VL53L8CX Time-of-Flight Sensor

STMicroelectronics' VL53L8CX is an 8 x 8 multizone, time of flight (ToF) ranging sensor that enhances performance under ambient light with reduced power consumption. Based on STMicroelectronics' FlightSense™ technology, the sensor is designed to provide accurate ranging up to 400 cm with a 65° diagonal field of view (FoV).

The VL53L8CX integrates a powerful new generation VCSEL and two advanced meta-surface lenses. The hardware is housed in an innovative all-in-one module, enabling various high-performance use cases, such as low-power system activation, gesture recognition, SLAM for robotics, liquid level monitoring, and many more.

Thanks to STMicroelectronics' patented algorithms, the VL53L8CX can detect and track multiple targets within the FoV with a 64-zone depth measurement. The histograms ensure the cover glass crosstalk immunity is above 60 cm. Like all ToF sensors based on STMicroelectronics' FlightSense technology, the VL53L8CX measures an absolute distance regardless of the target color and reflectance.

The VL53L8CX supports SPI and I²C interfaces for high-frequency framerates and short boot times. The VCSEL of the VL53L8CX emits fully invisible 940 nm IR light with a Class 1 certification that it is safe for the eyes.

Applications

• Robotic applications in difficult environments including SLAM, wall tracking, small object detection, cliff prediction, and floor-type recognition
• System activation under ambient light for smart buildings and smart lighting; for example, user detection to wake up devices
• Content management for tanks, loads in trucks, and waste bins
• Liquid level monitoring
• Gesture recognition
• Keystone correction for video projectors
• Devices requiring better ambient light immunity
• Augmented reality/virtual reality enhancement. Dual camera stereoscopy and 3D depth assistance thanks to multizone distance measurements
• IoT and battery-powered devices for user and object detection
• Laser assisted autofocus (LAF), which enhances the camera AF system speed and robustness, especially in difficult low light or low contrast scenes