant at the left end is fixed. An underline is added to indicate that its selected position is the final displayed next to the initial consonant at the left end, and the selected final is changed according to the rotation operation of the rotation operation unit 34 .

Here, the user performing a character input operation presses and operates the rotary operation unit 34 once the final of the character to be input is underlined while looking at the display on the display unit 40 . The central control unit 31 judges whether there is such a pressing operation (step 109 ), and if it is judged that there is a pressing operation, the final underlined at this time is determined as the selected final. Then, the central control unit 31 reads out the pronunciation Chinese characters defined jointly by the initial consonants determined in step 105 and the final vowels determined here from the stored information in the memory 32, and displays the read Chinese characters in a predetermined order. on the display line 42 of the display unit 40 (step 110).

In the state where the Chinese characters with specific pronunciations are sequentially displayed in this way, the user performing character input operation presses and operates the rotary operation unit 34 when selecting a character based on the first stroke of the stroke order. The central control unit 31 judges whether there is such a pressing operation (step 111), and if it is judged that there is a pressing operation, it shifts to the display mode of the first stroke in the stroke order (step 112). The display mode of the first stroke in this stroke order will be described later.

Then, if there is no pressing operation in step 111 and the display mode of the first stroke in the stroke order is not reached, the Chinese characters (that is, the selection object character) of the pronunciation limited by the initial consonant and the final consonant are still displayed sequentially, and the character selection process is performed. The user who performs the input operation rotates the rotation operation unit 34 so as to underline the character desired to be input. In the central control unit 31, it is judged whether or not there is a rotation operation of the rotation operation unit 34 (step 113). If there is a rotation operation, the direction of the rotation operation (upward direction a or downward direction b shown in FIG. 2 ) and the amount of rotation thereof are judged, and the display state of Chinese characters is changed according to the judgment state (step 114). Specifically, for example, when the rotation operation unit 34 is rotated in the upward direction, the Chinese character display column on the display row 42 is scrolled to the left, and when the rotation operation unit 34 is rotated in the downward direction, the Chinese character display column on the display row 42 is scrolled to the left. The display column of Chinese characters scrolls to the right.

Here, the user performing a character input operation presses and operates the rotary operation unit 34 once the character to be input is underlined while looking at the display on the display unit 40 . The central control unit 31 judges whether there is such a pressing operation (step 115). The pressing operation in step 115 and the pressing operation in step 111 may be operations that can be distinguished by some method. For example, the pressing operation in step 111 is an operation when the rotary operation unit 34 is pressed for a relatively short time, and the pressing operation in step 115 is made to be more than 1 second so that the rotary operation unit 34 is pressed for a relatively long time. operation in the case.

Then, when it is determined that there is a pressing operation in step 115, the Chinese character underlined at this time is determined as the selected input Chinese character (step 116). Here, it is the selection of the first character, so the determined character is displayed on the left end of the display line 41, and when the input operation after the second character is performed, the final display of the determined character string displayed on the display line 41 is determined. character of.

Next, the central control unit 31 judges whether an operation to end character input has been performed (step 117). The operation of ending character input can be performed by operating a specific key on the keyboard 33 or by rotating the operation unit 34 (for example, two consecutive pressing operations, etc.).

Here, if the operation to end character input has not been performed, the process returns to step 102, and the next character input operation is performed in the same process.

Then, when it is judged in step 117 that the operation of ending character input has been performed, the central control unit 31 will perform the input operation and display the character string on the first display line 41 as information corresponding to the operation mode at this time. Processing is performed (step 118). For example, in the mode of inputting names and titles registered together with telephone numbers in characters as an electronic telephone directory, the input characters are stored in the memory 32 as the names or titles. In addition, when sending to any other party as a character message, the input characters are stored in the memory 32 as character message information, and when the character message is sent, the stored character message information is read out from the memory 32, And use the wireless telephone line to send to the other party.

Next, the processing in the case of shifting to the display mode of the first stroke in the stroke order in step 112 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 3 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 4 .

In the display mode of the first stroke in this stroke order, the pronunciation limited by initials and finals has already been selected. As a display example, it is a step of completing the selection of finals shown in D of FIG. 5 .

After entering the display mode of the first stroke in the stroke order, the central control unit 31 sequentially displays a plurality of strokes existing as the first stroke in the stroke order (step 201). For example, as shown in E of FIG. 5 , five representative strokes "一", "丨", "丿", "严" and "" are displayed side by side on the display line 42. At this time, any one of the strokes is displayed with an underline, indicating that the underlined stroke is the selected stroke.

