Laser ranging filter and sensor

To be precise, sensors are the entry point for data collection and the heart of autonomous driving, intelligent devices, and the Internet of Things, with considerable room for development.

There are various types and applications of sensors, which can be said to be ubiquitous. For example, there are dozens of acceleration sensors, distance sensors, light sensors, fingerprint recognition sensors, etc. in mobile phones, and hundreds of sensors such as engine speed sensors, vehicle speed sensors, tire pressure sensors, etc. in cars. The number of sensors often represents the level of intelligence.

Distance sensors are used; Flight time method; A sensor that detects the distance of an object based on its principle. With the increasing demand for distance sensing in markets such as drones, mobile phones, smart homes, and robots, this product is receiving increasing attention. In response to market demand, laser distance sensors have been born.

Laser ranging is most suitable for indoor environments

The demand for remote sensing has always existed, and people have been exploring the use of various elements to detect physical changes in objects. By converting these changes into distance, we can measure the distance and displacement of objects.

The distance sensing technologies in the market mainly include infrared distance measurement, inductive distance measurement, ultrasonic distance measurement, and laser distance measurement. Among them, the infrared distance sensor emits infrared pulse signals through an infrared light source and then receives them through a receiver. It measures the time it takes for an object to emit infrared light and reflect it back, and calculates the distance between the infrared light and the object by measuring the time.

However, the infrared band is more susceptible to interference and often requires other devices to be turned off during startup. The disadvantage of induction technology is that the measurement distance is relatively short, and the measurement accuracy will be greatly reduced if it exceeds 10cm. Therefore, the application range of these two technologies in consumer electronics products such as smartphones is affected. The advantage of ultrasonic distance sensors is that they have a long transmission distance (sensing distance greater than 80 meters), but the device has a large volume and poor positioning accuracy. Therefore, most of these technologies are used outdoors, such as car navigation, but are difficult to apply to consumer electronics products.

Therefore, laser ranging technology is most suitable for indoor application environments. After adopting the second-generation FlightSense technology, the Italian semiconductor company's newly launched laser ranging sensor VL53L0X can expand the ranging length to 2 meters, and the measurement accuracy can be controlled within a range of; 3%. The measurement speed is faster than the previous generation product, and the distance measurement time is less than 30 ms.

Smart homes will be widely adopted

At present, the largest application market for laser ranging sensors is smartphones. LG、 Asus OPPO、 Meizu, Lenovo, ZTE and other mobile phones all use this technology, mainly for autofocus assistance. With the development of consumer electronics, smartphones, smart homes, drones and other products, there will be an increasing demand for the application of remote sensing technology in indoor environments.

For example, smartphones, washing machines, faucets, and soap dispensers in smart home products need to more accurately and quickly perceive consumers' proximity or gestures in order to achieve intelligent operations. A more accurate and faster ranging induction method can greatly improve user experience. At present, one of the main bottlenecks in promoting service robots in shopping centers is the obstacle caused by distance measurement errors from objects to people, which is easily affected by customers or counters and can cause accidents. With the addition of a new generation of laser ranging sensors, the above problems can be largely avoided.

For example, robotic vacuum cleaners and indoor drones are also a promising market. An important requirement for robotic vacuum cleaners and indoor drones is their ability to sense and avoid indoor objects. In indoor environments, they often need to avoid various obstacles to prevent accidents. Laser ranging sensors can recognize objects within a distance range of 2 meters, avoiding accidents.