# Patent

## Title
Method for optically scanning and measuring an environment

## Abstract

A method, system and computer program product are provided for displaying three-dimensional measurement points on a two-dimensional plane of a display screen having a plurality of pixels. The method includes projecting the measurement points onto the plane. Each of the measurement points is assigned to one of the pixels. A depth value is assigned to each of the pixels. A first pixel is selected having a first measurement point and a first depth value. A first side is searched for a second pixel having a second measurement point and a second depth value. A second side is searched for a third pixel having a third measurement point and a third depth value. It is determined whether the second and third measurement points are on a same plane. The first depth value of the first pixel is changed when the second and third measurement points are on the same plane.

## Background
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application is a continuation application of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/697,031 filed on Apr. 1, 2011, which is a National Stage Application of PCT Application No. PCT/EP2011/001662, filed on Apr. 1, 2011, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/362,810, filed on Jul. 9, 2010, and of pending German Patent Application No. DE 10 2010 020 952.2, filed on May 10, 2010, and which are hereby incorporated by reference.


BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a method for optically scanning and measuring an environment.
Through use of a known method of this kind, a three-dimensional scan is recorded which is then displayed two-dimensionally. Provided that density and extension of the measurement points are smaller than the pixels of the display, a relatively better visual impression is generated if a gap-filling takes place between the measurement points, i.e., if surfaces are generated from the single measurement points. All measurement points can thus be projected onto one plane and be assigned to single pixels. The intermediate pixels of the plane are then filled, for example, by interpolation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to an embodiment of the present invention, a method, system and computer program product are provided for displaying a plurality of measurement points in three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional plane of a display screen. The method includes projecting the plurality of measurement points onto the two-dimensional plane, the display screen has a plurality of pixels. Each of the measurement points of the plurality of measurement points is assigned to one of the pixels in the plurality of pixels. A depth value is assigned to each of the plurality of pixels that are assigned one of the measurement points of the plurality of measurement points. A first pixel is selected, the first pixel having a first measurement point of the plurality of measurement points assigned to the first pixel, the first pixel having a first depth value assigned to the first pixel. A first side of the first pixel is searched for a second pixel having a second measurement point of the plurality of measurement points assigned to the second pixel, the second pixel having a second depth value assigned to the second pixel. A second side of the first pixel is searched for a third pixel having a third measurement point of the plurality of measurement points assigned to the third pixel, the second side being opposite the first side, the third pixel having a third depth value assigned to the third pixel. It is determined whether the second measurement point and the third measurement point are on a same object plane based at least in part on the second depth value and the third depth value. The first depth value assigned to the first pixel is changed based on determining the second measurement point and the third measurement point are on the same object plane.



BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Embodiments of the present invention are explained in more detail below on the basis of exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings, in which
FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of the assignment and filling of the pixels with a view onto the plane, wherein the adjacent pixels are on the same surface;
FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of the assignment and filling of the pixels, according to FIG. 1, with a view onto the plane;
FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of the assignment and filling of the pixels with a view onto the plane, wherein the adjacent pixels are located on different surfaces;
FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of the assignment and filling of the pixels, according to FIG. 3, with a view onto the plane;
FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of a laser scanner in the environment including the display device, and
FIG. 6 is a partial sectional illustration of the laser scanner.



DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to the Figures, a laser scanner 10 is provided as a device for optically scanning and measuring the environment of the laser scanner 10. The laser scanner 10 has a measuring head 12 and a base 14. The measuring head 12 is mounted on the base 14 as a unit that can be rotated about a vertical axis. The measuring head 12 has a rotary mirror 16 that can be rotated about a horizontal axis. The point of intersection between the two axes of rotation is designated as the center C10 of the laser scanner 10.
The measuring head 12 also has a light emitter 17 for emitting an emission light beam 18. The emission light beam 18 may be a laser beam in the range of wave length of approximately 300 to 1600 nm, for example, 790 nm, 905 nm or less than 400 nm, but other electro-magnetic waves having, for example, a greater wave length can be used. The emission light beam 18 is amplitude-modulated with, for example, a sinusoidal or rectangular-waveform modulation signal. The emission light beam 18 is passed from the light emitter 17 onto the rotary mirror 16 where it is deflected and then emitted into the environment. A reception light beam 20, which is reflected by or otherwise scattered from an object O, is captured again by the rotary mirror 16, deflected and passed onto a light receiver 21. The direction of the emission light beam 18 and of the reception light beam 20 results from the angular positions of the rotary mirror 16 and the measuring head 12, which depend on the positions of their respective rotary drives which are, in turn, detected by a respective encoder.
A control and evaluation device 22 has a data link connection to the light emitter 17 and to the light receiver 21 in the measuring head 12, parts thereof being arranged also outside the measuring head 12, for example as a computer connected to the base 14. The control and evaluation device 22 determines, for a multiplicity of measurement points X, the distance d of the laser scanner 10 from the illuminated point on the object O, and from the propagation times of emission light beam 18 and reception light beam 20. For this purpose, the phase shift between the two light beams 18 and 20 can be determined and evaluated.
Through use of the relatively rapid rotation of the mirror 16, scanning takes place along a circular line. Also, through use of the relatively slow rotation of the measuring head 12 relative to the base 14, the entire space is gradually scanned with the circular lines. The totality of the measurement points X of such a measurement shall be designated as a scan. The center C10 of the laser scanner 10 defines for such a scan the origin of the local stationary reference system. The base 14 is stationary in this local stationary reference system.
In addition to the distance d to the center C10 of the laser scanner 10, each measurement point X comprises a brightness value which may also be determined by the control and evaluation device 22. The brightness is a gray-tone value which is determined, for example, by integration of the bandpass-filtered and amplified signal of the light receiver 21 over a measuring period which is assigned to the measurement point X. Through use of a color camera, it is optionally possible to generate pictures, by which colors (R, G, B) can be assigned as a value to the measurement points X in addition to the brightness or comprising the brightness.
A display device 30 is connected to the control and evaluation device 22. The display device 30 can be integrated into the laser scanner 10, for example into the measuring head 12 or into the base 14, or it can be an external unit, for example part of a computer which is connected to the base 14. The display device 30 has a graphic card 32 and a screen 34 which can be arranged separately from one another or as a structural unit. The control and evaluation device 22 provides 3D data of the scan.
Referring also to FIGS. 1-4 as well as FIGS. 5 and 6, the graphic card 32 converts the 3-D data into 2-D data (e.g., rendering data), which are displayed on the screen 34. The 3-D data are the measurement points X, wherein several scans from different positions of the laser scanner 10 can be assembled into one scene. For representing the 2-D data, there are pixels P, i.e., adjacent, small polygonal surfaces (e.g. squares or hexagons), which are arranged in a two-dimensional plane E which corresponds to the screen 34. The starting point is the projection of the measurement points X onto the plane E with a viewer (e.g., eye, camera), at a certain viewpoint V. The projection appears to be in perspective (i.e., the viewpoint V is in the finite) or orthographical (i.e., the viewpoint V in is the infinite). The projected measurement points X are assigned to single pixels P. A Z-buffer serves for representing the 2-D data, i.e., a two-dimensional auxiliary field for the pixels P. In this Z-buffer, a field element (e.g., depth z) is assigned to each pixel P. The depth z of each projected measurement point X corresponds to the distance of the measurement point X to the plane E with respect to the viewpoint V. The field of the pixels P and the Z-buffer may be treated in the same way as the images.
The viewpoint V may be arbitrary per se and is usually changed several times when regarding the scan and/or the scene.
Since the measurement points X are punctiform, with gaps in between, and the pixels P usually, in the case of nearby objects O, have a higher density in the plane E than the projections of the measurement points X, a gap-filling is carried out to fill as many pixels P as possible for an improved representation. The graphic card 32 carries this out in parallel using the 3-D data and the indication of the viewpoint V and of the plane E.
Initially only those pixels P are filled to which the projection of a measurement point X is assigned, i.e., which exactly cover one measurement point X. These pixels P are filled with the value of the assigned measurement point X, i.e., brightness and, where applicable, color. All other pixels P, which do not exactly correspond with a projection of a measurement point X, i.e., which are “in between” are empty at first, for example are set to zero. Each of the depths z, i.e., the field elements of the Z-buffer, which are assigned to the initially filled pixels P, is set to that depth z0, z1, z2, which corresponds to the distance of the assigned measurement point X to the plane E. All other field elements of the Z-buffer (e.g., depths z) are set to an extreme value, for example, to infinite. If, when the projection of the measurement points X is made, it turns out that two measurement points X are available for one pixel P, the measurement point having the smaller depth z is selected and the other one is rejected, so that covered surfaces and covered edges are not visible.
According to embodiments of the present invention, gap-filling takes place in dependence on the depth z0, z1, z2, i.e., on the distance to the plane E. The graphic card 32 selects all pixels P in parallel with respect to time. By way of example, one selected pixel P0 is regarded now. The assigned depth z, i.e., field element of the Z-buffer, contains the depth z0. For each selected pixel P0 the adjacent pixels P1, P2, are searched consecutively, i.e., to the left and to the right and above and below. If the adjacent pixel P1 is not yet filled or if its depth z is bigger than the depth z0 of the selected pixel P0, it is skipped and the second next pixel P is taken as adjacent pixel P1, if necessary iteratively. If an adjacent pixel P1, the depth z1 of which is smaller than the depth z0 of the selected pixel P0, is found in one of the directions, a change to the next direction takes place, and it is looked for the adjacent pixel P2 (e.g., the depth z2 of which is smaller than the depth z0 of the selected pixel P0). It is possible to define a maximum number of skipped pixels, i.e., if the adjacent pixel P or P2 is not yet found after skipping the maximum number of skipped pixels, the search for P1 or P2 is aborted.
If the adjacent pixels P1 and P2 to the selected pixel P0 have been found in opposite directions, with the depths z1 and z2 of the adjacent pixels P1 and P2 being smaller than the depth z0, it is checked whether P1 and P2 are on the same plane, i.e., whether the amount of the difference of z2 and z1 is below a threshold value for the depth zcrit, i.e.,

