Panasonic, in conjunction with Microchip, has launched an update to its existing Magic Knob, a capacitive knob ready for standard touch sensors for use in controlling automotive information displays.
As the size of interactive displays increases many automotive and industrial touch HMI designers are looking to merge the benefits of a mechanical rotary encoder input with the flexibility of these modern multi-touch displays. Panasonic has released its solution to this, a rotary knob combining intelligent capacitive and mechanical operation as well as providing haptic feedback.
Microchip developed the maXTouch Knob on Display (KoD) controller as the first automotive-grade touchscreen controller family to natively support the detection and reporting of capacitive rotary encoders, as well as mechanical switches on top of a touch panel. This controller is at the core of Panasonic’s Magic Knob technology.
The KoD technology eliminates the need for custom touch sensor patterns, providing designers with the ability to easily implement a different knob count, shape and position to accommodate a variety of end user products. The customised configurations are adjustable without changing the embedded firmware of the maXTouch KoD touch controller, leading to a faster and more flexible development cycle. The maXTouch KoD controller allows designers to keep the comfort of a rotary encoder input device but combine it with a modern and innovative interior design using smart surfaces and multi-touch displays.
An added benefit designers can expect to experience is the ease of building a sealed human machine interface (HMI) module, which is increasingly popular for in-home appliance and industrial applications. Using a knob on a display will also increase safety for the end user by removing the need to look at the display to make an adjustment while driving.
“Modern user interfaces commonly use multi-touch displays, removing mechanical keys for cutting-edge designs. Yet, functions like temperature control or audio volume adjustment remain best controlled though a rotary encoder,” said Clayton Pillion, vice president of the human machine interface business unit at Microchip Technology. “The new maXTouch KoD technology offers the benefits of both worlds by providing the support of a capacitive rotary encoder with a turnkey touch controller family and a comprehensive suite of dedicated tools for a fast implementation.”
The newly developed MPMK (Microchip Panasonic magic knob) allows placement of the knob anywhere on the touch panel. In addition to the rotating operation, it also comes with a vertical ring push function. Both functions can be customised to provide haptic feedback, offering the customers an ideal click feeling sensation. This haptic fine-tuning can be successfully engineered due to a profound mechanical design know-how, based on the long-term development of mechanical encoders.
Use of the Magic Knob is good news in terms of user friendliness and production efficiency. The knob even works for any kind of non-display application – as long as there is a capacitive sensor behind the respective flat or glass panel, the MPMK can be operated the same way.
Wireless MCU with 15 years of battery life Altron Arrow
DSP, Micros & Memory
ST has integrated an industry-unique ultra-low-power radio which the MCU can power-down to save energy while listening continuously for a wake-up signal.
Read more...High bandwidth current-sense amplifier Altron Arrow
DSP, Micros & Memory
The AD8410A from Analog Devices is a high voltage, high-bandwidth current-sense amplifier which features an initial gain of 20 V/V.
Read more...Microcontroller with Bluetooth LE 5.3 Altron Arrow
News
The STM32WBA 32-bit Wireless series from STMicroelectronics brings designers the performance, efficiency, and security required for Bluetooth Low Energy 5.3-enabled applications. The STM32WBA offers essential ...
Read more...Comprehensive AI computing solution Altron Arrow
News
Powered by the NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin, the BOXER-8640AI fanless Box PC from AAEON Technology brings AI capabilities to the edge. The NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin’s Ampere architecture boasts 1792 CUDA and 56 ...
Read more...Isolated solid state relay Altron Arrow
Passive Components
The ISO808, ISO808-1 (PowerSO-36) and ISO808Q, ISO808Q-1 (TFQFPN32) are galvanic isolated eight-channel drivers featuring a low supply current.
Read more...The dream of Edge AI Altron Arrow
Editor's Choice AI & ML
AI technology carries a great promise – the idea that machines can make decisions based on the world around them, processing information like a human might. But the promise of AI is currently only being fulfilled by big machines.
Read more...Programmable BLE 5.3 SoC Altron Arrow
Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT
The BlueNRG-LPS is an ultra-low power programmable Bluetooth Low Energy wireless SoC solution from STMicroelectronics that embeds the company’s state-of-the-art 2.4 GHz radio IP.
Read more...Save space and improve efficiency with a 4-switch buck-boost controller Altron Arrow
Editor's Choice Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT
A new generation of 4-switch buck-boost controllers enables power system design with very high efficiency and high power density by using inductor DC resistance (DCR) current-sensing techniques.