TECHNICAL SEMINAR

TOUCH SCREEN











W WH HA AT T I IS S A A T TO OU UC CH H S SC CR RE EE EN N? ?
A touchscreen is a computer display screen that is sensitive to human touch, allowing a
user to interact with the computer by touching an active area, target or control such as
pictures or words on the screen.
It enables one to interact directly with what is displayed, rather than indirectly with a
cursor controlled by a mouse or touchpad.
It is basically a switch devoid of the press button.
HOW DOES A TOUCH SCREEN WORK?
A basic touch screen has three main components:
Touch Sensor
Controller
Software Driver







Touch Sensor
A touch screen sensor is a clear glass panel with a touch responsive surface. The touch
sensor or panel is placed over a display screen so that the responsive area of the panel
covers the viewable area of the video screen.
There are several different touch sensor technologies
on the market today, each using a different method to detect touch input.
The sensor generally has an electrical current or signal going through it and touching the
screen can cause a voltage or signal change. This change is used
to determine the location of the touch to the screen.
Controller
The controller connects between the touch sensor and the PC. It takes information from
the touch sensor and translates it into information that PC can understand.
The controller determines what type of interface/connection you will need on the PC
Software Driver
The driver allows the touch screen and computer to work together. It tells the computer's
operating system how to interpret the touch event information that is sent from the
controller.
Most touch screen drivers today are a mouse- emulation type driver. This makes touching
the
screen as same as clicking your mouse at the same
location on the screen.
TOUCH SCREEN TECHNOLOGY
o Resistive touch screen
o Capacitive touch screen
o Infrared touch screen
o Surface acoustic wave (SAW) touch screen
o Strain gauge touch screen
o Optical imaging touch screen
o Dispersive signal technology touch screen



RESISTIVE TOUCH SCREEN



Resistive touch screens are composed of two flexible sheets coated with a resistive
material and separated by an air gap or microdots.
When pressure is applied to the screen, by a finger or other objects, the sheets are brought
into electrical contact which causes a switch closure and a command is registered.

TYPES OF RESISTIVE TOUCH SCREENS
5 wire Resistive
4 wire Resistive
8 wire Resistive
Digital Matrix
STRUCTURE
4-WIRE RESISTIVE
Touch measurement in 4 Wire technology is a 2 step process.
First, the distance along the x axis at the point of touch is measured by creating a
horizontal voltage gradient on the top sheet, with the bottom acting as the return layer.
Second a vertical voltage gradient is created on the bottom layer, to measure the y axis.

5-WIRE RESISTIVE
In 5 Wire resistive, the main electronics are on the glass bottom layer.
A uniform voltage is applied to the top plastic layer.
A touch causes an electrical contact between the top and bottom layers. Depending on
the point of touch the voltages at the 4 corners of the glass are differentthese are
measured, and used by a complex algorithm in the controller to calculate the x-y
coordinate of the point of touch.
The technology and electronics being more complex results in 5 wire being more
expensive than 4 wire technology. But the complex electronics makes it possible to use 5
wire for sizes upto 22, larger than with 4 wire. Also, since the voltage measurement is
on the stable glass bottom layer, despite damage to one portion of the top layer the
touchscreen keeps working

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF RESISTIVE TOUCH SCREENS
Advantages:
Cost effective and duarble
Can work in all climate conditions and in any environment like the restaurants,
hospitals, etc.
Input can be made using a stylus or finger. However, stylus is better suited.
Less sensitive to scratches .
Disadvantages:
Normally does not support multi-touch .
Recalibration might be required over time as resistive touch screens are known to
drift over time.
While using fingers, slightly more pressure needs to be put on the screen
75% optical transparency,thus lower clarity.



CAPACITIVE TOUCH SENSOR
Capacitive Touch Screens are an all-glass touch screen with a transparent metallic
conductive coating.
An electrode pattern printed along the edges which distributes a low voltage field over
the conductive layer.
When a finger touches the screen and draws a minute amount of current to the point of
contact, creating a voltage drop.
The current flow from each corner is proportional to the distance to the touch point.
The X/Y location of the point of contact is calculated by the controller and transmitted to
the computer.
Two types
Projected-capacitive touch screen
Surface -capacitive touch screen
PROJECTED-CAPACITIVE TOUCH SCREEN
Projected capacitive touch screens have front and back protective glass providing optical
and strength enhancement options.
Its middle layer consists of a laminated sensor grid of micro-fine wires, and optical
enhancement options.


STRUCTURE
SURFACE CAPACITIVE SENSOR
Surface capacitive technology consists of a uniform conductive coating on a glass panel.
During operation, electrodes around the panel's edge evenly distribute a low voltage
across the conductive layer, creating a uniform electric field.
A finger touch draws current from each corner.
The controller measures the ratio of the current flow from the corners and calculates the
touch location.



ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF CAPACITIVE TOUCH SCREENS
Advantages
Can be used to register touch on a sensor surface through a glass window.
Capacitive touch screen withstand contaminants such as grease, dirt, water,
running liquid, harsh chemicals and can be NEMA-sealed.
The life expectancy is over 225 million mechanical touches.
Capacitive technology transmits around 90% percent of the light from the screen.
STRUCTURE
Life span of more than more than 50 million touches in one location.
Technology with fastest touch response time
Disadvantages
Limited to 1 resolvable touch point
Can only register the touch of ungloved fingers or tethered stylus on a sensors
surface.
Sensitive for electromagnetic interference.
Severe scratch can affect operation within the damaged area
INFRARED TOUCH SCREEN
Infrared touch screens are based on light-beam interruption technology. Instead of an
overlay on the surface, a frame surrounds the display. The frame has light sources, or
light emitting diodes (LEDs) on one side and light detectors on the opposite side, creating
an optical grid across the screen.
When an object touches the screen, the invisible light beam is interrupted, causing a drop
in the signal received by the photo sensors.



STRUCTURE
Advantages
A major benefit of such a system is that it can detect essentially any input
including a finger, gloved finger, stylus or pen.
It is generally used in outdoor applications and point-of-sale systems which can't
rely on a conductor (such as a bare finger) to activate the touchscreen.
Unlike capacitive touchscreens, infrared touchscreens do not require any
patterning on the glass which increases durability and optical clarity of the overall
system.
Disadvantages
Surface obstructions can cause a false touch
SURFACE ACOUSTIC WAVE(SAW) TOUCH SCREEN




SAW Touch Screen use pure glass with transmitting and receiving piezoelectric
transducers for both the X and Y axes.
The touch screen controller sends an electrical signal to the transmitting transducer,
which converts the signal into ultrasonic waves within the glass.
Surface waves are readily absorbed when a soft object such as a fingertip touches the
substrate.



Advantages
Very high transmittance
Very high durability
Disadvantages
Cannot be sealed
Requires soft input device
Surface obstructions can cause a false touch
STRUCTURE
APPLICATIONS OF TOUCH SCREENS

Public Information Displays
Retail and Restaurant Systems
Customer Self Service
Control and Automation Systems
Computer Based Training
Assistive Technology
CONCLUSION
Though touch screen is a fairly recent innovation , it has developed with
amazing speed. In a few years almost every device known to man would become touch
operated. Keyboards and mouses would be a thing of the past. Such is the Power Of Touch.