Slide 3,4: A touchscreen is an electronic visual display that can detect the presence and location of a
touch within the display area.
The term generally refers to touching the display of the device with a finger or hand.
Touchscreens can also sense other passive objects, such as a stylus. Touchscreen is common in devices
such as all-in-one computers, tablet computers, and smartphones.
The touchscreen has two main attributes. First, it enables one to interact directly with what is displayed,
rather than indirectly with a cursor controlled by a mouse or touchpad.
Secondly, it lets one do so without requiring any intermediate device that would need to be held in the
hand. Such displays can be attached to computers, or to networks as terminals.
They also play a prominent role in the design of digital appliances such as the personal digital assistant
(PDA), satellite navigation devices, mobile phones, and video games.
Slide 5: In 1971, the first "Touch Sensor" was developed by Doctor Sam Hurst (founder of
Elographics) while he was an instructor at the University of Kentucky.
Touchscreens first gained some visibility with the invention of the computer-assisted learning terminal,
which came out in 1975 as part of the PLATO project.
Touchscreens have subsequently become familiar in everyday life.
Companies use touchscreens for kiosk systems in retail and tourist settings, point of sale systems,
ATMs, and PDAs, where a stylus is sometimes used to manipulate the GUI and to enter data.
The HP-150 from 1983 was one of the world's earliest commercial touchscreen computers
. It did not have a touchscreen in the strict sense; instead, it had a 9" Sony Cathode Ray Tube (CRT)
surrounded by infrared transmitters and receivers, which detected the position of any non-transparent
object on the screen.
Touchscreens are popular in hospitality, and in heavy industry, as well as kiosks such as museum
displays or room automation, where keyboard and mouse systems do not allow a suitably intuitive,
rapid, or accurate interaction by the user with the display's content.
Slide 6: The development of multipoint touchscreens facilitated the tracking of more than one finger
on the screen; thus, operations that require more than one finger are possible.
These devices also allow multiple users to interact with the touchscreen simultaneously.
With the growing use of touchscreens, the marginal cost of touchscreen technology is routinely
absorbed into the products that incorporate it and is nearly eliminated.
Touchscreens now have proven reliability. Thus, touchscreen displays are found today in airplanes,
automobiles, gaming consoles, machine control systems, appliances, and handheld display devices
including the Nintendo DS and the later multi-touch enabled iPhones; the touchscreen market for
mobile devices is projected to produce US$5 billion in 2009.
The ability to accurately point on the screen itself is also advancing with the emerging graphics
tablet/screen hybrids.
Slide 7,8: There are several principal ways to build a touchscreen. The key goals are to recognize
one or more fingers touching a display, to interpret the command that this represents, and to
communicate the command to the appropriate application.
In the most popular techniques, the capacitive or resistive approach, there are typically four layers;
1)Top polyester coated with a transparent metallic conductive coating on the bottom
2)Adhesive spacer
3)Glass layer coated with a transparent metallic conductive coating on the top
4)Adhesive layer on the backside of the glass for mounting.
When a user touches the surface, the system records the change in the electrical current that flows
through the display.
Dispersive-signal technology which 3M created in 2002, measures the piezoelectric effect — the voltage
generated when mechanical force is applied to a material — that occurs chemically when a
strengthened glass substrate is touched.
There are two infrared-based approaches. In one, an array of sensors detects a finger touching or almost
touching the display, thereby interrupting light beams projected over the screen.
In the other, bottom-mounted infrared cameras record screen touches.
In each case, the system determines the intended command based on the controls showing on the
screen at the time and the location of the touch.
Slide 9-14: (commonly used technology are as follows)
Resistive touchscreen:
A resistive touchscreen panel is composed of several layers, the most important of which are two thin,
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.
: Surface acoustic wave:
Surface acoustic wave (SAW) technology uses ultrasonic waves that pass over the touchscreen panel.
When the panel is touched, a portion of the wave is absorbed.
