A Laser Time-of-Flight Range Scanner for Robotic Vision

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Computer Vision
• 3D Sensing

Background:

• Vision-driven robotic manipulation requires accurate 3D scene analysis.
• Computational burden for object placement and extent determination is significant.
• Direct range finding can alleviate these computational demands.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a laser time-of-flight range scanner for 3D scene analysis.
• To evaluate its performance in terms of resolution, speed, and accuracy.
• To assess its utility in supporting vision-driven robotic manipulation.

Main Methods:

• Development of a laser time-of-flight range scanner.
• Acquisition of range data with 64x64 spatial resolution.
• Analysis of range accuracy, scan time, and signal amplitude dependency.

Main Results:

• A range scanner capable of 64x64 resolution in 4 seconds was developed.
• Current accuracy requires 100 samples/point for ±2 cm precision, with a 40s scan time.
• Range determination is dependent on returned signal amplitude, indicating a considerable dynamic intensity range.

Conclusions:

• The developed laser time-of-flight range scanner can reduce computational burden for 3D scene analysis.
• Accuracy can be improved by increasing scan time.
• Preliminary results show potential for supporting robotic manipulation tasks.