Shape functions to scanner comparison

Abstract

In the optical scanning, the processed data are in the form of point clouds that can be organised into the triangular meshes and can represent the surface with the given inaccuracy of the scanner. Meshes of special surfaces (such as sphere or ball bar) are used for the scanner calibration, qualification and verification. These artefacts restrict the calibration process, because their sizes must be periodically calibrated by the relevant institutions.The aim of this paper is to present new possibilities for optical laser scanner accuracy comparison. Three types of laser scanners with different accuracies were used. The calibration sphere was used to compare the results of the deviations (the commonly used method for scanner accuracy verification) from calibrated value with the results of new methods that use shape functions measuring distances, cone heights or curvatures. The measurement system analysis was used to verify that these functions can be used for scanners comparison. The comparison of shape distributions obtained from results of shape functions in the form of polylines was used to compare scanners according to their accuracies. The comparison of shape distribution results was done using ranges and Minkowski $${L}_{1}$$ L 1 norm.