Side sensors

The side sensors can be used to detect objects near OLEM. They can be seen up to 150 mm in a straight line from the sensor. [insert image of sensing area]

For convenience, the signal is already processed and the API can be used to :

Check if a hand is in range
Check if a game element is in range [May be deprecated]
Get the sensor value in LSB or percent

The module comes with constants for each side, and masks to test the values returned by ir_side_get_hand_mask() and ir_side_get_obstacle_mask().

Example

The signal of the front sensor is printed: move your hand closer and further. See also the hand detection example.

import olem

start = olem.get_time_ms()
while olem.get_time_ms() - start < 20000:
    value = olem.ir_side_get_sensor_value(olem.FRONT)
    percent = olem.ir_side_get_sensor_percent(olem.FRONT)
    print(str(value) + " LSB, " + str(percent) + "%")
    olem.delay_ms(100)

Constants and functions

Constants

Constant	Value	Description
`FRONT`	`0`	Front side of OLEM.
`RIGHT`	`1`	Right side of OLEM.
`BACK`	`2`	Back side of OLEM.
`LEFT`	`3`	Left side of OLEM.
`FRONT_MASK`	`1`	Bit of the front side in a side mask.
`RIGHT_MASK`	`2`	Bit of the right side in a side mask.
`BACK_MASK`	`4`	Bit of the back side in a side mask.
`LEFT_MASK`	`8`	Bit of the left side in a side mask.

`ir_side_get_sensor_value(sensor)`

Get the signal of a side sensor. Side sensors see objects up to about 150 mm away.

Parameter	Description
`sensor`	`FRONT`, `RIGHT`, `BACK` or `LEFT`

Returns: filtered signal in ADC units (LSB), it increases when an object gets closer

`ir_side_get_sensor_percent(sensor)`

Get the signal of a side sensor as a percentage.

Parameter	Description
`sensor`	`FRONT`, `RIGHT`, `BACK` or `LEFT`

Returns: from 0 when nothing is detected to 100 when an object is very close

`ir_side_is_hand_present(side)`

Check if a hand is in front of a side sensor. A hand gives a weaker signal than an obstacle.

Parameter	Description
`side`	`FRONT`, `RIGHT`, `BACK` or `LEFT`

Returns: True if a hand is detected, False otherwise or if side is not valid

`ir_side_is_obstacle_present(side)`

Check if an obstacle is in front of a side sensor. An obstacle gives a stronger signal than a hand.

Parameter	Description
`side`	`FRONT`, `RIGHT`, `BACK` or `LEFT`

Returns: True if an obstacle is detected, False otherwise or if side is not valid

`ir_side_get_hand_mask()`

Returns: mask with the bit of each side where a hand is detected, test it with FRONT_MASK, RIGHT_MASK, BACK_MASK and LEFT_MASK

`ir_side_get_obstacle_mask()`

Returns: mask with the bit of each side where an obstacle is detected, test it with FRONT_MASK, RIGHT_MASK, BACK_MASK and LEFT_MASK

`ir_side_get_number_of_hands()`

Returns: number of sides where a hand is detected, from 0 to 4

`ir_side_set_filter(value)`

Set the filter applied to the side sensors. A higher value makes them slower to react but more stable. The default value is 5.

Parameter	Description
`value`	filter coefficient, 1 or more

Example​

Constants and functions​

Constants​

ir_side_get_sensor_value(sensor)​

ir_side_get_sensor_percent(sensor)​

ir_side_is_hand_present(side)​

ir_side_is_obstacle_present(side)​

ir_side_get_hand_mask()​

ir_side_get_obstacle_mask()​

ir_side_get_number_of_hands()​

ir_side_set_filter(value)​