In this state, the user performing a character input operation rotates the rotation operation unit 34 in order to underline the stroke of the first stroke when writing the character desired to be input. In the central control unit 31, it is judged whether or not there is a rotation operation of the rotation operation unit 34 (step 202). If there is a rotation operation, the direction in which the rotation operation is performed (upward direction a or downward direction b shown in FIG. 2 ) and the amount of rotation thereof are judged, and the underlined stroke is changed according to the judgment state (step 203).

Then, after the strokes of the first handwriting are underlined, the user performing a character input operation presses and operates the rotary operation unit 34 . The central control unit 31 judges whether there is the pressing operation (step 204), and if it is judged that there is a pressing operation, the underlined strokes are displayed on the display line 42 in the Chinese characters of pronunciation limited by the processing before the step 112 It is the Chinese character (step 205) of the first stroke in stroke order. In this case, for example, an underline is added to the Chinese character at the left end.

In this state, the user performing a character input operation rotates the rotary operation unit 34 to underline the character desired to be input. In the central control unit 31, it is judged whether or not there is a rotation operation of the rotation operation unit 34 (step 206). If there is a rotation operation, the direction of the rotation operation (upward direction a or downward direction b shown in FIG. 2 ) and the amount of rotation thereof are judged, and the display state of Chinese characters is changed according to the judgment state (step 207). Specifically, for example, when the rotation operation unit 34 is rotated in the upward direction, the Chinese character display column on the display row 42 is scrolled to the left, and when the rotation operation unit 34 is rotated in the downward direction, the Chinese character display column on the display row 42 is scrolled to the left. The display column of Chinese characters scrolls to the right.

Here, the user performing a character input operation presses and operates the rotary operation unit 34 once the character to be input is underlined while looking at the display on the display unit 40 . The central control unit 31 judges whether there is such a pressing operation (step 208). If it is determined that there is a pressing operation at this time, the Chinese character underlined at this time is determined as the selected input Chinese character (step 209 ). Here, it is the selection of the first character, so the determined character is displayed on the left end of the display line 41, but when the input operation after the second character is performed, the end of the determined character string displayed on the display line 41 is displayed. identified characters. The determination process of the input character of this step 209 is the same as the determination process of the input character in the step 116 of the flow chart of Fig. 3, after the processing of step 209 has been carried out, transfer to the step 117 of the flow chart of Fig. 3, carry out next character input processing or end processing of character input.

By performing the Chinese character input processing in this way, a desired character can be selected and input from a plurality of Chinese characters with a simple operation. That is, the pronunciation that constitutes each Chinese character is divided into an initial consonant and a final consonant, after the selection of the initial consonant, a final consonant that can be combined with the selected initial consonant is selected, and the Chinese character of the pronunciation that is limited by the selected initial consonant and the final consonant is taken as the selection object character display, so that the desired Chinese character can be efficiently selected for input with simple operations.

In addition, in the case of this example, after selecting the character to be selected by selecting the initial consonant and the final, the first stroke of the stroke order is selected, and the character to be selected indicated by the combination of the pronunciation and the first stroke of the stroke order is displayed. , so it is possible to further reduce the displayed selection object characters, and quickly display the Chinese characters that the user wants to input with simple operations.

For example, according to a certain dictionary, the Chinese character pronounced "chang" has 31 characters, and if classified according to the first stroke of the stroke order, there are at most 9 characters, and you only need to search for the desired character from the 9 characters , that is, the desired Chinese character can be quickly searched and determined as an input character.

Moreover, the operation unit required for this input operation only needs to include three operation units: an operation unit for scrolling the display position in one direction, an operation unit for scrolling the display position in the opposite direction, and an operation unit for confirming the display. It will be very suitable for application in small electronic devices such as mobile phone terminals. Especially in the case of this example, as the operation unit, use the rotation operation unit 34 shown in FIG. The above-mentioned three operation steps can be carried out by the pressing operation of the rotation operation and the operation of different directions, and the required Chinese character input can be quickly performed through the operation of one operation unit.

