What Sensors Are Right for Your Business?

February 2021

One of our customers’ most frequently asked questions is how to determine which sensor technology will best meet their needs. Below is a rating of the most common sensor technologies based on five major criteria.

Weather

Difficult weather conditions can become one of the largest challenges for sensor accuracy. Low light or direct sunlight, heavy rain, snow, dirt, or fog can render cameras nearly unusable while radar maintains high performance.

Range

Radar and LiDAR have the longest detection distance, ranging from a few feet to several hundred feet in some cases. Depending on weather conditions, cameras could have a shorter range than radar and LiDAR, but still offer a longer range than ultrasonic sensors.

Resolution

The technology with the highest image resolution is cameras since they provide users with a direct view of what the sensor detects. However, recent advances in radar and LiDAR technology have led to more affordable sensors with better resolution.

Object Detection

Like resolution, cameras are also the leading technology when it comes to object detection under favorable weather conditions. While cameras offer the clearest views of objects, radar, LiDAR, and ultrasonic are all effective.

Affordability

When it comes to affordability, radar, camera, and ultrasonic sensors all offer solutions at costs suitable for the majority of use cases. LiDAR, however, is currently cost-prohibitive for most applications.

Additional Considerations

When determining which technology is best for a specific use case, there are more factors that play into the final decision. For example, factors including but not limited to the size of each sensor, how important it is to be able to conceal sensors in a vehicle’s design, ease of installation, and the number of sensors required to meet the project’s desired coverage area are dependent on the project and have to be determined on a case by case basis.

To learn more about which technology will be most effective for your business, contact Delta Mobile Systems at (847)-468-1840 or info@deltamobile.com.