Technology In-Depth
GlideTouch Capacitive / Mechanical Keypads
Cirque GlideTouch keypad technology is an extension of our proven projected capacitive touch technology used in millions of devices worldwide. In Cirque keypad solutions, a custom capacitive sensor is designed to detect individual key presses. Above this sensor is placed the mechanical keypad incorporating either snap domes or carbon pills for each individual key. When a key down event occurs, the specific key will capacitively couple with the sensor to register a key press. No direct electrical contact is required.
Capacitive keypad technology from Cirque provides the ultimate advantage in durability, security, simplicity, and low cost. By utilizing proprietary projected capacitive sensing technology, Cirque is able to sense and report key presses without any direct electrical contact occurring between the keymat elements and the sensor – only key press “motion” is measured. This provides security and reliability advantages. In addition to the inherent security of the design, Cirque Active Intrusion Detection technology senses potential intrusion attempts on and above the sensor surface.
Environmental factors of a practical solution have been successfully addressed – the result is a proven technology which can be readily implemented in a new PED design.
The keypad sensor is electrically routed to a proprietary capacitance ASIC controller positioned within the secure area of the PED. It has been shown through extensive testing at independent laboratories that no information present on this electrode routing can be interpreted by attackers, and the system will detect any attempts at intrusion. Consequently, no additional security protection is required for the keypad sensor.
Once inside the secure perimeter, the data is interpreted by the Cirque touch controller ASIC. The ASIC makes all necessary calculations to interpret the data and then reports key presses to the host hardware. This design makes for rapid and easy integration as no special processing is necessary on the host side.
Key product benefits:
- Direct electrical contacts are the common point of attack. An attack on the Cirque sensor yields no useful information.
- Active Intrusion Detection algorithms are used to monitor the physical space above the sensor and within the keymat component. When a potential attack is sensed the host processor is notified.
- Direct electrical contacts wear over time. Cirque’s solutions uses capacitive coupling, no direct contact occurs between the keypad and the sensor.
- At no point in the signal data chain outside the secure perimeter can data be intrepreted by an attacker.
- Security hardening requirements of the keypad sensor is minimized. The industrial design and implementation cost is minimal while maintaining high security, increased durability and resistance to attack.
