During the epidemic, a new solution for healthy and safe touchless operation panels was launched

Alps Alpine Co., Ltd. (TOKYO 6770, Representative Director and CEO: Toshihiro Kuriyama, Headquarters: Tokyo, hereinafter referred to as "Alps Alpine") has proposed a new solution for touchless operation panels in response to the needs of "no contact" and "no contact" in medical care and public facilities. It is currently conducting market research and aims to achieve commercialization around 2021.

　 In recent years, the input operation of various devices such as smartphones, car navigation, digital home appliances, and security equipment is being replaced by touch panels from switches for the purpose of miniaturization and high functionality. In addition, in order to save manpower and improve efficiency, tasks that previously required human communication and writing, such as ordering at restaurants, reception at public facilities, and doctors writing medical records, are also being replaced by touch panel devices.

Touch panel input operations will become more common in the future, but at the same time, there are many situations where people have physical and psychological resistance to touch panel operation due to reasons such as "I don't know who has touched it", "the touch panel is dirty", "my hands are dirty" (※1). For example, in medical facilities, people are worried about the risk of infection because they don't know who has touched it, they are disgusted by the dirt on the flushing switches of train ticket machines and public toilets, and they are reluctant to operate home appliances while eating snacks or cooking in the kitchen. As mentioned above, touch panels may impair the comfort of operation depending on the situation.

Alps Alpine's touchless operation panel solution reduces this sense of resistance while taking advantage of the advantages of touch panels, providing safe, secure, and comfortable operation. Using a unique high-sensitivity electrostatic sensor, it can sense the presence of a hand 10 cm away from the panel. When it approaches 5 cm, it can sense the position of the hand, and when it approaches 3 cm, it can grasp the position of the finger. It can also sense the approach of the hand during this series of actions.

Furthermore, the detected data is processed by an original algorithm to realize various operations according to the position and gesture of the hand and fingers. Considering the need for direct touch panel operation, touch operation is also supported.

At CES 2020, the world's largest electronics trade show held in Las Vegas in January this year, a prototype was introduced as a solution that uses a touchless operation panel to perform functions such as air conditioning temperature and air volume adjustment, and ceiling lights, floor lights, and curtain opening and closing illumination adjustment (※2). The combination of a linkage system design that combines hand and finger distance, operation content, and screen display with sound feedback allows intuitive operation even for first-time users, winning praise from customers who experienced the prototype.

Based on the favorable comments received at the exhibition, we will strengthen marketing activities in various markets where hygiene needs to be paid attention to, such as medical care sites and public transportation, and strive to achieve commercialization around 2021.