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INTRODUCTION TO TOUCH SCREENS A touch screen is an electronic visual display that can detect the presence and location of a touch within the display area. The term generally refers to touch or contact to the display of the device by a finger or hand. The ability to interact physically with what is shown on a display (a form of "direct manipulation") typically indicates the presence of a touch screen. Touch screens can also sense other passive objects, such as a stylus. Touch screen is common in devices such as all-in-one computers, tablet computers, and smart phones. The touch screen has two main attributes: 1. 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. 2. It lets one do so without requiring any intermediate device, again, such as a stylus that needs to be held in the hand. Microsoft says this touch screen computer will allow people to interact with digital content the same way they have interacted with everyday items such as photos, paintbrushes and music their entire life: with hands, with gestures and by putting realworld objects on the surface. Why touch Screen Technology? 1. Touch screens enable people to use computers instantly, without any training whatsoever. 2. Touch screens eliminate keyboards and mice, which many find intimidating and cumbersome to use. 3. Touch screens provide fast access to any and all types of digital media, with no text-bound interface getting in the way. 4. Touch screens ensure that no space - on the desktop or elsewhere - is wasted, as the input device is completely integrated in to the monitors.

2. TYPES OF TOUCH SCREEN Different types of touch screens have different feature, characteristics and differences. These differences are resulted in different qualities of touch screen; some are long life others are sensitive while some others are economic. 2.1 Resistive touch screen Resistive touch screens are touch-sensitive computer displays composed of two flexible sheets coated with a resistive material and separated by an air gap or microdots. When contact is made to the surface of the touch screen, the two sheets are pressed together. On these two sheets there are horizontal and vertical lines that when pushed together, register the precise location of the touch. Because the touch screen senses input from contact with nearly any object (finger, stylus/pen, palm) resistive touch screens are a type of "passive" technology.

For example, during operation of a four-wire touch screen, a uniform, unidirectional voltage gradient is applied to the first sheet. When the two sheets are pressed together, the second sheet measures the voltage as distance along the first sheet, providing the X coordinate. When this contact coordinate has been acquired, the uniform voltage gradient

is applied to the second sheet to ascertain the Y coordinate. These operations occur within a few milliseconds, registering the exact touch location as contact is made. Resistive touch screens typically have high resolution (4096 x 4096 DPI or higher), providing accurate touch control. Because the touch screen responds to pressure on its surface, contact can be made with a finger or any other pointing device. Advantages of Resistive Touch Screen 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. It has comparatively longer life. It is used in many different ways. It is a very common type of touch screen. It is cheap and so approachable. Due to their durability, they are widely used in commercial zone. Disadvantages of Resistive Touch Screen 1. 2. It emits less light as 75 % so fails to give sharp image. Its appearance is bulky.

2.2 Capacitive Touch screen

A capacitive touch screen 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. There are different types of capacitive touch screen:

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. Projected capacitance 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). The greater resolution of PCT allows operation without direct contact, such 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 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 stylus 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 sensing. Advantages of Capacitive Touch Screen

It emits 90% of light ray to make screen clear. It has long life because of the resistivity

Disadvantages of Capacitive Touch Screen

They are sensitive only for the fingers touch no other object like stylus can be sensed.

2.3 Surface Acoustic Wave Touch Screen This is the more advanced types of touch screen. They are fast and have sharp image. In this touch screen three sheets are used to perform the action;

Sending transducer Receiving transducer Reflectors layer

Both transducers are used in making of screen and these transducers enable the screen to sense the outer touch and reflectors help in giving the proper response. This whole mechanism works through the wave transmission. When we touch the screen a wave produced and transfer from one transducer to the receiver where reflectors get the message. This wave travels back to the specific place and perform the action.

Advantages of surface acoustic wave touch screen

Because of this wave mechanism versatile action can be done.

Being no electric field created, it emits 100% light resultantly quality image received.

Disadvantages of surface acoustic wave touch screen

They tend to have very short life. They are expensive so out of reach of a common man. They can be easily damaged

2.4 Other technologies: Infrared Touch Screen An infrared touchscreen uses an array of X-Y infrared LED and photo detector 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.

Optical imaging 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 mechanical energy 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.

