scholarly journals A General Point-Based Method for Self-Calibration of Terrestrial Laser Scanners Considering Stochastic Information

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (18) ◽  
pp. 2923
Author(s):  
Tengfei Zhou ◽  
Xiaojun Cheng ◽  
Peng Lin ◽  
Zhenlun Wu ◽  
Ensheng Liu
Keyword(s):  
Point Cloud ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Real Data ◽  
Point Clouds ◽  
Estimation Algorithm ◽  
General Point ◽  
Exterior Orientation ◽  
Self Calibration ◽  
Laser Scanners ◽  
Orientation Parameters

Due to the existence of environmental or human factors, and because of the instrument itself, there are many uncertainties in point clouds, which directly affect the data quality and the accuracy of subsequent processing, such as point cloud segmentation, 3D modeling, etc. In this paper, to address this problem, stochastic information of point cloud coordinates is taken into account, and on the basis of the scanner observation principle within the Gauss–Helmert model, a novel general point-based self-calibration method is developed for terrestrial laser scanners, incorporating both five additional parameters and six exterior orientation parameters. For cases where the instrument accuracy is different from the nominal ones, the variance component estimation algorithm is implemented for reweighting the outliers after the residual errors of observations obtained. Considering that the proposed method essentially is a nonlinear model, the Gauss–Newton iteration method is applied to derive the solutions of additional parameters and exterior orientation parameters. We conducted experiments using simulated and real data and compared them with those two existing methods. The experimental results showed that the proposed method could improve the point accuracy from 10−4 to 10−8 (a priori known) and 10−7 (a priori unknown), and reduced the correlation among the parameters (approximately 60% of volume). However, it is undeniable that some correlations increased instead, which is the limitation of the general method.

scholarly journals Parallel Point Clouds: Hybrid Point Cloud Generation and 3D Model Enhancement via Virtual–Real Integration

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 2868
Author(s):  
Yonglin Tian ◽  
Xiao Wang ◽  
Yu Shen ◽  
Zhongzheng Guo ◽  
Zilei Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Point Cloud ◽  
Closed Loop ◽  
Real Data ◽  
Point Clouds ◽  
Autonomous Driving ◽  
Training Model ◽  
Labor Cost ◽  
Open Loop ◽  
Training Dataset ◽  
Data Annotation

Three-dimensional information perception from point clouds is of vital importance for improving the ability of machines to understand the world, especially for autonomous driving and unmanned aerial vehicles. Data annotation for point clouds is one of the most challenging and costly tasks. In this paper, we propose a closed-loop and virtual–real interactive point cloud generation and model-upgrading framework called Parallel Point Clouds (PPCs). To our best knowledge, this is the first time that the training model has been changed from an open-loop to a closed-loop mechanism. The feedback from the evaluation results is used to update the training dataset, benefiting from the flexibility of artificial scenes. Under the framework, a point-based LiDAR simulation model is proposed, which greatly simplifies the scanning operation. Besides, a group-based placing method is put forward to integrate hybrid point clouds, via locating candidate positions for virtual objects in real scenes. Taking advantage of the CAD models and mobile LiDAR devices, two hybrid point cloud datasets, i.e., ShapeKITTI and MobilePointClouds, are built for 3D detection tasks. With almost zero labor cost on data annotation for newly added objects, the models (PointPillars) trained with ShapeKITTI and MobilePointClouds achieved 78.6% and 60.0% of the average precision of the model trained with real data on 3D detection, respectively.

scholarly journals Fast and Robust Flight Altitude Estimation of Multirotor UAVs in Dynamic Unstructured Environments Using 3D Point Cloud Sensors

Aerospace ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hriday Bavle ◽  
Jose Sanchez-Lopez ◽  
Paloma Puente ◽  
Alejandro Rodriguez-Ramos ◽  
Carlos Sampedro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Point Cloud ◽  
Point Clouds ◽  
Estimation Algorithm ◽  
Indoor Environments ◽  
3D Point Cloud ◽  
Flight Altitude ◽  
Cloud Data ◽  
3D Point Clouds ◽  
Laser Altimeters ◽  
Altitude Estimation

