Lissajous-like scan pattern for a gimballed LIDAR

In this paper the use of Lissajous-like scan trajectories is studied for a gimballed LIDAR system. In these systems a planar LIDAR sensor is attached to a gimbal, allowing for the collection of 3D range information. Typical gimballed LIDAR systems use raster scan patterns, where the LIDAR is slowly rotated and each line of LIDAR data is collected in order. In contrast, when using a Lissajous-like scan pattern, the image points are collected while the gimbal is moving more quickly. Thus image data is not collected line by line. This trajectory allows a trade between scan speed and resolution that is not possible when using a raster scan. In order to understand the use of Lissajous-like scan patterns for a gimballed LIDAR systems, relevant theory is developed to understand the scan speed/resolution trade-off, simulations are performed to support the theory, and proof-of-concept experiments are performed to show the feasibility of the approach.