All About LiDAR Technology – Complete Guide

1
3/7/23, 213 PM
All about LiDAR Technology - Complete Guide
Table of Content
Home(h ps//oxeltech.de/en/) Detection (h ps
//oxeltech.de/en/category/detection/)
Ox el tech
AlTl earbmoustaLniDdADReT encihtnioonlosgy
Complete Guide(h ps//oxeltech.de/en/lidar-technol
ogy/)

• Field of View (FoV)
• All SAcabnnionguFretquLenicyD SAF R Technology
  Complete Guide
• Scan Angle (T)
• Scan Rate SR
• Wavelength (?)
• Basic Working Principle
• Use of LiDAR in Terrestrial Mapping
• Multiple Returns
• SPiA and MPiA
• Laser Classi cation
• LiDAR Output Format
• Components of an Integrated LiDAR System
• High-Speed Clock
• Global Positioning System GPS
• Inertial Measurement Unit IMU
• Laser Source and Detection Mechanism
• Computational Unit
• Useful Links for Further Guidance

Terms And De nitions Field Of View (FoV) Field of
View is the angular range in which LiDAR sends
out pulses.
Scanning Frequency (SF) Scanning frequency or SF
is the number of pulses a LiDAR generates in one
second. For instance, a scanning frequency of
10Hz means 10 pulses per second. A typical
eye-safe LiDAR will have a frequency of 200
THz. Scan Angle (T) Scan angle is the sideways
angle that represents the rotation position of
the laser pulse. It spans between -90o (left
side) and 90o (right side) where zero degrees
shows the exact downward vertical position of
the laser.
2
3/7/23, 213 PM
All about LiDAR Technology - Complete Guide
Oxel tech
Scan Rate (SR) Scan Rate of a LiDAR is the number
of points it acquires per second. It di ers from
scanning frequency which is the number of pulses
sent by LiDAR every second, whereas, SR can vary
depending upon the number of returns per pulse.
So, if we are set for one strongest return, then
scan rate and scanning frequency
match. Wavelength (?) LiDAR works by sending
light generated by Laser and acquires surface
data by receiving the back- sca ered light. This
light is spread over a large spectrum of
wavelengths. The following wavelength ranges are
being used by LiDAR Infrared 1500 2000 nm Used
for meteorology and other scienti c uses
Near-infrared 850 940 nm Used for terrestrial
mapping Blue-red 500 750 nm Bathymetry
(measurement of depth of water) Ultraviolet 250
nm meteorology Basic Working Principle LiDAR
sensor sends out laser signals to a target (an
object on the ground in case of terrestrial
mapping). The laser beam is re ected back and
analyzed to acquire the time taken for it to get
back. Using this information, distance from the
object can be calculated. Use Of LiDAR In
Terrestrial Mapping Using the complementary
information of GPS and IMUs (Inertial Measurement
Unit), the exact location of the object can be
found in 3D space. This provides us with a very
accurate mapping of a given terrain as
illustrated in the image below
3
3/7/23, 213 PM
All about LiDAR Technology - Complete Guide
Oxel tech
Multiple Returns The laser pulse that is received
rst is the most considerable return and is used
to a ribute with the major feature of the object
being scanned. A lot of LiDARs use only the rst
returns of any given pulse. However, the transmi
ed pulse may strike other parts of the object as
well which results in weaker and delayed returns.
