THE KEYBOARD

The Keyboard is the primary input

device used to communicate with the computer. A
com puter keyboard closely resemble s a
conventional typewriter key board with the
addition of numerous key s that are used
specifically for computing functions.

TASK PERFORMED BY THE KEYBOARD.

It accepts the character input.

It converts these instructions and data in computer
acceptable form.
It supplies the converted instructions and data to the
computer system for further processing.
 KEYBOARD CONSTRUCTION
The main input device on most PCs. It consists of
a "board" with a set of buttons on it that represent all the letters
in the alphabet, the numbers 0 through 9, and any extra keys,
like cursor keys and function keys that enable some keys to
represent additional characters.
INSIDE OF KEYBOARD

The data entered into the keyboard is firstly sensed

by flexi forced sensors which are connected to an A~D converter
through the signal amplifier. A serial output port is also connected to
the converter.
VIRTUAL KEYBOARD
If computer monitors can shrink to almost nothing,
why not keyboards? Here's how they work.
A laser beam projects a glowing red outline of a
keyboard on a desk or other flat surface. A sensor like those used in
digital cameras monitors the reflection of an infrared light projected
on the same spot. It can tell which "keys" you are trying to strike by
the way that reflection changes. Gadgets disappear when not in use.
It can be called a Virtual Keyboard.

Virtual Keyboard is a gadget which let you easily

create multilingual text content on almost any existing
platform and output it directly to web pages. It does not require
any specific native keyboard layout and language settings.
Instead, it has all the necessary keyboard layouts built-in and
ready for use. All you have to do is select the desired language
and start typing. You can type and edit text in the Virtual
Keyboard window, mix languages, create paragraphs, and use
upper and lower case, like you would in a regular text editor.

DESIGN
The Virtual Keyboard is a multi-part piece of kit. The
main unit is a 90g box measuring 9cm long by 3.4cm wide and
2.4cm deep. This projects a keyboard onto a flat surface using a
laser, and senses key presses via an infrared link. Tap a key on
the projected keyboard, and the box knows what key you have
tapped. Keystrokes are sent to your handheld via a cable that
plugs into its serial connector.
 9 c.m.

3.4cm 2.4cm

FEATURES
Setting up the Virtual Keyboard requires a driver to
be installed. This provides access to various settings, including
the light intensity of the keyboard .Key repeat rate and timeouts.
There are two timeouts: one lets the keyboard turn itself off after
a specified idle time, while the other simply turns off projection,
allowing a restart without needing to re-enable the keyboard. If
the latter is set for a shorter period than the former, then simply
waving your hand where the keyboard should be is enough to
restart it.

You can also configure the sensitivity of the

keyboard. With this set too high you may find the keyboard fails
to detect key presses, with it set too low it may detect more
actions than you intend. And to give you some sort of feedback
while typing, the Virtual Keyboard supports configurable sound
effects (key clicks).

The keys themselves are the usual full-size

QWERTY arrangement with a number row above. There's a
directional cursor on the bottom right edge, and some of the
Shift key combinations are in unusual locations. The lack of a '£'
could prove more annoying, though.
PERFORMANCE
Early experience with the Virtual Keyboard was
frustrating, as it wanted to send far more key presses to the
screen than we actually made. Things improved after a bit of
fiddling with the sensitivity setting, but we still had to restrict
our usual touch-typing speed to get the desired accuracy rate.
We peaked at about 30 words a minute.

It's worth noting that anything substantial

placed between the projection unit and the keyboard may
interfere with recognition. We thought the Virtual Keyboard was
malfunctioning until we realized a pen sitting between the
keyboard and the projector was causing the problem.

There's also a general problem with ambient

light. We carried out our test in an office, and found brown
surfaces better than black and in darker corners generally better
than bright ones. Not surprising perhaps, given that the
keyboard is a laser projection; however, it's unlikely to be usable
next to a brightly lit window in an office, or on a train.

External hardware keyboards generally

incorporate a stand to prop up your handheld, making it easy to
see text as it appears on-screen. The Virtual Keyboard's cable
connection is to the handheld's docking port, which is generally
on the bottom edge of the unit, and there's no stand provided.
This makes it difficult to prop up your handheld for convenient
viewing, and is a usability failing that I.TECH needs to address.