|z2−z1|<zcrit 

applies. In such a case, the selected pixel P0 is filled with the value which is interpolated between P1 and P2, i.e., brightness and, if applicable color. The assigned field element of the Z-buffer is likewise set to the interpolated depth between z1 and z2. Interpolation depends on the distance of the selected pixel P0 from P1 and P2 in plane E.

If the difference of the depths is too big, i.e., the condition

|z2−z1|>zcrit 

applies, it is assumed that P1 and P2 are located on different planes. The selected pixel P0 is then filled with the value, i.e., brightnesses and, if applicable color, of, for example, the more remote pixel P1 or P2, and the assigned field element of the Z-buffer with the bigger depth z1 or z2. Alternatively, the value and the depth of pixel P1 or P2 having the smaller depth z1 or z2 is transferred. In the case of more than two adjacent pixels P1, P2, the average value of the majority, i.e., of the adjacent pixels P1, P2, which are located on the same surface, can be transferred.

Selected pixels P0, which are already filled with values of the measurement points, are overwritten by the interpolation of the values of the adjacent pixels P1 and P2. Alternatively, a selected pixel P0, which is already filled, remains unvaried.
If pixels P have been skipped when finding the pixels P1 and P2, because they were not filled or because their depth z was too big, their adjacent pixels P1, P2 are the same as with the selected pixel P0, so that the skipped pixels P and the assigned field elements of the Z-buffer, within the framework of the selection taking place in parallel, are likewise filled either with a value which is interpolated between the pixels P1 and P2 and/or the depths z1 and z2 (depending on the distance of the selected pixel P0 from P1 and P2 in plane E) or with the value and/or the depth z1 or z2 of the more remote one among pixels P1 or P2 (or the average value of the majority).
Due to the selection taking place in parallel, filling with the value and/or the depth z1 or z2 of the more remote among the pixels P1 or P2 on account of a difference of depths which is too big, leads to the closer-by pixel P1 or P2 forming an edge. Even if no adjacent pixel P1 or P2 is found, the depth z1 or z2 of which is smaller than the depth z0 of the selected pixel P0, since the selected pixel P0 is at the side of the screen 34, an edge is generated, since these selected pixels P0 at the edge are not filled then.
Gap-filling may take place once again to fill further pixels, i.e., to improve the representation once again.
Gap-filling may take place in the control and evaluation device 22 or by software running on an external computer. Due to the savings in time by a parallel selection, the hardware-based gap-filling on the graphic card 32 may be used together with the programming interface of the latter.

