Haptic actuator controller for touch devices
Maxim Integrated Products
MAX11836 Tactouch haptic actuator controller
Maxim Integrated Products has introduced the MAX11836, a Tactouch haptic actuator controller targeted at mobile phones, portable media players, digital photo frames and more.
The haptic actuator controller is designed for single-/multilayer piezo actuators and electroactive polymers (EAP) in touch-enabled devices.
The MAX11836 adds drive/sense circuitry for connecting up to four force-sense resistors (FSR) to measure touch pressure.
Using FSRs with a capacitive touch-screen controller (C-TSC) helps avoid false touches and saves system power as it can remain in a power-down state during system idle times and wakes up only when a touch is detected.
A single-chip solution, the MAX11836 is said to simplify adding haptic feedback to any end application with a touch screen or touch buttons.
Targeted devices include digital still/video cameras, point-of-sale (POS) terminals, e-readers, tablet PCs and notebooks.
The MAX11836 features built-in mass storage of user-defined haptic patterns, play-out logic, output-configurable DC/DC conversion, and output drivers for highly capacitive loads.
This integration enables the device to drive a range of haptic actuators, such as single- or multilayer piezo actuators.
The device's internal boost converter supports actuators from 10V to 250V.
The MAX11836 only requires a low-voltage supply and a serial I2C interface to the host processor.
The host processor downloads user-defined haptic patterns at power-up through the serial interface.
During operation, play-out from on-chip memory is triggered in one of three ways: through a serial interface command; through the built-in touch-detect function; or through proprietary single-wire link (MAX11835) that is compatible with other Maxim products.
The single-wire interface determines the trigger instant and identifies which waveform from up to 16 patterns can be simultaneously stored in on-chip memory.
Maxim said the benefit of its haptic solutions compared with other technologies is a near-zero-latency haptic output, as there is no delay added due to the operating system running on the host processor.
This provides a natural touch feeling, even when the user is typing quickly on a multi-touch touch-screen keyboard.
The MAX11836 is packaged in a 1.6 x 1.6mm, 25-bump wafer-level package (WLP) to support the miniaturisation of end products.
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