RIEGL miniVUX-3UAV

The RIEGL miniVUX-3UAV is a light, survey-grade laser scanner from Austria for mid-sized multicopters. It is a pure scanner with a 360° field of view and up to 5 targets per pulse, built for flying terrain, vegetation, power-line corridors and installations.

The range is 330 m at 80 % reflectivity, 290 m at 60 % and 170 m at 20 %; on dark surfaces it is therefore clearly shorter. The pulse rate is selectable at 100, 200 or 300 kHz, and the measurement rate is up to 200,000 per second. Up to 5 echoes per pulse capture ground and vegetation at once. Accuracy is 15 mm (1.5 cm), precision 10 mm (1 cm); accuracy means the deviation from the true value, precision the repeatability. The unit weighs 1,550 g.

IMU and GNSS are not part of the scanner; RIEGL supplies them in the miniVUX-SYS system with RiLOC-E25 or RiLOC-F. The weight of 1.55 kg counts towards the take-off mass of the aircraft, which thereby lies in EU class C2 (below 4 kg) or above it up to C3 and C4 (25 kg). As a laser device, the scanner is to be classified according to the manufacturer's data (laser class, standard IEC 60825-1). Point clouds of built-up areas touch data-protection law.

Choosing the pulse rate is a compromise: a low rate increases range, a high one point density. For power-line corridors and forest, the five echoes pay off. The quality of the finished cloud hinges on a rigid, low-vibration mount and synchronisation with the positioning system. Wear points are the scanner window, the connectors and the deflection mechanics; the window must not scratch, and after knocks the calibration is checked.