How to Efficiently Determine the Range Precision of 3D Terrestrial Laser Scanners
As laser scanning technology has improved a lot in recent years, terrestrial laser scanners (TLS) have become popular devices for surveying tasks with high accuracy demands, such as deformation analyses. For this reason, finding a stochastic model for TLS measurements is very important in order to g...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2019-03-01
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| Series: | Sensors |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/19/6/1466 |
| _version_ | 1811263288436064256 |
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| author | Berit Schmitz Christoph Holst Tomislav Medic Derek D. Lichti Heiner Kuhlmann |
| author_facet | Berit Schmitz Christoph Holst Tomislav Medic Derek D. Lichti Heiner Kuhlmann |
| author_sort | Berit Schmitz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | As laser scanning technology has improved a lot in recent years, terrestrial laser scanners (TLS) have become popular devices for surveying tasks with high accuracy demands, such as deformation analyses. For this reason, finding a stochastic model for TLS measurements is very important in order to get statistically reliable results. The measurement accuracy of laser scanners—especially of their rangefinders—is strongly dependent on the scanning conditions, such as the scan configuration, the object surface geometry and the object reflectivity. This study demonstrates a way to determine the intensity-dependent range precision of 3D points for terrestrial laser scanners that measure in 3D mode by using range residuals in laser beam direction of a best plane fit. This method does not require special targets or surfaces aligned perpendicular to the scanner, which allows a much quicker and easier determination of the stochastic properties of the rangefinder. Furthermore, the different intensity types—raw and scaled—intensities are investigated since some manufacturers only provide scaled intensities. It is demonstrated that the intensity function can be derived from raw intensity values as written in literature, and likewise—in a restricted measurement volume—from scaled intensity values if the raw intensities are not available. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T19:42:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-488f9223386544e9b5beadf136a98dc5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-8220 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T19:42:10Z |
| publishDate | 2019-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Sensors |
| spelling | doaj.art-488f9223386544e9b5beadf136a98dc52022-12-22T03:19:03ZengMDPI AGSensors1424-82202019-03-01196146610.3390/s19061466s19061466How to Efficiently Determine the Range Precision of 3D Terrestrial Laser ScannersBerit Schmitz0Christoph Holst1Tomislav Medic2Derek D. Lichti3Heiner Kuhlmann4Institute of Geodesy and Geoinformation, University of Bonn, 53115 Bonn, GermanyInstitute of Geodesy and Geoinformation, University of Bonn, 53115 Bonn, GermanyInstitute of Geodesy and Geoinformation, University of Bonn, 53115 Bonn, GermanyDepartment of Geomatics Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, CanadaInstitute of Geodesy and Geoinformation, University of Bonn, 53115 Bonn, GermanyAs laser scanning technology has improved a lot in recent years, terrestrial laser scanners (TLS) have become popular devices for surveying tasks with high accuracy demands, such as deformation analyses. For this reason, finding a stochastic model for TLS measurements is very important in order to get statistically reliable results. The measurement accuracy of laser scanners—especially of their rangefinders—is strongly dependent on the scanning conditions, such as the scan configuration, the object surface geometry and the object reflectivity. This study demonstrates a way to determine the intensity-dependent range precision of 3D points for terrestrial laser scanners that measure in 3D mode by using range residuals in laser beam direction of a best plane fit. This method does not require special targets or surfaces aligned perpendicular to the scanner, which allows a much quicker and easier determination of the stochastic properties of the rangefinder. Furthermore, the different intensity types—raw and scaled—intensities are investigated since some manufacturers only provide scaled intensities. It is demonstrated that the intensity function can be derived from raw intensity values as written in literature, and likewise—in a restricted measurement volume—from scaled intensity values if the raw intensities are not available.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/19/6/1466terrestrial laser scanningrange precisionintensitystochastic model |
| spellingShingle | Berit Schmitz Christoph Holst Tomislav Medic Derek D. Lichti Heiner Kuhlmann How to Efficiently Determine the Range Precision of 3D Terrestrial Laser Scanners Sensors terrestrial laser scanning range precision intensity stochastic model |
| title | How to Efficiently Determine the Range Precision of 3D Terrestrial Laser Scanners |
| title_full | How to Efficiently Determine the Range Precision of 3D Terrestrial Laser Scanners |
| title_fullStr | How to Efficiently Determine the Range Precision of 3D Terrestrial Laser Scanners |
| title_full_unstemmed | How to Efficiently Determine the Range Precision of 3D Terrestrial Laser Scanners |
| title_short | How to Efficiently Determine the Range Precision of 3D Terrestrial Laser Scanners |
| title_sort | how to efficiently determine the range precision of 3d terrestrial laser scanners |
| topic | terrestrial laser scanning range precision intensity stochastic model |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/19/6/1466 |
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