Lightweight UAV Laser Scanner with Online Waveform Processing

RIEGL VUX-240®

• laser pulse repetition rateup to 1.8 MHz• measurement rate up to1,500,000 meas./sec• scan speed up to 400 lines/second• operating flight altitude up to
1,400m / 4,600 ft• Field of View up to 75°• perfectly linear and parallelscan lines• cutting edge RIEGL technology
providing:- echo signal digitization- multiple target capability- online waveform processing- multiple-time-around processing• compact & lightweight

The RIEGL VUX-240 is a lightweight airborne laser scanner, especiallydesigned for use on UAS/UAV/RPAS and small manned aeroplanes orhelicopters.
With its wide field of view of 75 degrees and an extremely fast dataacquisition rate of up to 1.8 MHz, the instrument is perfectly suited forhigh point density corridor mapping applications.
The VUX-240 makes use of RIEGL‘s unique Waveform-LiDAR technology,
allowing echo digitization and online waveform processing. Multi-target
resolution is the basis for penetrating even dense foliage.
A continuously rotating polygon mirror wheel enables scan speeds ofup to 400 lines per second, for efficiently covering large areas when
operated from fast UAVs or aircraft.
The scanner provides an internal data storage capacity of 1 TByte andis equipped with interfaces for an external IMU/GNSS system as wellas to control up to four external cameras.

• easily mountable to unmanned
platforms (UAVs) and to helicopters,gyrocopters, and other small manned
aircraft• mechanical and electrical interface
for INS/GNSS integration (optional)

Typical applications include• interfaces for up to 4 optional
cameras• Corridor Mapping:Power Line, Railway Track andPipeline Inspection• Topography in Open-Cast Mining• Surveying of Urban Environments• Archeology and CulturalHeritage Documentation• Agriculture & Forestry• scan data storage on internal
1 TByte SSD Memory

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www.riegl.com

Airborne Laser Scanning

Data SheetTechnical Data RIEGL VUX®-240
Laser Product Classification

NOHD (Nominal Ocular Hazard Distance)
ENOHD (Extended Nominal Ocular Hazard Distance)

Range Measurement Performance
Measuring Principle

Laser Pulse Repetition Rate PRR 1)
Max. Measuring Range 2) 3)
natural targets  ≥ 20 %natural targets  ≥ 60 %natural targets  ≥ 80 %Max. Operating Flight Altitude AGL 2) 4)@  ≥ 20 %			@  ≥ 60 %			Max. Number of Targets per Pulse 5)

Class 3R Laser Product according to IEC60825-1:2014

The following clause applies for instruments delivered into theUnited States: Complies with 21 CFR 1040.10 and 1040.11 except for
conformance with IEC 60825-1 Ed.3., as described in Laser Notice
No. 56, dated May 8, 2019.

0.3 m
2.5 m

time of flight measurement, echo signal digitization, multiple targetcapability, online waveform processing, multiple-time-around-processing150 kHz

300 kHz600 kHz

1200 kHz

1800 kHz

1200 m1900 m2150 m

850 m
1400 m
1600 m

650 m
1050 m1200 m

450 m
750 m
850 m

350 m
650 m
700 m

900 m
(2950 ft)

600 m
(1950 ft)

500 m
(1650 ft)

350 m
(1150 ft)

250 m
(800 ft)

1400 m(4600 ft)

1050 m(3450 ft)

900 m
(2950 ft)

550 m
(1800 ft)

500 m
(1650 ft)

15151585		1) Rounded average PRR.
2) Typical values for average conditions and average ambient brightness. In bright sunlight, the max. range is shorter than under an overcast sky.
3) The maximum range is specified for flat targets with size in excess of the laser beam diameter, perpendicular angle of incidence, and for atmospheric visibility of 23 km. Range
ambiguities have to be resolved by multiple-time-around processing.
4) Effective FOV 75°, additional roll angle ± 5°.
5) If the laser beam hits, in part, more than one target, the laser‘s pulse power is split accordingly. Thus the achievable range is reduced.

