TeraBee TeraRanger Evo User manual

User Manual for TeraRanger Evo
single point distance sensors and
backboards
TeraRanger
Evo 60m
TeraRanger
Evo 40m
TeraRanger
Evo 15m
TeraRanger
Evo 3m
USB
backboard
I2C
backboard
Technical support: terabee.com/support/
Sales and commercial support: [email protected]

Table of contents
1. Introduction 3
2. Mechanical integration 4
2.1. Mechanical design 5
2.2. Sensor handling during system assembly 5
3. USB backboard use 6
3.1. Graphical User Interface (version 1.0.3) 6
3.1.1. Prerequisites 6
3.1.2. Basic operation 6
3.1.3. Firmware upgrade 7
3.2. Connecting the TeraRanger Evo to a host computer 8
4. I2C/UART backboard use 9
4.1. I2C/UART interface 9
4.1.1. Backboard LEDs 10
4.1.2. Electrical characteristics 10
4.2. I2C communication 11
4.2.1. I2C protocol information 11
4.2.2. I2C commands 12
4.3. UART communication 12
4.3.1. UART protocol information 12
4.3.2. Commands 13
4.3.3. UART output format 13
5. Declaration of conformity 15
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1. Introduction
The purpose of this document is to give guidelines for use and integration of the
following TeraRanger Evo distance sensors:
1. TeraRanger Evo 60m
2. TeraRanger Evo 40m
3. TeraRanger Evo 15m
4. TeraRanger Evo 3m
with (a) UART/I2C backboard, and/or (b) USB backboard using these standard
communication interfaces. Please consult the following table for visual differences
between TeraRanger Evo sensors.
Product
Visualization
Hardware
TeraRanger Evo 60m
Black optical sensor module
TeraRanger Evo 40m
A blue sticker is applied on the
sensor
TeraRanger Evo 15m
A green sticker is applied on the
sensor
TeraRanger Evo 3m
Sensor’s lens surface is flat,
unlike Evo 60m, 40m, 15m
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2. Mechanical integration
The mechanical design of the main sensor module (black) allows easy assembly to its
backboard (yellow) using a simple ‘clip-in’ technique (when you clip the two together,
ensure there is no visible gap between the black and yellow parts). The yellow
backboard has two mounting holes for final installation.
When choosing a place for mounting, please consider the following recommendations:
●Choose a place which is in accordance with the optical constraints listed below
●Mounting close to sources of heat or strong electromagnetic fields can decrease
the sensing performance
●Do not mount anything directly in front of the sensor or in a cone of
approximately +/-15° around the central optical axis of the sensor
●Within the first meter from the sensor, avoid objects with high surface reflectivity
in a cone of approximately +/-45° around the central optical axis of the sensor
●It is better to avoid having other sources of Continuous Wave or modulated IR
light close to the sensor
●Please consider that dust, dirt and condensation can affect the sensor
performance
●It is not advised to add an additional cover in front of the sensor
●Drone rotor blades, or other environments with flickering (‘chopped’) ambient
light in the field of view can affect sensors’ readings
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2.1. Mechanical design
2.2. Sensor handling during system assembly
During assembly and integration, please observe all common ESD precautions. All
optical surfaces (sensor front) should be kept clean and free from contact with
chemicals.
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3. USB backboard use
The USB backboard comes with a standard Micro-USB connector.
3.1. Graphical User Interface (version 1.0.3)
A free Graphical User Interface (GUI) is available, providing an easy way to visualize the
data from your TeraRanger Evo. This is useful for demonstration, testing purposes and
checking some of the basic parameters of the sensor. It also provides a way to easily
upgrade the firmware running on the device.
The GUI is available on the “Downloads” section of the TeraRanger Evo product pages.
Please ensure you are using GUI version 1.0.3 or later.
If you need to identify which TeraRanger Evo sensor is currently connected, in the GUI
select, Help > About.
3.1.1. Prerequisites
For usage on Windows 7 and Windows 8, please download the Virtual COM Port driver
from http://www.st.com/en/development-tools/stsw-stm32102.html and follow the
”ReadMe file” instructions given by the installer . After successful installation, unplug
the interface for a few seconds, and plug it back in. The virtual COM port should now be
available on your PC.
Users of Windows 10 do not need to download this driver as the built in Windows driver
is recommended.
3.1.2. Basic operation
Make sure your TeraRanger Evo is connected to a USB port on your computer. In the
GUI select File > Connect. You should immediately see a distance reading in millimetres
and the status should change to ‘Connected’.
