Advanced human-machine interface helps drivers open up a new driving experience

For decades, automakers focused their innovation on getting passengers safely on the road and to their destinations. Eventually, quality and reliability became the norm, so manufacturers turned to luxury and technology to differentiate.

Today , drivers rarely worry about whether they are going the wrong way. Instead, they are more concerned about how long it will take to get to their destination, how best to avoid traffic jams, and what the experience will be like along the way. Using cutting-edge connectivity solutions and advanced human-machine interface technologies, Cypress is helping manufacturers develop innovative ways to enhance the passenger experience.

The highlight of the driving experience revolves around the in-vehicle infotainment system

In addition to connectivity, Cypress is also advancing innovation in the user interface. One of the key areas is the touch screen. Cypress's TrueTouch™ technology now supports touch screen interfaces as large as 32 inches. TrueTouch provides an impeccable user experience for infotainment systems. It offers a range of cutting-edge features, including hover, pressure touch, tactile and acoustic feedback control, and gesture detection (see Figure 1). The driver can use gestures to input without touching the screen by waving his finger at the screen at a distance of no more than 50mm. TrueTouch can read touch screen input even if the fingers are wet or wearing gloves. Most competitor solutions do not yet have these features.

Figure 1 – Hover and gesture recognition are key features that will transform the in-vehicle human-machine interface

Designers can start their touch screen designs with the CY3295-TTBRIDGE TrueTouch Development Kit (DVK) . The kit supports touch screen development, programming, and testing. It provides users with a complete hardware and serial communication debugging system, combining a large number of features on one device. The kit provides engineers with the necessary tools to help them independently complete programming, troubleshooting, diagnosis, characterization, and testing of hardware and firmware designs.

Another important in-vehicle human machine interface technology is CapSense® , which allows automakers to replace mechanical buttons with modern touch interfaces. These capacitive sensing panels allow passengers to easily and confidently activate and control the infotainment system. In addition, these systems can be programmed to provide tactile feedback to let passengers know when a button is pressed or indicate that a certain amount of force is required to initiate a task.

CapSense technology is also used in automotive knobs and center panel touchpads. The knob solution reports ten-finger multi-touch and knob position through a unified interface. The touchpad solution provides two-finger pressure touch, gesture control, and wet finger and glove modes.

To learn more about Cypress' automotive HMI solutions, visit our Sensing Technologies page .