Atmel introduces maXTouch Capacitive Touchscreen Technology

Atmel has introduced its maXTouch, a new integrated capacitive touchscreen technology. maXTouch technology is based on a touch optimized version of XMEGA AVR microcontroller CPU, coupled with an advanced analog sensing front-end to capture the charge image from the touchscreen sensor. The maXTouch technology is ideal for broad range of touchscreen applications including mobile handsets, GPS, netbooks, digital cameras, portable media players, printers, and point of sale terminals. Atmel’s maXTouch technology is being demonstrated to major OEMs and it is scheduled to be released in September this year.

TouchScreen

Benefits of Atmel maXTouch Capacitive Touchscreen Technology:

• Unlimited touch
  Unlimited touch provides you maximum flexibility in the human interface including the use of fingers, nails and stylus pen.
• Precise
  Excellent multiple touch adjacency and intuitive rejection of unintended touches.
• Fast response
  Atmel’s touch optimized AVR microcontroller combined with our patented touch technology minimize acquisition time and enhance the user experience.
• Ideal for broad range of touchscreen applications
  Supports a broad range of touchscreen applications including mobile handsets, netbooks, printers, GPS, digital cameras, portable media players and point of sale terminals.
• Environmentally robust
  Robust and resilient under harsh climate (hot/cold temperature), dusty and humid/wet environment.
• Low power consumption
  Atmel’s power-saving technology allows for extended battery life.

Atmel’s maXTouch technology recognizes finger nails and stylus pen as touch input. It able to read unlimited number of unique touch points. Dedicated DSP systems in maXTouch chip are used for the precise X-Y matrix position calculations. Atmel’s patented Capacitive Charge Transfer technology provides the high signal-to-noise ratio and excellent linearity. Advanced chip functions related to user gestures such as zoom, rotate, flick and tap are also recognized and reported. More complex functions such as detecting ’size of the touch’ and ‘width of line’ can be derived from the integrated shape recognition capabilities. Unintended touches are detected and rejected through the technology’s unique ear/cheek/grip suppression algorithms. maXTouch technology is offered in an ultra-thin 5×5mm BGA package. The chip only requires 3 bypass capacitors to form the complete sensing solution.

Reference:

• Press Release: Atmel Announces World’s Most Powerful Touchscreen Technology with Revolutionary Performance (_http://www.atmel.com/dyn/corporate/view_detail.asp?ref=&FileName=maXTouch_5_26.html&SEC_NAME=Product)
• Atmel maXTouch Capacitive Touchscreen Technology (_http://www.atmel.com/maxtouch)