LiDAR Sensors

LiDAR sensors emit pulsed or continuous wave laser light and measure the time-of-flight or phase shift of returned reflections to generate accurate distance measurements — building point cloud datasets, range profiles, and velocity data across applications from autonomous vehicle navigation and UAV obstacle avoidance to topographic survey, industrial automation, and defense target acquisition.

Sensor architectures divide into several categories based on scanning method and application requirement. Mechanical rotating LiDAR sensors spin a laser and detector assembly through 360 degrees horizontally — the Velodyne VLP-16 fires 16 laser beams simultaneously across a 30-degree vertical field of view at 300,000 points per second and 100-meter range, generating dense surrounding point clouds for mobile mapping and autonomous ground vehicle navigation. Solid-state LiDAR sensors replace mechanical rotation with MEMS mirror arrays, optical phased arrays, or flash illumination — eliminating moving parts to improve reliability and reduce size for UAV and vehicle integration. Furthermore, single-axis scanning LiDAR sensors sweep a laser beam across a defined field of view in one plane — used for perimeter intrusion detection, conveyor object profiling, and doorway people counting in industrial and security applications.

Time-of-flight (ToF) LiDAR sensors measure the round-trip travel time of individual laser pulses — achieving range accuracy of ±2cm or better at distances from 0.1 meters to 250 meters on industrial units and up to 120 meters on automotive-grade rotating sensors. Frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) LiDAR sensors measure both range and velocity from a single chirped laser pulse — providing instantaneous radial velocity data alongside range without requiring multiple sequential measurements. Additionally, Geiger-mode avalanche photodiode (APD) LiDAR arrays detect single photons — enabling long-range airborne topographic mapping at altitudes of 10 to 20 kilometers with centimeter-level vertical accuracy on bare-earth elevation models.

Wavelengths across LiDAR sensors include 905nm for short-range automotive and UAV obstacle avoidance, 1,064nm for airborne topographic and bathymetric mapping, and 1,550nm for eye-safe medium-range industrial and defense applications. Output interfaces include Ethernet, CAN bus, USB, and serial for integration into ROS-based robotics, autonomous flight controllers, GIS survey systems, and fire control computers.

These sensors serve Pakistan Aeronautical Complex UAV development programs, Survey of Pakistan airborne mapping operations, autonomous vehicle research programs at engineering universities in Lahore and Karachi, industrial automation contractors in Faisalabad and Karachi, and Pakistan Army ground robotics and obstacle detection system development programs.

Tactical Supply Pakistan supplies LiDAR sensors for UAV navigation, topographic survey, autonomous vehicle sensing, industrial automation, and defense platform integration procurement across Pakistan.