Acoustic pulse recognition This system, introduced by Tyco International's Elo division in 2006,

uses piezoelectric transducers located at various positions around the screen to turn the mechanical energy of a touch (vibration) into an electronic signal. The screen hardware then uses an algorithm to determine the location of the touch based on the transducer signals. 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. Strain-gauge Touch Screen The Strain-gauge Touch Screen have pressure sensors that measure at each corner the stresses that a touch to the screen produces. The ratio of the four readings indicates the touch point coordinates. The platform touch screen doesnt use a screen. Instead, the monitor or display device rests on a platform with force measurement sensors at the corners of the base. A touch to the display device translates to forces at the platforms base corners. The platforms controller performs the vector calculations that determine the touch point from the four force measurements through rigid body mechanics. The controller tracks out static forces, such as gravity, and repetitive forces, such as vibration.

This type also has no glass panel construction that may reduce visibility of the display. The platform type is a good concept in theory because there is no integration of touch components into the display. You need only set the display on the touch base, calibrate and go. Practically, problems occur when the display is moved only a very small amount on the platform base or if even the display is tipped up or down for different heights of viewing. This throws off the base vector values as initially calibrated and therefore the calibration. The life span is excellent - infinity. 3. ANATOMY OF TOUCH SCREEN Knowing what you need is an important first step in designing a touchscreen product. Vendors in the touchscreen supply chain frequently offer different pieces of the puzzle, often times combining several to create a value chain for the end customer. Figure shows a blowup of the touchscreen ecosystem. This ecosystem is the same whether it is in the latest Notebook PC or the latest touch-enabled mobile phone.

There key elements of touch screen technology are: 1. Front panel or bezel: The front panel or bezel is the outermost skin of the end product. In some products, this bezel will encompass a protective clear overlay to keep weather and moisture out of the system, and to resist scratching and vandalism to the underlying

sensor technology (see item 3 below). Other times, the outmost bezel simply covers the edges of the underlying touch sensor; in this case, it is purely decorative. 2. Touch controller: The touch-controller is generally a small microcontroller-based IC that sits between the touch sensor and the embedded system controller. This IC can either be located on a controller board inside the system or it can be located on a flexible printed circuit (FPC) affixed to the glass touch sensor. This touch controller takes information from the touch sensor and translates it into information that the PC or embedded system controller can understand. The controller is usually installed inside the monitor for integrated monitors or it is housed in a plastic case for external touch addons/ 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 touch screen. 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. 3. Touch sensor: A touchscreen "sensor" is a clear glass panel with a touch-responsive surface. This sensor is placed over an LCD so that the touch area of the panel covers the viewable area of the video screen. There are many different touch-sensor technologies on the market today, each using a different method to detect touch input. Fundamentally, these technologies all use an electrical current running through the panel that, when touched, causes a voltage or signal change. This voltage change is sensed by the touch controller to determine the location of the touch on the screen. 4. Liquid crystal display: Most touchscreen systems work over traditional LCDs. LCDs for a touch-enabled product should be chosen for the same reasons they would in a traditional system: resolution, clarity, refresh speed, and cost. One major consideration for a touchscreen, however, is the level of electrical emission. Because the technology in the touch sensor is based on small electrical changes when the panel is touched, an LCD that emits a lot of electrical noise can be difficult to design around. Touch sensor vendors should be consulted before choosing an LCD for a touchscreen system.

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5. System software: Touchscreen driver software can be either shipped from the factory (within the embedded OS of a cell phone) or offered as add-on software (like adding a touchscreen to a traditional PC). This software allows the touchscreen and system controller to work together and tells the product's operating system how to interpret the touch-event information that is sent from the controller. In a PC-style application, most touchscreen drivers work like a PC mouse. This makes touching the screen similar to clicking the mouse at the same location on the screen. In embedded systems, the embedded controller driver must compare the information presented on the screen to the location of the received touch. 4. WORKING OF TOUCH SCREEN TECHNOLOGY Let's look inside the two most common touchscreen technologies. The most widely used touchscreen technology is resistive. Most people have used one of these resistive touchscreens already, in the ATM at the bank, in the credit card checkout in most stores, or even for entering an order in a restaurant. Projective-capacitance touchscreens, on the other hand, are not as broadly available yet, but are gaining market momentum. Many cellphones and portable music players are beginning to come to market with projective-capacitance interfaces. Both resistive and capacitive technologies have a strong electrical component, both use ITO (Indium-Tin-Oxide, a clear conductor), and both will be around for a long time to come. A resistive touchscreen (Figure1, left side) consists of a flexible top layer, then a layer of ITO (Indium-Tin-Oxide), an air gap and then another layer of ITO. The panel has 4 wires attached to the ITO layers: one on the left and right sides of the 'X' layer, and one on the top and bottom sides of the 'Y' layer.

