Simultaneous multiple location touch systems

Abstract

Various apparatuses, methods and systems for detecting simultaneous touches at multiple locates are disclosed herein. For example, some embodiments provide an apparatus for detecting a touch, the apparatus including a resistive touch screen and a controller connected to the touch screen. The touch screen includes a number of electrically conductive columns and rows. In various embodiments, the touch screen is an analog matrix, with the overlapping columns and rows forming a matrix of cubics that can each detect one touch at a time, and with the location of the touch detectable in an analog fashion within each cubic. The resolution of the analog matrix in these embodiments is thus higher than that of the columns and rows. The controller includes an analog to digital converter switchably and sequentially connected to each of the columns and rows. The controller also includes a voltage source switchably and sequentially connected to each of the columns and rows. The controller is adapted to connect the voltage source to one of the rows when the analog to digital converter is sequentially connected to each of the columns and to connect the voltage source to one of the columns when the analog to digital converter is sequentially connected to each of the rows.