Thermal Integration Guide | Ouster Sensor Docs

Overview

The Ouster lidar sensors offers an industry-leading combination of price, performance, reliability, size, weight, and power. It is designed for indoor/outdoor all-weather environments and a long operating lifetime.

The Ouster family of sensors consist of three models, the OS0, OS1, and OS2, with differing beam configuration and vertical resolution, but identical mechanical dimensions.

The contents of this manual are applicable only to Rev 06 sensors. Please contact support@ouster.io with the sensor serial number to find out your sensor Rev information. For all other sensor hardware revisions, please refer to the respective hardware user manual.

Terminology

For the purposes of this document, let us first establish some common terminology that will be used in this guide.

The Sensor without any heatsink or mounting plates — **The Sensor** without any heatsink or mounting plates

**Heatsink Base** which doubles as the standard mounting plate.

**Heatsink Radial** is the radial finned heatsink modular cap.

**Heatsink Halo** The halo finned heatsink modular cap. *Preferred* when application needs to reduce sharp edges.

**Heatsink Clamshell** Is a reference heatsink for integrating into vehicles in locations that require tighter integration.

Heatsink Clamshell with an Ouster Sensor — **Heatsink Clamshell** with an Ouster Sensor.

Top Cap The top of the sensor, which accepts modular heatsinks such as the Heatsink-Radial, Heatsink-Halo and has mounting features for seamless integrations.
Window The window through which the lasers are emitted.
Sensor Base The base of the sensor which has the connector mounted to it.

Term	Definition
Free Convection	The movement caused within a fluid by the tendency of hotter and therefore less denser material to rise, and colder, denser material to sink under the influence of gravity, which consequently results in transfer of heat.
Stagnant Air	Air that is not moving other than by Free Convection.
Forced Convection	The transfer of heat due to the bulk movement of fluid molecules over an object. The bulk movement can be due to wind, fan, vehicle motion, etc.

For the following reference tests in the Thermotron SE-1000-6-6 Environmental Chamber, our FORCED CONVECTION flow rate is 1000 cubic feet per minute (CFM). This is approximately 0.5 m/s or 1.8 km/h of air speed. The air in this chamber flows from top to bottom.