speed07 1 Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 Hi all, I'm building a project in which a sensor attached to a moving vehicle (a motor bike ) will give warning when its speed is above a certain limit and the distance between the vehicle and the vehicle in front of it is less than a safe value (say 4m). Can I use a basic Ultrasonic Distance Sensor for my project.I plan to use MSP432 launchpad for prototyping.Here is the link to the specific sensor that I plan to use. Does my choice work? If not can anyone please suggest me an alternative. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fmilburn 445 Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 Hi @@speed07, The description in the link you provided states that the range is 2 cm to 450 cm which is similar to the inexpensive Chinese models. You should not expect it to work well out to 4 meters. The Chinese models I experimented with in small robots do "work" but have a relatively wide beam pattern that makes it hard to pick out objects and sometimes just giving spurious results. Fun to play with but not reliable safety devices. It will lack the rigorous testing and specifications of an automotive quality device - things like resistance to vibration, temperature, dust and dirt, moisture .... It is interesting to see what the manufacturers are doing, e.g. http://newatlas.com/bmw-advanced-safety-concept-motorcycle/19119/ EDIT: Sorry, I should explain my thoughts better. Here is a link on beam patterns: http://www.robot-electronics.co.uk/htm/sonar_faq.htm For the wider patterns, you may pick up unwanted lateral targets. I found the models I had unreliable past about 2 meters and also if there was anything to the sides that might cause reflection. Lidar is more accurate and more expensive. Cameras are also used in the high end systems. speed07 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
speed07 1 Posted January 31, 2017 Author Share Posted January 31, 2017 Hi @@Fmilburn, Thanks for the detailed suggestion. I realise that my choice of sensor wont suffice the dynamic environments , maybe I should go for Lidar , basically I was hesitant to go for lidar as it is around 10 times the price of ultrasound sensors and I couldn't get one to try out for free. Are there any better ultrasound sensors? with beam pattern compensation maybe? Just curious Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fmilburn 445 Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 I have an older model of one of those commercial ultrasonic meters for measuring rooms and such - even it gives spurious results at times - and that is in a room with flat walls and not moving. There are commonly used with slow moving robots by hobbyists and I've seen them used as an aid to park a car at slow speed in a garage and avoid hitting a wall. I don't have any real expertise in this area though and can't make any recommendations.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.