Vishay Semiconductor has announced a fully integrated proximity and ambient light sensor with a range of up to 1.5 meters

     Vishay Semiconductor's VCNL4200 3-in-1 sensor features a high-power infrared transmitter, near-field and ambient light detector, signal processing IC, and 12 /16 bit ADC while providing interrupt functionality and supporting I(2)C bus communication interface for smart home, industrial, and office applications. The VCNL4200 provides 50% closer detection than its predecessor, providing on-site detection for display activation in printers, copiers and home appliances; Collision avoidance of toys and robots; Proximity and lighting control in offices, corridors and public buildings; Convenient device activation; Available parking in parking lots and garages.

     By including the circuits required for these applications in one device, the sensor eliminates the need for additional light barriers and optical alignment for infrared emitters and photodiodes. The device's small form factor saves space and gives design engineers more flexibility in where and how they position the sensors.

     The VCNL4200's ambient light and proximity sensors operate in parallel structures, each offering programmable interrupt features with high and low thresholds that allow the sensor to wake up applications from low power mode, reducing the overall power consumption of the application. The device's filtering technology enables the spectral sensitivity of ambient light to approach that of the human eye, while providing excellent background light cancellation capabilities.

     The VCNL4200's built-in ambient photodiode provides detection from 0.003 lx to 1.57 klx, allowing the device to operate in dark or high-transparency lens design applications. The 16-bit sensor provides fluorescent scintillation immunity and excellent temperature compensation from -40°C to +85°C. The VCNL4200's 12-bit proximity sensor uses smart cancellation to eliminate crosstalk, while the smart persistence scheme ensures accurate sensing and faster response times.

     The transmitter's wavelength peaks at 940 nanometers, with no visible "red tail." The unit offers a supply voltage range from 2.5V to 3.6V and I(2)C bus voltage range from 1.8V to 3.6V. The sensor comes in a lead-free (Pb) 10-pin QFN package, RoHS compliant, halogen free, and Vishay Green.