Colour Sensor Based Ambient Light with Manual

Control
Department ofElectronics& Instrumentation Engineering
Guru Nanak Institute of Technology
Kolkata-700114
India

Abstract

The ambient light sensing system includes a polychromatic colour sensor, an analog-to-digital
converter (ADC), and a digital processor. The polychromatic colour sensor generates a plurality of
analog signals from a corresponding plurality of colour channels based on a detected ambient light
signal. The ADC is coupled to the polychromatic colour sensor. The ADC converts the plurality of
analog signals to a plurality of digital signals. The digital processor is coupled to the ADC. The digital
processor generates a processed light signal. The processed light signal describes a characteristic of
the detected ambient light signal. Embodiments of the ALS system provide a more comprehensive
characterization of the ambient light, and facilitate control of a device based on the characterization of
the ambient light. It also consists of a manual part, in which the colour of the LED can be manually set
by the user and, thus used for various other purposes.

1. INTRODUCTION

The development of the market for tablets and smartphones has shown the power of attractive
industrial design to build strong market positions for OEMs. As the attention widens out to wearable
products such as smart watches, the need for fashionable, distinctive product design will only become
more intense. Because the combination of colour-rich liquid crystal or organic LED displays and
capacitive touch screens is so powerful, it’s only natural that this should dominate the design. But this
doesn’t mean that all products need to use a clear glass and silver design. Tinted glass offers many
possible ways to differentiate on look and feel. Although the tint of the glass will alter the look of the
user interface, it’s possible to compensate for this through the display panel itself—altering the colour
balance of the pixels so that, when activated, the glass over the display appears to clear. Not only
that, the display can be designed such that it not only compensates for coloured glass, but for
changes in ambient light conditions, from the blue light of a sunny day to the yellow or red tinge of
some indoor lighting. The key requirement for this capability is an accurate red, green, blue (RGB)
ambient light sensor in place of the simple white ambient light sensor used today on smartphones to
help determine the level of brightness needed by the display. By taking account of colour as well as
ambient brightness, the display can be made easier to see and more pleasurable to use. A second
benefit of ambient RGB detection in handsets and tablets is when it’s used with the built-in camera
sensor. By providing feedback on the ambient lighting, the sensor provides vital information to
algorithms that perform automatic white balancing to ensure accurate skin tones and colour
consistency in photographs that the user takes. Through the use of accurate colour feedback, the
algorithms can even determine the likely light source, such as fluorescent lighting or a cloudy sky. In
addition, flash output and flash drive current can also be optimized knowing the light source and light
intensity. This contributes to improved battery life. The technology can also benefit instrument panels
in automotive applications to improve their readability and attractiveness under the fast changing
lighting conditions of night-time roads, where yellow sodium lights mix with other sources that pass by
quickly.
I. DESIGN OF THE SYSTEM

An ambient light sensor (ALS) system comprises:

 A polychromatic colour sensor to generate a plurality of analog signals from a

corresponding plurality of colour channels based on a detected ambient light signal.
 An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) coupled to the polychromatic colour sensor, the
analog-to-digital converter to convert the plurality of analog signals to a plurality of digital
signals;
 A digital processor coupled to the analog-to-digital converter, the digital processor to
generate a processed light signal according to a mapping of individual colour responses
to a standard colour space, wherein the processed light signal describes a characteristic
of the detected ambient light signal; and
 A memory device coupled to the digital processor, the memory device to store a
correlated colour temperature algorithm, wherein the digital processor is further
configured to generate the processed light signal according to the correlated colour
temperature algorithm stored in the memory device.

II. WORKING PRINCIPLE

The working principle of the ambient light sensor (ALS) system is as follows:

 The ALS system includes a polychromatic colour sensor, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), and a
digital processor.
 The polychromatic colour sensor generates a plurality of analog signals from a corresponding plurality
of colour channels based on a detected ambient light signal. The ADC is coupled to the polychromatic
colour sensor. The ADC converts the plurality of analog signals to a plurality of digital signals.

 The digital processor is coupled to the ADC. The digital processor generates a processed light signal.
The processed light signal describes a characteristic of the detected ambient light signal.

 The apparatus is configured to monitor ambient light. The apparatus includes means for receiving a
light signal from an ambient light source, means for generating a plurality of sensor signals from the
received light signal, and means for generating a processed light signal.

 The ADC converts analog voltage signals to digital voltage signals. In an ALS system which uses an
RGB colour sensor, the analog voltage signals include a red analog voltage signal, AR, a green analog
voltage signal, AG, and a blue analog voltage signal, AB.
 The digital processor processes one or more of the digital voltage signals to generate a processed light
signal. The processed light signal describes one or more characteristics of the ambient light signal
detected by the polychromatic colour sensor