TELEFUNKEN Semiconductors ANT014

Application of Optoelectronic Reflex Sensors

TCRT1000, TCRT5000, TCRT9000, CNY70

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ANT014 TELEFUNKEN Semiconductors

Table of contents
Drawings of the sensors....................................................................................................................... 2

1. Optoelectronic sensors..................................................................................................................... 3

1.1 General principles ...................................................................................................................... 3

2. Parameters and practical use of the reflex sensors .......................................................................... 5

2.1 Coupling factor, k ...................................................................................................................... 5

2.2 Working diagram ....................................................................................................................... 7
2.3 Resolution, trip point ................................................................................................................. 9
2.4 Sensitivity, dark current and crosstalk..................................................................................... 12
2.5 Ambient light ........................................................................................................................... 12

3. Application examples, circuits ...................................................................................................... 14

3.1 Application example with dimensioning ................................................................................. 14

3.2 Circuits with reflex sensors...................................................................................................... 17

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TELEFUNKEN Semiconductors ANT014
TEMIC optoelectronic sensors contain infrared emitting diodes as a radiation source and
phototransistors as detectors.

Typical applications include:

• Copying machines • Printers
• Video recorders • Object counters
• Proximity switch • Industrial control
• Vending machines • Facsimile

Special features:
• Compact design
• Operation range 0 mm to 20 mm
• High sensitivity
• Low dark current
• Minimized crosstalk
• Ambient light protected
• Cut-off frequency up to 40 kHz
• High quality level, ISO 9000
• Automated high-volume production

These sensors present the quality of perfected products. The components are based on TEMIC’s
many years experience as one of Europe's largest producers of optoelectronic components.

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Drawings of the sensors

94 9318
94 9442

TCRT1000 TCRT5000

94 9320
94 9346

TCRT9000 CNY70

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1. Optoelectronic sensors
In many applications, optoelectronic transmit- nents and their use apply to all sensors of a
ters and receivers are used in pairs and linked similar design.
together optically. Manufacturers fabricate The reflex sensors TCRT1000, TCRT5000,
them in suitable forms. They are available for TCRT9000 and CNY70 contain IR-emitting
a wide range of applications as ready-to-use diodes as transmitters and phototransistors as
components known as couplers, transmissive receivers. The transmitters emit radiation of a
sensors (or interrupters), reflex couplers and wavelength of 950 nm. The spectral sensitivity
reflex sensors. Increased automation in indus- of the phototransistors are optimized for this
try in particular has heightened the demand for wavelength.
these components and stimulated the develop- There are no focusing elements in the sensors
ment of new types. described, though inside the TCRT5000 in
both active parts (emitter and detector) lenses
1.1 General principles are incorporated. The angular characteristics
of both are divergent. This is necessary to real-
The operating principles of reflex sensors are ize a position-independent function for easy
similar to these of transmissive sensors. Basi- practical use with different reflecting objects.
cally, the light emitted by the transmitter is in- In the case of TCRT5000, the concentration of
fluenced by an object or a medium on its way the beam pattern to an angle of 16° for the
to the detector. The change in the light signal emitter and 30° for the detector, respectively,
caused by the interaction with the object then results in operation on an increased range with
produces a change in the electrical signal in optimized resolution. The emitting and accep-
the optoelectronic receiver. tance angles in the other reflex sensors are
The main difference between reflex couplers about 45°. This is an advantage in short dis-
and transmissive sensors is in the relative posi- tance operation. The best local resolution is
tion of the transmitter and detector with re- with the reflex sensor TCRT9000.
spect to each other. In the case of the trans- The main difference between the sensor types
missive sensor, the receiver is opposite the is the mechanical outline (as shown in the
transmitter in the same optical axis, giving a photos, see page before), resulting in different
direct light coupling between the two. In the electrical parameters and optical properties. A
case of the reflex sensor, the detector is posi- specialization for certain applications is neces-
tioned next to the transmitter, avoiding a direct sary. Measurements and statements on the data
light coupling. of the reflex sensors are made relative to a
The transmissive sensor is used in most appli- reference surface with defined properties and
cations for small distances and narrow objects. precisely known reflecting properties. This
The reflex sensor, however, is used for a wide reference medium is the diffusely reflecting
range of distances as well as for materials and Kodak neutral card, also known as grey card
objects of different shapes. It sizes by virtue of (KODAK neutral test card; KODAK publica-
its open design. tion No. Q-13, CAT 1527654). It is also used
In this article, we will deal with reflex sensors here as the reference medium for all details.
– placing particular emphasis on their practical The reflection factor of the white side of the
use. The components TCRT1000, TCRT5000, card is 90% and that of the grey side is 18%.
TCRT9000 and CNY70 are used as examples. Table 1 shows the measured reflection of a
However, references made to these compo- number of materials which are important for
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the practical use of sensors. The values of the section stands out in table 1. Although all sur-
collector current given are relative and corre- faces appear black to the ‘naked eye’, the
spond to the reflection of the various surfaces black surfaces emit quite different reflections
with regard to the sensor's receiver. They were at a wavelength of 950 nm. It is particularly
measured at a transmitter current of IF = important to account for this fact when using
20 mA and at a distance of the maximum light reflex sensors. The reflection of the various
coupling. These values apply exactly to the body surfaces in the infrared range can deviate
TCRT9000, but are also valid for the other significantly from that in the visible range.
reflex sensors. The ‘black on white paper’-

