KEYBOARDS AND METHODS THEREOF

• US 20110216007A1
• Filed: 03/04/2011
• Published: 09/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ICE Computer, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ICE Computer, Inc.
• Inventors: Lin, Chia-Ming, Cheng, Shang-Che
• Granted Patent: US 8,432,362 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/02 Input arrangements using manually operated switches, e.g. using keyboards or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

An integrated keyboard includes a touch pad and a dynamic keyboard embedded in an area of the touch pad. The touch pad, which may provide a transparent surface to allow the keyboard to be visible, provides motion tracking in areas around the periphery of the keyboard and may be configured into many operating modes. For example, virtual touchable buttons may be configured in the periphery of the keyboard. The keyboard may be provided as a dynamic keyboard with various layouts. A keyboard protector may be provided for each layout, with printed symbols for the keys under the layout. The integrated keyboard may also include a mini-projector to allow projection of a large image on a surface and a virtual Human Interface Device (HID) system to facilitate data input. With the input capabilities of the touch pad and the keyboard, the projector may be controlled in many additional ways not available in conventional projectors that are controlled by a few buttons. The virtual HID may provide motion tracking. The integrated keyboard may interface with a master/slave device, such as a slate type device. A customized case tightly integrates the integrated keyboard with the master/slave device.

Claims

1. A integrated keyboard. comprising:

a touch pad;

a keyboard that is smaller than the touch pad and occupying an area completely overlapping the touch pad; and

a control unit that controls operations of the keyboard and the touch pad, wherein the control unit configures the touch pad into one or more logical touch pads, each logical touch pad occupying an area of the touch pad that is outside the area occupied by the keyboard.

2. The integrated keyboard of claim 1, wherein the control unit (a) through the logical touch pads, detects a user'"'"'s touch, (b) generates a motion event based on detection of the user'"'"'s touch, and (b) translates the detected user'"'"'s touch into motion data and one or more relative positions.

3. The integrated keyboard of claim 2, further comprising an interface to an external master/slave device wherein the control unit sends to the master/slave device the motion data and the relative positions over the interface.

4. The integrated keyboard of claim 3, wherein the interface comprises a wireless interface.

5. The integrated keyboard of claim 4, wherein the control unit configures the integrated keyboard to function as a remote control unit for the external master/slave device, and wherein the wireless interface uses an infrared, WiFi, Bluetooth or radio signal.

6. The integrated keyboard of claim 3, further comprising a case having connectors to tightly couple the interface of the integrated keyboard with the master/slave device.

7. The integrated keyboard of claim 3, wherein the master/slave device is coupled to a display device, and wherein the master/slave device displays an image using the motion data and the relative positions.

8. The integrated keyboard of claim 7, wherein the image is displayed under control of an application program running on the master/slave device.

9. The integrated keyboard of claim 1, wherein the keyboard comprises a keyboard with physical keys.

10. The integrated keyboard of claim 9, wherein the control unit configures the physical keys of the keyboard into a logical keyboard according to an application program running on the master/slave device.

11. The integrated keyboard of claim 10, further comprising a protector that is provided to cover the physical keys of the keyboard.

12. The integrated keyboard of claim 11, wherein characters are printed on the protector, each provided to identify a symbol mapped to each physical key.

13. The integrated keyboard of claim 11, wherein the protector is made of a transparent material selected from the group consisting of plastic, polyurethane and silicone.

14. The integrated keyboard of claim 11, wherein the protector includes one or more open ports or holes to allow a user'"'"'s finger to reach exposed portions of the touch pad.

15. The integrated keyboard of claim 1, wherein keys of the keyboard are printed directly on the touch pad or on a sheet provided on the touch pad to cover the overlapping area.

16. The integrated keyboard of claim 15, wherein the sheet is made of a material selected from the group consisting of paper, plastic, and metal.

17. The integrated keyboard of claim 15, wherein the control unit configures logical keys each corresponding to the printed keys.

18. The integrated keyboard of claim 17, wherein the touch pad comprises sensing elements selected from the group consisting of resistive sensing elements, capacitive sensing elements, and surface acoustic wave sensing elements.

19. The integrated keyboard of claim 1, wherein the keyboard is selected from the group consisting of LCD displayed keyboards and ePaper displayed keyboards.

20. The integrated keyboard of claim 1, wherein the logical touch pads are configured such that a user touching the logical touch pads operate multi-touching functions.

