Neonode Touch Sensors
When Neonode visited Digi-Key, they provided an informal hands-on training demonstration of their zForce® touch sensor technology. Those that attended were very impressed at the ability to integrate touch and gesture control to any surface.
Neonode Sensor
The Neonode sensor consists of a row of infrared emitters and detectors and associated support circuitry to detect touches and gestures. Two types are available, one where the active area emerges straight out from the sensor (0° type) and one where it emerges out from the sensor at a 90° angle (90° type). This enables both vertical and horizontal integration. As illustrated below, an object present in the sensor’s active sense area affects several emitter-receiver channels and this data determines the reported coordinates. Different length versions of the sensor are available to support different sensing range areas.
Sensor Operation
Evaluation Kit
Individual evaluation kits are available for each sensor version and consists of the sensor combined with an interface cable assembly. An Explorer evaluation kit is also available that includes seven sensors and two of the interface cable assemblies.
Product Integration
Neonode sensors can be integrated to any host system through a physical connector with 8 contact pads. zForce AIR Touch Sensors can communicate with a host system through USB HID or I2C transport. The content of the communication is made up of Abstract Syntax Notation One (ASN.1) objects to represent the information in the presentation layer (except for in HID Touch Digitizer mode). The host system can communicate with the sensor through a communication protocol and an SDK developed by Neonode. The Software Development Kit (SDK) is a function library that uses the communication protocol and enables communication with a sensor without considering any ASN.1 encoded data. SDKs are available for Linux kernel 2.6.39 or higher and Windows 7 or higher.
Availability at Digi-Key Electronics
Related Product Highlights
https://www.digikey.com/en/product-highlight/n/neonode/zforce-air-kits
Neonode Resources
zForce AIR™ Eval Get Started Guide
zForce AIR™ Touch Sensors Specifications
zForce AIR™ Touch Sensor Guide
About this author
Scott Raeker, Principal Applications Engineer at Digi-Key Electronics, has been with the company since 2006 with primary responsibility for assisting customers in the wireless space. He has over 35 years of experience in the electronics industry and holds an Electrical Engineering degree from the University of Minnesota. In his spare time, Scott enjoys fixing up his turn of the century farmhouse.
