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

  • In-vehicle vision-based systems and autonomous vehicles
    January 11, 2013
    The Artificial Vision and Intelligent Systems Laboratory (VisLab) of Italy’s Parma University has built itself a fine pedigree in basic and applied research which has developed machine vision algorithms and intelligent systems for the automotive field. In 1998, a VisLab-equipped Lancia Thema named ‘Argo’ travelled along the famous Mille Miglia race route and completed 98 per cent of it autonomously using then-current technology. In 2005, VisLab provided the vision element of the Terramax, a collaborative un
  • Esri maps cause and effect
    September 26, 2024
    The work of the Connecticut Transportation Safety Research Center means engineers can concentrate on developing more effective safety measures, rather than having to sort out raw crash data
  • Turbo power for traffic management
    December 18, 2014
    Image Sensing Systems’ non-intrusive radar-based Autoscope RTMS Sx-300 advanced traffic sensor operates in the microwave band to provide a complete, cost-effective above-ground traffic detection solution. The device’s all-in-one concept combines a high resolution radar and a variety of communications options including wireless solutions all in a single enclosure. This sleek cabinet-free detection station is simple to integrate into any system, whether urban signal control or highway traffic management.
  • Synthetic data v the real thing
    January 9, 2023
    ITS and smart cities thrive on data: but does all the data need to be real? Steve Harris of Mindtech explains why the answer could lie in combining elements of the real world with the synthetic