True Wireless Stereo (TWS)
The market loves True Wireless Stereo (TWS) products. It's great to be able to listen to music and watch video wherever you are, but why stop there?
Why not add Internet-enabled voice assistants, or even health care features to your favorite portable audio devices?
The demand for multi-functional TWS products requires an ever-shrinking form factor and ever-decreasing power consumption for longer battery life.
This content introduces our solution for TWS.
Tri-axis Magnetic Sensors
Head Tracking
Realistic Audio Experience
As TWS technology has become more sophisticated, so has the demand for more realistic listening experiences via technologies such as customizable Head-Related Transfer Functions (HRTF), as well as acoustic innovations in the AR space.
Since a True Wireless Stereo user is free to move around, robust head tracking is a must. AKM's ultra-compact tri-axis magnetic sensor drives our Sound Image Localization technology, which fixes the perceived location of the audio source at an arbitrary position, regardless of the listener's orientation and the direction of the source's movement throughout the sound field.
The accuracy of the head tracking may be improved even further by combining data from the tri-axis magnetic sensor with the posture information provided by six-axis IMU, which consists of an accelerometer and a gyroscope mounted on the TWS device.
In & Out, Open & Close Detection
Improved design flexibility for TWS charging cases
It's important for TWS charging systems to be aware of whether the charging case is open or closed, and whether the TWS devices are in the case or not. In the past, this was accomplished with multiple Hall sensors, each detecting magnetic field fluctuations about one axis.
AKM's tri-axis magnetic smart switch reduces the design down to a single sensor, reducing both cost and PCB area. These devices are built with our low-power drive technology, maximizing battery life.
Our tri-axis magnetic smart switches are equipped with magnetic interrupt event functionality, allowing the designer to adjust the switching points (operating thresholds) to maximize the installation layout of sensors and magnets.
Azimuth Detection
Smart Self-navigation
Today's navigation apps deduce the direction of travel by observing the direction of the smartphone itself. AKM's tri-axis magnetic sensor (plus acceleration sensor) constantly detects the direction in which the user is traveling, allowing for voice-guided navigation without having to hold the smartphone.
These sensors, combined with AKM's proprietary magnetic offset compensation technology, enable a compact, comfortable, and safe navigation system.