A Self-Calibration Method for Engineering Using 3-D Laser Scanning System Based on Cube Vertices

The 3-D scanning system used in some engineering requires regular calibration; achieving a concise and efficient calibration process is crucial. A conventional method requires accurate marker coordinates relative to the scanning systems. Nevertheless, this procedure involves additional bulky measurement equipment. Although attempts have been made to calibrate the scanning system based on the shape of a calibration object, these approaches are limited to calibrating parameters that influence the shape of the scanned object. This study introduces an internal parameter self-calibration method for a 3-D laser scanning system employing a 2-D light detection and ranging (LiDAR) and rotating platform. The calibration process involves using a cube with known side lengths as the calibration object. After calibrating specific geometric parameters, a calibration method based on single-coordinate information is proposed to correct other parameters that do not impact the scanned object’s shape. This calibration method is straightforward and suitable for rapid ON-site engineering calibration. Experiments and simulations demonstrate the effective calibration of system parameters, and the accuracy of the scanning system was improved after calibration.