Scheidt and Bachmann

Touch sensor specialist Zytronic has been successful in getting its rugged, self-service touchscreen technology into another challenging application. A 15 inch version of the company’s ZYTOUCH^® touch sensor, which relies upon its proprietary Projected Capacitive Technology (PCT™), is being used to provide the user interface in the latest automated ticketing solution developed by Scheidt & Bachmann – a leading manufacturer of fare collection systems for public transit operations worldwide.

With a £25 million modernisation of sixty Metro stations across the UK’s Tyneside region underway, Scheidt & Bachmann has been contracted to replace over 200 ticket machines with new, more sophisticated versions that boast advanced functionality. The new machines are capable of accepting credit/debit card and smartcard payment as well as cash, with support for six different languages helping to enhance the overall user experience. Their touchscreen user interfaces will make the ticket purchasing process faster and more intuitive – thereby maximising each station’s operational efficiency.

Having assessed a variety of solutions, the engineering team at Scheidt & Bachmann selected Zytronic’s PCT sensors as the best candidate because of their reliable touch performance irrespective of weather conditions, bespoke construction and, most importantly, their highly rugged construction. The unique Zytouch PCT sensing mechanism consists of a matrix of 10 micron copper capacitors embedded into a multilayer laminated glass sensor substrate. The Zytouch family of PCT sensors have proven 10 year plus reliability in outdoor, unsupervised, self-service applications, making them ideal for such installations and setting them apart from touchscreen solutions based on conventional surface facing sensing technologies. The sensors can be further enhanced and customised with options such as privacy filters and infra-red blocking layers, to help protect user personal information, and outdoor system thermal management.