CN1190100C - Character input method and device thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A character input method and a character input device, the device comprising: a storage unit for storing a character string as a search object; an operation unit capable of at least inputting a symbol corresponding to a pronunciation element; a display unit for displaying a character string corresponding to the input pronunciation element and the character designated by the mark; and the control unit, when the input related to the first character is input by the prescribed operation of the operation unit, and the mark of the first part of the pronunciation element of each character following the first character, will The candidate character string specified by the input is read from the storage means, and the candidate character string is displayed on the display means for determination. The rotating operation unit is used to determine the input characters from a plurality of candidate character strings through its rotating action, and the rotating operation unit is set so that a part protrudes from the body of the terminal and can be rotated up and down and pressed to the body side, and the The operation of the rotation operation operation unit described above is used to control the input and display of the input characters.

Description

Character input method and character input device

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.

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, and usually only dial keys corresponding to numbers 1, 2, 3...9, 0, and several functions key. Therefore, the process of arranging the same number of keys as letters and using the letter keys to input Chinese characters cannot be applied to small electronic devices such as mobile phone terminals. When using a mobile phone terminal to input letters, generally three or four letters are assigned to each dial key of the terminal, and the letters are input by pressing the number of times the key is pressed.

On the other hand, when inputting characters, a character string of a certain length such as name, address, message, etc. is generally input, but if the pronunciation is input character by character by the operation of the dial key, then as the number of input characters increases, , the number of times the key is pressed also increases, and the input operation is very troublesome. Therefore, it is very troublesome to input Chinese characters in small electronic devices such as mobile phone terminals.

Here, the problem in the case of inputting Chinese characters in a mobile phone terminal is described, but the same problem also exists in the case of inputting Chinese characters such as Chinese in the same relatively small electronic devices.

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

To achieve this object, the present invention includes:

A storage component, storing a character string as a retrieval object;

An operating part capable of inputting at least symbols corresponding to pronunciation elements;

A display part for displaying a symbol corresponding to the above-mentioned input pronunciation element and a character specified by the symbol; and

The control part, when the input related to the first character and the mark of the head part of the pronunciation element of each character following the first character is input by the predetermined operation of the above-mentioned operation part, the candidate character string designated by the input is changed from the above-mentioned The candidate character string is read out from the storage unit, and the candidate character string is displayed on the above-mentioned display unit for determination.

According to the present invention, by performing an input related to the first character with the operating member, and inputting a symbol of the head portion of the pronunciation element of each character following the first character, from the character string stored in the storage unit as the search object, , the candidate character string is read out and displayed on the display unit, and the displayed character string can be determined as the input character.

Brief description of the 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 an explanatory diagram of a display example performed by input based on the flowchart in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a display example performed by an input method different from FIG. 4;

Fig. 6 is the flowchart of the character input processing example of another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a display example by input based on the flow chart in FIG. 6 .

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 using a mobile phone terminal that communicates wirelessly 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, which is equipped with dial keys corresponding to numbers 1, 2, 3...9, 0 and symbols #, *, and 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.

In the case of this example, 26 alphabets are assigned to the numeric dial keys 2 to 9 among the dial keys constituting the operation keyboard 33 . That is, the three letters "A, B, C" are assigned to the key "2", the three letters "D, E, F" are assigned to the key "3", and the three letters "G, H, I" are assigned to the key "4". assign three letters "J, K, L" to key "5", assign three letters "M, N, O" to key "6", and assign "P, Q, R, 4 letters "S", 3 letters "T, U, V" are assigned to the key "8", and 4 letters "W, X, Y, Z" are assigned to the key "9". The 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 are given 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. Numerals 1, 2, 3, . Also, on the numeric keys 2 to 9, three or four alphabets assigned as described above are printed.

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 .

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2 , on the display unit 40 provided in the mobile phone terminal of this example, a plurality of display lines 41 and 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 display lines 41 and 42 of the display unit 40, for example, when the terminal is used to perform a sending operation, or when there is an incoming call to the terminal, according to the control of the central control unit 31, the number is displayed on the display line 42 with numbers. The phone number of the sending end, and the phone number of the sending end. 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 name related to the telephone number can be displayed using Chinese characters such as Chinese characters, letters and numbers, and numbers.

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 displaying the telephone number of the receiving end or the sending end, if the telephone number is a telephone number registered in advance with the above-mentioned electronic telephone directory function, the registered name and the like are displayed in addition to the telephone 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, using the fact that the pronunciation of each Chinese character is constituted by the combination of the pronunciation element of the consonant part called the initial consonant and the pronunciation element of the part containing the vowel called the final, the pronunciation of the initial and the final is represented by The letter of the element is used to classify and store.

