Design and implementation of a High-speed Lidar Data Reading System based on FPGA

Currently, research on the use of lidar data in various applications is very popular. These studies are almost all based on non-real-time operating systems with random delays, which leads to lag in the received data and inaccuracies in decision making. This paper employs FPGA to propose a method for reading lidar data in high-speed on an FPGA using VHDL. Moreover, the proposed method uses a TCP/IP module to enable the FPGA to communicate with the lidar, avoiding the overly complex TCP protocol design inside the FPGA. The overall design, individual blocks inside the FPGA, and the connections among and role of each port are described. Experimental results demonstrate that the lidar data are correctly read by the FPGA board. In addition, the time required for FPGA to read a lidar message for a circle scan was calculated to be about $1.033\ \mu\mathrm{s}$. The proposed approach provides a very useful basic platform for many applications that use lidar as a sensor and will improve their detection accuracy.