Ultrasonic 2 Click
PID: MIKROE‐3302
Weight: 25 g
The Ultrasonic 2 click is an ultrasonic range detection Click board™, capable
of detecting both near-field and far-field objects. It is equipped with the
PGA460, a highly-integrated system-on-chip (SoC), based on SONAR
principle. This SoC consists of a low-noise analog front end (AFE) with a
programmable time-varying gain stage, a digital signal processor (DSP), and
an integrated transducer driver. The PGA460 offers a very accurate and
reliable range detection, regardless of the position of an object: the
incoming echo signal is conditioned and dynamically amplified over time
before it is digitized, so that the optimal signal-to-noise ratio can be
achieved.
It comes in the package which also includes the mikroSDK™ software and a
library with all the functions. The Click board™ comes as a fully tested and
approved prototype, making it a reliable device ready to use on the
development board.
Featuring the advanced SoC which encompasses ultrasonic capsule drivers,
very advanced DSP for signal processing, adjustable threshold settings, 128
bytes of RAM for storing echo recordings, easy to use UART interface with
auto-baud rate detection, self-diagnostics, and more, Ultrasonic 2 click offers
a complete solution perfectly suited for the rapid development of various
applications that rely on an accurate and reliable range detection: park
assist, collision detection, lane departure warning (LDW), and similar
automotive-related applications, object distance and position sensing,
presence and proximity detection, drone landing assist and obstacle
detection applications, and all other applications that can benefit from a
compact, reliable, and accurate range detection solution.
How does it work?
The main component of the Ultrasonic 2 click is the PGA460, an integrated
ultrasonic signal processor and transducer driver, produced by Texas
Instruments. This system-on-chip (SoC) device features a set of different
devices, integrating them into a single IC: a low-noise analog front end
(AFE) with a programmable time-varying gain stage, a digital signal
processor (DSP), and an integrated transducer driver. An additional
temperature sensor is also integrated into the SoC, which allows thermal
compensation. The device uses the UART communication interface to
exchange commands and data with the host microcontroller unit (MCU).
More information on registers, data format through the UART, and more
detailed explanation can be found in the PGA460 datasheet, in the download
section below. However, Ultrasonic click is supported by the mikroSDK
library which contains functions and initialization routines, which allow to
directly obtain distance parameters of a detected object, greatly simplifying
the design, and cutting time to market.
The PGA460 SoC is based on a SONAR principle: it produces an ultrasound
pulse burst while recording the received echo response. The received echo
signal is then processed and compared to a set of time-varying thresholds,
stored in the non-volatile memory of the device. A time-variable gain stage
allows the whole dynamic range of the A/D converter to be used, allowing
accurate detection for both near-field and far-field objects: a higher gain is
applied to echo responses coming from distant objects. Before the gain is
applied, the echo response is processed by the second order bandpass IIR
filter with selectable bandwidth, as well as the first order lowpass filter with
selectable cutoff frequency, reducing any sounds and noises that might
interfere with readings.
The PGA460 has the ability to produce an ultrasonic burst and record its
echo response, which is similar to how SONAR operates. To allow ultrasonic
pulses with high sound pressure level (SPL), Ultrasonic 2 click utilizes an
output transformer, driven by the transducer driver section of the PGA460
SoC. The driver section is composed of a complementary driver pair, used to
excite primary windings of the transformer. The secondary windings are
directly connected to an ultrasonic transducer. The ultrasonic transducer can
be both time-decoupled and temperature-decoupled, ensuring very reliable
acquisition of the echo response.
Two sets of preset threshold and gain values are included in both cases
when an ultrasonic burst is produced, and when the transducer is used only
to record the response. In the second case, a separate ultrasonic burst
source would still be required. The preset values are stored along with their
time stamps, allowing them to be applied to specific time points of the echo
recording. A linear interpolation is applied between consecutive points,
allowing smooth transition over time. If the recorded echo response contains
amplitude values that exceed the threshold value, a detection event will be
recorded, along with the time code. After the burst-and-listen (or just listen)
cycle is complete, the PGA460 device computes the distance, amplitude, and
width of the echo, through the UART communication interface.
