TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to electronic devices requiring character input. In particular  the present disclosure relates to a system and a method for communicating with the electronic devices using various types of keyboard(s) for controlling the electronic devices.

BACKGROUND

Electronic devices with user interface have been introduced in the past for controlling the devices. The user interface allows users to interact with the electronic devices such as television  video conferencing monitor  laptop  projection screen  PDA  Smartphone and computer monitor. In the recent past  for better control of the electronic devices  the user interface like keyboard is used in place of remote control. The conventional keyboards make use of Wi-Fi  Radio Frequency  and Bluetooth etc. for communicating with the electronic device.

Although the wireless keyboard control devices can provide full control capabilities  they require more battery power and emit radiation which may be harmful. Further the battery operated keyboards have other disadvantages. As the battery power decreases  the signal strength also decreases. Thus  the usage of the keyboard is limited to a near distance from the electronic device.

Also  the communication technologies like Wi-Fi  Radio Frequency  and Bluetooth etc consume more power. Further  the keyboards may sometimes be subjected to rough usage like the keyboard may fall a number of times.

Therefore  there is a need for a keypad  a system comprising the keypad and a method for communicating with the electronic device to overcome the above mentioned problems.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The shortcomings of the prior art are overcome and additional advantages are provided through the present disclosure. Additional features and advantages are realized through the techniques of the present disclosure. Other embodiments and aspects of the disclosure are described in detail herein and are considered a part of the claimed disclosure.

The present disclosure teaches a system and a method for communicating with the electronic devices using various types of keyboards for controlling the electronic devices. In one exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure  the keyboard has a display area. One or more key presses are represented in a predefined manner in the display area. The keyboard disclosed in the present disclosure is user friendly.

In one embodiment  the present disclosure relates to system for communication with an electronic device. The system comprises a virtual keypad comprising one or more keys and an image capturing unit coupled with the electronic device. The image capturing unit is capable of capturing images of the virtual keypad. The system further comprises a processor configured in the electronic device. The processor is capable of receiving the captured images from the image capturing unit  and processing the received images to determine pressing of the one or more keys of the virtual keypad by detecting a region covered by pressing of one or more keys of the virtual keypad.

In one embodiment  the present disclosure relates to a system for communication with an electronic device. The system comprises a physical keypad comprising a keypad area comprising one or more keys  and a display area. The one or more keys of the keypad area are connected to one or more symbols configured on the display area and the one or more symbols are displayed upon pressing of the one or more keys. The system further comprises an image capturing unit coupled with the electronic device  the image capturing unit being capable of capturing images of the display area of the physical keypad. A processor is configured in the electronic device  the processor being capable of receiving the captured images from the image capturing unit  and processing the received images to determine pressing of the one or more keys of the physical keypad by detecting the one or more symbols displayed on the display area.

A method of communicating with an electronic device is disclosed as another aspect of the present disclosure. The method comprises capturing images of a keypad by an image capturing unit. The keypad comprises at least one of one or more keys and a display area  and the keypad is selected from at least one of a virtual keypad and a physical keypad. The method further comprises receiving the captured images by a processor configured in the electronic device and in response to the received images  pressing of the one or more keys of the keypad are determined. The pressing is determined by detecting at least one of a region covered by the pressing of the one or more keys of the virtual keypad  and one or more symbols displayed on the display area of the physical keypad. The one or more symbols are displayed on the display area when the one or more keys of the physical keypad are pressed.

The aforementioned and other features and advantages of the disclosure will become further apparent from the following detailed description of the presently preferred embodiments  read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The detailed description and drawings are merely illustrative of the disclosure rather than limiting  the scope of the disclosure being defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features of the present disclosure are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The embodiments of the disclosure itself  together with further features and attended advantages  will become apparent from consideration of the following detailed description  taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. One or more embodiments of the present disclosure are now described  by way of example only  with reference to the accompanied drawings wherein like reference numerals represent like elements and in which:

Fig. 1 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a system for communicating with an electronic device in accordance with the present disclosure;

Fig. 2A illustrates a virtual keypad layout in accordance with a first embodiment of the disclosure;

Fig. 2B illustrates a system for communicating with an electronic device in accordance with a first embodiment of the present disclosure;

