M1-3.4 - Additively Manufactured Calibration Target for Intensity-Based LiDAR Calibration in Industrial Robotics
- Event
- 23. ITG/GMA-Fachtagung Sensoren und Messsysteme 2026
2026-06-09 - 2026-06-10
Nürnberg - Band
- Vorträge
- Chapter
- Autonome Systeme und Robotics
- Author(s)
- T. M. Wendt, S. Süme, A. Schnebel - Offenburg University of Applied Sciences, Offenburg, S. J. Rupitsch - University of Freiburg, Freiburg
- Pages
- 372 - 376
- DOI
- 10.5162/sensoren2026/M1-3.4
- ISBN
- 978-3-910600-11-9
- Price
- free
Abstract
Accurate extrinsic calibration of robot-mounted LiDAR sensors requires the extraction of unambiguous geometric features from the sensor data. Intensity-based corner detection is an established strategy, but it relies on a calibration target that provides a stable, high-contrast reflectivity pattern in the near-infrared spectrum. Conventional targets based on printed or painted checkerboards are subject to surface degradation and are restricted to planar geometries. The presented contribution proposes a calibration target fabricated by multi-material additive manufacturing, combining Reflect-O-Lay (a retroreflective PLA composite) and Fiberlogy PA₁₂+CF₁₅ (a carbon-fibre-reinforced polyamide) to produce a five by five checkerboard with intrinsic near-infrared reflectivity contrast at 940 nanometres. Due to the contrast embedded in the material composition, the target is inherently robust against abrasion, moisture, and ultraviolet exposure, and the additive manufacturing route permits arbitrary geometric modifications without tooling cost. Corner detection accuracy is evaluated experimentally on a RoboSense E₁R solid-state LiDAR sensor mounted on a KUKA LBR iisy 11 R₁₃₀₀ manipulator. Across ten robot configurations, the detected inner corner positions agree with the nominal grid geometry to a Procrustes RMSE of 7.6 millimetres with a systematic spacing bias below half a percent, consistent with the ranging precision of the sensor. A comparison against reference targets reported in the literature places the proposed AM target in the same accuracy regime as established solutions while offering superior material stability and design flexibility.