STMicroelectronics Delivers Next-Generation FlightSense™ Time-of-Flight Sensor

The VL53L1X time-of-flight sensor from STMicroelectronics extends the detection range of ST’s FlightSense technology to four meters, bringing high-accuracy, low-power distance measurement, and proximity detection to an even wider variety of applications. Unlike other proximity sensors that use simple IR (Infra-Red) technology, which only measure signal strength and can be affected by the object’s reflectivity, FlightSense sensors directly measure distance to the object based on the time for emitted photons to be reflected, enabling accurate distance-ranging regardless of the object’s surface characteristics.

With low power consumption and fast ranging performance, the VL53L1X is ideal for mobile robotics for wall following, cliff detection, collision avoidance and hover/landing assistance for drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The power-saving presence-detection mode enables innovative auto-sleep/wake-on-approach use cases for PCs, notebooks and IoT devices, in addition to camera auto-focus assist, and gesture recognition.

The fully integrated and miniaturized VL53L1X measures only 4.9mm x 2.5mm x 1.56mm, allowing use even where space is very limited. It is also pin-compatible with its predecessor, the VL53L0X, allowing easy upgrading of existing products.