- TOKYO, Japan, March 3, 2025 -

Seiko Epson Corporation (TSE: 6724, "Epson") has developed a new power management IC, the S1A00210B, for hearing aids and other small electronic devices. Samples can be reserved from April 2025, with shipments scheduled for August.

Power management integrated circuits (PMICs) are primarily responsible for managing power in electronic devices. In recent years, they have also been used to control the charging of secondary (rechargeable) batteries.

Epson began developing PMICs for hearing aids in 2016. At the time, most hearing aids used primary (non-rechargeable) batteries. The drawbacks of primary batteries are that the voltage drops over time, they are troublesome to replace, and they require a waterproof battery compartment. To solve these issues, Epson applied its wireless charging technology for use in hearing aids. Epson's technology has been adopted by multiple hearing aid manufacturers, contributing to the practical application of rechargeable hearing aids and improving their convenience.

Epson's lineup of PMICs for hearing aids currently consists of three models: one wireless-charging model and two contact-charging models.

The new PMIC, the S1A00210B, uses a smaller coil than its wireless charging predecessor, the S1A00112B, thanks to a higher transfer frequency¹. The smaller coil means that the size of the hearing aid itself can be reduced. The S1A00210B can also store two types of battery charging profiles and manage the number of charging cycles, allowing it to optimize the charging method for batteries with different characteristics or those that have undergone repeated charging. This helps to shorten the charging time and extend battery life. These features promise to significantly improve the convenience for hearing aid users.

The S1A00210B also reduces the component count with a newly integrated general-purpose power supply LDO (low-dropout regulator)² that eliminates the need for a discrete power IC to supply power to a Bluetooth^® Low Energy chip³ or senser chip, which is increasingly being incorporated into hearing aids. Integrating all the necessary power management for small electronic devices (power reception, charging, power supply, battery protection, Flash ROM) into a single chip also simplifies circuit design.

Epson is committed to helping customers further improve the performance of their products and contribute to the wellbeing of people and society by leveraging its efficient, compact, and precise technologies to save energy, save space, and deliver exceptional precision and accuracy.

Hearing aids, sound amplifiers, and smart rings, among other small devices

• It is compatible with both wireless charging and contact charging.
• It stores two types of battery charging profiles in the PMIC and manages the number of charge/discharge cycles, helping to enable high-speed charging and extending battery life.
• All the necessary PMIC functions (power reception, charging, power supply, battery protection, Flash ROM) are integrated into a single chip, saving space and simplifying circuit design.

Epson semiconductor product information

https://global.epson.com/products_and_drivers/semicon/products/pmic/index.html

• ¹ Epson's wireless charging works using electromagnetic induction. A coil with a smaller area can be used because increasing the frequency reduces the required inductance value.
• ² An LDO is a linear regulator that can operate with a small difference between input and output voltage. Linear regulators are used in various electronic devices.
• ³ Bluetooth^® Low Energy is a standard for short-range wireless communication within Bluetooth^® that enables communication between devices with low power consumption.

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