Renesas Electronics Europe developed new IP for capacitive touch sensing that features touch sensitivity five times better than its existing R8C/3xT microcontrollers, as well as noise immunity compliant with IEC 61000-4-3 and IEC 61000-4-6. According to the company, it provides reliable sensing with acrylic panels over 10 mm thick. It thus can be used in flexible designs, such as products with curved panels.
The new IP will find its way into home appliances. In the kitchen, for instance, high sensitivity and high noise immunity are crucial for appliances that may be splashed with water, or for equipment such as induction cookers that can emit strong electromagnetic fields.
Renesas’ IP leverages the mutual-capacitance method, which is more reliable and versatile than self-capacitance, facilitating moisture-proofing of appliances. False detections won’t occur, even if there’s water on the touch key area. The IP also supports embedding touch keys in a matrix configuration to eliminate false ghost detections, a phenomenon associated with the self-capacitance method. As a result, the number of touch keys can be increased with minimal number of pins.