A Mini Project report on

IR Proximity Sensor
submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of

Bachelor of Technology
in

Electronics and Communication Engineering

by

Isha Srivastava (2100970310072)

Jaspreet Rana (2100970310075)
Khushi Bhati (2100970310080)

Under the Guidance of

Dr. S.P.Singh
Professor

Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering

(B. Tech ECE – Accredited by NBA),

Galgotias College of Engineering and Technology, Greater Noida.

(Affiliated to Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam Technical University, Lucknow)

February, 2023
 DECLARATION

We hereby declare that the thesis entitled “IR Proximity Sensor” submitted by us, for
the award of the degree of Bachelor of Technology in Electronics and Communication
Engineering to Galgotias College of Engineering and Technology, Greater Noida
affiliated to Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University, Lucknow is a record of
bonafide work carried out by us under the supervision of Dr. S. P. Singh.

We further declare that the work reported in this report has not been submitted
and will not be submitted, either in part or in full, for the award of any other degree or
diploma in this institute or any other institute or university.

Place: Greater Noida

Date : 27.02.2023 Signature of the Candidates

CERTIFICATE
 This is to certify that the thesis entitled “IR Proximity Sensor” submitted by Isha
Srivastava, Jaspreet Rana and Khushi Bhati department of Electronics and
Communication Engineering, Galgotias College of Engineering and Technology, Greater
Noida affiliated to Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University (AKTU), Lucknow, for
the award of the degree of Bachelor of Technology in Electronics and Communication
Engineering, is a record of bonafide work carried out by them under my supervision, as
per AKTU code of academic and research ethics.

The contents of this report have not been submitted and will not be submitted
either in part or in full, for the award of any other degree or diploma in this institute or
any other institute or university. The thesis fulfils the requirements and regulations of the
University and in my opinion meets the necessary standards for submission.

Place: Greater Noida

Date: 27.02.2023 Signature of the Guide

The thesis is satisfactory / unsatisfactory

Internal Examiner 1 Internal Examiner 2

Approved by

Head of the Department

ABSTRACT
This project report presents the design, implementation, and evaluation of an IR proximity sensor
system. The IR proximity sensor is a device that detects the presence of objects within its
proximity using infrared radiation. The report discusses the basic principles behind the
functioning of IR proximity sensors and their applications. The design and construction of the IR
proximity sensor system are explained, including the selection of the appropriate components,
circuit design, and programming. The report also details the testing and evaluation of the IR
proximity sensor system, including the measurement of its accuracy and precision. The results of
the evaluation demonstrate the effectiveness of the IR proximity sensor system in detecting the
presence of objects within its proximity. Overall, this project report provides valuable insights
into the design and implementation of an IR proximity sensor system, which can be used in a
wide range of applications such as automation, robotics, and security systems.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
First of all, we would like to express our gratitude to our beloved Chairman Shri.
Suneel Galgotia and CEO Shri. Dhruv Galgotia for providing necessary facilities to
carry out and finish the project successfully. We are grateful to our Director Dr. Mohd.
Asim Qadri for his support and encouragement.

Our special thanks go to Dr. Lakshmanan. M, Head of the Department,

Electronics and Communication Engineering, for providing an environment that
 encouraged us in working towards our goal and supported in completion of our project.
This project gave us an opportunity to apply creative and critical thinking skills.

We would like to present our deep sense of gratitude to our project guide, Dr. S.
P. Singh, Professor, Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering
who has always been a source of motivation and firm support for carrying out the project.
The supervision and support that he gave truly helped in the progression of the project.
His cooperation is much indeed appreciated. We are highly obliged to him for his
valuable advices and moral support during research period.

Finally, our greatest and special gratitude goes to our family for their love and support.

Place: Greater Noida Isha Srivastava

Date: 27.02.2023 Jaspreet Rana

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page
Chapter CONTENTS
No
No.
Title Page
Declaration
Certificate
 Abstract
Acknowledgement
Table of Contents
List of Figures
1 Introduction
1.1
Types of IR sensors
1.2
Explanation of Keywords 1.3 Motivation

2 Detailed description of the work

3 System model

4 Result and discussion

5 Conclusion and Future scope

6 References

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure No. Title Page No.

1.1 Active IR Sensor 3
1.2 Passive IR Sensor 10
1.3 PCB Board 10
1.4 IR LED 14
1.5 Photodiode 15
2.1 Working principle 16
2.2 IR Sensing circuit 18
 2.3 IR Sensor
3.1 Circuit Diagram

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
An infrared sensor is a device that detects infrared radiation in its environment and outputs an
electric signal. An infrared sensor can detect movement as well as to measure the heat of an
object. The Infrared Sensor can detect infrared radiation, which is invisible to our eyes. An
infrared sensor is a photodiode that is sensitive to infrared light.

