Features
• Number of keys: up to 16 keys, and one slider (constructed from 2 to 8 keys)
• Number of I/O lines: 11 (3 dedicated - configurable for input or output, 8 shared output only), PWM control for LED driving
• Technology: patented spread-spectrum charge-transfer (transverse mode)
• Key outline sizes: 6 mm x 6 mm or larger (panel thickness dependent); widely different
sizes and shapes possible
• Key spacings: 8 mm or wider, center to center (panel thickness dependent)
• Slider design: 2 to 8 keys placed in sequence, same design as keys
• Electrode design: two-part electrode shapes (drive-receive); wide variety of possible
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
layouts
PCB layers required: one layer (with jumpers), two layers (no jumpers)
Electrode materials: PCB, FPCB, silver or carbon on film, ITO on film
Panel materials: plastic, glass, composites, painted surfaces (low particle density
metallic paints possible)
Adjacent metal: compatible with grounded metal immediately next to keys
Panel thickness: up to 3 mm glass, 2.5 mm plastic (key size dependent)
Key sensitivity: individually settable via simple commands over I2C-compatible
interface
Interface: I2C-compatible slave mode (100 kHz)
Moisture tolerance: best in class
Power: 1.8 V to 5.5 V
Package: 28-pin 4 x 4 mm MLF RoHS compliant
Signal processing: self-calibration, auto drift compensation, noise filtering, Adjacent
Key Suppression® technology
Applications: laptop, mobile, consumer appliances, PC peripheral etc.
Patents: AKS® (patented Adjacent Key Suppression) technology
QMatrix® (patented charge-transfer method)
QSlide® (patented charge-transfer method) (patent-pending QSlide sensing
configuration)
This datasheet is applicable to revision 1.0 chips only
QSlide, 16-key
QMatrix Sensor
IC
AT42QT2161
9614A–AT42–08/10
1. Pinout and Schematic
1.1
Pinout Configuration
I2CA1
SDA
SCL
RST
28 27 26 25 24 23 22
21
GPIO3
2
20
Y1B
VDD
3
19
Y0B
VSS
4
18
VSS
X6
5
17
VDD
X7
6
16
VDD
CHANGE
7
QT2161
8 9
15
10 11 12 13 14
I2CA0
X5
X4
X3
X2
X1
X0
SMP
Pin Description
Table 1-1.
2
Y0A
1
VRef
1.2
Y1A
GPIO1
GPIO2
Pin Listing
Comments
If Unused,
Connect To...
Pin
Function
I/O
1
GPIO2
I/O
General purpose input/output 2
–
2
GPIO3
I/O
General purpose input/output 3
–
3
Vdd
P
Power
–
4
Vss
P
Ground
–
5
X6
O
X matrix drive line / shared GPO X6
Leave open
6
X7
O
X matrix drive line / shared GPO X7
Leave open
7
CHANGE
OD
State change notification
Leave open
8
Vref
P
Ground
–
9
SMP
O
Sample output.
–
10
X0
O
X matrix drive line / shared GPO X0
Leave open
11
X1
O
X matrix drive line / shared GPO X1
Leave open
12
X2
O
X matrix drive line / shared GPO X2
Leave open
13
X3
O
X matrix drive line / shared GPO X3
Leave open
AT42QT2161
9614A–AT42–08/10
AT42QT2161
Table 1-1.
Pin Listing (continued)
Comments
If Unused,
Connect To...
