Many lightweight lidar sensors employed for UAS lidar mapping feature a fan-style laser emitter-detector configuration which results in a non-uniform pattern of laser pulse returns. As the role of UAS lidar mapping grows in both research and industry, it is imperative to understand the behavior of the fan-style lidar sensor to ensure proper mission planning. This study introduces sensor modeling software for scanning simulation and analytical equations developed in-house to characterize the non-uniform return density (i.e., scan pattern) of the fan-style sensor, with special focus given to a popular fan-style sensor, the Velodyne VLP-16 laser scanner. The results indicate that, despite the high pulse frequency of modern scanners, areas of poor laser pulse coverage are often present along the scanning path under typical mission parameters. These areas of poor coverage appear in a variety of shapes and sizes which do not necessarily correspond to the forward speed of the scanner or the height of the scanner above the ground, highlighting the importance of scan simulation for proper mission planning when using a fan-style sensor.
Keywords: UAS; Velodyne; drones; flight planning; lidar.