The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 19, 2001
Filed:
Nov. 26, 1997
Michael K. Reed, Chappaqua, NY (US);
Peter K. Allen, Pleasantville, NY (US);
The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York, New York, NY (US);
Abstract
A system and method for generating a three-dimensional representation of an object or scene which minimizes the number of range scans required from different positions to produce an image of acceptable resolution. The technique first produces an initial mesh representation from a predetermined number of scans which is transformed into a solid. Vertices and surfaces in the solid mesh are tagged with either an occluded (unscanned) or imaged (scanned) tag. The occlusion tags allows the technique to select the best view for next scanning iteration by identifying the scanable surface area with the most occlusions. The technique then adjusts the object-scanner positioning so that the targeted view is scanned next. The process is repeated until an acceptable resolution of the object is achieved. The use of occlusion tags with a planning stage decreases the minimum number of scans necessary to complete the process.