ST VL53L9 Time-of-flight 센서

Robots, AR/VR devices, and smart appliances require small distance sensors to accurately perceive their surroundings. However, existing ToF sensors have limitations in detecting small objects or edges due to their low resolution. Using multiple sensors in parallel increases board space and calibration difficulties. Additionally, high-resolution LiDARs are mainly for automotive use, making them large, expensive, and unsuitable for consumer devices.

In other words,there was a demand for "smaller and more precise 3D sensors"to enable robots to avoid small obstacles and improve the AR accuracy of smartphones. ST's VL53L9 was developed with this problem in mind, aiming to overcome these limitations by implementing significantly higher resolution in a small module compared to existing solutions.

The VL53L9 sensor isthe industry's first ultra-high-resolution direct ToF 3D LiDAR module with approximately 2.3k measurement zones.It uniquely features a dual-scan flood illumination light source, enabling the detection of small objects and edges. Simultaneously, it implements hybrid sensing, acquiring both 2D IR images and 3D depth map information.

Furthermore, the chip integrates the dToF processing unit required for sensing, making it a ready-to-use integrated module without separate calibration or additional components. Consequently, it measures a wide range of distances from a close range of 5cm to 10m with state-of-the-art accuracy, and its low power consumption makes it suitable for battery-powered devices.

It achieves revolutionary improvements in resolution and consistency compared to existing similar products, providing result-oriented differentiation, such as robots recognizing even the smallest obstacles or XR devices performing accurate spatial mapping.

This sensor is a B2B component purchased by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for integration into their devices. Robot vacuum cleaner, drone, and autonomous robot manufacturers can use this sensor to enhance environmental awareness, and smartphone and AR glass manufacturers can adopt it as an AR/camera auxiliary sensor. *Home appliances (e.g., smart refrigerators recognizing people)* and industrial automation equipment are also potential customers.

Ultimately,technology companies (finished product manufacturers)are the main adopters, and the sensors will be supplied in large quantities in a B2B manner. While general consumers do not directly purchase this sensor, they will benefit from products that incorporate it.

VL53L9 can be used in the global electronics market without being restricted by specific national regulations. In particular, as a sensor for small devices, it has relatively low regulatory risk compared to highly regulated fields such as LiDAR for autonomous vehicles.

This technology is already applicable to various industries such as robotics, mobile, AR/VR, and IoT, making it highly scalable. Just as ST has sold over 2 billion units of existing FlightSense products, this new product is also expected to expand horizontally into various markets (e.g., smart homes, industrial automation).

In addition, the roadmap for this MEMS/SPAD-based LiDAR technology includes further increasing resolution or miniaturizing the module, making it a continuously scalable platform.

Winning the Innovation Award in the embedded technology field reaffirms its leadership in sensor technology. Industry experts have praised the VL53L9 for "incorporating 3D recognition with mm-level precision into a small module" and mentioned its potential as a game-changer in robotics and mobile fields.

ST itself emphasized that this sensor is"a solution that will advance 3D recognition in smart devices."It has already garnered significant attention, with the sensor being incorporated and demonstrated in other Innovation Award-winning products at CES (e.g., next-generation robots, XR devices). The technological maturity is high due to its foundation on ST's existing product line, and there is a positive response that *"the know-how of previous products with over 200 million units sold has been incorporated."

Market expectations are optimistic that many manufacturers will adopt it, and it is being received as a technology that meets realistic demand without any particular hype.