NewPing Library: HC-SR04, SRF05, SRF06, DYP-ME007, Parallax PING))) - v1.7

eforman:
@Teckel thank you for this library contribution. Is it possible to use this with an ultrasonic sensor like the Hagisonic HG-M40DAI? Its signal output timing is from rising edge of input pulse (trigger) to rising edge of output pulse (echo). In other words, almost the reverse of sensors like Ping.

Datasheet: http://www.robotshop.com/media/files/pdf/hagisonic-anibat-data-sheet.pdf.

If you're curious why the Hagisonic sensor, this "AniBat" model has the unique advantage (AFAIK) of an extremely wide field of view - 180°.

Thanks,

Eric

It sounds like it's similar to the URM37 sensor (hi/low switched). I'm sending you a private message that may help.

Tim

Hi,

I am using 3 HC-SR04 sensors. I tried the sketch but it doesnt even print out anything. What should I do

pei0807:
Hi,

I am using 3 HC-SR04 sensors. I tried the sketch but it doesnt even print out anything. What should I do

Check your settings and sketch, as I'm 101% sure it works. Thousands have used it. Maybe you don't have the serial baud rate set correctly to match the sketch?

Tim

little confused on the "code.google" site changes. are the "issues" you marked as done going to have the changes in the next version? also, why remove that issues list? it seems a very effective way to track features and bugs. the forum thread is kind of overwhelming, and very difficult to track any issues on.

chrwei:
little confused on the "code.google" site changes. are the "issues" you marked as done going to have the changes in the next version? also, why remove that issues list? it seems a very effective way to track features and bugs. the forum thread is kind of overwhelming, and very difficult to track any issues on.

I'm not notified when issues are created or when people make comments to sketches. Also, there isn't a good way of communicating about an issue. On this forum, I get notifications and others or myself can answer. No issues were looked at on the code.google site. If you have an issue or a suggestion, just post to this thread.

Thanks!

Tim

I just need to modify the number of sensors being used and the pin number right?

teckel:

pei0807:
Hi,

I am using 3 HC-SR04 sensors. I tried the sketch but it doesnt even print out anything. What should I do

Check your settings and sketch, as I'm 101% sure it works. Thousands have used it. Maybe you don't have the serial baud rate set correctly to match the sketch?

Tim

Hi I'm trying to use your library with arduino due and the 1.5 version direct seem to have support. I noticed on the Google code page a note said that 1.6 will have support but it's not released yet. I tried to find the source on the Google code page but u don't seem to host the source code on it. Is there due support available?

eggie5:
Hi I'm trying to use your library with arduino due and the 1.5 version direct seem to have support. I noticed on the Google code page a note said that 1.6 will have support but it's not released yet. I tried to find the source on the Google code page but u don't seem to host the source code on it. Is there due support available?

Version 1.6 does support the Due. Well, I believe it does. I don't have a Due to verify this.

Tim

Hi Tim,

I was wondering if you could advise me on how to connect a HC-SR04 to the official arduino robot, I am stumped and have promised some kids a model of R2-D2 for a music event on Sunday using the robot as it's base but only realised afterwards that it doesn't support digital sensors out of the box, please help!

Thanks,
Jay.

jaylfc:
Hi Tim,

I was wondering if you could advise me on how to connect a HC-SR04 to the official arduino robot, I am stumped and have promised some kids a model of R2-D2 for a music event on Sunday using the robot as it's base but only realised afterwards that it doesn't support digital sensors out of the box, please help!

Thanks,
Jay.

I don't know what you mean buy it doesn't support digital sensors. The Arduino Robot's control board has 5 digital I/O ports and the motor board has 4 I/O ports. It looks like the control board has 8 multiplexed pins labeled TK0-TK7 that can't be used with NewPing. But, the specs say there's 5 digital I/O pins, so the interfaces to these pins are in other locations. The motor board's 4 I/O pins TK1-TK4 do have connection ports right on the board that are not multiplexed so they can go straight to the ultrasonic sensor. NewPing can interface with a HC-SR04 using only one pin, so you can wire both the trigger and echo pins on the sensor to the same I/O pin on the Arduino Robot. While TK1 and TK2 are analog pins, they will work just fine as digital pins as well. Remember, analog pins are also always digital pins (but not vice versa).