Fig. 3A illustrates a physical keypad in accordance with a second embodiment of the disclosure;

Fig. 3B illustrates a system for communicating with an electronic device in accordance with a second embodiment of the present disclosure;

Fig. 4A illustrates a physical keypad in accordance with a third embodiment of the disclosure;

Fig. 4B illustrates a system for communicating with an electronic device in accordance with a third embodiment of the present disclosure;

Fig. 4C  4D and 4E illustrate working of a physical keypad in accordance with a third embodiment of the present disclosure;

Fig. 4F illustrates binary mapping of keys of a physical keypad in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Fig. 5 illustrates a side view of the physical keypad in accordance with a third embodiment of the disclosure;

Fig. 6 illustrates color coded symbols for communication with the electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Fig. 7A and 7B illustrates a physical keypad in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the disclosure;

Fig.8 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating a method of communicating with an electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Fig. 9 is a block diagram showing system functional elements for providing input to an electronic device in accordance with first  second  third and fourth embodiment of the present disclosure;

Fig. 10A and 10B illustrates test images for use in accordance with the present disclosure;

Fig. 11 illustrates result of test images captured from a predetermined distance during daytime in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

Fig. 12 illustrates result of test images captured from a predetermined distance during night time in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The figures depict embodiments of the disclosure for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosure described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The foregoing has broadly outlined the features and technical advantages of the present disclosure in order that the detailed description of the disclosure that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the disclosure will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the disclosure. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present disclosure. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as set forth in the appended claims. The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the disclosure  both as to its organization and method of operation  together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood  however  that each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the present disclosure.

In one embodiment  the present disclosure relates to a system for communication with an electronic device. The system comprises a virtual keypad comprising one or more keys and an image capturing unit coupled with the electronic device. The image capturing unit is capable of capturing images of the virtual keypad. The system further comprises a processor configured in the electronic device. The processor is capable of receiving the captured images from the image capturing unit  and processing the received images to determine pressing of the one or more keys of the virtual keypad by detecting a region covered by pressing of one or more keys of the virtual keypad.

In another embodiment of the present disclosure  the covered region is defined by a minimum pixel co-ordinate and a maximum pixel co-ordinate  wherein each pixel co-ordinate is mapped to one or more characters in a mapping table.

In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure  the mapping table is stored in a storage unit configured in the electronic device  and wherein the storage unit is communicatively connected to the processor.

In still another embodiment of the present disclosure  the system further comprises a light source for illuminating the virtual keypad.

In one embodiment  the present disclosure relates to a system for communication with an electronic device. The system comprises a physical keypad comprising a keypad area comprising one or more keys  and a display area. The one or more keys of the keypad area are connected to one or more symbols configured on the display area and the one or more symbols are displayed upon pressing of the one or more keys. The system further comprises an image capturing unit coupled with the electronic device  the image capturing unit being capable of capturing images of the display area of the physical keypad. A processor is configured in the electronic device  the processor being capable of receiving the captured images from the image capturing unit  and processing the received images to determine pressing of the one or more keys of the physical keypad by detecting the one or more symbols displayed on the display area.

In another embodiment of the present disclosure  the system further comprises a light source for illuminating at least the display area of the physical keypad.

In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure  each of the one or more symbols is specific to the one or more keys.

In still another embodiment of the present disclosure  each of the one or more symbols is a combination of one or more shapes and one or more color gradients.

In another embodiment of the present disclosure  the one or more keys are connected to the display area using mechanical connections.

In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure  examples of the electronic device may include  but are not limited to  television  video conferencing monitor  laptop  projection screen  PDA  Smartphone and computer monitor.

In still another embodiment of the present disclosure  the display area is made of a gel material and the one or more keys are connected to the display area using tubes filled with at least one of air and gas.

In one embodiment  the present invention relates to a method of communicating with an electronic device. The method comprises capturing images of a keypad by an image capturing unit. The keypad comprises at least one of one or more keys and a display area  and the keypad is selected from at least one of a virtual keypad and a physical keypad. The method further comprises receiving the captured images by a processor configured in the electronic device and in response to the received images  pressing of the one or more keys of the keypad are determined. The pressing is determined by detecting at least one of a region covered by the pressing of the one or more keys of the virtual keypad  and one or more symbols displayed on the display area of the physical keypad. The one or more symbols are displayed on the display area when the one or more keys of the physical keypad are pressed.

