Terrestrial laser scanner geometric error model parameter correlations in the Two-face, Length-consistency, and Network methods of self-calibration

Published

April 26, 2018

Author(s)

Balasubramanian Muralikrishnan, Ling Wang, Prem K. Rachakonda, Daniel S. Sawyer

Abstract

Terrestrial laser scanners (TLS) are increasingly used in a variety of applications where accuracies on the order of few tenths of a millimeter or smaller are routinely demanded. Self-calibration is a quick and cost-effective way to improve the accuracy of a TLS without the need for calibrated artifacts or reference instruments. In a previous work [1], we outlined three approaches to self-calibration, the Network method, the Length-consistency method, and the Two-face method. In this paper, we lay out the mathematics underlying the least-squares adjustment process for the three different techniques and also address correlation between parameters calculated from the three methods. We show that the Length-consistency and Two-face methods provide lower parameter uncertainty and fewer correlations between the calculated model parameters than the Network method.

Citation

Precision Engineering-Journal of the International Societies for Precision Engineering and Nanotechnology

Volume

52

Issue

2018

Pub Type

Journals

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Keywords

Terrestrial laser scanner, self-calibration, Network method, length-consistency method, two-face method, uncertainty, correlation, error model

Citation

Muralikrishnan, B. , Wang, L. , Rachakonda, P. and Sawyer, D. (2018), Terrestrial laser scanner geometric error model parameter correlations in the Two-face, Length-consistency, and Network methods of self-calibration, Precision Engineering-Journal of the International Societies for Precision Engineering and Nanotechnology, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=922560 (Accessed October 14, 2025)