Patent · US Active

3D imaging system

US7860301B2 · kind B2 · utility

77Cited by
11References
41Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 13, 2006
Grant dateDec 28, 2010
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 21, 2029

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06T2207/10021
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A system for creating photorealistic 3D models of environments and/or objects from a plurality of stereo images obtained from a mobile stereo camera and optional monocular cameras, for enhancing 3D models of environments or objects by registering information from additional sensors to improve model fidelity or to augment it with supplementary information using a light pattern projector, and for generating photo-realistic 3D models of underground environments such as tunnels, mines, voids and caves, including automatic registration of the 3D models with pre-existing underground maps. The cameras may be handheld, mounted on a mobile platform, manipulator or a positioning device. The system automatically detects and tracks features in image sequences and self-references the stereo camera in 6 degrees of freedom by matching the features to a database to track the camera motion, while building the database simultaneously. A motion estimate may be provided from external sensors and fused with the motion computed from the images.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.