Touchscre
ens
What is a touchscreen?
• A touchscreen is an electronic visual display that also
incorporates an input device that responds to touch.
This allows users to select options from a screen by
simply touching them.
Typical applications for
touchscreens
• Smartphones and tablet computers, e.g. easy input of
data and selection of apps/icons
• Ticket / Information kiosks, e.g. allows limited options
that can be selected easily
Benefits of touchscreens
• Save space as both input and output are combined
• Simple and easy to use
• Works well with icons, allowing options to be selected
easily
Drawbacks of touchscreens
• Difficult to complete tasks that require precision
accuracy
• Difficult to use if damaged
Capacitive touch screen
Mechanism of Capacitive touch
screen
• Capacitive touch screens are composed of a layer of glass (protective
layer), a transparent electrode (conductive) layer and a glass
substrate.
• Since human skin is a conductor of electricity, when bare fingers (or a
special stylus) touch the screen, the electrostatic field of the
conductive layer is changed.
• The installed microcontroller is able to calculate where this change
took place and hence determine the coordinates of the point of
touching.
Capacitive touchscreens
• Electrical current is sent from the four corners of the
screen.
• When your finger (or stylus) touches the screen, the
current changes.
• This allows the location of the touch to be calculated.
Resistive touchscreens
Resistive touch screens
1. Resistive touch screens are made up of two layers of electrically resistive material with a
voltage applied across them.
2. The upper layer is made of flexible polyethylene (a type of polymer) with a resistive coating
on one side.
3. The bottom layer is made of glass also with a resistive coating (usually indium tin oxide) on
one side.
4. These two layers are separated by air or an inert gas (such as argon).
5. When the top polyethylene surface is touched, the two layers make contact.
6. Since both layers are coated in a resistive material a circuit is now completed which results
in a flow of electricity.
7. The point of contact is detected where there was a change in voltage.
8. A microcontroller converts the voltage (created when the two resistive layers touch) to
digital data, which it then sends to the microprocessor.
Resistive touchscreens
• Resistive touchscreens use multiple layers of material
that transmit electrical currents.
• When the top layer of the screen is pushed/touched into
the bottom layer the electrical current changes.
• This allows the location of the touch to be found.
Infrared touch screens
• Infrared touch screens use a glass screen with an array of sensors and
infrared transmitters.
• The sensors detect the infrared radiation.
• If any of the infrared beams are broken (for example, with a finger
touching the screen), the infrared radiation reaching the sensors is
reduced.
• The sensor readings are sent to a microcontroller that calculates
where the screen was touched.
• The sensors detect the infrared radiation.
• If any of the infrared beams are broken (for example, with a finger
touching the screen), the infrared radiation reaching the sensors is
reduced.
• The sensor readings are sent to a microcontroller that calculates
where the screen was touched.
Infrared screen touched causing sensors
(shown in red) to show a reduction in
infrared radiation thus the exact position
where the screen was touched can be
calculated
Infra-red touchscreens
• Infra-red touchscreens use a pattern of LED infra-red
beams to form an ‘invisible’ grid on the screen.
• Sensors detect where the screen has been touched by
detecting a break in the infra-red beams.
• The position of touch is then calculated.
