Save 68%

Pololu Digital Distance Sensor 50cm

List price: £15.20
£4.83
(£5.80 UK, incl VAT) You save: £10.37 (68%)
Price in points: 966 points
2110-689
1 g
5 item(s)
End of Line
+
Add to wish list

This small lidar-based distance sensor detects the presence of objects within 50 cm (20″). It has a single digital output that drives low when an object is being detected; otherwise, it is high. It works over an input voltage range of 3.0V to 5.5V, and the 0.1″ pin spacing makes it easy to use with standard solderless breadboards and 0.1″ perfboards.

It is one of a family of sensors available with differing detection distances as well as a choice between a digital or pulse width output. Each has the same dimensions and pinout.

Digital output
(does not provide distance measurement)
Sensor Maximum
range1
Minimum
range
Minimum
update
rate
Jumper
settings
(4321)
PCB ID
#4050: Digital output, 5cm 5 cm < 5 mm 145 Hz 0000 irs16a
#4052: Digital output, 10cm 10 cm < 5 mm 115 Hz 0010
#4054: Digital output, 15cm 15 cm < 5 mm 95 Hz 0100
#4066: Digital output, 25cm 25 cm < 1 mm 100 Hz 0000 irs17a
#4067: Digital output, 50cm 50 cm < 1 mm 100 Hz 0001
#4069: Digital output, 100cm 100 cm < 1 mm 100 Hz 0011
#4077: Digital output, 200cm 200 cm < 1 mm 30 Hz 1011

 

Pulse width output
(provides distance measurement)
Sensor Maximum
range1
Minimum
range2
Resolution Minimum
update
rate
Jumper
settings
(4321)
PCB ID
#4064: Pulse width output, 50cm max ~50 cm 1 cm 3 mm 50 Hz 1110 irs16a
#4071: Pulse width output, 130cm max ~130 cm 4 cm 1 mm 100 Hz 0101 irs17a
#4079: Pulse width output, 300cm max ~300 cm 4 cm 2 mm 30 Hz 1101

1. Effective range depends on object reflectivity and ambient lighting conditions

2. Objects closer than the minimum distance can still be detected but the measured distance may be less accurate. The minimum detection range is <5mm for the irs16a boards and <1mm for the irs17a boards

This 50cm digital compact sensor is a great way to quickly detect the presence of nearby objects. As long as the sensor is enabled, it takes continuous distance measurements and uses a single digital output to indicate if it detects an object within its detection range. The output is driven low when the sensor detects an object; otherwise, the output is high. 

Distance

Please note that this sensor will only tell you if there is an object within the detection range along its line of sight, not how far away it is. As shown in the diagram above, there is hysteresis at the maximum range threshold to help ensure a clean transition as objects cross the threshold. The sensor can detect objects to within about 1 mm of the sensor face.

Unlike simpler optical sensors that use the intensity of reflected light to detect objects, this sensor uses a short-range lidar module to precisely measure how long it takes for emitted pulses of infrared, eye-safe laser light to reach the nearest object and be reflected back. This allows the sensor performance to be largely independent of object reflectivity and ambient lighting conditions (though the range can be reduced for extremely low-reflectance objects).

Some example applications include:

  • break-beam sensor or photogate alternative
  • non-contact bumper or obstacle detector for a robot
  • non-contact interface element for activating a device or process
  • a counter or timer of objects as they pass by

 

Specifications

Operating voltage: 3.0V to 5.5V 

  • Current consumption: 30 mA (typical) when enabled, 0.4 mA when disabled
  • Maximum range: 50 cm (10″)
  • Minimum range: < 1 mm
  • Minimum update rate: 100 Hz (10 ms period)
  • Field of view (FOV): 15° typical; can vary with object reflectance and ambient conditions
  • Output type: digital signal (low when detecting an object, high otherwise)
  • Dimensions: 0.85″ × 0.35″ × 0.122″ (21.6 × 8.9 × 3.1 mm)
  • Weight: 0.014 oz (0.4 g)

Using the sensor

Important note: This product might ship with a protective liner covering the sensor IC. The liner must be removed for proper sensing performance.

Remove Label

 

Pinout

Three connections are necessary to use this module: VIN, GND, and OUT. These pins are accessible through a row of 0.1″-pitch through holes, which work with standard 0.1″ (2.54 mm) male headers and 0.1″ female headers (available separately). The VIN pin should be connected to a 3 V to 5.5 V source, and GND should be connected to 0 volts. The OUT pin drives low (0 V) when an object is being detected and it drives high (to the VIN level) when an object is not being detected. It is weakly pulled high when the sensor is disabled or waiting for its first reading to complete after power-up. A red LED on the back side of the board also lights whenever an object is detected.

LED Indication

The board has an optional ENABLE pin that can be driven low to put it into a low-power state that consumes approximately 0.4 mA. This pin can be accessed through a via or its neighboring surface-mount pad on the back side labeled “EN” on the silkscreen. The ENABLE pin is pulled up to VIN, enabling the sensor by default.

The board has one mounting hole intended for use with #2 or M2 screws.

Jumper settings (irs17a)

The board features four surface-mount configuration jumpers that determine its operation mode. Different versions of the Pololu Digital Distance Sensors ship with the appropriate jumpers pre-populated with 0 Ω resistors. These resistors can be desoldered from the populated spots or solder bridges can be added across the unpopulated spots to convert one sensor version into another. This sensor can be converted into any other irs17a version as listed in the following table. (For more information about how the different output types work, see the product pages for representative versions.)

Item # Description Maximum
range*
Hysteresis Resolution Minimum
update
rate
Jumper
settings
(4321)
2110-688 Digital output, 25cm 25 cm 50 mm - 100 Hz 0000
2110-689 Digital output, 50cm 50 cm 50 mm - 100 Hz 0001
  Digital output, 75cm 75 cm 50 mm - 100 Hz 0010
2110-690 Digital output, 100cm 100 cm 50 mm - 100 Hz 0011
  Digital output, any detect ~130 cm - - 100 Hz 0010
2110-693 Pulse width output, 130cm max ~130 cm - 1 mm
(= 0.5 µs)
100 Hz
(110 Hz max)
0101
  Digital output,125cm 125 cm 50 mm - 30 Hz 1000
  Digital output,150cm 150 cm 50 mm - 30 Hz 1001
  Digital output,175cm 175 cm 50 mm - 30 Hz 1010
2110-691 Digital output, 200cm 200 cm 50 mm - 30 Hz 1011
  Digital output, any detect ~300 cm - - 30 Hz 1100
2110-694 Pulse width output, 300cm max ~300 cm - 2 mm
(= 0.5 µs)
30 Hz
(33 Hz max)
1101

 

The output graph is a bit different for the versions that use a pulse width to encode the measured distance. The output for these versions is similar to hobby servo control signals and is shown below as a function of time:

 PWM