Fig. 1 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a system for communicating with an electronic device 120 in accordance with the present disclosure. The system comprises the electronic device 120 and an input device 150. The electronic device 120 used in the present disclosure may include  but are not limited to  television  video conferencing monitor  laptop  projection screen  PDA  Smartphone and computer monitor. A person skilled in the art would understand that any other electronic device requiring input can be used in addition to aforesaid electronic device 120. The electronic device 120 comprises an image capturing unit 130  a processor 140 and a storage unit 160. The image capturing unit 130 continuously monitors the input device 150 and captures images of the input device 150. In an embodiment  the image capturing unit 130 can be a web camera and the input device 150 can be a physical keypad or virtual keypad. The captured images are transmitted to the processor 140  which extracts symbols from the image and detects the symbols to determine what input was provided to the electronic device 120. The storage unit 160 of the electronic device 120 stores a mapping table. In an embodiment  the mapping table comprises predefined mapping corresponding to one key or a combination of keys of the input device 150. Hence  the processor 140 detects the key press and refers to the mapping table to identify which key of the input device 150 was pressed.

The input device 150 is kept at a predetermined distance from the electronic device 120 configured with the image capturing unit 130. In an exemplary embodiment  the maximum distance between the electronic device 120 and the input device 150 can be about 5 meters. A person skilled in the art would understand that any range of web camera can be used in system of the present disclosure. Web cameras with higher resolution will give good images. Thus  we can further increase the distance between the electronic device 120 and the input device 150. Hence  distance between the electronic device 120 and the input device 150 should not be construed as limitation on the technology as disclosed in the present disclosure.
Fig. 2A illustrates a virtual keypad layout in accordance with a first embodiment of the disclosure. In an embodiment  the input device 150 is a virtual keypad 210 comprising one or more key areas. The one or more key areas are marked on the virtual keypad 210. In an embodiment  the virtual keypad can be made on plastic or flexible/inflexible sheets made of any other material. In an embodiment  the virtual keypad 210 is divided into one or more key areas and marked with specific symbol(s) and/or color(s).There are no physical keys for pressing on the virtual keypad 210  instead the keys are marked with specific color(s) and/or symbol(s). The advantage of using the virtual keypad 210 is that the keypad requires no battery to operate. Hence  the virtual keypad 210 is eco friendly. Further  the keypad will not break even when subjected to rough usage as the virtual keypad 210 in case the virtual keypad 210 is made on flexible sheet. Also  no harmful radiations are emitted from the virtual keypad 210 as in case of wireless keyboards operated using Wi-Fi  Bluetooth etc.

Fig. 2B illustrates a system for communicating with the electronic device 120 in accordance with first embodiment of the present disclosure. The system comprises the electronic device 120 provided with the image capturing unit 130. The image capturing unit 130 captures image of the virtual keypad 210 as illustrated in Fig. 1. The system further comprises the processor 140 configured with the electronic device 120. The processor 140 processes the image captured by image capturing unit 130 to control the electronic device 120.

In an embodiment  the image capturing unit 130 continuously monitors the virtual keypad 210 and captures images of the virtual keypad 210. The images are simultaneously transmitted to the processor 140. When the one or more key areas of the virtual keypad 210 are pressed  the processor 140 detects the region covered by pressing of key area(s) of the one or more key areas and determines which key area(s) of the virtual keypad 210 was pressed. In an embodiment  the region of each key of the virtual keypad 210 is defined by a minimum and a maximum pixel co-ordinate. Further  the storage unit 160 of the electronic device 120 stores a mapping table. In an embodiment  the mapping table comprises  each pixel co-ordinate mapped to one key area or a combination of key areas of the one or more key areas. Hence  the processor 140 detects the co-ordinates of the region covered by the key area(s) pressed and refers to the mapping table to identify which key area(s) of the virtual keypad 210 was pressed.

