Experimental study on the effects of ambient light on the precision of short-range near-infrared LiDAR systems

This work investigates the influence of ambient light noise on the performance of an 850 nm single-point light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system. It specifically focuses on different targets with varying reflectivity and range. A commercial LiDAR module with six distinct specimens was used to collect and analyze data over a measurement range of up to 4 m. The analysis of experimental data reveals that luminous intensity and range critically affect LiDAR accuracy. Reflectivity consistently affects LiDAR measurements, regardless of their magnitude, but it varies with the type of material. The relative error in measurement, the reflectivity of material, and the light noise of definite luminous intensity exhibit near-normal distributions with asymmetrical tails. Differences between the distributions of relative error, reflectivity, and luminous intensity highlight the complex interactions influencing LiDAR performance. These findings aid in the design and optimization of LiDAR systems, ensuring accurate environmental sensing under different ambient light conditions. Further, this data may be used to develop transferable models. Also, the findings of this study improve the performance of autonomous mobile robots for obstacle detection and collision avoidance in warehouses and in 3D printing and machining, where metallic surface reflectivity impacts LiDAR functioning.