Texas
Advanced Optoelectronic Solutions, Inc. has launched the first members of its
next generation digital ambient light sensor (ALS) and proximity detection
family designed to enable consumer electronics manufacturers to produce
sleeker, more appealing and innovative product designs. The new devices
eliminate the need for clear glass or plastic in front of the sensor or to
drill holes/slots in the display, bezel or frame in order for light to reach
the sensor.
Specifically
designed to operate behind darkened glass or other translucent materials, the
TSL2771 device family provides both ambient light sensing and proximity
detection in a single device that consumes far less power than currently
available comparable solutions. Proximity detection is ideally suited for
touch-screen smart phones to automatically turn off the display or control
other user functions. It can also be used in laptops, desktop computers and
monitors to conserve energy and maintain information privacy when the user is
not present. Other emerging applications for proximity sensing technology
include touchless display controls activation and management as well as human
gesture detection.
"The
need for ambient light sensors to operate behind darkened glass or other
translucent materials has emerged as a critical requirement in today's consumer
electronic products," said Carlo Strippoli, TAOS, Inc. Vice President of
Sales & Marketing. "Consumers have become increasingly sophisticated
and manufacturers need a way to be able to deliver sleeker, more compelling
designs while still delivering the benefits of improved picture quality and
reduced energy consumption that digital ambient light sensors provide."
The TSL2771
Ambient Light Sensor and Proximity Detection device family incorporates an IR
LED current-limited driver, analog-to-digital conversion (ADC), interrupt
capability, multiple I2C interface voltage options, and flexible programming,
allowing it to be configured into many different applications. As darkened
glass or translucent materials can be transparent to IR wavelengths while
attenuating visible light by 100 times or more, the device utilizes TAOS'
patented dual-photodiode architecture that allows the sensor system to
compensate for the increased IR component. When combined with the ability to
adjust the analog gain settings up to 128X, the device excels in challenging
low-light level applications.
"In many
portable applications, battery life is critical," said Kerry Glover, TAOS,
Inc. Applications Manager. "Traditional proximity detection methods
require a significant amount of power. With the new TAOS architecture, as few
as one IR pulse is required for presence detection. This can provide 10x in
power savings over traditional analog or other digital solutions."
In
applications requiring longer distance detection, an external driver can be utilized
to boost the power such that a person can be detected in front of a monitor. A
unique state machine allows the device to go into a lower power wait state,
thereby having the high-power external detection running only a small portion
of the time.
For
applications requiring only ambient light sensing, this family of TAOS devices
also includes the TSL2580/81 high-sensitivity ambient light sensors.
To
accelerate time-to-market and reduce design-in effort, TAOS provides support
for software device drivers and/or C-reference code as well as Evaluation
Modules (EVMs).
The TSL27711
(3V bus) and TSL27713 (1.8V bus) are packaged in Dual Flat No-Lead (FN)
packages.
The TSL2771 ALS and
Proximity Detection and TSL2580/81 high-sensitivity ALS devices are available
now from TAOS, Inc. and its authorized distributors.'Pricing for both the
TSL27711 and TSL27713 is $1.07 in quantities of 1,000 pieces. The TSL2580 with
SMBus interface and the TSL2581 with I2C interface are available in FN packages
and are priced at $0.75 each in quantities of 1,000 pieces.
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