Touch control chip features in Samsung oven

Samsung has chosen the QT511 rotary slider touch control chip for use in a top-of-the-range microwave oven.

Quantum Research Group has won a contract to supply Samsung in Korea with its rotary slider touch control chip, the QT511, for use in a top-of-the-range microwave oven, the RE-C23AN.

The rotary slider is used for timing control and gives the user an attractive, easy-to-use interface that eliminates the need for repeated button pressing to set to the cooking time.

There are no moving parts, so reliability is high and Samsung did not need to cut holes into the oven's control panel, as would have been necessary with a conventional rotary control, so manufacturing costs and complexity are reduced.

Furthermore, the touch control is completely sealed so it is easy to clean and impervious to moisture or other contamination.

The sensing electrode is a simple resistive ring behind a plastic panel.

Three connections are made to the sensing element and signals are processed to provide 128 points of absolute resolution.

Output is via an SPI serial interface.

The QT511 enables reliable sensing, even through a gloved finger and the sensing circuit is simple, with no external active components or moving parts.

The sensing chip features self-calibration over life with automatic drift compensation, so that operation of the oven control remains reliable.

The sensor uses spread-spectrum signal acquisition to provide high noise immunity and low RF emissions, a particularly important factor as more wireless devices appear in the home.

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