Minimum Range
Accuracy 7) 9)
Precision 8) 9)
Laser Pulse Repetition Rate 1) 10)
Max. Effective Measurement Rate 1)
Echo Signal Intensity
Laser Wavelength
Laser Beam DivergenceLaser Beam Footprint (Gaussian Beam Definition)

5m20 mm
15 mm
up to 1800 kHz
up to 1,500,000 meas./sec. (@ 1800 kHz PRR & 75° FOV)
for each echo signal, high-resolution 16 bit intensity information is provided
near infrared
0.35 mrad 11)
35 mm @ 100 m, 175 mm @ 500 m, 350 mm @ 1000 m

7) Accuracy is the degree of conformity of a measured quantity
to its actual (true) value.
8) Precision, also called reproducibility or repeatability, is thedegree to which further measurements show the same result.

9) One sigma @ 150 m range under RIEGL test conditions.
10) User selectable.
11) Measured at the 1/e2 points. 0.35 mrad corresponds to an increase of 35 mm of beam diameterper 100 m distance.

Scanner Performance

Scanning Mechanism
Scan Pattern
Field of View (selectable)
Scan Speed (selectable)
Angular Step Width   (selectable)

rotating polygon mirror
parallel scan lines± 37.5° = 75°
40 - 400 lines/sec
0.002° ≤   ≤ 0.24° 12) 13)

Angle Measurement Resolution
Scan Sync (optional)

0.001°
scanner rotation synchronization

between consecutive laser shots

Data Interfaces
Configuration
Scan Data Output
GNSS Interface

External Camera
External IMU & GNSS

General Technical Data

LAN 10/100/1000 Mbit/sec
LAN 10/100/1000 Mbit/sec
Serial RS-232 interface for data string with GNSS-time information,
TTL input for 1PPS synchronization pulse
4x power, RS-232, 1pps, trigger, exposure, TTL input/output
combined connector with power supply andsignal interface to external IMU & GNSS

Power Supply Input Voltage / Consumption 14)
Main Dimensions (L x W x H)		WeightHumidity
Protection Class
Max. Flight Altitude (operating & not operating)Temperature Range

11 - 34 V DC / typ. 60 W
292 mm x 164 mm x 185 mm (without IMU/GNSS)
380 mm x 164 mm x 185 mm (with IMU/GNSS)≤ 4.1 kg (without IMU/GNSS), ≤ 4.9 kg (with IMU/GNSS)
max. 80 % non condensing @ 31°C
IP64, dust and splash-proof
18 500 ft (5 600 m) above MSL (Mean Sea Level)-10°C up to +40°C (operation) / -20°C up to +50°C (storage)12) The angular step width depends on the selected laser PRR.
13) The maximum angular step width is limited by the maximum
scan rate.

14) without external IMU/GNSS

2

Copyright RIEGL Laser Measurement Systems GmbH © 2022– All rights reserved.

to be continued at page 6

Data SheetMaximum Measurement Range & Point Density RIEGL VUX®-240
PRR = 150 kHz

Operating Flight Altitude AGL given for the following conditions:
FOV 75°, ambiguity resolved by multiple-time-around (MTA) processing,average ambient brightness, target size ≥ laser footprint, roll angle ±5

Example: VUX-240 at 150,000 pulses/sec, laser power level 100%
Altitude = 1,500 ft AGL, Speed 40 kn, resulting point density ~ 9 pts/m²

PRR = 300 kHz

Operating Flight Altitude AGL given for the following conditions:
FOV 75°, ambiguity resolved by multiple-time-around (MTA) processing,average ambient brightness, target size ≥ laser footprint, roll angle ±5

Example: VUX-240 at 300,000 pulses/sec, laser power level 100%
Altitude = 800 ft AGL, Speed 80 kn, resulting point density ~ 16 pts/m²

PRR = 600 kHz

Operating Flight Altitude AGL given for the following conditions:
FOV 75°, ambiguity resolved by multiple-time-around (MTA) processing,average ambient brightness, target size ≥ laser footprint, roll angle ±5

Data SheetExample: VUX-240 at 600,000 pulses/sec, laser power level 100%
Altitude = 400 ft AGL, Speed 50 kn, resulting point density ~ 104 pts/m²

Copyright RIEGL Laser Measurement Systems GmbH © 2022– All rights reserved.

