TOF laser distance sensor - 5m - UART/CAN - Waveshare 18301

Laser sensor using ToF (Time of Flight) technology for measurement. Its measuring range is from 0.01 m to 5 m with an accuracy of 1.5 cm . The measurement resolution is 1 mm. The sensor communicates with the microcontroller via the UART or CAN serial interface. It is supplied with a voltage in the range from 3.7 V to 5.2 V. The sensors can be connected in cascade. The angle of view (FoV) of the sensor can be adjusted from 15° to 27°. The user has two communication interfaces to choose from: UART and CAN. These types of sensors are used in robots and drones.

TOF laser distance sensor - 5 m - UART / CAN - Waveshare 18301.

Unlike other distance sensors, this sensor uses two identical communication interfaces. When ID is set for each sensor and sensors are combined into multiple series, sensor information can be read from one interface. The UART interface supports a maximum of 8 sensors connected in cascade, while the CAN interface supports a maximum of 7 sensors.

ToF (Time-of-Flight) is one of the absolute distance measurement technologies. The sensor emits near-infrared light that is reflected when it encounters an object. It calculates the distance to the encountered object by calculating the time difference or phase difference for light emission and reflection to get depth information. Compared with the binocular plan and the 3D structured illumination plan, the advantages of ToF are large measuring range, multiple application scenarios and high precision. Therefore, it is always used for human distance detection, robot obstacle avoidance, camera auto focus, etc. The near-infrared light coming from sunlight in the outdoor environment will generate an influence on the measuring effect of the module.

The ToF distance sensor is supplied with a voltage of 3.7 V to 5.2 V and communicates with the microcontroller via the UART or CAN interface via a 4-pin socket.

• TX/CAN_L - serial interface transmission line / CAN bus
• RX/CAN_H - serial interface receiving line / CAN bus
• GND - system ground
• VCC - system power line

• Measurement range:
  • short range: 0.012 m to 2.16 m
  • medium range: from 0.012 m to 3.6 m
  • large range: from 0.01 m to 5 m
• Typical Measurement Accuracy:
  • short range: ± 1 cm, deviation < 0.3 cm
  • middle range: ± 1 cm, deviation < 1.5 cm
  • large range: ± 1.5 cm
    • deviation < 0.5 cm from 0.01 m to 3 m
    • deviation < 8 cm from 3 m to 5 m
• Resolution: 1mm
• Power: 3.7V to 5.2V
• Communication:
  • UART (3.3V TTL signal)
  • CAN (both ports can be used simultaneously as CAN)
• Viewing angle (FoV): 15° to 27° (adjustable)
• Transmission speed:
  • UART: from 115200 bps to 3000000 bps (default 921600 bps)
  • CAN: 100000 bps to 3000000 bps (default 100000 bps)
• Cascading:
  • UART: up to 8 cascades
  • CAN: up to 7 cascades
• Ambient light resistance: low resistance, indoor only
• Power consumption: 290 mW (active UART output, long range mode, 5 V power supply, 58 mA current)
• Operating temperature: -10°C to 60°C
• Dimensions: 35.58 x 12 x 8.05mm
• Weight: 2.7g

• TOF laser distance sensor - 5 m - UART / CAN - Waveshare 18301
• Cable with two plugs 4-pin GH1.25
• 4-pin GH1.25 cable - female wires

• Manufacturer website: Waveshare 18301
• User Guide
• Sample program codes
• Windows 64-bit software
• Windows 32-bit software