Method of scanning a scene and corresponding scanning device
AssigneeTrimble Inc.
InventorsGrégory Lepere, Pascal Souffez
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Abstract
The present invention provides devices and methods for multi-dimensional scanning of a scene. In particular, this invention provides scanning devices and methods employing controllable light beam scanning devices capable of sending a light beam onto a scene, and of receiving corresponding light returned from the scene, and controllers capable of operating the scanning device at selected beam orientations, and of gaining distance information from the scanning device at the beam orientations. The controller can dynamically define beam orientations using the distance information gained from preceding beam orientations.
Claims28
A method of completely scanning a whole scene, said method comprising:
- a. sending a light beam to the scene according to a beam orientation, and gaining distance information from the return of said light beam,
- b. selectively repeating step a. with a plurality of other beam orientations in one complete scanning of the whole scene wherein step b. comprises:
- b1. after one or more repetitions of step a. defining the next beam orientation to be used in the one complete scanning of the whole scene using distance information gained at one or more preceding beam orientations of the one complete scanning.
A scanning device, comprising:
- a controllable light beam scanning device capable of scanning a light beam onto a scene, and of receiving corresponding light returns from the scene,
- a controller capable of operating said scanning device at selected beam orientations, and gaining distance information from said scanning device at said beam orientations in one complete scanning of the whole scene wherein the controller is further capable of dynamically defining a further beam orientation to be used in the one complete scanning of the whole scene using distance information gained at preceding beam orientations of the one scanning.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.