DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER APPLICATIONS

TKM COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING KOLLAM 691005

SEMINAR REPORT ON

Touch screen technology

Third Semester MCA 2011-2012

Submitted by, Name .

Seminar report on Touch Screen Technology

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DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER APPLICATIONS

TKM COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING KOLLAM - 691005

Certificate
Certified that this is a bonafide record of the seminar report entitled Touch Screen Technology, presented by Sarath Manoharan of third semester Master of Computer Applications, in the year 2011-2012.

Staff Member in charge

Master of Computer Applications, TKM College of Engineering, Kollam

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ABSTRACT
A touch screen is a computer display screen that is sensitive to human touch, allowing a user to interact with the computer by touching pictures or words on the screen. Touch screen are used with information kiosks (an interactive computer terminal available for public use, as one with internet access or site specific information), computer based training devices, and system designed to help individuals who have difficulty in manipulating a mouse or keyboard. Touch screen technology can be used as an alternative user interface with application that normally requires a mouse, such as a web browser. Some applications are designed specifically for touch screen technology, often having larger icon and link than typical PC application. Monitors are available with built in touch screen kit. A touch screen kit includes a touch screen panel, a controller, and a software driver. The touch screen panels are a clear panel attached externally to the monitors that plug in to a serial or a universal serial Bus (USB) port a bus Card installed inside the computer. The touch screen panel registers touch event and passes these signal to controller. The controller then processes the signals and sends the data to the processor. The software driver translates the touch events into mouse events. There are a variety of touchscreen technologies. The most commonly used technologies are the Capacitive & Resistive systems. The other technologies used in this field are Infrared technology, SAW (surface acoustic wave technology), Strain gauge, Optical imaging, Dispersive signal technology etc. This seminar gives a brief idea about touch screen, and the working and applications of important touch sensing systems. It explains the characteristics of touch sensing systems such as wire resistive systems, Projected-capacitive, Surface-capacitive, infrared, and surface acoustic wave systems.

Master of Computer Applications, TKM College of Engineering, Kollam

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CONTENTS
Sno. I. II. Page Introduction ..5 How does a touch screen works? ....6 i. Touch sensor....6 ii. Controller.7 iii. Software Driver....7 III. IV. V. Touch sensing technology....8 Working of Resistive Touchscreen ..9 Capacitive Touchscreen..11 i. Surface Capacitance11 ii. Projected Capacitance.12 VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI. XII. XIII. XIV. XV. Infrared Touchscreen..13 SAW Touch screen 14 Optical imaging ..16 Dispersive signal technology .16 Strain gauge technology .16 Acoustic pulse recognition .17 Applications of Touchscreen .18 Advantages and Disadvantages ..20 Conclusion .21 References ..21

Master of Computer Applications, TKM College of Engineering, Kollam

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Introduction
User interface PCs are quickly becoming the control device of choices for the plant floor, machine control and any application where the user interface is important. This change has not been without its difficulties. One challenge industrial PC manufacturers have faced is simplifying the human machine interface while maintaining accuracy of input. Industrial grade touches Screen system have quickly become the input device of choice for several reasons. Touch systems generally have no additional hardware to mount and protect, such as a mouse or keyboard. A flat panel display can also be sealed by the factory to prevent damage from dust and water. The ultra-thin nature of a touch screen on a LCD saves critical space, which is a vital for most application. A touchscreen is a display that can detect the presence and location of a touch within the display area, generally refers to touch or contact to the display of the device by a finger or hand. Touchscreen is also an input device. The screens are sensitive to pressure; a user interacts with the computer by touching pictures or words on the screen, Touch screens can also sense other passive objects, such as a stylus. The touch screen has two main attributes. First, it enables one to interact with what is displayed directly on the screen, where it is displayed, rather than indirectly with a mouse or touchpad. Secondly, it lets one do so without requiring any intermediate device, again, such as a stylus that needs to be held in the hand. Such displays can be attached to computers or, as terminals, to networks. 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.