This change in the ultrasonic waves registers the position of the touch event and sends this information
to the controller for processing
. Surface wave touchscreen panels can be damaged by outside elements.
. Contaminants on the surface can also interfere with the functionality of the touchscreen.
: Capacitive sensing
A capacitive touchscreen panel is one which consists of an insulator such as glass, coated with a
transparent conductor such as indium tin oxide (ITO)].
As the human body is also an electrical conductor, touching the surface of the screen results in a
distortion of the screen's electrostatic field, measurable as a change in capacitance.
Different technologies may be used to determine the location of the touch. The location is then sent to
the controller for processing.
Unlike a resistive touchscreen, one cannot use a capacitive touchscreen through most types type of
electrically insulating material, such as gloves; one requires a special capacitive stylus, or a special-
application glove with finger tips that generate static electricity
Infrared:
An infrared touchscreen uses an array of X-Y infrared LED and photodetector pairs around the edges of
the screen to detect a disruption in the pattern of LED beams.
These LED beams cross each other in vertical and horizontal patterns. This helps the sensors pick up the
exact location of the touch.
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.
Other technologies are:
Surface capacitance
Projected capacitance
Mutual capacitance
Self-capacitance
Optical imaging
Dispersive signal technology
Acoustic pulse recognition
Slide 16: ADVANTAGES OVER OTHER POINTING DEVICES
Touch screens have several advantages over other pointing devices;
Touching a visual display of choices requires little thinking and is a form of direct manipulation that is
easy to learn.
Touch screens are the fastest pointing devices.
Touch screens have easier hand eye coordination than mice or keyboards.
No extra work space is required as with other pointing devices.
Touch screens are durable in public access and in high volume usage.
Disadvantages
User's hand may obscure the screen.
Screens need to be installed at a lower position and tilted to reduce arm fatigue.
Some reduction in image brightness may occur.
They cost more than alternative devices.
Slide 17:
Finger stress
An ergonomic problem of touchscreens is their 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 touchscreen.
This can be alleviated for some users with the use of a pen or other device to add leverage and more
accurate pointing.
The introduction of such items can sometimes be problematic, depending on the desired use (e.g.,
public kiosks such as ATMs). Also, fine motor control is better achieved with a stylus, because a finger is
a rather broad and ambiguous point of contact with the screen itself.
Fingerprints
Touchscreens can suffer from the problem of fingerprints on the display.
This can be mitigated by the use of materials with optical coatings designed to reduce the visible effects
of fingerprint oils, such as the oleophobic coating used in the iPhone 3G S, or by reducing skin contact by
using a fingernail or stylus.
Slide 18: APPLICATIONS
The touch screen is one of the easiest PC interfaces to use, making it the interface of choice for a wide
variety of applications. Here are a few examples of how touch input systems are being used today:
1. Public Information Displays
Information kiosks, tourism displays, trade show displays, and other electronic displays are used by
many people that have little or no computing experience. The user-friendly touch screen interface can
be less intimidating and easier to use than other input devices, especially for novice users. A
touchscreen can help make your information more easily accessible by allowing users to navigate your
presentation by simply touching the display screen
2. Retail and Restaurant Systems
Time is money, especially in a fast paced retail or restaurant environment. Touchscreen systems are
easy to use so employees can get work done faster, and training time can be reduced for new
employees. And because input is done right on the screen, valuable counter space can be saved.
Touchscreens can be used in cash registers, order entry stations, seating and reservation systems, and
more
Slide 22:
Conclusion
Touch systems represent a rapidly growing subset of the display market. The majority of touch systems
include touch sensors relying on vacuum-deposited coatings, so touch coatings present opportunity for
suppliers of vacuum coatings and coating equipments.
Touch sensor manufactures currently require thin films in the areas of transparent conductors, optical
interference coating and mechanical protective coatings. Touch sensors technical requirements dovetail
well with those of the flat panel and display filter markets. The reality should provide value added
opportunities to operations participating in these areas.