Pin
Function
I/O
14
X4
O
X matrix drive line / shared GPO X4
Leave open
15
X5
O
X matrix drive line / shared GPO X5
Leave open
16
Vdd
P
Power
–
17
Vdd
P
Power
–
18
Vss
P
Ground
–
19
Y0B
I/O
Y line connection
Leave open
20
Y1B
I/O
Y line connection
Leave open
21
I2CA0
I
I2C-compatible address select
–
22
I2CA1
I
I2C-compatible address select
–
23
SDA
OD
Serial Interface Data
–
24
SCL
OD
Serial Interface Clock
–
25
RST
I
26
Y0A
I/O
Y line connection
Leave open
27
Y1A
I/O
Y line connection
Leave open
28
GPIO1
I/O
General purpose input/output 1
Reset low; has internal 30 k - 60 k
pull-up resistor
I
Input only
I/O
Input and output
O
Output only, push-pull
P
Ground or power
OD
Open drain output
Leave open or
Vdd
–
3
9614A–AT42–08/10
1.3
Schematics
Figure 1-1.
Typical Circuit
follow regulator manufacturer’s recommended values for input
and output bypass capacitors.
VDD
Vunreg
VREG
tightly wire a 100 nF bypass capacitor between Vdd and Vss (pins 3 and 4).
MATRIX X DRIVE
Rx7
Rx6
Rx5
VDD
Rx4
Rp
Rp
Rx3
QT2161
Rx2
Rx1
I2C
SDA
Rx0
SCL
VDD
General purpose
inputs/outputs
Rchg
CHANGE
I2C ADDRESS
SELECT
Cs0
Ry1
Cs1
Rs1
Rs0
MATRIX Y SCAN IN
Ry0
Notes:
1) the central pad on the underside of the chip is a
Vss pin and should be connected to ground.
Do not put any other tracks underneath the body
of the chip.
2) it is important to place all Rx, Ry, Cs and Rs
components physically near to the chip.
3) leave YnA, YnB unconnected
if not used.
Re Figure 1-1 check the following sections for component values:
• Section 3.3 on page 8: Cs capacitors (Cs0 – Cs1)
• Section Note: on page 10: Sample resistors (Rs0 – Rs1)
• Section 3.7 on page 10: Matrix resistors (Rx0 – Rx7, Ry0 – Ry1)
• Section 3.11 on page 14: Voltage levels
• Section 5.4 on page 23: SDA, SCL pull-up resistors (Rp)
• Section 3.2 on page 8: CHANGE resistor (Rchg)
• Section 3.2 on page 8: I2C-compatible addresses
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AT42QT2161
9614A–AT42–08/10
AT42QT2161
Figure 1-2.
Inputs/Outputs
2. Overview
2.1
Introduction
The AT42QT2161-MMU (QT2161) is a digital burst mode charge-transfer (QT™)
sensor designed specifically for matrix layout touch controls. It can use up to 16
keys and a slider (constructed from 2 – 8 keys). There are three dedicated General
Purpose Input/Outputs (GPIOs) which can be used as inputs for mechanical
switches etc. or as driven outputs. There are eight shared General Purpose
Outputs (GPOs) (X0 – X7) which are driven outputs only. There is PWM control for
all GPIO/GPOs.
QMatrix® employs transverse QT sensing, a technology that senses changes in
electrical charge forced across two electrode elements by a pulse edge (see
Figure 2-1). The QT2161 allows a wide range of key sizes and shapes to be mixed.
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9614A–AT42–08/10
The QT2161 includes all signal processing functions necessary to provide stable
sensing under a wide variety of changing conditions. Only a few external parts are
required for operation. The entire circuit can be built within a few square
centimeters of single-sided PCB area. CEM-1 and FR1 punched, single-sided
materials can be used for the lowest possible cost. The PCB’s rear can be mounted
flush on the back of a glass or plastic panel using a conventional adhesive, such as
3M VHB two-sided adhesive acrylic film.
The device uses an I2C-compatible interface to allow key data to be extracted and
to permit individual key parameter setup. The command structure is designed to
minimize the amount of data traffic while maximizing the amount of information
conveyed.
In addition to normal operating and setup functions the device can also report back
actual signal strengths.
Figure 2-1.
Field Flow Between X and Y Elements
overlying panel
X
element
2.2
Y
elem ent
Keys and Slider
The QT2161 is capable of a maximum of 16 keys. These can be located anywhere within an
electrical grid of 8X and 2Y scan lines.
