System and method of automatic re-localization and automatic alignment of existing non-digital floor plans

A system for automatic re-localization of a handheld scanning device in a previously mapped environment, the system comprising:

• a two-dimensional (2D) scanner comprising:
• a light source, an image sensor and a controller, the light source steers a beam of light within the first plane to illuminate object points in the environment, the image sensor is arranged to receive light reflected from the object points, the controller being operable to determine a distance value to at least one of the object points;
• and
• an inertial measurement unit fixedly coupled relative to the 2D scanner and having a first sensor, the inertial measurement unit generating a signal in response a change in position or orientation of the housing, the first sensor having a first characteristic;
• one or more processors operably coupled to the 2D scanner, the one or more processors being responsive to non-transitory executable instructions for performing operations comprising:
• determining a current location of the 2D scanner in an environment relative to a location in a previously generated 2D image of the environment;
• generating a new 2D image of at least a subset of the environment based at least in part in response to a signal from the first sensor, the at least a subset of the environment comprising the current location of the 2D scanner and at least one other location in the environment;
• and
• combining overlapping portions of the previously generated 2D image and the current 2D image.