A Survey on LiDAR Scanning Mechanisms

In recent years, light detection and ranging (LiDAR) technology has gained huge popularity in various applications such as navigation, robotics, remote sensing, and advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS). This popularity is mainly due to the improvements in LiDAR performance in terms of range detection, accuracy, power consumption, as well as physical features such as dimension and weight. Although a number of literatures on LiDAR technology have been published earlier, not many has been reported on the state-of-the-art LiDAR scanning mechanisms. The aim of this article is to review the scanning mechanisms employed in LiDAR technology from past research works to the current commercial products. The review highlights four commonly used mechanisms in LiDAR systems: Opto-mechanical, electromechanical, micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), and solid-state scanning. The study reveals that electro-mechanical scanning is the most prominent technology in use today. The commercially available 1D time of flight (TOF) LiDAR instrument is currently the most attractive option for conversion from 1D to 3D LiDAR system, provided that low scanning rate is not an issue. As for applications with low size, weight, and power (SWaP) requirements, MEMS scanning is found to be the better alternative. MEMS scanning is by far the more matured technology compared to solid-state scanning and is currently given great emphasis to increase its robustness for fulfilling the requirements of ADAS applications. Finally, solid-state LiDAR systems are expected to fill in the gap in ADAS applications despite the low technology readiness in comparison to MEMS scanners. However, since solid-state scanning is believed to have superior robustness, field of view (FOV), and scanning rate potential, great efforts are given by both academics and industries to further develop this technology.

[1]  H. Urey,et al.  MEMS Laser Scanners: A Review , 2014, Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems.

[2]  Cristiano Niclass,et al.  Design and characterization of a 256 x 64-pixel single-photon imager in CMOS for a MEMS-based laser scanning time-of-flight sensor. , 2012, Optics express.

[3]  I. Colomina,et al.  Unmanned aerial systems for photogrammetry and remote sensing: A review , 2014 .

[4]  T. Baba,et al.  Thermally controlled Si photonic crystal slow light waveguide beam steering device. , 2018, Optics express.

[5]  Hiroshi Abe,et al.  Fan-beam steering device using a photonic crystal slow-light waveguide with surface diffraction grating. , 2017, Optics letters.

[6]  Hiroshi Abe,et al.  Two-dimensional beam-steering device using a doubly periodic Si photonic-crystal waveguide. , 2018, Optics express.

[7]  Gottfried Mandlburger,et al.  Beyond 3-D: The New Spectrum of Lidar Applications for Earth and Ecological Sciences , 2016 .

[8]  Joachim Hertzberg,et al.  An autonomous mobile robot with a 3D laser range finder for 3D exploration and digitalization of indoor environments , 2003, Robotics Auton. Syst..

[9]  Xiaobao Lee,et al.  Optical design for uniform scanning in MEMS-based 3D imaging lidar. , 2015, Applied optics.

[10]  M. Amann,et al.  Laser ranging: a critical review of usual techniques for distance measurement , 2001 .

[11]  Michael R. Watts,et al.  A Single-Chip Optical Phased Array in a Wafer-Scale Silicon Photonics/CMOS 3D-Integration Platform , 2019, IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits.

[12]  Giulio Reina,et al.  Mobile robot perception using an inexpensive 3-D laser rangefinder , 2010, 2010 IEEE International Symposium on Industrial Electronics.

[13]  T. Baba,et al.  Experimental simulation of ranging action using Si photonic crystal modulator and optical antenna. , 2018, Optics express.

[14]  Arnulfo León Reyes,et al.  Low Cost 3D Scanner by Means of a 1D Optical Distance Sensor , 2013 .

[15]  Charles K. Toth,et al.  Remote sensing platforms and sensors: A survey , 2016 .

[16]  Adam Niewola,et al.  A novel 3D laser scanner design for variable density scanning , 2019, 2019 12th International Workshop on Robot Motion and Control (RoMoCo).

[17]  Hossein Hashemi,et al.  A Monolithically Integrated Large-Scale Optical Phased Array in Silicon-on-Insulator CMOS , 2018, IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits.

[18]  Paul McManamon,et al.  Laser radar: historical prospective—from the East to the West , 2016 .

[19]  Biswajeet Pradhan,et al.  A decade of modern cave surveying with terrestrial laser scanning: A review of sensors, method and application development , 2016 .

[20]  Garry Berkovic,et al.  Optical methods for distance and displacement measurements , 2012 .

[21]  Yu-Shin Chou,et al.  A Robotic Indoor 3D Mapping System Using a 2D Laser Range Finder Mounted on a Rotating Four-Bar Linkage of a Mobile Platform , 2013 .