If the LiDAR system is capable of handling
multiple returns, this can help build a be er
visualization because you can actually visualize
parts of the terrain that are blocked by di erent
objects. SPiA And MPiA Single-Pulse-in-air or
SPiA LiDAR systems are those systems that
transmit a single pulse and wait for the return
before the next pulse is transmi ed. In this way,
speci c returns can be a ributed to a speci c
pulse. The drawback of such system is the time
delay that could have been used for acquiring
more data in that duration. Multiple-Pulse-in-air
or MPiA LiDAR systems allow multiple pulses
simultaneously without waiting for the returns
from a single pulse. The bene ts of multiple
pulse transmission are less acquisition time and
high resolution imagery. Laser
Classification Lasers in general are classi ed
into di erent classes based on their power. The
following table gives a brief overview of the
classes into which lasers are sorted
4
3/7/23, 213 PM
All about LiDAR Technology - Complete Guide
Oxel tech
As a general rule, the LiDAR systems use class 1
optical lasers because of their low energy levels
and low risk factor. LiDAR Output Format LiDAR
data is generally given in two formats i.e. LAS
and LAZ. LAS format is a public le format that
is used for storing information of 3D point
cloud, speci ed by the American Society for
Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing ASPRS . It is
a binary le containing data speci c to LiDAR. LAZ
is the compressed version of LAS format. The
typical sections in an LAS le structure are shown
here
Components Of An Integrated LiDAR
System High-Speed Clock A high speed clock is
used to measure the time between laser pulse
transmission and corresponding reception. This
value is then used for the calculation of
distance of the target object from LiDAR. The
precision of clock is very crucial in keeping the
exact time for transmission and reception that
is why precision electronics is used to design
timing system. Global Positioning System
(GPS) GPS is used to nd the exact x, y and z
coordinates of the scanner. This value coupled
with the adjustment by using ground station
reference and the angular data from IMU, provides
the exact location of each point in the point
cloud generated by LiDAR. Inertial Measurement
Unit (IMU) A typical IMU consists of
accelerometers, gyroscopes and magnetometers that
are employed to acquire the orientation of the
scanner and the e ect of gravitational forces on
the system. It calculates the movement values
(pitch, yaw and roll) of the aircraft in
real-time. This data is also used by the GPS to
acquire the exact location of each acquired point
on Earth. Laser Source And Detection
Mechanism Laser generates the energy required for
the pulses. For most terrestrial mapping
applications, near infrared band is used (as
mentioned in section above). Due to the nature of
LiDAR usage, the lasers used in such systems are
of low energy class and safe for human eye. A
Scanning mechanism is also part of the system
that is used to generate continuous set of
pulses. To receive the back-sca ered signals,
laser detector or receiver is present as well.
5
3/7/23, 213 PM
All about LiDAR Technology - Complete Guide
Computational Unit To maintain the functioning
of individual components of the LiDAR system and
to integrate the data acquired from Laser
Scanner, OGPSxaendlItMeU,ca chomputational unit
is present on board. The data acquired from
individual components is then used to generate
point data. Furthermore, ight and path planning
is also an essential task performed by the
computational unit. Useful Links For Further
Guidance . h p//gsp.humboldt.edu/OLM/Courses/GS
P_216_Online/lesson7 1/components.html (h
p//gsp.humboldt.edu/OLM/Courses/GSP_216_Online/le
sson7 1/components.html) . h ps//www.generationr
obots.com/blog/en/what-is-lidar-technology/ (h
ps//www.generationrobots.com/blog/en/what-is-lida
r-technology/) . h p//web.pdx.edu/jduh/course
s/geog493f12/Week04.pdf (h p//web.pdx.edu/jduh/
courses/geog493f12/Week04.pdf) . h
ps//pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/latest/help/data/la
s-dataset/what-is-lidar-.htm (h
ps//pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/latest/help/data/la
s-dataset/what-is-lidar-.htm) . h
ps//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LAS_ le_format (h
ps//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LAS_ le_format) If you
are facing any di iculties regarding LiDAR
Technology or any challenge related to Hardware
Design (h ps//oxeltech.de/en/hardware-design-si
mulation/) in general, feel free to Contact Us
(h ps//oxeltech.de/en/contact-us/) for our
consultancy. You can check out our other
Technical Blogs (h ps//oxeltech.de/en/blog/) on
various topics or visit our new website
Oxeltech.de (h ps//oxeltech.de/) to nd all about
our services and products. Team
Oxeltech September 6, 2022(h ps//oxeltech.de/en/2
022/09/06/) 704 am No (h ps//oxeltech.de/en/lida
r- Comments technology/respond)
Did You Enjoy This Article?