Fig. 3A illustrates a physical keypad for communicating with the electronic device in accordance with a second embodiment of the present disclosure. In the second embodiment  the input device 150 is a physical keypad 310. The physical keypad 310 (alternatively referred to as physical keypad-1) comprises a keypad area 320 and a display area 330. The keypad area 320 comprises one or more keys for providing input to the electronic device 120. The one or more keys of the keypad area 320 are marked with one or more characters  special characters and control functions. The one or more keys of the keypad area 320 are connected to the display area 330 with a circuit  for example  an electrical connection. In an exemplary embodiment  the electrical connection is achieved using mechanical connections between the one or more keys and the display area 330.

Fig. 3B illustrates a system for communicating with the electronic device 120 in accordance with a second embodiment of the present disclosure. The system comprises the electronic device 120 provided with the image capturing unit 130. The image capturing unit 130 captures image of the physical keypad-1 310. The system further comprises the processor 140 configured with the electronic device 120. The processor 140 processes the image captured by image capturing unit 130 to control the electronic device 120.

In an embodiment  the image capturing unit 130 continuously monitors the physical keypad-1 310 and captures images of the physical keypad-1 310. The images are simultaneously transmitted to the processor 140. When one or more keys of the physical keypad-1 310 are pressed  the key(s) of the one or more keys pressed is represented in a predefined manner on the display area 330 through the electrical connection. In an exemplary embodiment  the display on the display area 330 may include  but not limited to bar code  or various types of symbol etc. The processor 140 processes the image received by image capturing unit 130. In an embodiment  the mapping table stored in the storage unit 160 of the electronic device 120 comprises mapping between the image/ symbol displayed on the display area 330 and the one or more keys on the keypad area 320. The processor 140 refers to the mapping table and detects the one or more keys pressed. Hence  the electronic device 120 is controlled by the system mentioned above.

The physical keypad-1 310 does not require communication stack to operate  hence  less battery power is needed to operate the physical keypad-1 310. Also  no harmful radiations are emitted from the physical keypad-1 310 as in the case of wireless keyboards using Wi-Fi  Bluetooth etc. In an embodiment  the physical keypad-1 310 can be used in living room environment with ease as the physical keypad-1 310 can be used at most of the angles detectable by the image capturing unit 130.

Fig. 4A illustrates a physical keypad 410 for communicating with the electronic device 120 in accordance with a third embodiment of the present disclosure. In the third embodiment  the input device 150 is the physical keypad 410. The physical keypad 410 (alternatively referred to as physical keypad-2) comprises a keypad area 420 and a display area 430. The keypad area 420 comprises one or more keys for providing input to the electronic device 120. The one or more keys are marked with one or more characters  special characters  control functions and combinations thereof. The one or more keys of the keypad area 420 are connected to the display area 430 using a mechanical connection or an electrical connection. In an exemplary embodiment  the connections from the one or more keys to the display area 430 are similar to connections used for typewriter.

In an embodiment  the working of the physical keypad - 2 410 is illustrated in Fig. 4C  4D  4E and 4F. Fig. 4C  4D and 4E illustrate the internal working of physical keypad-2 410. When a user presses the one or more keys of the physical keypad -2 410  a lever 440 attached to the one or more keys is pressed. The key lever 440 in turn pulls a typing bar 450 attached therewith. This results in pulling down binary converter 460. Then  depending on the binary mapping  the corresponding needles 470 are pressed. Finally  based on the pressed needles 470  corresponding digital code is raised on to the display area 430 of the physical keypad -2 410.

Fig. 4F shows a binary mapping according to an exemplary embodiment. The binary mapping can be connected to 7 keys of the physical keypad -2 410. A person skilled in the art would understand that the binary mapping mechanism can also be extended to more number of keys of the physical keypad -2 410. Using this binary mechanism  the output is provided in a binary form which is display on the display area 430 of the physical keypad -2 410 in the form of colored shapes.

Fig. 4B illustrates a system for communicating with the electronic device 120 in accordance with a third embodiment of the present disclosure. In an embodiment  the image capturing unit 130 continuously monitors the physical keypad-2 410 and captures images of the physical keypad-2 410. The system further comprises the processor 140 configured with the electronic device 120. The captured images are simultaneously transmitted to the processor 140  which processes the image captured by the image capturing unit 130. In an embodiment  the mapping table in the storage unit 160 of the electronic device 120 comprises mapping between the image/symbol displayed on the display area 430 and the one or more keys on the keypad area 420. The processor 140 refers to the mapping table and detects the one or more keys pressed to control the electronic device 120.

