Whirlpool selects Cypress' PSoC CapSense interface

SAN JOSE, USA: Cypress Semiconductor Corp. announced that its PSoC-based CapSense Plus solution has been selected to control the touch-sensing buttons in the new AWOE Premium Collection line of washing machines from Whirlpool. The flexible solution offers leading noise immunity and water-resistance to deliver uninterrupted operation in the harsh sensing conditions prevalent in household appliances.

Cypress is the industry touch-sensing leader, with over 2.5 billion mechanical buttons replaced in mobile handsets, laptops, consumer electronics, white goods, automotive applications and more. Engineers can take advantage of PSoC flexibility to implement functions beyond CapSense, a capability called CapSense Plus.

The Whirlpool AWOE Premium Collection washing machines feature 6th Sense technology, which recognizes the size of a load and automatically adjusts resources to ensure optimal performance, saving up to 30% on time, water and energy. The CapSense Plus capability specifically controls the 6th Sense indicator lighting on the main display.

The durable, user-friendly interface in the Whirlpool line employs one CapSense Plus device to implement 14 buttons and drive LEDs in the rotary dial control. A second device in the control display powers eight buttons, LED backlighting with dimming functionality and a buzzer.

“We wanted an intuitive, durable control panel for the Premium Collection line that was also attractive to end-users,” said Giorgio Zambon, project manager at Whirlpool. “Cypress’s CapSense Plus solution delivered a smart user interface and simplified the design process by controlling multiple functions beyond the touch-sensing interface.”

“Whirlpool is recognized as a worldwide leader in home appliances with diverse products that provide an excellent proving-ground for the flexibility of our CapSense Plus solution,” said Gokul Krishnan, business unit director for Cypress’s CapSense products. “The durability and water resistance of the CapSense solution and the compelling user-interface designs it enables are ideal for white goods, as well as consumer electronics, computation, and automotive applications.”