Patent ID: 7689032

Claim:
A method for scanning a three-dimensional object, comprising: scanning a first surface of a three-dimensional object from a first scanning position with a scanner; scanning at least a second surface of the three-dimensional object from a second scanning position with the scanner; generating a first scanning sample including a first point cloud and a second scanning sample including a second point cloud where the first point cloud has data points that represent positions corresponding to the first scanned surface at the first scanning position, and the second point cloud has data points that represent positions corresponding to the second scanned surface at the second scanning position; determining coordinates of a geographic position of the scanner at the first scanning position and the second scanning position with a Differential Global Positioning System; receiving a radio transmitted error signal; correcting inaccuracies of the determined coordinates of the geographic position of the scanner based on the radio transmitted error signal; where the first scanning position is a reference point of the first point cloud of the first scanning sample and the second scanning position is a reference point of the second point cloud of the second scanning sample; and registering the first scanning sample and the second scanning sample based on the first scanning position and the second scanning position, where the first scanning sample and the second scanning sample are oriented with respect to each other according to orientation of the first scanned surface with respect to the second scanned surface by applying to the first point cloud and the second point cloud at least one of translational and rotational operations, where the at least one of translational and rotational operations is performed on the first point cloud with respect to the reference point of the first point cloud and on the second point cloud with respect to the reference point of the second point cloud.