Optical Touch Overview

The NextWindow 1900 Series Touch Screen installed on the HP TouchSmart All-In-One PC.

Accuracy. Clarity. Economy.

See your products in a whole new light.  Experience them at a whole new level.  With a high degree of accuracy, crystal clear resolution and surprising affordability, Optical Touch technology makes creating interactive touch screens and displays easy.

By using optical sensors at two corners of the screen, Optical Touch “sees” the touching object from two angles. The result is a high degree of accuracy, with no contact pressure required.  No special coatings and films are needed—there’s nothing to scratch, wear out, or cloud the display image.  The screen can be sealed against dirt, dust, and moisture, ideal for heavily used kiosks in public areas.

Multi-touch capable.  Optical Touch accommodates multiple touch points with a high degree of precision. You can touch the screen anywhere, with anything—a finger, a pen, a credit card.  Even the lightest touch will be registered.  Annotations are fast and precise.

Cost-effective. Optical Touch technology is an economical way to add touch capability to any display. Since our technology remains consistent at both large and small sizes, expect our solutions to be very cost-effective on large screens.

How it works

Working together, two optical sensors track the movement of any object close to the surface by detecting the interruption of an infra-red light source. The light is emitted in a plane across the surface of the screen and can be either active (infra-red LED) or passive (special reflective surfaces).

At the heart of the system is a printed circuit controller board that receives signals from the optical sensors.  Its software then compensates for optical distortions and triangulates the position of the touching object with extreme accuracy. 

Some of NextWindow's products, such as the 1900 series, use low-profile optical sensors mounted on the surface of the glass. Other products use different configurations. In all models, the infrared light source and optical sensors are synchronized using a sophisticated algorithm that also reduces the effect of ambient light, creating an very clear, accurate screen.