3D MAPPING OF A SURVEYED ENVIRONMENT

• US 20140125651A1
• Filed: 11/02/2012
• Published: 05/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trimble Inc.
• Original Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Inventors: Nichols, Mark, Sharp, Alan
• Granted Patent: US 9,466,144 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/419
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 11/00 Photogrammetry or videogrammetry, e.g. stereogrammetry; Photographic surveying
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/00 Surveying instruments or accessories not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/04 Texture mapping
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/05 Geographic models
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00

Abstract

A real time 3D survey site modeler is disclosed. One embodiment includes a survey data collector to collect survey data for a location and obtain information for each object that is surveyed. In addition, a 3D model creator receives the collected survey data and creates a 3D model of the world being surveyed in real time.

Claims

1. A method for real-time 3D map generation during a survey, said method comprising:

accessing a 3D model of an area to be surveyed;

defining attributes of an object within the area to be surveyed;

utilizing a wire frame to represent the object in the 3D model;

linking a tag comprising the attributes of the object with the wire frame representation of the object;

draping imagery of the object over the wire frame of the object; and

updating the 3D model of the area to be surveyed.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

selecting the imagery of the object from a 3D object database.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

utilizing a plurality of images of the object to generate a 3D image of the object.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the attributes of the object are selected from the group consisting of:

location, height, width, depth, material type(s), physical description, and scientific name.

5. A 3D survey site modeling system comprising:

a survey data collector to collect survey data for a location and obtain information for each object that is surveyed; and

a 3D model creator to receive the collected survey data and create a 3D model of the world being surveyed in real time.

6. The 3D survey site modeling system of claim 5 further comprising:

a draped image creator to use the information for each object to select a 3D representation of the object from a 3D model database; and

7. The 3D survey site modeling system of claim 5 further comprising:

a photogramatic processing module to incorporate an image of the object with the 3D representation selected from the 3D imagery database and to incorporate the 3D representation of the object into the 3D model of the world being surveyed.

8. The 3D survey site modeling system of claim 5 where the objects are sized and dimensioned based on one or more measurement taken to the object in the field.

9. The 3D survey site modeling system of claim 5 where the processing is done during the download of the data collector.

10. The 3D survey site modeling system of claim 5 where the processing is done in the field allowing the surveyor to see and verify the rendered model in the field as it is created.

11. The 3D survey site modeling system of claim 5 where imagery collected in the survey process is draped onto the model.

12. The 3D survey site modeling system of claim 5 where the processing is done in the cloud allowing visualization of the model both in the field and the office during the surveying process.

13. A method of collecting survey data with images and using image recognition to extract objects from a database to automatically create a real-time 3D model of the world being surveyed.

14. The method of claim 13 where the objects are sized and dimensioned based on one or more measurement taken to the object in the field.

15. The method of claim 13 where the objects are sized and dimensioned based on photogrammetric techniques using one or more image taken including the object in the field.

16. The method of claim 13 where the processing is done during the download of the data collector.

17. The method of claim 13 where the processing is done in the field allowing the surveyor to see and verify the rendered model in the field as it is created.

18. The method of claim 13 where imagery collected in the survey process is draped onto the model.

19. The method of claim 13 where the processing is done in the cloud allowing visualization of the model both in the field and the office during the surveying process.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computer executable code for directing a processor to execute a method for real-time 3D map generation during a survey, said method comprising:

accessing a 3D model of an area to be surveyed;

determining attributes of an object within the area to be surveyed;

incorporating a wire frame representation of the object to the 3D model;

linking a tag comprising the attributes of the object with the wire frame representation of the object;

draping imagery of the object over the wire frame of the object; and

updating the 3D model of the area to be surveyed.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium recited of claim 20 further comprising:

selecting the imagery of the object from a 3D object database.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium recited of claim 20 further comprising:

utilizing a plurality of images of the object to generate a 3D image of the object.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium recited of claim 20 wherein the attributes of the object are selected from the group consisting of:

location, height, width, depth, material type(s), physical description, and scientific name.