Projected capacitive touch screens are made up of three major components: sensor glass, a cover glass, and a flexible printed circuit with a controller. The sensor glass buries the electrodes within a lamination and serves as a barrier and dielectric layer. The cover glass protects the electrodes from physical damage and provides the device with a waterproof surface. This is why PCAP touch screens are commonly used in tablet PCs and other applications.
Sensor glass
A PCAP touch screen sensor glass is made from two layers – a transparent substrate and a micropatterned conductor. Both layers transmit light, but the latter one has lower transmittance. The optical quality of these sensors can be measured using the visible light transmittance, haze, and the visible conductor visibility, and it can be determined by unaided eyes. The density and width of the conductor lines are used to define the geometries of these sensors.
The SCHURTER company has developed automated lamination processes for its PCAP touchscreens. These lamination processes include optically bonding glass sensors and displays with a variety of substrates. In addition, the company can print and process mechanical glass. SCHURTER offers a wide range of glass sensors to suit the specific needs of your application. PCAP touch screen sensor glass is a versatile and cost-effective solution for integrating touch controls behind closed surfaces.
Cover glass
A PCAP cover glass is an important part of a projective capacitive touchscreen. This glass separates the touch sensor from the actual display frame and has a variety of material compositions. They offer a wide range of design options and are bonded to the display frame with a double-sided adhesive tape. The cover glass is a crucial part of the touch screen and is critical to the overall durability of the device.
A PCAP touch panel is a two-layer glass stack with X electrodes on the top glass layer and Y electrodes on the bottom. The two glass layers are bonded together using a process known as OCA. They can be customized with a protective cover lens and optional back printing. The initial structure of PCAP stack-ups was made using a 2-layer glass stack. In more recent models, a single-glass cover glass is used.
Flexible printed circuit with controller
Production costs for a flexible printed circuit with controller can vary from one company to another. The cost of production depends on design standards and quality. The base material and solder mask used in the production process can affect the price as well. These factors can greatly influence the final product cost. If you are considering using a flex PCB for your device, here are some tips to consider. This article will give you an overview of the different costs involved with flex PCB production.
Unlike traditional circuits, flexible printed circuits have the advantage of being highly flexible. They typically consist of a metallic layer with conductive traces and a dielectric layer. They are generally attached to a substrate by adhesive, but other methods, such as vapor deposition, are also available. Whether a flexible circuit will be used in a consumer product or a large industrial setting, a flexible PCB is a viable option.
Multi-touch gestures
Many multi-touch controllers report only gesture information, with no coordinates. For example, a gesture may be registered as a single touch when the controller reports the angle of rotation as 48o but does not reveal where the individual touches were made. Other multi-touch controllers give gesture messages along with their coordinates. These are not always available, though, so it is important to check the information you receive before deciding how to proceed.
The authors describe several touch interface strategies, including adaptive positioning which activates the nearest active area. They also describe the modeling of algorithmic flows of gestures. In addition to gestures, pcap touch screen devices can also support multi-touch input. Depending on the software you choose, multi-touch input can be a good fit for digital signage. In addition, multi-touch displays can also be used in digital signage, allowing clearer communication with large audiences.
Light transmittance
In contrast to normal capacitive touch-screen sensors, PCAP touch screens are transparent, so nearly no light is blocked from entering them when mounted in front of a display. Resistive technology, on the other hand, suffers from reduced light transmittance, reducing the brightness of the underlying TFT-LCD display. Thus, this feature makes PCAP touch screens a superior option for displays.
The technology behind PCAP touch screens relies on two electrode leader layers with a separator in between. When a finger touches the top film of the PCAP touch screen, the pressed finger creates an indent. This indent makes a connection with the electrodes at the bottom of the stack. The resulting change in resistance is how the screen recognizes the touch. PCAP touch screens use two layers of electrodes to create a capacitive electromagnetic field. The difference between these two layers is due to the ability of conductive objects to create an electric charge and enable the processing system to identify it. The difference between a capacitive and resistive touch screen is measured every time an x/y electrode leader layer crosses over another electrode.
Cost
The cost of a PCAP touch screen varies, but there are some common features that set it apart from other touch screen types. A resistive touch sensor registers the touch of an object by causing an indent on the top film, which connects to electrodes at the bottom of the stack. In contrast, a PCAP touch screen creates an electric charge when an object touches the electrodes. This charge allows the processing system to recognize the object.
A projected capacitive touch screen is used in many applications, including hand-held devices, GPS systems, tablet PCs, and other products. PCAP touchscreens are available in many sizes and can be customised to fit your needs. Nelson-Miller provides top-notch engineering support and offers a free guide for designing your touch screen. If you need a touch screen, contact Nelson-Miller and request a free quote.