TFMini – Micro LiDAR Module

The TFMini is a ToF (Time of Flight) LiDAR sensor capable of measuring the distance to an object as close as 30 centimeters and as far as 12 meters! As with all LiDAR sensors, your effective detection distance will vary depending on lighting conditions and the reflectivity of your target object, but what makes this sensor special is its size. Measuring only 42x15x16mm, the TFMini allows you to integrate LiDAR into applications traditionally reserved for smaller sensors such as the SHARP GP-series infrared rangefinders. The TFMini is easy to power at only 5V and easy to talk to using a 3.3V UART at 115200 baud.

This version of the TFMini comes with an easy to use bread board friendly cable. The four wires are terminated in pins making it easy to use with Arduinos and other platforms with female headers. If you are looking to use I2C with the TFMini.

Important:

This product does not use laser light for ranging. Instead it contains an LED and optics. Many such systems are being marketed under the name “LiDAR,” although it may be more appropriate to think of this device as a “Time-of-Flight Infrared Rangefinder”. It differs significantly from traditional IR rangefinders in that it uses ToF to determine range and not triangulation — as is performed by the Sharp GP-series devices.

Features:

1. Input Voltage: 5V
2. Average Power: ≤120mW
3. LED Peak Current: 800mA
4. UART TTL Voltage: 3.3V
5. Baud Rate: 115200 8N1
6. Resolution: 5mm
7. Minimum Detected Object Size at 2m: 20mm
8. Operating Wavelength: 850nm
9. Signal Acceptance Angle: 2.3°