Join Oxeltech community and get updated every
week We have a lot more just for you! Lets join
us now
Email
Subscribe Now
No charge
Unsubscribe anytime
Leave A Reply Your email address will not be
published. Required elds are marked
Recent Post
Driver For Accelerometer LIS3DSH
In /Oxeltech.De/En/How-To-Write-A-
How To Write A Zephyr? (Https/
6
3/7/23, 213 PM
All about LiDAR Technology - Complete Guide
lerometer-Lis3dsh-In-Zephyr/)
C(ho mpmse//notxe ltech.de/en/howD-
river-For-Acce to-write-a-driver-for- January 16,
2023 accelerometer-lis3dsh- in-zephyr/)
Oxel tech
SoC Vs SoM System On Chip Vs System On Module
(Https//Oxeltech.De/En/System-On-Chip-Soc-Vs-
System-On-Module-Som/)
Name
December 23, 2022
Email (h ps//oxeltech.de/en/system-
on-chip-soc-vs-system-
on-module-som/)
Website
ESD Best Practices (Https//Oxeltech.De/En/Esd-Bes
t- Practices/) December 6, 2022 nd website in
this browser for the next time I comment.
Save my name, email, a Post Comment
(h ps//oxeltech.de/en/esd- best-practices/) How
To Choose Between Microcontroller And FPGA For
Your Embedded Application? (Https//Oxeltech.De/E
n/Fpga-Vs-Microcontroller/) December 6, 2022
(h ps//oxeltech.de/en/fpga- vs-microcontroller/)
Hold-Up Capacitor Calculations And Uses
(Https//Oxeltech.De/En/Hold-Up-Capacitor-
Calculations-And-Use/) November 6, 2022
(h ps//oxeltech.de/en/hold- up-capacitor- calcul
ations-and-use/) MTBF Concept And Application
(Https//Oxeltech.De/En/Mtbf-Concept-And-
Application/) October 6, 2022
(h ps//oxeltech.de/en/mtbf- concept-and- applica
tion/)
7
3/7/23, 213 PM
All about LiDAR Technology - Complete Guide
All About LiDAR Technology Complete Guide
(Https//Oxeltech.De/En/Lidar-Technology/)
September 6, 2022 Oxel tech
(h ps//oxeltech.de/en/lidar- technology/) How
To Choose The Right Flash Memory For Your
Embedded Application. (Https//Oxeltech.De/En/Flas
h- Memory-In-Embedded-System/) August 6, 2022
(h ps//oxeltech.de/en/ ash- memory-in-embedded-
system/) Altiums PCB Designer Tools Guide
(Https//Oxeltech.De/En/Altium-Pcb-Designer-Tools-
Guide/) July 6, 2022
(h ps//oxeltech.de/en/altium-
pcb-designer-tools- guide/) Altiums Amazing
Features Project Management Tools
(Https//Oxeltech.De/En/Altium-Project-Management/
) June 6, 2022
(h ps//oxeltech.de/en/altium-
project-management/) Ceramic Capacitors Which
Aspects To Consider When Using Them In Your
Design? (Https//Oxeltech.De/En/Ceramic-Capacitor
-Uses/) May 8, 2022
(h ps//oxeltech.de/en/ceramic-
capacitor-uses/) How To Control DC Servo Motors?
