Large-scale environmental mapping in real-time by a robotic system

A robotic system comprising:

• a mobile reconnaissance unit having a color sensor, a depth sensor, and a graphics processing unit (GPU) with a GPU memory;
• a navigation unit communicatively coupled to the mobile reconnaissance unit, the navigation unit having a central processing unit (CPU) with a CPU memory;
• the robotic system configured to:
• begin a three-dimensional (3D) scan of an environment of the mobile reconnaissance unit using the color sensor and the depth sensor;
• generate a mapping data for populating a volumetric representation of the environment produced using the GPU;
• continue the 3D scan of the environment using the color sensor and the depth sensor;
• update the mapping data based on the continued 3D scan;
• and
• partition the volumetric representation between the GPU memory and the CPU memory based on a memory allocation criteria;
• wherein the volumetric representation of the environment is stored partially in the GPU memory of the mobile reconnaissance unit and partially in the CPU memory of the navigation unit, wherein the mobile reconnaissance unit further comprises an inertial sensor, and wherein the robotic system is further configured to:
• detect an abrupt movement of the mobile reconnaissance unit during the second 3D scan, using the inertial sensor;
• generate a perturbation data corresponding to the abrupt movement;
• and
• correct the mapping data to compensate for the abrupt movement using the perturbation data.

A robotic system comprising:

• a mobile reconnaissance unit having a color sensor, a depth sensor, and a graphics processing unit (GPU) with a GPU memory;
• a navigation unit communicatively coupled to the mobile reconnaissance unit, the navigation unit having a central processing unit (CPU) with a CPU memory;
• the robotic system configured to:
• begin a three-dimensional (3D) scan of an environment of the mobile reconnaissance unit using the color sensor and the depth sensor;
• generate a mapping data for populating a volumetric representation of the environment produced using the GPU;
• continue the 3D scan of the environment using the color sensor and the depth sensor;
• update the mapping data based on the continued 3D scan;
• and
• partition the volumetric representation between the GPU memory and the CPU memory based on a memory allocation criteria;
• wherein the volumetric representation of the environment is stored partially in the GPU memory of the mobile reconnaissance unit and partially in the CPU memory of the navigation unit, and wherein the color sensor is an RGB camera, and the RGB camera and the depth sensor form an integrated RGB-D sensor of the mobile reconnaissance unit.

A method for use by a robotic system comprising a plurality of mobile reconnaissance units including a mobile reconnaissance unit having a color sensor, a depth sensor, and a graphics processing unit (GPU) with a GPU memory, and further including a navigation unit communicatively coupled to the plurality of mobile reconnaissance units and having a central processing unit (CPU) with a CPU memory, the navigation unit being a remote base station for all of the plurality of mobile reconnaissance units, the method comprising:

• beginning a three-dimensional (3D) scan of an environment of the mobile reconnaissance unit using the color sensor and the depth sensor;
• generating a mapping data for populating a volumetric representation of the environment produced using the GPU;
• continuing the 3D scan of the environment using the color sensor and the depth sensor;
• updating the mapping data based on the continued 3D scan;
• and
• partitioning the volumetric representation between the GPU memory and the CPU memory based on a memory allocation criteria;
• wherein the volumetric representation of the environment is stored partially in the GPU memory of the mobile reconnaissance unit and partially in the CPU memory of the navigation unit.

A method for use by a robotic system including a mobile reconnaissance unit having a color sensor, a depth sensor, and a graphics processing unit (GPU) with a GPU memory, and further including a navigation unit communicatively coupled to the mobile reconnaissance unit and having a central processing unit (CPU) with a CPU memory, the method comprising:

• beginning a three-dimensional (3D) scan of an environment of the mobile reconnaissance unit using the color sensor and the depth sensor;
• generating a mapping data for populating a volumetric representation of the environment produced using the GPU;
• continuing the 3D scan of the environment using the color sensor and the depth sensor;
• updating the mapping data based on the continued 3D scan;
• and
• partitioning the volumetric representation between the GPU memory and the CPU memory based on a memory allocation criteria;
• wherein the volumetric representation of the environment is stored partially in the GPU memory of the mobile reconnaissance unit and partially in the CPU memory of the navigation unit, wherein the mobile reconnaissance unit further includes an inertial sensor, and wherein the method further comprises:
• detecting a abrupt movement of the mobile reconnaissance unit during the second 3D scan, using the inertial sensor;
• generating a perturbation data corresponding to the abrupt movement;
• and
• correcting the mapping data to compensate for the abrupt movement using the perturbation data.

A method for use by a robotic system including a mobile reconnaissance unit having a color sensor, a depth sensor, and a graphics processing unit (GPU) with a GPU memory, and further including a navigation unit communicatively coupled to the mobile reconnaissance unit and having a central processing unit (CPU) with a CPU memory, the method comprising:

• beginning a three-dimensional (3D) scan of an environment of the mobile reconnaissance unit using the color sensor and the depth sensor;
• generating a mapping data for populating a volumetric representation of the environment produced using the GPU;
• continuing the 3D scan of the environment using the color sensor and the depth sensor;
• updating the mapping data based on the continued 3D scan;
• and
• partitioning the volumetric representation between the GPU memory and the CPU memory based on a memory allocation criteria;
• wherein the volumetric representation of the environment is stored partially in the GPU memory of the mobile reconnaissance unit and partially in the CPU memory of the navigation unit, and wherein the color sensor is an RGB camera, and the RGB camera and the depth sensor form an integrated RGB-D sensor of the mobile reconnaissance unit.