Rise of a New Sensing Technology: Leddar™
When LeddarTech developed its patented Leddar™ (Light-Emitting Diode Detection and Ranging) technology a few years ago, the primary goal was to create an alternative to expensive, complex, or fragile sensing solutions. It had to be different, yet effective, rugged, versatile and economical.
The result was an advanced sensing and distance measurement technology that provides continuous, rapid and accurate detection and ranging, covering narrow and wide beams, without any moving parts. One of the main innovations behind Leddar™ is that it uses infrared LEDs in its time of flight measurement approach. The diffused light beam allows for the detection of a wide range of objects, under various/harsh conditions, making the technology suitable for a myriad of applications.
The true uniqueness of Leddar™ lies in the algorithm, the way the light is pulsed, and the oversampling and accumulation of the signal, which provides excellent accuracy and range with a very low-power device. As LEDs are inherently low-power and the light is pulsed, only a tiny illumination time is used (approximately 0.5%). This keeps power consumption very low and ensures a very the operating time of a LED is about 10 years at full illumination, so the expectancy of this unit is significantly more than that. These properties are particularly important for remote installed applications as the maintenance is minimal.
When compared to competing detection technologies, such as laser scanners, radar, video, thermal imaging, ultrasonic and passive infrared, Leddar™ excels in the widest range of criteria (detection range, ruggedness, speed, accuracy, cost, etc.), offering exceptional overall performance for the price.
Key characteristics of Leddar™ are undoubtedly its adaptability and ease of integration. The technology comes in module form (complete with software development kit) or as a finished product. Each of these, in turn, can be adapted to suit the specific application (various beam options, with or without enclosure, different ranges, etc.). This allows brand owners, OEMs and integrators in diverse fields to seamlessly integrate value-added sensing capabilities into their innovations or processes, enabling them to increase efficiency and productivity.
Over the last few years, Leddar™ technology has been successfully deployed worldwide in numerous industries such as transport, automotive (ADAS), industrial automation, security and surveillance, smart lighting, smart parking, entertainment, consumer electronics and home appliances, smart buildings, defence/military/aerospace/aeronautic, energy and environment, etc. To learn more, visit www.leddartech.com
