This optical keyboard/keypad is a low-cost optical user input device capable of deployment underwater, explosive gas areas, or in other locations where hermetic sealing is desirable. It does not use capacitive, magnetic, mechanical, acoustic, or visible-light coupling. The reflection of an infrared beam is used at each keysite to determine finger presence. No part of this device need be in actual contact with the outside medium; a transparent window (possibly of variable thickness) may optionally be used. Emphasis is on ease of construction, low component count and cost, and low software processing cost. A current tradeoff is lack of operation capability in direct sunlight, which can be improved by inverting the present phototransitor biasing and additional software work.
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