Infineon Technologies AG recently launched the company’s fifth-generation CAPSENSE™ capacitive and inductive touch sensing human-machine interface (HMI) technology. The next-generation CAPSENSE solution embedded in PSoC™ microcontrollers delivers higher performance and lower power consumption for demanding user interfaces in home appliance, industrial, consumer and IoT products. The enhanced HMI enables advanced solutions like proximity sensing with improved detection range, gesture detection and directivity, along with hover detection for tomorrow’s advanced touchscreens.

With ten times better performance and a tenth of the power consumption of previous generations, the new CAPSENSE technology allows designers to develop more intuitive user interfaces, while significantly reducing overall power consumption to meet the demands of battery-powered IoT devices. The latest CAPSENSE generation is ideal for home appliance and industrial applications including smart door locks, smart switches, thermostats, smart speakers, power tools, industrial touchscreens and other IoT devices. The new technology is also ideal for applications with larger touchscreens in industrial and home appliance products including induction cooktops, washer and dryers, refrigerators, ovens and more.

“As the leader in capacitive touch sensing technology nearing four billion units sold, we are excited to offer our fifth generation CAPSENSE technology to designers,” said Steve Tateosian, Vice President of IoT Compute and Wireless Business Unit of Infineon. “This new generation of CAPSENSE technology builds on our established leadership with an all-new ratiometric and differential sensing architecture. It provides improved noise immunity, and a robust and reliable HMI solution to perform even in the harshest environments with extreme electrical noises, and under extreme weather and temperature.”

Infineon’s proprietary CAPSENSE technology empowers designers to develop more advanced HMIs on tomorrow’s devices with various touch sensing user interface requirements. With the ultra-low power capabilities and the ability to fit in smaller form factors, this technology is also ideal for touch interfaces on wearables, hearables and smart IoT applications. The new CAPSENSE technology enables advanced HMI solutions like proximity sensing with improved detection range, gesture detection and directivity. A new, autonomous sensing mode, enables operation without a CPU reducing power consumption and a new ratiometric sensing architecture and differential signal path improves noise immunity and performance.