Applications for projected capacitive touch panels are very extensive and often include industrial control systems, medical equipment, and outdoor devices. Based on safety, hygiene, and climate considerations many of these applications require operators to wear gloves while using the PCI touch panel. In order to satisfy customer needs, PenMount PCI touch controllers have a comprehensive strategy regarding gloved operation.

The PCI touch panel operating principle begins when the touch panel detects a conductor (such as a finger or water). Then the PCI touch controller processes the received signal through an algorithm to determine the touch point. When users wear gloves, the touch signal strength will be reduced because the materials used by standard gloves, cotton, linen, latex or functional glove coatings, possess dielectric constants far lower than that of a finger. Moreover, glove thickness is related to signal volume. The thicker the glove, the further a finger is from the touch surface. Thus, the signal volume the PCI touch controller is able to detect is also reduced.

Through a combination of hardware and firmware and paired with adjustment by the PenMount PCIMSet utility, PenMount PCI controllers can enhance touch sensitivity when users wear gloves during operation. PenMount reduces noise through a signal/noise ratio processing firmware mechanism and unique algorithm to obtain the best signal values. PenMount PCI controllers support the use of many types of gloves while, simultaneously, taking into account the reliability and dependability of touch operation.

PenMount PCI touch controllers support most glove types such as common rubber gloves, standard cold weather cotton or leather gloves, silicone or latex gloves prevalent in medical environments, etc. Practically, when medical personnel wear multiple layers of medical latex gloves to avoid risk of infection, PenMount PCI controllers continue to operate normally and smoothly. PenMount PCI controllers also support thick glove materials and gloves with special surface treatments. In addition to a “touch mechanism,” the PCI gloved touch solution introduced by PenMount also provides drawing and gesture functions and two-finger zoom in/out when using most glove types. You can watch a video detailing gloved functions supported by AMT and PenMount PCI touch solutions here: //goo.gl/Xl9oGm

You may wish to know whether this excellent gloved support requires special conditions or firmware pairings? Whether gloved operation requires abandoning other specifications? In addition to meeting the EMC testing standards (IEC 61000-4-3 RS Level III 10V/m and IEC 61000-4-6 CS Level III 10Vrms) most important to industrial applications, standard PenMount PCI controller firmware can also comprehensively implement a water handling mechanism and gloved operation. PenMount PCI controllers, integrate these three, seemingly impossible to simultaneously co-exist, features into one standard firmware. Of course, we are happy to provide firmware customization services to conform to different glove types.

PenMount’s design philosophy is greater consideration on behalf of customers and understanding actual customer needs to provide comprehensive touch solutions that allow customers to introduce PCI applications. PenMount provides customers with reliable and convenient touch products and a complete series of utilities to fulfill common usage requirements and facilitate your product development. If you have any questions or product inquires, you are welcome to contact us for more information.

You are welcomed to download all of PenMount’s standard product data and drivers directly from our website at: //www.salt.com.tw and //www.penmount.com. If you have any suggestions or comments please send e-mail to: salt@salt.com.tw or PenMount@seed.net.tw.