Summary of Chirp Microsystem Made The Smallest And Most Accurate Ultrasonic Time-of-Flight Sensors
Chirp Microsystems launched the CH-101 and CH-201, discrete ultrasonic Time-of-Flight sensors featuring 3.5×3.5mm packages and shared ASICs. These MEMS-based chips offer ranges of 1m and 5m respectively, consuming 100x less power than traditional units while being 1000x smaller. They enable bezel-free smartphones and 3D gesture recognition without relying on optical paths.
Parts used in the Ultrasonic ToF Sensor Project:
- CH-101 sensor
- CH-201 sensor
- Application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)
- Piezoelectric Micro-machined Ultrasonic Transducers (PMUT)
- Interrupt pin
- GIO pin
- I2C bus
Recently Californian startup Chirp Microsystems officially announced two discrete ultrasonic Time-of-Flight (ToF) sensors, the CH-101 and CH-201, with maximum sensing ranges of 1m and 5m, respectively. Both chips have a 3.5×3.5mm package and they are powered by same ASIC or application-specific integrated circuit for signal processing. To achieve different sensing ranges, the Piezoelectric Micro-machined Ultrasonic Transducers (PMUT), the MEMS parts of the sensors are tuned and built differently.
Chirp Microsystems was founded in 2013 and the CH-101 is their 2nd generation design while the CH-201 is an upgraded third generation design. Their 4th generation design of chips is under development and prototypes are being tested recently. Chirp Microsystems declares that with each design so far, they’ve improved their transmitter and receiver performance by 4 times. David Horsley, Chirp Microsystems’ CTO, told,
In fact, we have been sampling the CH101 for two years now and we realized we had never made a product announcement for it.
According to Chirp Microsystems, the chips are the first commercially available MEMS-based ultrasonic ToF sensors and can beat all other ToF solutions on the small size and low power consumption. The “Sonars on a chip” draw 100 times less power and are a thousand times smaller than the conventional ultrasonic rangefinders used in today’s industrial automotive applications. Unlike infrared based ToF sensors, these new MEMS sensors do not rely on optical path clearance. So, it’s now easier for engineers to design bezel-free smartphones with precise gesture recognition.
The CH-101 and CH-201 include an interrupt pin and a GIO pin. That pin is used in hardware trigger mode to connect several transducers on the same I2C bus so they can operate in a synchronous fashion. For Virtual Reality applications, data from multiple chips are mixed to detect the position of user’s hand in 3D space.
Read more: Chirp Microsystem Made The Smallest And Most Accurate Ultrasonic Time-of-Flight Sensors
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What are the maximum sensing ranges for the CH-101 and CH-201?
The CH-101 has a maximum range of 1m and the CH-201 has a maximum range of 5m. -
How much smaller are these chips compared to conventional ultrasonic rangefinders?
These chips are a thousand times smaller than conventional ultrasonic rangefinders. -
Do these sensors rely on optical path clearance like infrared sensors?
No, unlike infrared based ToF sensors, these new MEMS sensors do not rely on optical path clearance. -
How many times less power do these Sonars on a chip draw?
They draw 100 times less power than conventional ultrasonic rangefinders. -
Which generation design is the CH-101?
The CH-101 is the second generation design from Chirp Microsystems. -
Can multiple transducers operate in a synchronous fashion?
Yes, hardware trigger mode using interrupt and GIO pins allows connecting several transducers on the same I2C bus to operate synchronously. -
What package size do both chips share?
Both chips have a 3.5 by 3.5mm package.
