The separation of infrared touchscreen technology is the logical consequence of the following considerations.
Technical advances in optical touchscreen technologies
New technical possibilities of signal evaluation with very powerful and cost-effective microcontrollers and the constant miniaturization and cost reduction in CMOS camera technology have made optical touchscreens attractive and reliable. Optical camera-based touchscreen technologies are more precise and faster in evaluation. The multi-touch experience is also worlds better with camera-based technologies than with IR touchscreens.
Suppliers
The production and evaluation of IR touchscreens is relatively simple and therefore predestined for Asian manufacturers. In the case of IR technology, the majority of manufacturers are from China and Korea. I don't want to belittle Chinese manufacturers, but after more than 15 years of experience with the import of Asian products, I have already experienced a lot and these are not necessarily the stories that are then in the Handelsblatt next to "High technology from China overruns Germany". The pure hardware, i.e. printed circuit board with IR leds, was often quite okay, but unfortunately not good enough for our demanding customers. I would like to comment on the topic of drivers and version control in another article, but this much can be said, this is one of the biggest Asian problems.
Market and customers
The market for IR touch screens in Europe is perhaps 0.5%-1.0% of the total market for touch screens. That's not a scientifically collected number, that's just my guess. If anyone has more accurate or better figures, I would be very grateful for a hint. This market is stagnating or shrinking and there are maybe 2-3 good manufacturers. The cake is distributed, and new products are rarely equipped with IR. I.e. it is about a few customers where 70% buy from the good 2-3 manufacturers and the rest buy directly in China, Taiwan and Korea. You can't get past the 70% quality-conscious customers because they have already tested all Asian manufacturers on the planet and then stay with the reliable and more expensive manufacturer they have been buying for years.
Uses
- Outdoor kiosk
- Digital signage
Result
Since we have so far only traded IR touch technology, we would have to invest heavily in a market that is shrinking and driven by small quantities and the project business in order to produce a product ourselves that is based on old technology that a Chinese can always sell cheaper than we can.
On the day I make such a decision for an investment with "Yes, we'll do that", my wife and/or children are allowed to incapacitate me.