LiDAR Sensor

A LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensor is an active remote sensing instrument that emits laser pulses toward targets and measures the time it takes for the reflected light to return to the sensor. By calculating these time-of-flight measurements and combining them with position and orientation data, the sensor generates highly accurate three-dimensional point cloud representations of objects and environments. Modern LiDAR systems operate at high frequencies, enabling real-time mapping and object detection capabilities across various applications including autonomous vehicles, robotics, surveying, and industrial automation.

LiDAR sensors operate on the principle of time-of-flight measurement. The system emits short, focused laser pulses from a transmitter. These pulses travel through the air until they encounter objects in their path, where they reflect back toward the sensor. A photodetector receives the reflected pulses, and precise timing electronics measure the elapsed time between emission and reception. Using the known speed of light, the system calculates the distance to each reflection point. By scanning the laser beam across a field of view (typically using rotating mirrors, MEMS mirrors, or solid-state scanning techniques) and combining distance measurements with position/orientation data from integrated IMUs and GPS, the sensor builds a detailed 3D point cloud representation of the surrounding environment.