Designed for harsh or hazardous environments the Chrominance sensor assemblies, which are based on TouchNetix’ aXiom series touchscreen IC, feature a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of >80dB.
The product’s low noise floor and ultra-high sensitivity enable the recovery of capacitive touch signals even when high levels of EMI are experienced. It means that industrial equipment OEMs integrating Chrominance-based touchscreen displays into their products will be able to provide reliable, out-of-the-box operation for their end users, with no need for site-specific touch-sensor tuning and configuration, which can be a time-consuming and difficult process.
Because of the Chrominance modules’ high immunity to conducted and radiated interference – they are qualified to Class A according to the EN61000 standard Parts 4-6, 4-4 and 4-3 – they also maintain reliable performance in harsh operating conditions which often cause conventional displays to fail to recognise touches, or to report false touches.
The Chrominance assemblies are a range of standard touchscreen sensor modules for displays ranging in size from 4.3” to 24” (diagonal). Evaluation kits are available immediately for 12.1”, 15.6” and 21.5” displays.
The module is supplied as a 0.7mm glass/ITO sensor hot-bonded to an FPC tail and a TouchNetix aXiom controller board. TouchNetix also provides reference driver code for the Windows and Linux operating systems, and for real-time operating systems used in embedded computing environments.
Commenting Chris Ard, Managing Director of TouchNetix, said: ‘TouchNetix has achieved a strong reputation for supplying robust, high-performance touch-sensor assemblies with its earlier Brilliance and Luminance products. Now with Chrominance we have taken full advantage of the unique capabilities of the aXiom touchscreen IC, developed here at TouchNetix, to produce a touchscreen for any harsh or hazardous application.’
The Chrominance touch sensor’s high sensitivity means that it supports operation through a thick lens, including glass up to 10mm. Gain settings which are programmable per node mean that it can also offer uniform touch sensitivity through a ‘3D’ or curved lens which has variable thickness across the touch surface.
The Chrominance system also recognises touches by a user wearing thick gloves. Its capacitive sensing technology also works well in the presence of moisture and liquids, making it suitable for use in outdoor, medical or marine equipment.
