ST

The VL6180 is the first open market product based on ST’s patented FlightSense^TM technology. This is a ground-breaking proximity measuring technology allowing absolute distance measurement independent of target reflectance. Instead of estimating the distance by measuring the amount of light reflected back from the object (which is significantly influenced by color and surface), the VL6180 precisely measures the time the light takes to travel to the nearest object and reflect back to the sensor (time-of-flight).

Combining an IR emitter, a range sensor and an ambient light sensor in a three-in-one ready-to-use reflowable package, the VL6180 is easy to integrate and saves the end-product maker long and costly optical and mechanical design optimizations.

The module is designed for ultra low power operation, performing ranging and ALS measurements automatically at user defined intervals. Multiple threshold and interrupt schemes are supported to minimize host operations.

Host control is performed using a 400 kHz I2C interface. Optional additional functions, such as measurement ready and threshold interrupts, are provided by two programmable GPIO.

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