Table 1 Relative collector current (or coupling factor) of the reflex sensor TCRT9000 for reflection on various
materials. Reference is the white side of the Kodak neutral card. The sensor is positioned perpendicular with
respect to the surface. The wavelength is 950 nm.

Kodak neutral card Plastics, glass

White side (reference medium) 100% White PVC 90%
Gray side 20% Gray PVC 11%
Paper Blue, green, yellow, red PVC 40-80%
Typewriting paper 94% White polyethylene 90%
Drawing card, white (Schoeller Durex) 100% White polystyrene 120%
Card, light gray 67% Gray partinax 9%
Envelope (beige) 100% Fiber glass board material
Packing card (light brown) 84% Without copper coating 12-19%
Newspaper paper 97% With copper coating on the reverse side 30%
Pergament paper 30-42% Glass, 1 mm thick 9%
Black on white typewriting paper Plexiglass, 1 mm thick 10%
Drawing ink (Higgins, Pelikan, Rotring) 4-6% Metals
Foil ink (Rotring) 50% Aluminum, bright 110%
Fiber-tip pen (Edding 400) 10% Aluminum, black anodized 60%
Fiber-tip pen, black (Stabilo) 76% Cast aluminum, matt 45%
Photocopy 7% Copper, matt (not oxidized) 110%
Plotter pen Brass, bright 160%
HP fiber-tip pen (0.3 mm) 84% Gold plating, matt 150%
Black 24 needle printer (EPSON LQ-500) 28% Textiles
Ink (Pelikan) 100% White cotton 110%
Pencil, HB 26% Black velvet 1.5%

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2. Parameters and practical use of the reflex sensors
A reflex sensor is used in order to receive a re-
flected signal from an object. This signal gives
information on the position, movement, size or
condition (e.g. coding) of the object in que-
stion. The parameter that describes the func-
tion of the optical coupling precisely is the so-
called optical transfer function (OT) of the
sensor. It is the ratio of the received to the
emitted radiant power.
Φr
OT =
Φe
Additional parameters of the sensor, such as
operating range, the resolution of optical dis-
tance of the object, the sensitivity and the
switching point in the case of local changes in
the reflection, are directly related to this opti-
cal transfer function.
In the case of reflex sensors with phototransis-
tors as receivers, the ratio Ic/IF (the ratio of
collector current Ic to the forward current IF) Figure 1 Radiant intensity, Ie = f (IF), of the IR
of the diode emitter is preferred to the optical transmitter
transfer function. As with optocouplers, Ic/IF is the curves are parallel to the unity gradient.
generally known as the coupling factor, k. The Greater proportionality improves the relation-
following approximate relationship exists ship between the coupling factor, k, and the
between k and OT: optical transfer function.
k = Ic/ IF = [(S × B)/h] × Φr/Φe
2.1 Coupling factor, k
where B is the current amplification, S = Ib/Φr
(phototransistor's spectral sensitivity), and In the case of reflex couplers, the specification
h = IF/Φe (proportionality factor between IF of the coupling factor is only useful by a de-
and Φe of the transmitter). fined reflection and distance. Its value is given
In figure 1 and figure 2, the curves of the radi- as a percentage and refers here to the diffuse
ant intensity, Ie, of the transmitter to the for- reflection (90%) of the white side of Kodak
ward current, IF, and the sensitivity of the neutral card at the distance of the maximum
detector to the irradiance, Ee, are shown re- light coupling. Apart from the transmitter cur-
spectively. The gradients of both are equal to rent, IF, and the temperature, the coupling
unity slope. factor also depends on the distance from the
This represents a measure of the deviation of reflecting surface and the frequency – that is,
the curves from the ideal linearity of the para- the speed of reflection change.
meters. There is a good proportionality be- For all reflex sensors, the curve of the cou-
tween Ie and IF and between Ic and Ee where pling factor as a function of the transmitter

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Figure 3 Coupling factor k = f (IF) of the reflex sensors

