The portfolio – named QuickSense – consists of specialised microcontrollers, along with sensors. It is to be supported by a common software development environment, says Silicon Laboratories Inc., based in Austin, Texas, the United States.

The applications of QuickSense, according to the company, are personal electronics, light and thermostat controls, small appliances, set-top boxes and displays, as well as home-security panels.

Mark Thompson, vice-president and general manager of the MCU Division of Silicon Laboratories, has claimed in a statement that the 40-microsecond data acquisition time of the company's microcontrollers makes them one of the fastest of its kind available in the world. The patented, single-pulse proximity measurement technique of these microcontrollers saves up to 4,000 times the power used by conventional, infrared sensors, Thompson added.

According to Silicon Laboratories, in addition to the savings in power consumption, consumer devices based on QuickSense will extend battery life beyond the devices currently available.

QuickSense includes, Mark Thompson said, the F800 family of capacitive touch-sensitive microcontrollers that uses what Silicon Laboratories calls "capacitance-to-digital converters." These converters do away with the need for mechanical sliders and buttons.

Silicon Laboratories has also announced its Si11xx family of proximity-sensors and ambient light sensors – the built-in capabilities of which include single-pulse per measurement operation as well as a 'touchless' proximity-sensing system that lets users activate sensors with just the wave of a hand.