Analog Devices' New Capacitance-To-Digital Converter Uses Advanced Sensing Technology To Improve Accuracy And Reliability Of Touch Controls In Handheld Consumer Electronics.NORWOOD, Mass. -- ADI expands award-winning capacitance capacitance, in electricity, capability of a body, system, circuit, or device for storing electric charge. Capacitance is expressed as the ratio of stored charge in coulombs to the impressed potential difference in volts. sensor portfolio with input device that enables error-free performance in low power mobile environments. Analog Devices Analog Devices (NYSE: ADI) is an American multinational producer of semiconductor devices. Analog specializes in ADC, DAC, MEMS, and DSP chips for consumer and industrial goods. Analog is presently designing circuits in the 65 nanometer to 3 µm process feature sizes range. , Inc. (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange : ADI), the world leader in data converters Noun 1. data converter - converter for changing information from one code to another computer, computing device, computing machine, data processor, electronic computer, information processing system - a machine for performing calculations automatically , today introduced a programmable 14-channel capacitance-to-digital converter (CDC See Control Data, century date change and Back Orifice. CDC - Control Data Corporation ) for handheld consumer electronics that enables the design of contemporary touch controls that are paper-thin, yet highly reliable, to improve the user experience. Leveraging the company's advanced capacitance sensor core, the low power device has the capability to automatically adjust to rapidly changing climatic conditions, making it ideal for mobile environments. Capacitance sensors, which enable finger-driven screen navigation, are fast replacing mechanical input devices to improve the look and feel of screen controls in cellular handsets, MP3 players A digital music player that supports the MP3 format, which was the audio format that started a revolution in online music downloads and distribution. All portable music players, the iPod being the most popular, support MP3 along with one or more other audio formats. and digital cameras. Expanding ADI's award winning CDC portfolio into consumer applications, the AD7142 offers significant advantages over competing solutions, including higher immunity to environmental factors such as temperature and humidity that would degrade TO DEGRADE, DEGRADING. To, sink or lower a person in the estimation of the public. 2. As a man's character is of great importance to him, and it is his interest to retain the good opinion of all mankind, when he is a witness, he cannot be compelled to disclose performance in other capacitance sensors. The device's power consumption is 50 percent lower than competing solutions, making it ideal for battery-powered applications. With 14 inputs, the AD7142 can be programmed for a variety of sensor configurations, such as finger-driven scroll bars A vertical bar on the right side of a window or a horizontal bar at the bottom of a window that is used to move the window contents up and down or left and right. The bar contains a box with square or rounded corners, which together look like an elevator in a shaft. , 8-way position sensors A position sensor is any device that enables position measurement. It can either be an absolute position sensor or a relative one(displacement sensor). Position sensors can be either linear or angular. , and scroll wheels that drive pop-up menus, making it easier to browse through large files of music, pictures and video. "The user interface in cellular handsets and MP3 players presents one of the most challenging design environments, requiring the highest precision and functionality within the tightest space and power constraints of modern touch screen designs," said Pat O'Doherty, product line director, Precision Signal Processing See DSP. at Analog Devices. "Like our CDC products used in industrial and automotive applications, the AD7142 enables robust, error-free performance at a lower cost, while providing more design freedom than has been previously available." More about the AD7142 Capacitance-to-digital Converter Leveraging ADI's capacitance sensor technology, the AD7142 is highly programmable, and includes adaptive threshold and sensitivity algorithms that allow the chip to adjust to the user's finger size, making the sensors robust for consumers with large and small fingers. The 16-bit, low noise, high accuracy CDC allows the end-user to adjust individual sensor sensitivity levels to suit their style and touch. The AD7142 has a unique automatic environmental compensation feature that performs calibration digitally on chip, ensuring error-free sensor performance at all times, regardless of climate conditions. The device performs this continuous calibration transparently to the user, so there will be no false touches or non-registered touches on the external sensors. In addition, the device's low power consumption makes it ideal for battery-powered applications, including digital cameras, television remote controls, and gaming devices. Full power mode is less than 1.0 mA, and shutdown current is less than 2.0 uA. The part also offers the capability to flexibly trade-off output rate and power. Available in a choice of SPI (1) (Stateful Packet Inspection) See stateful inspection. (2) (Service Provider Interface) The programming interface for developing Windows drivers under WOSA. or I(2)C compatible interfaces, the AD7142 works well with ADI's Blackfin(R) processors used in handsets and personal media players. About ADI's Capacitive Sensor Technology The AD7142 is enabled by the same capacitance sensor technology that is used in the AD7745, ADI's CDC targeted for industrial applications - which was the sole winner of a sensor component award at 2005 Best of Sensors Expo Awards. Both devices are built around ADI's sigma-delta capacitance-to-digital converter processing core. Unlike competitors' module offerings, the AD7142's single chip, IC-based solution provides a library of sensor sizes, allowing manufacturers to customize the shape of capacitance sensors to differentiate their products. In addition, ADI offers sensor reference designs for a variety of end user applications. These reference designs can operate with optional host software, which enables high precision sensing capability. Availability and Pricing The AD7142 is now available for sampling, with full production quantities expected in February 2006. The device is offered in a 32-lead 5 mm x 5 mm LFCSP LFCSP Lead Frame Chip Scale Packaging (analog devices) LFCSP Lead Frame Chip Scale Package (lead frame chip scale) package and operates from a 2.7 V to 3.3 V supply. The product is available in high volume production for $1.09. The AD7142 Evaluation Board is available now for $199 through the ADI Sales office. Blackfin is a registered trademark of Analog Devices. |
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