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

[Table 1]

Content of initials and finals initials basic b p m f d t n l g k hj q x zh ch sh r z c s expand Basic initial consonant+a o e+w y vowels a o e ai ei ao ou an en ang eng ong i ia ie iao iou ian in iang ing iong u uauo uai uei uan uen uang ueng üüeüan ün

The phonetic elements of Chinese characters can be represented by combinations of alphabetized initials and finals shown in [Table 1].

Here, in the case of this example, the pronunciation elements of each Chinese character stored in the memory 32 are stored in letters, and the Chinese characters can be retrieved by inputting the letters. In addition, in this example, information on idioms composed of a plurality of characters is stored in the memory 32, and the idioms can be searched easily using this information. For idioms, for example, in a mobile phone terminal such as this example, memory 32 stores idiom information of several characters (four characters in the example described below) considered to be frequently used.

Thus, using the information of the idioms stored in the memory 32, the central control unit 31 executes the character input processing of the idioms according to the processing of the flow chart of FIG. 3 . In this character input process, the central control unit 31 uses, for example, the display line 42 of the display unit 40 as a display position for input processing, and the user's input operation is to perform character input while looking at the display on the display line 42. operate.

Below, the processing of the flowchart of Fig. 3 is described with reference to the display example of Fig. 4 (here is the example of inputting "see you there or be square"). At first, the central control unit 31 judges whether it is the mode of character input (step 101). Here, in the case of character input mode, it is judged whether or not it is a mode for inputting idioms (step 102). When the mode is not for inputting idioms, input processing is performed for each character. Various conventionally known input processes can be applied to the input process for each Chinese character. The input processing of each Chinese character is omitted here.

Then, when it is judged in step 102 that it is the mode for inputting idioms, the first character that is the first character of the idioms is executed (step 103). For the input of the initial character, for example, the alphabet assigned to the dial key is designated by operating the dial key, and the pronunciation of the initial character is input. FIG. 4A shows an example in which the pronunciation of the first character is input and displayed on the display unit 40 . Here, assume a case where "bu" is input.

If there is a prescribed operation after the input of the pronunciation, the central control unit 31 displays a list of the input pronunciations on the display unit 40, and searches for input from the displayed Chinese characters with the operation of the rotation operation unit 34, etc. Chinese characters, determine the first word. The first character whose input has been confirmed is displayed on the display unit 40 (step 104). FIG. 4B shows an example in which "不" is selected and displayed among characters pronounced "bu".

If determine the input of first word, then input the initial consonant (step 105) after the 2nd character of the idiom that wants to import with the operation of dial key then. At this time, only the first letter of the initial consonant is input successively. For example, assuming that the four-character idiom you want to input is "See you, or be scattered", if the "See you or not" is represented by the pronunciation of the letter, it will be "bu-jian-bu-san", and then enter the first word that has been entered The initial pronunciation of the letter "J" in the word "see" of "no". Furthermore, the initial pronunciation letter "B" of the next word "no" of "see" is input. Furthermore, the letter "S" of the initial pronunciation of the last word "san" is input.

Therefore, after inputting "NO", the operation of inputting three letters "JBS" is performed. FIG. 4C shows an example in which "JBS" is input and displayed following "NO".

After performing the above input, the user of the mobile phone terminal uses the operation of the rotating operation unit 34 to perform an operation indicating conversion (step 106), and the central control unit 31 searches for the same input from the four-character idioms stored in the memory 32. idioms. That is, in this example, search for four-character idioms whose first character is "不" and the pronunciation of the other three characters starts with "JBS". At this time, it is judged whether there is one idiom candidate (step 107), and if there is one four-character idiom candidate, the idiom is displayed on the display unit 40 (step 108). FIG. 4D shows an example of a case where the candidate four-character idiom "see or leave" is displayed as a result of such input.

In the state of displaying this candidate character, the central control unit 31 judges whether there is an input determination operation (step 109) carried out by the operation of the rotation operation unit 34, etc., and when there is an input determination operation, determine the input of the four-character idioms displayed at this time (step 110). Then, when the state in which no input confirmation operation has been performed continues for a predetermined time in step 109, the character candidates at that time are invalidated. When making the candidate character invalid, for example, return to the state of displaying the initials and letters (after step 105), and perform processing such as modifying letters as required (the modification method is omitted here).

