System and method of scanning an environment using multiple scanners concurrently

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11086015-B2
Application number	US-202016908877-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 23, 2020
Priority date	Jun 26, 2019
Publication date	Aug 10, 2021
Grant date	Aug 10, 2021

Abstract

A system of generating a three-dimensional (3D) scan of an environment includes multiple 3D scanners including a first 3D scanner at respective first and second positions. The system further includes a controller coupled to the 3D scanners. The first 3D scanner acquires a first set of 3D coordinates, the first set of 3D coordinates having a first portion. The second 3D scanner acquires a second set of 3D coordinates, the second set of 3D coordinates having a second portion. The first portion and the second portion are simultaneously transmitted to the controller by the first 3D scanner and the second 3D scanner respectively, while the first set of 3D coordinates and the second set of 3D coordinates are being acquired. The controller registers the first portion and the second portion to each other while the first set of 3D coordinates and the second set of 3D coordinates are being acquired.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system of generating a three-dimensional (3D) scan of an environment, the system comprising:
a plurality of 3D scanners comprising a first 3D scanner at a first position and a second 3D scanner at a second position, the first position being different from the second position;
a controller operably coupled to the 3D scanners via a common communications network; wherein:
the first 3D scanner is configured to acquire a first set of 3D coordinates, the first set of 3D coordinates having a first portion;
the second 3D scanner is configured to acquire a second set of 3D coordinates, the second set of 3D coordinates having a second portion, wherein the first portion and the second portion are simultaneously transmitted to the controller by the first 3D scanner and the second 3D scanner respectively, while the first set of 3D coordinates and the second set of 3D coordinates are being acquired; and
the controller is configured to register the first portion and the second portion to each other while the first set of 3D coordinates and the second set of 3D coordinates are being acquired.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first portion and second portion are scans of distinct portions of the environment.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein registering comprises aligning the first portion and the second portion of the environment, the alignment comprising:
performing at least one of a translation or a rotation of the first portion relative to the 3D scan;
identifying overlapping natural features in the 3D scan and the first portion; and
automatically translating and rotating the first portion to align with the 3D scan when the overlapping natural features are aligned by the operator within a predetermined threshold.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to provide a user interface that includes a user interface element to initiate capturing the first set of 3D coordinates from the first 3D scanner and to initiate capturing the second set of 3D coordinates from the second 3D scanner.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the user interface further indicates a scan status for each set of 3D coordinates being captured by each of the 3D scanners.

6. The system of claim 4 , wherein the 3D scanner systems and the controller form a mesh network.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first portion that is transmitted from the first set of 3D coordinates is selected based on a network bandwidth.

8. A method of scanning an environment, the method comprising:
positioning a first 3D scanner in a first position;
positioning a second 3D scanner in a second position, the second position being different than the first position;
connecting the first 3D scanner, the second 3D scanner, and a controller to a common communications network;
acquiring a first set of 3D coordinates with the first 3D scanner, the first set of 3D coordinates having a first portion;
acquiring a second set of 3D coordinates with the second 3D scanner, the second set of 3D coordinates having a second portion;
simultaneously transmitting the first portion and the second portion to the controller while the first set of 3D coordinates and the second set of 3D coordinates are being acquired; and
registering the first portion and the second portion to each other while the first set of 3D coordinates and the second set of 3D coordinates are being acquired.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the first portion and second portion are scans of distinct portions of the environment.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein registering comprises aligning the first portion and the second portion of the environment, the alignment comprising:
performing at least one of a translation or a rotation of the first portion relative to the 3D scan;
identifying overlapping natural features in the 3D scan and the first portion; and
automatically translating and rotating the first portion to align with the 3D scan when the overlapping natural features are aligned by the operator within a predetermined threshold.

11. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
visualizing the 3D scan via a user interface of the controller.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
annotating the 3D scan to include an attribute of a point in the 3D scan, an annotation added via the user interface of the controller.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the first portion that is transmitted from the first set of 3D coordinates is selected based on a network bandwidth.

14. A system comprising:
a display device;
a memory device; and
a controller comprising one or more processors coupled with the display device and the memory device, the one or more processors configured to:
receive, substantially simultaneously, a set of 3D coordinates from each of a plurality of 3D scanners, wherein a first set of 3D coordinates is received from a first 3D scanner, the first set of 3D coordinates having a first portion, and a second set of 3D coordinates is received from a second 3D scanner, the second set of 3D coordinates having a second portion, and wherein the first portion and the second portion are simultaneously transmitted to the controller by the first 3D scanner and the second 3D scanner respectively, while the first set of 3D coordinates and the second set of 3D coordinates are being acquired;
register the first portion and the second portion to each other while the first set of 3D coordinates and the second set of 3D coordinates are being acquired.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the first portion and second portion are scans of distinct portions of the environment.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:
remotely initiate capturing the set of 3D coordinates by the 3D scanners.

17. The system of claim 15 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to provide a user interface that includes a user interface element to initiate capturing the first set of 3D coordinates from the first 3D scanner and to initiate capturing the second set of 3D coordinates from the second 3D scanner.

18. The system of claim 14 , wherein registering comprises aligning the first portion and the second portion of the environment, the alignment comprising:
performing at least one of a translate or a rotation of the first portion relative to the 3D scan;
identifying overlapping natural features in the 3D scan and the first portion; and
automatically translating and rotating the first portion to align with the 3D scan when the overlapping natural features are aligned by the operator within a predetermined threshold.

19. The system of claim 14 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:
receive an annotation for an object in the environment from the first 3D scanner, the annotation comprising a distance from the 3D scanner to a point on an object in the environment, wherein the first 3D scanner measures the distance using a three-dimensional camera by emitting a visible laser light beam from a laser projector onto the point on the object;
annotate the 3D scan of the environment to include the annotation at a position of the point on the object based at least in part on the distance.

20. The system of claim 14 , wherein the first portion that is transmitted from the first set of 3D coordinates is selected based on a network bandwidth.

Assignees

• Faro Tech Inc

Inventors

• Pompe Daniel
• Caputo Manuel
• Gómez Méndez José Gerardo
• Ul Azam Zia
• Bergmann Louis
• Flohr Daniel
• Zweigle Oliver

Classifications

• H04N1/3876 Primary

  Recombination of partial images to recreate the original image · CPC title

• G01B11/272

  using photoelectric detection means · CPC title

• G01B11/002

  for measuring two or more coordinates · CPC title

• G01S17/36

  with phase comparison between the received signal and the contemporaneously transmitted signal · CPC title

• G01B11/2545

  with one projection direction and several detection directions, e.g. stereo · CPC title