Vishay TSSP™ Sensor Evaluation Board Accelerates Infrared Presence and Proximity Sensing Designs

Developing reliable infrared sensing systems requires a careful balance between detection accuracy, response time, power consumption, and real-world performance. In applications such as industrial sensors, smart devices, consumer electronics, appliances, and touchless interfaces, the evaluation stage is essential to understand how a sensor behaves under different distances, lighting conditions, object types, and installation environments.

To support faster and more reliable development, Vishay introduces the TSSP™ Sensor Evaluation Board, a compact Arduino-based evaluation platform designed for infrared presence and proximity sensing applications.

A Practical Platform for Faster Concept Validation

The TSSP™ Sensor Evaluation Board helps engineers and designers validate infrared sensing concepts quickly before moving to the final product design.

The board combines Vishay’s advanced TSSP infrared receivers with a configurable IR emitter, allowing users to evaluate presence sensing, fast proximity sensing, and long-distance proximity sensing on a single platform.

Because it is based on Arduino, the board provides an open and familiar microcontroller environment, simplifying prototyping, testing, and parameter adjustments during the development process. This reduces the need to create a dedicated evaluation circuit from scratch and gives design teams immediate insight into sensor behavior in real operating conditions.

Key Sensing Functions

The evaluation board supports three main sensing functions: presence sensing, fast proximity sensing, and long-distance proximity sensing.

Presence Sensing

Presence sensing enables straightforward object detection, identifying whether an object is present or absent. This function is suitable for applications that require fast response, simple detection logic, and low-power operation.

Typical use cases include automatic activation, object detection, user presence monitoring, and touchless control interfaces.

Fast Proximity Sensing

Fast proximity sensing detects movement toward or away from the sensor. This is achieved by dynamically adapting the IR emitter’s pulse length and frequency.

This function is useful in applications where detecting movement behavior is as important as detecting the object itself. It can support systems that need to identify quick approaches, gestures, or dynamic distance changes.

Long-Distance Proximity Sensing

For applications that require extended detection ranges, the board uses AGC-based signal evaluation. AGC, or Automatic Gain Control, helps estimate distance over longer ranges by analyzing signal behavior.

This makes the platform suitable for applications in industrial environments, smart equipment, automation systems, and devices that require more flexible distance evaluation.

Dual IR Receiver Architecture

One of the key technical advantages of the TSSP™ Sensor Evaluation Board is its dual IR receiver architecture.

The board includes:

TSSP53000: a fixed-gain, wideband receiver designed for presence sensing and fast proximity sensing.

TSSP4P38: an AGC-optimized receiver designed for long-range proximity sensing.

This architecture allows engineers to evaluate different detection approaches on the same platform and compare performance according to range, response time, and application requirements.

Designed for Real-World Evaluation

Infrared sensing performance can be affected by several external factors, including ambient light, field of view, object reflectivity, distance, and mechanical layout. For this reason, the evaluation board includes resources that help designers test under realistic conditions.

Key design and evaluation features include:

• Arduino-based control for easier experimentation and prototyping;

• Interchangeable apertures for testing under bright ambient light and different fields of view;

• Visual feedback for detection state, relative distance, and measurement speed;

• Configurable IR emitter intensity through selectable series resistors;

• TSSP-HA housing with an integrated optical barrier to help minimize crosstalk;

• Burst operation and duty-cycle control concepts for low-power applications.

These features allow design teams to better understand how the sensing system will perform outside ideal laboratory conditions.

Reducing Development Risk

Using a ready-to-use evaluation board helps reduce technical risks during the early stages of product development. Engineers can validate detection range, response time, power efficiency, and environmental behavior before finalizing the hardware design.

This can help shorten development cycles, reduce rework, and improve confidence in the selected infrared sensing solution.

By combining proven Vishay IR receiver technology with a flexible Arduino-based platform, the TSSP™ Sensor Evaluation Board supports faster decision-making and more efficient system optimization.

Target Applications

The TSSP™ Sensor Evaluation Board can be used across a wide range of applications, including:

• Consumer electronics;

• Home appliances;

• Industrial sensors;

• Touchless interfaces;

• Smart devices;

• Automation systems;

• Equipment with presence or proximity-based activation.

As automation, energy efficiency, hygiene, and intuitive user interaction become increasingly important, infrared sensing technologies continue to gain relevance in modern electronic designs.

Conclusion

The Vishay TSSP™ Sensor Evaluation Board is a practical tool for accelerating the development of infrared presence and proximity sensing applications.

With its Arduino-based architecture, dual IR receiver design, configurable emitter, visual feedback, and support for real-world testing conditions, the board enables faster evaluation and helps reduce risk during the design process.

For companies developing smart devices, industrial sensors, appliances, automation systems, or touchless interfaces, this evaluation platform offers a faster path from concept validation to final implementation.

Grupo Autcomp follows technologies that support more efficient, reliable, and intelligent electronic designs, connecting customers to solutions that help transform ideas into high-performance applications.