Introducing Our Short-Range DToF Sensor Line
Everything we've covered on this site so far has been the long-reach side of our catalog — modules built to clear hundreds or thousands of metres from a few grams. We're now extending the line in the other direction: eight new 905 nm DToF sensors built for the part of the ranging problem that starts at 5 centimetres, not 1 metre, and runs from chip-scale integration up through kilometre-class industrial LiDAR.
Two formats, one measurement principle
The line splits into two physical formats, both direct time-of-flight, both 905 nm, both Class 1 eye-safe:
- VB — chip-scale sensors. Bare, board-mountable modules in the 1.3–1.5 g class, running on a 3.0–5.5 V rail at milliamp-level current. Built to disappear onto a host PCB rather than live in their own enclosure.
- H — housed industrial LiDAR sensors. Machined 33 × 34 × 18 mm (38 × 20 × 30 mm on the shortest-range model) housings running on a 9–36 V DC industrial supply rail — sized to bolt straight into a control cabinet or a crane's existing sensor mounting, not a PCB.
| Model | Range (90% refl.) | Frequency | Interface | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LRF22VB | 0.05–20 m | 200 Hz (sel. down to 1 Hz) | UART / I²C | 1.5 g |
| LRF50VB | 0.05–50 m | 100 Hz | UART / I²C | 1.3 g |
| LRF50H | 0.05–50 m | 20 Hz–10 kHz (1 kHz default) | UART | 15 ± 2 g |
| LRF100H | 0.05–100 m | 20 Hz–10 kHz (1 kHz default) | UART / I²C | 20 ± 2 g |
| LRF200H | 0.05–200 m | 20 Hz–10 kHz (1 kHz default) | UART / I²C | 20 ± 2 g |
| LRF300H | 0.05–300 m | 1 kHz or 50 Hz (auto-switch) | UART / I²C | 20 ± 2 g |
| LRF600H | 0.05–600 m | 1 kHz or 50 Hz (auto-switch) | UART / I²C | 20 ± 2 g |
| LRF1500H | 0.05–1,500 m | 1 kHz or 50 Hz (auto-switch) | UART / I²C | 20 ± 2 g |
Why 5 centimetres matters
Every module we've written about elsewhere on this site has a minimum range measured in metres — sensible for a rangefinder aimed at a distant target, useless for a robot arm that needs to know it's 8 cm from a wall. This line starts its measurement range at 0.05 m across every model, VB or H, which is what makes it usable as a genuine proximity and clearance sensor rather than a long-reach instrument pressed into a close-quarters job. That's the design brief this line answers: the same DToF measurement principle as the rest of our catalog, retuned for the near field.
New on this line: I²C, and a much wider frequency range
Two things here extend past what the rest of our catalog offers. First, most models add I²C as a second interface alongside UART-TTL — a first for this site, and a meaningful convenience if your host platform's UART pins are already spoken for. Second, the H-series frequency range runs far beyond the 2–20 Hz adaptive bands you'll see on our long-reach modules: LRF50H/100H/200H are configurable from 20 Hz up to 10 kHz (1 kHz default), and LRF300H/600H/1500H auto-switch between 1 kHz and 50 Hz depending on how strong the return echo is — full rate when the signal is clean, dropping to 50 Hz when it needs more integration time to hold accuracy at the far end of a 300–1,500 m range. It's the same adaptive-frequency logic behind every module on this site, just tuned to a much wider operating band because the application space — crane positioning, conveyor safety interlocks, traffic early-warning — often needs both fast near-field response and long-reach reliability from the same part.
Where each model fits
The VB pair targets board-level integration: LRF22VB (0.05–20 m, up to 200 Hz) is sized for drone altitude hold and robot/AGV obstacle avoidance where update rate matters as much as range; LRF50VB (0.05–50 m, 100 Hz) targets industrial automation, AGV navigation and traffic-safety monitoring at a slightly longer reach. The H series scales from there: LRF50H adds a switchable 650 nm visible aiming light (Class 2, auto-off below -20 °C) for overhead-crane and carriage-distance applications where an operator benefits from seeing exactly where the beam lands; LRF100H and LRF200H step up through wind-power, landslide/deformation and material-level monitoring into port-crane and long-conveyor protection; and LRF300H, LRF600H and LRF1500H carry the same housed platform out to UAV height sensing, tower-crane collision prevention, traffic early-warning and security monitoring at up to 1.5 km.
Power budget: board-level vs. cabinet-level
The two formats sit in genuinely different power worlds, and it's worth sizing your supply accordingly rather than assuming one number covers the line. The VB sensors draw single-digit milliamps at 3.3–5 V — closer to a camera-module sensor than a rangefinder, and easy to run directly off a host board's existing rail. The H-series sensors run on a 9–36 V DC industrial supply, drawing 0.7–1.2 W depending on range and frequency — sized for the same control-cabinet or PLC-adjacent power infrastructure a crane or conveyor installation already has, not a 3.3 V logic rail.
One flagged item, in the interest of accuracy
We publish specs exactly as verified against the source technical documentation, and one model in this broader family return a wavelength reading that doesn't match the rest of the line — we're confirming it internally before publishing it here with full confidence. Every model in the table above is confirmed 905 nm. If you're evaluating the line and want the full picture including that item, ask us directly and we'll give you the current, honest answer rather than a placeholder number.
Getting started
All eight models share the UART framing already documented in our UART-TTL integration guide (I²C-capable models add that as a second option, not a replacement). If you're not sure which range tier or format fits your platform, send us your mounting envelope, supply rail and target range — we'll match it to a specific model rather than making you work through eight datasheets by hand.