11-05-2011, 02:27 PM
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Reconfigurable Virtual Keyboard
We are presenting here a next generation technology, which is the Virtual Keypad. As the name suggests the virtual keypad has no physical appearance.
There is a frame which is empty or filled with air. The area inside the frame is divided into small equal areas, each representing a key. When the user wants to press a key, what he has to do is simply place his finger at the appropriate position in the frame, in other words on the virtual keypad and the desired key will be pressed.
Features
• Reconfigurable. A special software application will be designed for interfacing the keyboard with operating system. This application will allow the user to design his layout. Hence there won’t be any restriction on the user to use the normal QWERTY layout keyboard.
• Save/Load Profile. User can create a layout profile according to his preferences and them save them onto a file. These files can be loaded later or shared between users. E.g. one could create a separate profile for gaming and a different profile for text editing purpose.
• Multiple key same character mapping. User can even use multiple keys to enter the same character. Or even choose to disable a few keys. This feature allows the user to create profiles according to applications. E.g. a dedicated profile for Quake game, photoshop, etc. applications.
• Multilingual. Since the keyboard does not follow any fixed layout, user can use the same keyboard to enter characters from other languages. All the user needs to do is change the language from PC and then use a layout sticker for that language placed below the keyboard frame.
Introduction
In computer systems, the actual processors, are more likely to become outdated than to actually wear out. But there are parts of a computer system that are more susceptible to wear and tear. Understandably, these are the parts that receive the most use – the parts that you pound on each day. Yes, keypad is likely to wear out long before the rest of your computer system.
As the technology advances, more and more systems are introduced which will look after the user’s comfort. Few years before hard switches were used as keys. Now-a-days soft touch keypads are much popular in the market. These keypads give an elegant look, they give a better feel.
They are dust-proof and has got much more life than the other keypads. Thus we see that the new technology always has more benefits and is more user-friendly.
We are presenting here a next generation technology in this area, which is the Virtual Keypad. As the name suggests the virtual keypad has no physical appearance. There is a frame which is empty or filled with air. The area inside the frame is divided into small equal areas, each representing a key. When the user wants to press a key, what he has to do is simply place his finger at the appropriate position in the frame, in other words on the virtual keypad and the desired key will be pressed.
Infrared (The technology being used in touch screens)
Over the years, Infra-red bezels have proven to be a very reliable technology for use in ATMs, Food Service and Preparation, KIOSK, Medical Instrumentation, Process Control Systems, and Transportation Tracking applications. It does not incorporate any sort of "overlay" that could inhibit screen clarity or brightness, but instead, uses a special bezel of LEDs (light emitting diodes) along with diametrically opposing phototransistor detectors which surround the glass of the of the display surface. The controller circuitry scans the screen with an invisible lattice of infra-red light beams just in front of the surface that directs a sequence of pulses to the LED's. It then detects information at the location where the LEDs have become interrupted by a stylus or finger. The infrared frame housing the transmitters can impose design constraints on operator interface products. The only limitation is that they usually require low resolution output of the monitor.
