VL53L0X TOF Based LIDAR Laser Distance Sensor

Description

LIDAR Laser Distance Sensor

If you want to detect Obstacles with your drones then the VL53L0X TOF-based Distance Laser LIDAR/Rangefinder is a quite good solution. No matter If you are a newbie, you can learn more things about this distance sensor.

The VL53L0X LIDAR Laser Distance Sensor is a new generation Time-of-Flight (ToF) laser-ranging module housed in the smallest package on the market today, providing accurate distance measurement whatever the target reflectance, unlike conventional technologies.

It can measure absolute distances up to 2m, setting a new benchmark in ranging performance levels, opening the door to various new applications.

The VL53L0X LIDAR Laser Distance Sensor integrates a leading-edge SPAD array (Single Photon Avalanche Diodes) and embeds ST’s second-generation FlightSenseTM patented technology.

TheVL53L0X’s 940 nm VCSEL emitter (Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser), is totally invisible to the human eye, coupled with internal physical infrared filters, enabling longer-ranging distances, higher immunity to ambient light, and better robustness to cover glass optical crosstalk.

Where to Use VL53L0X Sensor?

The VL53L0X LIDAR Laser Distance Sensor got very popular after it was first used in iPhone 7 for 3D imaging and Apple is still using this sensor in its latest mobile phones. It can detect an object within its range even the object’s surface is highly reflective hence measuring distance accurately. It has an integrated Single Photon Avalanche Diodes (SPAD) array.

This array is fast and is able to distinguish between different photons with less lag/jitter i.e within a few tens of picoseconds. The time-of-flight technology used in this sensor is ST’s second-gen Flight Sense technology. The laser used here is a940 nm Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser (VCSEL) which is invisible and safe for the human eyes.

The integrated IR filters enhance the long-range and increase immunity to the ambiance and give good prevention from glass optical crosstalk.

This module has 4 pins VCC, GND, SCL, and SDA. The board has a 2.8V linear regulator and integrated level shifter so, it can bear a voltage in the range of 2.6V to 5.5V. It uses I2C protocol to communicate that’s why Serial Clock Line (SCL) and Serial Data Address (SDA) pins are there to communicate with the microcontroller.