Two-Point Touch Enabled 3D Touch Pad

This paper presents a 3D touch pad technology that uses force touch sensors as a next-generation method for mobile applications. 3D touch technology requires detecting the location and pressure of touches simultaneously, as well as multi-touch function. We used metal foil strain gauges for the touch recognition sensor and detected the weak touch signals using Wheatstone bridge circuit at each strain gauge sensor. We also developed a touch recognition system that amplifies touch signals, converts them to digital data through a microprocessor, and displays the data on a screen. In software, we designed a touch recognition algorithm with C code, which is capable of recognizing two-point touch and differentiating touch pressures. We carried out a successful experiment to display two touch signals on a screen with different forces and locations.