Internal crystal oscillators are in many of the electrical products all around us. These miniature components must not only be accurate, but must also consume minimal power and operate stably over long periods of time, even under extreme thermal conditions.
With high precision, low power consumption, and superior thermal performance, NPC's timing ICs will enable the smart society of the future, which will demand accurate timing and efficient energy use.
Sensors can convert various events that occur in our surroundings into electrical signals.
NPC's sensor ICs can accurately detect delicate and slight changes that are imperceptible to humans, and smartly enable prosperous and convenient lifestyles.
In contrast to semiconductors, which are known as the "rice of industry" due to their crucial importance to electronic devices, crystal oscillators are also known as the "salt of industry," and are used in all types of electronic devices, most notably smart phones.
A crystal oscillator is a package containing a crystal resonator, which uses the piezoelectricity of a crystal to generate a certain frequency, and a circuit for oscillating the resonator, and this circuit is called a crystal oscillator IC.
Components making up electronic devices number in the hundreds to tens of thousands, but they are not free to move on their own.
Each component moves in step and according to a certain rhythm, and the clock assumes the role of conducting it all.
The clock is to provide a constant timing signal at a precise time and speed, and the device that creates this clock is the crystal oscillator.
Although a clock is an extremely small component, it plays a very important role, and there are many types of clocks with different configurations, features, and operating specifications, depending on how they are integrated into the electronic equipment.
It is also drawing considerable attention as an electronic component that will play an important role in the coming 5G era.
Optical encoders are sensor modules that detect how far an object has moved, its position and displacement, and can measure horizontal and vertical linear (linear) and rotary (rotary) movement depending on the shape of the combined scale.
The encoder principle includes magnetic and electromagnetic induction, but our products are optical, which can be adapted to a wide range of industries. Optical encoders consist of an LED light-emitting element, a light-receiving element and a control IC, and are characterised by extremely low wear and deterioration and high reliability, as they can be installed non-contact to the object. To measure the amount of movement, LED light is irradiated onto a pattern on a linear or rotary scale fixed to the object, the reflection of which is received by the light-receiving element, converted into an electronic signal and output. The signal emitted from the light-receiving element contains A- and B-phase channels, with the B-phase outputting 1/4 cycle later than the A-phase, and the direction of travel or rotation can be determined by determining the channel that rises first. The structure of optical encoders can be either transmissive, where a scale is sandwiched between the light emitter and receiver, or reflective, where the light emitter and receiver are integrated into a single unit.
Infrared sensors are sensor modules that convert the infrared (wavelengths from 0.78 to 1000 µm) energy emitted by an object into radiant temperature and output it.
The principle of infrared sensors can be divided into thermal and quantum types, and our products are classified as thermal.
The thermoelectromotive force (thermopile: thermoelectromotive effect) is used to detect the absolute amount of energy (temperature) when the infrared radiation emitted from an object is received.
Thermopile-type infrared sensors consist of a silicon (Si) lens, an array sensor and a control IC, and are characterized by their ability to observe an object from a distance with high accuracy and low power consumption.
Have you ever had the experience of a light automatically switching on when you enter a toilet, only to turn off when you remain still in the private room?
In contrast to pyroelectric sensors, which become stable and stop responding when the object is stationary, thermopile sensors are suitable for fixed-point observations because they continue to capture radiant energy.
Optical sensor could detect the strength of the light and convert it to the electrical signals. It may contain the light receiving device, measurement circuit, light emitting device and light emission control circuit etc. Optical sensor could be classified as either 『 Transmissive type 』 or 『 Reflective type 』. And it will allow non destructive observation and inspection.
Examples of light emitting devices are LED and Laser diode. And examples of light receiving devices are photo diode and photo transistor.
Electrical changes could be observed depending on the strength of the light or spectrum on the light receiving devices. These changes could be measured by measurement circuit and will be output as electrical analog or digital signal through signal processing circuit.
Light source consists of light emitting device and light emission control circuit. Not only visible light but also near infrared light which is invisible light could be used for this measurement.
Spot sensor consists of single pixel light receiving device and amplifier circuit. It can be used as pseudo linear image sensor when the multiple spot sensors are placed in line.
Linear image sensor is the sensor which multiple light receiving devices are placed in one dimension. CMOS sensor and amplifier circuit is adopted for this device. It can be used to capture the image or to detect the position.
Area image sensor is the sensor which light receiving devices are placed in two dimensions.
