The 3D laser range finder design for the navigation and mapping for the coal mine robot

Abstract

This article describes the construction of the 3D laser range finder (LRF) for the coal mine robot. The construction is based on our practical experiences with previous indoor 3D LRF design. The coal mine environment is very dirty. It is necessary to keep in mind this heavy working condition during the whole design process. The process of design started with definition of requirements. This specification is followed by selection of suitable parts and the dynamic analysis of a selected actuator. The suitable housing was designed for spatially arranged internal parts and by the Rapid Prototyping method was made the fully functional 3D LRF prototype. Finally are presented results from the 3D LRF testing conducted in the real underground environment.