Transparent, conductive touchscreen material offers capacitive touch sensor benefits
Based on Zytronic’s proprietary Projected Capacitive Technology (PCT), the new ITO-based sensor range complements the company’s existing portfolio of touch sensors and can accurately detect touch through thick glass and even gloved hands, both of which would hinder or prevent the operation of conventional mutual capacitive type pro-cap sensing solutions. Furthermore, the process of manufacture makes the new product range suitable for higher volume industrial uses, such as medical tablets, home appliances and some novel human machine interface (HMI) surfaces for automotive applications.
ITO is an electrically conductive material that can be deposited in near transparent structures. ITO is already widely used in the display and touchscreen industries. Zytronic will initially deliver its ITO touch sensors in 7 inch (177.8 mm), 8 inch (203.2 mm), and 8.4 inch (213.36 mm) display formats, with larger sizes to follow. These products can be either supplied as a flexible, polyester (PET) sensor for assembly/lamination by the customer, or pre-laminated to glass at the company’s 7,000 m2, class 100 clean room facilities. This first option offers customers the opportunity to create truly customized designs, as the PET sensor may be applied to some curved as well as flat surfaces. Coupled with its ability to detect touch through a variety of materials, this opens up the opportunity for automotive HMI designers to seamlessly integrate touch controls into a contoured dashboard, rather than conventionally embed a bezel-surrounded screen into the center console.
Zytronic’s new ITO-based touch sensors utilize the same patented self-capacitive, frequency modulation sensing method of touch detection as the company’s existing and award winning PCT-based sensor portfolio, and have been designed to work with its latest ZXY100 controller/chipset and driver suite. This means that Zytronic can deliver a complete solution to its customers, considerably reducing development time. It also allows designers to progress through the development phase of a project using the fast prototyping friendly copper strand electrode ZYBRID sensors, and to migrate to mass production with the ITO sensors when volumes justify – all with no change to the touch system’s ancillary hardware/software. Customers can also benefit from the fast response, gesture recognition and dual touch functionality afforded by the increasingly popular ZXY100 touch controller.
With the current surge in demand for consumer tablet PCs expected to lead to increased use of similar devices in industrial and public-use applications, Zytronic expects its ITO-based PCT sensors to be incorporated into a new wave of touch-enabled, handheld devices used in enterprise applications by delivery operatives, field engineers, nurses, warehouse staff, etc. where high levels of durability are essential and gloved hand operation a requirement.
Visit Zytronic at www.zytronic.co.uk.
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