Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and automated guided vehicles (AGVs) must reliably sense their surroundings in order to navigate safely, pick up loads, and navigate precisely to handoff positions. At the same time, compact vehicles have limited installation space available. This creates a need for sensors that combine the most comprehensive possible environmental mapping with high measurement resolution and a space-saving design. With the new R2400, Pepperl+Fuchs introduces a 2D LiDAR sensor specifically designed to meet these requirements.

Seamless 360-Degree Coverage

The R2400 scans its surroundings over a full 360-degree angle. A unique feature of its design is that it is not a mirror that rotates to deflect the laser beam, but rather the entire laser transmitter/receiver module that rotates around a rigid axis. This creates a flat and uniform scanning plane in which, due to the design, only very slight angular deviations occur. This is intended to enable high geometric accuracy, particularly when detecting contours and reflectors.

High angular resolution for detailed contours

For measurement, the R2400 uses an angular resolution of 0.05 degrees. This allows the sensor to generate a correspondingly high-resolution point cloud, which can be used, for example, for contour detection or to identify reflectors. According to Pepperl+Fuchs, the reproducibility of the measurements is less than 16 millimeters. The measuring range extends up to 25 meters, depending on the object’s reflectivity: at 10 percent reflectivity, a range of up to 10 meters is achieved; at 90 percent, up to 25 meters. Reflectors can be detected at distances of up to 40 meters. For continuous updating of environmental data, the sensor can be operated at scan rates of 10 or 20 scans per second.

Design for Mobile Use

With a height of just 81 millimeters, the R2400 can also be integrated into compact mobile platforms. The metal housing, along with steel threads and defined alignment holes, is designed for robust and repeatable mounting. This offers a practical advantage, particularly when replacing the sensor: The defined mechanical alignment ensures that the original measurement geometry is maintained without the need to realign the sensor afterward.

Data for Navigation and Positioning

The R2400 can provide its measurement data for various tasks within a mobile system. These include mapping and localization, as well as pallet detection during loading or precise positioning at transfer stations. For communication with the vehicle control system, the sensor supports the Pepperl+Fuchs Scan Data Protocol (PFSDP). A ROS-2 driver is also available for integration into robotics applications. This allows the sensor to be integrated into corresponding software environments without limiting its applications to mere object detection.

Sensor Technology for Compact AMRs and AGVs

With the R2400, Pepperl+Fuchs is expanding its LiDAR portfolio to include a 2D sensor that focuses on a combination of full 360-degree coverage, fine angular resolution, and a low profile. The design is specifically aimed at mobile robotics and intralogistics, where limited installation space and precise environmental data are equally critical. The sensor is thus designed not only to support navigation but also to enable tasks such as pallet handling and precise docking at transfer points.

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