Infineon recently announced that the PSOC™ 4 microcontroller (MCU) series has added the Multi-Sense feature. The company will expand its leading capacitive sensing technology CAPSENSE™ by introducing new proprietary inductive sensing technology, as well as non-invasive and non-contact liquid sensing solutions. The PSOC™ 4 opens up endless possibilities for developers in creating new human-machine interface (HMI) and sensing solutions. From stylish products with metal touch buttons to waterproof touch buttons and innovative liquid sensing methods, the PSOC™ 4 Multi-Sense unlocks many new sensing modalities.
Infineon PSOC™ Multi-Sense
The PSOC™ 4000T is Infineon’s first product to incorporate the company’s fifth-generation CAPSENSE™ technology and Multi-Sense feature. The supported sensing technologies can be integrated within a single PSOC™ 4 MCU to optimize performance (e.g., a combination of capacitive and inductive sensing), enable new use cases (e.g., underwater inductive sensing buttons), or achieve cost savings (e.g., combining system control with liquid sensing). Additionally, Infineon’s fifth-generation CAPSENSE™ employs “always-on” technology, reducing power consumption to one-tenth compared to previous devices, while improving the signal-to-noise ratio by ten times.
The Multi-Sense feature is not only a technological advancement but also a paradigm shift, demonstrating Infineon’s commitment to meeting customer demands for next-generation devices that support new HMI and sensing use cases. As a leader in the sensing and control field for consumer and industrial markets, we will continue to bring new functionalities to our customers, supporting them in designing future digital solutions for home, office, and industrial applications.
Vibheesh Bharathan
Director of Infineon PSOC™ 4 Multi-Sense
and Project Lead
The new Multi-Sense features added to the Infineon PSOC™ 4 series include:
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Inductive Sensing: Based on a brand-new proprietary method that is less susceptible to noise, it performs more stably compared to current state-of-the-art methods and excels in external noise resistance and manufacturability. Infineon’s inductive sensing technology supports new HMI use cases, such as touch on metal surfaces, pressure touch interfaces, and proximity sensing. This technology complements capacitive sensing functionality, enabling modern, metallic, and waterproof designs, such as metal touch buttons on refrigerators and robust human-machine interactions in underwater devices like cameras and wearables.
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Liquid Sensing: The PSOC™ 4 features non-invasive and non-contact liquid sensing capabilities based on AI/ML (Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning) processing algorithms, providing a more cost-effective and capable solution than mechanical sensors and traditional capacitive solutions. This technology can resist environmental factors such as temperature and humidity changes and can detect liquid levels in various container shapes with up to ten digits of resolution. Moreover, this solution can address issues that other liquid sensors cannot handle, such as foam suppression and residue suppression, and can operate stably even with varying spatial gaps between the sensor and the container. The liquid sensing capabilities of the PSOC™ 4 bring more intelligence to various liquid management applications, such as robotic vacuum cleaners, detergent dispensing in washing machines, coffee machines, and humidifiers.
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CAPSENSE™ Hover Touch: Hover touch sensing technology is suitable for new use cases that do not require direct contact with buttons. In certain applications, hover touch technology can replace multiple components (for example, eliminating springs and seals in stove control panels). By using hover touch technology to fill air gaps, customers can significantly reduce material costs (BOM), enhance system performance, reduce design complexity, and accelerate time to market.
Availability
The Infineon PSOC™ 4000T equipped with fifth-generation CAPSENSE technology and the new Multi-Sense feature is now available. Another new product, the PSOC™ 4100T Plus, will be launched in the second quarter of 2025, featuring larger memory and more I/O interfaces, and supporting the Multi-Sense feature. All future PSOC devices with CAPSENSE technology will integrate this feature.
The new PSOC™ 4000T series provides an upgrade path for designs based on PSOC™ 4000, PSOC™ 4000S, and PSOC™ 4700S, enabling compatibility with fifth-generation HMI technology while maintaining software and packaging compatibility.
