Current methods for construction site modeling employ large, expensive laser range scanners that produce dense range point clouds of a scene from different perspectives. Days of skilled interpretation and of automatic segmentation may be required to c...
Current methods for construction site modeling employ large, expensive laser range scanners that produce dense range point clouds of a scene from different perspectives. Days of skilled interpretation and of automatic segmentation may be required to convert the clouds to a finished CAD model. The dynamic nature of the construction environment requires that a real-time local area modeling system be capable of handling a rapidly changing and uncertain work environment. However, in practice, large, simple, and reasonably accurate embodying volumes are adequate feedback to an operator who, for instance, is attempting to place materials in the midst of obstacles with an occluded view. For real-time obstacle avoidance and automated equipment control functions, such volumes also facilitate computational tractability. In this research, a human operator's ability to quickly evaluate and associate objects in a scene is exploited. The operator directs a laser range finder mounted on a pan and tilt unit to collect range points on objects throughout the workspace. These groups of points form sparse range point clouds. These sparse clouds are then used to create geometric primitives for visualization and modeling purposes. Experimental results indicate that these models can be created rapidly and with sufficient accuracy for automated obstacle avoidance and equipment control functions.