Automotive Lidar and Vibration: Resonance, Inertial Measurement Unit, and Effects on the Point Cloud

Lidar is an important component of the perception suite for automated systems. The effects of vibration on lidar point clouds are mostly unknown, despite the lidar’s wide adaption and usual application under conditions where vibration occurs frequently. In this study, we performed controlled vibration tests from 6 to 2000 Hz at 9 and 12 m/s ² in vertical direction on the automotive lidar OS1-64 by Ouster. An information loss emerged which is mostly independent from frequency and acceleration. The loss of points is randomly distributed and does not correlate with range, intensity, or ring number (the horizontal line of the rotating lidar unit). The resonance frequency of 1426 Hz proved to be unproblematic as no pronounced negative effects on the point cloud could be identified. For vibration detection, the internal Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) of the OS1-64 is accurate and sufficient for vibrations up to 50 Hz. Above 50 Hz, external IMUs would be required for vibration detection. Counting the number of points on a target close to the edges was investigated as an exemplary way to detect vibration purely based on the point cloud, i.e., independent of the lidar’s IMU.