Vital signs monitoring capabilities get a boost thanks to ams OSRAM’s ultra-low noise AFE sensor technology

ams OSRAM launches the AS7058, an analog front end (AFE) which enables manufacturers of smart watches, smart rings and other wearable devices to improve the accuracy and reliability of vital signs measurements derived from photoplethysmographic (PPG) or electrical signals while extending battery run-time.

The new AS7058 also provides a new means for differentiating wearable products, introducing the capability to perform body impedance measurement, for analysis of body composition.

The AS7058’s ultra-low noise characteristics produce a very high optical signal-to-noise ratio of 120dB. This enables substantial improvements, compared to competing products, in PPG measurement performance in the parameters of heart rate, respiration rate, blood oxygen saturation (SpO2), and blood pressure. The outstanding optical noise performance of the AS7058 is the result of developments including the integration of two low-noise, 20-bit analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), the provision of integrated low-noise LED drivers, and the introduction of new automatic ambient light offset correction technology.

The signal-to-noise ratio of the AS7058 also enables wearable device manufacturers to reduce power consumption by driving the device’s LEDs at lower current while maintaining high signal integrity.