As mentioned before, threshold and gain preset values are stored in the
non-volatile memory of the device, along with some other parameters (42
bytes of user EEPROM). This allows the configuration parameters to be
preserved after the power cycle, allowing fast initialization. The user has the
ability to adjust these values and fine-tunes the application responsiveness
for the specific conditions in which it will be used.
Since the PGA460 SoC IC requires a slightly higher voltage level for its
operation than it is available from the mikroBUS™ power rails, Ultrasonic 2
click is also equipped with the voltage boost IC. For this purpose, the
TLV61046, a 28V output voltage boost converter from Texas Instruments.
This voltage converter requires a minimum number of external components,
which allows it to be implemented in a very small area of the PCB. This
makes it a viable solution to be used alongside the PGA460 on the same
Click board™. It is set to output approximately 7.5V on its output, an
optimal voltage for operation of the PGA460. The transformer used to
provide the necessary voltage for the ultrasonic transducer capsule is also
included on the Click board™ along with the transducer capsule itself,
making it ready to be used right out of the box.
Specifications
Type
Various
Applications
It can be used for park assist, collision detection, lane departure
warning (LDW), and similar automotive-related applications,
object distance and position sensing, presence and proximity
detection, drone landing assist and obstacle detection
applications, etc.
On-board
modules
PGA460, an integrated ultrasonic signal processor and transducer
driver by Texas Instruments; TLV61046, a 28V output voltage
boost converter by Texas Instruments
Key Features
A highly Integrated SoC with advanced DSP processing functions
which allow very accurate and reliable object range detection,
processed distance data available on the output, a complete
ultrasonic range detection solution supported by software libraries
for rapid development, non-volatile parameter storage for a fast
initialization…
Interface
SPI
Input
Voltage
3.3V
Click board
size
M (42.9 x 25.4 mm)
Pinout diagram
This table shows how the pinout on the Ultrasonic 2 Click corresponds to the
pinout on the mikroBUS™ socket (the latter shown in the two middle
columns).
Notes
Test
Pin
Pin
Notes
TST
1
AN
PWM
16
NC
NC
2
RST
INT
15
NC
EN
3
CS
RX
14
TX
UART Transmit
NC
4
SCK
TX
13
RX
UART Receive
NC
5
MISO
SCL
12
NC
NC
6
MOSI
SDA
11
NC
Power supply
3V3
7
3.3V
5V
10
5V
Ground
GND
8
GND
GND
9
GND
Power Enable
Ground
Onboard settings and indicators
Label
LD1
Name
Default
PWR
-
Description
Power LED indicator
Software support
We provide a library for the Ultrasonic 2 click on our LibStock page, as well
as a demo application (example), developed using
MikroElektronika compilers. The demo can run on all the main
MikroElektronika development boards.
Library Description
The library initializes and defines the UART bus driver and drivers that offer
a choice for writing data on UART. The library includes the function for
initialization device, TVG, communication, and Thresholds, configuration chip
and enabling device. The user also has the function for set Ambient
temperature which depends on the speed of sound, the function for reading
ultrasonic measurement and device diagnostics.
Key functions:
void ultrasonic2_enable(uint8_t state) - Function for enable chip
void ultrasonic2_getUltrasonicMeasurement(uint8_t numObj, float *distOUT, uint16_t
*widthOUT, uint8_t *ampOUT) - Function for getting ultrasonic measurement
void ultrasonic2_getDiagnostics(float *freqOUT, float *periodOUT, float *tempOUT,
float *noiceOUT) - Function for reading diagnostics
Examples description
The application is composed of the three sections :
System Initialization - Initializes UART module and sets CS and AN pins as OUTPUT
Application Initialization - Driver initialization for powering the Click board, chip configuration and
reading the sensor diagnosis.
Application Task - (code snippet) - Starts measuring and measures the distance of an object
every 500 ms.
void applicationTask()
{
ultrasonic2_startUltrasonicMeasurement(_ULTRASONIC2_DETECT_OBJECT_1);
for (cnt = 0; cnt