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Software / API Bindings / LabVIEW / API Reference and Examples / Bricklets (Discontinued) / Distance US Bricklet

LabVIEW - Distance US Bricklet

This is the description of the LabVIEW API bindings for the Distance US Bricklet. General information and technical specifications for the Distance US Bricklet are summarized in its hardware description.

An installation guide for the LabVIEW API bindings is part of their general description.

API

Generally, every function of the LabVIEW bindings that outputs a value can report a Tinkerforge.TimeoutException. This error gets reported if the device did not respond. If a cable based connection is used, it is unlikely that this exception gets thrown (assuming nobody plugs the device out). However, if a wireless connection is used, timeouts will occur if the distance to the device gets too big.

The namespace for all Brick/Bricklet bindings and the IPConnection is Tinkerforge.*.

Basic Functions

BrickletDistanceUS(uid, ipcon) → distanceUS
Input:
  • uid – Type: String
  • ipcon – Type: .NET Refnum (IPConnection)
Output:
  • distanceUS – Type: .NET Refnum (BrickletDistanceUS)

Creates an object with the unique device ID uid. This object can then be used after the IP Connection is connected.

BrickletDistanceUS.GetDistanceValue() → distance
Output:
  • distance – Type: Int32, Range: [0 to 212 - 1]

Returns the current distance value measured by the sensor. A small value corresponds to a small distance, a big value corresponds to a big distance. The relation between the measured distance value and the actual distance is affected by the 5V supply voltage (deviations in the supply voltage result in deviations in the distance values) and is non-linear (resolution is bigger at close range).

If you want to get the distance value periodically, it is recommended to use the DistanceCallback callback and set the period with SetDistanceCallbackPeriod().

Advanced Functions

BrickletDistanceUS.SetMovingAverage(average)
Input:
  • average – Type: Byte, Range: [0 to 100], Default: 20

Sets the length of a moving averaging for the distance value.

Setting the length to 0 will turn the averaging completely off. With less averaging, there is more noise on the data.

BrickletDistanceUS.GetMovingAverage() → average
Output:
  • average – Type: Byte, Range: [0 to 100], Default: 20

Returns the length moving average as set by SetMovingAverage().

BrickletDistanceUS.GetIdentity() → uid, connectedUid, position, hardwareVersion, firmwareVersion, deviceIdentifier
Output:
  • uid – Type: String, Length: up to 8
  • connectedUid – Type: String, Length: up to 8
  • position – Type: Char, Range: ["a" to "h", "z"]
  • hardwareVersion – Type: Byte[3]
    • 0: major – Type: Byte, Range: [0 to 255]
    • 1: minor – Type: Byte, Range: [0 to 255]
    • 2: revision – Type: Byte, Range: [0 to 255]
  • firmwareVersion – Type: Byte[3]
    • 0: major – Type: Byte, Range: [0 to 255]
    • 1: minor – Type: Byte, Range: [0 to 255]
    • 2: revision – Type: Byte, Range: [0 to 255]
  • deviceIdentifier – Type: Int32, Range: [0 to 216 - 1]

Returns the UID, the UID where the Bricklet is connected to, the position, the hardware and firmware version as well as the device identifier.

The position can be 'a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e', 'f', 'g' or 'h' (Bricklet Port). A Bricklet connected to an Isolator Bricklet is always at position 'z'.

The device identifier numbers can be found here. There is also a constant for the device identifier of this Bricklet.

Callback Configuration Functions

BrickletDistanceUS.SetDistanceCallbackPeriod(period)
Input:
  • period – Type: Int64, Unit: 1 ms, Range: [0 to 232 - 1], Default: 0

Sets the period with which the DistanceCallback callback is triggered periodically. A value of 0 turns the callback off.

Der DistanceCallback callback is only triggered if the distance value has changed since the last triggering.

BrickletDistanceUS.GetDistanceCallbackPeriod() → period
Output:
  • period – Type: Int64, Unit: 1 ms, Range: [0 to 232 - 1], Default: 0

Returns the period as set by SetDistanceCallbackPeriod().

BrickletDistanceUS.SetDistanceCallbackThreshold(option, min, max)
Input:
  • option – Type: Char, Range: See constants, Default: "x"
  • min – Type: Int32, Range: [0 to 212 - 1]
  • max – Type: Int32, Range: [0 to 212 - 1]

Sets the thresholds for the DistanceReachedCallback callback.

The following options are possible:

Option Description
'x' Callback is turned off
'o' Callback is triggered when the distance value is outside the min and max values
'i' Callback is triggered when the distance value is inside the min and max values
'<' Callback is triggered when the distance value is smaller than the min value (max is ignored)
'>' Callback is triggered when the distance value is greater than the min value (max is ignored)

The following constants are available for this function:

For option:

  • BrickletDistanceUS.THRESHOLD_OPTION_OFF = "x"
  • BrickletDistanceUS.THRESHOLD_OPTION_OUTSIDE = "o"
  • BrickletDistanceUS.THRESHOLD_OPTION_INSIDE = "i"
  • BrickletDistanceUS.THRESHOLD_OPTION_SMALLER = "<"
  • BrickletDistanceUS.THRESHOLD_OPTION_GREATER = ">"
BrickletDistanceUS.GetDistanceCallbackThreshold() → option, min, max
Output:
  • option – Type: Char, Range: See constants, Default: "x"
  • min – Type: Int32, Range: [0 to 212 - 1]
  • max – Type: Int32, Range: [0 to 212 - 1]

Returns the threshold as set by SetDistanceCallbackThreshold().