This paper presents a fast and robust approach for estimating the flight altitude of multirotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) using 3D point cloud sensors in cluttered, unstructured, and dynamic indoor environments. The objective is to present a flight altitude estimation algorithm, replacing the conventional sensors such as laser altimeters, barometers, or accelerometers, which have several limitations when used individually. Our proposed algorithm includes two stages: in the first stage, a fast clustering of the measured 3D point cloud data is performed, along with the segmentation of the clustered data into horizontal planes. In the second stage, these segmented horizontal planes are mapped based on the vertical distance with respect to the point cloud sensor frame of reference, in order to provide a robust flight altitude estimation even in presence of several static as well as dynamic ground obstacles. We validate our approach using the IROS 2011 Kinect dataset available in the literature, estimating the altitude of the RGB-D camera using the provided 3D point clouds. We further validate our approach using a point cloud sensor on board a UAV, by means of several autonomous real flights, closing its altitude control loop using the flight altitude estimated by our proposed method, in presence of several different static as well as dynamic ground obstacles. In addition, the implementation of our approach has been integrated in our open-source software framework for aerial robotics called Aerostack.

scholarly journals A HYBRID MODEL FOR THE REVERSE ENGINEERING OF THE MILAN CATHEDRAL. CHALLENGES AND LESSON LEARNT

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Franco Spettu ◽  
Simone Teruggi ◽  
Francesco Canali ◽  
Cristiana Achille ◽  
Francesco Fassi
Keyword(s):  
Reverse Engineering ◽  
Point Cloud ◽  
Learning Algorithm ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Point Clouds ◽  
Logical Structure ◽  
Cloud Data ◽  
Survey Techniques ◽  
Periodic Maintenance ◽  
Maintenance And Inspection

Cultural Heritage (CH) 3D digitisation is getting increasing attention and importance. Advanced survey techniques provide as output a 3D point cloud, wholly and accurately describing even the most complex architectural geometry with a priori established accuracy. These 3D point models are generally used as the base for the realisation of 2D technical drawings and 3D advanced representations. During the last 12 years, the 3DSurveyGroup (3DSG, Politecnico di Milano) conduced an omni-comprehensive, multi-technique survey, obtaining the full point cloud of Milan Cathedral, from which were produced the 2D technical drawings and the 3D model of the Main Spire used by the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano (VF) to plan its periodic maintenance and inspection activities on the Cathedral. Using the survey product directly to plan VF activities would help to skip a long-lasting, uneconomical and manual process of 2D and 3D technical elaboration extraction. In order to do so, the unstructured point cloud data must be enriched with semantics, providing a hierarchical structure that can communicate with a powerful, flexible information system able to effectively manage both point clouds and 3D geometries as hybrid models. For this purpose, the point cloud was segmented using a machine-learning algorithm with multi-level multi-resolution (MLMR) approach in order to obtain a manageable, reliable and repeatable dataset. This reverse engineering process allowed to identify directly on the point cloud the main architectonic elements that are then re-organised in a logical structure inserted inside the informative system built inside the 3DExperience environment, developed by Dassault Systémes.

scholarly journals ESTIMATING EXTERIOR ORIENTATION PARAMETERS OF HYPERSPECTRAL BANDS BASED ON POLYNOMIAL MODELS

2017 ◽  
Vol XLII-3/W3 ◽  
pp. 19-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Berveglieri ◽  
A. M. G. Tommaselli ◽  
E. Honkavaara
Keyword(s):  
Real Data ◽  
Bundle Adjustment ◽  
Time Dependent ◽  
Camera Model ◽  
Exterior Orientation ◽  
Spectral Bands ◽  
Acquisition Mode ◽  
Polynomial Models ◽  
Orientation Parameters ◽  
Sequential Acquisition