Infrared technology addresses a wide variety of wireless applications. The main areas are sensing
and remote controls. In the electromagnetic spectrum, the infrared portion is divided into three
regions: near infrared region, mid infrared region and far infrared region. The wavelengths of
these regions and their applications are shown below.
Near infrared region 700 nm to 1400 nm IR sensors, fiber optic Mid infrared region -1400 nm to
3000 nm-Heat sensing Far infrared region 3000 nm to I mm-Thermal imaging.

1.1 TYPES OF IR SENSORS

Active IR sensor:
This type of sensor includes both the emitter & the receiver which are also known as transmitter
& receiver. In the majority of cases, a laser diode or LED is used as a light source. LEDs are
used for non-imaging infrared sensors, while laser diodes are used for imaging infrared sensors.

Fig 1.1 Active IR sensor

Passive IR sensor:
The passive infrared sensor includes detectors only but they don't include a transmitter. These
sensors make use of a transmitter or an infrared source. This object emits energy, which infrared
receivers detect. After that, a signal processor is used to decode the signal and extract the
necessary data.
 Fig 1.2 Passive IR sensor

1.2 Explanation of keywords:

PCB Connection: A zero printed circuit board, or PCB, is used for Electronics and
Communication support. The PCB is printed circuit board having circuit made with cooper layer
on the plate there are various steps to design a PCB for that the basic thing required is circuit.
The PCBs are mainly used to provide electrical connection and mechanical support to the
electrical components of a circuit. PCB consists of an electrically insulating base onto which
conducting metal tracks are patterned to form electrical connections for electronic components
mounted to the top, and sometimes the bottom, of the insulating based. The PCB has electrical,
mechanical, and thermal properties that must be considered when creating a design for a
particular application.
 Fig 1.3 PCB (Printed circuit Board)
IR LED: An IR LED, also known as IR transmitter, is a special purpose LED that transmits
infrared rays in the range of 760 nm wavelength, made of gallium arsenide or aluminum gallium
arsenide. The appearance is same as a common LED. Specially, it is a semiconductor device that
releases infrared rays when exposed to electrical current. IR sensor is a device that uses infrared
technology to detect objects or changes in the environment. IR sensors can detect a wide range of

physical properties such as temperature, motion, and proximity.

Fig 1.4 IR LED

Photodiode: A photodiode is a type of photo detector capable of converting light into either
current or voltage, depending upon the mode of operation. The common, traditional solar cell
used to generate electric solar power is a large area photodiode. Semiconductor photodiodes will
generally simultaneously behave as photoemitter over much of the VUV. Photoelectrons leaving
the surface, or collecting at the surface, can create anomalous effects if the surface is not a
conductor, which is the case with photovoltaic silicon photodiodes. Localized collection of
charge can have an unpredictable effect on the controlling electric fields within the photodiode.
Schottky photodiodes will also emit photoelectrons, but there will be no local charge
accumulation because of the conductive outer layer.

Fig 1.5 Photodiode

1.3 Motivation for building IR proximity sensor:

There are several motivations for building an infrared (IR) proximity sensor, including:

 Object detection: An IR proximity sensor can detect the presence of an object in close
proximity. This can be useful in a variety of applications, such as robotics, where the
sensor can be used to detect obstacles and avoid collisions.
 Distance measurement: By measuring the amount of time it takes for the IR signal to
bounce back after hitting an object, an IR proximity sensor can be used to measure
distance. This can be useful in applications such as parking sensors for cars.
 Automation: IR proximity sensors can be used in automated systems to detect the
presence of objects and trigger actions accordingly.
 Security: IR proximity sensors can be used as part of a security system to detect the
presence of intruders. This can be useful in applications such as door alarms or motion
detectors.

Overall, IR proximity sensors are versatile and can be used in a wide range of applications where
object detection or distance measurement is required.
 CHAPTER 2
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE WORK

2.1 Principle of Working

The principle of an IR sensor working as an Object Detection Sensor can be explained using the
following figure.