A lesser number of enabled keys will cause any unused acquisition burst timeslots to be pared
from the sampling sequence, to optimize acquire speed and lessen power consumption. Thus, if
only 8 keys are actually enabled, only 8 timeslots are used for scanning.
Additional processing can be done on the keys to form a slider. The slider will have to start at X0
and use only Y0. The slider can consist of a minimum of 2 keys and a maximum of 8 keys.
2.3
Enabling/Disabling Keys
Keys can be enabled by setting a nonzero burst length. A zero burst length disables the key.
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AT42QT2161
3. Hardware and Functional
3.1
Matrix Scan Sequence
The circuit operates by scanning each key sequentially, key by key. Key scanning begins with
location X = 0, Y = 0 (key 0). X axis keys are known as rows while Y axis keys are referred to as
columns although this has no reflection on actual wiring. Keys are scanned sequentially by row,
for example the sequence X0Y0 X1Y0 – X7Y0, X0Y1, X1Y1... etc. Keys are also numbered from
0 – 15. Key 0 is located at X0Y0. Table 3-1 shows the key numbering.
Table 3-1.
Key Numbers
X7
X6
X5
X4
X3
X2
X1
X0
Y0
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Y1
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
Key numbers
Each key is sampled in a burst of acquisition pulses whose length is determined by the Setups
parameter BL (Section 3.2 on page 8); this can be set on a per-key basis. A burst is completed
entirely before the next key is sampled; at the end of each burst the resulting signal is converted
to digital form and processed. The burst length directly impacts key gain; each key can have a
unique burst length in order to allow tailoring of key sensitivity on a key-by-key basis.
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3.2
Burst Paring
Keys that are disabled by setting their burst length to zero have their bursts removed from the
scan sequence to save scan time and thus power. The QT2161 operates on a fixed 16 ms cycle
and will go to sleep after all acquisitions and processing is done till the next 16 ms cycle starts.
As a consequence, the fewer keys, the less power is consumed.
3.3
Cs Sample Capacitor Operation
Cs capacitors (Cs0 – Cs1) absorb charge from the key electrodes on the rising edge of each X
pulse. On each falling edge of X, the Y matrix line is clamped to ground to allow the electrode
and wiring charges to neutralize in preparation for the next pulse. With each X pulse charge
accumulates on Cs causing a staircase increase in its differential voltage.
After the burst completes, the device clamps the Y line to ground causing the opposite terminal
to go negative. The charge on Cs is then measured using an external resistor to ramp the
negative terminal upwards until a zero crossing is achieved. The time required to zero cross
becomes the measurement result.
The Cs capacitors should be connected as shown in Figure 1-1 on page 4. The value of these
capacitors is not critical but 4.7 nF is recommended for most cases. They should be 10 percent
X7R ceramic. If the transverse capacitive coupling from X to Y is large enough the voltage on a
Cs capacitor can saturate, destroying gain. In such cases the burst length should be reduced
and/or the Cs value increased. See Section 3.4.
If a Y line is not used its corresponding Cs capacitor may be omitted and the pins left floating.
3.4
Sample Capacitor Saturation
Cs voltage saturation at a pin YnB is shown in Figure 3-1. Saturation begins to occur when the
voltage at a YnB pin becomes more negative than -0.25V at the end of the burst. This
nonlinearity is caused by excessive voltage accumulation on Cs inducing conduction in the pin
protection diodes. This badly saturated signal destroys key gain and introduces a strong thermal
coefficient which can cause phantom detection. The cause of this is either from the burst length
being too long, the Cs value being too small, or the X – Y transfer coupling being too large.
Solutions include loosening up the key structure interleaving, more separation of the X and Y
lines on the PCB, increasing Cs, and decreasing the burst length.
Increasing Cs will make the part slower; decreasing burst length will make it less sensitive. A
better PCB layout and a looser key structure (up to a point) have no negative effects.
