Estimation of accuracy and reliability of terrestrial laser scanner in the detection of object shape

Abstract

The influence of the angle of incidence on the quality of the point cloud has always been a contentious issue in the field of terrestrial laser scanning. The influence is appreciable when determining the shape (2D) and form (3D) of objects. The present study investigates two issues, first, the influence of the angle of incidence on the detection of the correct size of a plane object, and secondly, its influence on the accuracy of laser scanning point clouds. Experiments were carried out using six different modern-day terrestrial laser scanners: Leica C10, Leica P40, Leica HDS6200, Trimble TX5, Faro X330, and Faro S70. The results of this study indicate that a large angle of incidence in scanning, in general, can produce relatively large deviations in a point cloud. However, the maximum deviations are still only on a millimetre scale. The effects of a large angle of incidence on the detection of an object's correct size were found to be relatively marginal.