System and method of scanning and editing two dimensional floorplans

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10445913-B2
Application number	US-201815911956-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 5, 2018
Priority date	Mar 5, 2018
Publication date	Oct 15, 2019
Grant date	Oct 15, 2019

Abstract

One or more embodiments are described for generating a two dimensional map of an environment using a set of submaps that include point clouds of the environment that are captured using a scanner device that is moved from one position to another in the environment. An example method includes revising the two-dimensional map by editing at least one of the submaps from the set, independently of the other submaps from the set. In one or more examples, the editing may be based on one or more of the other submaps from the set. The one or more embodiments facilitate revising the two-dimensional map in an offline manner and without rescanning the environment.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system of generating a two-dimensional (2D) image of an environment, the system comprising:
a 2D scanner comprising a light source, an image sensor and a controller, the light source steers a beam of light within the first plane to illuminate object points in the environment, the image sensor is arranged to receive light reflected from the object points, the controller being operable to determine a distance value to at least one of the object points;
one or more processors operably coupled to the 2D scanner, the one or more processors being responsive to nontransitory executable instructions for generating a plurality of 2D submaps of the environment in response to an activation signal from an operator and based at least in part on the distance value, each submap generated from a respective point in the environment; and
a map editor configured to:
select a subset of submaps from the plurality of 2D submaps; and
generate the 2D image of the environment using the subset of 2D submaps.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the map editor is further configured to:
select a first submap from the subset of submaps;
edit the first submap; and
generate a revised 2D image of the environment using the edited first submap.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the editing comprises at least one from a group of rotation and translation.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein the editing comprises aligning the first submap to the 2D image of the environment, the alignment comprising:
performing by an operator at least one of a shift or a rotation of the first submap relative to the 2D image;
identifying overlapping natural features in the 2D image and the first submap; and
automatically shifting and rotating the first submap to align with the 2D image when the overlapping natural features are aligned by the operator within a predetermined threshold.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the map editor is further configured to:
select a first submap from the subset of submaps;
delete the first submap; and
generate a revised 2D image of the environment using the subset of submaps, without the first submap.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the map editor is further configured to:
add a new submap to the subset of submaps; and
generate a revised 2D image of the environment using the subset of submaps, with the new submap.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the map editor is further configured to save a copy of the revised 2D image of the environment separate from the 2D image of the environment.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the revised 2D image of the environment is for a subset of regions from the 2D image of the environment.

9. A method for generating a two-dimensional (2D) image of an environment, the method comprising:
moving a measurement device to a plurality of registration positions in the environment, the measurement device having a 2D scanner that is sized and weighted to be carried by a single operator, the 2D scanner being configured to sweep a beam of light in a horizontal plane the plurality of registration positions including a first registration position and a second registration position;
obtaining by the 2D scanner a plurality of 2D submaps while the measurement device moves from the first registration position to the second registration position, each of the plurality of submaps being a set of 2D coordinates of points in the environment, each of the plurality of submaps being collected by the 2D scanner at a different position relative to the first registration position;
generating a 2D image of the environment based at least in part on the plurality of 2D submaps;
editing a first submap from the plurality of 2D submaps; and
generating a revised 2D image of the environment using the edited first submap.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
displaying a list of the plurality of 2D submaps; and
selecting the first submap for editing from the list, the selection comprising loading the set of 2D coordinates of points of the submap into memory.

11. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
emitting a visible laser light beam from a laser projector onto a point on an object, the laser projector being coupled to the measurement device, the measurement device further having one or more processors;
measuring a distance from the measurement device to the point on the object using a three-dimensional camera coupled to the measurement device; and
annotating the 2D image, with the one or more processors, to include a position of the point on the object based at least in part on the distance.

12. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
coupling for communication a portable computing device to the measurement device, the portable computing device having an image sensor;
acquiring a first image with the image sensor;
transmitting the first image to the measurement device; and
annotating the 2D image, with the one or more processors, to include the first image, wherein a position of the first image in the 2D image is based at least in part on a device position of the measurement device when the first image is acquired by the image sensor.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the editing comprises at least one from a group of rotation and translation.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein the editing comprises aligning the first submap to the 2D image of the environment, the alignment comprising:
performing by an operator at least one of a shift or a rotation of the first submap relative to the 2D image;
identifying overlapping natural features in the 2D image and the first submap; and
automatically shifting and rotating the first submap to align with the 2D image when the overlapping natural features are aligned by the operator within a predetermined threshold.

15. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
deleting the first submap from the plurality of 2D submaps; and
generate the revised 2D image of the environment using the plurality of 2D submaps, without the first submap.

16. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
adding a new submap to the plurality of 2D submaps; and
generating the revised 2D image of the environment using the plurality of 2D submaps, with the new submap.

17. The method of claim 9 , further comprising saving a copy of the revised 2D image of the environment separate from the 2D image of the environment.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the revised 2D image of the environment is for a subset of regions from the 2D image of the environment.

19. A system of generating a two-dimensional (2D) image of an environment, the system comprising:
a display device;
a memory device; and
one or more processors coupled with the display device and the memory device, the one or more processors configured to:
receive a plurality of submaps of the environment, each submap generated by a 2D scanner being moved in the environment from a first registration position to a second registration position, each of the plurality of submaps being a set of 2D coordinates of points in the environment, each of the plurality of submaps being collected by the 2D scanner at a different position relative to the first registration position;
generate the 2D image of the environment based at least in part on the plurality of 2D submaps by determining for the 2D scanner a first translation value corresponding to a first translation direction, a second translation value corresponding to a second translation direction, a first rotation value corresponding to a fir

Assignees

• Faro Tech Inc

Inventors

• Santos Joao
• Ramadneh Ahmad
• Frank Aleksej
• Zweigle Oliver

Classifications

• G01S7/4808 Primary

  Evaluating distance, position or velocity data · CPC title

• G01S17/86

  Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders · CPC title

• G01S17/89

  for mapping or imaging · CPC title

• G01S17/42

  Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates (indirect measurement G01S17/46) · CPC title

• G01C15/002

  Active optical surveying means (optical plumbing G01C15/105) · CPC title