VL53L8CH Signal Width

JGarrettW · ‎2025-05-08

I am guessing there is nothing that can be done about this, but I thought I'd post about it. I got the VL53L8CH because it has better bin resolution than the VL53L3CX, which I hoped to use to distinguish between objects at different ranges that are closer to one another. It is somewhat better at that, but not as much as I had hoped. The reason for this is the signal spread. The emitter's signal arrives as a peak that spreads over about 10 bins. At 3.75 cm per bin, that means a signal spreads over 37.5 cm. It's not actually as bad as that, since the signal follows a normal distribution, but it does mean that signals for objects close to one another will overlap and distinguishing objects separated by only one to three bin widths is quite difficult.

Don't get me wrong, this chip is amazing, and the people at STMicroelectronics have done wonders in giving us 3.75 cm bin resolution when the signal is traveling at the speed of light. It just may be important for the applications of some people to know some of its limitations.

Anne BIGOT · ‎2025-05-09

Thank you for your feedback.
Indeed, there is no way to change the “10 bins per VCSEL pulse”

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Anne BIGOT · ‎2025-05-09

Thank you for your feedback.
Indeed, there is no way to change the “10 bins per VCSEL pulse”

Our community relies on fruitful exchanges and good quality content. You can thank and reward helpful and positive contributions by marking them as 'Accept as Solution'. When marking a solution, make sure it answers your original question or issue that you raised.

ST Employees that act as moderators have the right to accept the solution, judging by their expertise. This helps other community members identify useful discussions and refrain from raising the same question. If you notice any false behavior or abuse of the action, do not hesitate to 'Report Inappropriate Content'