VL53L0XV2 Laser Distance Sensor

VL53L0XV2 Laser Distance Sensor Module

Lidar Digital Ruler Robot Vacuum Drone Parking Tank Level Conveyor Counter Gesture Obstacle Detection Automatic Door

     The VL53L0X laser distance sensor is a GY-VL53L0XV2 module that uses the VL53L0X ToF (Time of Flight) chip from STMicroelectronics. With its invisible 940nm laser (VCSEL) source the module measures the distance to the target within its 25 degree field of view and gives the result in millimetres. Because the measurement depends very little on the colour and reflectance of the target, it gives much more stable results than classic infrared (IR) distance sensors.

     In default mode it measures from about 30mm to 1.2m with 1mm resolution; in long range mode, on white and well reflecting surfaces indoors, it reaches up to 2m. The module communicates over the I2C (IIC) bus at address 0x29; thanks to the 2.8V regulator on the board VIN accepts 2.8V - 5.5V, and as the SDA and SCL lines are level shifted with the pull-up resistors on the board, it connects to 3.3V and 5V boards without extra parts. The laser is Class 1 according to IEC 60825-1:2014, which means it is eye safe in normal use.

     The board has VIN, GND, SCL, SDA, GPIO1 and XSHUT pins. GPIO1 is the measurement ready interrupt output and XSHUT is the shutdown input of the sensor; with XSHUT, more than one sensor can be connected to the same I2C bus. With its small size, two mounting holes and 2gr weight it is suitable for robot, drone, level measurement, object counting and contactless hand gesture detection projects.


Features:

• Product type: ToF (time of flight) laser distance sensor module
• Sensor chip: STMicroelectronics VL53L0X
• Board name: GY-VL53L0XV2 (silkscreen on the board "VL53L0/1XV2")
• Measuring range: about 30mm - 1.2m (default mode)
• Maximum distance: up to 2m (long range mode, white surface, indoors); outdoors about 80cm on a white surface
• Resolution: 1mm (result is read in millimetres)
• Accuracy: about ±3% in the best conditions; may exceed ±10% depending on ambient light and surface
• Laser: 940nm invisible infrared VCSEL, Class 1 (IEC 60825-1:2014), eye safe
• Field of view (FoV): 25 degrees
• Ranging profiles: Default 30ms, High accuracy 200ms, Long range 33ms, High speed 20ms
• Communication: I2C (IIC), up to 400kHz
• I2C address: 0x29 (7 bit) / 0x52 (8 bit); can be changed by software, returns to default when power is removed
• Supply (VIN): 2.8V - 5.5V; 2.8V regulator on the board
• Logic level: SDA and SCL lines are level shifted and the I2C pull-up resistors are on the board; compatible with 3.3V and 5V boards (XSHUT and GPIO1 are not shifted, 2.8V)
• Current consumption: average 19mA while ranging, peak 40mA (chip value)
• Pins: VIN, GND, SCL, SDA, GPIO1 (interrupt output), XSHUT (shutdown input, active low)
• Compatible boards: Arduino, ESP32, ESP8266, Raspberry Pi, STM32 and all boards with I2C support
• Library: Pololu VL53L0X and Adafruit_VL53L0X (Arduino), ST VL53L0X API
• Operating temperature: -20°C - 70°C
• Material and colour: Purple PCB, mounting hole on both sides, 6 pins with 2.54mm pitch
• Dimensions: about 25mm x 10.7mm x 4mm (including mounting ears, without pin header)
• Weight: 2gr

Usage information:

• Connect the VIN pin to a 3.3V or 5V supply, the GND pin to GND, and the SDA and SCL pins to the I2C SDA and SCL pins of your control board. The pull-up resistors are on the module, so no extra resistor is needed. With a single sensor, GPIO1 and XSHUT can be left unconnected.
• The sensor starts with I2C address 0x29 at every power-up and gives the distance in millimetres. Default (30ms), high accuracy (200ms), long range (33ms) or high speed (20ms) can be selected as the ranging profile.
• If you use more than one sensor on the same I2C bus, connect the XSHUT pin of each sensor to a separate output; turn the sensors on one by one and give each a different address by software (all sensors start with address 0x29). On a 5V board, follow the XSHUT note in the Precautions section.
• For distances close to 2m select the long range profile (white and well reflecting surface, indoors); for a more accurate measurement use the high accuracy profile (200ms).

Areas of use:

•  Robot and robot vacuum obstacle detection, wall following
•  Drone and quadcopter low altitude height measurement
•  Tank, hopper and waste bin fill / level measurement
•  Parking and garage vehicle presence, parking distance warning
•  Conveyor belt product detection
•  Counter: counting people / objects at doors and passages
•  Gesture (hand movement) detection, contactless button and tap
•  Distance meter and digital ruler projects
•  Education and STEM projects with Arduino, ESP32 and Raspberry Pi
•  Smart home, automatic door and lighting triggering
   

Precautions:

•  Remove the yellow protective tape on the sensor before use; the measurement is wrong while the tape is on.
•  Sunlight and strong infrared sources shorten the range; outdoors the maximum distance drops clearly compared to indoors. On black, glossy or transparent (glass) surfaces the measurement may be shorter or wrong.
•  If you place the sensor behind a glass or plastic window, reflections disturb the measurement; use a suitable infrared transmitting cover glass and the calibration settings in the library.
•  The XSHUT input and GPIO1 output are not level shifted; they are at the 2.8V level of the chip and are not 5V tolerant. Do not apply 5V to the XSHUT pin from a 5V board: drive the pin LOW to shut the sensor down and set the pin as an input (high impedance) to turn it on, or use a voltage divider. The high level of GPIO1 is at most 2.8V; some 5V boards may not read it as HIGH, so use a level shifter if needed.
•  The laser is invisible; check whether it works by the measured value on the serial monitor, not by eye.

Package contents:

•  1 Piece VL53L0X Laser Distance Sensor GY-VL53L0XV2 ToF Module
•  1 Piece male pin header ( Not soldered )
•  Note: Arduino / control board and connection cables are not included in the package.