When the one or more keys of the physical keypad-2 410 are pressed  the key(s) of the one or more keys pressed are represented in a predefined manner on the display area 430. In an exemplary embodiment  the display on the display area 430 may include  but not limited to colored needles  symbols or character codes etc. The processor 140 identifies the image received by image capturing unit 130 and detects the one or more keys pressed. Hence  the electronic device 120 is controlled by the system mentioned above.

In an embodiment  when the one or more keys of the physical keypad-2 410 are pressed  a colored needle corresponding to the key(s) pressed is popped up in the display area 430 as shown in Fig. 5  which shows side view of the physical keypad-2 410. The processor 140 then processes the images received from the image capturing unit 130 to recognize the colored needle display and identify which key(s) of the physical keypad-2 410 was pressed.

In another embodiment  when the one or more keys of the physical keypad-2 410 are pressed  each key(s) press pops up one or more different color needles  for example  8 different colored needles are popped into the display area  which forms a character code. This character code is specific for each key(s) pressed. The processor 140 then processes the images received from the image capturing unit 130 to recognize the character code and thus identify which key of the physical keypad-2 410 was pressed.

In another embodiment  the display area 430 is configured with symbols. The one or more keys of the keypad area 420 are connected to the display area 430 using mechanical connection. When one or more keys of the physical keypad-2 410 are pressed  the corresponding symbol is displayed on the display area 430. In an exemplary embodiment  the symbol can be a combination of one or more shapes and one or more color gradients. The shapes can include  but not limiting to triangle  rectangle  square and circle. A person skilled in the art would understand that any other shape detectable by the image capturing unit 130 can be used in the display area 430 of the present disclosure.

Fig. 6 illustrates color coded symbols for communication with the electronic device 120 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. In the illustrated embodiment  a carrier code is used for detecting the area/shape of the area  and a signal code is used to detect the color inside the area/shape of area  which in turn are used to detect character with the help of the map table. In an exemplary embodiment  the carrier code alone can be used to detect the character in absence of signal code  with the help of map table. Hence  carrier code or signal code or combination of carrier code and signal code is utilized to decode the character by determining pressing of the area/region on the keypad.

In an embodiment  the rectangle shape detects the display area which is captured by the image capturing unit 130. In an embodiment  the carrier code and the signal code are color based. In an exemplary embodiment  white color represents 0  and any other color represents 1. In an embodiment  the carrier code is based on color and shape. In an embodiment  the carrier code is shape based and the signal code is color inside the shape. Hence  each key of the physical keypad-2 410 is mapped to a predefined combination of different shapes filled with different color gradients.

Figs. 7A and 7B illustrate a physical keypad 710 for communicating with an electronic device 120 in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure.

According to the fourth embodiment  the input device 150 is a physical keypad 710 (alternatively referred to as physical keypad-3) comprising of a keypad area 720 and a display area 730. The keypad area 720 comprises one or more keys for providing input to the electronic device 120. For example  one or more keys are dome shaped. The one or more keys are connected to the display area 730 using tubes 740 filled with air or gas such that when the one or more keys are pressed  a pressure is applied on the key(s)  which is then passed through the tubes 740 to the display area 730. The display area 730 is made up of a material that changes color when pressure is applied. In an embodiment  the material used for the display area 730 is gel.

The display area 730 is initially empty. When one or more keys of the physical keypad-3 710 are pressed  the pressure applied on the key(s) of the one or more keys pinches the connecting tubes 740. Simultaneously  the end of the connecting tube 740 connected to display area 730 gets bloated and applies pressure to corresponding section on the display area 730. As the pressure is passed on the display area 730  color at the corresponding position of the display area 730 changes. In an embodiment  a mapping table is stored in the storage unit 160 which comprises mapping between the color gradients and equivalent one or more keys. The processor 140 then matches the color gradient with the corresponding key(s) pressed by looking up at the mapping table stored in the storage unit 160 of the electronic device 120.

