LiDAR Through Domes: Modelling, Simulation, and Correction of Refraction
Paper
| Paper/Presentation Title | LiDAR Through Domes: Modelling, Simulation, and Correction of Refraction |
|---|---|
| Presentation Type | Paper |
| Authors | Ranasinghe, Pasindu, Patra, Dibyayan, Banerjee, Bikram and Raval, Simit |
| Journal or Proceedings Title | Proceedings of 2025 IEEE International Conference on Imaging Systems and Techniques (IST) |
| Number of Pages | 6 |
| Year | 2025 |
| Publisher | IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) |
| Place of Publication | France |
| ISBN | 9798331597306 |
| 9798331597313 | |
| Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1109/ist66504.2025.11268399 |
| Web Address (URL) of Paper | https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11268399 |
| Web Address (URL) of Conference Proceedings | https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/conhome/11268367/proceeding |
| Conference/Event | 2025 IEEE International Conference on Imaging Systems and Techniques (IST) |
| Event Details | 2025 IEEE International Conference on Imaging Systems and Techniques (IST) Delivery In person Event Date 15 to end of 17 Oct 2025 Event Location Strasbourg, France Event Venue Institut National Des Sciences Appliquees Strasbourg Event Web Address (URL) |
| Abstract | LiDAR plays a vital role in precision sensing, but maintaining accuracy becomes challenging when the sensor is housed within a protective enclosure. Transparent covers, such as polycarbonate domes, introduce beam deflections due to refraction — a factor that is often overlooked — which leads to spatial distortion in the resulting point cloud. This study presents an analytical and experimental investigation of these distortions using a Livox Avia solid-state LiDAR enclosed in a 6 mm thick polycarbonate hemispherical dome. Beam deflections were modelled using Snell’s law in MATLAB, simulated in COMSOL Multiphysics, and validated through controlled indoor experiments conducted at distances ranging from 2 m to 5 m. Both MATLAB and COMSOL results showed consistent angular deviation patterns, reinforcing the reliability of the modelling framework. Even small angular deviations can cause dimensional errors of up to 1.4%, with errors increasing further at longer distances. To address this, an angle-based correction strategy is proposed. The approach uses precomputed correction factors to adjust measured points in post-processing, reducing dimensional errors by up to 42.8% at 5 m. The method is lightweight, computationally efficient, and can be directly integrated into existing LiDAR firmware. This enables precise 3D mapping despite enclosure-induced distortion, supporting the practical use of LiDAR in sealed or shielded configurations. |
| Keywords | enclosure distortion; LiDAR refraction; beam deflection; refraction correction |
| Article Publishing Charge (APC) Funding | Project Funding |
| Contains Sensitive Content | Does not contain sensitive content |
| ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 400999. Electronics, sensors and digital hardware not elsewhere classified |
| 401304. Photogrammetry and remote sensing | |
| 401905. Mining engineering | |
| Public Notes | The accessible file is the accepted version of the paper. Please refer to the URL for the published version. |
| Byline Affiliations | University of New South Wales |
| School of Science, Engineering & Digital Technologies- Surveying & Built Env |
https://research.usq.edu.au/item/101088/lidar-through-domes-modelling-simulation-and-correction-of-refraction
Download files
Accepted Version
| LiDAR Through Domes_Modelling Simulation and Correction of Refraction.pdf | ||
| File access level: Anyone | ||
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