When inputting Chinese characters, when initials and finals are displayed on the display unit, the initials and finals can usually be displayed in a predetermined order, but for example, the initials and finals selected last time can be preferentially displayed on the selected position. In addition, after the initials and finals are pronounced, when displaying candidate Chinese characters, the last selected Chinese character may also be preferentially displayed at the selection position. In addition, it is also possible to change the display order of candidate Chinese characters according to the operation mode of the terminal when Chinese characters are input. For example, when entering and registering Chinese characters as an electronic telephone directory, Chinese characters frequently used as names are preferentially displayed on the display unit.

In addition, in the case of inputting two or more characters, when the second and subsequent characters are input, the characters used in combination with the already input-determined characters may be preferentially displayed. For example, when the 1st character is inputted with "天" and the 2nd character is inputted with "An", thus the 2 characters determined are "天安", there is a character string similar to "天安" in the candidate character strings of the 3rd selected pronunciation. " When the character "gate" used in combination, the character "gate" is displayed with the highest priority, and the character "Tiananmen" can be easily input.

In addition, in the above example, the input operation of the first stroke of the stroke order is performed with the search target character limited. However, the operation of selecting the pronunciation of the search target character may be performed after first specifying the first stroke of the stroke order.

In addition, the same Chinese character input may be performed using an operation unit other than the above-mentioned rotary operation unit. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 2 , the operating unit has a disk-shaped member that can freely rotate within a range of 360 degrees, but it may also be configured to only specify an angle above and below a certain position ( For example, when a member rotates within a range of tens of degrees), when the member is rotated upward and downward, the same operation as when the operation unit 34 is rotated up and down can be performed. In addition, instead of rotating or turning the operating unit up and down like the operating unit 34, an operating unit that can be operated in the horizontal direction (that is, an operation in the left direction and an operation in the right direction) can be used. Same operating instructions. In addition, the position where the operating means for performing such operations is not limited to the above-mentioned examples, and may be placed at any position on the housing constituting the terminal.

In addition, the selection operation of the first stroke in the stroke order when the Chinese character input becomes the first stroke display mode can also not use the above-mentioned rotation operation unit, but assign each stroke of the first stroke in the stroke order to the operation keyboard 33 The user selects the first stroke in the stroke order by operating any of the 5 keys of the assigned key.

In addition, as the display on the display unit when inputting Chinese characters, in the above example, as shown in FIG. This part is selected. For example, the portion displaying the selected initial consonant, final, character, stroke, etc. may be displayed in a blinking manner, indicating that the portion is selected, or the display color may be reversed, indicating that the portion is selected.

In addition, two operations for scrolling the display to one side and the other side, and a specific operation may be instructed by different operation means, respectively. FIG. 6 shows an example of a mobile phone terminal 10' in this case. Here, an operation key 35 for instructing scrolling to one side and an operation key 35 for instructing scrolling to the other side may be arranged up and down on the side surface of the housing constituting the terminal 10'. The operation key 36, meanwhile, between the two keys 35, 36, is arranged an operation key 37 for determining operation. Also, in the case of this structure, for example, when holding the mobile phone terminal 10' with the left hand, only a small movement of the thumb of the left hand can be used to perform scrolling operation and determination operation to one side and the other side, which can be achieved in a good manner. The operability carries out the input operation of Chinese character.

In addition, instead of disposing dedicated operation keys on the side of such a terminal, input operations may be performed using function keys or the like disposed on the same surface as dial keys and the like. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, specific three keys 33a, 33b, and 33c in the operation keyboard 33 of the mobile phone terminal 10" can be defined as operation keys indicating scrolling to one side and operation keys indicating scrolling to the other side. , and the operation keys for determining the operation, when each key 33a, 33b, 33c is operated, the same Chinese character input process can be carried out.

In addition, the above-mentioned embodiment is used in the case of inputting Chinese characters in a mobile phone terminal, but it can also be used in the case of inputting Chinese characters in other various electronic devices. For example, it can be used in the case of inputting the title of a song in Chinese characters in a reproduction device that reproduces an audio signal such as music from a predetermined recording medium.

According to the character input method of the first aspect of the present invention, the retrieval of the search target character represented by the combination of the first pronunciation element and the second pronunciation element is carried out by the selection of the following four steps: the selection of the first pronunciation element, The selection of the second pronunciation element that can be combined with the first pronunciation element of the selection, the selection of the first stroke of the stroke order in the pronunciation characters limited by the first and second pronunciation elements of the selection, and the first stroke of the stroke order of the selection It is possible to search for and input any character from a plurality of search target characters with simple operations.

