Microchip released the industry's most versatile maXTouch touchscreen controller, which offers great flexibility in screen formats

     Microchip Technology Inc. 's demand for large-sized touch screens and flexible shapes continues to rise in the auto market. Announced the launch of a new maXTouch touchscreen controller to help automotive developers meet the unique aspect ratio requirements of in-vehicle touch displays. This new product includes additional functional security support as required by the OEM.

     The MXT1296M1T can be reconfigured to drive and receive touch channels to match the exact screen format, from 1:1 to 5:1 aspect ratios, including the mainstream 8:3 aspect ratio for vehicles. This feature enables customers to efficiently utilize the number of touch channels they already have without having to choose a larger and more expensive touch controller. In addition, customers can save additional development and validation time and resources by reusing a common PCB design to support different touch sensor aspect ratios. The MXT1296M1T is the industry's first product to enable sensor channel reconfiguration by parameters. These Settings do not require firmware changes, reducing design risk and speeding to market.

     "With the popularity of touch displays in automotive user interfaces, automakers are using a variety of display formats and shapes to accommodate interior design and enhance their brand identity," said Clayton Pillion, director of Microchip's human-computer interface business unit. As the world's No. 1 supplier of touchscreen controllers for vehicles, we know that products with enhanced diagnostic capabilities are a significant advantage for customers who are designed with unique features and the ever-increasing ISO 26262 functional safety requirements in mind."

     Microchip's new maXTouch touchscreen controller provides two simultaneous communication interfaces that can be bridgeless connected to the back-end channel of the LVDS video link for touch information and connected to the local microcontroller (MCU). The bridgeless topology improves the user experience by reducing touch latency. It also supports full compatibility with maXTouch software drivers for all major automotive operating systems, including Linux, Android, and QNX. A second interface is provided when connected to a suitable local MCU:Redundant links to the headstock via CAN bus or 10BASE-T1S automotive Ethernet to improve system-level functional safety. Local access and control of maXTouch touchscreen controller functions such as capacitive keystroke reporting, real-time touch sensor diagnostics, and raw data for external and custom post-processing. Microchip's TrustAnchor100 companion chip enables wireless and secure firmware updates

     The MXT1296M1T is embedded with various functional safety features to continuously check the integrity of the touch controller operation as well as the connected touch sensor. Failure Mode Impact and Diagnostic Analysis (FMEDA) and the Functional Safety manual greatly simplify the customer experience in designing, building, and certifying Automotive Safety Integrity Class B (ASIL-B) applications that meet ISO 26262 standards.

     The MXT1296M1T enables high-resolution transmit waveform control to reduce RF radiation and avoid interference with automotive radio or RFID systems. As the size of car screens increases, the radiofrequency radiation generated by capacitive touch technology is expected to increase as well. The radiation limits of each major car manufacturer vary in amplitude, frequency and bandwidth. The MXT1296M1T uses a dedicated on-chip 64-stage digital-to-analog converter (DAC) to accurately shape the transmit line waveform. This enables designers to precisely control the frequency response and optimize harmonic emission to meet the limits specified by specific Oems.