Master of Computer Applications, TKM College of Engineering, Kollam

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HOW DOES A TOUCH SCREEN WORK?

A basic touchscreen has three main components: a touch sensor, a controller, and a software driver. The touchscreen is an input device, so it needs to be combined with a display and a PC or other device to make a complete touch input system.

1. Touch sensor 2. Controller 3. Software driver

TOUCH SENSOR
A touch screen sensor is a clear glass panel with a touch responsive surface. The touch sensor/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 causes a voltage or signal change. This voltage change is used to determine the location of the touch to the screen.

Master of Computer Applications, TKM College of Engineering, Kollam

Seminar report on Touch Screen Technology CONTROLLER

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The controller is a small PC card 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. The controller is usually installed inside the monitor for integrated monitors or it is housed in a plastic case for external touch add-ons/overlays. The controller determines what type of interface/connection you will need on the PC. Integrated touch monitors will have an extra cable connection on the back for the touchscreen. Controllers are available that can connect to a Serial/COM port (PC) or to a USB port (PC or Macintosh). Specialized controllers are also available that work with DVD players and other devices.

SOFTWARE DRIVER
The driver is a software update for the PC system that allows the touchscreen 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 the same as clicking your mouse at the same location on the screen. This allows the touchscreen to work with existing software and allows new applications to be developed without the need for touchscreen specific programming. Some equipment such as thin client terminals, DVD players, and specialized computer systems either do not use software drivers or they have their own builtin touch screen driver.

Master of Computer Applications, TKM College of Engineering, Kollam

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TOUCH SENSING TECHNOLOGY

There are a variety of touchscreen technologies. Each type of screen has unique characteristics that can make it a better choice for certain applications. The most common techniques use resistive and capacitive technologies. The various touch systems are: Resistive touchscreen Capacitive touchscreen Infrared touchscreen Surface acoustic wave (SAW) touchscreen Strain gauge touchscreen Optical imaging touchscreen Dispersive signal technology touchscreen Acoustic pulse recognition

Every touch system consists of a touch Sensor that receives the touch input, a Controller, and a Driver. The touch screen sensor is a clear panel that is designed to fit over a PC. When a screen is touched, the sensor detects the voltage change and passes the signal to the touch screen controller. The controller that reads & translates the sensor input into a conventional bus protocol (Serial, USB) and a software driver which converts the bus information to cursor action as well as providing systems utilities. The working of different touch screens are explained in the next section.

Master of Computer Applications, TKM College of Engineering, Kollam

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Resistive touchscreen
A resistive touchscreen panel comprises several layers, the most important of which are two thin, transparent electrically-resistive layers separated by a thin space. These layers face each other, with a thin gap between. One resistive layer is a coating on the underside of the top surface of the screen. Just beneath it is a similar resistive layer on top of its substrate. One layer has conductive connections along its sides, the other along top and bottom.

When an object, such as a fingertip or stylus tip, presses down on the outer surface, the two layers touch to become connected at that point: The panel then behaves as a pair of voltage dividers, one axis at a time. For a short time, the associated electronics (device controller) applies a voltage to the opposite sides of one layer, while the other layer senses the proportion (think percentage) of voltage at the contact point. That provides the horizontal [x] position. Then, the controller applies a voltage to the top and bottom edges of the other

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layer (the one that just sensed the amount of voltage); the first layer now senses height [y]. The controller rapidly alternates between these two modes. As well, it sends position data to the CPU in the device, where it's interpreted according to what the user is doing. Resistive touch is used in restaurants, factories and hospitals due to its high resistance to liquids and contaminants. A major benefit of resistive touch technology is its low cost. Disadvantages include the need to press down, and a risk of damage by sharp objects.

Figure: 4-wire resistive touch sensing

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Master of Computer Applications, TKM College of Engineering, Kollam

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Capacitive touchscreen
A capacitive touchscreen panel 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 of electrically insulating material, such as gloves; one requires a special capacitive stylus, or a special-application glove with an embroidered patch of conductive thread passing through it and contacting the user's fingertip. This disadvantage especially affects usability in consumer electronics, such as touch tablet PCs and capacitive smartphones in cold weather. There are mainly two types of capacitive touchscreen: Surface capacitive and projected capacitive.

