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IR Sensor and Remote Infrared Beacon

To connect from the MATLAB® software to the EV3 Infrared Sensor (item number 45509), use the irSensor function to create a irSensor object.

  • To get the relative distance of an object in front of the sensor, use the readProximity function with the irSensor object. In this mode, the sensor emits infrared light, and measures the amount of light nearby objects reflect back to the sensor. It represents this measurement as a range, from 0 to 100 (dark to light). The maximum range of the sensor is approximately 70 cm (27 inches).

  • To get the relative proximity and heading of an EV3 Remote Infrared Beacon (item number 45508), use the readBeaconProximity function with the irSensor object. Specify the channel number of the Remote Infrared Beacon. The sensor detects infrared light from the beacon, and uses that data to estimate the heading and distance to the beacon. The sensor returns the relative heading as a value from -25 to 25 (left to right). The sensor returns the relative distance as a value from 0 to 100 (near to far).

  • To get the a number that corresponds to pressed buttons on the Remote Infrared Beacon, use readBeaconButton function with the irSensor object. Specify the channel number of the Remote Infrared Beacon. For information about the values produced by various button combinations, refer to Using the Infrared Sensor Remote Mode.

Note

The Remote Infrared Beacon has a red slider switch with four positions. This switch specifies the channel number, 1 through 4, the beacon uses to communicate with the infrared sensor. When you use the readBeaconProximity and readBeaconButton function, specify the channel number on the beacon. The maximum range from the sensor to the beacon is approximately 200 cm (79 inches).