Designing VCNL4010 into an Application

The VCNL4010 is a fully integrated proximity and ambient light sensor. It combines an infrared emitter and PIN photodiode for proximity measurement, ambient light sensor, and signal processing IC in a single package with a 16 bit ADC. The device provides ambient light sensing to support conventional backlight and display brightness auto-adjustment, and proximity sensing to minimize accidental touch input that can lead to call drops and camera launch. With a range of up to 20 cm (7.9”), this stand-alone, single component greatly simplifies the use and design-in of a proximity sensor in consumer and industrial applications because no mechanical barriers are required to optically isolate the emitter from the detector. The VCNL4010 features a miniature leadless package (LLP) for surface mounting in a 3.9 mm x 3.9 mm package with a low profile of 0.75 mm designed specifically for the low height requirements of smart phone, mobile phone, digital camera, and tablet PC applications. Through its standard I2C bus serial digital interface, it allows easy access to a “Proximity Signal” and “Light Intensity” measurements without complex calculations or programming. The programmable interrupt function offers wake-up functionality for the microcontroller when a proximity event or ambient light change occurs which reduces processing overhead by eliminating the need for continuous polling.