## Claims

1. A method comprising:
projecting with a processor a plurality of measurement points in three-dimensional space onto a two-dimensional plane of a display screen, the display screen having a plurality of pixels;
assigning with the processor each of the measurement points of the plurality of measurement points to one of the pixels in the plurality of pixels;
assigning with the processor a depth value to each of the plurality of pixels that are assigned one of the measurement points of the plurality of measurement points;
selecting with the processor a first pixel, the first pixel having a first measurement point of the plurality of measurement points assigned to the first pixel, the first pixel having a first depth value assigned to the first pixel;
searching with the processor to a first side of the first pixel for a second pixel having a second measurement point of the plurality of measurement points assigned to the second pixel, the second pixel having a second depth value assigned to the second pixel;
searching with the processor to a second side of the first pixel for a third pixel having a third measurement point of the plurality of measurement points assigned to the third pixel, the second side being opposite the first side, the third pixel having a third depth value assigned to the third pixel;
determining with the processor that the second measurement point and the third measurement point are on a same object plane based at least in part on the second depth value and the third depth value; and
changing with the processor the first depth value assigned to the first pixel based on determining the second measurement point and the third measurement point are on the same object plane.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the changing of the first depth value assigned to the first pixel is changed based on an interpolation between the second depth value and the third depth value based on a distance from the first measurement point to the second measurement point and third measurement point.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination that the second measurement point and the third measurement point are on the same object plane is determined based on a difference between the second depth value and the third depth value being less than a predetermined value.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:
determining with the processor the second measurement point and the third measurement point are not on the same object plane based on the difference between the second depth value and the third depth value being greater than or equal to the predetermined value; and
changing with the processor the first depth value to be equal to the second depth value based on determining the second measurement point and the third measurement point are not on the same object plane, the second depth value being greater than the third depth value.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:
determining with the processor a fourth pixel between the first pixel and the second pixel, the fourth pixel not having one of the measurement points of the plurality of measurement points assigned to the fourth pixel;
changing with the processor a fourth depth value of the fourth pixel to the second depth value based on the second measurement point and the third measurement point are not on the same object plane; and
changing with the processor the fourth depth value based on an interpolation between the second depth value and the third depth value based on a distance from the fourth measurement point to the second measurement point and third measurement point based on the second measurement point and the third measurement point being on the same object plane.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising assigning a brightness value and a color to the first pixel, the second pixel and the third pixel.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the projection of the plurality of measurement points one the two-dimensional plane is a perspective projection.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the projection of the plurality of measurement points one the two-dimensional plane is an orthogonal projection.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting of the first pixel selects all of the pixels in parallel.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising measuring a first portion of the plurality of measurement points in a first scan at a first position and measuring a second portion of the plurality of measurement points in a second scan at a second position, the first position and second position being in difference locations.

