Development of a Lidar System Based on an Infrared RangeFinder Sensor and SlipRing Mechanism

Abstract

Abstract-Lidar systems are one of the most important sensor infrastructures in autonomous vehicles and mobile robots. They are used for achieving indoor and outdoor mapping purposes. In the scope of this study, a new perspective to develop a lidar system is proposed. The system developed is constructed based on a low-cost infrared rangefinder sensor, low-cost slipring mechanism designed and manufactured, dc motor and microprocessor. The rangefinder sensor is mounted to a head-structure actuated by a dc motor that continuously rotates with a desired rotational velocity. The data coming from the rangefinder sensor flows through the microprocessor via the slipring. The design concept of the slipring mechanism gives an advantage that the data of the infrared rangefinder sensor can be taken while the sensor continuously rotates. The required power for the sensor can also be supplied by the slipring during motion. The decoding process of the data coming from the rangefinder sensor and motor control task are accomplished using an ATmega based microprocessor. A user interface is also created to communicate with the system and evaluate the performance of the whole structure developed. After conducting many experiments, successful results are obtained. The design steps of the system proposed and the experimental results are presented in this paper.