Cs voltages should be observed on an oscilloscope with the matrix layer bonded to the panel
material; if the Rs side of any Cs ramps more negative than -0.25 volts during any burst (not
counting overshoot spikes which are probe artifacts), there is a potential saturation problem.
Figure 3-2 shows a defective waveform similar to that of Figure 3-1, but in this case the
distortion is caused by excessive stray capacitance coupling from the Y line to AC ground; for
example, from running too near and too far alongside a ground trace, ground plane, or other
traces. The excess coupling causes the charge-transfer effect to dissipate a significant portion of
the received charge from a key into the stray capacitance. This phenomenon is more subtle; it
can be best detected by increasing BL to a high count and watching what the waveform does as
it descends towards and below -0.25V. The waveform will appear deceptively straight, but it will
slowly start to flatten even before the -0.25V level is reached.
A correct waveform is shown in Figure 3-3. Note that the bottom edge of the bottom trace is
substantially straight (ignoring the downward spikes).
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9614A–AT42–08/10
AT42QT2161
Unlike other QT circuits, the Cs capacitor values on QT2161 devices have no effect on
conversion gain. However, they do affect conversion time.
Unused Y lines should be left open.
Figure 3-1.
VCs – Nonlinear During Burst
(Burst too long, or Cs too small, or X-Y transcapacitance too large)
X Drive
YnB
Figure 3-2.
VCs – Poor Gain, Nonlinear During Burst
(Excess capacitance from Y line to Gnd)
X Drive
YnB
Figure 3-3.
VCs – Correct
X Drive
YnB
9
9614A–AT42–08/10
Figure 3-4.
Drive Pulse Roll-off and Dwell Time
X drive
Lost charge due to
inadequate settling
before end of dwell time
Dwell time
Y gate
Note:
3.5
The Dwell time is a minimum of ~250 ns - see Section 3.7
Sample Resistors
The sample resistors (Rs0 – Rs1) are used to perform single-slope ADC conversion of the
acquired charge on each Cs capacitor. These resistors directly control acquisition gain; larger
values of Rs will proportionately increase signal gain. For most applications Rs should be 1 M.
Unused Y lines do not require an Rs resistor.
3.6
Signal Levels
The signal values should normally be in the range of 200 to 750 counts with properly designed
key shapes and values of Rs. However, long adjacent runs of X and Y lines can also artificially
boost the signal values, and induce signal saturation; this is to be avoided. The X-to-Y coupling
should come mostly from intra-key electrode coupling, not from stray X-to-Y trace coupling.
The signal swing from the smallest finger touch should preferably exceed 8 counts, with 12
being a reasonable target. The signal threshold setting (NTHR) should be set to a value
guaranteed to be less than the signal swing caused by the smallest touch.
Increasing the burst length (BL) parameter will increase the signal strengths, as will increasing
the sampling resistor (Rs) values.
3.7
Matrix Series Resistors
The X and Y matrix scan lines can use series resistors (Rx0 – Rx7 and Ry0 – Ry1 respectively)
for improved EMC performance (Figure 1-1 on page 4).
X drive lines require Rx in most cases to reduce edge rates and thus reduce RF emissions.
Values range from 1 k to 20 k, typically 1 k.
Y lines need Ry to reduce EMC susceptibility problems and in some extreme cases, ESD.
Typical Y values are about 1 k. Y resistors act to reduce noise susceptibility problems by
forming a natural low-pass filter with the Cs capacitors.
It is essential that the Rx and Ry resistors and Cs capacitors be placed very close to the chip.
Placing these parts more than a few millimeters away opens the circuit up to high frequency
interference problems (above 20 MHz) as the trace lengths between the components and the
chip start to act as RF antennae.
The upper limits of Rx and Ry are reached when the signal level and hence key sensitivity are
clearly reduced. The limits of Rx and Ry will depend on key geometry and stray capacitance,
and thus an oscilloscope is required to determine optimum values of both.
