Automatic LiDAR Extrinsic Calibration System using Photodetector and Planar Board for Large-scale Applications

TL;DR

This paper introduces an automatic LiDAR extrinsic calibration system using a novel photodetector-embedded target for high-precision, large-scale automotive manufacturing applications.

Contribution

It proposes a new PD-target system with embedded photodetectors for accurate, automatic LiDAR calibration in automotive environments, simplifying the process for large-scale use.

Findings

Achieved 0.1 degree accuracy in LiDAR offset estimation

Achieved 3 mm precision in extrinsic parameter estimation

System is practical for large-scale automotive calibration

Abstract

This paper presents a novel automatic calibration system to estimate the extrinsic parameters of LiDAR mounted on a mobile platform for sensor misalignment inspection in the large-scale production of highly automated vehicles. To obtain subdegree and subcentimeter accuracy levels of extrinsic calibration, this study proposed a new concept of a target board with embedded photodetector arrays, named the PD-target system, to find the precise position of the correspondence laser beams on the target surface. Furthermore, the proposed system requires only the simple design of the target board at the fixed pose in a close range to be readily applicable in the automobile manufacturing environment. The experimental evaluation of the proposed system on low-resolution LiDAR showed that the LiDAR offset pose can be estimated within 0.1 degree and 3 mm levels of precision. The high accuracy and simplicity of the proposed calibration system make it practical for large-scale applications for the reliability and safety of autonomous systems.