For a long time, the touchscreen market has been colorful, with various touchscreen technologies adapting to different application environments. Infrared touch technology is just one of them, with its own advantages and shortcomings. Industry insiders are very fond of the advantages of infrared touch technology and are also well aware of its shortcomings, making unremitting efforts to improve it. So far, infrared touch technology has entered its fifth generation. Based on some of its characteristics, it is highly likely to stand out among various touch technologies and become a leader in the touchscreen market.
The early infrared touch screen appeared in 1992, with a resolution of only 32×32. The first generation of infrared touch technology had low resolution, was easily interfered with by the environment, and required use in a certain light-blocking environment. Due to these limitations, infrared touch screens once faded from the market.
The second generation of infrared touch screens was launched in 1994, with a resolution of 64×64, improving light interference resistance and adapting to most indoor environments. The third generation of infrared touch screens was launched in 1997, with a resolution of 320×240, suitable for outdoor environments without direct sunlight; the main contribution of the fourth generation infrared touch screen, launched in 1998, was to improve the resolution to 800×600. From the development history of infrared touch screens, the main progress has been made in improving resolution and adapting to strong light interference environments, but it has not fundamentally overcome issues such as short product lifespan and easy drift of device characteristic parameters.
The recently launched fifth generation infrared touch technology not only improves the resolution to 1000×720 but also enhances the resistance to strong light interference, making it usable in direct sunlight. More importantly, there has been a substantial leap in product lifespan and maintenance-free performance. The fifth generation infrared touch technology adopts the guiding principle of probabilistic function device redundancy distribution, with a lifespan exceeding 7 years under working conditions. This means that when the accompanying display reaches the end of its lifespan, the touchscreen itself can still function normally.
The improvements in performance indicators of the fifth generation infrared touch screen are sufficient to elevate the application of touch screens to a new level. Some scenarios that were previously unusable can now be utilized. For example, in the past, touch screens would experience many disconnections when tracking finger movement, making them unsuitable for Chinese character recognition. The fifth generation touchscreen can meet the requirements for accuracy, smoothness, and tracking speed when following finger movements. Users’ handwriting can be smoothly converted into image trajectories, fully supporting handwritten input recognition.
The sixth generation touchscreen has been adapted to meet the requirements of the Windows 7 system and supports multi-touch.
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In fact, the fifth generation touchscreen can now be used as a complete human-computer interface platform, replacing mice, writing pads, and even keyboards.
From the application perspective, touch screens should not merely be seen as simple devices that convert touch positions into coordinate information but should be designed as a complete human-computer interface system. The fifth generation infrared touch screen is designed based on this standard, enhancing product concepts through built-in processors and comprehensive driver software.
Therefore, the new infrared touch technology will have a significant impact on both domestic and international markets.
First, the fifth generation infrared touch screen is highly likely to stand out and break the current market division among acoustic screens, resistive screens, capacitive screens, and infrared screens. The most likely scenario is that infrared screens will occupy over 80% of the mainstream market, while resistive screens and capacitive screens will be locked in applications below 4 inches, and acoustic screens will gradually be eliminated.
Second, the fifth generation infrared touch screen is expected to break the long-standing dominance of foreign manufacturers in the domestic market, clearing American and Japanese touchscreen products from the Chinese market with better quality and lower prices. However, some manufacturers in Taiwan will maintain a significant position in the mobile product market with five-wire resistive touch screens.
Third, by fully leveraging product advantages and increasing efforts in international market operations, the fifth generation infrared touch screen can compete with foreign products in the international market. However, it should be noted that the product advantages of the fifth generation infrared touch screen are limited in duration, and the research and development efforts of foreign manufacturers should not be underestimated; the technical advantages of a single product may quickly disappear.
Fourth, due to improvements in functionality and performance, the fifth generation infrared touch screen will open up new application areas. For example, infrared touch screens may frequently appear in industries such as industrial control and home appliances, creating a competitive relationship with input devices like mice and writing pads, thus impacting the market for related products.
Comparison of Various Touch Screens
1. Resistive Touch Screen
– Not afraid of water or dirt
– Has cost advantages for small sizes, suitable for industrial control products and portable personal products
– Susceptible to scratches, low light transmittance, and slow response at low temperatures
2. Surface Acoustic Wave Touch Screen
– New and user-friendly, suitable for short-term products
– Sensitive to water and dust, requires maintenance
– Emitting transducers are fragile, leading to repair rates
3. Capacitive Touch Screen
– Prone to drift and partial failure
– The human body becomes part of the circuit; does not work when wearing gloves
– High environmental requirements for humidity, temperature, grounding, etc.
4. Infrared Touch Screen
– Stability is poor
– External or internal, does not affect the appearance of the display, suitable for large screens
– May be interfered with by light
– Good anti-vandal performance
– Any object can touch
– Completely closed and maintenance-free, suitable for harsh environments
– Fully maintenance-free after installation