LightRanger 10 Click

How does it work?

LightRanger 10 Click as its foundation uses the VL53L4CX, a ToF (Time-of-Flight) optical distance sensor with an extended target detection range from STMicroelectronics. This ToF sensor integrates a VCSEL (vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser), which emits an entirely invisible 940nm IR light, totally safe for eyes (Class 1 certification), and a SPAD (single-photon avalanche diode) array which helps the VL53L4CX to achieve the best ranging performance even when a Click board™ is hidden behind a wide range of cover glass materials.

Specifically designed for long-range and multi-target measurements, the VL53L4CX provides very accurate distance measurements up to 6m with excellent results over short distances and 18° FoV (Field of View), which improves performances under ambient light. Thanks to ST’s patented algorithms, the VL53L4CX can detect multiple objects within the FoV with depth understanding. ST histogram algorithms ensure cover glass crosstalk immunity beyond 80cm and dynamic smudge compensation for targets below 80cm. Like all Time-of-Flight sensors based on ST’s FlightSense technology, the VL53L4CX records an absolute distance measurement regardless of the target color and reflectance.

LightRanger 10 Click communicates with MCU using the standard I2C 2-Wire interface to read data and configure settings with a maximum clock frequency of 1MHz. This Click board™ can be enabled or disabled through the EN pin routed to the CS pin of the mikroBUS™ socket; hence, offering a switch operation to turn ON the initial boot sequence of the VL53L4CX. It also possesses an additional interrupt pin, routed to the INT pin on the mikroBUS™ socket, indicating when a ranging measurement is available.

This Click board™ can be operated only with a 3.3V logic voltage level. The board must perform appropriate logic voltage level conversion before using MCUs with different logic levels. However, the Click board™ comes equipped with a library containing functions and an example code that can be used, as a reference, for further development.

Specifications

Pinout diagram

This table shows how the pinout on LightRanger 10 Click corresponds to the pinout on the mikroBUS™ socket (the latter shown in the two middle columns).

Notes	Pin					Pin	Notes
	NC	1	AN	PWM	16	NC
	NC	2	RST	INT	15	INT	Interrupt
Enable	EN	3	CS	RX	14	NC
	NC	4	SCK	TX	13	NC
	NC	5	MISO	SCL	12	SCL	I2C Clock
	NC	6	MOSI	SDA	11	SDA	I2C Data
Power Supply	3.3V	7	3.3V	5V	10	NC
Ground	GND	8	GND	GND	9	GND	Ground

Onboard settings and indicators

LightRanger 10 Click electrical specifications

Software Support

We provide a library for the LightRanger 10 Click as well as a demo application (example), developed using MikroElektronika compilers. The demo can run on all the main MikroElektronika development boards.

Package can be downloaded/installed directly from NECTO Studio Package Manager(recommended way), downloaded from our LibStock™ or found on Mikroe github account.

Library Description

This library contains API for LightRanger 10 Click driver.

Key functions

• lightranger10_get_int_pin This function returns the INT pin logic state.

• lightranger10_clear_interrupts This function clears the interrupts.

• lightranger10_get_distance This function reads the target object distance in millimeters.

Example Description

This example demonstrates the use of LightRanger 10 Click board™ by reading and displaying the target object distance in millimeters.

void application_task ( void ) 
 { 
     while ( lightranger10_get_int_pin ( &lightranger10 ) ); 

     uint16_t distance_mm; 
     if ( ( LIGHTRANGER10_OK == lightranger10_clear_interrupts ( &lightranger10 ) ) &&  
          ( LIGHTRANGER10_OK == lightranger10_get_distance ( &lightranger10, &distance_mm ) ) ) 
     { 
         log_printf ( &logger, " Distance: %u mm rnn", distance_mm ); 
     } 
 }

The full application code, and ready to use projects can be installed directly from NECTO Studio Package Manager(recommended way), downloaded from our LibStock™ or found on Mikroe github account.

Other Mikroe Libraries used in the example:

• MikroSDK.Board
• MikroSDK.Log
• Click.LightRanger10

Additional notes and informations

Depending on the development board you are using, you may need USB UART click, USB UART 2 Click or RS232 Click to connect to your PC, for development systems with no UART to USB interface available on the board. UART terminal is available in all MikroElektronika compilers.

mikroSDK

This Click board™ is supported with mikroSDK – MikroElektronika Software Development Kit. To ensure proper operation of mikroSDK compliant Click board™ demo applications, mikroSDK should be downloaded from the LibStock and installed for the compiler you are using.

For more information about mikroSDK, visit the official page.