Pros & Cons of Time of Flight vs LIDAR

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1

I am trying to understand the pros and cons of LIDAR (like Garmin LIDAR-Lite v3) vs Time of Flight devices (like TeraBee TeraRanger Evo 40m). I picked the TeraRanger Evo 40m for comparison because it’s supposed to have the same range as the LIDAR-Lite v3, yet the TeraRanger 40m costs about 2/3 what the Lite v3 costs. Is that extra cost worth it in terms of power consumption, accuracy, ability to function in low light and/or bright sun ambient conditions?

2

Hello @DarkSky7 and welcome to the RobotShop community,

Here are some of the differences between each module:

LIDAR-Lite v3 (old version)

  • Accuracy: ±2.5cm <5m, ±10cm >5m
  • Power: 5 VDC nominal
  • Current consumption: 105 mA iddle, 135mA continuous
  • Range: 40m (70% reflective target)
  • Update rate: 279Hz typ., 650 Hz fast mode, 1KHz short range

LIDAR-Lite v3 (new version)

  • Accuracy: ±5cm <2m, ±2.5cm >2m
  • Power: 5 VDC nominal
  • Current consumption: 65 mA iddle, 85mA continuous
  • Range: 40m (70% reflective target)
  • Update rate: >1KHz

TeraRanger Evo

  • Accuracy: ±4cm in the first 14m, 1.5% above 14m
  • Power: 5 VDC nominal
  • Current consumption: 90 mA iddle, 330mA continuous
  • Range: 0.5 ~ 40 m indoor, 0.5 ~ (10 - 40 m) outdoor
  • Update rate: 240 readings per second