Renesas Electronics has introduced the new PH5551A2NA1, a digital ambient illuminance sensor, which is capable of detecting the brightness of ambient light and then transmitting a corresponding signal to a microcontroller (MCU).
The sensor would permit system manufacturers to develop precise automatic brightness adjustments or automatic on/off circuits for mobile terminals, digital household electronics and appliances, handsets, lighting fixtures, factory automation equipment for both outdoor and indoor usage.
The calculations that are based on signals received from numerous light receivers having different wavelength sensitivity characteristics are performed by an internal circuit, which would ensure a reduction up to±20% of variation in sensitivity due to the varied lighting sources such as LEDs, incandescent bulbs and fluorescent lamps. This would help control the ambient brightness, irrespective of the illumination environment.
The new sensor includes an interrupt function, which is capable of outputting a signal to the MCU or the master device when the brightness is more than a preset threshold value, eliminating the necessity for constant communication between the sensor and the MCU and thus decreasing the processing load on the MCU. The clear mould SON package of the device has a dimension of 1.56 x 2.55 x 0.55 mm. A high mounting density on the printed circuit board is possible because of the gap that arises between the SON package and the 0.5mm pins.
Source: http://www.renesas.com