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Projection Keyboard: Input Device Virtual Keyboard

A projection keyboard projects a virtual keyboard onto a surface using a laser or beamer. When the user touches a key on the virtual keyboard, a sensor detects the touch and records the keystroke. Projection keyboards connect to devices like smartphones, tablets, and computers via Bluetooth or USB. They allow users to type on a flat surface without needing a physical keyboard.

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Raj H. Bhutiya
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112 views4 pages

Projection Keyboard: Input Device Virtual Keyboard

A projection keyboard projects a virtual keyboard onto a surface using a laser or beamer. When the user touches a key on the virtual keyboard, a sensor detects the touch and records the keystroke. Projection keyboards connect to devices like smartphones, tablets, and computers via Bluetooth or USB. They allow users to type on a flat surface without needing a physical keyboard.

Uploaded by

Raj H. Bhutiya
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Projection keyboard

A projection keyboard is a form of computer input device whereby the image of


a virtual keyboard is projected onto a surface: when a user touches the surface
covered by an image of a key, the device records the corresponding keystroke. Some
connect to Bluetooth devices, including many of the latest smartphone, tablet, and
mini-PC devices with Android, iOS or Windows platform.
History[edit]

An optical virtual keyboard[1] was invented and patented by IBM engineers in 1992. It
optically detects and analyses human hand and finger motions and interprets them as
operations on a physically non-existent input device like a surface with painted or
projected keys. In that way it can emulate unlimited types of manually operated input
devices (such as a mouse, keyboard, and other devices). Mechanical input units can
be replaced by such virtual devices, potentially optimized for a specific application and
for the user's physiology, maintaining speed, simplicity and unambiguity of manual data
input.
In 2002, start-up company Canesta developed a projection keyboard using their
proprietary "electronic perception technology". [2][3][4] The company subsequently licensed
the technology to Celluon of Korea.[5]
A proposed system called the P-ISM combines the technology with a small video
projector to create a portable computer the size of a fountain pen.[6]
Design[edit]

A laser projection keyboard used with a tablet

A laser or beamer projects visible virtual keyboard onto level surface. A sensor or
camera in the projector picks up finger movements[1]Software converts the coordinates
to identify actions or characters.
Some devices project a second (invisible infrared) beam above the virtual keyboard.
The user's finger makes a keystroke on the virtual keyboard. This breaks the infrared
beam and reflects light back to the projector. The reflected beam passes through an
infrared filter to the camera. The camera photographs the angle of incoming infrared
light. The sensor chip determines where infrared beam was broken. Software
determines the action or character to be generated.
The projection is realized in four main steps and via three modules: projection
module, sensor module and illumination module. The main devices and technologies
used to project the image are a diffractive optical element, red
laser diode, CMOS sensor chip and an infrared (IR) laser diode.

Template projection[edit]
A template produced by a specially designed and highly efficient projection element
with a red diode laser is projected onto the adjacent interface surface. [7] The template is
not however involved in the detection process.
Reference plane illumination[edit]

An infra-red plane of light is generated on the interface surface. The plane is however
situated just above and parallel to the surface. The light is invisible to the user and
hovers a few millimeters above the surface. When a key position is touched on the
surface interface, the light is reflected from the infra-red plane in the vicinity of the key
and directed towards the sensor module.

Map reflection coordinates[edit]


The reflected light user interactions with the interface surface is passed through an
infra-red filter and imaged on to a CMOS image sensor in the sensor module. The
sensor chip has a custom hardware embedded such as the Virtual Interface
Processing Core and it is capable of making a real-time determination of the location
from where the light was reflected. The processing core may track not only one, but

multiple light reflections at the same time and it can support multiple keystrokes and
overlapping cursor control inputs.

Interpretation and communication[edit]


The micro-controller in the sensor module receives the positional information
corresponding to the light flashes from the sensor processing core, interprets the
events and then communicates them through the appropriate interface to external
devices. By events it is understood any key stroke, mouse or touchpad control.
Most projection keyboards use a red diode laser as a light source and may project a
full size QWERTY keyboard. The projected keyboard size is usually 295 mm x 95 mm
and it is projected at a distance of 60 mm from the virtual keyboard unit. The projection
keyboard detects up to 400 characters per minute.
The keyboard unit works on lithium-ion batteries and offers at least 120 minutes of
continuous typing. The projection unit sizes vary but normally is not bigger than 35 mm
x 92 mm x 25 mm.
Connectivity[edit]

Projection keyboards connect to the computer either through Bluetooth or USB.


Bluetooth dongle technology enables the projection keyboard for point to multi-point
connectivity with other Bluetooth devices, such as PCs, PDAs and mobile phone.[8]
The way that Bluetooth projection keyboards connect to devices depends on the
specific tablet, phone or computer.
The connection between the USB keyboard and the device is made through a
USB port, which is available on every current computer and (via an adapter) other
devices.
Alternative Uses[edit]

Apart from simply being used to type, most laser keyboard systems can function
as a virtual mouse or even as a virtual piano. [9]

Laser Keyboards - How the Projection Technology Works

Features
Connect through USB or Bluetooth
QWERTY keyboard
Powerbank charges your device.
5200 Mah Powerbank
Need to type something quickly? Maybe you've forgot an important
document and need to type it on the commute. Well never fear all you need
is the Laser Keyboard and Powerbank. The keyboard is in the style of the
QWERTY keyboard with a total of 400 characters available. All you need to
do is simply place the LK+ Laser Keyboard and Powerbank on a flat
surface and watch the keyboard appear.
You can connect the device through either a USB or Bluetooth connect. If
you've powered up your laser device you can even charge your phone with
it's built in powerbank.
The LK+ Laser Keyboard and Powerbank is compatible with these
operating systems: Windows XP/7/8, Windows Phone 7, LINUX, IOS
4/5/6(iPhone and iPad), Android 3.0 or higher versions, Mac OS X.

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