Also, when it is determined in step 107 that there are a plurality of candidate idioms corresponding to the current input, the plurality of candidate idioms are sequentially displayed on the display unit 40 (step 111 ). As the display processing at this time, for example, the candidate idioms may be switched and displayed every several seconds, or the idioms displayed may be sequentially switched every time a certain key is operated. Then, when displaying the idioms that want to be determined as the input characters, the central control unit 31 judges whether the operation of the rotation operation unit 34 or the like is used to determine the selection operation of the input (step 112), and when there is an input determination operation, determine the displayed character at this time. The input of four-character idioms (step 110). Then, when the state in which no input confirmation operation has been performed continues for a predetermined time in step 112, all candidate characters at that time are invalidated. When invalidating all the candidate characters, for example, return to the state of displaying the initials and letters (after step 105), and perform processing such as modifying letters as needed.

In step 107, if the candidate idiom cannot be found from the stored data in the memory 32, for example, the display shown in FIG. 4C is maintained, and the displayed letters are modified as necessary.

Then, it is determined in step 110 that the input character string is taken as information corresponding to the operation mode at this time. For example, in the mode of sending a character message to any other party, the input character is stored in the memory 32 as character message information, and the stored character message information is read out from the memory 32 when the character message is sent. , send to the other party using the wireless telephone line. Also, when a name or title registered together with a telephone number as an electronic telephone directory is input in characters, the input characters are stored in the memory 32 as the name or title.

By performing the idiom input process in this way, character input can be quickly and easily performed with very few key operations, compared to searching and inputting each character constituting the idiom one by one. That is, for example, in the case of the above-mentioned example, after initially inputting the first character that is the first word "no", it is only necessary to input the first letter of the pronunciation of the remaining 3 characters, that is, the three letters "JBS", and the character-by-character Compared with the situation of carrying out the input of 4 characters at a time, the input of four-character idioms can be carried out rapidly.

Here, three input examples of four-character idioms performed by the processing of this example are shown in [Table 2] below.

[Table 2] Enter characters input method no see no scattered bu jian bu san bu→J→B→S can't realize bun neng shi xian bu→N→S→X Invincible place bu bai zhi di bu→B→Z→D

In the above description, the so-called Pinyin input is used to search, that is, the pronunciation of letters is used to input the first character, that is, the first character, but other input methods can also be used to input the first character.

For example, the strokes constituting the radicals of Chinese characters are allocated to each dial key, and the strokes are designated in sequence according to the order of the strokes, thereby specifying the radicals, and the required characters are found and input by the radicals. For example, when specifying the radical of "王", since the radical is composed of strokes "一" and "丨", input "一", "丨", "一", "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...." from the displayed characters. The desired character, thereby specifying the character that was found.

It is also possible to input the first character by this radical input. FIG. 5 shows a display example of a case where a leading character is input by this radical input. In this example, it is also an example of the situation of inputting the four-character idiom "See you, or be scattered". First, as shown in FIG. An input is made and a corresponding display is performed with the display unit 40 . After inputting with this radical input as shown in Figure 5B and displaying the first word "not", input the initial letters of the pronunciation of the remaining 3 characters successively, as shown in Figure 5C, display the first word "not" and the letters "JBS ", by performing a conversion operation, as shown in Figure 5D, the corresponding four-character idiom "see you or be scattered" is displayed, and the input of the four-character idiom is determined.

In addition, in the input processing of the idioms described above, the initial character, that is, the initial character, is input for specifying the character. However, for the initial character of the idiom to be input, only the initial letter of the pronunciation of the initial character may be input.

The flowchart of FIG. 6 shows an input processing example in the case of inputting only the initial letter of pronunciation for the initial character. Hereinafter, the processing will be described with reference to the display example of FIG. 7 (here, an example of inputting "see or leave"). At first, the central control unit 31 judges whether it is a character input mode (step 201). Here, in the case of character input mode, it is judged whether or not it is a mode for inputting idioms (step 202). When the mode is not for inputting idioms, input processing is performed for each character. Various conventionally known input processes can be applied to the input process for each Chinese character. The input processing of each Chinese character is omitted here.

Then, when it is determined in step 202 that it is the mode for inputting idioms, letters corresponding to the initial sounds of all the characters constituting the idioms are input (step 203). For the input of the letters, for example, by operation of the dial keys, the letters assigned to the dial keys are sequentially designated and input. Fig. 7A shows the input example of this situation, if the input character string " see or be scattered " is expressed with the pronunciation of letter here, then be " bu-jian-bu-san ", input the initial letter " BJBS " of each character and displayed on the display unit 40.

