Created December 2, 2015 © GPL3+

Distance Measuring Sensor

Using SHARP 2Y0A21 Infrared Proximity Sensor

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Things used in this project

Hardware components

Arduino UNO

Proximity Sensor

Hand tools and fabrication machines

Soldering iron (generic)

Story

Experimenting with a distance measuring sensor

The SHARP 2Y0A21 proximity sensor measures distance by shining a beam of infrared light and uses a phototransitor to measure the intensity of the light that bounces back.

The bildr guide has explains the 2Y0A21 as well as other proximity sensors. The product description for the SHARP 2Y0A21 can be found here.

The wires connected to the sensor are stranded wires, so I soldered each end to a piece of solid core wire to make it easier to insert into the Arduino. I also wrapped electrical tape around the exposed wire connections to prevent short circuits.

The effective distance measuring range for this proximity sensor is 10-80cm. If an object is closer than the shortest distance, it reports a significantly higher analog output and is inconsistent with expected in-range results. For example, when an object is 1 cm away from the sensor, it reports an analogRead() value of 322. However, when the object is 5 cm away, the output is 655.

I attached the proximity sensor to fixed object (in my case, I used the clips of the soldering iron stand to secure the sensor).

With the proximity sensor in place, I took measurements from different distances.

Experimenting with the distance measuring sensor

With the proximity sensor in place, I took measurements from different distances.

Here are the analogRead() results:

20cm: 272

40cm: 145

60cm: 116

80cm: 104

Code

Arduino Code for Proximity Sensor

//collects data from an analog sensor

int sensorpin = 0;                 // analog pin used to connect the sharp sensor
int val = 0;                 // variable to store the values from sensor(initially zero)

void setup()
{
  Serial.begin(9600);               // starts the serial monitor
}
 
void loop()
{
  val = analogRead(sensorpin);       // reads the value of the sharp sensor
  Serial.println(val);            // prints the value of the sensor to the serial monitor
  delay(400);                    // wait for this much time before printing next value
}

Credits

Jennifer Chen

13 projects • 12 followers

Distance Measuring Sensor

Things used in this project

Hardware components

Hand tools and fabrication machines

Story

Schematics

Connecting Proximity Sensor to Arduino

Analog Sensor Schematic

Code

Arduino Code for Proximity Sensor

Credits

Jennifer Chen

Comments

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Distance Measuring Sensor

Distance Measuring Sensor

Things used in this project

Hardware components

Hand tools and fabrication machines

Story

Schematics

Connecting Proximity Sensor to Arduino

Analog Sensor Schematic

Code

Arduino Code for Proximity Sensor

Credits

Jennifer Chen

Comments

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