Hyperspectral camera operating in sequential acquisition mode produces spectral bands that are not recorded at the same instant, thus having different exterior orientation parameters (EOPs) for each band. The study presents experiments on bundle adjustment with time-dependent polynomial models for band orientation of hyperspectral cubes sequentially collected. The technique was applied to a Rikola camera model. The purpose was to investigate the behaviour of the estimated polynomial parameters and the feasibility of using a minimum of bands to estimate EOPs. Simulated and real data were produced for the analysis of parameters and accuracy in ground points. The tests considered conventional bundle adjustment and the polynomial models. The results showed that both techniques were comparable, indicating that the time-dependent polynomial model can be used to estimate the EOPs of all spectral bands, without requiring a bundle adjustment of each band. The accuracy of the block adjustment was analysed based on the discrepancy obtained from checkpoints. The root mean square error (RMSE) indicated an accuracy of 1 GSD in planimetry and 1.5 GSD in altimetry, when using a minimum of four bands per cube.

scholarly journals Geometric Modelling of Octagonal Lamp Poles

2014 ◽  
Vol XL-5 ◽  
pp. 145-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. O. Chan ◽  
D. D. Lichti
Keyword(s):  
Point Cloud ◽  
Geometric Model ◽  
Real Data ◽  
Point Clouds ◽  
Circular Cone ◽  
Basic Point ◽  
The Real ◽  
Cone Model ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Pole Point

Lamp poles are one of the most abundant highway and community components in modern cities. Their supporting parts are primarily tapered octagonal cones specifically designed for wind resistance. The geometry and the positions of the lamp poles are important information for various applications. For example, they are important to monitoring deformation of aged lamp poles, maintaining an efficient highway GIS system, and also facilitating possible feature-based calibration of mobile LiDAR systems. In this paper, we present a novel geometric model for octagonal lamp poles. The model consists of seven parameters in which a rotation about the z-axis is included, and points are constrained by the trigonometric property of 2D octagons after applying the rotations. For the geometric fitting of the lamp pole point cloud captured by a terrestrial LiDAR, accurate initial parameter values are essential. They can be estimated by first fitting the points to a circular cone model and this is followed by some basic point cloud processing techniques. The model was verified by fitting both simulated and real data. The real data includes several lamp pole point clouds captured by: (1) Faro Focus 3D and (2) Velodyne HDL-32E. The fitting results using the proposed model are promising, and up to 2.9 mm improvement in fitting accuracy was realized for the real lamp pole point clouds compared to using the conventional circular cone model. The overall result suggests that the proposed model is appropriate and rigorous.

scholarly journals LiDAR-Aided Interior Orientation Parameters Refinement Strategy for Consumer-Grade Cameras Onboard UAV Remote Sensing Systems

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (14) ◽  
pp. 2268
Author(s):  
Tian Zhou ◽  
Seyyed Meghdad Hasheminasab ◽  
Radhika Ravi ◽  
Ayman Habib
Keyword(s):  
Precision Agriculture ◽  
Point Cloud ◽  
Point Clouds ◽  
Bundle Adjustment ◽  
Flying Height ◽  
Control Points ◽  
Object Space ◽  
Area Of Interest ◽  
Refinement Strategy ◽  
Orientation Parameters

