Paarl, South Africa. Azoteq, a pioneer in sensor fusion, has announced a new method for designing force sensing for True Wireless Stereo (TWS) and wearable applications.
Azoteq’s latest sensors support a novel, patent pending technique for force or pressure sensing. Force sensing happens when the user squeezes the housing of the application to produce the desired action – such as the play or pause of music in earbuds. Force sensing is a popular user interface for TWS applications, as it is not prone to false activations when the earbud is handled or put down on the table. It is also a more robust and reliable interface than capacitive sensing in applications that tend to get wet or damp, such as fitness trackers or earbuds that are used in more active lifestyles.
Existing force sensing techniques are based on capacitive sensing, while Azoteq uses inductive technology. When the housing is compressed, the sensor detects the decrease in distance between a target and an inductive coil or SMT inductor on the PCB to produce an output. The sensor can be calibrated to only trigger an action when a certain amount of pressure is exerted, allowing manufacturers to achieve repeatability in manufacturing. The method also allows designers to completely seal in electronics to design a waterproof solution that is aesthetically pleasing without seams, buttons, or apertures
Azoteq’s IQS7222A IC is an all-in-one capacitive, inductive and Hall-effect IC that allows you to add force sensing together with a capacitive swipe user interface, magnetic docking detection and capacitive wear detection by using a single IC. By only using a single IC it saves board space, bill of material, power consumption and manufacturing costs.
For more TWS solutions visit: https://www.azoteq.com/wireless-earbud-solutions/
About Azoteq (Pty) Ltd
Azoteq (www.azoteq.com) is a pioneer in sensor fusion. With more than a decade of capacitive-sensing experience, the sensor offering is now expanded to include multi-sensor technologies on single ICs. Azoteq has design and manufacturing centers in South Africa and China, and sales offices and distributors in South Africa, Asia, Europe and the USA.
IQ Switch®, ProxSense®, ProxFusion®, LightSenseTM, AirButton®, DYCALTM and WearMax™are trademarks of Azoteq (Pty) Ltd.