Figure 2 Sensitivity of the reflex sensors' detector

current, IF, has a flat maximum at approxi-
mately 30 mA (figure 3). As shown in the
figure, the curve of the coupling factor follows
that of the current amplification, B, of the pho-
totransistor. The influence of temperature on
the coupling factor is relatively small and
changes approximately -10% in the range of Figure 4 Change of the coupling factor, k, with
-10°C to +70°C (figure 4). This fairly favor- temperature, T
able temperature compensation is attributable As a consequence, the reflection change is no
to the opposing temperature coefficient of the longer easily identified.
IR diode and the phototransistor. Figure 5 illustrates the change of the cut-off
The maximum speed of a reflection change frequency at collector emitter voltages of 5, 10
that is detectable by the sensor as a signal is and 20 V and various load resistances. Higher
dependent either on the switching times or the voltages and low load resistances significantly
threshold frequency, fc, of the component. The increase the cut-off frequency.
threshold frequency and the switching times of The cut-off frequencies off all TEMIC reflex
the reflex sensors TCRT1000, TCRT5000, sensors are high enough (with 30 kHz to
TCRT9000 and CNY70 are determined by the 50 kHz) to recognize extremely fast mechani-
slowest component in the system – in this case cal events.
the phototransistor. As usual, the threshold fre- In practice, it is not recommended to use a
quency, fc, is defined as the frequency at large load resistance to obtain a large signal,
which the value of the coupling factor has dependent on the speed of the reflection
fallen by 3 dB (approximately 30%) of its change. Instead, the opposite effect takes
initial value. As the frequency increases, f > fc, place, since the signal amplitude is markedly
the coupling factor decreases. reduced by the decreasing in the cut-off fre-

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quency. In practice, the better approach is to The working diagrams of all sensors (figure 6)
use the given data of the application (such as show a maximum at a certain distance, Ao.
the type of mechanical movement or the Here the optical coupling is the strongest. For
number of markings on the reflective larger distances, the collector current falls in
medium). With these given data, the maximum accordance with the square law. When the
speed at which the reflection changes can be amplitude, I, has fallen not more than 50% of
determined, thus allowing the maximum fre- its maximum value, the operation range is at
quency occurring to be calculated. The maxi- its optimum.
mum permissible load resistance can then be
selected for this frequency from the diagram fc
as a function of the load resistance, RL.

2.2 Working diagram

The dependence of the phototransistor collec-
tor current on the distance, A, of the reflecting
medium is shown in figure 6 and figure 7 for
the reflex sensors TCRT1000 and TCRT9000
respectively.
The data were recorded for the Kodak neutral
card with 90% diffuse reflection serving as the
reflecting surface, arranged perpendicular to
the sensor. The distance, A, was measured
from the surface of the reflex sensor.
The emitter current, IF, was held constant dur-
ing the measurement. Therefore, this curve
also shows the course of the coupling factor
and the optical transfer function over distance.
It is called the working diagram of the reflex
sensor. Figure 5 Cut-off frequency, fc

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a) TCRT5000 c) TCRT9000

b) CNY 70 d) TCRT1000

Figure 6 Working diagram of reflex sensors TCRT5000, CNY70, TCRT9000 and TCRT1000

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2.3 Resolution, trip point example of the curve of the reflection and cur-
rent signal for a black line measuring d in
The behavior of the sensors with respect to width on a light background (e.g. on a sheet of
abrupt changes in the reflection over a dis- paper). The line has two light/dark transitions
placement path is determined by two – the switching distance Xd/2 is, therefore,
parameters: the resolution and the trip point. effective twice.
If a reflex sensor is guided over a reflecting
surface with a reflection surge, the radiation a)
reflected back to the detector changes gradu-
ally, not abruptly. This is depicted in figure 7a.
The surface, g, seen jointly by the transmitter
and detector, determines the radiation received
by the sensor. During the movement, this sur- g
face is gradually covered by the dark reflection
range. In accordance with the curve of the
b)
radiation detected, the change in collector cur-
rent is not abrupt, but undergoes a wide,
gradual transition from the higher to the lower
value.
As illustrated in figure 7b, the collector current
falls to the value Ic2, which corresponds to the
reflection of the dark range, not at the point
Xo, but at the points Xo+Xd/2, displaced by
Xd/2.
The displacement of the signal corresponds to
an uncertainty when recording the position of
the reflection change, and it determines the
resolution and the trip point of the sensor. Figure 7 Abrupt reflection change with associated Ic
The trip point is the position at which the sen- curve
sor has completely recorded the light/dark
transition, that is, the range between the points The line is clearly recognized as long as the
Xo+Xd/2 and Xo - Xd/2 around Xo. The dis- line width is d ≥ Xd. If the width is less than
placement, Xd, therefore, corresponds to the Xd, the collector current change, Ic1 - Ic2, that
width or the tolerance of the trip point. In is the processable signal, becomes increasingly
practice, the section lying between 10% and small and recognition increasingly uncertain.
90% of the difference Ic = Ic1 - Ic2 is taken as The switching distance – or better its inverse –
Xd. This corresponds to the rise time of the ge- can therefore be taken as a resolution of the
nerated signal since there are both movement sensor.
and speed. Analogous to switching time, dis- The switching distance, Xd, is predominantly
placement, Xd, is described as a switching dis- dependent on the mechanical/ optical design of
tance. the sensor and the distance to the reflecting
The resolution is the sensor's capability to rec- surface. It is also influenced by the relative po-
ognize small structures. Figure 8 illustrates the sition of the transmitter/ detector axis.