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3.1.3. Firmware upgrade
The current firmware version on your TeraRanger Evo can be found by selecting Help >
About in the graphical user interface. It is possible to upgrade the firmware running on
your device if a new firmware version is made available on the Terabee website.
Please note the Upgrade Firmware feature is only supported on Windows 7, 8 and 10.
Please carefully follow the steps outlined below to avoid permanently disabling your
device.
●Install the latest version of the TeraRanger Evo GUI on your computer
●Download the latest firmware file from the Terabee website
●In the GUI Select File > Connect and then File > Upgrade Firmware
●You will be presented with a dialog window asking you to confirm your choice
●After confirming your choice, a new dialog window will present you with
instructions on selecting the firmware file and launching the upgrade process,
read the instructions carefully.
●Press ‘Select File’ and select the new firmware file with Windows File Explorer
●Press ‘Upgrade’ and wait until the operation finishes
●Close the Upgrade dialog box
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3.2. Connecting the TeraRanger Evo to a host computer
TeraRanger Evo can interact as a virtual COM port using the following configuration:
115200 bit/s, 8 data bits, no parity bit and one stop bit.
In Windows you can also use any terminal emulation software of your choosing,
however we suggest you use HTerm (http://www.der-hammer.info/terminal/). Extract
the downloaded zip file to the folder of your choice, open it and double click on the
“HTerm.exe” document.
Connect the TeraRanger Evo to your computer and select the corresponding USB port
(click “R” button to refresh the port list). Select values for the following fields: (1)
Baudrate, (2) Data Bits, (3) Parity, (4) Stop Bits. For easier readings, select the “LF” option
for “Newline at” tab. See Figure below for visual instructions.
Once you have selected the USB port and required values, click on the “Connect” button.
The data will now appear in the “Received data” box (Figure below).
To communicate with the terminal emulation software, you need to send a command in
hexadecimal via the “Type” box. First check the “Hex” checkbox and choose the “HEX”
Type. The figure above shows an example of the command which allows data to be
shown in TEXT mode.
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4. I2C/UART backboard use
4.1. I2C/UART interface
The TeraRanger Evo can be controlled through I2C or UART interfaces. It uses a single 9
pin Hirose DF13 connector for interfacing to the host system. The mating connector is a
Hirose DF13-9S-1.25C with crimping contacts DF13-2630SCF (tin) or DF13-2630SCFA
(gold). Please consider the mechanical stability of the mated connectors and avoid any
kind of excess force on the connector (during installation and once integrated) and
follow the recommendations in the Hirose DF13 series datasheet (available here:
https://www.hirose.com/product/en/products/DF13) to ensure a reliable connection.
The table below provides an overview of the pin out of the DF13 connector:
Pin out and description (According to DF13 datasheet)
Pin
Designator
Description
1
Tx
UART transmit output. 3.3 V logic
2
Rx
UART receive input. 3.3 V logic
3
GND
Power supply and interface ground
4
SDA
I2C serial data line. 3.3 V logic
5
SCL
I2C serial clock line. 3.3 V logic
6
rfu
RESERVED FOR FUTURE USE
7
5V
+5V supply input
8
GND
Power supply and interface ground
9
rfu
RESERVED FOR FUTURE USE
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4.1.1. Backboard LEDs
Five LEDs are mounted to give visual feedback on the sensor. Table below lists the
functionality of each LED:
LED
Description
PWR (orange)
Power indicator, on when 5 V connected
Rx/Tx (red/green)
UART receive and transmit indicators
LED 0 / LED 1
For internal use only
4.1.2. Electrical characteristics
DC electrical characteristics
Parameter
Sensor
Minimum
Maximum
Power supply
Voltage input (V)
Current
consumption (mA)
Evo 60m
4.75 V
90 mA
5.25 V
330 mA
Evo 600Hz
4.75 V
95 mA
5.25 V
190 mA
Evo 3m
4.75 V
70 mA
5.25 V
250 mA
Interface logic
levels
(referenced to
+3V3)
LOW
HIGH
-
2.3
1
-
*Value recorded while reading a target at 2m distance. NB: this value depends on
ambient conditions, distance and target reflectivity
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4.2. I2C communication
4.2.1. I2C protocol information
The communication parameters are:
Frequency: 400kHz
Primary Address Length: 7-bit
Primary Slave Address: 0x31
Built-in pull-up resistors: 10 kOhms on SDA and SCL (avoid additional pull-up
resistors on the same bus to prevent transmission problems)
The TeraRanger Evo is ‘free running’. This means that it will restart a new measurement
as soon as the last one is finished. The displayed data via I2C protocol is always updated
at the end of a measurement. Nevertheless, it can always be read at any time.
