TDK DK-CH101 User manual

AN-000240
Chirp Microsystems reserves the right to change
specifications and information herein without notice.
Chirp Microsystems
2560 Ninth Street, Ste 200, Berkeley, CA 94710 U.S.A
[phone]
www.chirpmicro.com
Document Number: AN-000240
Revision: 2.0
Release Date: 03/04/2022
Application User Guide for Floor Type Detection of
Robotic Vacuums

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Table of Contents
1INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................................................................................3
1.1 SCOPE...........................................................................................................................................................................................3
1.2 REFERENCE DOCUMENTATION...........................................................................................................................................................3
1.3 REQUIRED HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE...............................................................................................................................................4
1.4 THEORY.........................................................................................................................................................................................4
2HARDWARE SETUP.....................................................................................................................................................................5
2.1 SMARTSONIC (DK-CH101) PREPARATION ..........................................................................................................................................5
2.1.1 DK-x01 SmartSonic and Daughterboard Hardware ...........................................................................................................5
2.1.2 Using SmartSonic Module Sensor.......................................................................................................................................6
2.1.3 Flash SmartSonic FW..........................................................................................................................................................7
2.2 CH101 CHIRP SENSOR MODULE MOUNTING.......................................................................................................................................8
3GUI ............................................................................................................................................................................................9
3.1 LAUNCH GUI .................................................................................................................................................................................9
3.2 GUI FIELDS AND WIDGETS................................................................................................................................................................9
3.3 SETTINGS AND TUNING ..................................................................................................................................................................10
3.3.1 Settings: Widget & Device Settings ..................................................................................................................................10
3.3.2 Settings: Sensor height from floor (Auto Configurations) ................................................................................................11
3.3.3 Settings: Tuning with Custom Parameters .......................................................................................................................12
3.4 GUI DISPLAY................................................................................................................................................................................15
3.4.1 Real time plots ........................................................................................................................................................................15
3.4.2 Floor Type Detection ...............................................................................................................................................................17
4APPENDIX ................................................................................................................................................................................20
4.1 TROUBLESHOOTING:BAD TUNING....................................................................................................................................................20
5REVISION HISTORY...................................................................................................................................................................23

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1INTRODUCTION
This guide will explain the hardware and software setup of the floor type detection for robotic vacuum applications. Using a Chirp
sensor module, the floor type detection setup can distinguish between a hard and soft floor surface such as a hardwood floor and
carpet. Using the GUI, real-time numerical data can be recorded and viewed in plot form. Using automatic parameter settings, a
demo of hard and soft floor detection can be demonstrated with proper mounting, the evaluation kit setup and inputting the floor
distance. For a more refined demonstration, custom parameter settings can be used.
1.1 SCOPE
•Review the floor type detection demo hardware and software setup
•Run the floor type detection application (Robofloor) GUI
•Understand how to set the floor height and proper mounting
•Tune parameters and data output
•Basic understanding of the GUI detection output
•Debug hardware and software setup issues
1.2 REFERENCE DOCUMENTATION
Table 1-1. Reference Documentation
Type
TDK/ Chirp Reference Document
Document Number: Name
Section
CH101 Module
AN-000259: CH101 Design Guide
AN-000231: EV_MOD_CH101 User Guide
AN-000260: CH101 Module with 45° FoV & Particle Ingress Filter
DS-000388: CH101 Datasheet
1
Hardware
AN-000158: CH101 Mechanical Integration Guide
PB-000110: DK-CH101 Product Brief
2
Software
AN-000180: CH101 & CH201 Smart Sonic Eval Kit
AN-000154: SmartSonic Hello Chirp Application Hands-on Exercise
AN-000175: SonicLib Programmers Guide
AN-000176: SmartSonic Robo-Floor Example User’s Guide
2-3

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1.3 REQUIRED HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE
The hardware list may differ if a different type of module is used. Use the latest or desired software (s/w) package along with the
proper hardware and firmware (f/w).
1. Hardware
•DK-CH101 - Evaluation Kit
•Micro-USB cable
•CH101 Chirp sensor module
•Cable FFC 8POS
2. Software
•RoboFloor_vX.X.X.exe (provided s/w package)
•Atmel Studio 7 –if f/w flash needed
1.4 THEORY
Please refer to AN-000259 CH101 Design Guide for detailed module and module integration information.
The CH101 sensor, a single pulse-echo sensor, is an ultrasonic transceiver that can transmit and receive ultrasound signals. These
sensors measure the round-trip time that it takes for sound to be transmitted and returned to determine the distance. This is also
known as the Time of Flight (ToF). The image below shows an example of the how the sensor detects a signal, in this case a floor
surface. Using the data received, the floor type can be distinguished by the strength of the return signal. For a more in-depth
explanation of ultrasonic sensing and hardware, refer to the reference documentation section.
Figure 1-1. Single-Sensor Pulse-Echo
Floor/Surface

