How do I use two PulseIn() functions simultaneously in Arduino?

Question

I want to connect multiple Ultrasonic sensors to my Arduino board. For that, I need multiple pulseIn() functions to work at the same time. How can I do that?

Answer 1

You can't use pulseIn() if you want to use both ultrasonic sensors at the same time.

So either:

• don't use pulseIn, and instead do that part yourself using eg. digitalRead,
• use the ultrasonic sensors sequentially, one then the other, or
• use pin-change interrupts to sense the signal pulse return.

The easiest approach is to use the ultrasonic sensors sequentially. In that case use the form pulseIn(PIN, value, timeout);, where timeout, in microseconds sets the maximum time to wait for a pulse.

This is practical if you know the realistic range is within a couple of metres. The speed of sound is 343.2 metres per second, or 0.3432 metres per millisecond. So if timeout is set to 3000 microseconds (3 milliseconds), then it will wait for an echo up to (roughly) 0.5 metres away.

Edit: The distance to the object, measured by timing the delay, is half the total distance travelled because the sound travels to the object, then bounces back to the sensor.
Ie. distance to object = total distance travelled by sound / 2

An alternative is to do what pulseIn does, but for more than one pin. This is simpler than the real pulseIn code, but illustrates the idea:

int inPin1 = ...;
int inPin2 = ...;

void setup() {
  // ... other stuff, then set up the pins
  pinMode(inPin1, INPUT);
  pinMode(inPin2, INPUT);
}

void loop() {
  // start ultrasound 1
  // start ultrasound 2
  // wait for ultrasound 1 to send pulse
  // wait for ultrasound 1 to send pulse
  long startTime = micros();
  while (digitalRead(inPin1)==LOW && digitalRead(inPin1)==LOW) {
    ; // do nothing
  }

  long stop1st = micros();
  int firstBack = -1;
  while (digitalRead(inPin2)==LOW) { // wait for the other if it was 1 first
    firstBack = inPin1; // remember pin 1 returned first
  }
  while (digitalRead(inPin1)==LOW) { // wait for the other if it was 2 first
    firstBack = inPin2; // remember pin 2 returned first
  }
  long stop2nd = micros();

  // now have the two return times, and the pin which returned first
}

You could read the source of pulseIn() and write better code than this.

The third option, to use external or pin-change interrupts, depends on which Arduino you are using. A normal ATmega328 has a couple of pins, 2 and 3, which have their own 'external' interrupt service routines (ie. each pin has a 'function' which is called when the hardware detects a signal change on a pin). To see how to attach them, see attachInterrupt.

Other pins can also be used with a 'pin change' interrupt, but each interrupt has to figure out which of a port (up to 8 pins) has triggered it, so it isn't as quick and simple.

The idea here is to start the ultrasonic sensors exactly as before, save the time they are started, exactly as before, but let a short interrupt routine capture the time that the returning echo pulse triggers the pin.

There is a little bit of care in making sure the times are captured and the main loop signalled.

You might choose to dedicate a timer to measuring the ultrasounds round trip, if you want higher resolution and lower jitter than the normal 4 microsecond timer. A microsecond is about 0.34mm, so 4 microsecond is about 1.3mm error.

Answer 2

here is how i fixed the problem for my self -5 years later im doing this on my own, running the pulsein code twice within the same loop function WILL NOT WORK, i got around it by adding a second separate part, idk the name if its a function or library...but here is my example code simply creating a distance measuring from 2 different sensors. i hope this help

const int trigPin =6;
const int echoPin =5;
const int trigPin2 = 11;
const int echoPin2 = 10;

long duration2;
long distance2;
long duration;
int distance;
void setup() {
pinMode(trigPin, OUTPUT); // Sets the trigPin as an Output
pinMode(echoPin, INPUT); // Sets the echoPin as an Input
pinMode(trigPin2, OUTPUT); 
pinMode(echoPin2, INPUT); 
Serial.begin(9600); // Starts the serial communication
}
void loop() {
digitalWrite(trigPin, LOW);// Clears the trigPin
delayMicroseconds(2);
// Sets the trigPin on HIGH state for 10 micro seconds
digitalWrite(trigPin, HIGH);
delayMicroseconds(10);
digitalWrite(trigPin, LOW);
duration = pulseIn(echoPin, HIGH);
distance= duration*0.034/2;
Serial.println(distance2);
test();
}

void test()
{
digitalWrite(trigPin2, LOW);// Clears the trigPin
delayMicroseconds(2);
digitalWrite(trigPin2, HIGH);
delayMicroseconds(10);
digitalWrite(trigPin2, LOW);
// Reads the echoPin, returns the sound wave travel time in microseconds
duration2 = pulseIn(echoPin2, HIGH);
distance2= duration2*0.034/2;
}

my code only prints the second sensor distance not both as you can see...not perfect this was a quick sketch i did