Colour sensor module provides design flexibility

The device features a small 4.00 × 1.75mm footprint with a height of just 1.00mm, making it ideal for next-generation mobile phones with extremely tight layout and mechanical design constraints.

The module’s wide 45-degree field-of-view, ambient light sensing accuracy of ±10 percent, and operating range of 200 mlx to 60 klx behind dark glass all enable smartphones to measure the surrounding light environment and automatically adjust display color and brightness for optimal viewing.

The colour sensor channels each have ultraviolet (UV)- and infrared (IR)-blocking filters and a dedicated converter that allows simultaneous data capture necessary for accurate measurements.

The combination of photopic colour and ambient light sensing enables smartphones to perform real-time adjustment of the display properties to achieve the best visual color accuracy.

Features enable dynamic elimination of both electrical and optical crosstalk, which produces reliable proximity detection — a function that allows smartphones to disable the touchscreen display when held close to the user’s face.

In addition, the module’s integrated IR LED is calibrated for maximum performance and consistent operation.

The TMD3700 module is supported by an evaluation kit, also available from Mouser Electronics.

The kit includes a main controller board with a PIC microcontroller, USB 2.0 cable, a TMD3700 module daughter card, plug-and-play USB HID class drivers, and GUI software that allows users to control the proximity and colour sensor settings.