The new TMF8820-1A distance sensor modules from ams OSRAM are direct Time-of-Flight (dToF) sensors that support a detection range of up to 5,000 mm with a dynamically adjustable field of view. The small size is ideal for applications with a narrow mounting. They are available in a modular housing with integrated Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) in a tape & reel package. The dToF sensors are based on Single Photon Avalanche Photodiode (SPAD), Time-to-Digital Converter (TDC) and histogram technology.
A particularly wide field of view and 3 x 3 zone output data are made possible by a lens on the SPAD of the sensor modules. A multi-lens array (MLA) inside the housing widens the field of illumination (FoI). The sensors have the ability to detect and compensate for soiling on the glass. In addition, they achieve a detection range of at least 10 mm up to a maximum of 5,000 mm and detect objects in a wide field of view with greater accuracy.
All processing of the raw data is done on-chip: the TMF8820-1A sensors provide distance information via their I2C interface and are 13 C tolerant for operation on a common I2C / 13 C bus. In standby mode, they have a power consumption of around 8 μA and the power consumption during shutdown is 2 μA. In 30 Hz operation, the power consumption is 141 mW. The sensors are ideal for distance measurement or object detection, for example in access control systems, vacuum robots, human presence detection, distance measurement for camera autofocus in cell phones, presence detection in computers and communication, light curtains in industry or object detection and collision avoidance in robotics.