Reading the distance is done by first writing a Trigger Reading command to the sensor -
send 0x62 (this is the 7 bit address 0x31 followed by the write bit ‘0’) and then reading
from the sensor by sending 0x63 (the base address with the Read bit ‘1’) followed by
three byte read operations. The first two bytes you receive are a 16 bit word containing
the latest measurement in mm**, the third byte is the CRC8 checksum.
**The TeraRanger Evo will output 01CRC (first distance byte set to zero and the second
to one) as an error message if the sensor is unable to measure a distance.If the
target is too close (below the minimum distance), the TeraRanger Evo will output
00CRC (both distance bytes set to zero). If the target is too far away (above the
maximum distance), the TeraRanger Evo will output XXCRC with XX = FFFFhex (both
distance bytes set to 0xFF)
Writing commands to the TeraRanger Evo:
1. Send the address byte consisting of a 7 bit base address and the last bit indicating
write (‘0’), e.g. 0x62 for base address 0x31. All commands listed in the table below are
‘write operations’. The answer will be in the next read operation for which you have to
send the 7 bit address with the read bit set
2. Send the desired command listed in the table below (see table below in the next
paragraph)
3. In case the command creates an answer, read it back immediately
Reading data from the TeraRanger Evo:
1. Send the address byte consisting of 7 bit base address and the last bit indicating read
(‘1’), e.g. 0x63 for base address 0x31
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2. Read back the the number of bytes imposed by the command, e.g. three bytes for a
distance reading
4.2.2. I2C commands
Command
Name
Description
0x00
TRIGGER READING
Write this command to the TeraRanger
Evo and after a wait of approximately
500us read the 3 byte distance
response
0x01
WHO_AM_I
Write this value to TeraRanger Evo via
I2C and the device responds with 0xA1
0xA2
CHANGE_BASE_ADDR[1]
Write this value followed by the new
address to set [2], eg. send 0x42 if you
want the Evo’s base address to change
to 0x42, ignore Read/Write bits.
Wait at least 1 second for the
TeraRanger Evo to rejoin the I2C bus
with the new address.
1] This command assigns a base address that will be memorised by the TerRanger Evo ie. power cycling the Evo will not
restore the default I2C address.
[2] Valid addresses accepted by the TeraRanger Evo are in the range 0x02 to 0x7F. Assignment of addresses within a local
system is up to the system architect. For example, the I2C standard defines reserved addresses but if it is known that the
reserved address is never going to be used for its intended purpose, a reserved address can be used as the Evo I2C Base
Address.
4.3. UART communication
4.3.1. UART protocol information
The UART communication for the TeraRanger Evo uses a simple Modbus-like protocol.
The communication parameters are:
Baud Rate: 115 200
Data Bits: 8
Stop Bit(s): 1
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Parity: None
HW Flow Control: None
4.3.2. Commands
Address
Command
Data
CRC-8
0x00
PRINTOUT MODE
0x11
TEXT
0x01
0x45
0x00
PRINTOUT MODE
0x11
BINARY
0x02
0x4C
The default mode of TeraRanger Evo is Binary mode. For changing the output format to
Text mode, please use the following command in hexadecimal: 00 11 01 45. Accordingly,
to switch back to Binary mode use the hexadecimal command: 00 11 02 4C.
4.3.3. UART output format
Two output formats are available:
Text
output
Data output in human readable form (5 to 7 bytes message):
xxxxx\n
- Distance reading in millimeters* (maximum 5 bytes per sensor):
xxxxx
- New line character: \n (10 decimal / 0x0A hex)
*Please be aware that there is no zero-padding for leading zeros!
- If the TeraRanger Evo is unable to measure a distance, it will
output -1\n as an error message
- If the target is too close (below the minimum distance), the
TeraRanger Evo will output -Inf\n
- If the target is too far away (above the maximum distance), the
TeraRanger Evo will output +Inf\n
Binary
output
Data output (4 bytes message):
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TXXCRC8
- Header (1 byte): T (84 decimal / 0x54 hex)
- Distance reading in millimeters** (2 bytes): XX
- Checksum (1 byte) of previous 3 bytes: CRC8
**The TeraRanger Evo will output T01CRC (first distance byte set to zero
and the second to one) as an error message if the sensor is unable to
measure a distance:
- If the target is too close (below the minimum distance), the
TeraRanger Evo will output T00CRC (both distance bytes set to
zero)
- If the target is too far away (above the maximum distance), the
TeraRanger Evo will output TXXCRC with XX = FFFFhex (both
distance bytes set to 0xFF)
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5. Declaration of conformity
CE certified, eye-safe and RoHS compliant
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