Touch Screen Technology: How the Screen Is So Smart!




Touch screen technology is becoming a larger part of everyday life for many individuals. A touch screen is a touch-sensitive display device that users can interact with by touching areas of the screen. People have been using touch screens for more than 30 years, and this technology now is being used in more places, such as in smart phones, point-of-sale terminals, automated teller machines, remote controls, GPS receivers, home security systems, and Tablet PCs. Touch screen technology has evolved since its creation in the late 1960s. The first touch screens developed allowed users to press only one area at a time with the tip of their finger, and they were much less accurate than today’s touch screens. As the technology is advancing, users are able to perform additional tasks, such as dragging their finger across the screen and touching more than one area of the screen at a time. For example, the iPhone and iPod touch allow you to zoom in pictures or other objects on the screen by placing two fingers close together on the screen, and then slowly moving them apart. Three types of touch screens most in use today are capacitive, resistive, and surface wave touch screens. A capacitive touch screen has a layer of material that stores electrical charges coating the surface. When a finger touches the screen, it conducts a small amount of the electrical charge, reducing the charge on the capacitive layer. Circuits located at each corner of the capacitive touch screen measure the change in electrical charge. The circuits then send this data to the touch screen controller, or software that is running on the computer. The controller then uses the data to calculate the location where the finger is touching the screen. Capacitive touch screens typically are high-quality and unaffected by items that do not conduct electrical charges. The second type of touch screen is a resistive touch screen. A metallic conductive and resistive layer held apart by spacers cover a resistive touch screen. When a user touches a resistive touch screen, the conductive and resistive layers connect in the location of the touch. An electronic current runs between the two layers, and the interruption in the current enables the touch screen controller to calculate the exact location of the touch. Although resistive touch screens usually are more affordable than capacitive touch screens, they are not as clear and can be damaged more easily. The third type of touch screen uses surface wave technology. Surface wave technology passes ultrasonic waves over the touch screen. Touching the screen absorbs portions of the waves, which then allows the touch screen controller to calculate the position at which the object touched the screen. Because ultrasonic waves pass over the touch screen, it is easy for outside elements to damage the device. Touch screens using surface wave technology are the most advanced and often the most expensive of the three types. Additional types of touch screen technologies exist, but they are not used as widely as the capacitive, resistive, and surface wave touch screens. Optical touch screens use cameras mounted at two corners of the screen to detect objects close to the surface. Infrared touch screens use light emitting diodes and light detectors at the edges of the touch screen to detect objects that break the beams of light traveling across the screen. As touch screen prices continue to decrease, they most likely will be incorporated in an increasing number of computers and devices. Touch screens have increased productivity by allowing people to interact with devices more quickly than they can with a mouse or keyboard.

1 comment:

James Gibson said...

Nice Blog, Thanks for sharing with us!! Keep Sharing.

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