ams OSRAM Launches Ultra-small Ambient Light Sensor with UVA Detection for Wearables

ams OSRAM presents an ambient light sensor with proprietary UV-A light detection. Monitoring vital signs such as pulse or oxygen saturation in the blood via smartphones and smartwatches has been available for several years.

The corresponding UV channel of the TSL2585 from ams OSRAM detects the amount of UV-A radiation in natural sunlight. This enables the user to be warned of excessive UV-A radiation. Due to its compact dimensions, the sensor is ideally suited for space-constrained wearable and other mobile applications.

While the UV-C portion of sunlight is blocked by the earth’s atmosphere, UV-A and UV-B radiation reaches the earth’s surface. UV-B radiation penetrates only the upper layers of the skin and is responsible for sunburn.

UV-A radiation, which accounts for around 90% of the UV component that reaches the earth’s surface, penetrates much deeper into the lower layers of the skin and can, in some cases, have significant health consequences – from weakening of the connective tissue to faster aging of the skin and a higher probability to develop skin cancer.

With the help of the new ambient light sensor from ams OSRAM, smartwatch users can now be warned as soon as the UV-A dose in their environment becomes too high.

“The short integration time and high sensitivity of TSL2585 enables reliable detection of ambient light even when placed under low transmissivity materials and OLED displays. Its small form factor and design offers enormously increased industrial design freedom for manufacturers,” said Barry Guo, marketing manager at ams OSRAM.