Range Sensors: Ultrasonic Sensors, Kinect, and LiDAR

Abstract

We present an introductory summary of range sensing technologies including ultrasonic sensors, RGB-D cameras, time-of-flight (TOF) cameras, and LiDAR sensors. For each technology, we briefly introduce the principle of the range sensors, representative commercial products, comparisons, and main applications. We also provide key algorithmic methods to process range data, such as point cloud registration, and some useful software tools. As the detailed knowledge can easily be found from the literature or the Internet, we focus on the big picture of the sensing technologies.