In an exemplary embodiment  press of the one or more keys can popup one or more different colors into the display area 730 forming a character code. This character code is then recognized by the image capturing unit 130 as a particular character.

The physical keypad-3 710 is easy to use and does not require battery to operate. Further  the keypad 710 does not emit any radiation as in the case of communication devices using Wi-Fi  Radio Frequency and Bluetooth.

Fig. 8 is an exemplary flowchart for a method of communicating with an electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method comprises providing input to the electronic device 120 by pressing one or more keys of the keypad by user at step 810. The image capturing unit 130 of the electronic device 120 continuously captures images of the keypad at step 820. In an embodiment  the keypad can be a virtual keypad or a physical keypad. The physical keypad comprises one or more keys and a display area. The captured images are then transmitted to a processor 140 configured with the electronic device 120. The processor 140 receives the captured images at step 830 and in response to the received images determines which key(s) of the one or more keys were pressed at step 810. The virtual keypad comprises one or more key areas. In case the keypad is a virtual keypad  at step 840  the processor 140 determines the pressed key area(s) of the one or more key areas by detecting a region covered by the pressing of the one or more key areas of the virtual keypad at step 850. Alternatively  if the keypad is a physical keypad at step 840  the processor 140 determines the pressed key(s) by detecting the one or more symbols displayed on the display area of the physical keypad at step 860 and matching the detected symbol(s) with the equivalent one or more keys using the mapping table stored in the storage unit 160. The said one or more symbols are displayed by pressing the one or more keys of the physical keypad.

Fig. 9 is a block diagram showing system functional elements for providing input to the electronic device 120 in accordance with first  second  third and fourth embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in the block diagram  an image of the input device 150 is captured by the image capturing unit 130 at step 910. Then  the image is provided to the processor 140 of the electronic device 120. The processor 140 performs image segmentation on the image to extract the symbol region from the image at step 920. Image Segmentation is a process by which the specific objects in the image are distinguished from the background. Based on the color information  the required region can be separated from the rest of the image. By segmenting the image in the binary image  only two types of pixels are left to be processed  “white and black”. In this way the complexity of the image processing is reduced.

In one embodiment  the extraction of symbol region can be performed based on color at step 940. The color based extraction comprises converting the image to Hue  Saturation and Value (HSV)  which is one type of representation of Red Green Blue (RGB) model. The HSV method is preferable because Hue feature is invariant to shadows and highlights. HSV represents the colors in a similar way by which human eye senses the color. Thereafter  color thresholding is performed for detecting symbol region. Finally  the symbol region is extracted from the image.

In another embodiment  the extraction of symbol region can be performed based on shape at step 950. The shape based extraction comprises converting the captured image to grayscale binary image. Then  noise in the image is reduced by applying blur. Further  edge extraction is performed using Canny Edge algorithm. The Canny edge detection uses a multi-stage process to detect a wide range of edges in images. Finally  the symbol region is extracted from the image.

In yet another embodiment  the symbol region can be extracted by Binary Large Object (BLOB) tracking. The BLOB tracking is used to assign BLOBS in current frame (t+1) to the ones in the previous frame (t) which have already been recognized as symbol region. Using this method  the keyboard symbol region can be predicted for the next frames.

Once the symbol region is extracted  the symbol region is converted to key codes at step 930. The key code helps in detecting the symbols and in turn detecting which key(s) of the input device 150 were pressed. In one embodiment  the symbol recognition is done by performing at least one of color threshold within region  shape analysis through computation  area and perimeter analysis  and pattern matching at step 960. Pattern matching is a method of identifying features in an image that match a smaller template image  i.e. the pattern to be matched. The process involves two phases  an off-line learning phase in which the template is processed  and a matching phase that can be executed in real time.

In an exemplary embodiment  Open Source Computer Vision library (Open CV) is used to implement and experiment the method of the present disclosure. In an embodiment  the algorithms from Open CV including but not limited to Gaussian Blur  Canny and Find Contours algorithms can be selected. The image capturing unit 130 configured for capturing image can be a camera with minimum of 1280 x 720 pixels. For selection of the image suitable for the present disclosure  two different images were tested using the Open CV experiment. Fig. 10A illustrates a first image  which is rectangle with symbols. The size of the first image is 15cmX6cm. Fig. 10B illustrates a second image which is a colored rectangle. The size of the second image is 10cm X 5cm. The images are tested to confirm the maximum distance from which the images can be recognized from camera.

