STMicroelectronics Develops Light and Color-Sensing ChipSTMicroelectronics Develops Light and Color-Sensing Chip

STMicroelectronics on Friday announced a brightness and color-sensing chip designed to extend the battery life of mobile devices and improve display viewing.

The VM6101 chip is designed for mobile phones, notebook computers, and LCD TVs. It offers both color and ambient light sensing, according to the company.

The battery life for mobile devices is highly contingent on the amount of power used by the LCD and on its brightness setting. The chip's sensors, with a standard System Management Bus interface, are set to enable the LCD to adjust automatically to match ambient lighting conditions. It also can be used to provide color balancing adjustment for projection systems and RGB backlighting, reports STMicroelectronics. The VM6101 has four pixels (red, green, blue, and one with no filter), to measure the total ambient light level.

"Ambient light sensing can benefit numerous applications," said Jean-Yves Gomez, a general manager, in a statement. "Backlight control for LCDs, whether in mobile phones and other portable consumer devices, or in flat-panel TVs can ... reduce power consumption and preserving battery life."

The VM6101 is based on the company's proprietary CMOS sensor technology. They will be manufactured at their facilities in Crolles, France.