STMicroelectronics recently launched another Time-of-Flight (ToF) ranging sensor with the second generation of its FlightSense technology, as the VL53L0X laser-ranging sensor.
The VL53L0X extends the ToF measurement range to two meters, and is accurate to within ±3%. It is also faster, measuring the distance in under 30ms, and consumes only 20mW in active ranging mode and drawing 5µA in standby. At 2.4mm x 4.4mm x 1mm, it is at present the smallest such device in the market.
The VL53L0X gives accurate distance measurement in millimeters, and is unaffected by the color or reflectivity of the sensed target. Its FlightSense technology, can also distinguish movement towards or away from the sensor or from side to side. Distance is calculated internally and communicated over I2C thereby minimizing demands on the system host controller.
The integrated eye-safe laser emits non-visible light of 940nm wavelength, which eliminates the distracting red glow typically associated with other infrared
proximity sensors and improves immunity to interference from external light sources. The sensor’s digital architecture and automatic light compensation enhances performance in scenes with high ambient-lighting levels.
The sensing capabilities of the VL53L0X supports functions including gesture sensing or proximity detection for new innovative user interfaces, wall detection, cliff detection and collision avoidance for robotic appliances such as vacuum cleaners, as well as hands-free actuation of home appliances or washroom devices such as faucets, soap dispensers, hand dryers, and flushers. Other applications include user-presence detection for laptops or monitors for power-on/off control, drones, and
Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices.
For integration, the VL53L0X is supplied with a software API (Application Programming Interface) as well as full documentation and example source code. Developers can take advantage of the X-NUCLEO-53L0A1 expansion board, which can be connected to the family of STM32 Nucleo microcontroller boards for easy evaluation of the VL53L0X performance.
