An intensity-based stochastic model for terrestrial laser scanners

Up until now no appropriate models have been proposed that are capable to describe the stochastic characteristics of reflectorless rangefinders - the key component of terrestrial laser scanners. This state has to be rated as unsatisfactory especially from the perception of Geodesy where comprehensive knowledge about the precision of measurements is of vital importance, for instance to weigh individual observations or to reveal outliers. In order to tackle this problem, a novel intensity-based stochastic model for the reflectorless rangefinder of a Zoller + Fröhlich Imager 5006 h is experimentally derived. This model accommodates the influence of the interaction between the emitted signal and object surface as well as the acquisition configuration on distance measurements. Based on two different experiments the stochastic model has been successfully verified for three chosen sampling rates.