10
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9614A–AT42–08/10
AT42QT2161
Dwell time is the duration in which charge coupled from X to Y is captured (Figure 3-4
on page 10). Increasing Rx values will cause the leading edge of the X pulses to increasingly roll
off, causing the loss of captured charge (and hence loss of signal strength) from the keys.
The dwell time is a minimum of 250 ns. If the X pulses have not settled within 250 ns, key gain
will be reduced; if this happens, either the stray capacitance on the X line(s) should be reduced
(by a layout change, for example by reducing X line exposure to nearby ground planes or
traces), or, the Rx resistor needs to be reduced in value (or a combination of both approaches).
One way to determine X line settling time is to monitor the fields using a patch of metal foil or a
small coin over the key (Figure 3-5). Only one key along a particular X line needs to be
observed, 250 ns dwell time should exceed the observed 95 percent settling of the X-pulse by
25 percent or more.
In almost all cases, Ry should be set equal to Rx, which will ensure that the charge on the Y line
is fully captured into the Cs capacitor.
Figure 3-5.
3.8
Probing X-Drive Waveforms With a Coin
Key Design
Circuits can be constructed out of a variety of materials including conventional FR-4, Flexible
Printed Circuit Boards (FPCB), silver silk-screened on PET plastic film, and even inexpensive
punched single-sided CEM-1 and FR-2.
The actual internal pattern style is not as important as the need to achieve regular X and Y
widths and spacings of sufficient size to cover the desired graphical key area or a little bit more;
~3 mm oversize is acceptable in most cases, since the key’s electric fields drop off near the
edges anyway. The overall key size can range from 6 mm x 6 mm up to 100 mm x 100 mm but
these are not hard limits. The keys can be any shape including round, rectangular, square, etc.
The internal pattern can be interdigitated as shown in Figure 3-6.
For small, dense keypads, electrodes such as shown in the lower half of Figure 3-6 can be used.
Where the panels are thin (under 2 mm thick) the electrode density can be quite high.
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9614A–AT42–08/10
For better surface moisture suppression, the outer perimeter of X should be as wide as possible,
and there should be no ground planes near the keys. The variable “T” in this drawing represents
the total thickness of all materials that the keys must penetrate.
Figure 3-6.
Recommended Key Structure
Y0
X0
Y1
Note:
3.9
3.9.1
“T” should ideally be similar to the complete thickness the fields need to penetrate to the touch
surface. Smaller dimensions will also work but will give less signal strength. If in doubt, make the
pattern coarser. The lower figure shows a simpler structure used for compact key layouts, for
example for mobile phones. A layout with a common X drive and two receive electrodes is
depicted
Setting the Slider
Introduction
Groups of keys can be configured as a slider, in addition to their use as keys. The slider uses the
Y0 line of the matrix and must start at X0, with the keys placed in consecutive numerical order.
The slider can take up a programmable number of keys on the Y0 line. The remaining keys on
that Y line behave as normal.
Positional data is calculated in a customizable range of 2 bits (0 – 3) to 8 bits (0 – 255).
Geometric constraints may mean that the data will not reach the full range. Thinner dielectric or
the use of more keys in a slider will increase the data range towards the ends.
Stability of the reported position will be dependent on the amount of signal on the slider keys.
Running at higher resolutions, with a thick panel might produce a fluctuating reported position.
12
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AT42QT2161
Key sizes should be in the 5 – 7 mm range when used in the slider to get the best linearity. The
slider should be made up of however many of these elements are required to fit their
dimensions.
The slider will be treated as an object in the Adjacent Key Suppression (AKS) groupings. The
keys in the slider would normally be set to the same burst length and threshold, although
adjustments can be made in these at the expense of linearity.
3.9.2
AKS Technology and the Slider
There can be up to three AKS groups, implemented so that only one key in each group may be
reported as being touched at any one time. The AKS technique will lock onto the dominant key,
and until this key is released, other keys in the group will not be reported as in detection. This
allows a user to slide a finger across multiple keys with only the dominant key reporting touch.
