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arXiv · 2402.14993

Laser-to-Vehicle Extrinsic Calibration in Low-Observability Scenarios for Subsea Mapping

Thomas Hitchcox·James Richard Forbes
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Abstract

Laser line scanners are increasingly being used in the subsea industry for high-resolution mapping and infrastructure inspection. However, calibrating the 3D pose of the scanner relative to the vehicle is a perennial source of confusion and frustration for industrial surveyors. This work describes three novel algorithms for laser-to-vehicle extrinsic calibration using naturally occurring features. Each algorithm makes a different assumption on the quality of the vehicle trajectory estimate, enabling good calibration results in a wide range of situations. A regularization technique is used to address low-observability scenarios frequently encountered in practice with large, rotationally stable subsea vehicles. Experimental results are provided for two field datasets, including the recently discovered wreck of the Endurance.

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Thomas Hitchcox, James Richard Forbes. 2024-02-22. Laser-to-Vehicle Extrinsic Calibration in Low-Observability Scenarios for Subsea Mapping. https://doi.org/10.1109/lra.2024.3367270

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