Alps Alpine : Launches AirInput™ Panel 15.6-Inch Wide X-Y Type

PRESS RELEASE

October 18, 2023

Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.

Touchless Input Solution Employing High-Sensitivity Capacitive Sensing Technology

Alps Alpine Launches AirInput™ Panel 15.6-Inch Wide X-Y Type

Alps Alpine Co., Ltd. (TSE: 6770; President & CEO: Hideo Izumi) has commenced sales of an AirInput™ product supporting both touchless and touch input based on original high-sensitivity capacitive sensing technology.

About AirInput™

Capacitive touch panels are becoming increasingly prevalent as a form of input for smartphones through to industrial equipment because of the convenience offered by intuitive input and control. The flipside is that normal capacitive touch panel input is obstructed by wet or oily hands, hands dirty with chemicals, and glove-wearing. Touching the control surface with dirty hands means it has to be cleaned, while having to remove gloves before use can be quite a hassle. In situations where hygiene needs to be strictly controlled, or contamination prevented, even touching a touch panel can be problematic.

Alps Alpine's AirInput™ Panel addresses these issues as a new input method making use of the space directly in front of the panel for no-touch operation, thereby improving the work or operating environment.

Fig.1 AirInput™ Panel 15.6-Inch Wide X-Y Type demo set

• AirInput™ Milestones

2018 Alps Alpine starts developing mid-air input devices

October 2020 Touchless Input Panel wins the CEATEC AWARD 2020 Grand Prix in the "Elemental Technologies and Devices that Support the New Normal Society" category

May 2021 AirInput™ solutions are trialed in elevator control panels and light switches for a new office building of Recruit Co., Ltd.

October 2022 Stealth Aerial Interface, combining touchless input, decorative printing and aerial imaging, wins the CEATEC AWARD 2022 Semi Grand Prix in the "Key Technologies" category

January 2023 Alps Alpine and StellarLink Corporation jointly develop and begin test marketing of Add-on AirInput™ Panel

Table 1 AirInput™ milestones prior to launch

AirInput™ Panel 15.6-Inch Wide X-Y Type - Features

This AirInput™ Panel has been adapted for 15.6-inch wide general-purpose displays, which are expected to enjoy growth in the industrial equipment market. In addition to X-Y coordinates, the panel can also output a count value for proximity in the height direction (Z axis). Used in combination with a user interface that continuously conveys the position of a detected finger, the panel enables intuitive control in mid-air operation, helping to realize quick input with few errors. As an option for customers who wish to convert existing applications designed for touch operation into touchless applications but are unable to develop the software themselves, we also provide AirInput™ Panel dedicated control software for Windows* . Installing the software allows customers to omit the software development process and utilize existing input screens in a touchless setup. Customers can adjust user interface settings, colors, sizes and other parameters on the settings screen to achieve the desired operating feel and realize a wide range of touchless operation scenarios.

Table 2 AirInput™ Panel 15.6-Inch Wide X-Y Type main specifications

• Applications

Various input monitors and panels:

Input for control displays on food processing machines and other industrial equipment Input panels on control monitors for commercial kitchen and cooking equipment Input panels on control monitors for housing installations and public computer terminals Input panels on control monitors for medical and testing systems

Control monitor panels for explosion-proof equipment, etc.

Upcoming Plans

Alps Alpine will carry out sales activities to promote use of the AirInput™ Panel 15.6-Inch Wide X-Y Type for a whole host of scenarios requiring touchless input and will look to meet broad-ranging needs for industrial equipment and medical systems, and across the market, by expanding the product lineup to include varieties for use with 8-10-inch and 21.5-inch wide displays, as well as for non-contact switch applications.

• The AirInput™ Panel dedicated control software for Windows was jointly developed with StellarLink Corporation.

Inquiries About This Press Release

Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.

PR Section, Corporate Communication TEL: +81-50-3311-0617alpsalpine-pr@alpsalpine.com