ams launches smallest available XYZ tri-stimulus sensor for True Color consumer applications

ams (SIX: AMS), a leading worldwide supplier of high performance sensor solutions, today released the TCS3430, the first XYZ tristimulus True Color sensor IC to be offered with a small footprint suitable for consumer devices such as notebooks, smartphones and tablets.

Providing digital measurements of illuminance (brightness) and chromaticity matching the CIE 1931 “Standard Observer” XYZ scale enabeling True Color functionalities – which is the industry standard for quantifying the average human’s perception of light – the miniature TCS3430 may be used for functions such as display management, automatic white color balancing or color management.

OEMs which move from RGB color sensors to the new cost effective TCS3430 will be able to achieve dramatic improvements in camera and display performance, enabling users of mobile devices to enjoy:

• Adapting the display color and brightness towards warm or cool white, based on the Correlated Color Temperature (CCT) level of the environment
• High quality display calibration to provide color balancing and vidid images based on the source input
• More realistic images and almost zero color distortion from the camera, rivaling the color balancing performance of professional-grade photography equipment

The TCS3430 benefits from proprietary ams technology for fabricating interferometric optical filters directly on the wafer. The ams interferometric filters can be made with the spectral characteristics of the XYZ spectral responsivity model of the human eye. In the TCS3430, the filters provide five channels: X, Y and Z channels and two infrared channels. The IR channels are used for advanced light source detection. The Y channel’s response to the green portion of the visible light spectrum provides a measure of illuminance, enabling the TCS3430 to operate as an ambient light sensor as well as a color sensor.

The TCS3430 is supplied as a packaged IC measuring 2.41mm x 1.75mm x 1.00mm. The aperture of the sensor needs to be covered by an achromatic diffuser. The TCS3430’s high sensitivity and wide dynamic range mean that it can be mounted behind dark or transparent cover glass. It ope-rates from a 1.8V supply, and provides an I²C interface to a host processor.

“The TCS3430 is the smallest available True Color sensor. It enables consumer products to drastically improve and manage their color and brightness performance, much more precise to the ambient light conditions and to the True Color of images”, said Kevin Jensen, Senior Marketing Manager for Color Sensors at ams. “Consumers are becoming more and more aware of the concept of color. Recent surveys confirm that consumers find it challenging to match items from their home to store or online products. The precise white point balancing of images does not only improve the quality of images for designers and professionals, but also assists general consumers to make decisions and reduce overall product returns”, he added.

The TCS3430 is available for sampling. Unit pricing is $1.59 in an order quantity of 1,000 units.

In addition an eval kit for the TCS3430 is available. For requests and more technical information, go to www.ams.com/Color-Sensors/TCS3430.