US 12,271,999 B2
System and method of scanning an environment and generating two dimensional images of the environment
Aleksej Frank, Kornwestheim (DE); Matthias Wolke, Korntal-Münchingen (DE); and Oliver Zweigle, Stuttgart (DE)
Assigned to FARO Technologies, Inc., Lake Mary, FL (US)
Filed by FARO Technologies, Inc., Lake Mary, FL (US)
Filed on Oct. 31, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/385,833.
Application 17/496,317 is a division of application No. 16/179,357, filed on Nov. 2, 2018, granted, now 11,145,116, issued on Oct. 12, 2021.
Application 18/385,833 is a continuation of application No. 17/496,317, filed on Oct. 7, 2021, granted, now 11,847,741.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/589,130, filed on Nov. 21, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2024/0062462 A1, Feb. 22, 2024
Int. Cl. G06T 1/00 (2006.01); G06T 17/05 (2011.01); H04N 13/282 (2018.01); H04N 23/698 (2023.01)
CPC G06T 17/05 (2013.01) [G06T 1/0007 (2013.01); H04N 13/282 (2018.05); H04N 23/698 (2023.01)] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of generating a two-dimensional (2D) image of an environment, the method comprising:
acquiring, via a 2D scanner, a plurality of 2D coordinates of points on surfaces in the environment, the 2D scanner having a light source and an image sensor, the image sensor being arranged to receive light reflected from object points;
generating, via the 2D scanner, a signal in response a change in position or orientation of the 2D scanner;
acquiring at a first position of the environment a first 360° image, via a movable platform having a 360° camera, the 360° camera having a plurality of cameras and a controller, the controller being operable to merge the images acquired by the plurality of cameras to generate an image having a 360° view in a horizontal plane, the 360° camera being movable from the first position to a second position on the movable platform;
generating a 2D map based at least in part on an activation signal from an operator, the plurality of two-dimensional coordinates of points, and the signal; and
integrating the first 360° image with the 2D map;
acquiring a second 360° image with the 360° camera at the second position;
registering the first 360° image with the second 360° image; and
generating a point cloud based at least in part on the registration of the first 360° image with the second 360° image and the locations of the first 360° image and the second 360° image on the 2D map.