After performing the above input, the user of the mobile phone terminal uses the operation of the rotating operation unit 34 to perform an operation indicating conversion (step 204), and the central control unit 31 searches for the same input from the four-character idioms stored in the memory 32. idioms. That is, in this example, the four-character idioms of "JBS" are searched for at the beginning of the pronunciation of four characters. At this point, it is judged whether there is one idiom candidate (step 205), and if there is one four-character idiom candidate, the idiom is displayed on the display unit 40 (step 206). FIG. 7B shows an example of a case where the candidate four-character idiom "see or leave" is displayed as a result of such input.

In the state of displaying this candidate character, the central control unit 31 judges whether there is an input determination operation (step 207) carried out by the operation of the rotation operation unit 34, etc., and when there is an input determination operation, the input of the four-character idioms displayed at this time is determined (step 208). Then, when the state in which no input confirmation operation has been performed continues for a predetermined time in step 207, the character candidates at that time are invalidated. When invalidating the candidate character, for example, return to the state of displaying letters (after step 203), and perform processing such as modifying letters as needed.

Also, when it is determined in step 205 that there are a plurality of candidate idioms corresponding to the current input, the plurality of candidate idioms are sequentially displayed on the display unit 40 (step 209 ). As the display processing at this time, for example, the candidate idioms may be switched and displayed every several seconds, or the idioms displayed may be sequentially switched every time a certain key is operated. Then, when displaying the idioms that want to be determined as the input characters, the central control unit 31 judges whether the operation of the rotation operation unit 34 or the like is used to determine the selection operation of the input (step 210), and when there is an input determination operation, determine the displayed character at this time. The input of four-character idioms (step 208). Then, when the state in which no input confirmation operation is performed continues for a predetermined time in step 210, all candidate characters at that time are invalidated. When invalidating all the candidate characters, for example, return to the state of displaying the initials and letters (after step 203), and perform processing such as modifying letters as needed.

In step 205, if the candidate idiom cannot be found from the stored data in the memory 32, for example, the input letter shown in FIG. 4A is kept displayed, and the letter is modified as necessary.

Then, it is determined in step 208 that the input character string is taken as information corresponding to the operation mode at this time. For example, when sending a character message to any other party's mode, the input character is stored in the memory 32 as character message information, and when the character message is sent, the stored character message information is read from the memory 32. out and send it to the other party using the wireless telephone line. Also, when a name or title registered together with a telephone number as an electronic telephone directory is input in characters, the input characters are stored in the memory 32 as the name or title.

By performing the idiom input process in this way, character input can be quickly and easily performed with very few key operations, compared to searching and inputting each character constituting the idiom one by one. Especially in the case of this example, as the input of letters, it is only necessary to input the first letter of the pronunciation of all character characters, and in the case of four-character idioms, it is only necessary to input 4 letters, which can be carried out very quickly Input of four-character idioms.

Here, three display examples of four-character idioms performed by the processing based on the flowchart of FIG. 6 are shown in [Table 3] below.

[table 3] Enter characters input method no see no scattered bu jian bu san B→J→B→S can't realize bun neng shi xian B→N→S→X Invincible place bu bai zhi di B→B→Z→D

The three input examples in [Table 3] are examples of the case of inputting the same idioms as the three input examples shown in [Table 2], and it can be seen that the example input in [Table 3] is easier. However, in the case of the example in [Table 3], since the leading character is not specified, there is a high possibility that there are a plurality of candidate idioms.

In addition, in each input processing described above, the case of inputting four-character idioms is taken as an example to explain, but the same processing can be performed when inputting idioms other than four-character idioms such as two-character idioms. In this case, in addition to the case of inputting the above-mentioned meaningful idioms, it can also be applied, for example, to the case of inputting a name composed of a plurality of characters such as 2 characters. In the case of inputting a name composed of a plurality of characters, the same input processing can be performed.

In addition, the configuration of the mobile phone terminal described above is only an example, and mobile phone terminals with other configurations may also be used. For example, in the above description, operations such as confirmation of input are performed using the rotary operation unit 34 disposed on the side of the terminal, but similar operations may be performed using any key on the operation keyboard 33 disposed on the front of the terminal. In addition, in the above-mentioned example, the input of letters is performed using the dial keys of the operation keyboard 33 , but the input of letters may also be performed using the rotary operation unit 34 , for example.

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

In addition, the above-mentioned embodiment is applied to the case of inputting idioms composed of Chinese characters. However, when inputting a plurality of character strings in other languages, the same input process can be performed based on the pronunciation elements of the character strings.

In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, alphabets are used as the input for specifying the utterance element, but other symbols for specifying the utterance element may also be input.

According to the character input method of the first aspect of the present invention, by performing the input of the first character in the character string and the input of the symbol of the first part of the pronunciation element of each character following the first character, from the prepared characters as the search object Candidate character strings are read out and displayed from the string, and characters such as Chinese characters can be input very quickly and easily compared with the case of inputting characters one by one.

