TOUCHSCREEN TECHNOLOGY

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INTRODUCTION TO TOUCHSCREEN TECHNOLOGY

A touch screen is an input device that allows users to operate a computing device by just touching the display screen.

The display screen has a sensitive glass overlay and used to give the desired input by touching it.

INTRODUCTION TO TOUCHSCREEN TECHNOLOGY

A touch screen is based on CRT (Cathode

Ray Tube) technology, that accepts direct onscreen input.

The ability for direct onscreen input is

facilitated by an external (light pen) or an internal device (touch overlay)

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS:
To recognize one or more fingers touching a

display. To interpret the command that this represents . To communicate the command to the appropriate application.

TOUCH SENSORS
A touch screen sensor is a clear glass panel with a touch responsive surface which is placed over a

display screen so that the responsive area of the panel covers the viewable area of the display screen. The sensor generally has an electrical current or signal going through it and touching the screen causes a voltage or signal change. This voltage change is used to determine the location of the touch to the screen .

Picture showing a touchscreen

COMMERCIAL MANUFACTURERS:

APPLE INC.- iPhone , iPod Touch SONY- Sony Walkman X, Sony Ericsson Aino LG- KM900 Arena Microsoft-Zune HD

ADVANTAGES:
User friendly. Increases input speed. Reduces input errors.

DISADVANTAGES:
Cause stress on human fingers when used for

more than a few minutes at a time, since significant pressure can be required for certain types of touchscreens. Use of finger may result in an ambiguous point of contact with the screen.

DISADVANTAGES:
Suffer from the problem of fingerprints on

the display.
Presence of sunlight may reduce the

efficiency of some touchscreens like IR touchscreens.

APPLICATIONS:
User interactive displays like ATMs. Personal digital Assistants(PDAs). Satellite navigation devices. Mobile phones. Video games.

FUTURE TRENDS (soft touchscreen)

A mirror with touchscreen mp3 player

OVERVIEW
A touchscreen basically comprises of three

things. Touch overlay on the screen Controller Software Driver

1. TOUCH

OVERLAY

It is the sensing portion placed over the

screen for detection and is transparent covering the viewable area of the display screen. The sensing technique used may vary depending upon the technology.

2. CONTROLLER
The controller is actually a hardware that

connects between the touch sensor and the PC. It takes information from the touch sensor and translates it into information that PC can understand

3. Software Driver
The driver is a software that allows the

touch screen and computer to work together. It tells the operating system how to interpret the touch event information that is sent from the controller.

TOUCH SCREEN TECHNOLOGIES

Resistive Capacitive Dispersive Signal (DST)

 Acoustic (SAW)

Infrared

Optical

RESISTIVE TOUCHSCREEN
A resistive touchscreen panel is composed of several layers, the most important of which are

two thin, metallic, electrically conductive layers separated by a narrow gap.

When an object, such as a finger presses down on a point on the panel's outer surface the two metallic layers become connected at that point.

 The panel then behaves as a pair of voltage

dividers with connected outputs. This causes a change in the electrical current which is registered as a touch event and sent to the controller for processing.

LAYERS OF THE RESISTIVE TOUCHSCREEN:

1. Polyester Film . 2. Top Resistive Layer. 3. Conductive Transparent Metal Coating. 4. Bottom Resistive Layer . 5. Insulating Dots . 6. Glass Substrate

ADVANTAGES OF RESISTIVE TOUCHSCREEN

Activated by any stylus High touch point resolution Low power requirements

DISADVANTAGES OF RESISTIVE TOUCHSCREEN

Reduced optical clarity

Polyester surface can be damaged

CAPACITIVE
A capacitive touchscreen panel consists of an

insulator such as glass, coated with a transparent conductor such as indium tinoxide (ITO)
Touching the surface of the screen results in a

distortion of the local electrostatic field, measurable as a change in capacitance

Surface capacitance
Only one side of the insulator is coated with a

conductive layer small voltage is applied to the layer When a conductor, such as a human finger, touches the uncoated surface, a capacitor is dynamically formed Location of the touch determined from the change in the capacitance as measured from the four corners of the panel

Disadvantages

it has no moving parts, it is

moderately durable Has limited resolution Prone to false signals from parasitic capacitive

Projected capacitance
Projected Capacitive Touch (PCT) technology

permits more accurate and flexible operation by etching the conductive layer.

Etching a single layer to form a grid pattern

of electrodes.

Continued
Capacitance change at every individual point

on the grid .

Use of a grid permits a higher resolution than

resistive technology

DISPERSIVE SIGNAL
this system uses sensors to detect the

mechanical energy in the glass that occurs due to a touch.

Complex algorithms then interpret this

information and provide the actual location of the touch.

