CES^® 2022

Audio is a continuous phenomenon, and we often want to monitor it continuously.

In order to do so, system ADCs and SoCs have to remain active in order to avoid missing something important - that kind of power consumption makes for a short battery life. AKM's response to that problem is the Acoustic Activity Analyzer.

The AAA performs continuous analog time- and frequency-domain analysis in order to determine whether a sound is relevant or not. This analysis consumes only 30 uA and occurs while the rest of the system is asleep.

The resulting extended battery life enables continuous audio capture in wearables, as well as in applications where fixed installation is difficult and battery power is the only option.

HVAC systems need to be smart enough to modulate airflow in response to the number of occupants, as well as their positions and current conditions.

Millimeter-wave technology's ability to penetrate plastics allows for smarter HVAC systems without compromising exterior design.

AKM's millimeter-wave radar ICs provide high-range resolution and orientation accuracy, improving the system's object identification capability.

These devices also make it possible to detect the respiratory rate of occupants.

Now more than ever, the importance of indoor ventilation is recognized as a measure to promote well-being and working efficiency, as well as a countermeasure to pathogens and air pollutants.

Cost-effective and widespread measurement of CO₂ levels makes it possible to regulate ventilation to maximize a team’s health, comfort, and performance under any building occupancy load.

AKM's low-power CO₂ sensors are a great fit for compact, easy-to-install battery-powered sensors.

The idea of the automobile cabin as a quiet, comfortable space has become more and more prominent.

The quiet motors found in EVs have revealed environmental noise that had never been noticed before. As automatic driving becomes more common and drivers become passengers - and listeners - the need to reduce background noise will become even more important.

In addition to our innovations in hands-free calling and in-vehicle communications over the last 15 years, AKM has collaborated with Silentium on an active noise cancellation solution to be presented at CES^® 2022.

True Wireless Stereo (TWS) customers are used to the convenience of taking their earbuds out of the case and having them connect via Bluetooth automatically.

This requires knowledge of the state of the system: when the case is opened, when the earbud has been taken out of the case, and when it's been put back into the case to charge.

Some products use multiple Hall sensors and magnets for state detection, but a single AK09973D tri-axis magnetic smart switch can perform that same task, reducing cost and PCB area.

The AK09973D's programmable switching threshold for each axis, as well as its ability to calculate a magnetic vector summation across all three axes, simplifies the layout process by eliminating the need for complex magnetic field simulations.

The AK09973 accomplishes all of this while consuming as little as 5.6μA at 20Hz, making it very well-suited to battery-powered products.

As the True Wireless Stereo (TWS) market has become more sophisticated, spatial audio technologies have provided consumers with a more immersive listening experience.

The addition of head tracking takes the sense of realism to the next level. Head tracking becomes more accurate when an e-compass is added to the system's accelerometer and gyroscopic sensor, but an earbud enclosure contains several magnetic components which mut be compensated for.

AKM's advanced calibration software requires only the tiniest motion to calculate for magnetic offset.

IoT sensors allow for non-invasive installation, such as attaching a magnetic sensor to a device's enclosure.

This can present a challenge: the magnetic field to be measured will be attenuated due to distance, and the signal of interest may be buried in the surrounding magnetic noise.

AKM's high-precision tri-axis magnetic sensor, the AK09940A, uses TMR elements to achieve world class RMS noise performance - only 40nT-RMS. Its high sensitivity allows for the accurate measurement of weak magnetic field fluctuations and distortion.

The AK09940A's ultra-low power consumption of 16uA@100HzODR makes it a good fit for integration into an IoT device, which will typically have a very low-capacity battery.