ams OSRAM releases new solutions designed for vital sign monitoring applications

ams OSRAM, a global leader in optical solutions, presents a whole range of new products for vital sign monitoring applications. New products in the FIREFLY® emitter family, the Chip LED photodiode family and the BIOFY® module family all feature improved performance and offer maximum flexibility in meeting the customer-specific requirements for mobile vital sign monitoring applications. Smart watches, smart patches or hearables can monitor vital parameters using non-invasive optical sensor solutions. The new products meet manufacturers’ requirements for space-saving components for attractive designs, improved signal quality for accurate measurement results, and reduced integration complexity.

“ams OSRAM is able to provide all key components to develop vital sign monitoring solutions. Our portfolio covers high performance emitter LED, an optimized portfolio of photodiodes regarding sensitivity and formfactor, leading-edge optical front-end solutions combining LEDs and photodiodes in one module as well as analog frontend-ASICs optimized for this application,” says Dr. Markus Arzberger, Director of Segment Vital Signs at ams OSRAM.

New generation of the FIREFLY® E 2218 family

With the new single green emitter CT DBLP32.12, the next generation of the FIREFLY® E 2218 family impresses with a product brightness of 6.6 to 7.8 mW/sr at 20 mA, which is up to 20 percent higher than its predecessor. The higher product brightness provides an improved signal with a higher output compared with earlier versions. This enables manufacturers of fitness trackers, smart watches or medical patches to reduce the driving current and save battery life for a longer user experience before recharging as it needs less energy to produce the same signal as its predecessors.

The true green CT DBLP32.12 uses high brightness UX:3 chip technology. Thanks to the compact dimensions of 1.8 mm x 2.2 mm x 0.6 mm less space on the board is needed, which enables flexible designs of mobile devices. The product is specifically designed for accurate heart rate monitoring.

Customers can additionally benefit from the ideally matched photodiodes of the Chip LED family. SFH 2705 and SFH 2706 impress with a particularly increased sensitivity in the green range, making them the perfect match to increase the overall system efficiency of the application.

New generation of Chip LED family

With the new photodiodes SFH 2705 and SFH 2706, ams OSRAM expands the Chip LED product family. The products offer improved performance and demonstrate approximately 27 percent improved relative sensitivity at 530 nm green and approximately 8 percent improved relative sensitivity at 660 nm red, providing a higher signal at these wavelengths. This allows customers to optimize the power budget and extend the battery life for the application by reducing LED driving current. In combination with the single green emitter CT DBLP32.12 the overall efficiency of the system for heart rate monitoring applications can thus be increased even further, thanks to the increased product brightness of the LED.

The photodiodes are integration-compatible to their predecessors with a package of 2.0 mm x 1.8 mm x 0.6 mm. The SFH 2705 product differs from its family members in that it has a square form factor to allow even more flexible placement of photodiodes next to LEDs in the system, such as in smart watches.

New generation of BIOFY® family

The new powerful modules SFH 7050A and SFH 7060A of the BIOFY® family combine LEDs and photodiodes in one optical front end, upgraded with the latest die technologies from ams OSRAM. Due to the small footprint of the chip on board package, SFH 7050A and SFH 7060A are particularly suitable for space-saving applications such as finger clips or swimming goggles. In addition to the improved performance due to higher brightness, customers also benefit from the low integration effort of the module. The footprint and pin connections of the module are the same as those of previous models, so existing solutions can be easily used. This saves customers production costs and expenses in the development phase. The module also impresses with its optical consistency in mass production, minimized system variations due to fixed spacing between emitter and detector chips, and tolerance control at the component level.

Heart Rate Measurement: How it works

Vital signs such as heart rate variability are measured using light at specific wavelengths. Green light is sent into the tissue, where it is scattered and partially absorbed by the blood. A small portion of the emitted light is scattered back to a photodiode and detected with integrated circuits. Since the blood volume changes with the heart rate, the absorption of the light and the signal of the photodiode is modulated accordingly by the heart rate. This principle is called photoplethysmography or PPG for short.

For more information, please visit http://www.ams.com.