Knowles Releases High-Performance Digital Voice Vibration Sensor for High-Fidelity Voice Pick-Up in TWS

April 4 2023, 15:00
Knowles released a low power, high bandwidth, specialized vibration sensor that can be used to filter background noise and create reliable, high-quality voice calling in noisy environments. The Knowles V2S200D Digital Voice Vibration Sensor, the first-of-its-kind for the brand works in conjunction with microphones to improve voice signal pick-up in True Wireless Stereo (TWS) earbuds.
 

More than ever, consumers use audio devices, such as True Wireless Stereo (TWS) earbuds, for voice communication on the move, often in public places. Distracting noises common in restaurants, airports, and public transportation, for example, present challenges for achieving high-quality communication with traditional noise suppression techniques. High winds and traffic noise can also severely degrade voice call clarity in outdoor environments.

Knowles new V2S200D digital vibration sensor is designed to help solve these challenges and selectively pick up the speaker’s voice while suppressing all other sounds. Blending low-band voice signals from the V2S200D with the high-band voice signals using today's TWS microphones enables a consistent, reliable, and frustration-free voice call experience in such environments. In addition to enhancing voice call quality, this sensor enables other use cases like voice activity detection, user authentication, rejection of secondary voices, and personalization.

With its small size, high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and low power, the V2S200D vibration sensor offers an ideal solution to OEMs/ODMs looking to enhance the user experience of their products while working with significant industrial design and battery life constraints. In addition, it emulates a digital mic with Pulse Density Modulation (PDM) interface, which makes hardware integration and software development hassle-free.
 
"Frictionless communication from anywhere using Bluetooth headsets has become a basic expectation from consumers. We are more on-the-go than ever, and the new ‘work-from-anywhere’ culture means dialing into conference calls from cafes, trains, and lounges," says Saket Thukral, Sr. Director of Product Line Management for microphones at Knowles. "We are excited to offer our customers an easy-to-use, high-performance solution to meet this expectation and help them delight consumers."
 
"Bone conduction sensors are fast becoming an essential feature in TWS designs to improve voice pick-up in noisy environments. Until now, solutions in the market have tended to deliver less-than-ideal performance or have been challenging to integrate due to their size, robustness, high power consumption, or some other significant trade-off. I had a chance to experience the new Knowles V2S200D sensor at CES 2023. The unique solution provides remarkable performance, with low power, in a tiny package - the sweet spot for many applications in today’s market," adds Peter Cooney, Founder and Research Director of SAR Insight.
 
Knowles confirms that V2S200D devices are sampling with lead customers and are expected to be in mass production later in 2023.
For more product information and ordering samples, click here: knowles.com/V2S.
www.knowles.com
 
Nikolay Skovorodnikov, Senior Manager, Applications Engineering MEMS microphones at Knowles Corporation, demonstrates the Knowles V2S200D vibration sensor at CES 2023. The demo allows users to listen to a voice captured by a microphone on a true wireless earbud with wind noise simulated with a fan, followed by the signal captured by the vibration sensor up to 2kHz. Finally the demo shows the combination of both signals with the microphone signal filtered below 2kHz with clear improvements in intelligibility and removal of the wind noise. 
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