AU-222-Automobile Instrumentation

Lecture No:15
Dr.Saqib Jamshed Rind

NED University of Engineering and Technology

Department of Automotive and Marine Engineering
 Lecture Contents

After completing this lecture student should know about:

• Photodiodes
• Photo-resistors
• Photo-transistors
• Optical couplers
• Fiber optics
 Optical Sensor
 An optical sensor converts light rays into electronic signals. It
measures the physical quantity of light and then translates it
into a form that is readable by an instrument.
 An optical sensor is generally part of a larger system that
integrates a source of light, a measuring device and the optical
sensor
 Optical Sensor Types:
• Photodiodes
• Phototransistors
• Photo Conductive Cells
• Fiber Optics
 Photodiodes
A photodiode is a
semiconductor device that
converts light into an electrical
current.
The reverse conduction current
increases when the light
intensity to the optical input of
the photodiode increases.
Manufacturing Materials:
• Silicon
• Germanium
• Indium gallium arsenide.
 Photodiodes
Photodiode Sensitivity:
A rating that indicates the response of a photodetector to a
specified light intensity.
Spectral Response:
A measure of a photo-dector’s response to a change in input
wavelength. Note that response is measured in terms of the
device sensitivity.
Photodiode Applications:
• In automotive industry, they are used in headlight dimmer and
climate control sunlight detectors.
• Photodiodes are used in photo detectors such as
photoconductors, charge coupled devices.
• Consumer electronics such as smoke detectors, CD-players,
receivers of remote control devices.
 Photoconductive Cell

Photoconductive Cell:
Two-terminal semiconductor
device whose resistance is
determined by the intensity of
the incident light on its
exposed surface.
Photoresistors are also
sometimes referred as LDR
(Light Dependent Resistor), Photoconductive cell: (a) characteristics; (b) symbol.

semiconductor photo-resistor,
photoconductor, or photocell.
 How photo-resistor works?
When the light falls on the photo-resistor, some of the valence
electrons absorbs energy from the light and breaks the bonding
with the atoms. The valence electrons, which break the bonding
with the atoms, are called free electrons.

Photo-resistors are made of high resistance semiconductor such

as silicon or germanium. It shows high resistance in the absence
of light and low resistance with high light intensity applied.
 Phototransistor
The phototransistor is a semiconductor device that is able to
sense light levels and alter the current flowing between emitter
and collector according to the level of light it receives.

I c   DC I 
 Photo-Darlington Transistor
• Greater light sensitivity
• High current gain
 Light operated Relay Circuit
Photo-transistor operates the transistor Q2 in order to energized
the relay circuit.
 Darkness-operated Relay Circuit
When light turns on the photo-transistor Q1 turns on this pulls the
base Q2 low, thus turning Q2 off and de-energizing the relay.
Light-Interruption Alarm
 Light Activated SCR Circuit
When the light strike on the gate terminal of LASCR then it turns
on and energizes the relay and closes the contacts.
 Optical-Couplers

This is a two stage circuit in which one stage is used to strike the
light however the second stage receives the light in order to
activate the circuit. It provides complete electrical isolation
between both circuits.
Other Optical Couplers
 Fiber Optics
 Fiber-optic cable are replacing the copper wire as a means of
sending signals over long distances.
 Instead of using electrical pulses to transmit, fiber optic uses light
pulses to transmit information through the fiber optic cables about
the diameter of the human hair, which is about 100 microns.
 Fiber optic systems have several advantages over system using
copper wire. These includes;
• Faster speed
• Higher signal capacity
• Longer transmission distances without amplifications
• Less susceptibility to interferance
• More Economical to maintain
 Fiber Optic Data Communication Link

Basic block diagram of a fiber-optic data communication link.

 Lecture Summary
In this lecture we have discussed :
• Photodiodes
• Photo-resistors
• Photo-transistors
• Optical couplers
• Fiber optics
 Text Books & References

1) Understanding Automotive Electronics by William B.

Ribbens, 6th edition.
2) Handbook of Automotive Power Electronic by Taylor and
Francis.
3) Automotive Electronics Designs Fundamentals by Springer
4) Automobile Electrical and Electronics by Tom Denton.