TOUCH SENSOR

ABSTRACT
A touch sensor is a type of device that captures and records physical
touch or embrace on a device and/or object. It enables a device or
object to detect touch or near proximity, typically by a human user or
operator.
COMPONENTS REQUIRED
1.bread board
2.electrodes
3.transistors
4.LED
5.resistors
6.connecting wires

CIRCUIT DIAGRAM
WORKING PRINCIPLE
Touch sensors work similar to a switch. When they are subjected to touch,
pressure or force they get activated and acts as a closed switch. When the
pressure or contact is removed they act as an open switch.

Capacitive touch sensor contains two parallel conductors with an insulator

between them. These conductors plates act as a capacitor with a capacitance
value C0.
When these conductor plates come in contact with our fingers, our finger acts
as a conductive object. Due to this, there will be an uncertain increase in the
capacitance.

A capacitance measuring circuit continuously measures the capacitance C0 of

the sensor. When this circuit detects a change in capacitance it generates a
signal.

The resistive touch sensors calculate the pressure applied on the surface to
sense the touch. These sensors contain two conductive films coated with
indium tin oxide, which is a good conductor of electricity, separated by a very
small distance.

Across the surface of the films, a constant voltage is applied. When pressure
is applied to the top film, it touches the bottom film. This generates a voltage
drop which is detected by a controller circuit and signal is generated thereby
detecting the touch.

About components

Bread board
A breadboard, solderless breadboard, or protoboard is a construction base used to build semi-
permanent prototypes of electronic circuits. Unlike a perfboard or stripboard, breadboards do not
require soldering or destruction of tracks and are hence reusable. For this reason, breadboards are
also popular with students and in technological education.
A variety of electronic systems may be prototyped by using breadboards, from small analog and
digital circuits to complete central processing units (CPUs).
Electrodes

An electrode is a conductor that is used to make contact with a

nonmetallic part of a circuit. Electrodes are commonly used in
electrochemical cells (see Figure 1), semiconductors like diodes, and
in medical devices. The electrode is the place where electron transfer
occurs.

Transistors
transistor is a semiconductor device used to amplify or switch electronic signals. Transistors are
broadly divided into three types: bipolar transistors (bipolar junction transistors: BJTs), field-
effect transistors (FETs), and insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs).

LED

Compared with conventional light sources that first convert electrical

energy into heat, and then into light, LEDs (Light Emitting
Diodes) convert electrical energy directly into light, delivering efficient
light generation with little-wasted electricity.

RESISTORS
A resistor is a passive two-terminal electrical component that implements electrical resistance as a
circuit element. In electronic circuits, resistors are used to reduce current flow, adjust signal levels, to
divide voltages, bias active elements, and terminate transmission lines, among other uses.

CONNECTING WIRS
Electrical cables work by providing a low resistance path for the current to flow through.
Electrical cables consist of a core of metal wire offering good conductivity such as copper or
aluminium, along with other material layers including insulation, tapes, screens, armouring for
mechanical protection, and sheathing.

APPLICATIONS

Capacitor sensors are easily available and are of very low cost. These
sensors are highly used in mobile phones, iPods, automotive, small home
appliances, etc… These are also used for measuring pressure, distance,
etc… A drawback of these sensors is that they can give a false alarm.
Resistive touch sensors only work when sufficient pressure is applied. Hence,
these sensors are not useful for detecting small contact or pressure. These
are used in applications such as musical instruments, keypads, touch-pads,
etc.. where a large amount of pressure is applied.

HOW TOUCH SENSOR ARE HELPFUL IN FUTURE

Commercial touch will try to catch up with consumer devices as

the next few years take shape. Haptic feedback has been
available on smartphones for awhile, and now commercial
technology is trying to catch up. Unfortunately, larger displays
limit vibration and therefore pose a challenge. Consumer
technology relies on piezo electronic actuators mounted to the
periphery of the screen’s read, whereas a heavy self-service
screen would draw too much energy. In weathersealed screens,
there is no room at all for vibration.

This is a clear example of how commercial tech must try to think

creatively to adapt. Installing physical controls such as buttons
and dials is one solution, giving people more hands-on feedback
when interacting with touch. This also helps from an accessibility
point of view, as visually-impaired users who turn to ATM
terminals on the high street will still require some level of physical
interaction to guide their touchscreen interaction.

These controls can be embedded within and may protrude from

the screen, or can be machined directly to create dimples and
grooves to guide touch. This helps create a ‘phygital’ interface
that can be used without necessarily having to look at the screen.