(iTers News) – ROHM Semiconductor has developed a color sensor for display-equipped devices such as smartphones and tablets. The color sensop is used to optimally adjust the display screens for the ambient light condition.
The BH1745NUC sensor leverages original infrared removal technology and computing methods to achieve the industry's highest* infrared cutoff characteristics, reducing the effects of infrared rays by over 10x compared with conventional products. This enables compatibility with dark (low permeability) optical windows – unlike conventional color sensors that cannot provide accurate detection due to the effects of infrared interference when dark windows are used.
In recent years a greater number of smartphones, tablets, and other display-equipped devices have begun to integrate color sensors in order to analyze the RGB components of ambient light for display image adjustment or perform backlight dimming based on the surrounding brightness levels.
Conventional color sensors require a transparent optical window in order to accurately detect visible (i.e. RGB) light. However, the design trend in many smartphones and portable devices is to adopt dark optical windows which, although more stylish, make it difficult to precisely detect colors, since less visible light gets through and the light that does permeate gets mixed in with IR rays.
In response, ROHM takes advantage of optical sensor expertise cultivated over many years, including original infrared removal technology and proprietary computing methods, to develop a color sensor that provides unmatched performance – even with dark optical windows.
It is priced at US$0.72 (4000 pcs). Smaple shipments are available right now, and mass priduction will start with April 2015
Applications:
Display-equipped devices such as smartphones and tablets
Analyzes the RGB components of ambient light and detects the color temperature for adjusting display images
Detects the brightness for optimized LED backlight dimming in displays based on surrounding conditions
Industrial equipment and processing facilities that detect the color of products and/or liquids