Mechanical waves created with touch

Advantages
No need for additional elements on screen

Provide excellent optical clarity , since

mechanical vibrations are used

Any object can be used to generate these

events, including fingers and stylus

Continued...
Touch unaffected by surface contaminants,

such as dirt, dust..

Operation unaffected by surface damage.

Disadvantages
More expensive to integrate.

Only available for displays

ACOUSTIC(SAW)
Surface acoustic wave (SAW) technology uses

ultrasonic waves touchscreen panel.

that

pass

over

the

Transducers mounted at the edge of a glass

overlay to emit ultrasonic sound waves along two sides

 Waves are reflected across the surface of the

glass and received by sensors.

A finger or stylus absorbs some of the

acoustic energy and the controller measures the amplitude change of the wave to determine touch location.

Acoustic wave touch overlay

Advantages
Good optical clarity Z-axis capability Durable glass front

Disadvantages
Requires finger or sound absorbing stylus . Signal affected by surface liquids or other

contaminants.
Difficult to industrialize.

INFRARED
optical-touch systems use an array of infrared

(IR) LEDs on two adjacent edges of a display with photosensors placed on the two opposite edges. The LED and photosensor pairs create a grid of light beams across the display. An object (such as a finger ) that touches the screen interrupts the light beams, causing a decrease in light at the corresponding photosensors.

Infrared touch overlay

Disadvantages
The relatively high cost of the technology

compared to competing touch technologies .

Issue of performance in bright ambient light .

ADVANCEMENTS IN TOUCHSCREEN TECHNOLOGY

1. STRAIN GAUGE CONFIGURATION-

Also called Force panel technology WORKING PRINCIPLE: The screen is spring-mounted on the four corners and strain gauges are used to determine deflection when the screen is touched.

CONTD
It can also measure the Z-axis and the force of

a person's touch. APPLICATIONS: used in exposed public systems such as ticket machines due to their resistance to damages.

ADVANCEMENTS IN TOUCHSCREEN TECHNOLOGY

2. OPTICAL IMAGING: WORKING PRINCIPLE: Two or more image sensors are placed around the edges (mostly the corners) of the screen. Infrared backlights are placed in the camera's field of view on the other sides of the screen.

 A touch shows up as a shadow and each pair

of cameras can then be triangulated to locate the touch or even measure the size of the touching object. APPLICATIONS: This technology is growing in popularity, due to its scalability, versatility, and affordability, especially for larger industrial units.

ADVANCEMENTS IN TOUCHSCREEN TECHNOLOGY

3. DISPERSIVE SIGNAL TECHNOLOGY: WORKING PRINCIPLE: This system uses sensors to detect the mechanical energy in the glass that occurs due to a touch. Complex algorithms then interpret this information and provide the actual location of the touch.

ADVANTAGES: The technology claims to be unaffected by dust and other outside elements, including scratches. Since there is no need for additional elements on screen, it also claims to provide excellent optical clarity. Also, since mechanical vibrations are used to detect a touch event, any object can be used to generate these events, including fingers and stylus.

CONTD
DISADVANTAGES: After the initial touch the system cannot detect a motionless finger.

ADVANCEMENTS IN TOUCHSCREEN TECHNOLOGY

4. ACOUSTIC PULSE RECOGNITION: It uses more than two piezoelectric transducers located at some positions of the screen to turn the mechanical energy of a touch (vibration) into an electronic signal. The screen hardware then uses an algorithm to determine the location of the touch based on the transducer signals.

ADVANTAGES: The touchscreen itself is made of ordinary glass, giving it good durability and optical clarity. It is usually able to function with scratches and dust on the screen with good accuracy.

CONTD.
The technology is also well suited to displays

that are physically larger. The touch recognition is not disrupted by any resting objects.

COMPARISON OF TOUCHSCREEN TECHNOLOGIES

TECHNOLOGY RESISTIVE SAW IR CAPACITIVE
DURABILITY 5 Yr. 5 Yr. 3 Yr. 2 Yr.

STABILITY

HIGH

HIGHER HIGH

OK

TRANSPARENCY OK

GOOD

GOOD

OK

COMPARISON OF TOUCHSCREEN TECHNOLOGIES

TECHNOLOGY RESISTIVE SAW IR CAPACITIVE
TOUCH Anything Finger/ Pen Anything Conductive

INTENSE LIGHTRESISTANT

Good

Good

Good

Bad

COMPARISON OF TOUCHSCREEN TECHNOLOGIES

TECHNOLOGY RESISTIVE SAW IR CAPACITIVE
RESPONSE TIME <10ms 10ms <20ms <15ms

COMPARISON OF TOUCHSCREEN TECHNOLOGIES

TECHNOLOGY
MONITOR OPTION

RESISTIVE
CRT

SAW
CRT

IR
CRT or LCD

CAPACITIVE
CRT or LCD

WATERPROOF Good

Ok

Ok

Good