Environmental light sensor analog light intensity module visible light sensor
The sensitivity of the TEMT6000 sensor is 570nm, and it has a wide half sensitivity angle of ± 60 °. Although the device is highly sensitive to ambient light, it can suppress infrared (IR) spectra, providing higher visible spectral responsiveness similar to the human eye.
The TEMT6000 was designed as an ambient light detector for automatically controlling the backlight dimming of cell phones, laptops, car dashboards and similar items. It can be used in many applications where it is desirable to measure the relative brightness of the light falling on the sensor.
The sensor is designed to mainly detect the light spectrum visible to the human eye with peak sensitivity at 570nm which is in the green spectrum. The full range spans 440nm to 800nm.
The sensor itself is a NPN phototransistor. Increased light intensity on the base of the transistor increases the current flowing through the transistor collector/emitter.
On the TEMT6000 Module;
The module includes a 10K resistor. The TEMT6000 sensor and the resistor form a voltage divider network as shown to the right. As light intensity increases, the current flow also increases. This causes the voltage drop across the 10K resistor to increase and so the voltage on the signal output increases towards Vcc.
The output voltage is fairly linear with the intensity of the illumination (lux) that is falling on the device. The range of reliable detection spans a low of 10 lux to a high of 1000 lux.
The analog output of the module is typically input into the analog input on a microcontroller where it can be measured and acted on. It works quite well for making relative measurements and determining if it is getting brighter or darker.
Resources:
1. Datasheet
2. TEMT6000 Ambient Light Sensor & Arduino – Measure Illuminance & Light Intensity