CN1246158C - Control unit with variable visual indicator - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a system for controlling a device (11, 21, 31), the system comprising a control unit (13, 23, 33) adapted to send control signals to the device in dependence of control data. The control unit comprises data input means (14, 24, 34, 44) for inputting the control data, and the device comprises interpretation means adapted to translate the control signal into an action. In order to indicate to the user of the control unit which action the device is arranged to take when the data input means is activated, a visual indicator is arranged on said data input means. The invention is characterized in that the data input means comprise variable display means (45, 57) arranged to implement said indicator, wherein said control unit comprises first storage means (53) adapted to store video data displayable on said display unit. Preferably, said control unit comprises several separate data input devices, each provided with a display device, wherein each display device comprises a separate display arranged to display a picture according to said video data.

Description

Control unit with variable visual indicators

technical field

The invention relates to a control unit installed with a data input device, the control unit being designed to send control signals dependent on the activation of said data input device. More precisely, the invention relates to a control unit in which said data input means are designed as variable visual indicator means.

Background technique

A large number of electronic devices are used every day, and these devices often require control signals. Dedicated control units are often used for this purpose. Examples of such control units are computer keyboards, remote controls for televisions, stereo recorders or other electronic devices, keys on mobile phones and calculators, and the like. Therefore, the term control unit refers to both a control unit that is integrated into a device for sending control signals to it, and a control unit that can be communicatively connected to different devices and transmit control signals.

The type of control unit referred to is more precise insofar as it includes some form of data entry device, eg, a key press, a scroll control, a switch, or the like. In most cases, these data input devices are equipped with visual indicators designed to display an indication of the control signal issued by the control unit when the data input device is activated. Generally, visual indicators include pre-printed or appearing logos. On a keyboard, symbols are used to directly indicate which character the control signal is to be interpreted by the computer program existing in the computer as which keyboard is to be controlled. For example, if the "A" button is activated in a text editing program, the character a or A will be displayed on the computer screen. Furthermore, certain buttons of the keyboard are designed with indicators indicating the function or action commanded by the control unit when said button is activated. These concern function keys, but also, for example, the enter and arrow keys. Also, there are several keys on the keyboard that when pressed simultaneously with one another, or with other keys, will activate an alternative action or character. These keys include Shift, Alt, Ctrl and Alt Gr keys. In some cases these alternative characters are displayed on the keys with separate indicators, eg all characters activated on a regular PC keyboard by pressing the upper number row and Alt-Gr simultaneously.

When two characters are already indicated on a key, it can be difficult to find the one you are looking for, even if it is displayed on the key. If three or more characters are indicated on the keys, the overall appearance of the keyboard will be unclear. A key containing several characters that, in addition to having extra characters on the keyboard, must be small enough to fit on the key. Alternative characters and functions that are not frequently used are often not indicated.

For example, on mobile phones, which have a tendency to become smaller and smaller, a number and three to four characters are often indicated on a key, which is often very small, approximately half a centimeter. As a result, the characters indicated on the keys become very small, making it difficult and time consuming to write messages using the keys of the mobile phone. Similar problems also exist in most non-base station control units. One problem is that in some cases, the goal of making the control unit small and easy to use becomes in conflict with the goal of designing the control unit to be able to send out a large number of different control signals, forcing manufacturers to compromise .

A frequently used solution to this problem is to use a menu system on the display of the device the control unit is designed to control. This applies, for example, to computers and mobile phones as well as televisions. This essentially gives each key an unlimited function and character, but has the disadvantageous consequence that the indication of which control signal is to be activated will be displayed in another place than on the key.

Another problem involving data entry devices with visual indicators is that which indicators are to be designed on each key, scroll control, etc. is predetermined during manufacture. If the user is only using eg some existing keys on the keyboard, the user has to accept the fact that these keys are scattered all over the keyboard. Of course, if these keys can be arranged in a suitable place, such as grouping together or in a convenient typing mode, it will be expected by the user. If the user uses a computer program designed to interpret certain keystrokes as specific commands, it would also be desirable for the user to be able to indicate this as accurately and clearly as possible. This concerns, for example, computer games or video games. Furthermore, it is desirable for users to be able to rearrange these specific commands to selectable keys. The problem of work-related impairments becoming more apparent and associated with operation with a mouse also makes it desirable for users to transfer more and more functions and characters to keys.