Since it seems that the motor board is the easier to connect an ultrasonic sensor via NewPing, here's some code that should work (keep in mind that I don't have an Arduino Robot so this is just a shot in the dark, anyone willing to donate one?):

#include <NewPing.h>

NewPing sonar(TK3, TK4, 200);

void setup() {}

void loop() {
  delay(50);
  unsigned int cm = sonar.ping_cm();
  // Do something with the results
}

To conserve available pins, you could also use the same pin for trigger and echo. Also, remember that you could just as well use TK1 and TK2 even though they're analog pins, they will work as digital.

Hope this helps!

Tim

Do you just name the same digital pin twice when you want to use the same pin for trigger and echo? That simple?

Northof49:
Do you just name the same digital pin twice when you want to use the same pin for trigger and echo? That simple?

Yup, that simple.

Tim

Thank you so much Tim, I will try it and let you know how I get on!

Regards,
Jay.

Thanks for your help Tim, I have now attached the sensor to D3 and I am able to get readings via serial. Could you or anybody else help me change this code to work with your library:

#include <ArduinoRobot.h>
#include <Wire.h>
#include <SPI.h>

int sensorPin = M1;  // pin is used by the sensor

void setup() {
  // initialize the Robot, SD card, and display
  Serial.begin(9600);
  Robot.begin();
  Robot.beginTFT();
  Robot.beginSD();
  Robot.displayLogos();

  // draw a face on the LCD screen
  setFace(true);
}

void loop() {
  // If the robot is blocked, turn until free
  while (getDistance() < 40) { // If an obstacle is less than 20cm away
    setFace(false); //shows an unhappy face
    Robot.motorsStop(); // stop the motors
    delay(1000); // wait for a moment
    Robot.turn(90); // turn to the right and try again
    setFace(true); // happy face
  }
  // if there are no objects in the way, keep moving
  Robot.motorsWrite(255, 255);
  delay(100);
}

// return the distance in cm
float getDistance() {
  // read the value from the sensor
  int sensorValue = Robot.analogRead(sensorPin);
  //Convert the sensor input to cm.
  float distance_cm = sensorValue * 1.27;
  return distance_cm;
}

// make a happy or sad face
void setFace(boolean onOff) {
  if (onOff) {
    // if true show a happy face
    Robot.background(0, 0, 255);
    Robot.setCursor(44, 60);
    Robot.stroke(0, 255, 0);
    Robot.setTextSize(4);
    Robot.print(":)");
  } else {
    // if false show an upset face
    Robot.background(255, 0, 0);
    Robot.setCursor(44, 60);
    Robot.stroke(0, 255, 0);
    Robot.setTextSize(4);
    Robot.print("X(");
  }
}

This is meant to be used with an analog sensor like a Maxbotix EZ10.

Thanks for your help so far!
Jay.

P.S. All of the LCD stuff isn't important, it is just the sensor working with the motors I need working. Thanks again!

jaylfc:
Thanks for your help Tim, I have now attached the sensor to D3 and I am able to get readings via serial. Could you or anybody else help me change this code to work with your library:

#include <ArduinoRobot.h>

#include <Wire.h>
#include <SPI.h>

int sensorPin = M1;  // pin is used by the sensor

void setup() {
 // initialize the Robot, SD card, and display
 Serial.begin(9600);
 Robot.begin();
 Robot.beginTFT();
 Robot.beginSD();
 Robot.displayLogos();

// draw a face on the LCD screen
 setFace(true);
}

void loop() {
 // If the robot is blocked, turn until free
 while (getDistance() < 40) { // If an obstacle is less than 20cm away
   setFace(false); //shows an unhappy face
   Robot.motorsStop(); // stop the motors
   delay(1000); // wait for a moment
   Robot.turn(90); // turn to the right and try again
   setFace(true); // happy face
 }
 // if there are no objects in the way, keep moving
 Robot.motorsWrite(255, 255);
 delay(100);
}

