Clearance Profile Scanner

The CPS laser scanner can be

mounted on mobile platforms
Precise, fast, robust and non-contact for different applications. Its
compact sensor head is encap-
sulated in a robust housing for
reliable operation under harsh
environmental conditions.

Capturing the 3D geometry of road environments is of key value for urban planning.
For railroad operators, measuring structure gauge is part of predictive maintenance.
Laser scanning is the perfect technology for these tasks and widely used in mobile
mapping. Operating from mobile platforms, the Clearance Profile Scanner CPS by
Fraunhofer IPM records 3D-data fast and non-tactile. In its CPS-Plus version, the
system provides data on surface moisture in addition to geometrical data.

Infrastructure data in real time value and the angle of the scanning mirror.
A two-dimensional image is derived from the Road and railroad
The CPS measures clearance profiles in road mirror's rotational movement, the inspection measurement systems
and rail environments fast and with high pre- car's motion provides the third d­imension. by Fraunhofer IPM
cision. The optical system is typically mounted The system works at scanning frequencies in
at the back or front of an inspection vehi­ the range of 10 to 200 Hz with a sampling
cle, i. e. a road car or train wagon, providing frequency of up to 2 million measurements per Fraunhofer IPM develops
three-dimensional data on gauge profiles. second. Internal calibration before every scan optical measurement systems
For railroad applications, the track's center guarantees precise and stable results – even at for condition monitoring and
line is extracted from the data and potential- extreme temperatures and over long periods. mapping of rail and road infra­
ly infring­ing objects are identified. In urban A computer, l­ocated inside the inspection structure. Experts in measuring
environments, the laser scanner collects car, evaluates and visualizes the data before techniques and optics, design­
valuable 3D data for infrastructure planning. sending it to the inspection car's PC network. ers, electrical and software
engineers work together on
supplying turnkey solutions
Up to two million measurements Robust housing for the special requirements of
per second infrastructure operators, plan-
The sensor unit comprises a fixed optical ners and providers of surveying
The CPS uses a rotating mirror to project a high window and is located in a hermetically sealed services. The robust measu-
frequency modulated laser beam on the sur- housing. When not in operation, a casing pro- rement systems are deployed
roundings and detect the returning light. Phase tects the sensor head from dirt or ­vandalism. throughout the world and are
shift technology is used for determining the dis- Buffered vehi­cles can have a sensor head characterized by their speed,
tance. The exact position of each measurement mounted on a slide, which is moved automati- precision and reliability.
point is calculated from the measured distance cally into measurement position.
Clearance profile scanner CPS /CPS-Plus | Precise, fast, robust and non-contact

(a)

(b) low high

Above: The CPS' scanning data provides i­nformation on objects

interfering with the clearance profile (marked red).

Left : (a) Exemplary point cloud section in grayscale based on inten-

sity return of the LiDAR system. (b) Same section but colored using
moisture values from blue (dry) over white to red (high moisture).

CPS-Plus: Additional moisture detection The clearance profile scanner's design is in accordance with DIN
EN 60825-1:2008. The CPS is eye-safe according to IEC60825.
The scanner’s extended version CPS-Plus uses two different
wavelengths for measuring the clearance. From the differ­ The system has been successfully deployed on measurement
ence of the signals, the water content on the surface can vehicles around the world for more than 15 years and is con­
be extracted for every single measurement point, without tinuously being enhanced.
compromising the precision of the measured distance value.
This enables the reliable identification of vegetation and at the
same time the detection of water ingress, which is a critical
issue for the safety of civil engineering structures.

Contact
Technical specifications CPS /CPS-Plus

Measurement range 1 – 10 m (up to 30 m using a reduced bandwidth)

Prof. Dr. Alexander Reiterer
Distance resolution about 1 mm Head of Department
Intensity resolution 12 bit Object and Shape Detection
Uncertainty at an object 3 mm at 5 m (σ-value) Phone +49 761 8857-183
reflec­tivity of 90 % [email protected]
Uncertainty at an object 7 mm at 5 m (σ-value)
reflec­tivity of 10 % Dr. Philipp von Olshausen

Scanning angle ≈ 350° Group Manager Mobile Terrestrial Scanning

Phone +49 761 8857-289
© Fraunhofer IPM 03/2024; Pictures: Fraunhofer IPM

Scanning speed 10 – 200 rev. / sec.

[email protected]
Measurement rate up to 2 mio. measurements per sec.
Number of measurements per 10,000 (at 200 rev. / sec.) Fraunhofer Institute for Physical
profile Measurement Techniques IPM
Point distance at 5 m 6.2 mm Georges-Köhler-Allee 301
79110 Freiburg, Germany
Profiling density at 50 km/h one profile each 7 cm (at 200 rev./sec.)
www.ipm.fraunhofer.de/railway
Ambient temperature – 20 °C to + 50 °C (in operation; temp. control incl.)
Moisture detection (CPS-Plus) 10 levels of moisture

All specifications and features are subject to modification without notice.

Road application Rail application