New Multi-Channel Spectral Sensor from ams Set to Transform the Market for Mobile Color & Light Measurement

Applications in color analysis, automatic white balancing and color
matching to benefit from improved performance and value thanks to
AS7341’s combination of multi-channel measurement capability, flicker
detection, high sensitivity and small size

PREMSTAETTEN, Austria–(BUSINESS WIRE)–ams (SIX: AMS), a leading worldwide supplier of high performance sensor
solutions, today launched a miniature spectral sensor chip that brings
laboratory-grade multi-channel color analysis capability to portable and
mobile devices.

In end products such as mobile phones or accessories, the new AS7341
from ams produces more precise spectral measurements in a wider range of
lighting conditions than competing sensors. The new sensor’s small
dimensions also mean that it is easier to accommodate it in mobile
phones and other portable devices.

“The AS7341 marks a breakthrough in the category of spectral sensors in
a small package suitable for mounting in a mobile phone or consumer
device. It is the smallest such device to offer 11 measurement channels,
and also offers higher light sensitivity than any other multi-channel
spectral sensor aimed at the consumer market,” says Kevin Jensen, Senior
Marketing Manager in the Optical Sensors business line at ams.

Consumer benefits of the AS7341 include improved performance in mobile
phone cameras, as the chip’s accurate spectral measurements enable
superior automatic white balancing, more reliable light source
identification and integrated flicker detection. The technology will
more accurately reproduce colors and minimize distortion of ambient
light sources, resulting in sharper, clearer and more true-to-color
photographs. The AS7341 also will enable consumers to use their mobile
devices to match the colors of objects such as fabrics through using
color references like the PANTONE® Color System.

The power of the AS7341 to upgrade color measurement performance is
demonstrated by the introduction of the Spectro 1™ portable colorimeter
from Variable (www.variableinc.com).
In the Spectro 1, Variable has used the AS7341 to provide professional
color measurement for solid colors at a consumer price point. The
product provides highly repeatable spectral curve data in 10nm
increments across the visible light spectrum from 400nm to 700nm – a
capability previously only available in professional spectrophotometers
costing more than ten times as much as the portable Spectro 1.

“In our opinion, no other spectral sensor IC comes close to offering the
multi-channel capability of the AS7341 from ams in such a compact chip
package,” says George Yu, CEO of Variable. “This small size is a crucial
benefit – integration with a mobile phone app is one of the key features
of Spectro 1, and we have designed the product to be small enough to
hold easily in one hand. And the multi-channel spectral measurements
provided by the AS7341 mean that users of Spectro 1 will never be misled
by false matching of metameric pairs.”

The AS7341 is a complete spectral sensing system housed in a tiny 3.1mm
x 2.0mm x 1.0mm LGA package with aperture. It is an 11-channel device
which provides extremely accurate and precise characterizations of the
spectral content of a directly measured light source, or of a reflective
surface. Eight of the channels cover eight equally spaced portions of
the visible light spectrum. The device also features a near infrared
channel, a clear channel, and a channel dedicated to the detection of
typical ambient light flicker at a frequency of 50Hz upto 1kHz.

Beside camera image optimization, the AS7341 spectral sensor also
supports various applications, such general color measurement of
materials or fluids, skin tone measurement, and others.

The AS7341, which will be demonstrated at CES 2019 (Las Vegas, NV, 8-11
January 2019) is available for sampling. Mass production starting in
February. Unit pricing is $2.00 in an order quantity of 10,000 units.

An evaluation board for the AS7341 spectral sensor is available. For
sample requests or for more technical information, please visit our
website at www.ams.com/AS7341.

PR online: https://ams.com/press-releases

Contacts

Amy Flécher
Vice President Marketing Communications
press@ams.com
www.ams.com