Three years ago, Whirlpool Corporation began working on new electric freestanding range models with glass touch control panels. Glass is easy to clean, and panels can be produced to match the "visual brand language" established by the company. Switches mounted under glass panels typically use capacitive technology, which allows for customized sensing through the glass surface. "We began exploring our options with vendors in October 2002, and quickly started to evaluate their samples," says Wallace J. Elston, Whirlpool's (Benton Harbor, MI, U.S.) lead electrical engineer for the project. "We wanted a proven touch technology that could easily interface with our main control electronics, By the following February, we chose TouchSensor Technologies for the touchpads and began working with them to develop and integrate their board with the rest of the control system."
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