Fig 2.1 Working principle of IR proximity sensor

An IR sensor consists of an IR LED and an IR Photodiode; together they are called as

PhotoCoupler or Opto-Coupler. When the IR transmitter emits radiation, it reaches the object and
some of the radiation reflects back to the IR receiver. Based on the intensity of the reception by
the IR receiver, the output of the sensor is defined. it consists of an IR LED, a photodiode, a
potentiometer, an IC Operational amplifier and an LED. IR LED emits infrared light. The
Photodiode detects the infrared light. An IC Op-Amp is used as a voltage comparator. The
potentiometer is used to calibrate the output of the sensor according to the requirement. When the
light emitted by the IR LED is incident on the photodiode after hitting an object, the resistance of
the photodiode falls down from a huge value. One of the inputs of the op-amp is at threshold
value set by the potentiometer. The other input to the op-amp is from the photodiode's series
resistor. When the incident radiation is more on the photodiode, the voltage drop across the series
resistor will be high.
In the IC, both the threshold voltage and the voltage across the series resistor are compared. If the
voltage across the resistor series to photodiode is greater than that of the threshold voltage, the
output of the IC Op -Amp is high. As the output of the IC is connected to an LED, it lightens up.
The threshold voltage can be adjusted by adjusting the potentiometer depending on the
environmental conditions. The positioning of the IR LED and the IR Receiver is an important
factor. When the IR LED is held directly in front of the IR receiver, this setup is called Direct
Incidence. In this case, almost the entire radiation from the IR LED will fall on the IR receiver.
Hence there is a line-of-sight communication between the infrared transmitter and the receiver. If
an object falls in this line, it obstructs the radiation from reaching the receiver either by reflecting
the radiation or absorbing the radiation.

2.2 System model:

A typical IR sensing circuit is shown below:

Fig 2.2 IR sensing circuit

It consists of an IR LED, a photodiode, a potentiometer, an IC Operational amplifier and an LED.

The transmitter part of this project includes an IR sensor that emits continuous IR rays that are
received by an IR receiver module. The receiver’s IR output terminal changes depending on how
well it receives IR photons. This output can be passed to a comparator circuit because this
variation cannot be analyzed separately
 Fig 2.3 IR Sensor

An IR proximity sensor works by applying a voltage to a pair of IR light emitting diodes (LED’s)
which in turn, emit infrared light. This light propagates through the air and once it hits an object
it is reflected back towards the sensor. If the object is close, the reflected light will be stronger
than if the object is further away. The sensing unit, in the form of an integrated circuit (IC),
detects the reflected infrared light, and if its intensity is strong enough, the circuit becomes active.
When the sensing unit becomes active, it sends a corresponding signal to the output terminal
which can then be used to activate any number of devices. For the purpose of this exercise, a
small green LED will turn on when the sensor becomes active.
 CHAPTER 3

3.1 SYSTEM MODEL

Proximity Sensor are used to detect objects and obstacles in front of sensor. Sensor keeps transmitting
infrared light and when any object comes near, it is detected by the sensor by monitoring the reflected
light from the object. It can be used in robots for obstacle avoidance, for automatic doors, for parking
aid devices or for security alarm systems, or contact less tachometer by measuring RPM of rotation
objects like fan blades.

Pin control indicator Description

Vcc 3 to 5 dc supply input
Gnd Ground input
Out Output that goes low when obstacle is in range
Power LED Illuminates when power is applied
Obstacle LED Illuminates when obstacle is detected
Distance Adjust Adjust detection distance. CCW decreases
distance. CW increases distance

IR Emitter Infrared emitter LED

IR Receiver Infrared receiver that receives signal transmitted by

infrared emitter

The sensor which simply measures IR radiation instead of emitting is called PIR or passive
infrared. Generally, in the IR spectrum, the radiation of all the targets radiation and some kinds
of thermal radiation are not visible to the eyes but can be sensed through IR sensors.

In this sensor, an IR LED is used as an emitter whereas the photodiode is used as a detector.
Once an infrared light drops on the photodiode, the output voltage & resistance will be changed
in proportion to the received IR light magnitude.
 Fig 3.1 Circuit Diagram

An infrared sensor includes two parts namely the emitter & the receiver (transmitter & receiver),
so this is jointly called an optocoupler or a photo-coupler. Here, IR LED is used as an emitter
whereas the IR photodiode is used as a receiver.

The photodiode used in this is very sensitive to the infrared light generated through an infrared
LED. The resistance of photodiode & output voltage can be changed in proportion to the infrared
light obtained. This is the fundamental IR sensor working principle.

The type of incident that occurred is the direct otherwise indirect type where indirect type, the
arrangement of an infrared LED can be done ahead of a photodiode without obstacle. In indirect
type, both the diodes are arranged side by side through a solid object ahead of the sensor. The
generated light from the infrared LED strikes the solid surface & returns back toward the
photodiode.

IR sensors use three basic Physics laws like Planck’s Radiation, Stephan Boltzmann & Wein’s
Displacement.
 ● Planck’s Radiation Law defines that the temperature of any object is not equivalent to
Zero
● Stephan Boltzmann Law defines that the whole energy which is generated at all
wavelengths through a black body is associated with the total temperature.
● Wein’s Displacement Law defines that the temperature of different objects emits spectra

that are maximum at various wavelengths and inversely proportional with temperature.

3.2 Advantages

The advantages of the infrared sensor include the following.

