Industry's First Integrated RGB Color Sensor Arrives

March 31, 2003

With a digital-compatible interface, this high-resolution single-die light-to-frequency converter can now be used as a drop-in design component.

Roger Allan

Designers can now take a "drop in" approach when adding color-sensing capabilities to their new products. Claimed by its manufacturer as the first integrated RGB color sensor with a digital-compatible interface, the TCS230 integrates red, green, and blue (RGB) filters on a single die. It's built on a high-performance light-to-frequency converter platform that enables 10 to 12 bits or better resolution per color channel without the need for expensive analog-to-digital converters.

The device, developed by Texas Advanced Optoelectronic Solutions Inc., is a programmable color light-to-frequency converter suited for colorimeter measurement applications. "Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for designers to add light-sensing capabilities to their repertoire in new product designs," explains Carlo Strippoli, TAOS vice president of marketing and sales.

A 64-photodiode grid is used, consisting of four types of photodiodes: red, green, blue, and clear for overall intensity information. The photodiodes are interdigitated to minimize the effect of nonuniformity of incident irradiance. All 16 photodiodes of the same color are connected in parallel, and the color the TCS230 selects for use during operation is dynamically selectable via two programming pins. The device can respond to light over a 250,000:1 dynamic range, with a typical output frequency range of 2 Hz to 500 kHz. With two other programming pins, the user also may select output scaling factors of 100%, 20% or 2%, or a power-down mode.

The TCS230 is available now in an eight-pin SOIC surface-mount package for $2.67 in 1000-piece quantities. An evaluation module is available from TAOS Inc. and its authorized distributors.

TAOS Inc.
www.taosinc.com
(972) 673-0759

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About the Author

Roger Allan

Roger Allan is an electronics journalism veteran, and served as Electronic Design's Executive Editor for 15 of those years. He has covered just about every technology beat from semiconductors, components, packaging and power devices, to communications, test and measurement, automotive electronics, robotics, medical electronics, military electronics, robotics, and industrial electronics. His specialties include MEMS and nanoelectronics technologies. He is a contributor to the McGraw Hill Annual Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. He is also a Life Senior Member of the IEEE and holds a BSEE from New York University's School of Engineering and Science. Roger has worked for major electronics magazines besides Electronic Design, including the IEEE Spectrum, Electronics, EDN, Electronic Products, and the British New Scientist. He also has working experience in the electronics industry as a design engineer in filters, power supplies and control systems.

After his retirement from Electronic Design Magazine, He has been extensively contributing articles for Penton’s Electronic Design, Power Electronics Technology, Energy Efficiency and Technology (EE&T) and Microwaves RF Magazine, covering all of the aforementioned electronics segments as well as energy efficiency, harvesting and related technologies. He has also contributed articles to other electronics technology magazines worldwide.

He is a “jack of all trades and a master in leading-edge technologies” like MEMS, nanolectronics, autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence, military electronics, biometrics, implantable medical devices, and energy harvesting and related technologies.