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

  • SPONSORED CONTENT: Using AI to achieve real traffic intelligence
    June 3, 2020
    The application of artificial intelligence has the potential to transform the performance of vision-based systems used for a wide and growing set of applications. These include vehicle presence detection and identification, count and classification, and enforcement, explains Roy Czinku of International Road Dynamics
  • Theia develops innovative distortion-free ultra-wide-angle lenses
    October 26, 2022
    Today’s high-resolution cameras have many advantages if they have the right lens for the job. When that includes covering large areas or reducing cost by installing fewer cameras, you need a wide-angle lens. Fisheye style lenses with barrel distortion are routinely used to cover an ultra-wide field of view; however, they create a curved and distorted image which causes significant loss of resolution at the image edges. This presents a variety of issues for ITS applications such as difficulty in identification or recognition of objects and details.
  • How ITS helped Coachella get its groove back
    November 15, 2024
    California’s Coachella Valley attracts visitors to myriad music and sports events. But now an ambitious traffic management initiative aims to cut travel times and reduce emissions. Adam Hill talks to the engineers involved in the massive CV Sync project
  • Activu and Mitsubishi give New Jersey controllers the big picture
    May 27, 2014
    Mitsubishi and Activu team up to help New Jersey emergency centre with real-time situational awareness. Sandy was the largest Atlantic hurricane in recorded history, with winds spanning an area of 1,100 miles and damages estimated at $68 billion. It killed at least 286 people in seven countries, from Jamaica to the Jersey Shore. But tropical storms are not the only challenge for emergency operations up and down the East Coast.