Faro Technologies, Inc.

Aleksej Frank

Oliver Zweigle

Ahmad Ramadneh

Joao Santos

João Santos

Mark Brenner

Mufassar Waheed

Simon Raab

Johannes Buback

Matthias Wolke

Muhammad Umair Tahir

Martin Ossig

Bernd-Dietmar Becker

Tobias Boehret

Julian Becker

Igor Sapina

Rolf Heidemann

Steffen Kappes

Derik J White

Roland Raith

A method for performing a simultaneous location and mapping of a scanner device in a surrounding environment includes capturing a scan-data of a portion of a map of the surrounding environment. The scan-data comprises a point cloud. Further, at runtime, a user-interface is used to make, a selection of a feature from the scan-data, and a selection of a submap that was previously captured. The submap includes the same feature. The method further includes determining a first scan position as a present position of the scanner device, and determining a second scan position as a position of the scanner device. The method further includes determining a displacement vector for the map based on the first and the second scan positions. Further, a revised first scan position is computed based on the second scan position and the displacement vector. The scan-data is registered using the revised first scan position.

Generating environmental map by aligning captured scans

A mobile three-dimensional (3D) measuring system includes a 3D measuring device, and a support apparatus. The 3D measuring device is coupled to the support apparatus. The support apparatus includes a pole mount that includes a gimbal at the top of the pole mount, wherein the 3D measuring device is attached to the gimbal. The support apparatus further includes a counterweight at the bottom of the pole mount, the counterweight matches a weight of the 3D measuring device.

Support system for mobile coordinate scanner

A system and method for scanning an environment and generating an annotated 2D map is provided. The method includes acquiring, via a 2D scanner, a plurality of 2D coordinates on object 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 the object points. A first 360° image is acquired at a first position of the environment, via a 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, the 360° camera being movable from the first to a second position. A 2D map is generated based at least in part on the plurality of two-dimensional coordinates of points. The first 360° image is integrated with the 2D map.

System and method of scanning an environment and generating two dimensional images of the environment

A system and method for measuring three-dimensional (3D) coordinate values of an environment is provided. The system includes a movable base unit a first scanner and a second scanner. One or more processors performing a method that includes causing the first scanner to determine first plurality of coordinate values in a first frame of reference based at least in part on a measurement by at least one sensor. The second scanner determines a second plurality of 3D coordinate values in a second frame of reference as the base unit is moved from a first position to a second position. The determining of the first coordinate values and the second plurality of 3D coordinate values being performed simultaneously. The second plurality of 3D coordinate values are registered in a common frame of reference based on the first plurality of coordinate values.

Mobile system and method of scanning an environment

A system includes a transporter robot with a motion controller that changes the transporter robot's poses during transportation. A scanning device is fixed to the transporter robot. One or more processors are coupled to the transporter robot and the scanning device to generate a map of the surrounding environment. At a timepoint T, when the transporter robot is stationary at a first location, a first pose of the transporter robot is captured. During transporting the scanning device, at a timepoint T, the scanning device captures additional scan-data of a portion of the surrounding environment. In response, the motion controller provides a second pose of the transporter robot at T. A compensation vector and a rotation for the scan-data are determined based on a difference between the first pose and the second pose. A revised scan-data is computed, and the revised scan-data is registered to generate the map.

Capturing environmental scans using automated transporter robot

A system and method for providing a distributed measurement system. The system performs operations that include receiving, via a user interface of a user device, a request from a requestor to access a data file of a project. The project includes a plurality of data files including the data file, and at least one of the one or more data files is generated based at least in part on measurement data output from a measurement device. Based on determining that the requestor has permission to access the data file, one or more editing options are provided for editing the data file. The one or more editing options vary based at least in part on one or both of a characteristic of the user device and a characteristic of the data file. The data file is edited in response to receiving an editing request.

Distributed measurement system for scanning projects

Techniques are described for converting a 2D map into a 3D mesh. The 2D map of the environment is generated using data captured by a 2D scanner. Further, a set of features is identified from a subset of panoramic images of the environment that are captured by a camera. Further, the panoramic images from the subset are aligned with the 2D map using the features that are extracted. Further, 3D coordinates of the features are determined using 2D coordinates from the 2D map and a third coordinate based on a pose of the camera. The 3D mesh is generated using the 3D coordinates of the features.

