Would a 'time of flight' sensor such as the VL53L4CD detect snowflakes or rain?

[GPres.1]

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[John E KVAM]

No - I don't think so.

While visiting Calgary Canada on a really cold day, I spent a lot of time ranging on snow.

The VL53L1X that I was using at the time, simply did not see the snow.

940nm light is absorbed by water vapor - it's why there is less 940nm light than other frequencies at the surface of the earth. It's also one of the reasons we chose that frequency.

The sensor can see a pool of water because the surface acts a bit like a mirror. But rain drops and snowflakes don't reflect the photons the way the water surface does.

• john