New feature for Cypress touchscreen controllers

The feature enables manufacturers of handsets, cameras, GPS systems and other mobile systems to offer the benefits of capacitive touchscreens at resistive touchscreen costs.

Available for Cypress' CY8CTST241 (single-touch with one-finger gestures) and CY8CTST242 (adds limited two-finger gestures such as 'pinch' and 'zoom'), the features delivers high-performance touchscreen accuracy and responsiveness with a true single-layer sensor panel, reducing the cost of the most expensive component of the touchscreen.

Increasingly, capacitive touchscreens are viewed as a differentiator by buyers of new mobile devices.

Capacitive advantages over resistive touchscreens include a more intuitive user experience, better transmissivity, lower power, increased reliability and better durability.

The new Truetouch single-layer sensor opens up new 'feature phones' and lower-cost smartphones to capacitive touchscreens, especially in major markets such as China and India, the company says.

Cypress has developed proprietary algorithms that interface with a true single-layer sensor with no bridges to deliver two-layer performance.

The removal of this second sensor layer can save mobile device manufacturers 30 per cent or more on sensor costs and is available for glass and film.

Even with only one sensor layer, the Truetouch solution delivers accuracy better than 1.25mm, good signal-to-noise ratios, fast response times (80Hz) and active power of 3.6mW.