Ranging Performance Evaluation of a Laser Scanner

INTRODUCTION Large volume laser scanners are used for a variety of purposes, including dimensional metrology of large artifacts, digitization and reverse engineering, as well as historical preservation and archiving. These devices exploit the propagative properties of structured light (in this case, lased light) to collect spatial information of objects in the field of view. Laser scanners employ rotational parts to scan the laser light in multiple directions. The propagation of the laser, together with the rotational indexing allows laser scanners to register the data in spherical coordinates – range (R), azimuth angle (Φ), and zenith angle (θ). In this study, we are primarily concerned with evaluating the ability of these systems to accurately measure range.