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TOPODRONE laser scanner design.

The TOPODRONE 100 LITE/HI-RES/200 ULTRA laser scanner is a multifunctional device designed for aerial and mobile laser scanning (ALS and MLS) of the earth's surface. The main task of TOPODRONE laser scanners is to acquire data to form a dense cloud of terrain points, which in turn allows to classify and process this data. The obtained data can be used for various tasks such as geodesy, cartography, volume measurement, taxation and monitoring of various objects.

TOPODRONE laser scanners can operate in various conditions, including dense grass, forest or urban areas, under any lighting conditions. However, for effective operation of TOPODRONE laser scanners it is necessary to have sufficient GNSS signal. The use of SLAM technology in the post-processing software TOPODRONE Post Processing allows you to get highly accurate data even in the presence of a weak GNSS signal on the main trajectory.

It is impossible to operate TOPODRONE laser scanners when there is no GNSS signal.

The TOPODRONE 100 LITE / HI-RES / 200 ULTRA laser scanners are based on the following modules and systems:

  1. Velodyne laser scanning sensor housing;
  2. Sensor lens;
  3. Mounting holes M3;
  4. TOPODRONE laser scanner housing;
  5. SMA connector for external GNSS antenna cable connection;
  6. Green and blue light indicators;
  7. USB Type-C 2.0 connector;
  8. LEMO 4 pin and 6 pin connectors;
  9. Orange and red indicator lights;
  10. High-precision inertial measurement unit (IMU);
  11. GNSS receiver TOPODRONE;
  12. Mounting holes M3.
TOPODRONE 100 LITE / HI-RES / 200 ULTRA components description
  1. The Velodyne laser scanning sensor housing is made of aluminum alloy, anodized or gray enameled. During operation, the housing may vibrate slightly, make sounds, and heat up to 60° C. This effect is caused by the rotation of the scanning units of the laser heads inside the housing on bearings, as well as heat dissipation from the working internal components.
  2. The Velodyne sensor lens is made of glass with a polymer anti-reflective coating. It acts as a filter to allow light to pass through only in the operating wavelengths of the laser, as well as mechanical protection for the scanning rotating laser sensor heads. It is strongly recommended to treat the lens of the TOPODRONE laser scanner with care, avoid chipping and scratches.  If scratches and damage occur, the quality of the acquired data may deteriorate. Single minor scratches on the lens do not generally reduce the quality of the data.
  3. Mounting holes with M3 thread are used for fixing TOPODRONE laser scanner to the drone. The TOPODRONE quick-release mount (or the mounting pad - was installed on the first models of laser scanners) is installed on the mounting holes.
  4. The TOPODRONE laser scanner housing is made of aluminum alloy and is the main supporting structure of the laser scanner. 
  5. SMA connector for external GNSS antenna cable connection.  When performing ALS it is necessary to connect the cable to the spiral antenna, when performing MLS to the patch antenna.
  6. The LEDs show the initialization status. The green LED indicates the power status of the TOPODRONE laser scanner. Blue LED shows the initialization status.
  7. USB Type-C 2.0 connector is used to transfer data to an external storage device as well as to connect to a mobile device. 

    Never connect external power to the USB Type-C connector.

  8. LEMO 4 Pin and 6 Pin connectors. Used to connect external power supply and optional equipment. Only one LEMO connector for LiDAR power supply can be connected at a time.
  9. The LEDs show the initialization status. The orange LED indicates the status “TOPODRONE laser scanner booting”, the red LED indicates the status “data transfer to external storage”. These LEDs should not be on after successful initialization of the TOPODRONE laser scanner.
  10. The IMU, a high-precision inertial measurement unit, is used to record lateral and radial accelerations and inclination angles of the laser scanner during ALS and MLS operations. Data from the IMU is required for use in the post-processing phase for flight path equalization. Antenna offsets are calculated from the center of the IMU to the phase center of the external GNSS antenna. Honeywell and Epson IMUs are used.
  11. The TOPODRONE GNSS receiver is based on the uBlox chip. The data recording, storage and transmission system is based on a high-speed flash memory module of 256 GB. TOPODRONE laser scanners are externally powered, also ionizers are used to avoid data loss when power interruption occurs.
  12. Mounting holes with M3 thread are made inside the aluminum body of the TOPODRONE laser scanner for attaching it to a backpack or car mount (to perform MLS).

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