(Https//Oxeltech.De/En/Dc-Servo-Motor-Controller/
) April 21, 2022
(h ps//oxeltech.de/en/dc- servo-motor-controller
/)
8
3/7/23, 213 PM
All about LiDAR Technology - Complete Guide
Your Ultimate Guide To Designing Analog Filters
(Https//Oxeltech.De/En/Analog-Filters-Design-Guid
e/) April 9, 2022 Oxel tech
(h ps//oxeltech.de/en/analog-
lters-design-guide/) Consumer Electronics,
Industrial Electronics And Industrial Standards
(Https//Oxeltech.De/En/Consumer-
And-Industrial-Electronics-Standards/) April 1,
2022
(h ps//oxeltech.de/en/consumer-
and-industrial- electronics-standards/) Design
Guide On USB-C PD Charge-Through Feature With
Data Role Swap (Https//Oxeltech.De/En/Usb-C-
Design-Guide/) March 23, 2022
(h ps//oxeltech.de/en/usb- c-design-guide/) Alti
ums Team Collaboration Features In PCB Design
(Https//Oxeltech.De/En/Altium-365-Team-
Collaboration/) March 6, 2022
(h ps//oxeltech.de/en/altium-
365-team- collaboration/) Using Zephyr OS For
Interfacing An IMU Sensor With NRF52 Over SPI
(Https//Oxeltech.De/En/Using-Zephyr-
Os-For-Interfacing-An-Imu-Sensor-With-Nrf52-Over-
Spi/) July 25, 2021
(h ps//oxeltech.de/en/using- zephyr-os-for- inte
rfacing-an-imu- sensor-with-nrf52-over-
spi/) Use Of Grounding Techniques In PCB Design
To Prevent Electromagnetic Interference (EMI)
(Https//Oxeltech.De/En/Pcb-Grounding-Techniques/)
June 29, 2021
9
3/7/23, 213 PM
All about LiDAR Technology - Complete Guide
(h ps//oxeltech.de/en/pcb- grounding-techniques/
) PCB DOesxigen lGtueideclihnes For Reduced
Electromagnetic Interference (EMI)
(Https//Oxeltech.De/En/Pcb-Design- Guidelines-For
-Reduced-Electromagnetic-Interference- Emi/) May
5, 2021
(h ps//oxeltech.de/en/pcb- design-guidelines-for
- reduced- electromagnetic- interference-emi/) E
MC Vs EMI Compatibility, Principles Mechanism
Comparisons (Https//Oxeltech.De/En/Emc-And-Emi/)
April 18, 2021
(h ps//oxeltech.de/en/emc- and-emi/)
Continue Reading
(h ps//oxeltech.de/en/how-to-write-a-driver-for-
accelerometer-lis3dsh-in-zephyr/) How To Write A
Driver For Accelerometer LIS3DSH In Zephyr?
(Https//Oxeltech.De/En/How-To-Write-A-Driver-For-
Accelerometer- Lis3dsh-In-Zephyr/) Team Oxeltech
January 16, 2023 In our previous Zephyr blog,
we looked at how to interface a simple IMU
Accelerometer sensor with Zephyr RTOS running on
NRF52832. Knowing how
10
3/7/23, 213 PM
All about LiDAR Technology - Complete Guide
Read More (H ps//Oxeltech.De/En/How-To-Write-A
Driver-For-Accelerometer-Lis3dsh-In- Zephyr/)
Oxel tech
(h ps//oxeltech.de/en/system-on-chip-soc-vs-syst
em-on-module-som/) SoC Vs SoM System On Chip
Vs System On Module (Https//Oxeltech.De/En/Syste
m-On-Chip-Soc-Vs-System-On- Module-Som/) Team
Oxeltech December 23, 2022 What is System on
Chip, SoC? A System on Chip or SoC is a key
component in Embedded Systems today. An SoC
refers to a Read More (H ps//Oxeltech.De/En/Syste
m-On-Chip-Soc-Vs-System-On-Module-Som/)
Would You Like Some Info?
Name Name Email Email Message Message
Send
Lets Discuss Contact Us for any Queries
11
3/7/23, 213 PM
All about LiDAR Technology - Complete Guide
info_at_oxeltech.de (mailtoinfo_at_oxeltech.de)
(mailtoinfo_at_oxeltech.de)
Oxel tech
49176 64738476 (Tel[phone])
(h p
(tel[phone]
s//w
ww.li
nkedi n.co m/co mpan y/oxe ltech /)
Hardware Design Simulation(h ps//oxeltech.de/en
/hardware-design-simulation/)
PCB Layout Assembly(h ps//oxeltech.de/en/pcb-la
yout-assembly/) Firmware Development(h
ps//oxeltech.de/en/ rmware-development/)
Imprint(h ps//oxeltech.de/en/imprint/)
Contact Us(h ps//oxeltech.de/en/contact-us/)
Blog(h ps//oxeltech.de/en/blog/) Member Of IHK
(Https//Www.Ihk.De/)