Vishay released the industry's thinnest fully integrated proximity and ambient light optical sensors

The device combines infrared emitter, photodiode, ambient light detector, signal conditioning IC and 16 bit resolution ADC to 4.8mm x x 0.8mm package in the device

The day before, Vishay Intertechnology announced the launch of 0.8mm industry has the lowest height of the new integrated optical proximity and ambient light sensor - VCNL4020. This device to an infrared emitter and used photodiodes, measuring close degrees of an ambient light detector, a signal conditioning IC and a 16 bit ADC are combined into a small size of the 4.8mm x 2.3mm x 0.8mm (LLP) rectangular leadless package. The 3 and 1 sensors have an interrupt function, support I2C bus communication interface, can greatly simplify the placement of a variety of consumer and industrial applications in the window and sensor placement.

For the intelligent mobile phone, mobile phone touch screen, PDA, GPS unit and digital cameras and other mobile devices, the new VCNL4020 can be used as a proximity sensor, when close to the user in the object off the display backlight, while using the integrated function of the ambient light display / keyboard brightness adaptive control to save energy effect. VCNL4020 puts all of the circuits required for these applications into a single device, without additional grating, and does not require infrared emitters and photodiodes to be aligned on the optical path.

Other similar characteristics of the device on the printed circuit board used in chip packaging thickness of 1.2mm or more thick, while the use of VCNL4020 exclusive technology, the market is the thinnest product. This gives the designer more flexibility to decide where and how to place the sensor. More flexible, VCNL4020 can work under any depth or air gap conditions below the glass window, unlike the other 8 -, 10 - or 16 bit devices that require depth or air gap not more than 1.5mm or even smaller. On the expensive special flexible circuit board, the lower resolution of the device must keep a certain distance from other components. Near 16 bit resolution VCNL4020 can install other components in the main PCB, can well resist crosstalk on the sensor window usually absorbs 90% of the infrared emission situation, this is particularly important.

The interrupt function of the VCNL4020 enables the sensor to work independently until a predefined proximity or ambient light event occurs, and then the microcontroller wakes up. This helps consumers reduce their software overhead by reducing the flow of communication between the sensor and the microcontroller to reduce power consumption.

In other products can only detect objects within 100mm, VCNL4020 by increasing the 10mA ~ 200mA programmable LED drive current, so that the detection distance of 10mA (200mm). To increase the detection distance of the proximity sensor, the VCNL4020 also includes an integrated external transmit driver. The test results show that the detection distance can reach 1m with two external transmitters. The infrared signal is modulated by the device, which has excellent ability to restrain the environment light. The emitter has a peak wavelength of 892nm, with no visible "red tail", unlike many other manufacturers.

Ambient light photodiode is built in VCNL4020, the sensitivity is close to the human eye, the 16 dynamic range of the ambient light detection range of 0.25lux ~ 16klux. Sensor is not affected by 100Hz and 120Hz stroboscopic noise.

The standby current of the device is only 1.5 A, the supply voltage is 2.5V ~ 3.6V, the I2C bus voltage is 1.7V ~ 5V. The humidity sensitivity of the sensor is 3 and the operating temperature is -25 DEG C to +85. VCNL4020 comply with RoHS directive 2011/65/EU and WEEE 2002/96/EC, halogen free, lead-free solder.