Laser line scanning of a shape of moving objects with various degree of transparency

Abstract

Abstract Laser scanning methods for surface geometry reconstruction have become a common tool in many areas of application due to relative simplicity, high accuracy, and versatility. Nevertheless, scanning of glossy or translucent surfaces still poses a problem for these techniques. The present work aims at assessing the applicability of the laser line scanning method for evaluation of the height profile of a waste stream on a conveyor belt, taking into account that the waste stream may contain a large number of semi-transparent objects. In particular, preliminary results of height profile measurements with regard to the laser emission wavelength for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles with various degrees of transparency, common in the municipal solid wastes, are reported in the paper.