SCHURTER presents its projected capacitive technology. With the new PCI (Projected Capacitive Input) touch-screen technology, SCHURTER is expanding its family of input systems with glass surfaces that cover the entire operating area on the front. The PCI touch panels function with high positioning accuracy, are hygienic and easy to clean, resistant to scratches, abrasion as well as chemicals and find a wide variety of applications in the construction of medical equipment.
The new PCI (Projected Capacitive Input) technology makes it possible to build touch screens with a scratch-proof glass surface that extends across the entire front of the device. PCI panels allow the user to operate the system with more than just one finger at a time. Multi-touch technology, which is familiar due to its use in smartphones and tablet PCs, has been further developed for industrial use and offers the potential for a major leap in innovation with regards to operating concepts for medical equipment.
Touch gestures such as spreading fingers to zoom or flicking to scroll quickly are evaluated by the application software. The PCI panel becomes an intuitive and completely integrated operating concept. In the medical sector, touch gestures find use for example when "flicking through" possible settings and when searching a document for specific information. Further possibilities are navigating by flicking through overviews and magnifying images using the spread gesture.
Further, two-finger operation enhances security when operating the unit’s application software; when made mandatory, two-handed operation prevents incorrect or inadvertent operation. Thus there is no possibility of accidentally changing parameter levels or unintentional activation of functions.
Glass offers many options in ergonomic design because of its double-sided printing and the design of customer-specific geometries as well as a variety of surface structures. The completely enclosed glass front without any dirt-collecting edges can be securely operated with medical gloves or through sterile operating room cover films.
The complete glass front is bonded to a carrier plate or into the unit’s housing. The assembly of the display is done on the back side directly on the shielding of the projected-capacitive sensor with the control electronics.
The use of multi-touch sensors from ITO (indium tin oxide) foil layers also allows arched operating panels. Options include illuminated function keys, sliders and wheels outside the multi-touch display’s active surface that are integrated behind the glass panel.
Technical features:
- Active diagonal screen size from 3.5in – 22in
- Controller options: USB, RS232, I2C, SPI
- Service life: virtually limitless
- Precise positioning with no drift
- Shielding can be integrated on the reverse side