Cypress Semiconductor has demonstrated a tablet-sized capacitive touchscreen technology with unlimited finger-tracking capability. Based on the company’s TrueTouch solution for smaller portable electronics, the technology will power touchscreens between 7 and 17 in. with full multi-touch support.

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The inclusion of multi-touch support in the Windows 7 operating system has opened up the large laptop, netbook, and tablet PC market to touchscreen interfaces. Multi-touch capability is a key requirement for enabling designers to develop innovative applications and ways for users to interact with their PC. For video of the technology in action, go to www.cypress.com/go/tabletvideo.

The TrueTouch family of devices enables designers to create new usage models for products such as tablet PCs, notebooks, netbooks, mobile handsets, portable media players (PMPs), and GPS systems. The technology provides the industry’s most flexible touchscreen architecture, allowing designers to implement differentiated features with Cypress’ superior noise immunity based on patented capacitive sensing technology for flawless operation in noisy RF and LCD environments.

Cypress also has announced a free I2C touchscreen device driver that supports single-touch and multi-touch signals on the popular Android mobile handset platform. The I2C interface driver for the TrueTouch touchscreen solution gives manufacturers of handsets based on Android or other Linux operating systems an easy and quick path to delivering high-performance touchscreen interfaces. The driver supports single-touch and multi-touch signaling and is backward-compatible for applications written in earlier versions of Android.
The TrueTouch family includes single-touch, multi-touch gesture and multi-touch all-point offerings. Cypress was the first company to introduce multi-touch all-point functionality, which can track an unlimited number of touches. This capability enables designers to create new usage models for products such as mobile handsets, PMPs, and GPS systems, and it has been in mass production since 2008. 

Furthermore, Cypress has introduced its next-generation high performance TMA300 multi-touch all-point family. This controller provides best-in-class scan times for true multi-finger touch and superior signal-to-noise ratio for the most demanding touchscreen applications. Additional information about the TrueTouch solution is available at www.cypress.com/go/TrueTouch.

Cypress also recently joined the Open Handset Alliance, a group of more than 60 technology and mobile companies working to offer consumers a richer, less expensive, and better mobile experience. The Open Handset Alliance developed Android, the first complete, open, and free mobile platform. Android features an operating system, middleware, and key mobile applications. As a member of the Open Handset Alliance, Cypress will work with other members to contribute to the continued development and success of the Android platform for mobile devices. For more information, visit www.openhandsetalliance.com.

Cypress Semiconductor Corp.