SURFACE CAPACITANCE
In this basic technology, only one side of the insulator is coated with a conductive layer. A small voltage is applied to the layer, resulting in a uniform electrostatic field. When a conductor, such as a human finger, touches the uncoated surface, a capacitor is dynamically formed. The sensor's controller can determine the location of the touch indirectly from the change in the capacitance as measured from the four corners of the panel. As it has no moving parts, it is moderately durable but has limited resolution, is prone to false signals from parasitic capacitive coupling, and needs calibration during manufacture. It is therefore most often used in simple applications such as industrial controls and kiosks.

Master of Computer Applications, TKM College of Engineering, Kollam

Seminar report on Touch Screen Technology PROJECTED CAPACITANCE

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Projected Capacitive Touch (PCT) technology is a capacitive technology which permits more accurate and flexible operation, by etching the conductive layer. An X-Y grid is formed either by etching a single layer to form a grid pattern of electrodes, or by etching two separate, perpendicular layers of conductive material with parallel lines or tracks to form the grid (comparable to the pixel grid found in many LCD displays) that the conducting layers can be coated with further protective insulating layers, and operate even under screen protectors, or behind weather- and vandal-proof glass. Due to the top layer of a PCT being glass, PCT is a more robust solution versus resistive touch technology. Depending on the implementation, an active or passive stylus can be used instead of or in addition to a finger. This is common with point of sale devices that require signature capture. Gloved fingers may or may not be sensed, depending on the implementation and gain settings. Conductive smudges and similar interference on the panel surface can interfere with the performance. Such conductive smudges come mostly from sticky or sweaty finger tips, especially in high humidity environments. Collected dust, which adheres to the screen due to the moisture from fingertips can also be a problem. There are two types of PCT: Self Capacitance and Mutual Capacitance. MUTUAL CAPACITANCE In mutual capacitive sensors, there is a capacitor at every intersection of each row and each column. A 16-by-14 array, for example, would have 224 independent capacitors. A voltage is applied to the rows or columns. Bringing a finger or conductive stylus close to the surface of the sensor changes the local electrostatic field which reduces the mutual capacitance. The capacitance change at every individual point on the grid can be measured to accurately determine the touch location by measuring the voltage in the other axis. Mutual capacitance allows multi-touch operation where multiple fingers, palms or styli can be accurately tracked at the same time. SELF-CAPACITANCE Self-capacitance sensors can have the same X-Y grid as mutual capacitance sensors, but the columns and rows operate independently. With self-capacitance, the capacitive load of a finger is measured on each column or row electrode by a current meter. This method produces a stronger signal than mutual capacitance, but it is unable to resolve accurately more than one finger, which results in "ghosting", or misplaced location morderning.....

Master of Computer Applications, TKM College of Engineering, Kollam

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INFRARED TOUCHSCREEN
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.

Master of Computer Applications, TKM College of Engineering, Kollam

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SAW TOUCHSCREEN
Surface acoustic wave (SAW) technology uses ultrasonic waves that pass over the touchscreen panel. It uses 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. 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. The received signal is then compared to the stored digital map, the change recognized, and a coordinate calculate. Surface wave touchscreen panels can be damaged by outside elements. Contaminants on the surface can also interfere with the functionality of the touchscreen.

Master of Computer Applications, TKM College of Engineering, Kollam

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Master of Computer Applications, TKM College of Engineering, Kollam

Seminar report on Touch Screen Technology OPTICAL IMAGING

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This is a relatively modern development in touchscreen technology, in which two or more image sensors are placed around the edges (mostly the corners) of the screen. Infrared back lights are placed in the camera's field of view on the other side of the screen. A touch shows up as a shadow and each pair of cameras can then be pinpointed to locate the touch or even measure the size of the touching object (see visual hull). This technology is growing in popularity, due to its scalability, versatility, and affordability, especially for larger units.