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2HARDWARE SETUP
2.1 SMARTSONIC (DK-CH101) PREPARATION
Before using the demo, the DK-CH101 SmartSonic needs to be flashed with the proper f/w. Download and unpack the latest or
desired f/w release package. This step can be skipped if the DK-CH101 is known to have the correct f/w. Below is the list of available
f/w package/s available. The X in the file name is the version number. The latest file should be provided.
Table 2-1. Available f/w for Standalone Demo
Description
FW
Floor Type GUI logger
Gui-demo-smartsonic-robofloor-logger_X.XX.X.hex
2.1.1 DK-x01 SmartSonic and Daughterboard Hardware
The DK-x01 SmartSonic hardware out-of-box is shown below. Note that the horn on the daughter board may differ from the picture.
Refer to the reference documentation for more information.
Figure 2-1. SmartSonic Hardware basics

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2.1.2 Using SmartSonic Module Sensor
Setup instructions are below:
1. Connect one end of the 8POS FFC cable to the Sensor-0 connector and the other into the CH101 module sensor. Check
flex orientation to prevent flex cable hitting other components.
a) Sensor-0 –J6
b) CH101 - Note: Horn/Housing may differ from picture
2. Move jumper to FTDI slot after board has been programmed
3. Connect all J3 jumpers
4. Connect USB cable from PC to FTDI-USB connector
5. Toggle the switch from U15 to J6 (Sensor-0) - Note: U15 will use sensor on SmartSonic daughterboard
6. Reset the board when changing any connections
Figure 2-2. SmartSonic Connections
1a.
4.
3.
6.
5.
1b.
2.

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2.1.3 Flash SmartSonic FW
If the SmartSonic has the correct FW, this section can be skipped.
Flash setup instructions:
1. Connect the SmartSonic board to your PC:
•Plug Micro-USB into the EDBG-USB
•Move jumper to EDBG (middle)
2. Open Atmel Studio 7 application or use command prompt:
•Download Atmel Studio from their website, if needed.
•Link: https://www.microchip.com/mplab/avr-support/atmel-studio-7
3. Pull down the Tools menu: “Tools> Device Programming” for programmer SW.
4. Select the settings below and hit ‘Apply’.
5. Upgrade MCU firmware, if necessary. Older SmartSonic boards will need firmware upgrade.
6. In the Memories section, browse for the hex/elf file from the desktop. The file will be in the packaged exe folder or you can
specify a desired file.

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7. Hit ‘Program’ button.
8. There will be a Verify Flash completion. If flash procedure has an error, reset the SmartSonic board, then check the setup
again from the start of this section.
2.2 CH101 CHIRP SENSOR MODULE MOUNTING
Please refer to AN-000259 CH101 Design Guide for detailed module and module integration information.
For the module to detect floor types, it must be mounted correctly. It is important to meet all mounting requirements and follow
mounting suggestions. The mechanical integration guide, listed in the Reference Documentation section, can be reviewed for a
deeper dive into the module assembly and further explanation on the requirements listed below.
Requirements:
Mount the CH101 downward to a fixture, cart, or desired apparatus, but ensure that it meets the list of requirements below:
•No reflecting objects in the FoV (below sensor and floor surface)
•Parallel to floor surface (no tilt angle –for best detection)
•Set to desired distance
•Facing downward to the surface
•No force must be applied on the sensor and horn/housing when mounting
Figure 2-3. CH101 mounting requirements
Floor distance (in mm)
Floor
CH101
*not to scale
Parallel
No reflections in FoV

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3GUI
The GUI is used to display real-time plots and output numerical values of its scans.
3.1 LAUNCH GUI
1. Plug in the USB from the Smartsonic to the computer.
2. Open the unpacked folder, ‘Gui-demo-robofloor-X.X.X’. Ensure proper firmware is flashed on SmartSonic.
3. Launch ‘floor_demo.exe’.
4. Hit ‘Connect’ and the detection will start.
3.2 GUI FIELDS AND WIDGETS
Figure 3-1. Robo Floor GUI Interface
1. Connect: Establish connection. Starts real-time sensing and data stream.
2. Settings: Input settings. See Section 3.3.
3. Record: Record the raw data anytime by checking the ‘Record’ box. The “record.txt” can be changed to a desired name.
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•Records are saved in the GUI records directory folder:
oInput data settings used for record: \Gui-Demo-robofloor-x.x.x\records
oOutput raw data of record: \Gui-Demo-robofloor-x.x.x\records\algo\floortype_emd
Figure 3-2. Sample Data File
4. ASCAN: Grayscale amplitude scan. See Section 3.4.
5. Sensor Table: Table showing real-time numerical value outputs
6. Display: Status display. Shows Sensor and detected floor type.
7. Plots: Real-time magnitude, floor metric, and floor range. See Section 3.4.
8. Help ( ): For more information on the GUI features (recording, plots, algo configurations, etc), click the (?) and ‘Open
documentation’ dropdown.
3.3 SETTINGS AND TUNING
The GUI is used to display real-time plots and output numerical values of its scans with automatic (auto) or custom (tuned)
parameters/configuration. The auto parameters are set from validation data collected from different surface types and only the
floor distance needs to be inputted to output floor metrics. For more refined tuning parameters for custom setups, additional
custom parameters are needed. These custom parameter values can be used to set the API functions and input into the MCU.
3.3.1 Settings: Widget & Device Settings
Figure 3-3. Settings: Widget & Device
Widget and Device Setting Description:
•Widget Settings
oShow Sensor i: Show plots of sensor number i (where i = sensor 0, 1, 2, and 3); Supports up to 4 sensors.