System and Method for Constructing a 3D Scene Model From an Image

A method for computing one or more 3D scene models comprising 3D objects and representing a scene, based upon a prior 3D scene model, and a model of scene changes, the method comprising:

• (a) acquiring an image of the scene;
• (b) initializing the set of 3D scene models to the prior 3D scene model;
• and
• (c) modifying the set of 3D scene models to be consistent with the image and the model of scene changes, by:
• (i) comparing data of the image with objects of the 3D scene model, resulting in differences between the value of the image data and the corresponding value of the 3D scene model;
• (ii) using the differences and the model of scene changes to detect objects that are inconsistent with the image and the model of scene changes and removing the inconsistent objects from the 3D scene models;
• and
• (iii) using the differences to compute new objects that are not in the prior 3D scene model and adding the new objects to the 3D scene models.

A computer readable storage medium having embodied thereon instructions for causing a computing device to execute a method for computing one or more 3D scene models comprising 3D objects and representing a scene, based upon a prior 3D scene model, the method comprising:

• (a) acquiring an image of the scene;
• (b) initializing the set of 3D scene models to the prior 3D scene model;
• and
• (c) modifying the set of 3D scene models to be consistent with the image, by:
• (i) comparing data of the image with objects of the 3D scene model, resulting in differences between the value of the image data and the corresponding value of the 3D scene model, in associated data corresponding to objects in the 3D scene model, and in unassociated data not corresponding to objects in the 3D scene model;
• (ii) using the results of the comparison to detect objects that are inconsistent with the image and removing the inconsistent objects from the 3D scene models;
• and
• (iii) using the unassociated data to compute new objects that are not in the prior 3D scene model and adding the new objects to the 3D scene models.