Assessing geometry perception of direct time-of-flight sensors for robotic safety

Gimpelj, Jakob (avtor), Munih, Marko (avtor)

Time-of-flight sensors have emerged as a viable solution for real-time distance sensing in robotic safety applications due to their compact size, fast response, and contactless operation. This study addresses one of the key challenges with time-of-flight sensors, focusing on how they perceive and evaluate the environment, particularly in the presence of complex geometries and reflective surfaces. Using a Universal Robots UR5e arm in a controlled indoor workspace, two different sensors were tested across eight scenarios involving objects of varying shapes, sizes, materials, and reflectivity. Quantitative metrics including the root mean square error, mean absolute error, area difference, and others were used to evaluate measurement accuracy. Results show that the sensor’s field of view and operating principle significantly affect its spatial resolution and object boundary detection, with narrower fields of view providing more precise measurements and wider fields of view demonstrating greater resilience to specular reflections. These findings offer valuable insights into selecting appropriate ToF sensors for integration into robotic safety systems, particularly in environments with reflective surfaces and complex geometries.

• Jezik: Angleški jezik
• Ključne besede: direct ToF, reflectivity, robotic safety, sensor evaluation metrics, sensor field of view, shape detection, single-point ToF, surface material effects, time-of-flight sensor
• Vrsta gradiva: Članek v reviji
• Tipologija: 1.01 - Izvirni znanstveni članek
• Organizacija: FE - Fakulteta za elektrotehniko
• Status publikacije: Objavljeno
• Različica publikacije: Objavljena publikacija
• Leto izida: 2025
• Št. strani: 19 str.
• Številčenje: Vol. 25, issue 14, art. 4385
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-171148
• UDK: 007.52
• ISSN pri članku: 1424-8220
• DOI: 10.3390/s25144385
• COBISS.SI-ID: 245338115
• Datum objave v RUL: 11.08.2025

Gradivo je del revije

• Naslov: Sensors
• Skrajšan naslov: Sensors
• Založnik: MDPI
• ISSN: 1424-8220
• COBISS.SI-ID: 10176278

Licence

• Licenca: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Priznanje avtorstva 4.0 Mednarodna
• Povezava: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.sl
• Opis: To je standardna licenca Creative Commons, ki daje uporabnikom največ možnosti za nadaljnjo uporabo dela, pri čemer morajo navesti avtorja.

Sekundarni jezik

• Jezik: Slovenski jezik
• Ključne besede: neposredni ToF, odbojnost, varnost robotov, merila za ocenjevanje senzorjev, vidno polje senzorja, zaznavanje oblike, enotočkovni ToF, vplivi materiala površine, senzor časa leta