An ambient light sensor from Everlight is claimed to meet the requirements for power management for display backlighting of mobile appliances such as mobile phones, notebooks and PDAs. The sensor combines a photodiode and a current amplifier IC in a single package. This is claimed to save power for backlighting displays by adjusting the brightness depending on the ambient light. To ensure accurate measurement, the spectral response of the ambient light sensor corresponds to that of the human eye. The sensor is a current output type which offers a high output linearity across a wide illumination range and a low sensitivity variation across various light sources, says the company. It can be operated within a supply voltage range from 1.8 to 5.5V and in a temperature range from -40 up to 85°C. The sensor is RoHS-compliant, Pb-free and halogen-free It can also be used in computing and consumer devices, automatic residential and commercial management, for example, in- and outdoor light control, automatic contrast enhancement for electronic signboards, ambient light monitoring devices for daylight and artificial light, street light, and CCD/CCTV. The company also provides a combined ambient light and proximity sensor, an APS. It has the the same features with an additional proximity sensor to measure the closeness of objects.
