The Azoteq product range of intelligent switches, called LightSense, offers a sophisticated and cost-effective alternative to the inadequacies and disadvantages associated with current electro-mechanical switches.

Numerous applications exist and include flashlights, headlamps, child lights, automotive interior lights, seat warmers, battery-operated toothbrushes, etc. LightSense is widely implemented by several of the leading manufacturers in the respective industries and has been utilized in these high volume consumer applications for the past 9 years.

LightSense, although easy to implement and use, presents powerful functionality. The product range is flexible and scaleable allowing entry level features as well as various advanced and proprietary technologies including Battery Power Meter (BPM), Constant Illumination (CI), temperature control and unique and customizable user interfaces (UIs).

Entry level features include automatic switch-off capability (time-based), different brightness levels, strobe functions and a continuous find-in-the-dark (FITD) feature.

Short technical overview of typical operation:

Pressing a button once switches the device on and transfers power to the load. Pressing the button again within a certain time will change either the amount of power transferred to the load, step to one of the flashing modes, or switch the device off, depending on the specific configuration. Another option is that a different load can be selected when the button is pressed within a certain time. This can also be the result of a full depression of the button in certain configurations. Scan mode is a special mode which is selected by pressing and holding the button for a certain time.

Different modes are available: High, Medium and Low Power, Fast Flash, Slow Flash and SOS. These modes are realized by methods of Pulse-width Modulation (PWM) or shunting. PWM consists simply of switching the load on and off at a high rate to achieve the effect of dimming. Current does not flow continuously to the load, but rather during 'bursts'. Shunting controls the current to the load by resistors – the size of the resistor determining the amount of current.