RobotEye RE08 3D LIDAR

Full Field Scanning

Allows scans to be defined that cover the full 360° azimuth by 70° elevation field of the scanner. Parameters to adjust the azimuth scan rate, the number of lines per degree in elevation, the sample rate and sample averaging are available in this mode. These parameters enable the resolution of the resulting 3D data in both azimuth and elevation to be traded off against acquisition time to best meet the requirements of the application at any point in time.

Bounded Elevation Scanning

In Bounded Elevation Mode the user is additionally able to define the elevation bounds of a scan. Again the azimuth rate is configurable as is the number of lines per degree, sample rate and sample averaging. This mode enables the user to concentrate the focus of the scanner on a desired region in elevation and at the same time have complete control over the density of the data in that region and acquisition time.

Region Scanning

This mode allows the user to define a rectangular region within the scanner’s azimuth and elevation field in which to concentrate the scanning. The Region Scan mode gives the most control over the attention of the scanner with scan rate, number of lines per degree, sample rate and sample averaging parameters available as in other modes. Region Scanning is most useful when a region’s extent in azimuth is less than 60°.

Data Output

The RE08 system has a pulse repetition rate of 25 kHz, 5 kHz and 500 Hz for High Speed, High Range and Extended Range Mode respectively, and is able to resolve up to five separate ranges for each laser pulse. This feature gives the RE08 enhanced capability to see through things like dust and rain, and to image complex objects like vegetation. Given the ability of the system to return multiple range measurements for each laser pulse the number of 3D data points returned can significantly exceed the pulse repetition rate setting. The high data rates possible with the RE08 allow very dense point cloud data to be acquired quickly from the region specified by the current scan settings or alternatively to rapidly update 3D range information at a lower resolution. The RE08’s native data output format is (range, bearing, elevation) points and at all pulse repetition rates data output can additionally include meta-data values for intensity, reflectance and the pulse shape deviation of the returned signal.
The amplitude, the reflectance and the pulse shape deviation meta-data can enable systems to make intelligent decisions around the utility of any individual measurement along with some understanding of the properties of the target. Amplitude is a the amplitude of the returned pulse relative to the detection threshold scaled logarithmically in dB. Reflectance is the ratio of the amplitude of the actual returned pulse and the expected amplitude scaled logarithmically in dB. Pulse shape deviation provides an indication of the quality of the returned pulse by comparing the received pulse with the transmitted pulse.

Return Filtering

The RE08 offers a number of options for post-detection filtering of received pulses:

• All Targets: Up to five returns are collected per pulse
• First Target Only: Only the first return is collected per pulse
• Last Target Only: Only the last return is collected per pulse
• Target With Highest Amplitude: Only the target that returns the highest calibrated amplitude is collected per pulse
• Target With Highest Reflectance: Only the target that returns the highest reflectance is collected per pulse

Environmental

The RE08 3D Laser Scanning System has been designed to operate in harsh industrial environments and to be mounted as a permanent part of vehicles and mobile equipment.
The RE08’s configuration as separated scanning head and CSE elements contribute to the systems’ robustness to harsh environments. By allowing the scanning head to be placed in the most suitable position for acquiring data and the control and measurement system components up to 20 metres away in a less exposed location system ruggedness is significantly enhanced.
The mining & resources, bulk materials handling, heavy industry and similar, in particular benefit greatly from a 3D scanning LIDAR system that can be a permanent part of their operations.

Communication

The bidirectional communication of data and control with the RobotEye RE08 3D LIDAR is achieved via the system’s Ethernet port. This enables the system to be operated and data processing to occur anywhere on the network to which the RE08 is connected, limited only by the allowable length of Ethernet cable.

RE08 Tools

The RE08 Tools application is included with all RE08 systems and allows control of all RE08 system settings and scan parameters. RE08 Tools is also a viewer which allows users to view the 3D data as it is captured and completed scans can be saved in a number of common formats.

RobotEye C++ Development Library

The RE08 ships with a fully documented C++ development library for both Windows and Linux that can be used to simply and quickly interface to the RE08 device. This enables rapid application development for users who wish to integrate the RE08 into their projects or proprietary systems. The library provides access to the entire range of RE08 features. The RobotEye Development Library Reference Manual is available for download from the Ocular Robotics website.

Datasheet