austriamicrosystems TSL4531 ambient light sensor

austriamicrosystems has introduced its TSL4531 ambient light sensor family, which enables daylight harvesting for intelligent lighting systems and luminaires.

The devices offer a wide sensitivity range of three to 220,000 lux, preventing saturation, even in direct sunlight, while implementing a photopic response model that spectrally matches light perception in the human eye.

The sensors provide a simple, direct lux output and a 16-bit digital interface. Filters automatically reject the 50-60 Hz ripple typically produced by a building's fluorescent lighting systems, enabling the sensed light levels to measure the daylight that is entering the building with greater accuracy.

Daylight harvesting is the next major step in developing integrated lighting systems, enabling luminaires to dim in response to outside light that is entering a building through windows or skylights. By supplementing the working space with only light needed to maintain a uniformly lit environment, energy savings of 30% or more can be realised compared with existing installations which do not respond to changes in ambient light.

Features include: direct lux output; approximates the human eye's spectral response in diverse lighting conditions; three user-selectable integration times (400, 200 and 100 ms); wide dynamic range (3 to 220,000 lux); low active current (110 µA typical); power down mode (2.2 µA typical); 16-bit digital output compatible with I²C interface; ultra-small 2 x 2 mm ChipLED package; 2.5 V supply voltage with 1.8 V logic interface; and rejects 50/60 Hz lighting ripple.