Automotive-qualified touch-sensing portfolio features capacitive touchscreen solution

May 18, 2010 // Paul Buckley

Cypress Semiconductor Corp., has announced automotive qualification of the company’s TrueTouch touchscreen and LIN capable CapSense touch-sensing controllers.

The devices, based on Cypress's flagship PSoC programmable system-on-chip architecture, meet AEC-Q100 standards, giving Cypress the industry's broadest portfolio of automotive-qualified capacitive touch-sensing technology. The TrueTouch controllers mark the industry's first automotive-qualified capacitive touchscreen solution. The CY8C2x345 CapSense controllers pair analog resources with automotive industry standard LIN communication support, making the devices the ideal system controllers to interface with analog and capacitive touch-sensor inputs, and to control backlight LEDs and haptic actuators while communicating over the LIN bus.

Cypress also announced that Grace Semiconductor in Shanghai, China has been qualified to fabricate automotive-grade CY8C2x345 CapSense controllers that adhere to the AEC-Q100 standard, ISO/TS 16949 quality management standard and Cypress's Zero Defect manufacturing system.

The new automotive-qualified TrueTouch controllers - which are available in single-touch, multi-touch gesture and multi-touch all-point offerings - provide the ability to track multiple fingers simultaneously. The TrueTouch solutions are able to control screen sizes up to nine inches. They are designed for use in control panels, GPS and infotainment displays.

Cypress's automotive-qualified CapSense devices enable attractive, highly functional interfaces with improved durability over mechanical buttons and sliders. In addition, their industry-leading reliability, noise-immunity and water-resistance deliver superior performance in the harsh automotive operating environment. CapSense proximity sensing offers a detection range up to 25 cm, saving power by activating an interface only when needed. The devices are ideal for interior automotive applications such as audio, navigation, AC control and lighting control, as well as exterior applications such as trunk release and passive keyless-entry buttons.

Cypress's newly automotive qualified CapSense devices offer dual-channel scanning, delivering faster scan times for multiple IOs. These devices offer automotive industry standard LIN 2.0 and 2.1 communication support. Cypress offers two types of the automotive devices: A grade (-40 to +85 degrees C) and E grade (-40 to +125 degrees C). Available on-chip analog resources include a SAR ADC.

Cypress's TrueTouch solution claims to be the industry's most flexible touchscreen architecture, allowing designers to implement differentiated features and make last-minute design iterations without board changes. They have a choice of using touch sensors (glass or film) and LCDs from preferred partners, and can develop innovative mechanical designs ranging from flat to curved surfaces of varying thickness. In addition, TrueTouch devices offer Cypress's legendary noise immunity with patented capacitive sensing technology that enables flawless operation in noisy RF and LCD environments.

In addition to PSoC programmable system-on-chip devices, Cypress's automotive portfolio also includes parallel and serial non-volatile SRAMs, asynchronous fast SRAMs, asynchronous micropower SRAMs, synchronous SRAMs, timing solutions, and USB hosts, hubs and peripherals.

Availability

The newly qualified CY8CTMG120 multi-touch gesture and CY8CTMA120 multi-touch all-point controllers are available for sampling in 56-pin QFN packages. The newly qualified CapSense products include the LIN-capable CY8C2x345 devices, available for sampling in A grade (-40 to +85 degrees C) in 28-pin SSOP packages with the 48-pin SSOP packages planned in Q3 2010.

All products are expected to be in full production in Q3 2010.

Related links:

TrueTouch

CapSense touch-sensing controllers

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