Four New Sensing Circuits Help Solve Industrial Design Challenges
Texas Instruments (TI) expanded its portfolio of sensing integrated circuits (ICs) with four new devices that allow engineers to accuratelysense key parameters in tight spaces with very low power. These new products provide solutions for temperature, humidity, ambient light and capacitive sensing in a host of industrial and enterprise applications.
The TMP007 is a highly integrated, non-contact infrared (IR) temperature sensor, joining TI's family of the world's smallest thermopile sensors. The new sensor features an integrated math engine, which performs calculations on-chip for direct reading of the object's temperature, and delivers low power consumption of only 675 µJ per measurement. Measuring only 1.9 mm by 1.9 mm by 0.625 mm, the TMP007 allows designers to monitor temperature in space-constrained industrial applications, including protection relays and process control equipment, and other factory and building automation applications, as well as enterprise equipment, such as laser printers and network servers.
Designers of building control equipment can implement accurate, energy-saving climate control in small spaces, while designers of home appliances and consumer goods can easily add humidity sensing capabilities to their products with the HDC1000 integrated humidity and temperature sensor. TI's humidity sensor provides high accuracy and low power in a small, dust-resistant package. The HDC1000 consumes only 1.2 µA of average current when measuring relative humidity and temperature at 11-bit resolution, once per second. This low current can extend battery life in remote applications. The sensor's 2.0-mm by 1.6-mm wafer level chip scale package (WLCSP) simplifies board design and minimizes system size. In addition, the innovative placement of the sensing element on the bottom of the device provides resistance to dust, dirt and other environmental contaminants.
The OPT3001 is a precision ambient light sensor tuned to closely replicate the human eye's photopic response. With its industry-leading spectral response, the sensor can deliver greater than 99 percent IR rejection, to provide consistent light metering regardless of the light source. At 2.0 mm by 2.0 mm by 0.65 mm and supports down to 1.6 V at typical operating current of 2 µA, the ambient light sensor can be used for a variety of battery-powered applications. Additionally, the OPT3001 enables measurement over a 23-bit effective dynamic range, giving designers the high resolution needed for enterprise, lighting control and building and factory automation applications. The new ambient light sensor is compatible with TI's Sensor Hub BoosterPack.
The four-channel FDC1004 capacitance-to-digital converter combines unique features and functions with low power and 16-bit noise performance, over a range of ±15 pF, which makes it easy for designers to use capacitive sensing to increase the intelligence and awareness of their systems. The device can support an offset capacitance of up to 100 pF, allowing for remote sensing in harsh environments or where electronics cannot be located. It includes a strong shield driver to help minimize interference, to help focus the sensing direction and reducing the impact of temperature variations on system performance. The FDC1004 can be used in many applications like proximity wake-up sensing, material analysis and liquid level sensing. It is compatible with microcontrollers (MCUs), such as the ultra-low-power MSP430 MCUs.