Patent ID: 7964839

Claim:
An apparatus for optically testing one or more light emitting components, said apparatus comprising: a multi-mode sensor unit for receiving light emitted from one or more light-emitting components under test, said multi-mode sensor unit including a photo-sensor coupled to a processor, said multi-mode sensor unit providing a plurality of test modes including modes for determining whether said light emitting component is illuminated, whether said emitted light matches a predetermined color, and determining a relative intensity of the emitted light; said processor responsive to at least one input control signal for programming and selecting one or more of said plurality of test modes to be performed, said processor providing one or more digital output signals representing results of said one or more selected test modes; a digital-to-analog converter, coupled to said processor, for producing a first analog output signal representing color of said emitted light, and a second analog output signal representing relative intensity of said emitted light; and a voltage protection circuit, coupled to said photo-sensor, processor and digital-to-analog converter, which enables said multi-mode sensor unit to operate using a supply voltage in a range of approximately 5 volts DC to approximately 40 volts DC, and which blocks negative voltages, steady-state or transient, up to approximately −18 volts DC, thereby providing overvoltage and reverse polarity protection for said apparatus.