Applications of Photo diodes

There are a large number of applications of photo- diodes. However, we shall give two applications of photo-diodes by way of illustration.

(i)  Alarm circuit using photo-diode.

The Below Fig. shows the use of photo-diode in an alarm system. Light from a light source is allowed to fall on a photo-diode fitted in the doorway.  The reverse current IR will continue to flow so long as the light beam is not broken. If a person passes through the door, light beam is broken and the reverse current drops to the dark current level. As a result, an alarm is sounded.

Photo Diode Application

(ii)  Counter circuit using photo-diode. A photo- diode may be used to count items on a conveyor belt, Below Fig. shows a photo-diode circuit used in a system that counts objects as they pass by on a conveyor. In this circuit, a source of light sends a concentrated beam of light across a conveyor to a photo-diode. As the object passes, the light beam is broken, IR drops to the dark current level and the count is increased by one.

Photo Diode for Counter Application

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