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Reflection
Line ces) than in position 2. The device showing the
R1
best resolution is TCRT9000. It can recognize
R2
d = line width lines smaller than half a millimeter at a dis-
d X
tance below 0.5 mm.
Collector current
It should be remarked that the diagram of
IC1
TCRT5000 is scaled up to 10 cm. It shows
IC2 X d < line width best resolution between 2 cm and 10 cm.
All sensors show the peculiarity that the
Xd X
Collector current maximum resolution is not at the point of
I C1 maximum light coupling, Ao, but at shorter
I C2 distances.
X d > line width
In many cases, a reflex sensor is used to detect
Xd X an object that moves at a distance in front of a
background, such as a sheet of paper, a band
Figure 8 Reflection of a line of width d and corre- or a plate. In contrast to the examples exam-
sponding curve of the collector current Ic ined above, the distances of the object surface
and background from the sensor vary.
Figure 9 shows the dependence of the switch- Since the radiation received by the sensor's de-
ing distance, Xd, on the distance A with the tector depends greatly on the distance, the case
sensors placed in two different positions with may arise when the difference between the ra-
respect to the separation line of the light/ dark diation reflected by the object on the back-
transition. ground is completely equalized by the distance
The curves marked position 1 in the diagrams despite varying reflectance factors. Even if the
correspond to the first position. The transmit- sensor has sufficient resolution, it will no
ter/ detector axis of the sensor was perpendicu- longer supply a processable signal due to the
lar to the separation line of the transition. In low reflection difference. In such applications
the second position (curve 2), the transmitter/ it is necessary to examine whether there is a
detector axis was parallel to the transition. sufficient contrast. This is performed with the
In the first position (1) all reflex sensors have help of the working diagram of the sensor and
a better resolution (smaller switching distan- the reflectance factors of the materials.

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a) TCRT5000 c) TCRT1000

b) CNY70 d) TCRT9000

Figure 9 The switching distance as a function of the distance A for the reflex sensors TCRT5000, CNY70, TCRT1000
and TCRT9000

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2.4 Sensitivity, dark current At IF = 20mA, the current Icx is approximately

50 nA for the TCRT9000 and 15 nA for the
and crosstalk CNY70, TCRT1000 and TCRT5000.
Icx can also be manifested dynamically. In this
The lowest photoelectric current that can be case, the origin of the crosstalk is electrical
processed as a useful signal in the sensor's de- rather than optical.
tector determines the weakest usable reflection For design and optical reasons, the transmitter
and defines the sensitivity of the reflex sensor. and detector are mounted very close to each
This is determined by two parameters – the other.
dark current of the phototransistor and the Electrical interference signals can be generated
crosstalk. in the detector when the transmitter is operated
The phototransistor as receiver exhibits a with a pulsed or modulated signal. The trans-
small dark current, ICEO, of a few nA at 25°C. fer capability of the interference increases
However, it is dependent on the applied col- strongly with the frequency. Steep pulse edges
lector-emitter voltage, VCE, and to a much in the transmitter's current are here particularly
greater extent on the temperature, T (see figure effective since they possess a large portion of
10). The crosstalk between the transmitter and high frequencies. For all TEMIC sensors, the
detector of the reflex sensor is given with the ac crosstalk, Icxac, does not become effective
current, Icx. Icx is the collector current of the until frequencies of 4 MHz upwards with a
photoelectric transistor measured at normal IR transmission of approximately 3 dB between
transmitter operating conditions without a re- the transmitter and detector.
The dark current and the dc- and ac crosstalk
form the overall collector fault current, Icf. It
must be observed that the dc-crosstalk current,
Icxdc, also contains the dark current, ICEO, of
the phototransistor.
Icf = Icxdc + Icxac
This current determines the sensitivity of the
reflex sensor. The collector current caused by
a reflection change should always be at least
twice as high as the fault current so that a pro-
cessable signal can be reliably identified by
the sensor.