3

Maximum Measurement Range & Point Density RIEGL VUX®-240
PRR = 1200 kHz

Operating Flight Altitude AGL given for the following conditions:
FOV 75°, ambiguity resolved by multiple-time-around (MTA) processing,average ambient brightness, target size ≥ laser footprint, roll angle ±5Example: VUX-240 at 1,200,000 pulses/sec, laser power level 100%
Altitude = 400 ft AGL, Speed 30 kn, resulting point density ~ 346 pts/m²

PRR = 1800 kHz

Operating Flight Altitude AGL given for the following conditions:
FOV 75°, ambiguity resolved by multiple-time-around (MTA) processing,average ambient brightness, target size ≥ laser footprint, roll angle ±54Example: VUX-240 at 1,800,000 pulses/sec, laser power level 100%
Altitude = 300 ft AGL, Speed 20 kn, resulting point density ~ 1039 pts/m²

Copyright RIEGL Laser Measurement Systems GmbH © 2022– All rights reserved.

Data SheetPRELIMINARYDimensional Drawings RIEGL VUX®-240

all dimensions in mm

Data Sheet

Copyright RIEGL Laser Measurement Systems GmbH © 2022– All rights reserved.

5Technical Data RIEGL VUX®-240 (continued)
Data Storage
Internal Data Storage
Memory Card Slot1)

Solid State Disc SSD, 1 TByte
for CFAST® 2) industrial memory card 240 GByte (can be upgraded to 480 GByte)

1) applies to IMU APX-20 UAV only

2) CFast is a registered trademark of CompactFlash Association

External IMU & GNSS (optional)

Applanix APX-20 UAV 3)

IMU Accuracy 4)
Roll, PitchHeading
IMU Sampling RatePosition Accuracy (typ.)0.015°			0.015°			0.005°
0.035°			0.05°/0.025° 5)		0.010°
200 Hz			200 Hz			200 Hz0.02 – 0.05 m		
0.02 – 0.05 m		
0.02 – 0.05 m

3)

See technical details at the according Applanix datasheet.

Applanix AP20 3)		Applanix AP50 Air 3)4) Accuracy specifications for post-processed data.
5) Improved heading accuracy with dual antenna option (GAMS) @ 2m baseline.

RIEGL VUX-240 equipped with APX-20 UAVRIEGL VUX®-240 UAV Platform Integration (optional)

manned helicopter with RIEGL VUX-240 LiDAR Sensor,
AP50 Air and nadir RGB camera fully integrated

RiCOPTER with RIEGL VUX-240 LiDAR Sensor,
APX-20 UAV and nadir RGB camera fully integrated

RIEGL Laser Measurement Systems GmbHHorn, Austria
Phone: +43 2982 4211 | www.riegl.com
RIEGL USA Inc.
Winter Garden, Florida, USA
Phone: +1 407 248 9927 | www.rieglusa.com

Copyright RIEGL Laser Measurement Systems GmbH © 2022 – All rights reserved.
Use of this data sheet other than for personal purposes requires RIEGL’s written consent.
This data sheet is compiled with care. However, errors cannot be fully excluded and alternations might be necessary.

RIEGL Japan Ltd. | www.riegl-japan.co.jp
RIEGL China Ltd. | www.riegl.cn
RIEGL Australia Pty Ltd. | www.riegl.com
RIEGL Canada Inc. | www.rieglcanada.com
RIEGL UK Ltd. | www.riegl.co.uk

www.riegl.com
Data Sheet, RIEGL VUX-240, 2022-09-29