News

  TOKYO, April 17, 2019 – Alps Alpine Co., Ltd., (Tokyo: 6770; President & CEO: Toshihiro Kuriyama), a manufacturer of high-quality electronic products, has added the SKTR Series to its TACT Switch™ lineup. The compact, middle stroke type TACT Switch™ realizes a previously unachieved highly tangible and sharp push feel together with quiet operation, making it ideal for use as an input device in vehicles.

  Automakers always remain conscious of the brands of individual car models or classes when developing vehicles, a trait that has become all the more pronounced in recent years. Specifically in regard to input devices, manufacturers increasingly look for control devices that simultaneously contribute to both driving comfort and uniqueness, for example by enhancing qualities within the cabin interior, standardizing operating feel for each automaker and styling feel to suit the vehicle brand. At the same time, demand for conventional mechatronic switches allowing intuitive control while capable of delivering reliable feedback on how they are operated is expected to persist even as touch-based and voice-based input styles spread in anticipation of autonomous driving and other trends.

  Over the years, Alps Alpine has built up a strong reputation among many automakers for its extensive variety of TACT Switch™ products and other input devices for automotive use offering diverse operating feel.

  Now Alps Alpine has developed the SKTR Series, a new compact, middle stroke type of TACT Switch™ realizing a sharp, highly tangible push feel together with quiet operation through changes to the structure combining use of rubber for the switch knob, or stem, and metal contacts. The SKTR Series also uses a feature employed in other automotive TACT Switch™ products to date – a pre-stroke design. This helps to prevent rattling at the start of the operation. The switch is ideal for use as an input device in areas where reliable operation and ease of use are required, such as around the steering wheel and in center consoles, as well as in car audio and navigation systems. And because the SKTR Series has mounting compatibility with existing SKPM and SKPS Series, customers using an existing product get to choose the best operating feel for their brand without having to modify the board design.