A terrain severity measurement system utilizing non-contact optical scanning laser technologies employed in on-road profiling has been developed to make detailed measurements of the relative smoothness of all types of terrain from paved roads to extreme off-road conditions. The objectives included operation in all climatic conditions, simplified operation, and rapid availability of data. Accelerometers and inclinometers are used to measure laser sensor movement in order to eliminate measurement errors due to vehicle pitch and roll. A GPS receiver is used to correlate terrain profile information to position and elevation data. The end result is an accurate description of the longitudinal and lateral terrain profile that can be used to characterize the terrain and within vehicle modeling and simulation programs.

Date Published: 20 May 2006
PDF: 11 pages
Proc. SPIE 6228, Modeling and Simulation for Military Applications, 622805 (20 May 2006); doi: 10.1117/12.664934

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 6228:
Modeling and Simulation for Military Applications
Kevin Schum; Alex F. Sisti, Editor(s)