The Riegl LMS-Z210 is a high performance 3D laser measurement system. The LMS-Z210 is supported by Riegl's RiSCAN PRO software for performing scans over a 360° range in the horizontal plane and 80° range in the vertical range. Utilizing a class 1 laser, the sensor is able to resolve objects with 80% reflectivity up to 650m away! 3D laser scanners such as the LMS-Z210 are quickly replacing their 2D predecessors.
The rest of the tutorial is presented as follows:
Riegl is an Austrian company that specilizes in high quality, high performance laser sensors. Riegl offers a few specialized laser scanners designed for use in topography and civil engineering applications.
The LPM series of sensors are designed for surveying tasks, allowing the user to measure the distance to several points along a surface. These sensors can measure in ranges up to 2500m for 80% reflective objects. They are mounted on highly accurate pan tilt units that allow back calculation of the position of the object being measured.
The LMS-Q series of laser scanners are 2D laser scanners pitched as airborne laser sensors. These sensors are ruggedized so that they can be attached to planes and helicopters. They afford similar resolution and accuracy as the LMS-Z series of 3D scanners.
The LMS-Z series of laser scanners are 3D scanners designed for a variety of tasks related to topography and civil engineering. However, as the popularity of laser scanners grows amongst roboticists, the demand for 3D laser scanners is ever increasing. The Riegl LMS-Z series have been adopted by seven DARPA Urban Challenge teams for use in robotic ground vehicle navigation. The sensors are valued for their ease of interface, onboard signal processing and above all ruggedness.
As mentioned, this tutorial will focus on operating the LMS-Z210. All of the sensors operate based on time of flight measurements of laser pulses. The LMS-Z210 shines a laser off of a rotating mirror. As the mirror spins, the laser scans 80° in the vertical plane, effectively creating a fan of laser light as shown in the picture below.
| Model Name | LMS-Z210i |
| Measurement Range | |
| for reflectivity >80% | 400m |
| for reflectivity >10% | 120m |
| Minimum range: | 4m |
| Measurement resolution: | 5mm |
| Measurement accuracy: | +/-25mm (single shot) |
| Vertical field of view: | 80° |
| Vertical angular resolution: | 0.005° |
| Vertical scan rate: | 1 scan/sec to 20 scans/sec |
| Horizontal field of view: | 360° |
| Horizontal angular resolution: | 0.005° |
| Horizontal scan rate: | 0.01°/sec to 15°/sec |
| Interface: for config & data output: | Ethernet TCP/IP, 10/100 MBit/sec |
| for config | RS-232, 19.2 kBd |
| for data output | ECP parallel port |
| Dimensions: | 437mm x 210mm (Length x Dia.) |
| Weight: | approx. 13kg |
| Power supply voltage: | 11 - 18 V DC |
| Current consumption @ 12V | typ. 6.5 A max 8 A |
To complete this tutorial, you will need the following:
The RiSCAN PRO software can be downloaded from Riegl's ftp site. Contact Riegl technical support for assistance in gaining access to the ftp site. The version used in this tutorial is available at the following link (password protected): riscan_pro-1.4.2b5_full.zip
In order to operate the LMS-Z210 you must first have the proper cables. One of the cables should have a round MIL connector. This is the power cable, as pictured below:
This cable should be wired as follows:
| Pin | Assignment | Color | Note |
| A | Laser safety lock | gray | |
| B | 4-20mA out | not used | |
| C | RxD | RS232 data input | |
| D | Standard/High Speed | not used | |
| E | Trigger | pink | Input for ext. SYNC |
| F | Sync. Marker | violet | TTL output (opitonally) |
| G | TxD | RS232 data output | |
| H | GNDout | blue | |
| J | GNDin | white | |
| K | +UB 11-18 VDC | brown |
| Laser Safety Lock | <===> | GNDout |
| +UB 11-18 VDC | <===> | Power Source + |
| GNDin | <===> | Power Source - |
The other necessary cables are a serial cable and parallel cable (pictured below). While it is not necessary, all cables should have a ferrite core to reduce noise.
Connect the sensor to the computer using the serial and parallel cable. Plug the power cable into the bottom of the sensor. Connect the other end of the cable to the power supply. When the power supply is turned on, you should see the sensor head begin to rotate. The mirros should then begin turning, and the sensor should continually scan. You're now ready to start working with the Riegl.
After downloading RiSCAN PRO Full install RiSCAN PRO. It is important that you select "RiPORT" under "Drivers" and "LicenseServer" under "Tools" as shown below. This will ensure that the communications drivers necessary will be installed.
Accept default settings for the remainder of the install process. You will be prompted for a license key at several points. This should have been provided with your sensor. If not, contact Riegl technical support to obtain a license key.
Once the install has completed, start RiSCAN PRO. After starting RiSCAN PRO you should see the following screen. In the menu bar, select "Tool -> Options".
This is where all of the default options are set for the software. You will need to set the following options:
After setting these options, click "OK". Now you can start a new project. From the menu bar, select "Project -> New -> Project". Give the project a name and select "Save". You should the new project appear in the project manager. There should be a list with several folders as shown below. Right click the "SCANS" folder and select "New Scanposition".
This will bring up a window where you can define the oreintation of the sensor and the sensor type. This is primarily used for stiching scans together. Select the defaults by clicking "Ok". You should now see several items appear under the "SCANS" folder. Right click "ScanPos01" and select "New single scan..." as shown below. At this point the power supply should be turned on and the scanner should be rotating.
The software will now communicate with the scanner. If the software is succesfully communicating, you should see the window below with the serial number of the scanner displayed. This window allows you to setup the scan. Here you can specify the resolution of the scan, the scan range and other settings. To perform a typical quick scan, click "Overview" and then select "OK".
The software will now prompt you with the following window asking you to confirm the scan settings. Select "OK" to begin the scan.
You should now notice the scanner rotating to begin a scan. As the scan is performed you will see the data plotted in RiSCAN PRO, as shown below.
Congratulations! You have just performed your first scan with the Riegl LMS-Z210!
After reviewing this tutorial you should be able to set up a Riegl LMS-Z210 and perform a scan with the RiSCAN PRO software. If you have questions about this tutorial you can email me at Keithicus@drexel.edu.