Each key may be in one of the groups 1 – 3, or in group 0 meaning that it is not AKS enabled.
Keys in the slider are not able to use AKS technique against each other. This is necessary to
enable smooth scrolling. Multiple keys within the slider can be in detect at the same time,
regardless of the AKS settings. The AKS technique will, however, work against keys outside the
object or within another object. For example, if a slider is in the same AKS group as keys, then
touching anywhere on the slider will cause the AKS technique to suppress the keys. Similarly
touching the keys first will suppress the slider.
Note:
3.10
3.10.1
For normal operation all keys in the slider should be placed in the same AKS group.
PCB Layout, Construction
Overview
It is best to place the chip near the touch keys on the same PCB so as to reduce X and Y trace
lengths, thereby reducing the chances for EMC problems. Long connection traces act as RF
antennae. The Y (receive) lines are much more susceptible to noise pickup than the X (drive)
lines.
Even more importantly, all signal related discrete parts (resistors and capacitors) should be very
close to the body of the chip. Wiring between the chip and the various resistors and capacitors
should be as short and direct as possible to suppress noise pickup.
Ground planes, if used, should be placed under or around the QT chip itself and the associated
resistors and capacitors in the circuit, under or around the power supply, and back to a
connector. Ground planes can be used to shield against radiated noise, but at the expense of a
reduction in sensitivity as described previously.
Note:
3.10.2
When using ground planes/floods, parasitic capacitance on Y lines can lead to reduced
charge-transfer efficiency. For noise suppression, ground planes/floods can be beneficial around
and between keys on the touch side of the PCB. However, it is advisable to route Y lines on the
PCB layer furthest away from the plane/flood, to reduce parasitic capacitance. Cross-hatched
ground patterns can act as effective shields, while helping to reduce parasitic capacitance.
Ground planes/floods around the chip are generally acceptable, taking into account the same considerations as for the Y line parasitics.
LED Traces and Other Switching Signals
Digital switching signals near the Y lines will induce transients into the acquired signals,
deteriorating the SNR performance of the device. Such signals should be routed away from the
Y lines, or the design should be such that these lines are not switched during the course of
signal acquisition (bursts).
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LED terminals which are multiplexed or switched into a floating state and which are within or
physically very near a key structure (even if on another nearby PCB) should be bypassed to
either Vss or Vdd with at least a 10nF capacitor to suppress capacitive coupling effects which
can induce false signal shifts. The bypass capacitor does not need to be next to the LED, in fact
it can be quite distant. The bypass capacitor is noncritical and can be of any type.
LED terminals which are constantly connected to Vss or Vdd do not need further bypassing.
3.10.3
Tracks
The central pad on the underside of the chip should be connected to ground. Do not run any
tracks underneath the body of the chip, only ground.
Figure 3-7.
Position of Tracks
Example of good tracking
3.10.4
Example of bad tracking
PCB Cleanliness
Modern no-clean flux is generally compatible with capacitive sensing circuits.
CAUTION: If a PCB is reworked in any way, it is almost guaranteed that the behavior
of the no-clean flux will change. This can mean that the flux changes from an inert
material to one that can absorb moisture and dramatically affect capacitive
measurements due to additional leakage currents. If so, the circuit can become
erratic and exhibit poor environmental stability.
If a PCB is reworked in any way, clean it thoroughly to remove all traces of the flux residue
around the capacitive sensor components. Dry it thoroughly before any further testing is
conducted.
3.11
Power Supply Considerations
See Section 9.2 on page 44 for the Vdd range and short-term power supply fluctuations. If the
power supply fluctuates slowly with temperature, the device will track and compensate for these
changes automatically with only minor changes in sensitivity. If the supply voltage drifts or shifts
quickly, the drift compensation mechanism will not be able to keep up, causing sensitivity
anomalies or false detections.
