Basic information on Lighthouse and schematics
Schematics of the discrete part of a sensor node for the Valve/HTC Vive Lighthouse Tracking System courtesy of Alan Yates. More info in this thread on reddit: reddit.com/r/Vive/comments/465lqw/lighthouse_sensor_module_designs/ in Alan Yates posts here: reddit.com/user/vk2zay and in this video with him talking about it at maker faire:
Also interesting the embedded-fm podcast with Alan Yates talking about Lighthouse Development and the science behind it in general: http://embedded.fm/episodes/162
In depth analysis of lighthouse technology
For an in depth analysis of the lighthouse system read Oliver Kreylos post here: doc-ok.org
Someone made a board from the schematics. The data is on github: github.com/pdaderko/lighthouse_sensor/tree/master/hardware
Open Source implementation
There is a open source implementation of a indoor tracking system that uses the vive base stations on github: https://github.com/ashtuchkin/vive-diy-position-sensor
Official Licensing of Lighthouse Technology
Last but not least. Valve started a royalty-free licensing program to use lighthouse technology for third-party products. Licensees will need to pay $2,975 to attend a training course, but other than that, there’s no licensing fees or royalties for using the tech.
Valve provides a Lighthouse ‘Licensee Dev Kit’ to companies who apply to use the technology. It includes:
Dev Kit Contents
- A modular reference tracked object suitable for attaching to prototype HMDs or other devices
- Full complement of EVM circuit boards to enable rapid prototyping of your own tracked object
- 40 individual sensors for building your own tracked object
- Accessories to enable custom prototypes
Tools
- Software toolkit to assist with optimal sensor placement
- Calibration tools for prototyping and manufacturing
Documentation
- Schematics and layouts for all electronic components
- Mechanical designs for the reference tracked object and accessories
- Datasheets for the sensor ASICs