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Lesson 08: IR Obstacle Avoidance Sensor Module

In this lesson, you will learn how to detect obstacles using a sensor with the Raspberry Pi. We will guide you through connecting a digital input sensor to GPIO pin 17. You’ll learn how to write a Python script that continuously monitors the sensor to determine the presence of an obstacle. The program will output a message indicating whether an obstacle is detected or not. This straightforward yet practical project is an excellent way to get started with GPIO interfacing and Python programming, making it ideal for beginners interested in exploring sensor integration with the Raspberry Pi.

Required Components

In this project, we need the following components.

It’s definitely convenient to buy a whole kit, here’s the link:

Name	ITEMS IN THIS KIT	LINK
Universal Maker Sensor Kit	94	Universal Maker Sensor Kit

You can also buy them separately from the links below.

Component Introduction	Purchase Link
Raspberry Pi 5	BUY
IR Obstacle Avoidance Sensor Module	BUY
Breadboard	BUY

Wiring

Code

from gpiozero import InputDevice
from time import sleep

# Initialize the sensor as a digital input device on GPIO 17
sensor = InputDevice(17)

while True:
   if sensor.is_active:
      print("No obstacle detected")  # Prints when no obstacle is detected
   else:
      print("Obstacle detected")     # Prints when an obstacle is detected
   sleep(0.5)

Code Analysis

1. Importing Libraries

   The script begins by importing the InputDevice class from the gpiozero library for interacting with the sensor, and the sleep function from Python’s time module for pausing execution.

   from gpiozero import InputDevice
   from time import sleep
   

2. Initializing the Sensor

   An InputDevice object named sensor is created, connected to GPIO pin 17. This line assumes that the obstacle sensor is connected to this specific GPIO pin.

   sensor = InputDevice(17)
   

3. Implementing the Continuous Monitoring Loop

   • The script uses a while True: loop to continuously check the sensor’s state. This loop will run indefinitely until the program is stopped.

   • Inside the loop, an if statement checks the is_active property of the sensor.

   • If is_active is True, it indicates no obstacle is detected, and “No obstacle detected” is printed.

   • If is_active is False, indicating an obstacle is detected, “Obstacle detected” is printed.

   • sleep(0.5) pauses the loop for 0.5 seconds between each check, which helps in reducing the script’s processing demand and provides a delay between consecutive sensor readings.

   
   

   while True:
       if sensor.is_active:
           print("No obstacle detected")
       else:
           print("Obstacle detected")
       sleep(0.5)
   

   Note

   If the sensor is not working properly, adjust the IR transmitter and receiver to make them parallel. Additionally, you can adjust the detection range using the built-in potentiometer.