In computer software, often in operating systems, there are decoding systems designed to determine how to interpret the pressed buttons on the keyboard. These decoding systems are often adjustable to enable the use of different keyboard configurations. Thus, for example changing the alphabet from the Roman alphabet to Cyrillic or Japanese characters would be possible. However, the reconfigured keyboard can be difficult to grasp as the indications on the keys remain the same.

In WO97/45794 a computer without a conventional keyboard is shown, which is designed with two screens. One screen is used for data entry, eg by writing directly on the screen using an appropriate pen unit. The screen can also be designed to display the images and functions of the keyboard, wherein even different letters can be used. One inconvenience of the solution shown however is that the feeling of using separate keys is lost and the user has to be very careful to ensure that the fingers hit the desired fingering. Another inconvenience: The input screen has to be the touchscreen type, which is considered less robust than a traditional keyboard.

It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a control unit with a data input device which overcomes the above-mentioned problems of the prior art.

An aspect of this object is to provide a control unit which can be configured in a simple manner to suit different users or uses.

Another aspect of the object is to provide a control unit having a limited number of data input means and arranged to be able to issue a large number of different control signals without restricting access to corresponding characters and functions.

Contents of the invention

With the aim of solving the above problems, the present invention relates to a system for controlling a device comprising a control unit adapted to send control signals to the device in dependence on control data. The control unit comprises data input means for inputting said control data, and the device comprises interpreting means adapted to translate said control signals into actions. In order to indicate to a user of the control unit which action the device is set to take when said data input means is activated, a visual indicator is provided on the data input means. The invention is characterized in that said data input means comprise variable display means designed to implement said indicator, wherein said control unit comprises first storage means adapted to store appearance data which can be displayed by said display means . Preferably said control unit comprises a plurality of individual data input means, each associated with a display means, wherein each display means comprises mutually independent displays designed to display images dependent on said appearance data.

In a preferred embodiment, the display is an LCD with a plurality of pixels, wherein the appearance data comprises pixel data. The control unit may be a wireless or cabled remote control of the device. An example of such an embodiment is a remote control for a television, video recorder or other electronic device. Another example is a computer's keyboard. A control unit can also be integrated in the device, eg a keypad on a mobile phone.

Description of drawings

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the attached picture:

Fig. 1 schematically illustrates a computer with a keyboard realized according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 schematically illustrates a TV set and a remote controller realized according to the present invention;

Figure 3 schematically illustrates a mobile phone with an integrated keypad realized according to the present invention;

Figure 4 schematically illustrates a plurality of keys with variable display means according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 schematically illustrates a preferred circuit solution of the control unit according to the invention.

Detailed ways

In FIGS. 1 to 3 , examples of apparatus for which the present invention is useful and advantageous are generally illustrated. In FIG. 1 , a computer 11 is schematically illustrated, equipped with a display 12 in the form of a screen. A keyboard 13 is arranged as a user interface, which is used as a control unit of the computer. Furthermore, the keyboard is arranged in a known manner with a plurality of data input devices in the form of keys 14 . The user sends the control data to the keyboard by pressing the key, so that the control signal is sent from the keyboard in the figure to the computer. The communication link may be wired or wireless. In the computer there are interpretation means comprising a computer program designed to decode the control signals, thereby interpreting which action or measure has been commanded by the user.

Figure 2 schematically illustrates a television set 21 equipped with a display 22 in the form of a kinescope, plasma screen or the like. The control unit 23 is a remote controller on which buttons or keys 24 are arranged for inputting control data. Thus the control signal is sent from the remote control to the TV via IR, Bluetooth or cable. In the television set, there is installed a receiver designed to act as an interpretation unit for explaining what action the user wants the television to perform.

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a mobile telephone 31 equipped with a display 32 . The control unit of the mobile phone is its keypad 33 device integrated into the device 31 . The keypad is provided with buttons/keys 34, in some cases scrolling controls and the like. When the control unit and the device are integrated, the transmission of the control signals is provided by a physical connection, for example by cables or wires formed on a printed circuit board.

Common to all embodiments of the invention is that the data input means of the control unit are equipped with display means 45 which enable immediate reconfiguration of the data input means. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Figure 4, each data input device comprises an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display). In FIG. 4, the invention is illustrated with seven keys 44 of a computer keyboard, and it should be understood that the arrangement of the display device 45 on the keys is valid for one or more of the keys 44, scrolling controls, etc. of the control unit. Likewise, it should be understood that the control unit may have any number of keys. Therefore, the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4 should only be considered as an example intended to clearly illustrate the invention.

