Virtual keyboard

• US 20060232558A1
• Filed: 04/15/2005
• Published: 10/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Gigabyte Technology Company Limited (Giga-Byte Technology Co.)
• Original Assignee: Gigabyte Technology Company Limited (Giga-Byte Technology Co.)
• Inventors: Chien, Huan-Wen
• Application Number:
  US11/106,447
• Publication Number:
  US 20060232558A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/043 using propagating acoustic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

The present invention discloses a virtual keyboard, which includes a virtual region, at least two vibration sensors, a storage unit and a processing unit. The virtual region is formed on a surface and has a plurality of virtual keys. The vibration sensors are provided on the surface. The storage unit is used to store a plurality of data, each of the plurality of data recording an actual location and signification of each of the virtual keys. The processing unit is electronically connected to the vibration sensors and the storage unit. When a vibration signal is caused by touching the virtual region, each of the vibration sensors receives the vibration signal and respectively sends an output signal corresponding to the vibration signal to the processing unit. The processing unit determines a vibration source location of the vibration signal based on the output signals and locates a knocked virtual key by comparison of the vibration source location and the actual location recorded in the data, and generates a key signal according to the signification of the knocked key of the virtual keys.

Claims

1. A virtual keyboard, comprising:

a virtual region, formed on a surface and having a plurality of virtual keys;

at least two vibration sensors, provided on the surface;

a storage unit, used to store a plurality of data, each of the plurality of data recording an actual location and signification of each of the plurality of virtual keys; and

a processing unit, electronically connected to the vibration sensors and the storage unit;

wherein when a vibration signal is caused by touching the virtual region, each of the vibration sensors receives the vibration signal and respectively sends an output signal corresponding to the vibration signal to the processing unit, the processing unit determines a vibration source location of the vibration signal based on the output signals, and locates a knocked key of the virtual keys by comparison of the vibration source location and the actual location recorded in the data, and generates a key signal according to the signification of the knocked key of the virtual keys

2. The virtual keyboard according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit determines the vibration source location based on elapsed time difference of the vibration signal and/or amplitude ratio of the vibration signal received by the vibration sensors, respectively.

3. The virtual keyboard according to claim 1, further comprises a wireless communication unit and/or a wired communication unit, used to send the key signal to a device.

4. The virtual keyboard according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit further stores object character information provided for recording how the vibration wave transmitted on the surface is affected by any one of the plurality of virtual keys pressed.

5. The virtual keyboard according to claim 1, wherein the surface is a plane on a platform, chosen from the group consisting of a rigid plate, a flexible plate and a piece of paper;

wherein the plurality of virtual keys are a plurality of key patterns printed on the platform.

6. The virtual keyboard according to claim 5, wherein the platform further comprises a plurality of foot stands.

7. The virtual keyboard according to claim 6, wherein each of the plurality of foot stands further comprises a vibration-absorbing pad.

8. The virtual keyboard according to claim 5, wherein the platform further comprises a plurality of positioning protrusions, each of the plurality of positioning protrusions formed within one of the key patterns.

9. The virtual keyboard according to claim 1, further comprises a software interface executed on a device, enabling a user to input the data into the device.

10. The virtual keyboard according to claim 1, wherein the virtual region further comprises a virtual handwriting board and/or a virtual touch pad.

11. A virtual keyboard, used in a computing device having a storage unit used to store a plurality of data, each of the plurality of data recording an actual location and signification of each of the plurality of virtual keys, the virtual keyboard comprising:

a virtual region, formed on a surface, having a plurality of virtual keys;

at least two vibration sensors, provided on the surface; and

a processing unit, electronically connected to the vibration sensors and the storage unit;

wherein when a vibration signal is caused by touching the virtual region, each of the vibration sensors receives the vibration signal, whereby the processing unit generates a processing signal corresponding to the vibration signals to the computing device.

12. The virtual keyboard according to claim 11, further comprises a wireless communication unit and/or a wired communication unit, used to send the processing signal to the computing device.

13. The virtual keyboard according to claim 11, wherein the processing signal is time information and amplitude information of the vibration signal.

14. The virtual keyboard according to claim 11, wherein the processing signal is information of a vibration source location of the vibration signal.

15. The virtual keyboard according to claim 11, wherein the surface is a plane on a platform, chosen from the group consisting of a rigid plate, a flexible plate and a piece of paper;

wherein the plurality of virtual keys are a plurality of key patterns printed on the platform.

16. The virtual keyboard according to claim 15, wherein the platform further comprises a plurality of foot stands.

17. The virtual keyboard according to claim 16, wherein each of the plurality of foot stands further comprises a vibration-absorbing pad.

18. The virtual keyboard according to claim 15, wherein the platform further comprises a plurality of positioning protrusions, each of the plurality of positioning protrusions formed within one of the key patterns.

19. The virtual keyboard according to claim 11, further comprises a software interface executed on the device, enabling a user to input the data into the device.

20. The virtual keyboard according to claim 11, wherein the virtual region further comprises a virtual handwriting board and/or a virtual touch pad.