industry news
Subscribe Now

Atmel Delivers World’s First Single-chip Solution that Integrates Touch And Sensor Hub Functionality to Enhance Users’ Experience

  • Single-chip Solutions Integrate maXTouch Controllers with maXFusion Technology
  • Enhances Gaming, Navigation and Virtual Reality Experiences for the User
  • Solutions Compatible with Both Windows 8 and Android-based Mobile Devices

San Jose, CA, October 29, 2012 – Atmel® Corporation (NASDAQ: ATML), a leader in microcontroller (MCU) and touch technology solutions, today announced a range of microcontroller-based solutions that integrate touch and sensor hub functionality to enable superior user experience for a variety of mobile devices including smartphones, tablets, Ultrabooks and convertible PCs.

The new solutions build on Atmel’s leading maXTouch® controllers and incorporate the company’s patented maXFusion(TM) sensor fusion technology to address the growing motion sensor market. Atmel maXFusion combines inputs from multiple sensors that detect motion, including accelerometers, magnetometers and gyroscopes, to provide real-time direction, orientation and inclination data bringing visibly superior performance to a range of applications including gaming, navigation and virtual reality.

Atmel is also the first company in the industry to integrate sensor hub functionality into touchscreen controllers extending human interface solutions beyond touch to deliver performance and power efficiency gains in a single-chip solution. The combination of multiple sensor systems enables the development of new functionality leveraging both touch and motion sensing, driving further innovation for user interface development.

Atmel’s new solutions with maXFusion technology include advanced sensing algorithms that result in 3x the performance compared to managing sensors on the applications processor. They also offer up to 50 percent lower power consumption than competing solutions, achieving even greater savings when compared to architectures where sensor management is implemented on the applications processor. Manufacturers are taking advantage of these power and performance gains today. Initial design wins have already been secured for these new solutions and will begin shipping by the end of this year.

The range of solutions offered by Atmel ensures that a device is available to meet any customers’ sensor hub requirements:

  • Complete human interface solutions with maXFusion technology:
    • mXF0100 sensor hub solutions
    • mXF1664S/ mXF1188S maXTouch controllers for up to 17-inch displays
  • Programmable solutions based on Atmel’s AVR® MCUs for customers and partners implementing their proprietary code

Extending Atmel’s industry-leading maXTouch touchscreen controller family, Atmel has also integrated maXFusion technology into these devices, becoming the first company to offer a complete human interface solution. Adding this functionality to the touchscreen controller brings all the benefits of using a sensor hub solution but without the need for an additional device, saving PCB footprint and power consumption, while increasing context awareness capabilities by combining touch and motion sensing.

Atmel has partnered with leading sensor manufacturers to provide designers the flexibility to select from the widest range of sensors from the industry’s leading sensor manufacturers, including AKM, Aichi Steel, Bosch, InvenSense, Intersil and Kionix. These relationships enable Atmel to support prequalified sensor solutions, reducing the time-to-market for our customers.

“With the market for sensor hub solutions in smartphone, tablets and portable PCs and beyond projected to be almost $4 billion by 2015, there is a huge opportunity for silicon providers,” said Tom Hackenberg, principal analyst of microcontrollers for computer platforms, IHS. “There has been a recent increase of integrated sensor control in the applications processor subsystem, but the more energy efficient and flexible solutions are addressing this rapidly growing market with controllers outside of the applications processor. Not only do these systems offer greater layers of awareness while application processors sleep, they provide designers of next-generation devices such as smartphones, tablets and convertible PCs the option to customize their sensor hub solution or select  an integrated sensor-hub-with-touch solution to more highly differentiate their products.”

“Our human interface solutions provide unrivalled performance and low-power consumption enabling product differentiation while extending battery life,” said Jon Kiachian, vice president of touch marketing, Atmel Corporation. “The addition of maXFusion technology to our maXTouch touchscreen controllers enables exciting new user interface possibilities, and enables us to add more value in our customers’ new innovative mobile devices.”

Availablity

The UC3L sensor hub solutions with customizable firmware are available now. Production quantities for Atmel’s mXF0100 devices are available in December 2012, with the mXF1664S and mXF1188S devices available in January 2013.

More Information

Atmel’s maXFusion solutions: http://www.atmel.com/Microsite/maxtouch_sseries/sensorhub.aspx
Atmel YouTube Channel at www.atmel.com/youtube
Twitter: www.atmel.com/twitter
LinkedIn: www.atmel.com/linkedin
Facebook: www.atmel.com/facebook

About Atmel

Atmel Corporation (Nasdaq: ATML) is a worldwide leader in the design and manufacture of microcontrollers, capacitive touch solutions, advanced logic, mixed-signal, nonvolatile memory and radio frequency (RF) components. Leveraging one of the industry’s broadest intellectual property (IP) technology portfolios, Atmel is able to provide the electronics industry with complete system solutions focused on industrial, consumer, communications, computing and automotive markets.

Leave a Reply

featured blogs
Mar 28, 2024
'Move fast and break things,' a motto coined by Mark Zuckerberg, captures the ethos of Silicon Valley where creative disruption remakes the world through the invention of new technologies. From social media to autonomous cars, to generative AI, the disruptions have reverberat...
Mar 26, 2024
Learn how GPU acceleration impacts digital chip design implementation, expanding beyond chip simulation to fulfill compute demands of the RTL-to-GDSII process.The post Can GPUs Accelerate Digital Design Implementation? appeared first on Chip Design....
Mar 21, 2024
The awesome thing about these machines is that you are limited only by your imagination, and I've got a GREAT imagination....

featured video

We are Altera. We are for the innovators.

Sponsored by Intel

Today we embark on an exciting journey as we transition to Altera, an Intel Company. In a world of endless opportunities and challenges, we are here to provide the flexibility needed by our ecosystem of customers and partners to pioneer and accelerate innovation. As we leap into the future, we are committed to providing easy-to-design and deploy leadership programmable solutions to innovators to unlock extraordinary possibilities for everyone on the planet.

To learn more about Altera visit: http://intel.com/altera

featured chalk talk

Neutrik powerCON®: Twist and Latch Locking AC Power Connectors
Sponsored by Mouser Electronics and Neutrik
If your next design demands frequent connector mating and unmating and use in countries throughout the world, a twist and latch locking AC power connector would be a great addition to your system design. In this episode of Chalk Talk, Amelia Dalton and Fred Morgenstern from Neutrik explore the benefits of Neutrik's powerCON® AC power connectors, the electrical and environmental specifications included in this connector family, and why these connectors are a great fit for a variety of AV and industrial applications. 
Nov 27, 2023
16,308 views