In the preferred embodiment according to Fig. 4, each key comprises a 16x16 pixel LCD. Each display device 45 is encapsulated, meaning that the display device 45 is not stressed when a key is pressed. The arrangement of the variable display means 45 on such a key 44 has no mechanical influence on the function of the key, which can be arranged in the known form of a matrix decoder or as a completely separate contact.

Referring to Fig. 5, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below, wherein the control unit is a keyboard of a computer. Fig. 5 schematically illustrates a preferred embodiment of a circuit scheme for a control unit, ie a keyboard, according to the invention. The control unit comprises a processor 51 arranged to process the display means of the data input unit, ie the display on the keys. Via a PLD (Programmable Logic Unit) 52 , the processor 51 is connected to storage means in the form of a flash read-only memory 53 . In this memory 53 data is stored representing the different visual indicators that the display is set to display. Therefore, pixel data of a plurality of different characters are stored therein. PLD 52 and memory 53 are also connected with second memory 54, preferably SRAM. The configuration of the characters on the different keys of the keyboard is stored in this second memory. In this second memory 54 there is thus stored information indicating that the key i, j should display the character R, that the key i, j+1 should display the character T, etc. In this second memory 54 there are pointers to the data stored in the first memory 53 for the characters contained in the structure defined in the second memory 54 .

The keyboard operates in two modes: Download and Operate. In download mode, the processor, including the internal program and its own data memory, receives data from the computer. The received data includes appearance data for one or several keys, or configuration data with information about the mapping of different characters on different keys. The appearance data thus describe the appearance of one or several individual keys and thus contain pixel data for characters or symbols. Construction data describes the placement of each character or symbol on the keyboard on different keys. When download mode is enabled, the PLD controls the data and causes the bus to address the memory bank. The received construction data is stored in memory 54, which enables rapid reconstruction of the character, while the appearance data for the character is stored in memory 53, which is used for non-volatile storage when the current power is turned off . When the download mode is completed, the pinout of the PLD is set to high-impedance mode, so it will not interfere with the bus in the operation mode.

During the operating mode, the binary counter 55 controls the address lines to the configuration memory 54 through a clock pulse generator. The data output from the construction memory 54 is used to access the upper 8 bits in the character memory 53 through each character of the current construction in a circular manner. Simultaneously the counter 55 accesses the display matrix 56 . For easy understanding, FIG. 5 only shows 9 display devices 57 in the matrix 56 , but it is obvious to those skilled in the art that any number of displays can be included in the display matrix 56 . The display device 57 corresponds to the display device 45 in FIG. 4 . Each display device 57 corresponds to a key. The display means 57 of the matrix is accessed in a multiplexed form by counters, and each row and column is accessed in turn by a set of decoders and buffers. The decoder 58 cycles through the display rows, which are accessed by a three-state buffer 59 . Furthermore, the decoder 60 is arranged to cycle through the display columns and the decoder 61 is arranged to access the pixel columns of each display column.

Preferably, pixel columns are accessed one display row at a time to prevent the display from flickering at low frequencies. This is a solution to that used in television interlacing, where odd and even lines are displayed alternately. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, decoder 60 first accesses the first display column. The decoder 58 then cycles through the three-state buffer 59 from the first row to the last row of the display, where the pixel data for each pixel column is accessed by a first decoder 61 . Thereafter, the decoder 60 accesses the second display column and outputs the pixel data to the respective displays in a corresponding manner by cycling through the display rows.

Due to the difference between the database for character configurations in memory 54 and the appearance of the characters in memory 53, characters can be quickly rearranged into new configurations without the need to download new characters to the keyboard. Due to the invariant nature of the flash ROM memory 53, there is no need to download characters before each use of the keyboard. When a download is required, it is routed to the computer via a suitable communication link 62 .

It should be noted that the keyboard does not require access to the computer during the operating mode, which enables remote control of the device. However, the keyboard must have access to some kind of power source, preferably a battery. In a preferred embodiment, said second memory 54 comprises configuration data for a plurality of predefined configurations, of which only one can be active at a time. This enables quick and easy rearrangement of the configuration of the keyboard for different uses or users.

