VL6180 Time-of-Flight (ToF) Proximity Sensor

The VL6180 is a Time of Flight (ToF) proximity sensor from STMicroelectronics.  It features ST’s patented FlightSense technology for accurate distance measurement, independent of target surfaces reflectance. The VL6180 uses time taken by the light to travel to the nearest object and reflect back to the sensor for precision measurement. The VL6180 combines both IR emitter and range sensor in a single package. The precision, low power conception, I2C interface and smaller size package makes it one of the best ToF sensor for portable applications.

 

VL6180 Pinout Configuration

Pin number	Signal name	Signal type	Signal description
1	GPIO1	Digital I/O	Interrupt output. Open-drain. If used, it should be pulled high with 47 k resistor, otherwise left unconnected.
2	NC		No connect
3	NC		No connect
4	GPIO0/CE	Digital I/O	Power-up default is chip enable (CE). It should be pulled high with a 47k resistor.
5	SCL	Digital input	I2 C serial clock
6	SDA	Digital I/O	I2 C serial data
7	NC		No connect
8	AVDD_VCSEL	Supply	VCSEL power supply. 2.6 to 3.0 V
9	AVSS_VCSEL	Ground	VCSEL ground
10	AVDD	Supply	Digital/analog power supply. 2.6 to 3.0 V
11	NC		No connect
12	GND	Ground	Digital/analog ground

 

Features

• Two-in-one smart optical module

  • VCSEL light source

  • Proximity sensor

• Fast, accurate distance ranging

  • Measures absolute range from 0 to 62 cm max (depending on conditions)

  • Independent of object reflectance

  • Ambient light rejection

  • Crosstalk compensation for cover glass

• Gesture recognition

  • Distance and signal level can be used by host system to implement gesture recognition.

  • Demo systems (implemented on Android smartphone platform) available.

• Easy integration

  • Single reflowable component

  • No additional optics

  • Single power supply

  • I2C interface for device control and data

  • Provided with a documented C portable API (Application Programming Interface)

• Two programmable GPIO

  • Window and thresholding functions for ranging

 

Alternative for VL6180

VL53L1

 

Note: Complete technical details can be found in the VL6180 datasheet at this page’s end.

VL6180 Block Diagram

The following image shows the internal block diagram of VL6180.

 

VL6180  Application Circuit Diagram

The following image shows the typical application circuit for the VL6180. 

100nF decoupling capacitor is connected to the power supply pins. Propper pullup resistors are connected to the I2C lines. For the open drain GPIOs a pullup resistor of 47K is recommended. If not pulled high leave these GPIO pins floating. A 47K pullup resistor is also needed to be added to the CE pin.

Ranging 

The VL6180 uses a simple pipe architecture to achieve range measurement. The following image illustrates this said architecture.

 

APPLICATIONS

• Laser Assisted Auto Focus

• Smartphones/portable touchscreen devices

• Tablet/laptop/gaming devices

• Domestic appliances/industrial devices

 

2D-Model and Dimensions

Below is the 2D CAD drawing of VL6180 along with its dimensions in millimetres. The dimensions can be used to create custom footprints of the module and be used for PCB or CAD modeling.