The first and the second images are captured by the image capturing unit 130 during daytime from a distance of 1 meter  2 meters and 3 meters respectively. The result of the captured images is illustrated in Fig. 11. Similarly  the first and the second image are captured by the image capturing unit 130 during night time with lights ON from a distance of 1 meter  2 meters  and 3 meters. The result of the captured images is illustrated in Fig. 12.

This written description uses examples to disclose the invention  including the best mode  and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention  including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims  and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims  or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.
Referral Numerals:

Reference number Description
120 Electronic device
130 Image capturing unit
140 Processor
150 Input device
160 Storage unit
210 Virtual keypad
310 Physical keypad-1
320 Keypad area
330 Display area
410 Physical keypad-2
420 Keypad area
430 Display area
710 Physical keypad-3
720 Keypad area
730 Display area

We claim:

1. A system for communication with an electronic device  the system comprising:
a virtual keypad comprising one or more key areas;
an image capturing unit coupled with the electronic device  the image capturing unit being capable of capturing images of the virtual keypad; and
a processor configured in the electronic device  the processor being capable of:
receiving the captured images from the image capturing unit; and
processing the received images to determine pressing of the one or more key areas of the virtual keypad by detecting a region covered by pressing of one or more key areas of the virtual keypad.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1  wherein the covered region is defined by a minimum pixel co-ordinate and a maximum pixel co-ordinate  wherein each pixel co-ordinate is mapped to one or more key areas in a mapping table.

3. The system as claimed in claim 2  wherein the mapping table is stored in a storage unit configured in the electronic device  and wherein the storage unit is communicatively connected to the processor.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a light source for illuminating the virtual keypad.

5. The system as claimed in claim 4  wherein the electronic device is selected from at least one of television  video conferencing monitor  laptop  projection screen  PDA  Smartphone and computer monitor.

6. A system for communication with an electronic device  the system comprising:
a physical keypad comprising:
a keypad area  the keypad area comprising one or more keys; and
a display area  wherein the one or more keys of the keypad area are connected to one or more symbols configured on the display area  and wherein the one or more symbols are displayed upon pressing of the one or more keys;
an image capturing unit coupled with the electronic device  the image capturing unit being capable of capturing images of the display area of the physical keypad; and
a processor configured in the electronic device  the processor being capable of:
receiving the captured images from the image capturing unit; and
processing the received images to determine pressing of the one or more keys of the physical keypad by detecting the one or more symbols displayed on the display area.

7. The system as claimed in claim 6 further comprising a light source for illuminating at least the display area of the physical keypad.

8. The system as claimed in claim 6  wherein each of the one or more symbols is predefined to the one or more keys.

9. The system as claimed in claim 6  wherein each of the one or more symbols is a combination of one or more shapes and one or more color gradients.

10. The system as claimed in claim 6  wherein the one or more keys are connected to the display area using mechanical connections.

11. The system as claimed in claim 6  wherein the electronic device is selected from at least one of television  video conferencing monitor  laptop  projection screen  PDA  Smartphone and computer monitor.

12. The system as claimed in claim 6  wherein the display area is made of a gel material and the one or more keys are connected to the display area using tubes filled with at least one of air and gas.

13. A method of communicating with an electronic device  the method comprising:
capturing images of a keypad by an image capturing unit  wherein the keypad comprises at least one of one or more keys and a display area  and wherein the keypad is selected from at least one of a virtual keypad and a physical keypad;
receiving the captured images by a processor  wherein the processor is configured in the electronic device; and
in response to the received images  determining  pressing of the one or more keys of the keypad by detecting at least one of:
a region covered by the pressing of the one or more key areas of the virtual keypad; and
one or more symbols displayed on the display area of the physical keypad  said one or more symbols are displayed by pressing the one or more keys of the physical keypad.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13  wherein each of the one or more symbols is predefined to one or more keys.

15. The method as claimed in claim 13  wherein each of the one or more symbols is a combination of one or more shapes and one or more color gradients.