As the device uses the power supply itself as an analog reference, the power should be very
clean and come from a separate regulator. A standard inexpensive Low Dropout (LDO) type
regulator should be used that is not also used to power other loads such as LEDs, relays, or
other high current devices. Load shifts on the output of the LDO can cause Vdd to fluctuate
enough to cause false detection or sensitivity shifts.
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AT42QT2161
Caution: A regulator IC shared with other logic devices can result in erratic operation and is not
advised.
A regulator can be shared among two or more QT devices on one board.
A single ceramic 0.1uF bypass capacitor, with short traces, should be placed very close to
supply pins 3 and 4 of the IC. Failure to do so can result in device oscillation, high current
consumption, erratic operation etc. Pins 16 and 17 do not require bypassing if the traces
between these pins and power traces are short.
3.12
Startup/Calibration Times
The device requires initialization times of approximately 70 ms. The CHANGE line will go low
and calibration will start (takes 15 matrix scans), after this start up period is over.
3.13
Calibration
Calibration does not occur periodically. Keys are only calibrated on power-up and when:
• Enabled
AND
– held in detect for too long. The negative recalibration delay (NRD) period is specified
by the user
OR
– the signal delta value is greater than the positive threshold value, defined as
reference value plus three-quarters of the negative threshold
OR
– the user issues a recalibrate command
An interrupt on the CHANGE pin occurs when there is a change in the key status bytes. An
interrupt will occur on calibration only if at least one of the keys or objects was in detect as
recalibration will then cause a status change.
3.14
Reset Input
The RST pin can be used to reset the device to simulate a power-down cycle, in order to bring
the device up into a known state should communications with the device be lost. The pin is
active low, and a low pulse lasting at least 10µs must be applied to this pin to cause a reset.
If an external hardware reset is not used, the reset pin may be connected to Vdd.
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3.15
Spread Spectrum Acquisitions
QT2161 uses spread-spectrum burst modulation. This has the effect of drastically reducing the
possibility of EMI effects on the sensor keys, while simultaneously spreading RF emissions. This
feature is hard-wired into the device and cannot be disabled or modified.
Spread spectrum is configured as a frequency chirp over a wide range of frequencies for robust
operation.
3.16
Detection Integrator
See also Section 3.2 on page 8.
The device features a detection integration mechanism, which acts to confirm a detection in a
robust fashion. A per-key counter is incremented each time the key has exceeded its threshold
and stayed there for a number of acquisitions. When this counter reaches a preset limit the key
is finally declared to be touched.
For example, if the limit value is 10, then the device has to exceed its threshold and stay there
for 10 acquisitions in succession without going below the threshold level, before the key is
declared to be touched. If on any acquisition the signal is not seen to exceed the threshold level,
the counter is cleared and the process has to start from the beginning.
3.17
Sleep
The device operates on a fixed 16 ms cycle time basis. The device will perform a set of
measurements and then sleep for the rest of the cycle to conserve power.
There are two user-configurable sleep modes; Low Power (LP) mode and SLEEP mode.
The LP setting (see Section 3.2 on page 8) is used for conserving power when there are no
touches and is set to be a long time period. This will determine how often the device wakes up to
do drift compensation. It also determines the maximum response time to the first touch after
inactivity.
When a valid touch is registered, the device enters minimum cycle time (16 ms) for a faster
response to key touch and object operation. The device will stay in this mode if it continues to
see keys being touched and released. There is a user-selectable inactivity timeout i.e. the
awake timeout.
The measurement period needs to be shorter than the 16 ms fixed cycle time for optimum
operation. If the measurement time exceeds the 16 ms fixed cycle time, a CYCLE OVERRUN bit
is set in the general status register. The QT2161 will still operate if the 16 ms fixed cycle time is
exceeded, but the timing for the timed parameters, e.g. drift compensation negative recalibration
time out etc. will slightly change.
A low power setting of zero causes the device to enter an ultra-low power mode (SLEEP), where
no measurements are carried out. SLEEP mode also stops the internal watchdog timer, so that
the part is totally dormant, and current drain is