Specifications
- Hardware
- Module Details:
- VL6180: 4.8 x 2.8 x 1.0 mm, Optical LGA 12 without liner
- VL53L4CD: 4.4 x 2.4 x 1.0 mm, Optical LGA 12 with or without liner
- Interfaces and Control:
- VL6180: I2C, up to 400 kHz, Register level, XSHUTDOWN pin available
- VL53L4CD: I2C, up to 1 MHz, Abstracted API, Interrupts available
- Emission and FoV:
- VL6180: 850 nm VCSEL wavelength, Class1 Laser safety
- VL53L4CD: 940 nm VCSEL wavelength, EN safety standards compliant
- Operating and Storage Conditions:
- Operating Voltage: VL6180: 2.6 to 3.0 V, VL53L4CD: 2.6 to 3.5 V
- ESD: +/- 2 kV for human body (VL6180), +/- 500 V for charged device model (VL53L4CD)
- Calibrations Conditions:
- Offset Calibration: VL6180: 88% reflectance target 50 mm, VL53L4CD: 17% reflectance target 10 to 255 mm
- Xtalk Calibration: VL53L4CD: 17% reflectance target
- Module Details:
Product Usage Instructions
Features and Modes
- Wrap Around Detection: Available for VL6180, not available for VL53L4CD
- Ranging Modes:
- VL6180: Single and continuous range, Polling or interrupt mode
- VL53L4CD: Continuous range, Integrated in device
Ranging Modes, Integration Time, and Frequency
- Integration Time: Variable up to 15 ms for VL6180, Static for VL53L4CD
- Ranging Frequency: Max 100 Hz for VL6180, Min 0.2 Hz for VL53L4CD
Performances
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Q: How do I switch from VL6180 to VL53L4CD in my applications?
A: To replace VL6180 with VL53L4CD, follow these steps- Ensure proper power supply within the specified range.
- Update your control interface settings to match the new module specifications.
- Adjust any calibration targets if needed based on the new module’s requirements.
- Q: What is the main difference between VL6180 and VL53L4CD in terms of features?
A: The main difference lies in the availability of features such as Wrap Around Detection and Ranging Modes between the two modules.
A guide to highlight the differences between VL6180 and VL53L4CD
Introduction
VL6180 product (order code VL6180V1NR/1) is reaching end of life. To replace this product in the customer applications, ST recommends moving to the VL53L4CD module.
This application note highlights the main differences between VL6180 and VL53L4CD, to help customers in their migration. For more details on VL6180 or VL53L4CD, refer to datasheets and user manuals listed below.
References
- VL6180 datasheet (DS9818)
- VL53L4CD datasheet (DS13812)
- VL6180 user manual (UM2760)
- VL53L4CD user manual (UM2931)
Hardware
Module
Table 1. Module details
| Parameter | VL6180 | VL53L4CD |
| Package size | 4.8 x 2.8 x 1.0 mm | 4.4 x 2.4 x 1.0 mm |
| Package type | Optical LGA 12 without liner | Optical LGA 12 with or without liner |
| AVDD and VCSEL power supply | Single power supply | |
| ROHS | EcoPack2 | |
Interfaces and control
Table 2. Interfaces and control
| Parameter | VL6180 | VL53L4CD |
| Interface | I2C | |
| Max frequency of the interface | up to 400 kHz | up to 1 MHz |
| Control | Register level | Abstracted API |
| Device address | 0x52, reconfigurable using API | |
| I2C index formatting | 16 bits | |
| XSHUTDOWN pin | Available through GPIO/CE | Available |
| Interrupt on thresholds | Available | |
| Drivers | C or Linux drivers | |
Emission and FoV
Table 3. Emission and FoV
| Parameter | VL6180 | VL53L4CD |
| VCSEL wavelength | 850 nm | 940 nm |
| Laser safety | Class1
IEC 60825-1:2014 EN 60825-1:2014+A11:2021 and with EN 50689:2021 |
|
| Field of view | Equivalent | |
Note
Refer to the datasheets’ outline drawings section to get the detailed values, and to AN5894 for the description of the fields of view of STMicroelectronics’ Time-of-Flight sensors.