In the preferred embodiments of the present invention described above, nothing has been mentioned about the functions of the keys. Regardless of which character or symbol is visually indicated on the key, the same control signal is sent from the keyboard to the computer when the key is activated. In the normal state of the art keyboards (containing a matrix decoder), a scan code is sent from the keyboard to the computer when a key is activated. In a keyboard according to the present invention, control signals, such as scan codes, can be sent via the same communication link 62 used to download data to the keyboard, or via other communication links. In the computer there is scan code interpretation means or decoder in the form of a computer program arranged to interpret which action the user wants to perform based on said control signal. In the present invention, the decoder is closely related to the character structure arranged for controlling the keyboard of the computer.

For viewing and selecting configurations and specific keys, the present invention comprises a computer program product which is preferably executed on a device controlled by a control unit, namely the computer now being described. According to a first aspect, the computer program for selecting is arranged to display a plurality of different character configurations for selection from. This is preferably done by visualizing the keys 14 of the keyboard 13 on the screen 12 of the computer 11, where each key is displayed in an appearance and position defined by the configuration. The computer program can be arranged to display one character construction at a time, with the possibility of browsing or displaying several different constructions simultaneously. According to the first aspect, the computer program further comprises means for selecting a particular character configuration; and means for sending a quantity of data representing the selected character configuration to the control unit. In case the selected character configuration only contains characters already stored in the memory 53 of the keyboard, sending a new character configuration to the keyboard only brings about changes in the configuration memory 54 . If new characters are also contained, the memory 53 is also updated. According to a second aspect, a computer program is arranged to display on a computer screen the keys of a keyboard, and a set of characters to be selected therefrom. The characters to be selected from can be displayed on the screen in a matrix or table and sorted alphabetically, numerically or by character type. Means in character type, such as words, numbers, arrows, etc. With the help of the mouse, the appearance of the keys can be selected by dragging and clicking from the table onto the keys on the visual keyboard that the user wishes to appear.

Preferably the user can also choose the action to be taken for each key press. It would be better to have several standard keys, such as letters and numbers, with predefined actions on them. In a preferred embodiment, the action associated with the selected character is to print out the actual character when the selected key is activated. However, by selecting a different action from a list, for example by using the mouse and a different menu, the software will allow changing the action.

During the reconstruction of the character construction according to the second aspect, wherein in a very simple example the A and B keys can be arranged to shift positions, naturally the control unit, ie the keyboard, is also affected on the character to be represented. In this example, the data in memory 54 is changed so that the current configuration points to the correct characters in memory 53 with respect to characters A and B. FIG. The possible change of the selected action (which is taken when the A and B keys are activated respectively), is registered in the computer's scan code decoder, but does not affect the keyboard. In a preferred embodiment of the computer program according to said second aspect, further comprising visualization means for displaying return positions for characters on the computer screen, wherein the characters can be dragged and placed by the mouse from the keys of the visual keyboard in the return position. The computer program is therefore arranged to automatically, and preferably visually, place the returned character back in its place in the character table.

According to a third aspect, the computer program comprises means for visualizing characters with the ability to edit the characters. For the example illustrated in FIG. 4 , where each character is represented by 16×16 pixels, such a pixel map is best visualized on the screen 12 of the computer 11 . The software then enables marking of the pixels the user wishes to activate, for example by means of a mouse. When the user has finished editing, the user clicks the OK button represented by the computer program, which creates the appearance of a new character. The character is then placed into the previously mentioned character table, at a position selected either by the user or automatically by a computer program. Appearance data is also automatically downloaded to the keyboard for storage in memory 53 in one embodiment. In accordance with the above, the ability to select actions is also provided during character building or editing.

According to a fourth aspect, the computer program comprises means for converting picture data of an arbitrary picture into a file format suitable for display on a key. Accordingly, the computer program is arranged to divide the information of a given frame into 16x16 pixels, and to visually display the converted frame for the user on the computer screen. The converted picture can then be edited according to the third aspect described above.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the computer is communicatively connected to the database in a communication network, such as the Internet. Furthermore, the computer comprises means for receiving data from and sending data to said database. The data here refers to both the individual appearance data of the keys and the construction data of the entire keyboard. The device also comprises means for downloading configuration data and appearance data from said database, with the purpose of sending the downloaded data to the keyboard, where the data are stored in memories 53 and 54, respectively.