DISPERSIVE SIGNAL TECHNOLOGY

Introduced in 2002 by 3M, this system uses sensors to detect the Piezoelectricity in the glass that occurs due to a touch. Complex algorithms then interpret this information and provide the actual location of the touch. 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. A downside is that after the initial touch the system cannot detect a motionless finger.

STRAIN GAUGE
In a strain gauge configuration, also called force panel technology, the screen is spring-mounted on the four corners and strain gauges are used to determine deflection when the screen is touched. This technology has been around since the 1960s but new advances by Vissumo and F-Origin have made the solution commercially viable. It can also measure the Z-axis and the force of a person's touch. Such screens are typically used in exposed public systems such as ticket machines due to their resistance to vandalism.

Master of Computer Applications, TKM College of Engineering, Kollam

Seminar report on Touch Screen Technology ACOUSTIC PULSE RECOGNITION

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In this system, introduced by Tyco International's Elo division in 2006, the key to the invention is that a touch at each position on the glass generates a unique sound. Four tiny transducers attached to the edges of the touchscreen glass pick up the sound of the touch. The sound is then digitized by the controller and compared to a list of prerecorded sounds for every position on the glass. The cursor position is instantly updated to the touch location. APR is designed to ignore extraneous and ambient sounds, as they do not match a stored sound profile. APR differs from other attempts to recognize the position of touch with transducers or microphones, as it uses a simple table lookup method rather than requiring powerful and expensive signal processing hardware to attempt to calculate the touch location without any references. 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. The technology is also well suited to displays that are physically larger. As with the Dispersive Signal Technology system, after the initial touch, a motionless finger cannot be detected. However, for the same reason, the touch recognition is not disrupted by any resting objects.

Master of Computer Applications, TKM College of Engineering, Kollam

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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:

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 userfriendly 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

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. CUSTOMER SELF-SERVICE In todays fast pace world, waiting in line is one of the things that has yet to speed up. Self-service touch screen terminals can be used to improve customer service at busy stores, fast service restaurants, transportation hubs, and more. Customers can quickly place their own orders or check themselves in or out, saving them time, and decreasing wait times for other customers. Automated bank teller (ATM) and airline e-ticket terminals are examples of self-service stations that can benefit from touchscreen input. CONTROL AND AUTOMATION SYSTEMS The touch screen interface is useful in systems ranging from industrial process control to home automation. By integrating the input device with the display, valuable workspace can

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be saved. And with a graphical interface, operators can monitor and control complex operations in real-time by simply touching the screen.

COMPUTER BASED TRAINING Because the touch screen interface is more user-friendly than other input devices, overall training time for computer novices, and therefore training expense, can be reduced. It can also help to make learning more fun and interactive, which can lead to a more beneficial training experience for both students and educators. ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY The touch screen interface can be beneficial to those that have difficulty using other input devices such as a mouse or keyboard. When used in conjunction with software such as on-screen keyboards, or other assistive technology, they can help make computing resources more available to people that have difficulty using computers.

Master of Computer Applications, TKM College of Engineering, Kollam

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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
Users 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.

Master of Computer Applications, TKM College of Engineering, Kollam

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Conclusion
Touch screen can be considered as the future on which all new gadgets shall bank on. We are already in the era that has seen many ground breaking technologies emerge and touch screen is one amongst them which has changed the way users interact with their gadgets to a whole new level. Its needless to say that the further improvement in this technology is inevitable and this can change the way we think what input-output devices are. Our world today has already started to see the emergence of visual screen that are flexible, can be worn on wrist like a wrist watch ,gadgets with gait recognition all thanks to ground breaking technology of touchscreens that set the ball rolling. The latest innovation in this area is surface computing which implements multi-user, multi-touch systems with object recognition.

References
1.www.wikipedia.org 2. www.scribd.com 3. www.touchscreen.org 4. www.touchscreen.com 5. The first capacitive touch screens at CERN, CERN Courrier, 31 March 2010 6. Bent STUMPE , A new principle for x-y touch system, CERN

Master of Computer Applications, TKM College of Engineering, Kollam