Generating textured three-dimensional meshes using two-dimensional scanner and panoramic camera

A method and system for generating a three-dimensional (3D) map of an environment is provided. An example method includes receiving a 3D scan and portions of a 2D map of the environment and receiving coordinates of the scan position in the 2D map. The method further includes associating the coordinates of the scan position with the portion of the 2D map. The method further includes linking the coordinates with the portion of the 2D map. The method further includes storing submap data for each of the plurality of submaps into a data object associated respective submaps. The method further includes performing a loop closure algorithm on each of the plurality of submaps. The method further includes, for each of the plurality of submaps for which the position anchor of the submap changed during performing the loop closure algorithm, determining a new data object position for the data objects.

Correcting positions after loop closure in simultaneous localization and mapping algorithm

A system and method for analyzing a surface of an object is provided. The system includes a 3D measurement device operable to acquire a plurality of points on the surface of the object and determine 3D coordinates for each of the points. The system further includes processors operably coupled to the 3D measurement device. The processors are responsive to computer instructions when executed on the processors for performing a method comprising: generating a point cloud from the 3D coordinates of the plurality of points; extracting a first set of points from the plurality of points; defining a first reference geometry through the first set of points; measuring at least one first metric from each of the points in the first set of points to the first reference geometry; and identifying a nonconforming feature based at least in part on the at least one first metric.

System for surface analysis and method thereof

A method for performing a simultaneous location and mapping of a scanner device includes detecting a set of lines in a point cloud, and identifying a semantic feature based on the set of lines. The method further includes assigning a first scan position of the scanner device in the surrounding environment at the present time tas a landmark, and linking the landmark with the portion of the map. The method further includes determining that the scanner device has moved, at time t, to the scan position that was marked as the landmark based on identifying said semantic feature in another scan-data. In response, a second scan position at time tis determined. Also, a displacement vector is determined for the map based on a difference between the first scan position and the second scan position. Subsequently, a revised second scan position is computed based on the displacement vector.

Capturing environmental scans using landmarks based on semantic features

A system and method for scanning an environment and generating an annotated 2D map is provided. The system includes a 2D scanner having a light source, an image sensor and a first controller. The first controller determines a distance value to at least one of the object points. The system further includes a 360° camera having a movable platform, and a second controller that merges the images acquired by the cameras to generate an image having a 360° view in a horizontal plane. The system also includes processors coupled to the 2D scanner and the 360° camera. The processors are responsive to generate a 2D map of the environment based at least in part on a signal from an operator and the distance value. The processors being further responsive for acquiring a 360° image and integrating it at a location on the 2D map.

Systems and methods of generating two-dimensional (2D) images of an environment are provided. The systems includes a measurement device and a processor configured to generate a 2D image of an environment based at least in part on a number of 2D scans, a first translation value, a first translation direction, a second translation value, a second translation direction, a first rotation value, and a second rotation value. Generating the 2D image further includes generating a grid map that includes a plurality of cells, each of the plurality of cells indicating a probability of a cell area being occupied.

A system and method for measuring three-dimensional (3D) coordinate values of an environment is provided. The method including moving a 2D scanner through the environment. A 2D map of the environment is generated using the 2D scanner. A path is defined through the environment using the 2D scanner. 3D scan locations along the path are defined using the 2D scanner. The 2D scanner is operably coupled to a mobile base unit. The mobile base unit is moved along the path based at least in part on the 2D map and the defined path. 3D coordinate values are measured at the 3D scan locations with a 3D scanner, the 3D scanner being coupled to the mobile base unit.

System and method of defining a path and scanning an environment

Provided are embodiments including a system for automatically generating a plan of scan locations for performing a scanning operation where the system includes a storage medium that is coupled to a processor. The processor is configured to receive a map of an environment, apply a distance transform to the map, wherein the distance transform determines a path through the map, wherein the path comprises a plurality of points, and identify a set of candidate scan locations based on the path. The processor is also configured to select scan locations from the set of candidate scan locations for performing 3D scans, and perform the 3D scans of the environment based on the selected scan locations. Also provided are embodiments for a method and computer program product for automatically generating a plan of scan locations for performing a scanning operation.

System and method for automatically generating scan locations for performing a scan of an environment

A system and method for measuring three-dimensional (3D) coordinate values of an environment is provided. The system includes a movable base unit a first scanner and a second scanner. One or more processors performing a method that includes causing the first scanner to determine first plurality of coordinate values in a first frame of reference based on an emitted first beam of light and a received first reflected light. The second scanner determines a second plurality of 3D coordinate values in a second frame of reference as the base unit is moved from a first position to a second position. The determining of the first coordinate values and the second plurality of 3D coordinate values being performed simultaneously. The second plurality of 3D coordinate values are registered in a common frame of reference based on the first plurality of coordinate values.

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Stuttgart, Germany

Aleksej Frank