According to the present invention, when it comes to appearance and position, not only letters and numbers of a character type can be selected. This is also valid for keys with other functions such as Shift, Alt and Return. Furthermore, standard functions or actions on the keyboard that are only accessible through key combination commands can also be configured on specific keys where only one keystroke is required to activate the actual function or action. For example, a save button can be arranged and provided with a suitable symbol.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a key on the keyboard is arranged for browsing between character configurations. Activation of this browse key appears firstly as a visual indicator of browsing between different configurations, i.e. a change in the appearance of the keys on the keyboard, and secondly as a change in the computer decoder that relies on the changed appearance data to interpret the scan code as the correct action. Activation of the browse key thus involves the communication link 62 between the keyboard and the computer. The ability to browse keys makes it especially easy to reconfigure key settings for the keyboard. This is especially advantageous when there is a limited number of keys, or at least less than the desired number of key functions. Thus, the navigation keys can be arranged to function as Shift or Alt Gr keys. For example, in one embodiment, the keypad may be arranged with a row of numeric keys at the top of the keypad, as is normally the case, but in a certain mode, only numbers are indicated on the key's display. Thus clicking the browse button will replace the number with an alternative character, corresponding to the combination activation of Shift and each button, that is, the character! , ", #. Activating the browsing button again will show that these alternative characters are replaced by the next group of alternative characters, which corresponds to the combined activation of the Alt Gr key and each number key, that is, @, £, etc. The result is not only Because fewer characters are displayed on each key at the same time, the keyboard can be made easier to interpret, and because all keys on the keyboard can be arranged with one or more alternative keys, these alternative keys can be selected by using the browse key Browsing can be clearly shown.A particularly advantageous embodiment of the present invention arranged with browsing keys is that the device is implemented as a mobile phone 31.Common mobile phones have 12 to 15 keys 34, wherein the number keys 0-9 are the main Text input, such as for SMS messages, can be difficult and time consuming since up to four keystrokes are required to enter each character. In a mobile phone according to the invention, a plurality or all of the keys of the mobile phone or The buttons are arranged with a display. During normal operation, when the number keys are used in most cases, these keys are arranged to display only numbers. During text entry, the navigation keys of the mobile phone are activated so that the display on the number keys shows Alphabets. In one embodiment each key can assume the appearance of several different letters so that text can be entered as usual. In another preferred embodiment the numeric keys are rebuilt to display A-J instead of 0-9. Reactivation of the browse button will cause the button to display K-T, and so on. According to the illustrated embodiment where the device is a computer, naturally activating the browse button also causes the corresponding button to be activated when the appearance of the corresponding button changes. Change of action taken. The navigation key is implemented in one embodiment as two keys arranged to navigate up and down respectively, similar to what is already very common on mobile phones when navigating through menu systems.

In another embodiment of the invention, the control unit is arranged for controlling a plurality of different devices. For example, the control unit may be a central and portable control unit for controlling devices in a so-called smart house. Thus, the control unit may be designed to be able to communicate with, for example, a television, video recorder, refrigerator, answering device, etc. In a preferred embodiment the browse buttons are used to quickly and easily reconfigure the control unit into a set of keys suitable for the device the user wishes to control. Preferably, the control unit of this embodiment comprises the equipment in the previously described embodiment with a computer and keyboard, ie components comprised in the computer itself. Thus, an embodiment with one control unit designed to control several different devices is equipped with an interpreter unit, ie a decoder for scanning codes or the like emitted when keys are struck. The control unit is therefore designed to adapt the output control signals depending on the character configuration, so that the navigation buttons can be used to navigate between the different character configurations in order to be able to communicate between the different devices. In this arrangement, pressing the browse button by the user can cause the control unit to display keys suitable for communicating with the television. Furthermore, browsing with the browse button would cause, for example, the glyphs on the control unit to take on the appearance of matching symbols for communicating with the refrigerator in the smart house, such as a customer's shopping cart and different basic consumer items.

Other advantages of the browsing function when using a computer are, for example, the ability to browse between mathematical or physical symbols, certain written or drawn characters, or to generate symbols for computer programs in which different keys can be displayed in different visual ways The ability to construct characters, wherein a computer program can be activated by activating individual keys. This functionality thus enables very simple execution of various functions that previously required many keystrokes, alternate combinations of several keys, or the use of a mouse. The invention is also applicable to a control unit in the form of a game console for gaming tools, such as computer games or video games. At this point, different keys can be given different appearances to reflect different events, attachments, and the like. The invention also enables easy reconfiguration of the game console for different games or players.