According to the character input method of the second aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the first aspect of the present invention, the first direction is performed by an operation indicating a first direction or a second direction opposite to the first direction, and a predetermined determination operation. 1. The selection operation of the second pronunciation element, so that the pronunciation of the desired character can be simply selected by the operation indicating the first and second directions.

According to the character input method of the third aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the second aspect of the present invention, the selection of the symbol of the first stroke in the stroke order is also performed by indicating the first direction or the second direction opposite to the first direction, and It is possible to select the pronunciation of a desired character more simply by performing operations for indicating the first and second directions.

According to the character input method of the fourth aspect of the present invention, in the aspect of the first aspect of the present invention, the first pronunciation element is an initial consonant, and the second pronunciation element is a final, so that Chinese character input in Chinese can be performed with simple operations.

According to the character input method of the fifth aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the second or third aspect of the present invention, the operation indicating the first direction and the second direction is an operation of moving a predetermined part up and down or left and right, so that the up and down or left and right Operation, you can simply select the pronunciation elements, the first stroke of the stroke order and the character.

According to the character input method of the sixth aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the fifth aspect of the present invention, the determination operation is an operation of pressing a predetermined part or the vicinity of the part in a direction different from the operation of moving up and down or left and right, thereby enabling After performing the operation of moving up, down or left and right, the confirmation operation can be performed directly and quickly, and the character retrieval of the first stroke of the stroke order of each pronunciation element can be performed more simply.

According to the character input method of the seventh aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the first aspect of the present invention, the character selected by the confirmation operation is displayed at the end of the part where the confirmation character string is displayed, so that the input operation can be performed word by word, and it is easy to form name and message.

According to the character input method of the eighth aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the seventh aspect of the present invention, the specified character string displayed is registered as telephone directory information such as name or name information corresponding to the telephone number, thereby enabling simple Input operation of name or name registered as telephone directory information.

According to the character input method of the ninth aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the seventh aspect of the present invention, the displayed definite character string is sent to the other party as character message information via a predetermined communication line, thereby simply performing the character string sent as the character message. input operation.

According to the character input device of the tenth aspect of the present invention, the retrieval of the search object character represented by the combination of the first pronunciation element and the second pronunciation element only needs to be carried out by the following three instruction operations: Instructions in both directions and determination instructions of the information classified and stored in the storage unit at the first stroke, the operation unit uses an operation unit with a simple structure without a keyboard, and can quickly search for any character from a plurality of search object characters and perform enter.

According to the character input device of the 11th aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the 10th aspect of the present invention, the first pronunciation element that constitutes the retrieval object character stored in the storage unit is an initial consonant, and the second pronunciation element is a final, so that the input of Chinese characters can be Do it with simple configuration of the operating unit.

According to the character input device of the twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the tenth or eleventh aspect of the present invention, the operation unit is a unit that performs the following instruction: when the member that can be rotated at least within a predetermined angle range is rotated in the first direction When turning, an indication of a first direction is performed; when a member is turned in a second direction opposite to the first direction, an indication of a second direction is performed; and when a member is pressed in a direction different from the turning direction, a determination indication is performed , so that character input such as Chinese characters can be easily performed with a simple structure using one operating unit.

According to the character input device of the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the tenth or eleventh aspect of the present invention, the operation unit is composed of at least the following three keys: a key for instructing in the first direction, and an instructing in the second direction The key for the key and the key for confirming instructions can easily input characters such as Chinese characters with a simple structure using only three keys.

According to the character input device of claim 14 of the present invention, in the invention of claim 10 or 11 of the present invention, the display unit has a portion for displaying a specified character string, and the control unit controls so that the selected character to be searched is displayed on the displayed specified character string. The part of the character string is displayed on the end of the character string, so that the input characters can be simply used to form the name and message etc.

According to the character input device of the fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the fourteenth aspect of the present invention, the control unit registers the specified character string displayed on the display unit as telephone directory information such as name or name information corresponding to the telephone number , so that the input operation of the name or name registered as the telephone directory information can be easily performed.

According to the character input device of the sixteenth aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the fourteenth aspect of the present invention, the control unit transmits the determined character string displayed on the display unit to the other party as character message information via a prescribed communication line, thereby enabling simple Performs an input operation of characters sent as a character message.

