The OPT4048 measures the color properties of the light source that illuminates the device. This device measures four channels (X Channel, Y Channel, Z Channel, W Channel) with special spectral characteristics, which helps extract properties of the light source (i) the CIE XY/U'V' color coordinates (ii) the lux level and (iii) the correlated color temperature. Name of the channels correspond to the respective CIE tristimulus curves with additional W channel being the wide channel response.

With close matching to the CIE tristimulus spectral profiles, OPT4048 measures the true color of any light source or environment. This helps applications where, measuring the precise characteristics of the lighting environment is critical like display brightness, color temperature adjustment, camera color temperature correction, object true color recognition & medical applications.

Since CIE tristimulus curves are devised to mimic human color perception, matching the sensor spectral response to those curves is vital because color sensors are used to measure and help create excellent human lighting experiences. Strong rejection of infrared light, which a human does not see, is a crucial component of this matching. This matching makes the OPT4048 especially good for operation underneath windows that are visibly dark, but infrared transmissive

OPT4048 is fully self-contained to measure the properties of light and report the result in ADC codes digitally over the I²C bus. The result can also be used to alert a system and interrupt a processor with the INT pin. The result can also be summarized with a programmable threshold comparison with a specified channel and communicated with the INT pin.

OPT4048 is by default configured to operate in automatic full-scale range detection mode that always selects the best full-scale range setting for the given lighting conditions. There are 7 full-scale range settings, one of which can be selected manually as well. Setting the device to operate in automatic full-scale range detection mode frees the user from having to program their software for potential iterative cycles of measurement and readjustment of the full-scale range until good for any given measurement. With device exhibiting excellent linearity over the entire 26 bit dynamic range of measurement no additional linearity calibration is required at system level.

The OPT4048 contains 4 channels, results of which are always available all the time as independent channel registers which can be digitally read over the I²C bus synchronously or asynchronously.

The device measures light for 4 channels sequentially (X, Y, Z, W) with selectable conversion times from 600 μs per channel to 800 ms per channel in 12 steps. Measurements can be read asynchronously or interrupt pin based which can be configured to generate an interrupt every time a single channel completes conversion or every time all 4 channels complete conversion.

The device starts up in a low-power shutdown state, such that the OPT4048 only consumes active-operation power after being programmed into an active state.

OPT4048 optical filtering system is not excessively sensitive to small particles and micro-shadows on the optical surface. This reduced sensitivity is a result of the relatively minor device dependency on uniform density optical illumination of the sensor area for infrared rejection. Proper optical surface cleanliness is always recommended for best results on all optical devices.