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Figure1. Stackup layers for "resistive" (left) and "capacitive" (right) screens A touch is detected when the flexible top layer is pressed down to contact the lower layer. The location of a touch is measured in two steps: First, the 'X right' is driven to a known voltage, and the 'X left' is driven to ground and the voltage is read from a Y sensor. This provides the X coordinate. This process is repeated for the other axis to determine the exact finger position. Conversely, projected-capacitive touchscreens have no moving parts. The only thing between the LCD and the user is ITO and glass, which have near 100% optical clarity. The projected-capacitance sensing hardware consists of a glass top layer ( Figure1, right side), followed by an array of X sensors, an insulating layer, then an array of Y sensors on a glass substrate. The panel will have a wire for each X and Y sensor, so a 5 x 6 panel will have 11 connections (Figure2), while a 10 x 14 panel will have 24 sensor connections.

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Figure2. Signal intensity at rows and columns denote location of touch As a finger or other conductive object approaches the screen, it creates a capacitor between the sensors and the finger. This capacitor is small relative to the others in the system (about 0.5 pF out of 20 pF), but it is readily measured. One common measuring technique known as Capacitive Sensing using a Sigma-Delta Modulator (CSD) involves rapidly charging the capacitor and measuring the discharge time through a bleed resistor. A projected capacitive sensor array is designed so that a finger will interact with more than one X sensor and more than one Y sensor at a time (See Figure 3). This enables software to accurately determine finger position to a very fine degree through interpolation. For example, if sensors 1, 2 and 3 see signals of 3, 10, and 7, the center of the finger is at: [(1 3) + (2 10) + (7 3)]/(3 + 10 + 7) = 2.2 Since projected-capacitive panels have multiple sensors, they can detect multiple fingers simultaneously, which is impossible with other technologies. In fact, projective capacitance has been shown to detect up to ten fingers at the same time. This enables exciting new applications based on multiple finger presses, including multiplayer gaming on handheld electronics or playing a touchscreen piano.

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5. COMPARING TOUCH TECHNOLOGY 4-Wire Resistive Touch screens 4-Wire Resistive touch technology consists of a glass or acrylic panel that is coated with electrically conductive and resistive layers. The thin layers are separated by invisible separator dots. When operating, an electrical current moves through the screen. When pressure is applied to the screen the layers are pressed together, causing a change in the electrical current and a touch event to be registered. 4-Wire Resistive type touch screens are generally the most affordable. Although clarity is less than with other touch screen types, resistive screens are very durable and can be used in a variety of environments. This type of screen is recommended for individual, home, school, or office use, or less demanding point-of-sale systems, restaurant systems, etc. 5-Wire Resistive Touch screens 5-Wire Resistive touch technology consists of a glass or acrylic panel that is coated with electrically conductive and resistive layers. The thin layers are separated by invisible separator dots. When operating, an electrical current moves through the screen. When pressure is applied to the screen the layers are pressed together, causing a change in the electrical current and a touch event to be registered. 5-Wire Resistive type touch screens are generally more durable than the similar 4-Wire Resistive type. Although clarity is less than with other touch screen types, resistive screens are very durable and can be used in a variety of environments. This type of screen is recommended for demanding point-of-sale systems, restaurant systems, industrial controls, and other workplace applications. 8-wire resistive technology Resistive touch screen technology exists in 4-wire, 5- wire, or 8-wire forms. Fast point LCD touch screens specifically employ 8-wire resistive technology because of its benefits over its counter parts. whereas 8-wire fast point touch screens are available in all sizes , 4-wire resistive technology is restricted to small flat panels (<10.4) . In contrast to 5-wire resistive touch screens, 8-wire touch screens do not experience spacer dots and

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Newton rings additionally, 8-wire resistive touch screens are not susceptible to problems caused by high level short-term variances and axis linearity and drifts. Pen Touch Capacitive Touch screens The Pen Touch Capacitive screen is a durable Capacitive type touch screen with an attached pen stylus. The Pen Touch screen can be set to respond to finger input only, pen input only, or both. A capacitive touch screen consists of a glass panel with a capacitive (charge storing) material coating its surface. Circuits located at corners of the screen measure the capacitance of a person touching the overlay. Frequency changes are measured to determine the X and Y coordinates of the touch event. Capacitive type touch screens are very durable, and have a high clarity. They are used in a wide range of applications, from restaurant and POS use to industrial controls and information kiosks.

