MEMS ToF Sensor Serves IoT and Robotic Systems
TDK Corp. announced full distribution availability of its InvenSense SmartSonic ICU-10201 ultrasonic time-of-flight (ToF) sensor with on-chip processing, enabling the design of high-performance, low-power IoT and robotics products. The ICU-10201 sensor offers the sensitivity required for accurate obstacle avoidance or proximity sensing, which is used frequently in robotics, drones, and robot vacuum cleaner (RVC) devices. It's also highly relevant for products that require level sensing, such as in a liquid dispenser or coffee machine.
These ToF sensors integrate a MEMS piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer (PMUT) with a low-power system-on-chip (SoC) in an ultra-compact reflowable package. The SoC offers greater computational power than that found in earlier devices, enabling it to run a wide range of application algorithms to completely offload the system MCU.
Based on ultrasonic pulse-echo or pitch-catch measurements, the ToF sensor provides millimeter-accurate and robust range measurements to targets at distances up to 1.7 m in any lighting condition, including full sunlight, independently of the target’s color and optical transparency, like glass walls or mirrors.
The ICU-10201, in an ultra-compact package footprint of 3.5 x 3.5 mm2, is available from multiple distributors worldwide.
Related links:
ICU-10201 ultrasonic time-of-flight (ToF) sensor
TDK InvenSense