2.5 Ambient light

Figure 10 Temperature-dependence of the collector Ambient light is another feature that can im-
dark current pair the sensitivity and, in some circumstan-
flecting medium. ces, the entire function of the reflex sensor.
It is ensured that no (ambient) light falls onto However, this is not an artifact of the com-
the photoelectric transistor. This determines ponent, but an application-specific character-
how far it is possible to guarantee avoiding a istic.
direct optical connection between the transmit- The effect of ambient light falling directly on
ter and detector of the sensor. the detector is always very troublesome. Weak
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steady light reduces the sensor's sensitivity. values of the irradiance of these sources. The
Strong steady light can, depending on the di- values apply to a distance of approximately
mensioning (RL, VC), saturate the photoelec- 50 cm, the spectral range to a distance of 850
tric transistor. The sensor is ‘blind’ in this nm to 1050 nm. The values of table 2 are only
condition. It can no longer recognize any re- intended as guidelines for estimating the ex-
flection change. Chopped ambient light gives pected ambient radiation.
rise to incorrect signals and feigns non-exis- In practical applications, it is generally rather
tent reflection changes. difficult to determine precisely the ambient
Indirect ambient light, that is ambient light light and its effects. Therefore, an attempt to
falling onto the reflecting objects, mainly re- keep its influence to a minimum is made from
duces the contrast between the object and the outset by using a suitable mechanical de-
background or the feature and surroundings. sign and optical filters. The detectors of the
The interference caused by ambient light is sensors are equipped with optical filters to
predominantly determined by the various re- block such visible light. Furthermore, the me-
flection properties of the material which in chanical design of these components is such
turn are dependent on the wavelength. that it is not possible for ambient light to fall
If the ambient light has wavelengths for which directly or sideways onto the detector for ob-
the ratio of the reflection factors of the object ject distances of up to 2 mm.
and background is the same or similar, its in- If the ambient light source is known and is
fluence on the sensor's function is small. Its relatively weak, in most cases it is enough to
effect can be ignored for intensities that are estimate the expected power of this light on
not excessively large. On the other hand, the the irradiated area and to consider the result
object/ background reflection factors can differ when dimensioning the circuit..
from each other in such a way that, for exam- AC operation of the reflex sensors offers the
ple, the background reflects the ambient light most effective protection against ambient
much more than the object. In this case, the light. Pulsed operation is also helpful in some
contrast disappears and the object cannot be cases.
detected. It is also possible that an uninter- Compared with dc operation, the advantages
esting object of feature is detected by the are greater transmitter power and at the same
sensor because it reflects the ambient light time significantly greater protection against
much more than its surroundings. faults. The only disadvantage is the greater
In practice, ambient light stems most fre- circuit complexity, which is necessary in this
quently from filament, fluorescent or energy- case. The circuit in figure 14 is an example of
saving lamps. Table 2 gives a few approximate operation with chopped light.

Table 2 Examples for the irradiance of ambient light sources

2
Light source (at 50 cm distance) Irradiance Ee (µW/cm ) Frequency (Hz)
850 nm - 1050 nm
Steady light AC light (peak value)
Filament lamp (60 W) 500
Fluorescent lamp OSRAM (65 W) 25 30 100
Economy lamp OSRAM DULUX (11 W) 14 16 100

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3. Application examples, circuits

The most important characteristics of the operation is between 20 mA and 40 mA. IF =
TEMIC reflex sensors are summarized in table 20 mA is selected in this case.
3. The task of this table is to give a quick As shown in figure 3, the coupling factor is at
comparison of data for choosing the right sen- its maximum. In addition, the degradation (i.e.
sor for a given application. the reduction of the transmitted IR output with
aging) is minimum for currents under 40 mA
3.1 Application example with (< 10% for 10000 h) and the self heating is
low due to the power loss (approximately
dimensioning 50 mW at 40 mA).
With a simple application example, the dimen- +5 V
sioning of the reflex sensor can be shown in
the basic circuit with the aid of the component
data and considering the boundary conditions
TCRT 9000
of the application.
74HCTXX
The reflex sensor TCRT9000 is used for speed
control. An aluminum disk with radial strips as
Q
markings fitted to the motor shaft forms the re- R R
S E
flecting object and is located approximately 180 15 K
3 mm in front of the sensor. The sensor signal GND
is sent to a logic gate for further processing.
Dimensioning is based on dc operation, due to
Figure 11 Reflex sensor – basic circuit
the simplified circuitry.
The optimum transmitter current. IF, for dc

