Combining the light source, detector, and optics in one component, ams Osram has expanded its portfolio of direct time-of-flight (ToF) modules with three new devices for multi-zone and multi-object detection. These dToF sensors offer a wider field-of-view (FoV) and an extended range up to five meters.
Click for a larger image. (Source: ams osram)
The new multi-zone dToF modules – the TMF8820, TMF8821 and TMF8828 – combine a 940-nm vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL), a sensitive single photon avalanche photo diode (SPAD) detector array with matching multi-lens optics, and an on-chip microcontroller for histogram processing in one device. These modules are reportedly the smallest multi-zone dToF modules available on the market, measuring 2.0 × 4.6 × 1.4 mm.
The multi-zone dToF modules divide the detection area into multiple zones to collect more and higher quality information, said the company. This provides automated robots with more “sensory awareness”, enabling early detection of potential obstacles, for example, in vacuum cleaning robots.
The dToF modules offer accurate distance measurements for multiple objects in a number of detection zones. The TMF8820 dToF module divides the FoV into 3 × 3 or 9 individual detection zones; the TMF8821 into 4 × 4 or 16 individual detection zones, and the TMF8828 into 8 × 8 or 64 individual detection zones.
With multi-zone detection, it is possible to identify where an object is located within the sensors FoV, said ams Osram. The devices offer a dynamically adjustable FoV up to 63°, enabling customers to select either a narrow or wide FoV to meet their requirements. All three dToF modules have a detection range from one centimeter up to five meters.
TMF882x dToF module block diagram. Click for a larger image. (Source: ams osram)
Enabling multiple objects to be detected per zone, target applications for the dToF modules include laser detect autofocus (LDAF) in smartphones, user presence detection in PCs, light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensing in industrial and home/business automation systems. Evaluation kits are available.
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