11. A system comprising:
a memory having computer readable instructions; and
one or more processors for executing the computer readable instructions, the computer readable instructions comprising:
projecting with a processor a plurality of measurement points in three-dimensional space onto a two-dimensional plane of a display screen, the display screen having a plurality of pixels;
assigning with the processor each of the measurement points of the plurality of measurement points to one of the pixels in the plurality of pixels;
assigning with the processor a depth value to each of the plurality of pixels that are assigned one of the measurement points of the plurality of measurement points;
selecting with the processor a first pixel, the first pixel having a first measurement point of the plurality of measurement points assigned to the first pixel, the first pixel having a first depth value assigned to the first pixel;
searching with the processor to a first side of the first pixel for a second pixel having a second measurement point of the plurality of measurement points assigned to the second pixel, the second pixel having a second depth value assigned to the second pixel;
searching with the processor to a second side of the first pixel for a third pixel having a third measurement point of the plurality of measurement points assigned to the third pixel, the second side being opposite the first side, the third pixel having a third depth value assigned to the third pixel;
determining with the processor that the second measurement point and the third measurement point are on a same object plane based at least in part on the second depth value and the third depth value; and
changing with the processor the first depth value assigned to the first pixel based on determining the second measurement point and the third measurement point are on the same object plane.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the changing of the first depth value assigned to the first pixel is changed based on an interpolation between the second depth value and the third depth value based on a distance from the first measurement point to the second measurement point and third measurement point.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the determination that the second measurement point and the third measurement point are on the same object plane is determined based on a difference between the second depth value and the third depth value being less than a predetermined value.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the computer readable instructions further comprise:
determining with the processor the second measurement point and the third measurement point are not on the same object plane based on the difference between the second depth value and the third depth value being greater than or equal to the predetermined value; and
changing with the processor the first depth value to be equal to the second depth value based on determining the second measurement point and the third measurement point are not on the same object plane, the second depth value being greater than the third depth value.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the computer readable instructions further comprise:
determining with the processor a fourth pixel between the first pixel and the second pixel, the fourth pixel not having one of the measurement points of the plurality of measurement points assigned to the fourth pixel;
changing with the processor a fourth depth value of the fourth pixel to the second depth value based on the second measurement point and the third measurement point are not on the same object plane; and
changing with the processor the fourth depth value based on an interpolation between the second depth value and the third depth value based on a distance from the fourth measurement point to the second measurement point and third measurement point based on the second measurement point and the third measurement point being on the same object plane.

16. The system of claim 11, further comprising a device for measuring an environment, the device being configured to measure the plurality of measurement points.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the device is configured to measure the plurality of measurement points optically.

18. A computer program product for displaying a plurality of measurement points in three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional plane of a display screen, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to perform:
projecting with the processor the plurality of measurement points onto the two-dimensional plane of the display screen, the display screen having a plurality of pixels;
assigning with the processor each of the measurement points of the plurality of measurement points to one of the pixels in the plurality of pixels;
assigning with the processor a depth value to each of the plurality of pixels that are assigned one of the measurement points of the plurality of measurement points;
selecting with the processor a first pixel, the first pixel having a first measurement point of the plurality of measurement points assigned to the first pixel, the first pixel having a first depth value assigned to the first pixel;
searching with the processor to a first side of the first pixel for a second pixel having a second measurement point of the plurality of measurement points assigned to the second pixel, the second pixel having a second depth value assigned to the second pixel;
searching with the processor to a second side of the first pixel for a third pixel having a third measurement point of the plurality of measurement points assigned to the third pixel, the second side being opposite the first side, the third pixel having a third depth value assigned to the third pixel;
determining with the processor that the second measurement point and the third measurement point are on a same object plane based at least in part on the second depth value and the third depth value; and
changing with the processor the first depth value assigned to the first pixel based on determining the second measurement point and the third measurement point are on the same object plane.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein:
the changing of the first depth value assigned to the first pixel is changed based on an interpolation between the second depth value and the third depth value based on a distance from the first measurement point to the second measurement point and third measurement point; and
the determination that the second measurement point and the third measurement point are on the same object plane is determined based on a difference between the second depth value and the third depth value being less than a predetermined value.

20. The computer program product of claim 19 further comprising:
determining with the processor the second measurement point and the third measurement point are not on the same object plane based on the difference between the second depth value and the third depth value being greater than or equal to the predetermined value;
changing with the processor the first depth value to be equal to the second depth value based on determining the second measurement point and the third measurement point are not on the same object plane, the second depth value being greater than the third depth value;
determining with the processor a fourth pixel between the first pixel and the second pixel, the fourth pixel not having one of the measurement points of the plurality of measurement points assigned to the fourth pixel;
changing with the processor a fourth depth value of the fourth pixel to the second depth value based on the second measurement point and the third measurement point are not on the same object plane; and
changing with the processor the fourth depth value based on an interpolation between the second depth value and the third depth value based on a distance from the fourth measurement point to the second measurement point and third measurement point based on the second measurement point and the third measurement point being on the same object plane.