Skip to main content

3D detection innovation

Canadian company Leddar Tech has announced what it says is the industry's first and only optical detection and ranging product based on the time-of-flight principle. The company says the patent-pending solution provides unique advantages and benefits for optimising traffic management.
February 3, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
Canadian company Leddar Tech has announced what it says is the industry's first and only optical detection and ranging product based on the time-of-flight principle. The company says the patent-pending solution provides unique advantages and benefits for optimising traffic management.

The Leddar d-tec (Light Emitting Diode Detection And Range) detector emits non-visible light into the area of interest and measures the time taken for the light to reflect. Thanks in part to the speed of light, it provides very accurate 3D information as well as excellent lateral positioning of detected objects in the field of view, enabling the system to precisely detect objects of variable dimensions. In addition, since the acquisition information is compiled thousands of times per second, Leddar d-tec is able to provide robust detection in adverse weather and lighting conditions.


As Leddar Tech points out, its innovative solution consistently and accurately detects vehicles of all types, including motorcycles and bicycles in all weather conditions, at any time of the day. The system also uses direction of travel of vehicles, thereby preventing false calls to traffic signal controllers.

Leddar d-tec was designed to ensure fast and user-friendly installation. This non-intrusive solution can be mounted directly to current traffic infrastructure without the need to install additional mounting poles since the device is not influenced by the horizon. Moreover, the company's engineering team have integrated an onboard image processor to assist engineers and technicians by making it possible to remotely align Leddar d-tec. A value-added feature of the onboard image processor is the capability of transmitting video images back to the traffic operations centre.

Made of robust, high-quality materials, the Leddar d-tec enclosure is waterproof and designed to withstand the worst in adverse or extreme weather conditions.

Related Content

  • WIM industry ponders certification challenge
    April 29, 2019
    It’s hard to pin down the world of Weigh in Motion. Adam Hill asks five of the sector’s leading players about current developments – and whether problems with certification will ever be solved
  • Control rooms prepare for AI disruption
    July 18, 2023
    From the cloud to AI, big change is coming to the control room technology sector. Adam Hill asks experts from Barco, UVS and Swarco what developments they are seeing as data points proliferate
  • Citilog has perfect congestion remedy
    March 30, 2022
    Traffic incidents are the biggest contributor to nonrecurring congestion. Combined with natural bottlenecks at tunnels, bridges and highways, incidents ranging from debris on the road to vehicle accidents are every driver’s worst nightmare.
  • Future of tolling: the priorities
    January 14, 2020
    In the final part of his investigation into the future of tolling technology, Josef Czako of Moving Forward Consulting asks what industry figures see as the priorities going forward…