Analysis of 3D Scan Measurement Distribution with Application to a Multi-Beam Lidar on a Rotating Platform
Multi-beam lidar (MBL) rangefinders are becoming increasingly compact, light, and accessible 3D sensors, but they offer limited vertical resolution and field of view. The addition of a degree-of-freedom to build a rotating multi-beam lidar (RMBL) has the potential to become a common solution for aff...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2018-01-01
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| Series: | Sensors |
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| Online Access: | http://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/18/2/395 |
| _version_ | 1797999426869919744 |
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| author | Jesús Morales Victoria Plaza-Leiva Anthony Mandow Jose Antonio Gomez-Ruiz Javier Serón Alfonso García-Cerezo |
| author_facet | Jesús Morales Victoria Plaza-Leiva Anthony Mandow Jose Antonio Gomez-Ruiz Javier Serón Alfonso García-Cerezo |
| author_sort | Jesús Morales |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Multi-beam lidar (MBL) rangefinders are becoming increasingly compact, light, and accessible 3D sensors, but they offer limited vertical resolution and field of view. The addition of a degree-of-freedom to build a rotating multi-beam lidar (RMBL) has the potential to become a common solution for affordable rapid full-3D high resolution scans. However, the overlapping of multiple-beams caused by rotation yields scanning patterns that are more complex than in rotating single beam lidar (RSBL). In this paper, we propose a simulation-based methodology to analyze 3D scanning patterns which is applied to investigate the scan measurement distribution produced by the RMBL configuration. With this purpose, novel contributions include: (i) the adaption of a recent spherical reformulation of Ripley’s K function to assess 3D sensor data distribution on a hollow sphere simulation; (ii) a comparison, both qualitative and quantitative, between scan patterns produced by an ideal RMBL based on a Velodyne VLP-16 (Puck) and those of other 3D scan alternatives (i.e., rotating 2D lidar and MBL); and (iii) a new RMBL implementation consisting of a portable tilting platform for VLP-16 scanners, which is presented as a case study for measurement distribution analysis as well as for the discussion of actual scans from representative environments. Results indicate that despite the particular sampling patterns given by a RMBL, its homogeneity even improves that of an equivalent RSBL. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T11:04:22Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c066a4bee8974d83be31874dfea56cf9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-8220 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T11:04:22Z |
| publishDate | 2018-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Sensors |
| spelling | doaj.art-c066a4bee8974d83be31874dfea56cf92022-12-22T04:28:25ZengMDPI AGSensors1424-82202018-01-0118239510.3390/s18020395s18020395Analysis of 3D Scan Measurement Distribution with Application to a Multi-Beam Lidar on a Rotating PlatformJesús Morales0Victoria Plaza-Leiva1Anthony Mandow2Jose Antonio Gomez-Ruiz3Javier Serón4Alfonso García-Cerezo5Robotics and Mechatronics Lab, Andalucía Tech, Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga, SpainRobotics and Mechatronics Lab, Andalucía Tech, Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga, SpainRobotics and Mechatronics Lab, Andalucía Tech, Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga, SpainRobotics and Mechatronics Lab, Andalucía Tech, Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga, SpainRobotics and Mechatronics Lab, Andalucía Tech, Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga, SpainRobotics and Mechatronics Lab, Andalucía Tech, Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga, SpainMulti-beam lidar (MBL) rangefinders are becoming increasingly compact, light, and accessible 3D sensors, but they offer limited vertical resolution and field of view. The addition of a degree-of-freedom to build a rotating multi-beam lidar (RMBL) has the potential to become a common solution for affordable rapid full-3D high resolution scans. However, the overlapping of multiple-beams caused by rotation yields scanning patterns that are more complex than in rotating single beam lidar (RSBL). In this paper, we propose a simulation-based methodology to analyze 3D scanning patterns which is applied to investigate the scan measurement distribution produced by the RMBL configuration. With this purpose, novel contributions include: (i) the adaption of a recent spherical reformulation of Ripley’s K function to assess 3D sensor data distribution on a hollow sphere simulation; (ii) a comparison, both qualitative and quantitative, between scan patterns produced by an ideal RMBL based on a Velodyne VLP-16 (Puck) and those of other 3D scan alternatives (i.e., rotating 2D lidar and MBL); and (iii) a new RMBL implementation consisting of a portable tilting platform for VLP-16 scanners, which is presented as a case study for measurement distribution analysis as well as for the discussion of actual scans from representative environments. Results indicate that despite the particular sampling patterns given by a RMBL, its homogeneity even improves that of an equivalent RSBL.http://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/18/2/3953D laser scannermulti-beam lidarspatial data analysistilting mechanism3D scan pattern analysis |
| spellingShingle | Jesús Morales Victoria Plaza-Leiva Anthony Mandow Jose Antonio Gomez-Ruiz Javier Serón Alfonso García-Cerezo Analysis of 3D Scan Measurement Distribution with Application to a Multi-Beam Lidar on a Rotating Platform Sensors 3D laser scanner multi-beam lidar spatial data analysis tilting mechanism 3D scan pattern analysis |
| title | Analysis of 3D Scan Measurement Distribution with Application to a Multi-Beam Lidar on a Rotating Platform |
| title_full | Analysis of 3D Scan Measurement Distribution with Application to a Multi-Beam Lidar on a Rotating Platform |
| title_fullStr | Analysis of 3D Scan Measurement Distribution with Application to a Multi-Beam Lidar on a Rotating Platform |
| title_full_unstemmed | Analysis of 3D Scan Measurement Distribution with Application to a Multi-Beam Lidar on a Rotating Platform |
| title_short | Analysis of 3D Scan Measurement Distribution with Application to a Multi-Beam Lidar on a Rotating Platform |
| title_sort | analysis of 3d scan measurement distribution with application to a multi beam lidar on a rotating platform |
| topic | 3D laser scanner multi-beam lidar spatial data analysis tilting mechanism 3D scan pattern analysis |
| url | http://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/18/2/395 |
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