// return the distance in cm
float getDistance() {
 // read the value from the sensor
 int sensorValue = Robot.analogRead(sensorPin);
 //Convert the sensor input to cm.
 float distance_cm = sensorValue * 1.27;
 return distance_cm;
}

// make a happy or sad face
void setFace(boolean onOff) {
 if (onOff) {
   // if true show a happy face
   Robot.background(0, 0, 255);
   Robot.setCursor(44, 60);
   Robot.stroke(0, 255, 0);
   Robot.setTextSize(4);
   Robot.print(":)");
 } else {
   // if false show an upset face
   Robot.background(255, 0, 0);
   Robot.setCursor(44, 60);
   Robot.stroke(0, 255, 0);
   Robot.setTextSize(4);
   Robot.print("X(");
 }
}




This is meant to be used with an analog sensor like a Maxbotix EZ10.

Thanks for your help so far!
Jay.

P.S. All of the LCD stuff isn't important, it is just the sensor working with the motors I need working. Thanks again!

To use NewPing, all you would do is include the library, setup the constructor, and send a ping. The basic NewPing example shows how to do this.

But, basically you would include the library like this:

#include <ArduinoRobot.h>

Setup the constructor:

NewPing sonar(sensorPin, sensorPin, 100);

And initiate a ping and get the result, which in your code would look something like this:

  while (sonar.ping_cm() < 40) { // If an obstacle is less than 40cm away

However, the sensor would need to be connected to the motor board, not the control board. I don't have an Arduino Robot to be able to tell you how to write your code. My guess is that you need two sketches, one for the control board and one for the motor board, and your sketch would need to communicate between the two boards to accomplish this. I have no first-hand usage of the Arduino Robot so there's no way for me to write working code for you. I tried, and it wouldn't compile.

I do know that you would need to connect the ultrasonic senor to one of the pins on the motor board (TK1-TK4). Other than that, you're on your own to write your own code. It should be VERY easy if you know how to program Arduino sketches and have any experience with using the Arduino Robot. If this is your first sketch, maybe you should start with something really basic first.

Tim

Thanks Tim,

I actually managed it before seeing this post but. I have actually soldered the sensor to the control board as this passes the commands to the motor board. The only problem I seem to be having is that once it detects an object within the desired range the pinging stops as do the measurements to the serial monitor. So when it is supposed to rotate and then carry on doing the same again it just seems to end and then the motors go into a wiggling action?

Here is my code:

#include <ArduinoRobot.h>
#include <NewPing.h>
#include <SPI.h>
#include <Wire.h>

#define TRIGGER_PIN  D3
#define ECHO_PIN  D3// Arduino pin tied to both trigger and echo pins on the ultrasonic sensor.
#define MAX_DISTANCE 200 // Maximum distance we want to ping for (in centimeters). Maximum sensor distance is rated at 400-500cm.

NewPing sonar(TRIGGER_PIN, ECHO_PIN, MAX_DISTANCE); // NewPing setup of pin and maximum distance.

void setup() {
  // initialize the Robot, SD card, and display
  Serial.begin(9600);
  Robot.begin();
  Robot.beginTFT();
  Robot.beginSD();
  Robot.displayLogos();

  // draw a face on the LCD screen
  setFace(true);
}

void loop() 
{
    {
    unsigned int cm = sonar.ping_cm();
    Serial.print("Distance: ");
    Serial.print(cm);
    Serial.println("cm");
    delay(500);
    }
     
 
  // If the robot is blocked, turn until free
  while (sonar.ping_cm() < 20) { // If an obstacle is less than 20cm away
    setFace(false); //shows an unhappy face
    Robot.motorsStop(); // stop the motors
    delay(500); // wait for a moment
    Robot.turn(45); // turn to the right and try again
    setFace(true); // happy face
  }
  // if there are no objects in the way, keep moving
  Robot.motorsWrite(155, 155);
  delay(100);
}


// make a happy or sad face
void setFace(boolean onOff) {
  if (onOff) {
    // if true show a happy face
    Robot.background(0, 0, 255);
    Robot.setCursor(44, 60);
    Robot.stroke(0, 255, 0);
    Robot.setTextSize(4);
    Robot.print(":)");
  } else {
    // if false show an upset face
    Robot.background(255, 0, 0);
    Robot.setCursor(44, 60);
    Robot.stroke(0, 255, 0);
    Robot.setTextSize(4);
    Robot.print("X(");
  }
}

Thanks again!

