What Do You Know About PCAP?

What is a Projected Capacitive Touchscreen?

Prior to the release of the iPod Touch, the first model of the iPhone, the use of projected capacitive touchscreens was relatively rare. However, these landmark consumer devices brought PCAP technology to the forefront. It revolutionized the way humans interact with machines, not only in consumer products but also in other environments, such as the medical industry. Essentially, it is thanks to this technology that we can scroll, pinch and zoom images on mobile devices.

PCAP is the preferred method of controlling electronic systems that range from ATMs to ticket kiosks. That's why you probably already know what a projected capacitive touchscreen is, and it's the most common solution for smartphones and tablets. But it can also be used for larger screens.

How Does a Projected Capacitive Touchscreen Work?

This touchscreen uses a conductive grid that recognizes changes caused by a bare finger or a special stylus touch. That's because PCAPs rely on the conductivity of the human body. They only work with bare bodies or styluses that are conductive. PCAP displays are known for their accuracy and can hold up to 60 contact points.

What is the Technology Behind PCAP?

Custom-designed PCAP touchscreens are becoming the primary choice for today's high-tech devices. While older forms of touch screens used resistive changes or beam interruptions to detect touch, most touch screens produced today rely on the projected capacitive principle. What does this mean?
Projected capacitive touch screens typically include a glass front layer followed by a matrix of conductive elements. These elements are made of conductive materials such as silver, copper, carbon or indium tin oxide (ITO), which are very common choices today. They are arranged in X and Y layers with an insulating layer between them.
The conductive matrix is then connected to a specially designed touch controller. The controller injects an electrical charge into the matrix and the monitor monitors any changes in the matrix elements. The capacitive field changes when a finger or stylus approaches the front of the touch screen - it is generated within the matrix, but just behind the front glass.
The touch controller should be sensitive enough to detect this change and identify the area or element of the matrix that experiences the greatest change. It can then triangulate the touch position within the matrix layer and transmit the data to the host computer as an XY correlation. This works just like a mouse or mouse pad that moves the cursor around the display.

Dongguan Yunshang Electronic Technology Co., Ltd. is located in Dongguan, China. We are a manufacturer with custom ability for projected capacitive (PCAP) touch display modules, PCAP touchscreen component, and a reseller of TFT-LCD panels from BOE, AUO, INNOLUX, LG and etc. If you want to know more information, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.