Table 3

Parameter Symbol Reflex sensor type

CNY70 TCRT1000 TCRT5000 TCRT9000
Distance of optimum A0 0.3 mm 1 mm 2 mm 1 mm
coupling
Distance of best resolution Ar 0.2 mm 0.8 mm 1.5 mm 0.5 mm
Coupling factor k 5% 5% 6% 3%
Switching distance (min.) xd 1.5 mm 0.7 mm 1.9 mm 0.5 mm
Optimum working distance Xor 0.2 mm - 3 mm 0.4 mm - 2.2 mm 0.2 mm - 6.5 mm 0.4 mm - 3 mm
Operating range Aor 9 mm 8 mm > 20 mm 12 mm

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Table 4

Application data
Aluminum disk Diameter 50 mm, distance from the sensor 3 mm, markings printed on the aluminum
Markings 8 radial black stripes and 8 spacings, the width of the stripes and spacings in front of
the sensor is approximately = 4 mm (in a diameter of 20 mm)
Motor speed 1000 rpm to 3000 rpm
Temperature range 10°C to 60°C
Ambient light 60 W fluorescent lamp, approximate distance 2 m
Power supply 5 V ± 5%
Position of the sensor Position 1, sensor/ detector connecting line perpendicular to the strips

Special attention must also be made to the used (typewriting paper and black-fiber tip
downstream logic gate. Only components with pen). The valid value for these material sur-
a low input offset current may be used. In the faces can be found in table 1:
case of the TTL gate and the LS-TTL gate, the
ILH current can be applied to the sensor output k1 = 94% × k = 2.63% for typing paper and
in the low condition. At -1.6 mA or -400 µA, k2 = 10% × k = 0.28% for black-tip pen
this is above the signal current of the sensor. A (Edding)
transistor or an operational amplifier should be
connected at the output of the sensor when Therefore: Ic1 = 0.5 × k1 × IF = 263 µA
TTL or LS-TTL components are used. A gate Ic2 = 0.5 × k2 × IF = 28µA
from the 74HCTxx family is used.
According to the data sheet, its fault current Temperature and aging reduce the collector
ILH is approximately 1 µA. current. They are therefore important to Ic1
The expected collector current for the mini- and are subtracted from it.
mum and maximum reflection is now esti- Figure 4 shows a change in the collector cur-
mated. rent of approximately 10% for 70°C. Another
According to the working diagram in figure 10% is deducted from Ic1 for aging
6c, it follows that when A = 3 mm
Ic1 = 263 µA - (20% × 263 µA) = 210 µA
Ic = 0.5 × Icmax
The fault current Icf (from crosstalk and col-
Icmax is determined from the coupling factor, lector dark current) increases the signal current
k, for IF = 20 mA.
and is added to Ic2. Crosstalk with only a few
Icmax = k × IF nA for the TCRT9000 is ignored. However,
the dark current can increase up to 1 µA at a
At IF = 20 mA, the typical value temperature of 70°C and should be taken into
k = 2.8% account.
In addition, 1 µA, the fault current of the
is obtained for k from figure 3. 74HCTxx gate, is also added
However, this value applies to the Kodak neu-
tral card or the reference surface. The coupling Ic2 = 30 µA
factor has a different value for the surfaces

