ams OSRAM: Industry-first, ultra-small ambient light sensor with UVA detection for wearable and mobile devices
ams OSRAM (SIX: AMS), a global leader in optical solutions, presents an ambient light sensor with proprietary UV-A light detection. Monitoring vital signs such as pulse or oxygen saturation in the blood via smartphones and smartwatches has been available for several years. The corresponding UV channel of the TSL2585 from ams OSRAM detects the amount of UV-A radiation in natural sunlight. This enables the user to be warned of excessive UV-A radiation. Thanks to its extremely compact dimensions the sensor is ideally suited for space-constrained wearable and other mobile applications.
ams OSRAM (SIX: AMS), a global leader in optical solutions, presents an ambient light sensor with proprietary UV-A light detection. Monitoring vital signs such as pulse or oxygen saturation in the blood via smartphones and smartwatches has been available for several years. The corresponding UV channel of the TSL2585 from ams OSRAM detects the amount of UV-A radiation in natural sunlight. This enables the user to be warned of excessive UV-A radiation. Thanks to its extremely compact dimensions the sensor is ideally suited for space-constrained wearable and other mobile applications.
While the UV-C portion of sunlight is blocked by the earth’s atmosphere, UV-A and UV-B radiation reaches the earth’s surface. UV-B radiation penetrates only the upper layers of the skin and is responsible for sunburn. UV-A radiation, which accounts for around 90% of the UV component that reaches the earth’s surface, penetrates much deeper into the lower layers of the skin and can, in some cases, have significant health consequences – from weakening of the connective tissue to faster aging of the skin and a higher probability to develop skin cancer. With the help of the new ambient light sensor from ams OSRAM, smartwatch users can now be warned as soon as the UV-A dose in their environment becomes too high.
"The short integration time and high sensitivity of TSL2585 enables reliable detection of ambient light even when placed under low transmissivity materials and OLED displays. Its small form factor and design offers enormously increased industrial design freedom for manufacturers," said Barry Guo, Marketing Manager at ams OSRAM. The ambient light sensor utilizes ams OSRAM’s advanced interference filters which are precisely deposited on each photodiode pixel to create a 315nm-400nm UVA channel, a human-eye response photopic channel and an IR channel. Those provide essential information for indoor /outdoor identification, UV index calculation and ambient illuminance detection. Additionally, the TSL2585 unique edge-located photodiode placement supports very narrow µBezel design.
TSL2585 has integrated light flicker detection on-chip and is equipped with three modulators with up to 14 kHz fast sampling rate. By providing the illuminance information and ambient light flicker information to the phone camera, it supports fast auto exposure of smartphone camera and removal of banding effects caused by flicker from environmental lighting.
The compact dimensions of the extremely flat package of only 2.0 mm x 1.0 mm x 0.35 mm allow for space-saving system designs helping manufacturers of extremely compact devices. The sensor can be operated with a voltage of 1.8V and consumes only 0.7µA when inactive.
About ams OSRAM The ams OSRAM Group, including the listed companies ams AG as parent company and OSRAM Licht AG is a global leader in optical solutions. By adding intelligence to light and passion to innovation, we enrich people’s lives. This is what we mean by Sensing is Life.
With over 110 years of combined history, our core is defined by imagination, deep engineering expertise and the ability to provide global industrial capacity in sensor and light technologies. We create exciting innovations that enable our customers in the consumer, automotive, healthcare and industrial sectors maintain their competitive edge and drive innovation that meaningfully improves the quality of life in terms of health, safety and convenience, while reducing impact on the environment.
Our around 27,000 employees worldwide focus on innovation across sensing, illumination and visualization to make journeys safer, medical diagnosis more accurate and daily moments in communication a richer experience. Our work creates technology for breakthrough applications, which is reflected in over 15,000 patents granted and applied. Headquartered in Premstaetten/Graz (Austria) with a co-headquarters in Munich (Germany), the group achieved well over USD 5 billion combined revenues in 2020 (pro-forma).
