Character input device and character input method

Abstract

The objective of the present invention is to allow a user to efficiently perform character input even if an area for placement of keys is narrow and individual key sizes are small. A display unit (11) displays a virtual keyboard including a plurality of character input keys; a touch panel (12) detects a position touched by a finger; a movement direction detection unit (14a) detects a movement direction in which a finger has moved without moving away from the touch panel (12) after the touch panel (12) has been touched; a storage unit (13), in association with information of the movement direction of the finger, stores adjacent character information (13a) for registering information of characters of adjacent character input keys which are placed adjacent to the touched character input key; and an input character setting unit (14b), on the basis of the position and movement direction in which the touch panel has been touched as well as the adjacent character information (13a), sets, as an input character, one character which has been extracted from among the character corresponding to the character input key that has been touched by the finger and the characters corresponding to the adjacent character input keys placed adjacent to the character input key.

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention relates to a character input device and a character input method for performing character input processing. Background technique [0002] In recent years, many terminal devices such as mobile phones, electronic dictionaries, portable PCs (Personal Computers), and tablet terminals have been sold. For such a terminal device, downsizing of the housing is always required. Therefore, the current situation is that the area available for arranging keys for inputting characters cannot be expanded. [0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology in which a virtual keyboard with keys arranged in a honeycomb shape is displayed on the screen in order to easily input various characters using a limited area, and when the user slides his finger on the touch panel , the selected key on the virtual keyboard moves. In this technique, a key that is in a selected state at the moment when the user lifts his finger off the touch panel...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Therefore, if the finger passes the target key and selects an adjacent key, etc., there is a problem that the target key cannot be selected smoothly, and it is difficult to quickly correct the key in the selected state.

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