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are quickly emerging as a popular platform for 3D reconstruction/modeling in various applications such as precision agriculture, coastal monitoring, and emergency management. For such applications, LiDAR and frame cameras are the two most commonly used sensors for 3D mapping of the object space. For example, point clouds for the area of interest can be directly derived from LiDAR sensors onboard UAVs equipped with integrated global navigation satellite systems and inertial navigation systems (GNSS/INS). Imagery-based mapping, on the other hand, is considered to be a cost-effective and practical option and is often conducted by generating point clouds and orthophotos using structure from motion (SfM) techniques. Mapping with photogrammetric approaches requires accurate camera interior orientation parameters (IOPs), especially when direct georeferencing is utilized. Most state-of-the-art approaches for determining/refining camera IOPs depend on ground control points (GCPs). However, establishing GCPs is expensive and labor-intensive, and more importantly, the distribution and number of GCPs are usually less than optimal to provide adequate control for determining and/or refining camera IOPs. Moreover, consumer-grade cameras with unstable IOPs have been widely used for mapping applications. Therefore, in such scenarios, where frequent camera calibration or IOP refinement is required, GCP-based approaches are impractical. To eliminate the need for GCPs, this study uses LiDAR data as a reference surface to perform in situ refinement of camera IOPs. The proposed refinement strategy is conducted in three main steps. An image-based sparse point cloud is first generated via a GNSS/INS-assisted SfM strategy. Then, LiDAR points corresponding to the resultant image-based sparse point cloud are identified through an iterative plane fitting approach and are referred to as LiDAR control points (LCPs). Finally, IOPs of the utilized camera are refined through a GNSS/INS-assisted bundle adjustment procedure using LCPs. Seven datasets over two study sites with a variety of geomorphic features are used to evaluate the performance of the developed strategy. The results illustrate the ability of the proposed approach to achieve an object space absolute accuracy of 3–5 cm (i.e., 5–10 times the ground sampling distance) at a 41 m flying height.

scholarly journals APPLICATIONS OF PANORAMIC IMAGES: FROM 720° PANORAMA TO INTERIOR 3D MODELS OF AUGMENTED REALITY

2015 ◽  
Vol XL-4/W5 ◽  
pp. 189-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
I.-C. Lee ◽  
F. Tsai
Keyword(s):  
Augmented Reality ◽  
Focal Length ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Point Clouds ◽  
3D Models ◽  
Exterior Orientation ◽  
3D Point Clouds ◽  
Panoramic Images ◽  
Main Station ◽  
Orientation Parameters

A series of panoramic images are usually used to generate a 720° panorama image. Although panoramic images are typically used for establishing tour guiding systems, in this research, we demonstrate the potential of using panoramic images acquired from multiple sites to create not only 720° panorama, but also three-dimensional (3D) point clouds and 3D indoor models. Since 3D modeling is one of the goals of this research, the location of the panoramic sites needed to be carefully planned in order to maintain a robust result for close-range photogrammetry. After the images are acquired, panoramic images are processed into 720° panoramas, and these panoramas which can be used directly as panorama guiding systems or other applications. <br><br> In addition to these straightforward applications, interior orientation parameters can also be estimated while generating 720° panorama. These parameters are focal length, principle point, and lens radial distortion. The panoramic images can then be processed with closerange photogrammetry procedures to extract the exterior orientation parameters and generate 3D point clouds. In this research, VisaulSFM, a structure from motion software is used to estimate the exterior orientation, and CMVS toolkit is used to generate 3D point clouds. Next, the 3D point clouds are used as references to create building interior models. In this research, Trimble Sketchup was used to build the model, and the 3D point cloud was added to the determining of locations of building objects using plane finding procedure. In the texturing process, the panorama images are used as the data source for creating model textures. This 3D indoor model was used as an Augmented Reality model replacing a guide map or a floor plan commonly used in an on-line touring guide system. <br><br> The 3D indoor model generating procedure has been utilized in two research projects: a cultural heritage site at Kinmen, and Taipei Main Station pedestrian zone guidance and navigation system. The results presented in this paper demonstrate the potential of using panoramic images to generate 3D point clouds and 3D models. However, it is currently a manual and labor-intensive process. A research is being carried out to Increase the degree of automation of these procedures.

scholarly journals Headframe modelling accuracy for finite element method analysis purposes

2018 ◽  
Vol 106 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-24
Author(s):  
Damian Biel ◽  
Tomasz Lipecki
Keyword(s):  
Finite Element Method ◽  
Finite Element ◽  
Point Cloud ◽  
Fem Analysis ◽  
Point Clouds ◽  
Finite Element Method Analysis ◽  
Laser Scanners ◽  
Method Analysis ◽  
Design Estimate ◽  
Element Method

