Pose estimation of a scanning laser Doppler vibrometer with applications to the automotive industry

A scanning laser Doppler vibrometer (SLDV) is an optical in- strument that can scan an area to measure the velocity field of struc- tures. It has been widely used in the automotive industry. In some appli- cations, the pose (position and orientation) of the SLVD are required. First, this paper describes two such applications. Then it presents a non- linear regressive model for the pose determination of the SLDV with respect to a structural coordinate system. The model is derived from coordinate transformation and the scanner model. In it, the pose is ex- pressed by six independent parameters: three for the translation vector and three for the rotation matrix. The six parameters are estimated by using the least-squares technique. Statistical inferences about this model are obtained by linear approximation. To determine the pose, four or more registration (reference) points are required. For each registration point, the structural coordinates and its corresponding input voltages need to be known. The model has been implemented in a laser-based data acquisition system, which has been used for modal analysis, struc- tural dynamic modifications, and noise control. © 1998 Society of Photo- Optical Instrumentation Engineers. (S0091-3286(98)00705-3)