Ultrasonic rangefinders play a pivotal role in robotic systems

“One of the most ubiquitous sensor technologies in consumer, professional services, social, and even industrial robotics today is ultrasonic sensors. The following is a brief introduction to the data acquisition and processing scheme of ultrasonic ranging of robots.

“

One of the most ubiquitous sensor technologies in consumer, professional services, social, and even industrial robotics today is ultrasonic sensors. The following is a brief introduction to the data acquisition and processing scheme of ultrasonic ranging of robots.

The ultrasonic sensor used in the robot is an Electronic module that measures distances between 3cm and 400cm. It can be used to help robots avoid obstacles, or for distance measurement and obstacle avoidance engineering in other related projects. Sensors can be described as the core components used to detect the working status of the robot itself, as well as the robot intelligently detect the external working environment and object status. A device or device that can not only feel the specified measurand, but also convert it into a usable output signal according to a certain law.

Due to the strong directivity of ultrasonic waves and the long distance of propagation in the medium, ultrasonic waves are often used for distance measurement, such as distance measuring instruments and level measuring instruments, etc., which can be realized by ultrasonic waves. The use of ultrasonic testing is often faster, more convenient, easier to calculate, easy to achieve real-time control, and can meet the requirements of industrial practicality in terms of measurement accuracy, so it has also been widely used in the development of mobile robots.

A MaxBotix high-performance sonar rangefinder ultrasonic sensor from Gongcai.com – the MB7040 Industrial Outdoor I2CXL-MaxSonar-WR sensor has a rugged PVC housing for IP67 water intrusion. These sensors provide short to long range detection and narrow beam angles. The I2CXL-MaxSonar-WR outdoor ultrasonic sensor features high power output, noise suppression, and automatic calibration. In addition to the standard I2CXL-MaxSonar-WR, an F option was developed that requires additional protection in some hazardous chemical environments. Extremely corrosive gases or liquids can degrade or impair the operation of the sensing device. Therefore, we provide a chemically inert seal that enables our sensors to operate in all chemical environments. In addition to chemical resistance, the sensor also has improved performance in wet or dusty environments.

Meanwhile, ultrasonic sensors are also being used for presence sensing. The same as the safety alarm system sensors used when a car is reversing, ultrasonic sensors in the robot are used to detect nearby obstacles in case of hitting walls, objects, other robots and people. In addition, they can play a role when the robot performs its main functional tasks. Therefore, ultrasonic sensors play an important role in near-field navigation and obstacle avoidance, ultimately improving the overall performance and safety of the robot.

However, ultrasonic sensors have a limited range of about a centimeter to a few meters, and the maximum angle cone is about 30 degrees. They are relatively low cost and have high accuracy at close range, but their accuracy decreases with increasing distance and measurement angle. They are also susceptible to changes in temperature and pressure, as well as interference from ultrasonic sensors using other robots tuned at the same frequency. Still, when combined with other presence sensors, they can provide useful and reliable location information.

To this end, Gongcai.com provides customers with another MaxBotix robot ultrasonic sensor – MB7360. MB7360 is a high-resolution (1mm), high-precision, low-power ultrasonic sensor. In its design, it not only deals with interference noise, but also has anti-noise interference capability. Moreover, for the targets of different sizes and the changing power supply voltage, the sensitivity is compensated. In addition, it also has standard internal temperature compensation and optional external temperature compensation, which makes the measured distance data more accurate. Direct output of accurate distance readings saves MCU resources and is more suitable for use in robotics.