Product description
This sensor is a carrier/breakout board for ST's VL53L7CX laser-ranging sensor, which offers fast and accurate ranging up to 3.5 m through a digital I²C interface. It has an extra-wide 60°×60° square field of view (FOV) (90° diagonal), and it can measure absolute distances to multiple targets simultaneously across multiple zones, providing enough data for a depth map with up to 8×8 resolution. The board includes a 3.3 V linear regulator and level-shifters that allow it to work over an input voltage range of 2.5 V to 5.5 V, and the 0.1" pin spacing makes it easy to use with standard solderless breadboards and 0.1" perfboards. Note: This is not recommended for use with 8-bit MCUs.
The VL53L7CX is effectively a tiny, self-contained lidar system featuring an integrated 940 nm Class 1 laser, which is invisible and eye-safe. Unlike conventional IR sensors that use the intensity of reflected light to estimate the distance to an object, the VL53L7CX uses ST's FlightSense technology to precisely measure how long it takes for emitted pulses of infrared laser light to reach the objects and be reflected back to a detector. This approach ensures absolute distance measurements independent of ambient lighting conditions and target characteristics (e.g. color, shape, texture, and reflectivity), though these external conditions do affect the maximum range of the sensor.
The VL53L7CX is distinguished from ST's previous time-of-flight sensors by its extra-wide 60°×60° square field of view (FOV), which allows for a 90° FOV across the diagonal, and its multi-zone ranging output. Its field of view is divided into a number of zones, configurable as a 4×4 or 8×8 grid, and the sensor provides separate readings for each zone (which can include multiple targets per zone). This effectively makes the VL53L7CX a basic 3D lidar, since instead of measuring only a single distance (1D lidar), it can provide enough data to generate a low-resolution depth map of the environment within its field of view.
Under favorable conditions, the sensor can report distances up to 3.5 m (11 ft) with 1 mm resolution. The minimum ranging distance is 20 mm. Ranging measurements are available through the sensor's I²C (TWI) interface, which is also used to configure sensor settings, and the sensor provides three additional pins: an interrupt output and two inputs to disable and reset the I²C interface.
The VL53L7CX is a great IC, but its small, leadless, LGA package makes it difficult for the typical student or hobbyist to use. It also operates at a recommended voltage of 2.8 V to 3.3 V, which can make interfacing difficult for microcontrollers operating at 5 V. Our breakout board addresses these issues, making it easier to get started using the sensor, while keeping the overall size as small as possible.
The carrier board includes a low-dropout linear voltage regulator that provides the 3.3 V required by the VL53L7CX and allows the sensor to be powered from a 2.5 V to 5.5 V supply. The regulator output is available on the VDD pin and can supply around 100 mA to external devices. The breakout board also includes a circuit that shifts the I²C clock and data lines to the same logic voltage level as the supplied VIN, making it simple to interface the board with 5 V systems, and the board's 0.1" pin spacing makes it easy to use with standard solderless breadboards and 0.1" perfboards. The board ships fully populated with its SMD components, including the VL53L7CX.
* Dimensions: 13 mm × 18 mm × 2 mm
* Weight without header pins: 0.5 g
* Operating voltage: 2.5 V to 5.5 V
* Supply current: ~100 mA (typical average during active ranging with default settings)
* Peak current can reach 150 mA
* Maximum range: 3.5 m
* Resolution: 1 mm depth, 4×4 or 8×8 sensor zones
* Minimum range: 20 mm
* Emitter: 940 nm invisible Class 1 VCSEL (vertical cavity surface-emitting laser) - eye-safe
* Detector: SPAD (single photon avalanche diode) receiving array
* Typical full field of view (FoV): 90° diagonal (60° horizontal/vertical)
* Output format (I²C): histogram
The VL53L7CX is effectively a tiny, self-contained lidar system featuring an integrated 940 nm Class 1 laser, which is invisible and eye-safe. Unlike conventional IR sensors that use the intensity of reflected light to estimate the distance to an object, the VL53L7CX uses ST's FlightSense technology to precisely measure how long it takes for emitted pulses of infrared laser light to reach the objects and be reflected back to a detector. This approach ensures absolute distance measurements independent of ambient lighting conditions and target characteristics (e.g. color, shape, texture, and reflectivity), though these external conditions do affect the maximum range of the sensor.
The VL53L7CX is distinguished from ST's previous time-of-flight sensors by its extra-wide 60°×60° square field of view (FOV), which allows for a 90° FOV across the diagonal, and its multi-zone ranging output. Its field of view is divided into a number of zones, configurable as a 4×4 or 8×8 grid, and the sensor provides separate readings for each zone (which can include multiple targets per zone). This effectively makes the VL53L7CX a basic 3D lidar, since instead of measuring only a single distance (1D lidar), it can provide enough data to generate a low-resolution depth map of the environment within its field of view.
Under favorable conditions, the sensor can report distances up to 3.5 m (11 ft) with 1 mm resolution. The minimum ranging distance is 20 mm. Ranging measurements are available through the sensor's I²C (TWI) interface, which is also used to configure sensor settings, and the sensor provides three additional pins: an interrupt output and two inputs to disable and reset the I²C interface.
The VL53L7CX is a great IC, but its small, leadless, LGA package makes it difficult for the typical student or hobbyist to use. It also operates at a recommended voltage of 2.8 V to 3.3 V, which can make interfacing difficult for microcontrollers operating at 5 V. Our breakout board addresses these issues, making it easier to get started using the sensor, while keeping the overall size as small as possible.
The carrier board includes a low-dropout linear voltage regulator that provides the 3.3 V required by the VL53L7CX and allows the sensor to be powered from a 2.5 V to 5.5 V supply. The regulator output is available on the VDD pin and can supply around 100 mA to external devices. The breakout board also includes a circuit that shifts the I²C clock and data lines to the same logic voltage level as the supplied VIN, making it simple to interface the board with 5 V systems, and the board's 0.1" pin spacing makes it easy to use with standard solderless breadboards and 0.1" perfboards. The board ships fully populated with its SMD components, including the VL53L7CX.
* Dimensions: 13 mm × 18 mm × 2 mm
* Weight without header pins: 0.5 g
* Operating voltage: 2.5 V to 5.5 V
* Supply current: ~100 mA (typical average during active ranging with default settings)
* Peak current can reach 150 mA
* Maximum range: 3.5 m
* Resolution: 1 mm depth, 4×4 or 8×8 sensor zones
* Minimum range: 20 mm
* Emitter: 940 nm invisible Class 1 VCSEL (vertical cavity surface-emitting laser) - eye-safe
* Detector: SPAD (single photon avalanche diode) receiving array
* Typical full field of view (FoV): 90° diagonal (60° horizontal/vertical)
* Output format (I²C): histogram