Touch Screen Sensors

Ahmed Ibrahim

Eee 3rd year

Presentation
1
 Outline
• What are touch screen sensors
• Different types touch screen sensors
• Working principles
• Major applications
 What are Touch Screen Sensors?
• “A Touchscreen is a display which can
detect the location of touches within the
display area. This allows the display to be
used as an input device, removing the
keyboard and/or the mouse as the primary
input device for interacting with the
display's content.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touchscreen
Types of Touch Screen Sensors
• External add on touch screens

• Integrated Touch Screen Monitors

 External Add On Touch Screen
Sensor
• Can be added to your home computer
• Brings touch screen technology to the
common user

http://www.touchscreens.com/intro-anatomy.html
 Integrated Touch Screens
• The sensor system is already integrated
into the screen or monitor

http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20071025/141314/thumb_430_iiD.jpg
 Working Principles
•A clear touch sensor is placed over
the viewable video screen

http://www.touchscreens.com/intro-anatomy.html
 Working Principles
• A controller (2) takes information from the touch
screen (1)
• The info is turned into information the computer
can understand

• A software
driver is needed
to allow the touch
screen and
computer to work
together (3)
http://www.touchscreens.com/intro-anatomy.html
 Working Principles
Multiple Types of Touch Sensors

• Resistive
• Surface Acoustic Wave
• Capacitive
• Infrared
• Strain Gage
 Resistive

http://www.made-in-
china.com/image/2f0j00bMTQkrgBRYpuM/Metal-Oxide-
Film-Fixed-Resistor.jpg

• Composed of several layer including two

metallic layers separated from each other
• When metallic layers are connected
(touched) they act as like 2 voltage
dividers
• Change in electric current is sent to
controller and the location is determined
 Surface Acoustic Wave

http://magicseaweed.com

•Uses Ultrasonic waves across the surface

•When the screen is touched part of the
wave is absorbed
•This allows the controller to determine the
position of the touch
 Capacitive
• Coated with a current
conducting material www.inelectronicsltd.co.uk
• Sensor has a precisely controlled field of
stored electrons in horizontal and vertical
directions
• Humans also exhibit capacititance
• A controller detects when there is a
disturbance in the electric field (touch)
• The controller then determines the location
 Infrared
• An array of infrared sensors are placed
horizontally and vertically
• The sensors send out pulses of light
• The sensors detect the interruption of the
light
• The location is then determined by the
controller
 Strain Gage

•Screen is mounted on
four springs one at each corner
http://etestinc.com/db4/00336/etestinc.com/_uimages/str
ainguage.bmp

•Deflection of screen when touched is

measured by all four strain gages
•Calculations are made based on each
of the four deflections to determine the
location of the touch
Technology Capacitive Infrared Resistive
Transparence Very good >92% Very good >92% 75%~85%

Resolution Good Limited due to good

spacing of IR
sensors
Surface Resistant to Potential for Unaffected by
Contaminants moisture and False activation Surface
/durability other surface or dead zones contaminants.
contaminants From Surface Polyester top
Contaminants sheet is easily
scratched
Sensor Glass with ITO Any substrate Polyester top
substrate coating sheet, glass
substrate with
ITO coating
Display size 8.4"-21" 10.4"-60" up to 19"

Touch method Human touch Can use any Can use any
pointing device pointing device
 Typical Applications
Credit Card Scanners
 Typical Applications
http://migs.wordpress.com/2007/06/28/new-touch-screen-phones/

Consumer Electronics
• Phones
• PDA’s
• Digital Cameras
• GPS
• etc
Typical Applications
ATM

Interactive Kiosks
and learning
stations
Etc. Etc. Etc.