Phoenix LiDAR Systems miniRANGER-3 Lite

The Phoenix LiDAR Systems miniRANGER-3 Lite is a LiDAR system from the USA for UAVs, built around a 905 nm survey scanner with up to 5 echoes and a 360° field of view. It is designed for mid-sized multicopters and serves the surveying of terrain, vegetation and installations.

The scanner reaches 170 m at 20 % reflectivity and 290 m at 60 %. Up to 5 echoes per pulse capture ground and vegetation at once, which is decisive for forest surveying. The field of view reaches up to 360°. The accuracy quoted is a system accuracy (RMSEz) of 2 to 3.5 cm at 75 m; the 3.5 cm value is the upper limit. System accuracy includes the position determination and is not comparable with the pure range accuracy of a scanner. The system weighs 2.5 kg, the sensor alone 1.55 kg.

The sensor is a laser device, and the laser class given by the manufacturer is to be observed. With 2.5 kg for the system, the aircraft lies in EU class C2 (below 4 kg) or higher up to C3 and C4 (25 kg). Surveys of large areas are often flown in the specific category, above all for flights beyond visual line of sight. Point clouds of built-up areas touch data-protection law.

In comparisons, reflectivity counts: the 290 m applies at 60 %, at 20 % it is 170 m. Quality hinges on the trajectory from IMU and GNSS and on a rigid mount that holds the alignment between scanner and positioning system. Wear points are the scanner window, the connectors and the damping; after knocks or hard landings the calibration is checked.