Demo kit for ultrasonic sensor modules used for obstacle detection

TDK Corporation offers a demo kit for the mechanically decoupled ultrasonic sensor module USSM1.0 PLUS-FS. This component can be used for obstacle detection and distance measurement under demanding environmental conditions, including full sunlight and translucent target objects in AMR or AGVs.

The demo kit includes a demo board with USB-A to Micro-B cable, two ultrasonic sensor modules, two sensor cables, and two seals. Its software package enables the user to monitor the sensor in many operating modes. It can supply digital IO and analog readout of the echo traces. The board assists in early and later development phases because it visualises what the sensor can detect and how it reacts in specific situations.

The IP65/67-protected module is immune to external mechanical vibrations that can falsify the measurement result. Actuated through a driver and an integrated piezoelectric disk, the integrated signal processor ASIC can calculate the signal propagation time with a repetition rate of up to 50 samples/s. This permits measuring distances from 18cm to 200cm; in pitch-and-catch mode with several modules, measuring distances of 4cm is feasible.

Main applications target systems for obstacle detection and collision avoidance in mobile systems (e.g., AGVs, AMRs) and distance measurement in stationary systems (e.g., level measurement).