Vishay’s New Proximity and Ambient Light Sensor Offers Long-Distance Proximity Detection to 1 Meter

The Optoelectronics group of Vishay Intertechnology unveils a new high-sensitivity proximity and ambient light sensor with long-distance proximity detection up to 1 m.

Featuring Filtron technology in a compact 8 mm by 3 mm by 1.8 mm surface-mount package:

• The Vishay Semiconductors VCNL4100 combines a high-power IR emitter, photo detectors for proximity and ambient light, a signal processing IC, and an 8-bit / 16-bit ADC.
• The three-in-one sensor features an interrupt function and supports I²C bus communication interface for smart home, industrial, and office applications.
• Containing the circuitry needed for these applications in one device, the sensor eliminates the need for additional light barriers and optical alignment of the IR emitter and photo diode.
• The device’s small outline saves space and gives design engineers greater flexibility in where and how they locate the sensor.
• The ambient light and proximity sensors of the VCNL4100 operate in a parallel structure, and each offers a programmable interrupt function with high and low thresholds that allow the sensor to wake up an application from a low-power mode, reducing the overall power consumption of an application.
• The device’s Filtron technology enables ambient light spectral sensitivity close to that of the human eye while offering excellent background light cancellation capabilities.

Additional features include

• The VCNL4100’s built-in ambient light photo diode offers detection from 0.01 lx to 5.2 klx, allowing the device to operate in applications with dark or high-transparency lens designs.
• The 16-bit sensor offers fluorescent light flicker immunity and excellent temperature compensation from -40 °C to +85 °C.
• The VCNL4100’s 8-bit proximity sensor uses intelligent cancellation to eliminate cross-talk, while a smart persistence scheme ensures accurate sensing and faster response time. The emitter wavelength peaks at 940 nm and has no visible “red-tail.”

The device offers a supply voltage range of 2.5 V to 3.6 V and I²C bus voltage range from 1.8 V to 3.6 V. Offered in a lead (Pb)-free 10-pin molded package, the sensor is RoHS-compliant, halogen-free, and Vishay Green.

Application

With fivefold increase in proximity detection over previous-generation devices, the VCNL4100 provides presence detection for display activation in printers, copiers, and home appliances; collision avoidance in toys and robots; lighting control in offices, corridors, and public buildings; lavatory appliance activation; and vehicle occupancy detection in parking lots.

Availability

Samples and production quantities of the new VCNL4100 are available now, with lead times of eight to 12 weeks for large orders.