Vivint proposes a method for projecting laser images of controls to replace unsightly keypads on door locks and security panels.

Editor’s Note: The following story first ran in Security Sales & Integration’s sister publication CE Pro.

Vivint, a provider of security and home automation systems, has filed a patent application for “Keypad projection,” describing how a security panel or smart home controller would project an image onto a surface, allowing the user to control the system from the projected display itself.

The external display, furthermore, would change size and other parameters based, in part, on the proximity of the user. As the user nears the space, for example, the display might shrink.

Vivint also describes a similar implementation in a door lock, which would project a keypad onto the surface of the door.

In a nutshell, a small device (projector with processor) would be situated at convenient locations, for example the front door or bedside, communicating with a control system buried in a closet or elsewhere.

Instead of embedding a keypad onto the device, the Vivint control point would project a display onto a wall or other surface, and receive user input via gesture control or some other mechanism such as facial recognition.

Here are the details from Vivint: