JPH0250526A - Keyboard with graphic displaying key top - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention is applicable to personal computers, word processors,
The present invention relates to a keyboard used as a manual means for computers and the like, and particularly to a keyboard having a key top capable of displaying graphics.

[Prior art] This type of keyboard layout is known as QWERT in English.
Various arrangements are known, such as Y arrangement, JTS in Japanese, new JIS arrangement, thumb shift arrangement, and TRoN arrangement.

In any of these methods, one or more types of corresponding character symbols are displayed on the key tops of the keyboard by a method such as engraving or printing. Additionally, some keyboards have LEDs (light emitting diodes) embedded in some of the key tops to display the keyboard's shift mode.

For any of the above keyboards, the key layout is determined at the time of manufacture, and although it is possible to change it later according to the user's request, the characters displayed on the key tops are
Fixed or semi-fixed. In order to eliminate such inconveniences, for example, by adding a front-end processor to the Japanese language software on a PC using MS-DO5, it is possible to convert the code received from the keyboard BIas and run the Japanese language software. Passing software has been developed. This software has made it possible to freely define the logical layout of the keyboard, that is, the meaning of each key, according to the user's needs.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, the above-mentioned logical layout of the conventional keyboard cannot be changed to meet the needs of users. It may also be difficult to use for people with partial hand disabilities. Furthermore, when adding a front-end processor, the meaning of the character symbols displayed on the key tops and the meaning of the keys defined in the software are different, so the character symbols on the key tops must be rewritten in some way. There is.

On the other hand, conventional keyboards have multiple character symbols written on the key tops, and which character symbol is selected is displayed on the display, so people who cannot type blindly can There are problems in that the display is often overlooked, the wrong manual effort is made, and it takes time to correct it.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve these problems and provide a keyboard that allows a keyboard layout that meets the user's requirements and allows the layout to be displayed directly on the key tops.

[Means for Solving the Problems] To achieve this object, the keyboard of the present invention has a graphic display that can directly display keyboard character symbols on the key tops by software that determines a desired keyboard layout. It is characterized by being provided at the top.

[Function] In the keyboard of the present invention, a display device is provided on the key top, and the character symbols to be displayed are arbitrarily determined based on the desired software. It is possible to directly display the most convenient keyboard layout.

[Example] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

FIG. 2 shows the structure of the key top of the keyboard of the present invention, in which a graphic display section 2 such as a liquid crystal display mechanism is provided on the upper part of the key body 1, and the upper surface of the display section 2 is made of a transparent material (synthetic resin). etc.), so that desired characters and symbols can be directly displayed on the graphic display section 2.

FIG. 1 illustrates the configuration of a keyboard and its control section for displaying desired characters and symbols on the graphic display section 2. As shown in FIG. That is, in the figure, 4 is a keyboard unit, 5 is a keyboard control device, 6 is a text manual front-end processor, and 7 is an application program.

By means of the keyboard control device 5, front end processor 6, and application program 7, desired characters and symbols can be displayed on the key tops of the keyboard section.

The keyboard section 4 is provided with a key top switch 8 and key top firmware 9 on the input side, and when an arbitrary key is pressed, the signal from the key top switch 8 is converted into a system code by the firmware 9. This is sent to the keyboard control device 5. The keyboard control device 5 includes a key top input control device IO for converting the system code sent from the firmware 9 into a character code, and a key top input control device IO that reads a signal from the control device IO and generates a code according to the shift state of the keyboard. Convert Tameno Key Top BIO5 (BASICINPUT 0UTPU
TSYSTEM) 11 and a keyboard buffer 12 for storing code conversion correspondence.

An example of a correspondence table between character codes and key physical numbers in the keyboard buffer 12 is shown in Figure 1 below.

Further, the front end processor 6 is for converting a character string into another character string (for example, Romaji-kana conversion), and sends the result to the next application program 7 (for example, a Kana-Kanji conversion program, a word processor). hand over.

Furthermore, the application program 7 has practical programs that are actually used, such as kana-kanji conversion, abbreviated input, radical manual input, associative input, etc., and is a program that creates a keyboard layout that suits the user's preferences and work. .

Although the above configuration is the same as a conventional keyboard unit and its control unit, the present invention adds to the above configuration a mechanism for directly displaying a desired arrangement of character symbols on the key tops of the keyboard.

That is, the keyboard section 4 has a key top display section 13.
In addition, the keyboard control device 5 is provided with a key top display control device 15, its display BIO 516, and a keyboard buffer 12 that stores graphic patterns for the keyboard display. Normally, a desired character/symbol arrangement signal is sent to the display unit 13 by the front BIO 5+6, the keyboard buffer 12, the drive unit 14, and the control unit I5, and is thereby displayed on the graphic display unit 2 of the key top. The keyboard buffer 12 is provided with an application mode so that an application program 7 can be written therein, so as to be convenient for Japanese input, abbreviated input, special character symbol manual input, and associative manual input. In addition,
An example of a correspondence table between key physical numbers and display patterns in the keyboard buffer 12 is shown in Table 2 below.

According to the present invention, the following manual method becomes possible for inputting Japanese, for example.

■When you press the katakana key (or hiragana key), the katakana key (or hiragana key) is highlighted on the key top, and katakana (hiragana) is displayed on each key top.
Katakana (hiragana) is input by pressing the corresponding key.

■ (Japanese human power, shortened human power) When you input a hiragana string and press the conversion key, multiple candidate characters or phrases are displayed on the key tops at the same time, and you can select a candidate by pressing any of the keys.

■(Special character symbol input) Predefined character strings (for example, Roman numerals are "Rouma", Greek letters are "Girishiya")
) and press the single kanji conversion key, it will be converted to the registered character symbol set, and the character symbol will be displayed individually on each key top, and you can select it by pressing the desired key. do.

(Associative input) When a predefined abbreviated character string is input and a function key is pressed, the predetermined function is displayed as a detailed character string on the key top. (For example, when you input "good", "print image display" is displayed.) [Effects of the Invention] According to the keyboard of the present invention described above, the following effects can be expected.

(1) Since it is possible to create a keyboard layout that is optimal for the user, it is extremely useful as a keyboard for office automation equipment.

(2) Can support multiple languages.

(3) Since the information can be displayed directly on the key tops, it is possible to display various types of information, unlike conventional fixed keyboard displays. For example, when displaying a desired keyboard layout or performing associative (abbreviation) manually, a plurality of conversion result candidates can be displayed on the keyboard and selected as appropriate.

(4) Reduces input errors by people who cannot blind type.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a key top, which is a main part of the present invention. 1...Key body, 2...Graphic display section, 3.
...Key top, 4...Keyboard section, 5...Keyboard control device, 6...Text manual front end processor, 7...Application program, 8
...Key top switch, 9...Key top firmware, lO...Key top manual control device, 11.
...Keytop BIO5, 12... Keyboard buffer, 13... Keytop display unit, 14... Keytop display drive device, 15... Keytop display control device,
16...Key top display l050

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A keyboard with graphic display key tops, characterized in that the key tops are provided with graphic display devices that can display keyboard characters and symbols directly on the key tops using software that determines a desired keyboard layout.