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The effect of the indirect incident ambient from figure 9. In this case, the minimum per-
light can most easily be seen by comparing the missible stripe width is approximately 3.8 mm
radiant powers produced by the ambient light for 3 mm distance (position 1, figure 9d). The
and the sensor's transmitter on 1 mm2 of the markings measuring 4 mm in width were ex-
reflecting surface. The ambient light is then pediently selected in this case. For this width,
taken into account as a percentage in accor- a signal reduction of about 20% can be permit-
dance with the ratio of the powers. ted with relatively great certainty, so that 10%
of the difference (Ic1 - Ic2) can be subtracted
From table 2:
from Ic1 and added to Ic2.
Ee (0.5 m) = 40 µW/ cm2 (dc + ac/ 2)
Ee (2 m) = Ee(0.5 m) × (0.5/ 2)2 Ic1 = 210 µA - 18 µA = 192 µA
Ic2 = 30 µA + 18 µA = 48 µA
(Square of the distance law)
The suitable load resistance, RE, at the emitter
Ee (2m) = 2.5 µW/ cm2 of the photo-transistor is then determined from
Φsf = 0.025 µW the low and high levels 0.8 V and 2.0 V for the
74HCTxx gate.
The radiant power (Φsf= 0.025 µW) therefore
RE < 0.8 V/ Ic2 and RE > 2.0 V/ Ic1,
falls on 1 mm2.
i.e., 10.2 kΩ < RE < 16.7 kΩ
When IF = 20 mA, the sensor's transmitter has
12 kΩ is selected for RE
the radiant intensity:
The corresponding levels for determining RE
Φe
Ie = = 0.5 mW / sr (figure 1) must be used if a Schmitt trigger of the
Ω 74HCTxx family is employed.
The solid angle for 1 mm2 surface at a distance The frequency limit of the reflex sensor is then
of 3 mm is determined with RE = 12 kΩ and compared
with the maximum operating frequency in or-
1 mm 2 1
Ω= = sr der to check whether signal damping attribut-
(3 mm ) 2
9 able to the frequency that can occur.
Figure 5 shows for Vs = 5 V and RE = 12 kΩ
It therefore follows for the radiant power that: approximately, for the TCRT9000, fc =
Φe = Ie × Ω = 55.5 µW 1.5 kHz.
Sixteen black/ white stripes appear in front of
The power of 0.025 µW produced by the am- the sensor in each revolution. This produces a
bient light is therefore negligibly low com- maximum signal frequency of approximately
pared with the corresponding power (approxi- 400 Hz for the maximum speed of 3000 rpm
mately 55 µW) of the transmitter. up to 50 rps. This is significantly less than the
The currents Ic1, Ic2 would result with full re- fc of the sensor, which means there is no risk
flecting surfaces, that is, if the sensor's visual of signal damping.
field only measures white or black typing pa- In the circuit in figure 11, a resistor, Rc, can be
per. However, that is not the case. The reflect- used on the collector of the photoelectric tran-
ing surfaces exist in the form of stripes. sistor instead of RE. In this case, an inverted
The signal can be markedly reduced by the signal and somewhat modified dimensioning
limited resolution of the sensor if the stripes results. The current Ic1 now determines the
are narrow. The suitable stripe width for a low signal level and the current Ic2 the high.
given distance should therefore be selected The voltages (Vs - 2 V) and (Vs - 0.8 V) and
16 Issue: 09. 96
TELEFUNKEN Semiconductors ANT014
not the high level and low level 2 V and 0.8 V, quality characteristics of passive filters. In
are now decisive for determining the resis- addition to that, the load resistance on the
tance, Rc. emitter of the photo transistor has remarkably
higher values than the dc resistance of a coil.
3.2 Circuits with reflex On the other hand, the construction with active
filters is more compact and cheaper. The
sensors smaller the resonance frequency becomes, the
The couple factor of the reflex sensors is rela- greater the advantages of active filters com-
tively small. Even in the case of good reflect- pared to LC resonant circuits.
ing surfaces, it is less than 10%. Therefore, the In some cases, reflex sensors are used to count
photocurrents are in practice only in the region steps or objects, while at the same time rec-
of a few µA. As this is not enough to process ognition of a change in the direction of rota-
the signals any further, an additional amplifier tion (= movement direction) is necessary. The
is necessary at the sensor output. Figure 12 circuit shown in figure 17 is suitable for such
shows two simple circuits with sensors and applications. The circuit is composed of two
follow-up operational amplifiers. independent channels with reflex sensors. The
The circuit in figure 12b is a transimpedance sensor signals are formed via the Schmitt-
which offers in addition to the amplification trigger into TTL impulses with step slopes,
the advantage of a higher cut-off frequency for which are supplied to the pulse inputs of the
the whole layout. binary counter 74LS393. The outputs of the
Two similar amplification circuits incorporat- 74LS393 are coupled to the reset inputs. This
ing transistors are shown in figure 13. is made in such a way that the first output,
The circuit in figure 14 is a simple example for whose condition changes from ‘low’ to ‘high’,
operating the reflex sensors with chopped sets the directly connected counter. In this
light. It uses a pulse generator constructed way, the counter of the other channel is de-
with a timer IC. This pulse generator operates leated and blocked. The outputs of the active
with the pulse duty factor of approximately 1. counter can be displaced or connected to more
The frequency is set to approximately 22 kHz. electronics for evaluation.
On the receiver side, a conventional LC reso- It should be mentioned that such a circuit is
nance circuit (fo = 22 kHz) filters the funda- only suited to evenly distributed objects and
mental wave out of the received pulses and constant movements. If this is not the case, the
delievers it to an operational amplifier via the channels must be close to each other, so that
capacitor, Ck. The LC resonance circuit simul- the movement of both sensors are collected
taneously represents the photo transistor’s load successively. The circuit also works perfectly
resistance. For direct current, the photo tran- if the last mentioned condition is fulfilled.
sistor’s load resistance is very low – in this Figure 18 shows a pulse circuit combining
case approximately 0.4 Ω, which means that analog with digital components and offering
the photo transistor is practically shorted for the possibility of temporary storage of the sig-
dc ambient light. nal delivered by the reflex sensor. A timer IC
At resonance frequencies below 5 kHz, the is used as the pulse generator.
necessary coils and capacitors for the oscilla- The negative pulse at the timer's output trig-
tor get unwieldy and expensive. Therefore, gers the clock input of the 74HCT74 flip-flop
active filters, made up with operational ampli- and, at the same time, the reflex sensor's
fiers or transistors, are more suitable (figures transmitter via a driver transistor. The flip-flop
15 and 16). It is not possible to obtain the can be positively triggered, so that the
Issue: 09. 96 17
ANT014 TELEFUNKEN Semiconductors