According to the character input method of the second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the element input as the head part of the pronunciation element of each character following the above-mentioned head character is an input specifying a letter corresponding to the head part of the pronunciation element , if letters can be designated, a plurality of character strings can be easily input.

According to the character input method of the 3rd aspect of the present invention, in the 1st or 2nd aspect of the present invention, the prescribed operation of inputting the above-mentioned initial character is also the operation of inputting the initial part of the pronunciation element of this initial character, can more simply carry out many. Input of a string of characters.

According to the character input method of the fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first, second or third aspects of the present invention, by sending the determined character string input with the above-mentioned operation as the information of the character message to the other party via the prescribed communication line, it is possible to simply Performs an input operation of characters sent as a character message.

According to the character input device of the 5th aspect of the present invention, by using the operation member to carry out the input related to the first character and the input of the symbol of the first part of the pronunciation element of each character following the first character, it can be stored in the storage unit. Candidate character strings are searched among the character strings to be searched and determined as input characters, and Chinese characters such as Chinese characters can be input with very few operations of the operating parts.

According to the character input device of the sixth aspect of the present invention, in the fifth aspect of the present invention, the symbols corresponding to the pronunciation elements that can be input through the operation member are letters, and the control unit uses letters to judge the beginning of the pronunciation elements of each character, Therefore, as long as a character string can be input by the operation member, input of a character string can be easily performed.

According to the character input device of the seventh aspect of the present invention, in the fifth or sixth aspect of the present invention, the judgment of the control unit on the input related to the first character is also performed based on the input of the symbol at the beginning of the pronunciation element of the character. Judgment, so that the input of a character string composed of multiple characters can be performed with simpler operations.

According to the character input device of the 8th aspect of the present invention, in the 5th, 6th or 7th aspect of the present invention, the control part transmits the information of the specified character string displayed on the above-mentioned display part as a character message to the other party via a predetermined communication line, thereby The input operation of characters transmitted as character messages can be easily performed.

Claims (6)

1, a kind of characters input method that is used for portable terminal is used to import the character string that a plurality of characters constitute, wherein,

Storage is as the character string of searching object;

Import the character ahead of above-mentioned character string with the operation of regulation;

The continue first head part of pronunciation key element of each character of character ahead of above-mentioned character string of input;

From the character string of above-mentioned storage, show the specified character string of character of the pronunciation key element appointment of the character ahead of above-mentioned input and above-mentioned input;

The character string of this demonstration is defined as input of character string; With

When a plurality of candidate character strings is arranged, determine input of character string by operating a rotating operation unit,

Wherein, described rotating operation unit is set to the body of a part of protruded terminal and can carries out along the last/following direction rotation and the operation of pushing to base side, and operates input and the demonstration that described rotating operation unit is controlled institute's input character.

2, characters input method as claimed in claim 1, wherein,

The key element of importing as the first head part of the pronunciation key element of each character of the above-mentioned character ahead that continues is the input of specifying the letter corresponding with the first head part of the key element of pronouncing.

3, as each the described characters input method among the claim 1-2, wherein,

To send to the other side as the information of character information via the communication line of regulation with definite character string of aforesaid operations input.

4, a kind of character entry apparatus that is used for portable terminal comprises:

Memory unit, storage is as the character string of searching object;

Functional unit can carry out the input of the mark corresponding with the pronunciation key element at least;

Display unit shows the mark corresponding with the pronunciation key element of above-mentioned input and the character of this mark appointment; And

Control assembly, when the mark of the first head part of the pronunciation key element of each character of importing the input relevant and the 1st character that continues by the predetermined operation of aforesaid operations parts with the 1st character, the candidate character strings of this input appointment is read from above-mentioned memory unit, this candidate character strings is presented on the above-mentioned display unit determines; With

Rotating operation unit is used for determining input of character string by its rotary manipulation from a plurality of candidate character strings,

Wherein, described rotating operation unit is set to the body of a part of protruded terminal and can carries out along the last/following direction rotation and the operation of pushing to base side, and the operation of described rotating operation unit is used for controlling the input and the demonstration of institute's input character.

5, character entry apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein,

With can by the corresponding mark of the pronunciation key element that the aforesaid operations parts are imported be the letter,

Above-mentioned control assembly is judged the first head part of the pronunciation key element of each character with letter.

6, as each described character entry apparatus among the claim 4-5, wherein,

Above-mentioned control assembly sends to the other side as the information of character information via the communication line of regulation with definite character string of showing on the above-mentioned display unit.

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