Flexible capacitive switch enables minimal user interfaces

New Products | March 27, 2014

By eeNews Europe

14.00

Based on Flexible Printed Circuit (FPC), complete with the capacitive IC and all associated components and combined with graphic overlay, metal domes and silicone rubber actuators, the capacitive switch is currently deployed on GE Healthcare’s Vscan device, a highly-portable ultrasound scanner.

This solution allows the UI to be mounted externally, with the tail of the FPC to be inserted into a small opening in the top housing. This design simplifies assembly, the adhesive-backed UI can be placed anywhere on the front housing, it only leaves a small opening in the housing making it easier to deal with EMI/EMC issues.

While fully flexible in choice of capacitive controllers, for this solution Molex used Cypress Semiconductor’s CapSense PSoC chip architecture, which replaces dozens of mechanical switches and controls with an elegant touch-sensitive interface.

This technology is resistant to contaminants, which makes this user interface more robust to wear and tear and reliable than its mechanical counterparts. Being sealed, it is also fit to endure sterilising solutions used in the medical environment.

Visit Molex at www.molex.com

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