Abstract Nowadays, the growing popularity of terrestrial laser scanners (TLS) allows to obtain a point cloud of many industrial objects along with classic surveying. However, the quality and model’s accuracy in comparison to a real shape seem to be a question, that must be further researched. It is crucial especially for Finite Element Method (FEM) analysis, which, being a part of technical design, estimate the values of construction’s dislocation and deformation. The article describes objects such as headgear with steel support and 4-post headframe with steel sheers. Both supports and sheers were modelled basing on point clouds. All the models were compared to the point cloud. The differences in models’ shape were calculated and the maximal values were determined. The results’ usefulness in FEM analysis was described.

scholarly journals A New Framework For Interactive Segmentation of Point Clouds

2014 ◽  
Vol XL-5 ◽  
pp. 357-362 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Liu ◽  
J. Boehm
Keyword(s):  
Point Cloud ◽  
Fundamental Problem ◽  
Weighted Graph ◽  
Point Clouds ◽  
Target Object ◽  
General Point ◽  
Interactive Segmentation ◽  
Mobile Mapping ◽  
Point Cloud Segmentation ◽  
New Framework

Point cloud segmentation is a fundamental problem in point processing. Segmenting a point cloud fully automatically is very challenging due to the property of point cloud as well as different requirements of distinct users. In this paper, an interactive segmentation method for point clouds is proposed. Only two strokes need to be drawn intuitively to indicate the target object and the background respectively. The draw strokes are sparse and don't necessarily cover the whole object. Given the strokes, a weighted graph is built and the segmentation is formulated as a minimization problem. The problem is solved efficiently by using the Max Flow Min Cut algorithm. In the experiments, the mobile mapping data of a city area is utilized. The resulting segmentations demonstrate the efficiency of the method that can be potentially applied for general point clouds.

scholarly journals OBJECT-BASED COREGISTRATION OF TERRESTRIAL PHOTOGRAMMETRIC AND ALS POINT CLOUDS IN FORESTED AREAS

2016 ◽  
Vol III-3 ◽  
pp. 347-354
Author(s):  
P. Polewski ◽  
A. Erickson ◽  
W. Yao ◽  
N. Coops ◽  
P. Krzystek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Point Cloud ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Local Coordinate System ◽  
Real Data ◽  
Point Clouds ◽  
Forest Understory ◽  
Maximum Matching ◽  
Coast Range ◽  
Forested Areas ◽  
Matching Techniques

Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) and terrestrial photogrammetry are methods applicable for mapping forested environments. While ground-based techniques provide valuable information about the forest understory, the measured point clouds are normally expressed in a local coordinate system, whose transformation into a georeferenced system requires additional effort. In contrast, ALS point clouds are usually georeferenced, yet the point density near the ground may be poor under dense overstory conditions. In this work, we propose to combine the strengths of the two data sources by co-registering the respective point clouds, thus enriching the georeferenced ALS point cloud with detailed understory information in a fully automatic manner. Due to markedly different sensor characteristics, coregistration methods which expect a high geometric similarity between keypoints are not suitable in this setting. Instead, our method focuses on the object (tree stem) level. We first calculate approximate stem positions in the terrestrial and ALS point clouds and construct, for each stem, a descriptor which quantifies the 2D and vertical distances to other stem centers (at ground height). Then, the similarities between all descriptor pairs from the two point clouds are calculated, and standard graph maximum matching techniques are employed to compute corresponding stem pairs (tiepoints). Finally, the tiepoint subset yielding the optimal rigid transformation between the terrestrial and ALS coordinate systems is determined. We test our method on simulated tree positions and a plot situated in the northern interior of the Coast Range in western Oregon, USA, using ALS data (76&thinsp;x&thinsp;121&thinsp;m<sup>2</sup>) and a photogrammetric point cloud (33&thinsp;x&thinsp;35&thinsp;m<sup>2</sup>) derived from terrestrial photographs taken with a handheld camera. Results on both simulated and real data show that the proposed stem descriptors are discriminative enough to derive good correspondences. Specifically, for the real plot data, 24 corresponding stems were coregistered with an average 2D position deviation of 66&thinsp;cm.

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