In advanced industrial settings, there are generally three common types of touch screens used by OEMs to design a variety of applications- capacitive, resistive and infrared. The capacitive and resistive touch screen types have been in usage for many years, but infrared (IR) touch screens have recently gained momentum in industrial applications with several innovative versions.
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An infrared touch screen is designed with an LCD display comprising an IR touch frame mounted around its perimeter. This IR touch frame entails Infrared LEDs and photodetectors along with an optical bezel or protective cover. The IR LEDs emit infrared beams (invisible to the naked eye) through the bezel, creating an optical grid on the display&#;s surface. When a touch event happens, it impedes some of the light beams and photodetectors detect these interruptions. Eventually, the controller identifies the touch point through which beams of the X and Y axis&#; are blocked.
This is how an infrared touch screen work. However, there are many other aspects of IR-infrared touch screens. Read on to learn more.
Overview of Infrared Touch Screens
Infrared touch screens allow touch operations with a finger or pen. However, the considerable advantage of this touch technology can be better utilized in flat panel displays as the infrared raster matrix on which it works needs to be on the same plane.
Infrared detection technology can take a simple infrared detection system by using the infrared emitter and receiver tube of the same wavelength. If there are objects blocking the connection between the infrared emitter and receiver tubes, the signal will drop sharply at receiving end. Infrared touch screens were not popular when the majority of monitors were using Cathode Ray Tubes (CRT) having a curved surface. Hence, there&#;s a large gap between the real sensing touch plane and the arc-shaped corners in the display screen.
On the other hand, if infrared is used at a much closer distance with flat panel displays, the sensing touch is right at the surface which means there is no false activation particularly in the corners where this was a problem with CRT monitors.
Infrared emitters on the bezel transmit a fixed frequency signal, the receiver only senses this frequency, so the anti-jamming ability is powerful in IR touch screens with pulse mode. In case, the pulse mode modulates the signal on the working frequency, it can be used in applications requiring digital communication, which is commonly known as infrared communication. Remote controls of various household appliances, infrared communication of computers, and even the fastest optical fiber communication is typically designed with this particular technology.
Infrared Touch Screens by A D Metro
A D Metro offers the most innovative version of infrared (IR) touch screens known as Linear Correlating Infrared (LCIR) touch technology. LCIR touch screen is a great choice for applications that require multi-touch operations but face difficulty in integrating PCAP technology. Unlike standard IR technology, A D Metro&#;s LCIR (Infrared) touch screen technology offers reliable two-touch functionality and input compatibility with gloves and a 5mm stylus. Most importantly, it also offers 100% sunlight immunity even with strobing sunlight which standard IR can&#;t achieve. Coupled with optical clarity with maximum contrast and insignificant radio emissions, it is a perfect choice for defense and avionic applications.
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Warranty term is a very good indication of hardware quality. For most customers high up time is a key criterion in their buying decision. Be wary of kiosk manufacturers who only offer a 1 year warranty.
Most reputable kiosk manufacturers use SAW, Capacitive or Infrared technology in their kiosk screens. Be wary of manufacturers who use resistive technology. This technology is cheaper, but their thin plastic screen overlay can be damaged easily by vandals cutting the screen or even by the cleaning crew using the wrong solutions. In addition to being easily damaged, the layers of plastic and glass mean that these screens have the worst optics.
The ability to brand a kiosk is essential in communicating the purpose of the kiosk as well as delivering your brand to your potential customers. Ideally a kiosk should also be able to be relatively easily re-branded should the need arise.
In addition, look for a kiosk whose look and feel is modern, clean and contemporary. A kiosk that is purely practical may not communicate the brand message that you want to convey.
Very small desk-top computers from major suppliers like Asus and Acer are hard to beat on price and performance. They have the advantage of being able to be configured according to your specifications so that you are not paying for features you don&#;t require. Even more importantly, they can come with the processing power that your application demands.
Up-time can also be much higher. Parts are generally available or else they can be quickly swapped over with a replacement machine. Be careful of single board computers (SBCs) which are only generally recommended where the kiosk design doesn&#;t have the space for a desk-top computer.
Of all the components in a touch screen kiosk, the printer is the most likely to have technical problems, such as jamming. Reputable kiosk suppliers recommend printers for self-service applications that have a presenter. This feature stops the paper so that it isn&#;t visible to the customer until printing is complete. After the paper is cut, the presenter ejects the paper. This prevents customers from grabbing the paper while it is printing and potentially damaging the printer.
Thermal printers have few moving parts and are extremely dependable. The print heads are good for hundreds of thousands of prints, and the only part that needs to be replaced in the interim is the paper roll.
No kiosk is 100 percent fail-safe, so you will require field service at some point. A kiosk should be designed to be easy to work on. You shouldn&#;t have to remove a bunch of parts from a kiosk for a simple maintenance call. Look inside the kiosk before you purchase it. Can parts be easily accessed? Well designed kiosks have a simple interior layout, with components that could even be swapped over by a relatively unskilled person.
Today&#;s kiosks must be attractive, inviting, easy to use and must create an emotional resonance with the user. If you don&#;t love the design, your customers probably won&#;t either, and if they don&#;t like it, they won&#;t want to use it.
Nobody has magic suppliers that can give them the best product for the cheapest prices. If it&#;s too cheap to believe, it probably is.
Visit your kiosk manufacturer and check the build quality.
The public can be tough on kiosks. Trying to save a dollar now might cost you many more dollars later due to broken hardware and down time.
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