CHC Navigation introduces AlphaAir 1400 and AlphaAir 2400 airborne lidar series

CHC Navigation (CHCNAV) has released the AlphaAir 1400 (AA1400) and AlphaAir 2400 (AA2400) lidar systems.

Both lightweight, compact airborne laser scanners are easily installed on various UAV platforms or small survey aircraft and helicopters. They are adapted to high-density point corridor mapping applications, day or night, under leaf-on and leaf-off conditions or with dense vegetation to provide reliable results.

“Nowadays, it is critical to obtain the highest data quality for the majority of aerial survey projects,” said Andrei Gorb, product manager of CHC Navigation’s Mapping and Geospatial Division.

Combining with industrial-grade GNSS receivers and high-precision inertial measurement units (IMUs), the AA1400 and AA2400 provide 2 to 5 cm survey-grade accuracy.  They also  integrate Riegl’s VUX lidars with waveform-lidar technology, allowing echo digitization and online waveform processing.

“Multi-target resolution is the basis for penetrating even dense foliage,” Gorb said. “The continuously rotating polygonal mirror wheel enables scanning speed of up to 400 lines per second, allowing for effective coverage of large areas when used from fast drones or aircraft.”

The BB4 UAV equipped with the AA2400 scanner for the city mapping task. (Photo: CHCNAV)

Their built-in premium Riegl VUX-120 and VUX-240 lidar sensors feature a high-speed data acquisition rate of up to 1.8 MHz and a scan speed up to 400 lines per second. This provides a linear accuracy of 1cm to 2 cm on long-range scanning, suitable for fixed-wing UAV corridor mapping.

CHCNAV offers several external cameras for add-ons to the AlphaAir. Setups can include nadir or nadir and oblique cameras from Sony or PhaseOne. By obtaining high-resolution geo-referenced and oblique imagery, more applications can be supported, increasing the return on investment for the client.

The scanning results of the AA1400 and 2400 lidar series. (Photo: CHCNAV)

The one-click connection of the AlphaPort to the power source and camera makes the installation of the AA1400 and AA2400 quick and easy, eliminating the need for additional accessories and time for camera calibration. The AA1400 and AA2400 reduce the risk of cable damage caused by aircraft vibration and acceleration during takeoff and landing.

CHCNAV provides a full range of solutions that allows a complete lidar solution to be added to the users’ geomatic services. The software suite includes CoCapture UAV field application for fully automated reality capture and real-time mission tracking, and the CoPre desktop software for semi-automated point cloud processing.

The AA1400 and AA2400 lidar series solutions are available worldwide today through the CHCNAV distribution network.