condition of the data input at this point can be riod. During the time of negative impulses,
received as the edge of the pulse rises. This electrical and optical interferences are sup-
then remains stored until the next rising edge. pressed. A sample and hold circuit can also be
The reflex sensor is therefore only active for employed instead of the flip-flop. This is
the duration of the negative pulse and can only switched on via an analog switch at the sensor
detect reflection changes within this time pe- output as the pulse rises.
+10 V +10 V
a) b)

IF IF
RF
= 20 mA Reflex sensor = 20 mA Reflex sensor
220 K
7 7
2 TLC271 2 TLC271
6 6
3 3
Output Output
RS 4
RE RF RS RE Rl 4
390 1K
390 1K 1K
220 K
Rl
1K
GND GND

Figure12 Circuits with operational amplifier

a) b)
+10 V +10 V

RC RE
220 RL
1K Reflex sensor 1K
IF BC178B RF Output
PNP
= 20 mA
IF CK 220 K
BC108B
Reflex sensor
R L Output = 20 mA 2.2 µF NPN
10 K RS RE
RS
390 390 1K
GND GND

Figure 13 Circuits with transistor amplifier

18 Issue: 09. 96
TELEFUNKEN Semiconductors ANT014

82 VS = + 5 V
1.2 K
Reflex sensor
4 555
8
7
DIS R 3
2.7 K Q 7
THR G CK TLC 271
6 N 5 3
TR D CV 6 Output
2 100 nF 2
1
RF 4
10 nF 100 nF C L
62 nF 0.86 10 K
mH 100
GND

Figure 14 AC operation with oscillating circuit to suppress ambient light

+VS (10 V)
RS
Reflex sensor CF
RA 220
1 nF
9.1 K R R
33 K 33 K 7
8 4 Timer CK
2
7
DIS RQ 3 6
RB 1 µF Output
6 3
TLC 271
5.1 K 2 THR G CV 5
TR ND RE Rl Cq 4
(CA3160)

C 1 555 510 1K 22 nF
100 nF 100 nF
GND GND

Timer dimensions: t p (pulse width) = 0.8 RC = 400 µs

T (period) = 0.8 (R A + R B ) × C = 1 ms

√
Cq
Active filter: C = √ Cf × Cq Q = 0.5 × Cf
2R
fo = 1/(6.28 × C × R) Vuo = × Q2
RE

Figure 15 AC operation with active filter made up of an operational amplifier, circuit and dimensions

Issue: 09. 96 19
ANT014 TELEFUNKEN Semiconductors

+VS (10 V)
RV
RC
220 Reflex sensor CF
RA 1K
1.5 nF
9.1 K R CK
R
8 4 Timer
7 CK 51 K 51 K 1 µF
DIS R 3 Output
RB 6 555 Q NPN
THR G 1 µF
5.1 K 2 N CV 5
TR D RE Cq
C 1 33 nF
1.8 K
100 nF 100 nF
GND GND

Timer dimensions: t p (pulse width) = 0.8 RC = 400 µs

T (period) = 0.8 (R A + R B ) × C = 1 ms

√
Cq
Active filter: C = √ Cf × Cq Q = 0.5 × Cf
2R
fo = 1/(6.28 × C × R) Vuo = × Q2
RE

Figure 16 AC operation with transistor amplifier as active filter

Left
A
+5 V
CLK QA Display system
QB
QC
Reflex sensor CLR QD B
LS393 CLK QA
A QB
QC
CLR QD
A
LS393 or report
74HCT14 Q RD
R CLK
E +5 V
15 K Q S D
D 3.3 K
GND
Reset
+5 V Q S D
D
CLK
Q RD GND Right
Reflex sensor B7474
B A Display system
CLK QA
QB
74HCT14 QC
CLR QD
R R B
V E
100 LS393 CLK QA
15 K QB
QC
CLR QD or report
GND LS393

Figure 17 Circuit for objects count and recognition of movement direction

20 Issue: 09. 96
TELEFUNKEN Semiconductors ANT014

VS
82 RC Rl 3.3 K
RA (+5 V)

PNP
PNP CK 4
100 2 D S Q5
RB 8 4 3 D
7 DIS R Reflex 1 CLK Q 6
Q
3 sensor RD
6 THR555
G R2 74HCT74
2 N CV 5
TR D
1
C 100 nF

GND

Figure 18 Pulse circuit with buffer storage

Issue: 09. 96 21