Chrome strips as a control unit

Chrome strips as a control unit

The German company Kunststofftechnik Bernt (KTB) has succeeded in using ChromeTouch to easily transfer all controls in the vehicle to a flexible chrome surface without any annoying switches. Here's how it works: As with regular touch surfaces, the KTB developers used projected self-capacitive sensing, which triggers a circuit by simply touching or bringing your finger close to the surface. The galvanized sensor surface, which also serves as an electrode, is charged with a voltage that is then discharged again. A microprocessor measures the elapsed time of charging and discharging. If a finger approaches, it acts like a capacitor, which measurably changes the capacitance of the sensor. The microprocessor detects the change in the charging or discharging cycles and triggers the corresponding circuit.

The sensor technology in KTB's current developments is based on a proven principle. “We wanted to go one step further here, because both the obvious surfaces and those in the background can be switched via the projected capacitive sensor surface,” explains Marco Läufle, project manager at Kunststofftechnik Bernt GmbH. For example, the backs of painted components can be equipped with a capacitive circuit cost-effectively and reliably using a galvanically deposited sensor surface.