ams OSRAM (Korea Representative Seok-Won Kang), a global leader in intelligent sensors and emitters, has reduced the complexity of automotive electronics design and improved the user experience with the launch of a new generation of capacitive sensors that ensure reliability even in demanding automotive environments.

ams announced on the 28th that it has launched the 'AS8580', a capacitive detection sensor that operates reliably even in challenging automotive environments.

This new product meets the high reliability and safety requirements of both interior and exterior vehicle applications, setting a new standard for automotive electrical design.

Capacitive sensors are used in a variety of automotive applications, including door handle touch, gesture-based trunk opening and closing, and in-vehicle human-machine interfaces (HMIs).

However, existing solutions had problems with performance degradation in real-world environments such as rain, freezing, humidity, and car washing.

ams OSRAM's AS8580 solves this problem by applying robust capacitive sensing technology based on IQ demodulation.

By separating the measured capacitance into parasitic resistance and capacitance parts, it maintains high sensitivity even to environmental disturbances and provides stable performance even under difficult conditions.

Key technical specifications include a sensitivity of 1.9 fF/LSB for precise touch and proximity detection and minimal low-temperature drift. Ensures stable performance under various conditions.

The low-power sleep mode also supports energy-efficient system design with a minimum of 20 μA, and meets ISO 26262 ASIL-B and AEC-Q100 Grade 1 standards, and has also been safety certified.

These characteristics make them suitable for automotive safety-related systems and are particularly important in automotive applications where sensor reliability is directly linked to the user experience.

The AS8580 supports a standard SPI interface, making it compatible with a variety of microcontrollers (MCUs). This simplifies system design and provides a scalable architecture. By minimizing errors, such as trunk failures in humid weather, it reduces the burden on engineers' validation and reduces field returns and debugging costs.

“Exterior automotive applications must assume extreme conditions as the norm,” said Jouni Riihimaki, Product Manager for Capacitive Sensors at ams OSRAM. “The AS8580 helps build systems that operate reliably even in water, ice and extreme temperatures.”

Although developed to meet automotive requirements, the AS8580 can also be used in consumer electronics and industrial applications.

In the automotive industry, it is used for steering wheel detection, human presence detection, and fluid level and quality monitoring, while in consumer electronics, it is used for button-less kitchen stove control and smart building access systems.

In industrial applications, it is used for proximity and touch-based control interfaces.

Thanks to its high sensitivity and robust performance, the AS8580 provides a reliable and flexible solution for capacitive sensing in a wide range of environments.