Operating and storage conditions
Table 4. Operating and storage conditions
| Parameter | VL6180 | VL53L4CD |
| Operating voltage
AVDD and AVDDVCSEL |
2.6 to 3.0 V | 2.6 to 3.5 V |
| Operating temperature | -20 to 70°C | -30 to 85°C |
| Storage temperature | -40 to 85°C | |
| ESD | +/- 2 kV for human body
+/- 500 V for charged device model |
|
Calibrations conditions
Table 5. Calibrations conditions
| Parameter | VL6180 | VL53L4CD |
| Offset calibration | 88% reflectance target
50 mm |
17% reflectance target
10 to 255 mm |
| Xtalk calibration | 17% reflectance target | |
Features and modes
Features
Table 6. Features
| Parameter | VL6180 | VL53L4CD |
| Extended range – upscale factor | Available | Not available |
| Wrap around detection | Integrated in driver | Integrated in device |
| Estimated maximum ranging distance | Available | Not available |
| Getting measurement | Polling or interrupt | |
Ranging modes, integration time and frequency
Table 7. Ranging modes, integration time and frequency
| Parameter | VL6180 | VL53L4CD |
| Ranging modes | Single and continuous range | Continuous range |
| ECE (Early convergence estimation) | Available | Not available (refer to Section 4.3: Power consumption) |
| Integration time | Variable, up to 15 ms | Static, user defined |
| Max ranging frequency | — | 100 Hz |
| Min ranging frequency | — | 0.2 Hz |
| Detection thresholds | Available | |
| Manual temperature recalibration | Not available | Available |
Performances
Test conditions: The VL6180 and VL53L4CD are tested with default driver settings.
Maximum ranging
Table 8. Maximum ranging
| Parameter | VL6180 | VL53L4CD ULD |
| Dark, White target (88%) | 560 mm | >1300 mm |
| Dark, Grey target (17%) | 520 mm | 560 mm |
| 500 Lux, White target (88%) | 260 mm | 420 mm |
| 500 Lux, Grey target (17%) | 280 mm | 460 mm |
Accuracy
Table 9. Accuracy in range 10-300 nm
| Parameter | VL6180 | VL53L4CD ULD |
| Dark, White target (88%) | +/- 20 mm | +/- 10 mm |
| Dark, Grey target (17%) | +/- 20 mm | +/- 10 mm |
| 500 Lux, White target (88%) | +/- 40 mm | +/- 15 mm |
| 500 Lux, Grey target (17%) | +/- 40 mm | +/- 15 mm |
Table 10. Accuracy in range >300 nm
| Parameter | VL6180 | VL53L4CD ULD |
| Dark, White target (88%) | +/- 7 % | +/- 5 % |
| Dark, Grey target (17%) | +/- 7 % | +/- 7 % |
| 500 Lux, White target (88%) | +/- 15 % | +/- 15 % |
| 500 Lux, Grey target (17%) | +/- 15 % | +/- 15 % |
Power consumption
VL6180 was tested using the standard driver which embeds a feature called ECE. This feature helps to reduce power consumption when no target is present.
VL53L4CD was tested with two driver versions
- Ultra light driver: the standard ultralow driver, which ranges continuously at 30 fps by default. No ECE is available on this driver. The ULD driver is available on st.com in the software package called STSW‑IMG026
- Optimized ultralow power driver: this is an example code, which aims to mimic the ECE feature from VL6180. This example code is available on st.com in the software package called STSW-IMG049_ECE
Table 11. Power consumption
| Parameter | VL6180 | VL53L4CD Optimized ULP driver | VL53L4CD ULD driver |
| Consumption without target | 154 uJ | 171 uJ | 2700 uJ |
| Consumption when target is present | 435 uJ | 1638 uJ | 2700 uJ |
Revision history
Table 12. Document revision history
| Date | Version | Changes |
| 19-Jul-2024 | 1 | Initial release |
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Documents / Resources
 |
ST Microelectronics AN6147 Authorized Distributor [pdf] User Guide VL6180V1NR-1, VL53L4CD, AN6147 Authorized Distributor, AN6147, Authorized Distributor, Distributor |