21. The integrated keyboard of claim 1, wherein the control unit further configures logic keys on the touch pad outside of the area occupied by the keyboard.

22. The integrated keyboard of claim 21, wherein the logical keys are configured to provide up, down, left and right control keys for a cursor.

23. The integrated keyboard of claim 1, wherein the control unit further configures a logical touch pad in an area overlapping a designated key of the keyboard.

24. The integrated keyboard of claim 23, wherein the designated key is a ‘

space”

key.

25. The integrated keyboard of claim 23, wherein the control unit interprets a user'"'"'s touch on (a) a top portion of the designated key as a keyboard entry that enters the symbol represented by the designated key, (b) a left portion of the designated key as indicating clicking a left mouse button, and (c) a right portion of the designated key as indicating clicking a right mouse button.

26. The integrated keyboard of claim 1, wherein the control units dynamically reconfigures the keyboard to display keys bearing any combinations of symbols selecting from the group consisting of signs, shapes, characters, printed messages, advertisement and instructions.

27. The integrated keyboard of claim 1, further comprising a projector controlled by the control unit.

28. The integrated keyboard of claim 27, wherein the projector is configured to display video, images or computer data on a surface.

29. The integrated keyboard of claim 27, wherein the projector is implemented using techniques selected from the group consisting of:

Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) scanning mirror, Digital Light Processing (DLP), Light Crystal over Silicon (LCOS), and Liquid-crystal display (LCD).

30. The integrated keyboard of claim 27, further comprising a virtual human interface device (HID) module controlled by the control unit.

31. The integrated keyboard of claim 30, wherein the virtual HID module is configured to provide an input device which performs a function selected from the group consisting of keyboard, mouse, trackball, touch pad, pointing stick, graphics tablet, joystick, and game pad functions.

32. The integrated keyboard of claim 30, wherein the virtual HID module is configured to provide a 3-dimensional motion tracking system.

33. The integrated keyboard of claim 32, wherein the 3-dimensional motion tracking system tracks motion of a target and provides 3-dimensional position data/

34. The integrated keyboard of claim 33, wherein the 3-dimensional motion tracking system provides motion data.

35. The integrated keyboard of claim 33, wherein the target comprises a user'"'"'s finger.

36. The integrated keyboard of claim 33, wherein the 3-dimensional tracking system comprises;

a projector for projecting a light pattern on to the target; and

a sensor for detecting reflected light from the target.

37. The integrated keyboard of claim 36, further comprising a light pattern generating lens to provide the light pattern.

38. The integrated keyboard of claim 36, wherein the light pattern comprises a plurality of light sheet each being spaced apart form an immediate neighboring light sheet by a predetermined angle.

39. The integrated keyboard of claim 38, wherein the sensor detects reflected light points each resulting from one of the light sheets intersecting a point on the target.

40. The integrated keyboard of claim 39, wherein the control unit detects the 3-dimensional positions of the reflected light points.

41. The integrated keyboard of claim 40, wherein the control unit uses the detected 3-dimensional positions of the reflected light points and changes in the detected 3-dimensional positions of the reflected light points over time to interpret user input.

42. A method for providing an integrated keyboard including a touch pad. comprising:

providing a control unit to control operations of a keyboard and the touch pad;

configuring a keyboard that is located in a designated area of the touch pad, the designated area completely overlapping the touch pad; and

configuring the touch pad into one or more logical touch pads, each logical touch pad occupying an area of the touch pad that is outside the area occupied by the keyboard.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the control unit (a) through the logical touch pads, detects a user'"'"'s touch, (b) generates a motion event based on detection of the user'"'"'s touch, and (b) translates the detected user'"'"'s touch into motion data and one or more relative positions.

44. The method of claim 43, the integrated keyboard further comprising an interface to an external master/slave device, wherein the control unit sends to the master/slave device the motion data and the relative positions over the interface.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein the interface comprises a wireless interface.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein the control unit configures the integrated keyboard to function as a remote control unit for the external master/slave device, and wherein the wireless interface uses an infrared, WiFi, Bluetooth or radio signal.

47. The method of claim 45, further comprising providing a case having connectors to tightly couple the interface of the integrated keyboard with the master/slave device.

48. The method of claim 45, wherein the master/slave device is coupled to a display device, and wherein the master/slave device displays an image using the motion data and the relative positions.

