BRDF-Based Radiometric Modeling for Reliable LDS Measurements on Specular and Inclined Surfaces

Laser displacement sensors (LDSs) face risks of degraded measurement accuracy or even signal loss when detecting targets with high specular reflectance and large inclination angles. To address this challenge, this study enhances the reliability of the measurement system through bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) based radiometric modeling and adaptive housing design. Firstly, a BRDF model was established to elucidate the physical mechanism underlying sensor signal anomalies caused by the coupled effects of high specularity and surface inclination. Subsequently, based on this understanding, an adaptive sensor housing and complementary optical components were designed, significantly expanding the measurable inclination range of the sensor under such conditions. Finally, a multisensor solid angle constraint model was constructed to achieve crosstalk resistance during collaborative sensor operation. Experimental validation demonstrates that the adaptive housing effectively enhances LDS performance: the measurable inclination range for highly specular targets was increased by an average of 12.8°, and repeatability accuracy improved by an average of 3.8%.