The STMicroelectronics VL53L8CX 8×8 multizone time-of-flight (ToF) ranging sensor is designed to provide ambient-light immunity and low power consumption. The ToF sensors combine a 940 nm vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL), a multizone SPAD (single-photon avalanche diode) detector array and an optical system comprising filters and diffractive optical elements (DOE) in an all-in-one module. The sensor projects a wide square field of view of 45° x 45° (65° diagonal) and receives reflected light to calculate the distance of objects up to 400 cm away, across 64 independent zones and up to 30 captures/s.

The ToF sensors are designed to boost ranging performance with a new-generation VCSEL and advanced silicon-based meta-optics. The enhancements increase immunity to interference from ambient light, extending the sensor’s maximum range in daylight from 170 to 285 cm and reducing power consumption from 4.5 to 1.6 mW in low-power mode. Due to its 8×8 multizone sensing, the ToF sensor provides uniform sensitivity and ranging throughout the field of view, with an enhancedrange in ambient light.

When used for system activation and human presence detection, the sensor’s ambient-light immunity enables equipment to respond quickly. Mobile robots including autonomous vacuum cleaners can leverage the ToF sensor to improve guidance capabilities like floor sensing, small object detection, collision avoidance and cliff detection. The sensor’s synchronisation pin also enables projectors and cameras to benefit from coordinated autofocus. Other features include a motion indicator, an auto-stop feature that allows real-time actions and immunity to cover-glass crosstalk beyond 60 cm. Now supporting SPI connectivity, in addition to the 1 MHz I2C interface, the sensor can handle host data transfers at up to 3 MHz.

The VL53L8CX is available now, housed in a 6.4 x 3.0 x 1.75 mm leadless package.