Digital Waveguide Touch™ technology, based on RPO’s heavily-patented polymer waveguide process, can be applied to any product that benefits from having a touch-screen interface. Products include gameplayers, cellphones, PDAs, GPS systems, automotive control displays, multimedia players, tablet PCs and a number of professional applications, such as ATM’s and Gambling Machines.
This new optical touch-screen technology will allow all mobile devices to have touch-screen input with acceptable or greatly reduced incremental cost, enhanced performance and absolutely no performance penalty on the display.
Key features include:
- It is a digital touch technology with high inherent accuracy and precision
- The resolution can be adjusted to suit any application
- Can be integrated into any flat panel surface or display
- Minimal power requirements
- Allows simultaneous, multiple touch inputs
- ‘Zero-pressure’ touch allows finger scrolling
- No touch overlay - allows100% display light output, picture definition and color clarity
- Solves light reflectivity issues for touch-screens
- Excellent durability
- Low-cost, high-volume manufacturing
We provide a quick comparison to the incumbent technologies:
Technology |
Double Touch |
Resolution |
Power Requirement |
Display Performance |
Form Factor (bezel) |
Cost |
Digital Waveguide Touch™ |
Yes |
10 dpi – 250 dpi
any object |
Low, < 1 mW |
No screen overlay |
Minimal - shaped to fit form factor |
Low-Medium |
Resistive |
No |
100+ dpi
any object |
High impact on back light |
Touch Overlay has dramatic impact on clarity and reflectivity |
Up to 5mm width under cover on all sides |
Low |
Suface Capacitive |
No |
10 dpi - only suitable for finger touch; no pen input |
High impact on back light |
Touch Overlay has dramatic impact on clarity and reflectivity |
Minimal |
Medium |
Projected
Capacitive |
Yes |
10 dpi - only works with a human finger; no pen input |
High impact on back light |
Touch Overlay has dramatic impact on clarity and reflectivity |
Minimal |
High |
There are several significant issues with today’s incumbent ‘resistive’ and capacitive touch-screen technologies.
- There is up to a 20% reduction in optical brightness of the display
- The battery drain is significant when driving the display to an acceptable brightness level
- Poor performance in outdoor lighting conditions due to excessive light reflectivity
- A relatively high pressure of touch is required for resistive touch products for promoting scratching, and making certain user touch input actions unavailable
- Only bare finger input is accepted by capacitive touch panels
- Most technologies cannot accept multiple touch points needed for gaming, photo-viewing, map-reading and other applications
To increase the functionality of handheld devices, high resolution touch input on larger screens and intuitive customer interfaces are a necessity. RPO’s touch screen technology, based on its Digital Waveguide Touch™ technology provides a welcome solution. |