As it stands, we'd be unlikely to choose the

Virtual Keyboard over a hardware-based external keyboard for a
handheld. Hardware keyboards are often cheaper, work with a
wider range of devices and are much easier to use out of the
box. However, I. Tech’s device undoubtedly works, and we look
forward to tracking its future progress. The £99.99 (inc. VAT)
Virtual Keyboard is available in the UK from Internity.

HOW THE VKB WORKS?

Step 1: Template creation (Projection Module)

A template of the desired interface is

projected onto the adjacent interface surface. The template is
produced by illuminating a specially designed, highly efficient
holographic optical element with a red diode laser. Note: the
template serves only as a reference for the user and is not
involved in the detection process. In a fixed environment, the
template can just as easily be printed onto the interface surface.

Step 2: Reference plane illumination (Micro-illumination)

An infra-red plane of light is generated

just above, and parallel to, the interface surface. This light is
invisible to the user and hovers a few millimeters above the
surface. When the user touches a key position on the interface
surface light is reflected from this plane in the vicinity of the
key and directed towards the sensor module.

Step 3: Map reflection coordinates (Sensor Module)

 Reflected light from 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. Custom
hardware embedded in the sensor chip (the Virtual Interface
Processing Core TM) then makes a real-time determination of
the location of the reflected light. The processing core can track
multiple reflection events simultaneously and can thus support
both multiple keystrokes and overlapping cursor control inputs.

Step 4: Interpretation and communication (Sensor Module)

The micro-controller in the sensor module

receives the positional information corresponding to the light
flashes from the sensor processing core, interprets the events
(e.g. keydown, keyup, mouse or touchpad control etc...) and
communicates them through an appropriate interface to external
devices.

WHAT IS IT?

The virtual laser keyboard (VKB) uses

both infrared and laser technology to generate an invisible field
and project a full-size virtual QWERTY keyboard on any
surface. You can use the VKB (Virtual PC Keyboard) with both
your laptop and PC or with a compatible mobile device, Smart
phone and PDA.
The I-Tech VKB reacts exactly like a real
keyboard. Direction technology based on optical recognition
enables the user to tap the images of the keys, complete with
realistic tapping sounds (!), which feeds into the compatible
PDA, Smart phone, laptop or PC. The VKB Virtual Keyboard
supports a wide range of applications:

Cellular telephones.
Laptops.
Tablet PCs.
Space saving computers.
Industrial environments.
Test Equipment.
Sterile and medical environments.
Transport (Air, Rail, Automotive)

FEATURES OF THE VIRTUAL LASERKEYBOARD:

About the size of a small cellular phone, (90 x 34
x 24 mm), the VKB enables users to type texts or e-mails as
easily as with an ordinary keyboard. Imagine how easy it would
be, if you had a proper mobile phone keyboard that fits in your
pocket...
The I-Tech Virtual Keyboard uses a light projection
of a full-sized computer keyboard on almost any surface. Used
with PDA's and Smart Phones, the Virtual Keyboard provides a
practical way to do e-mail, word processing and spreadsheet
tasks, enabling users to leave laptops and computers at home.
VKB's adaptable technology studies the user's finger movements
to interpret and record keystrokes. Because the virtual keyboard
is an image projected by light, it disappears completely when
not in use.

WHO IS IT GOOD FOR?

¥ Business men.
¥ Suppliers/ invoice keepers.
¥ Students/ teachers.
¥ Tourists/ trekkers.
¥ High-tech employees.
¥ Lawyers/ accountants.
¥ Architects.
¥ Land surveyors/appraisers.
¥ Field engineers.
VIRTUAL KEYBOARD (VKB) SETTINGS
The following settings on your infrared keyboard can be
controlled either via your laptop/pc or your compatible Smart
phone or PDA:

Sound:
Users can control the virtual keyboard sound effects (key
clicks) Intensity: control the intensity of the projected infrared
keyboard.

Connection:
Connection to the appropriate Laptop/PC port.

Sensitivity:
Users can adjust the sensitivity of the virtual keyboard.

Timeouts:
Adjustable timeouts to conserve the virtual keyboard's battery
life.
Auto-repeat:
Allows the VKB to automatically repeat a key based on
prescribed parameters.