Jay.

jaylfc:
Thanks Tim,

I actually managed it before seeing this post but. I have actually soldered the sensor to the control board as this passes the commands to the motor board. The only problem I seem to be having is that once it detects an object within the desired range the pinging stops as do the measurements to the serial monitor. So when it is supposed to rotate and then carry on doing the same again it just seems to end and then the motors go into a wiggling action?

Thanks again!

Jay.

My guess is that it has something to do with the while loop where you never set a ping variable and never output serial results. Like usual, it's just doing what you're telling it to do.

I don't know why you have two nestled curly brackets after loop(), either or what that would even do. Also, you're doing multiple pings and probably shouldn't be. You're doing one to set the variable cm and print the results, then another ping in the while statement that's actually being used to detect an object. My guess is that your loop() routine should be more like this:

void loop() {
  unsigned int cm = sonar.ping_cm(); // Do a ping and set the distance in centimeters to variable cm
  Serial.println(cm); // Output the ping distance in centimeters
  if (cm < 20) { // If an obstacle is less than 20cm away
    Robot.motorsStop(); // stop the motors
    setFace(false); //shows an unhappy face
    Robot.turn(45); // turn to the right and try again
    delay(500); // wait for a moment while it turns (this isn't required if Robot.turn() is a blocking command)
  } else {
    Robot.motorsWrite(155, 155); // if there are no objects in the way, keep moving
    setFace(true); // happy face
    delay(50); // Delay between pings
  }
}

But, I don't ultimately know what you're trying to accomplish, nor have an Arduino Robot to test this with. But, this code makes more sense than what you had and it compiles. Also, this has nothing really to do with NewPing. This is more just simple programming debugging. You were creating a while loop where it wasn't setting a new distance variable nor sending that value to the serial port, so of course it won't output anything for as long as it's stuck in the while loop.

Tim

teckel:

eggie5:
Hi I'm trying to use your library with arduino due and the 1.5 version direct seem to have support. I noticed on the Google code page a note said that 1.6 will have support but it's not released yet. I tried to find the source on the Google code page but u don't seem to host the source code on it. Is there due support available?

Version 1.6 does support the Due. Well, I believe it does. I don't have a Due to verify this.

Tim

Hi Tim

I'm willing and able to test version 1.6 (even a not released version) on the Due. Do you know from where I can download it? A quick google search did not returned anything.

Thanks
Dan.

First, thank you for this valuable Ping Library,

I am attempting to use the same trigger ping for three HC-SR04 sensor on a Pro-Mini Arduino and so far, things appear to be working fine on the bench. My question is, are there any know issues with using the same trigger pin for two or more sensors?

Thank you.

I've never tried using the same trigger pin for multiple sensors nor is the library designed to work this way. What NewPing would do would be to actually try to initiate a ping three times each sensor. The sensor would probably ignore this, but there's no guarantee. Also, I would be concerned with the higher likelihood of echos giving bad results or the pulsing from multiple sensors confusing the sensors.

It would be better (avoiding echos and cross-talk issues) and use fewer pins to just wire a single pin to each sensor's trigger and echo pin. In other words, you would use 3 pins, each pin going to each sensor's trigger and echo pins. This would use 3 pins instead of (I assume) the 4 pins you're currently using. Yes, you would need to ping each sensor individually, but using the non-blocking ping_timer() method your microcontroller could be doing other things while the ping sound is traveling. I would consider this a more "sound" way to implement 3 sensors.

May I ask, why do you want to ping all three at the same time? Would it really matter if each ping was 30ms apart? You could still ping 3 sensors 10 times a second while still "multi-tasking" and doing other processes in your sketch. Insight on your project and the reasoning would be helpful.

Tim