InterTouch | Synaptics

InterTouch

Synaptics has designed a new Image Sensing touchpad that can provide full-time tracking of up to 10 fingers simultaneously. This new capability places new demands on the interface between the touchpad and the host -- demands which exceed the capacity of the PS/2 interface. The existing, legacy PS/2 limits bandwidth for utilizing Image Sensor capabilities. Currently, the PS/2 interface constrains Image Sensor to being able to count 4 TouchPad finger contacts and track 2 fingers full-time.

Synaptics InterTouch utilizes a high bandwidth internal bus for true Multi-Touch “Full-Time Finger Tracking”, enabling a richer gesture-driven user experience. InterTouch is an open architecture using existing industry standard, higher-speed bus interfaces and whose specification will be available to any OEM and any touchpad provider. Additional InterTouch capabilities include:

Cross Platform & Brands: will work with all Synaptics TouchPads, ClickPads, open to third party touchpads
Enhanced Gestures: true multi-finger gesture tracking and counting
Re-flash/Re-programmability – greatly increases data throughput providing fast re-flash times

Synaptics InterTouch is designed for full compatibility with the current and future Windows platforms, and will also be supported on Linux-based platforms in future releases.

Synaptics Objectives

Implement a low cost, high-speed interface that is the obvious successor to PS/2
Enable a transition plan for PC motherboard ecosystems that will enable the motherboard to fully support all the existing operating systems (Win7, Vista, XP, and even Linux ) so OEMs that have a multi-OS strategy for a notebook SKU can still be capable. Yes, OS-specific drivers will be required as always.

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