A number of examples of embodiments of the invention have been described above, however many more conceivable applications and embodiments of the invention are possible. The scope of the present invention is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims (21)

1. one kind is used to control the equipment (11 that comprises computer processor unit, 21,31) system, this system comprises the control module (13 that is used for according to control input data control signal being sent to described equipment, 23,33), this control module comprises the data input device (14 that is used to import described control input data, 24,34,44), wherein, described equipment comprises the interpreting means that is used for this control signal is translated into action, described data input device comprises a variable display means (45), be used on this data input device, visually showing a character with indication when activating described data input device, the action of arranging described equipment to carry out, wherein said control module comprises the storage device of the character data that is applicable to the described character of storage representation, it is characterized in that: described equipment comprises display (12,22,32), and computer program comprises:

Be used for device at the visual character that on described display unit, can show on the described display, and

Be used to allow by operating the device that visual character on described display changes described character data.

2. the system as claimed in claim 1, it is characterized in that, described control module comprises a plurality of data input devices with independent variable display means, and, described character data comprises character framing data and the character appearance data that is relevant to described independent display unit, wherein, described computer program comprises:

Thereby be used to re-construct the device that described character framing data can change the relative character appearance data of display unit.

3. system as claimed in claim 2 is characterized in that, described computer program comprises:

The device that is used to select the device of book character structure and is used for several data of the selected character framing of expression are sent to described control module.

4. the system as claimed in claim 1 is characterized in that, described computer program comprises:

The device that is used for visual described data input device and one group of character on described display wherein, selects to be used to be assigned to the character of described data input device from this group character.

5. system as claimed in claim 4 is characterized in that described equipment is connected to the display pointer device, and is that described computer program comprises:

Be used for clicking and be dragged to shown data input device from one group of shown character by using described display pointer device, and the device of the outward appearance of selection data input device.

6. as each described system in the claim 1 to 5, it is characterized in that described character data comprises the character appearance data, wherein, described computer program comprises:

The device that is used for the outward appearance of editing character.

7. as each described system in the claim 1 to 5, it is characterized in that described computer program comprises:

Be used for the picture data of any picture is converted to, be applicable to the device that on described display unit, shows the file format of this picture.

8. the system as claimed in claim 1, it is characterized in that, described storage device comprises first storage device (53) of the character appearance data that is applicable to that storage can be shown by described display unit, and, wherein said control module comprises processor (51), be applicable to the described appearance data of retrieval, and send it to described display unit to show on it as visual detector.

9. system as claimed in claim 8, it is characterized in that, described control module comprises several independent data input devices, each all designs together with display unit, and wherein second storage device (54) is arranged to be relevant to for different display unit storages the data object of the default structure of appearance data.

10. system as claimed in claim 9 is characterized in that, each display unit comprises independent display (57), arranges to be used for showing the picture that depends on described appearance data.

11. the system as claimed in claim 1 is characterized in that, each data input device comprises contact device, arranges to be used for detecting the activation of corresponding data input unit.

12. system as claimed in claim 11 is characterized in that, the described contact device of each data input device is independent of described display unit and is activated.

13. the system as claimed in claim 1 is characterized in that, described display is the LCD with a plurality of pixels, and wherein said appearance data comprises pixel data.

14. the system as claimed in claim 1 is characterized in that, described computer program comprises:

Be used to show that several can select the device with the action of distributing to optional data input device, wherein, described equipment is arranged to carry out given action when it has been distributed the data input device of described action when activating.

15. the system as claimed in claim 1 is characterized in that, described control module comprises the browsing data input unit, and arranging to be used for when being activated is the change of data input device generation from first character framing to second character framing of described control module.

16. system as claimed in claim 15, it is characterized in that, described browsing data input unit is arranged to when it is activated, the described Interpretation unit of changing described equipment is to be interpreted as control signal action, and, corresponding to the change of described Interpretation unit, change the visual appearance of the display unit of described data input device.

17., it is characterized in that described browsing data input unit is arranged to when it is activated as claim 9 or 16 described systems, in described second storage device, browse between the structure of pre-stored.

18., it is characterized in that described control module (23) is the remote controller that is used for described equipment (21) as each described system in the claim 1 to 5.

19., it is characterized in that described control module (33) is integrated in the described equipment (31) as each described system of claim 1 to 5.

20. system as claimed in claim 19 is characterized in that, described equipment is mobile phone, and described control module comprises the one group of button that is integrated in this equipment.

21., it is characterized in that described equipment is computer, and described control module comprises a keyboard as each described system in claim 1 to 5 and 8 to 16.

Images