Vital signs monitoring capabilities get a boost thanks to ultra-low noise AFE sensor technology for wearables

• Highly integrated, the new ultra-low power AS7058 supports sophisticated PPG applications and ECG and electrodermal activity measurements.

• AS7058 AFE introduces body impedance measurement feature, to enable wearable devices to analyze body composition.

ams OSRAM, a global leader in intelligent sensors and emitters, launched 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.

Florian Lex, Product Marketing Manager of ams OSRAM, said: ‘If the health monitoring outputs of smart watches can change from an approximate indicator of lifestyle factors to medically actionable data, the value of the product to the consumer will be dramatically enhanced. This is what the AS7058 helps to enable, by lowering the optical noise floor of the PPG measurements on which smart watches, smart rings and other wearable devices depend for high-quality vital signs data.

High integration of optical and electrical measurement functions

The AS7058 incorporates a comprehensive set of capabilities for optical and electrical measurement of vital signs. It includes:

• Two current sinks for driving eight LED emitters (four LEDs/current sink)
• Eight photodiode inputs
• Two 20-bit ADCs for PPG measurement
• A 20-bit digital-to-analog converter (DAC) for electrical measurements - electrocardiogram (ECG), body impedance measurement (BIO-Z), or electrodermal activity (EDA). The device’s medical-grade ECG measurements conform to the specifications of the IEC 60601-2-47 standard

The two PPG ADCs perform simultaneous photodiode data acquisition. Measurements of PPG and ECG signals can also be synchronized to enable measurement of blood pressure.

The rich set of features in the AS7058 is integrated into a compact WLCSP chip which has dimensions of 2.8 mm x 2.5 mm x 0.5 mm.

The AS7058 joins a broad portfolio of optical and electrical products from ams OSRAM that provide a unified source of components and system know-how for every aspect of vital signs monitoring in consumer devices. ams OSRAM products for vital signs monitoring include LEDs, photodiodes and temperature sensors as well as the AS705x series of AFEs. The hardware products are supported by algorithms for measurement functions such as heart rate, respiration rate and SpO2.

ams OSRAM also supplies a complete hardware demonstration system for vital signs monitoring in a smart watch form factor. Customers can benefit from the experience gained in its development to reduce design risk and accelerate time to market.

https://ams-osram.com/

References:

[1] https://ams-osram.com/products/interfaces/analog-frontend/ams-as7058-high-performance-vital-sign-analog-frontend

[2] https://ams-osram.com/products/boards-kits-accessories/kits/ams-as7058-evm-eb-evaluation-kit