Cypress’s Tx-Boost feature for TrueTouch touchscreen controllers delivers three times higher signal-to-noise ratio without using digital filters

SAN JOSE, USA: Cypress Semiconductor Corp. unveiled a breakthrough feature for its Gen4 TrueTouch touchscreen controllers that dramatically improves system performance without added cost. Cypress has developed a new proprietary technology based on Gen4’s patent-pending high-voltage Tx drivers.

Tx-Boost extends Gen4’s performance leadership by delivering three times higher signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) than previously possible. This is accomplished without the use of performance-robbing digital filters or external components, enabling manufacturer’s to produce the industry’s thinnest handsets and tablets with low material costs.

The key to excellent touchscreen performance in noisy environments is high SNR. Gen4 already delivers up to four times the raw SNR of the competition through its internally generated 10V Tx circuitry; whereas competitive offerings require customers to use large, expensive, and noisy external switching regulators to generate high-voltage Tx signaling.

The Tx-Boost feature, now available on all TrueTouch Gen4 devices, uses specialized hardware acceleration to triple the already best-in-class SNR of the Gen4 family. This high SNR enables manufacturers to employ sensor-on-lens with direct lamination to displays and in-cell architectures with flawless performance for the thinnest products in the market.

In addition, Tx-Boost efficiently parallelizes multiple operations in hardware, without burdening the CPU with costly digital filtering. This significantly increases Gen4’s scan speed, making the world’s fastest touchscreen controller even faster. These parallel operations also further improve Gen4’s industry-leading power consumption by increasing the amount of idle time during each scan period.

“We understand that touchscreen customers are in highly competitive markets and need constantly improving technology to stay ahead,” said Dhwani Vyas, VP, Cypress’s User Interface Business Unit. “We’re pleased to provide Tx-Boost to enable the industry’s best controller family to extend its leadership against competitive offerings. Customers who have seen this technology in action have been universally impressed.”