49. The method of claim 48, further comprising displaying the image under control of an application program running on the master/slave device.

50. The method of claim 42, wherein the keyboard comprises a keyboard with physical keys.

51. The method of claim 50, further comprising configuring the physical keys of the keyboard into a logical keyboard according to an application program running on the master/slave device.

52. The method of claim 51, further comprising providing a protector that covers the physical keys of the keyboard.

53. The method of claim 52, wherein characters are printed on the protector, each provided to identify a symbol mapped to each physical key.

54. The method of claim 52, wherein the protector is made of a transparent material selected from the group consisting of plastic, polyurethane and silicone.

55. The method claim 52, further comprising including in the protector one or more open ports or holes to allow a user'"'"'s finger to reach exposed portions of the touch pad.

56. The method of claim 42, wherein keys of the keyboard are printed directly on the touch pad or on a sheet provided on the touch pad to cover the overlapping area.

57. The method of claim 58, wherein the sheet is made of a material selected from the group consisting of paper, plastic, and metal.

58. The method of claim 56, further comprising configuring logical keys each corresponding to the printed keys.

59. The method of claim 58, providing on the touch pad sensing elements selected from the group consisting of resistive sensing elements, capacitive sensing elements, and surface acoustic wave sensing elements.

60. The method of claim 42, wherein the keyboard is selected from the group consisting of LCD displayed keyboards and ePaper displayed keyboards.

61. The method of claim 42, wherein the logical touch pads are configured such that a user touching the logical touch pads operate multi-touching functions.

62. The method of claim 42, further comprising configuring logic keys on the touch pad outside of the area occupied by the keyboard.

63. The method of claim 62, wherein the logical keys are configured to provide up, down, left and right control keys for a cursor.

64. The method of claim 42, further comprising configures a logical touch pad in an area overlapping a designated key of the keyboard.

65. The method of claim 64, wherein the designated key is a ‘

space”

key.

66. The method of claim 64, further comprising interpreting a user'"'"'s touch on (a) a top portion of the designated key as a keyboard entry that enters the symbol represented by the designated key, (b) a left portion of the designated key as indicating clicking a left mouse button, and (c) a right portion of the designated key as indicating clicking a right mouse button.

67. The method of claim 42, further comprising dynamically reconfiguring the keyboard to display keys bearing any combinations of symbols selecting from the group consisting of signs, shapes, characters, printed messages, advertisement and instructions.

68. The method of claim 42, further comprising a projector controlled by the control unit.

69. The method of claim 68, wherein the projector is configured to display video, images or computer data on a surface.

70. The method of claim 68, wherein the projector is implemented using techniques selected from the group consisting of:

Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) scanning mirror, Digital Light Processing (DLP), Light Crystal over Silicon (LCOS), and Liquid-crystal display (LCD).

71. The method of claim 42, further comprising providing a virtual human interface device (HID) module controlled by the control unit.

72. The method of claim 71, further comprising configuring a virtual HID module to provide an input device which performs a function selected from the group consisting of keyboard, mouse, trackball, touch pad, pointing stick, graphics tablet, joystick, and game pad functions.

73. The method of claim 72, further comprising configuring the virtual HID module to provide a 3-dimensional motion tracking system.

74. The method of claim 73 wherein, in the 3-dimensional motion tracking system, tracking motion of a target and providing 3-dimensional position data/

75. The method of claim 73, wherein the 3-dimensional motion tracking system provides motion data.

76. The integrated keyboard of claim 74, wherein the target comprises a user'"'"'s finger.

77. The method of claim 74, wherein the 3-dimensional tracking system comprises;

a projector for projecting a light pattern on to the target; and

a sensor for detecting reflected light from the target.

78. The method of claim 77, further comprising generating the light pattern using a light pattern generating lens.

79. The method of claim 78, wherein the light pattern comprises a plurality of light sheet each being spaced apart form an immediate neighboring light sheet by a predetermined angle.

80. The method of claim 77, wherein the sensor detects reflected light points each resulting from one of the light sheets intersecting a point on the target.

81. The method of claim 80, further comprising detecting detects the 3-dimensional positions of the reflected light points.

82. The method of claim 81, further comprising using the detected 3-dimensional positions of the reflected light points and changes in the detected 3-dimensional positions of the reflected light points over time to interpret user input.