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6. USES OF TOUCH SCREEN TECHNOLOGY The touch screen is one of the simplest PC interfaces to use, making it the interface of choice for a large number of applications. Following are uses of touch screen. 1) Public Information Displays Tourism displays, trade show displays, Information kiosks and other electronic displays are used by large number of people that have little or no computing experience. The touch screen interface is easier to use than other input devices especially for novice users. A touch screen is useful to make your information more easily accessible by allowing users to navigate your presentation by simply touching the display screen. 2) Retail and Restaurant Systems In retail or restaurant environment, touch screen systems are easy to use so employees can get work done faster and also training time can be reduced for new employees. As input is present right on the screen, valuable counter space can be saved. Touch screens can be used in order entry stations, cash registers, seating, reservation systems and more. 3) Control and Automation Systems The touch screen device is useful in systems ranging from industrial process control to home automation. Valuable workspace can be saved by integrating the input device with the display. In real-time by simply touching the screen and with a graphical interface, operators can monitor and control complex operations. 4) Computer Based Training The touch screen interface is more user-friendly than other input devices so overall training time for computer novices and therefore training expense can be reduced. It can also more useful to make learning more fun and interactive, which can lead to a more beneficial training experience for both students and educators.

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5) Assistive Technology The touch screen interface is very useful for those having difficulty using other input devices such as a mouse or keyboard. When touch screen used with software such as onscreen keyboards or other assistive technology, they can help make computing resources more available to people that have difficulty using computers. 6) And many more uses The touch screen interface is being used in a wide variety of applications to improve human computer interaction. Other applications include digital jukeboxes, computerized gaming, student registration systems, multimedia software, financial and scientific applications, and more. 7. ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES In order to make a profit, businesses must learn how to reduce costs while increasing revenue. By investing in computer technology, many business owners are able to do just that, while increasing the quality of customer service. Innovations in computer technology have allowed business owners access to touch-screen interfaces, adding many advantages to the way they serve customers, as well as expanding their potential customer base. Saves Time- Several businesses use touch-screen technology to accelerate their speed of service, allowing customers to serve themselves at touch-screen kiosks. Customers use these self-serve kiosks for simple services, such as purchasing movie tickets, paying bills or accessing account information quickly. As a result, businesses can offer shorter lines and reduced wait times for other customers, while reducing the need to hire, train and pay employees. Improves Accessibility- Impaired individuals can use touch-screen technology, especially those who find using a mouse or keyboard difficult. For example, touch screens often organize information in a clear and simplified way, so visually-impaired

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individuals can operate them. Similarly, disabled patrons who have difficulty speaking or standing in long lines can take advantage of touch-screen technology to access information easily and at their own pace. In addition, touch-screen interfaces are often so easy to use that even people with little or no experience using computers can operate one with minimal or no supervision. Saves Money- Business owners who utilize touch-screen kiosks save money because they don't have to hire, train and pay as many employees; the computer will do the same job. For example, grocery stores that install self-serve cashier stations allow customers to scan and pay for goods without the intervention of an actual sales person. In environments where hiring cashiers is essential, they perform their jobs with increased accuracy and speed because touch-screen technology simplifies operations so tasks are completed smoothly. For example, cashiers who use touch-screen technology to handle sales, returns and refunds have fewer chances to make mistakes while decreasing each customer's checkout time. By increasing the speed and accuracy of each transaction, the business can handle more customers and sales, increasing profit. Durable and Sanitary- Restaurants, health care clinics and hospitals can take advantage of touch-screen technology, especially since screens clean easily. Typically, screens are constructed out of glass, making touch-screen technology a durable and easy-to-clean interface in environments where cleanliness is important.

Disadvantages The user must sit within arms reach of the display Possible arm fatigue Difficult to select small items Possible retrofit problem (the touch screen must be fitted on the screen)

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8. CONCLUSION Though the touch screen technology contains some limitations its very user friendly, fast, accurate, easy for the novices & fun to operate. It has been widely accepted. And now by just modifying a little it can replace the mouse and key board completely in near future.

9. REFRENCES http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touchscreen http://www.eetimes.com/design/analog-design/4010387/Touchscreens-101Understanding-touchscreen-technology-and-design/ www.touchscreen.com http://computer.howstuffworks.com

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