Claims (12)

1. A character input method, for inputting Chinese characters on a device comprising a storage unit and an operating unit, the storage unit stores a combination of the first pronunciation element and the second pronunciation element, represented by each first pronunciation element, the second pronunciation element, and the retrieval object character of each combination classification of the first stroke order, the operation unit includes at least a first direction key for operating in the first direction, a second direction key for operating in the second direction, and a key for performing operation in the second direction. A confirmation key for confirming the operation, wherein the first direction is opposite to the second direction, the method comprises the steps of: Through the first direction key or the second direction key, the display of the mark representing the first pronunciation element is carried out along the forward direction or the reverse direction, and the mark of the first pronunciation element to be selected is determined to be selected by the determination key. The first pronunciation element to be selected; Displaying a mark representing a second utterance element that can be combined with the first utterance element to be selected in a prescribed order; Through the first direction key or the second direction key, the display of the mark representing the second pronunciation element is carried out along the forward direction or the reverse direction, and the mark of the second pronunciation element to be selected is determined to be selected by the determination key. the second pronunciation element to be selected; Designate a group of search target characters represented by a combination of the second pronunciation element to be selected and the first pronunciation element to be selected; Display the mark of the first stroke in the stroke order existing in the search target characters of the specified group in the prescribed order; Through the first direction key or the second direction key, the display of the mark representing the first stroke of the stroke order is carried out along the forward direction or the reverse direction, and the mark of the first stroke of the stroke order to be selected is determined by the determination key to select the desired stroke order. Select the first stroke in the stroke order, and display the search object characters whose first stroke in the stroke order is the first stroke in the stroke order to be selected according to the prescribed order; and Through the first direction key or the second direction key, the search target characters are displayed in the forward or reverse direction, and any character is selected from the displayed search target characters through the determination key. 2. The character input method according to claim 1, wherein the first pronunciation element is an initial consonant, and the second pronunciation element is a final. 3. The character input method according to claim 1, wherein the character selected with the determination key is displayed at the end of the part where the determination character string is displayed as the updated determination character string. 4. The character input method according to claim 3, wherein the displayed and updated determined character string is registered as telephone directory information. 5. The character input method according to claim 3, wherein the displayed and updated determined character string is sent as character message information to the other party via a predetermined communication line. 6. A character input device, wherein the character is a Chinese character, and the device comprises: The storage unit is used to store the retrieval target character represented by the combination of the first pronunciation element and the second pronunciation element, classified according to each combination of the first pronunciation element and the second pronunciation element and the first stroke in stroke order; an operation unit, configured to perform operations in a first direction, operations in a second direction opposite to the first direction, and determination operations; a display unit for displaying the first pronunciation element, the second pronunciation element, the first stroke of the stroke order and the search object character stored in the storage unit; The control unit controls the display on the display unit to be in the display state for the following selection in sequence through the first and second direction operations and determination operations of the operation unit: the selection of the first pronunciation element can be related to the selection The selection of the second pronunciation element combined with the first pronunciation element, the selection of the first stroke in the stroke order, and the selection of the search object character that can be expressed by the combination of the selected first and second pronunciation elements and the first stroke in the stroke order. 7. The character input device according to claim 6, wherein the first pronunciation element constituting the retrieval target character stored in the storage unit is an initial consonant, and the second pronunciation element is a final. 8. The character input device as claimed in claim 6 or 7, wherein the operating unit is a unit that performs the following operations: when a member capable of rotating at least within a predetermined angle range is rotated in the first direction, the operation is performed. The operation in the first direction is performed; the operation in the second direction is performed when turning in a second direction opposite to the first direction; the determination operation is performed when the member is pressed in a direction different from the direction of rotation . 9. The character input device as claimed in claim 6 or 7, wherein the operating unit is composed of at least the following three keys: a key for operating in the first direction, a key for operating in the second direction, and a key for operating in the second direction. The key to perform the OK operation. 10. The character input device as claimed in claim 6 or 7, wherein the display unit has a part for displaying a certain character string, and the control unit controls so that the selected search object character is displayed on the display side of the certain character string. The end of the displayed string on the section. 11. The character input device according to claim 10, wherein the control unit registers the determined character string displayed on the display unit as telephone directory information. 12. The character input device according to claim 10, wherein the control unit transmits the determined character string displayed on the display unit to the other party as character message information via a prescribed communication line.

Images