Time of Flight (ToF) Range Finder Sensor – VL6180 Accurate Distance Measurement

This is the SparkFun Time of Flight (ToF) Range Finder Sensor – VL6180 (Sparkfun), a sensor board for the VL6180 distance sensor. Unlike most distance sensors that rely on reflected light intensity or reflected angles to determine the range, the VL6180 uses a precise clock to measure the time it takes light to bounce back from a surface. This affords the ToF Range Finder and VL6180 a great benefit over other methods because it can be much more accurate and more immune to noise. Does this technology sound familiar? Well it should, it’s the same means cellphones use to detect when the caller is holding their phone to their ear.  

Note: Though the datasheet states the VL6180 measures an absolute range of up to 10cm, we have successfully tested it up to 25cm.  

Applications:  

1. Smartphones/portable touchscreen devices.  
2. Tablet/laptop/gaming devices.  
3. Domestic appliances/industrial devices.  

  

Features:  

1. 2.8V Regulator – Provides the required 2.8V for the sensor  
2. I2C Level Shifter – Provides logic level conversion from 2.8V to VCC  
3. 3-in-1 Module  
4. IR Emitter  
5. Range Sensor  
6. Ambient Light Sensor  
7. Measures absolute range up to 10cm  
8. Gesture Recognition  
9. I2C Interface  
10. Two Programmable GPIO  
11. Sharp Sensor Board Layout.  

  

Package Includes:  

1 x Time of Flight (ToF) Range Finder Sensor – VL6180