The following constants are available for this function:

For option:

  • BrickletDistanceUS.THRESHOLD_OPTION_OFF = "x"
  • BrickletDistanceUS.THRESHOLD_OPTION_OUTSIDE = "o"
  • BrickletDistanceUS.THRESHOLD_OPTION_INSIDE = "i"
  • BrickletDistanceUS.THRESHOLD_OPTION_SMALLER = "<"
  • BrickletDistanceUS.THRESHOLD_OPTION_GREATER = ">"
BrickletDistanceUS.SetDebouncePeriod(debounce)
Input:
  • debounce – Type: Int64, Unit: 1 ms, Range: [0 to 232 - 1], Default: 100

Sets the period with which the threshold callbacks

are triggered, if the thresholds

keep being reached.

BrickletDistanceUS.GetDebouncePeriod() → debounce
Output:
  • debounce – Type: Int64, Unit: 1 ms, Range: [0 to 232 - 1], Default: 100

Returns the debounce period as set by SetDebouncePeriod().

Callbacks

Callbacks can be registered to receive time critical or recurring data from the device. The registration is done by assigning a function to a callback property of the device object. The available callback property and their type of parameters are described below.

Note

Using callbacks for recurring events is always preferred compared to using getters. It will use less USB bandwidth and the latency will be a lot better, since there is no round trip time.

event BrickletDistanceUS.DistanceCallback → sender, distance
Callback Output:
  • sender – Type: .NET Refnum (BrickletDistanceUS)
  • distance – Type: Int32, Range: [0 to 212 - 1]

This callback is triggered periodically with the period that is set by SetDistanceCallbackPeriod(). The parameter is the distance value of the sensor.

The DistanceCallback callback is only triggered if the distance value has changed since the last triggering.

event BrickletDistanceUS.DistanceReachedCallback → sender, distance
Callback Output:
  • sender – Type: .NET Refnum (BrickletDistanceUS)
  • distance – Type: Int32, Range: [0 to 212 - 1]

This callback is triggered when the threshold as set by SetDistanceCallbackThreshold() is reached. The parameter is the distance value of the sensor.

If the threshold keeps being reached, the callback is triggered periodically with the period as set by SetDebouncePeriod().

Virtual Functions

Virtual functions don't communicate with the device itself, but operate only on the API bindings device object. They can be called without the corresponding IP Connection object being connected.

BrickletDistanceUS.GetAPIVersion() → apiVersion
Output:
  • apiVersion – Type: Byte[3]
    • 0: major – Type: Byte, Range: [0 to 255]
    • 1: minor – Type: Byte, Range: [0 to 255]
    • 2: revision – Type: Byte, Range: [0 to 255]

Returns the version of the API definition implemented by this API bindings. This is neither the release version of this API bindings nor does it tell you anything about the represented Brick or Bricklet.

BrickletDistanceUS.GetResponseExpected(functionId) → responseExpected
Input:
  • functionId – Type: Byte, Range: See constants
Output:
  • responseExpected – Type: Boolean

Returns the response expected flag for the function specified by the function ID parameter. It is true if the function is expected to send a response, false otherwise.

For getter functions this is enabled by default and cannot be disabled, because those functions will always send a response. For callback configuration functions it is enabled by default too, but can be disabled by SetResponseExpected(). For setter functions it is disabled by default and can be enabled.

Enabling the response expected flag for a setter function allows to detect timeouts and other error conditions calls of this setter as well. The device will then send a response for this purpose. If this flag is disabled for a setter function then no response is sent and errors are silently ignored, because they cannot be detected.

The following constants are available for this function:

For functionId:

  • BrickletDistanceUS.FUNCTION_SET_DISTANCE_CALLBACK_PERIOD = 2
  • BrickletDistanceUS.FUNCTION_SET_DISTANCE_CALLBACK_THRESHOLD = 4
  • BrickletDistanceUS.FUNCTION_SET_DEBOUNCE_PERIOD = 6
  • BrickletDistanceUS.FUNCTION_SET_MOVING_AVERAGE = 10
BrickletDistanceUS.SetResponseExpected(functionId, responseExpected)
Input:
  • functionId – Type: Byte, Range: See constants
  • responseExpected – Type: Boolean

Changes the response expected flag of the function specified by the function ID parameter. This flag can only be changed for setter (default value: false) and callback configuration functions (default value: true). For getter functions it is always enabled.

Enabling the response expected flag for a setter function allows to detect timeouts and other error conditions calls of this setter as well. The device will then send a response for this purpose. If this flag is disabled for a setter function then no response is sent and errors are silently ignored, because they cannot be detected.

The following constants are available for this function:

For functionId:

  • BrickletDistanceUS.FUNCTION_SET_DISTANCE_CALLBACK_PERIOD = 2
  • BrickletDistanceUS.FUNCTION_SET_DISTANCE_CALLBACK_THRESHOLD = 4
  • BrickletDistanceUS.FUNCTION_SET_DEBOUNCE_PERIOD = 6
  • BrickletDistanceUS.FUNCTION_SET_MOVING_AVERAGE = 10
BrickletDistanceUS.SetResponseExpectedAll(responseExpected)
Input:
  • responseExpected – Type: Boolean

Changes the response expected flag for all setter and callback configuration functions of this device at once.

Constants

BrickletDistanceUS.DEVICE_IDENTIFIER

This constant is used to identify a Distance US Bricklet.

The GetIdentity() function and the IPConnection.EnumerateCallback callback of the IP Connection have a deviceIdentifier parameter to specify the Brick's or Bricklet's type.

BrickletDistanceUS.DEVICE_DISPLAY_NAME

This constant represents the human readable name of a Distance US Bricklet.