VL53L5CX 8x8 ToF Sensor
Overview
The VL53L5CXV0GC/1 is a time-of-flight distance sensor from STMicroelectronics that measures a scene in an 8x8 array of zones rather than as a single point. With a wide field of view, it is useful when you need short-range ranging, presence detection, or simple depth information across an area instead of one narrow beam.
Why Choose This Part
This sensor provides multi-zone ToF data in a compact package, which makes it more informative than a single-point range sensor when coverage matters. The wide field of view and array-based output can simplify system design for presence detection, mapping nearby objects, and estimating motion across an area. It is also a practical choice when you want an optical ranging sensor without adding a camera pipeline.
Applications
Getting Started
ST provides software support for the VL53L5CX through its expansion software and host-side drivers, so a common starting point is an ST development board plus a microcontroller board that can talk I2C. In practice, engineers often prototype with an STM32 Nucleo board or another MCU platform and use ST's example code to validate ranging, timing, and filtering before integrating the sensor into a custom PCB. Make sure to follow the recommended power, level shifting, and mechanical field-of-view guidance from the datasheet and application notes.
Also Consider
STMicroelectronics
- A single-zone ToF sensor from the same family if you only need one distance reading instead of an 8x8 array.
STMicroelectronics
- A compact ST ToF sensor for simpler ranging applications where multi-zone output is not required.
