FAQs

The Toposens ECHO ONE 3D Collision Avoidance System (short: ECHO ONE 3DCAS) is an ultrasound-based system providing collision avoidance functionality to mobile robots. It has two main components: a sensor that provides a 3D point cloud and a Processing Unit (TPU) which processes the point cloud to deliver high-quality information about impending collisions.

Ultrasound refers to sound waves with a frequency higher than is detectable by the  human ear. Our sensors send out ultrasonic pulses with a frequency of approx. 40 KHz. and, upon reflection off an object, receive the echoes via tiny microphones built into the sensor (typically a single strong reflection per object, though this varies depending on the object’s shape). By measuring the time between wave emission and wave reception, the distance to the object can be calculated. This principle is called Time-of-Flight (ToF) measurement.

ToF is calculated using the following formula: D (distance) = T (time) x V (velocity of speed of sound in air = 343 m/s) / 2

3D Collision Avoidance System:

• Includes our 3D Ultrasonic Echolocation Sensor ECHO ONE® and the Toposens Processing Unit (TPU) to utilize the full capacity of our 3D collision avoidance functionality in your running operations.

Products:

• Toposens ECHO ONE®: Toposens 3D Ultrasonic Echolocation Sensor ECHO ONE®

• TPU: Toposens Processing Unit (TPU)

LiDAR sensors have difficulties in detecting small or transparent objects, especially at ground level. Additionally, LiDARs have a “dead zone” in the region immediately close to the sensor. The ECHO ONE® detects objects from 20 cm distance (even closer when using the near field detection) and can detect both extremely small and transparent objects up to a range of 3 m. Due to a sparser point cloud, the ECHO ONE® requires much less data processing, offering a much lower power consumption, which in turn increases your ROI.

3D cameras are very sensitive to light and environmental conditions and require complex data processing software. The ECHO ONE® is mostly insensitive to direct sunlight and to outdoor weather conditions (dust, fog, rain, snow).

3D ultrasonic technology is at its core similar to 3D radar in that both are based on waves, with 3D radar being based on electromagnetic waves not ultrasonic waves. 3D radar tends to be error-prone to non-metallic materials like wood and plastic. The ECHO ONE® can detect objects regardless of their material and is more cost-effective.

A typical 1D ultrasonic sensor will only provide distance measurements, i. e. the distance to the nearest object relative to a sensor with a very limited Field-of-View. Besides providing simple distance measurements, our sensors provide the position of the object in 3D space, relative to the sensor. Additionally, our technology has a Field-of-View up to 120°.

Please get in contact with us at [email protected].

We ship our products worldwide. Delivery times vary between 3 and 4 weeks upon receival of the purchase order.

The ECHO ONE® sensor is IP67 certified, meaning it is completely dust proof and can be temporarily submerged in water, making it an ideal sensor to be used in outdoor applications even during unfavourable weather conditions. Both the sensor and the TPU comply with the guidelines CE, FCC and RoHS. The System ist not rated for Functional Safety.

Please get in contact with us at [email protected].

No. Neither the ECHO ONE® sensor nor the TPU provide any object classification.