Improvement in Measurement Area of 3D LiDAR for a Mobile Robot Using a Mirror Mounted on a Manipulator

Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) is widely employed in mobile robots to acquire environmental information. However, it has a limited laser irradiation direction and cannot measure the backside of an object. In this study, a method that expands the LiDAR measurement range to various directions using a mirror installed on the manipulator mounted on mobile robots is developed. As mirrors can easily be mounted on robots, this method is expected to have a wide range of applications. This letter also proposes a method for determining the mirror position and attitude to expand the measurement area to obtain target data. In addition, we conducted an accuracy evaluation test of the reflection acquisition point. Using the proposed method, we demonstrate the measurement of the shape of descending staircase as an example of a potential application.