● Low power consumption

● Noise immunity is strong
● Detects motion when the light is present or absent
● These sensors are not affected by rust
● They do not need to get in touch with objects for detection.
● No data leakage because of the directionality infrared radiation of ray ● These are more
modest in size and are more moderate.
● It responds very quickly as compared to thermocouples.
● It provides high reliability

3.3 Disadvantages

The disadvantages of the infrared sensor include the following.

● Line of sight is necessary

● It can be affected based on the conditions of the environment like fog, rain, pollution,
dust, etc.
● These sensors can be blocked with common objects.
● The data rate transmission is not fast.
 CHAPTER 4

4.1 RESULT AND DISCUSSION

There are five basic elements used in a typical infrared detection system: an infrared source, a
transmission medium, optical component, infrared detectors or receivers and signal processing.
Infrared lasers and Infrared LEDs of specific wavelength can be used as infrared sources. The
three main types of media used for infrared transmission are vacuum, atmosphere and optical
fibers. Optical components are used to focus the infrared radiation or to limit the spectral
response. Optical lenses made of Quartz, Germanium and Silicon are u to focus the infrared
radiation. Infrared receivers can be photodiodes, phototransistors etc. some important
specifications of infrared receivers are photosensitivity, detectivity and noise equivalent power.
Signal processing is done by amplifiers as the output of infrared detector is very small. The
basics of the sharp IR sensor were put forward for your consumption and an understanding of
how to interpret the IR sensor output data.

Infrared sensors use in various projects and also in various electronic devices. They all are as
follow, Infrared technology implemented in night vision equipment if there is not enough visible
light available to see unaided. Night vision devices convert ambient photons of light into
electrons and then amplify them using a chemical and electrical process before finally converting
them back into visible light.

IR sensors have found their applications in most of today’s equipment. Following are the list of
sensors which are named after its usage.

Proximity Sensor
These are used in smart phones to find distance of object. They use principle called Reflective
Indirect Incidence. Radiation transmitted by transmitter is received by receiver after being
reflected from object. Distance is calculated based on the intensity of radiation received.

Item Counter
 This uses direct incidence method to count the items. Constant radiation is maintained in between
transmitter and receiver. As soon as object cuts the radiation, item is detected and count is
increased. The same count is shown on display system.

Other key application areas that use infrared sensors include:

● Climatology
● Meteorology
● Photo biomodulation
● Flame Monitors
● Gas detectors
● Water analysis
● Moisture Analyzers
● Anesthesiology testing
● Petroleum exploration
● Rail safety

● Gas Analyzers
 CHAPTER 5

5.1 CONCLUSION AND FUTURE SCOPE

The future of infrared sensors will mostly depend on the development of technologies behind
those sensors, such as quantum dot infrared photodetectors (QDIPs) and Type-II superlattice
structures. Also, future IR sensor technology will have photodetectors integrated with highly
effective smart algorithms.

5.2 QDIP Technology:

One current IR sensor technology is quantum-well infrared photodetectors (QWIPs). The

technology includes a wide variety of wavelengths and is a relatively low-cost technology. QDIP
has emerged as a technology for next-generation IR imaging and there has been a rapid
progression of this technology over the last decade. One of the current cutting-edge uses of IR
sensor technology is the identification of blood vessels in laparoscopic surgery. These sensors
can identify the presence and size of nearby blood vessels. Another medical technology company
based in Philadelphia has developed an IR-sensor system that can assess brain trauma within two
minutes.
As our understanding of the body’s systems increases along with IR sensor technology, medical
devices will only become more insightful and precise.

5.3 Future IR Technology:

The future of infrared sensors will mostly depend on the development of technologies behind
those sensors, such as quantum dot infrared photodetectors (QDIPs) and Type-II superlattice
structures. Also, future IR sensor technology will have photodetectors integrated with highly
effective smart algorithms.

5.4 Type II Superlattice:

Type-II superlattice structures have recently come forth as a promising material for
highperformance IR photodetectors in MWIR and LWIR ranges. Detector devices made by using
a Type-II superlattice system are photovoltaic, but there has been a great deal of work on
developing more exotic device structures to be able to boost detector performance. Incidentally,
QDIPs with type-II band configuration are anticipated to have all the benefits offered by
quantum dot technology, as well, as greater detections efficiencies due to the band-to-band
transitions, unlike in QDIP devices. However, the experimentally-demonstrated quantum
efficiency values so far are quite low.
 CHAPTER 6

REFERENCES

1. http://www.semico.com
2. Heath, Steve (2003). Embedded systems design. EDN series for design engineers
(2 ed). Newnes. pp. 11-12. ISBN 9780750655460
3. http://www.youtube.com
4. www.infineon.com/meu