Ashok Kumar Patil

A LiDAR and IMU Integrated Indoor Navigation System for UAVs and Its Application in Real-Time Pipeline Classification

Mapping the environment of a vehicle and localizing a vehicle within that unknown environment are complex issues. Although many approaches based on various types of sensory inputs and computational concepts have been successfully utilized for ground robot localization, there is difficulty in localizing an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) due to variation in altitude and motion dynamics. This paper proposes a robust and efficient indoor mapping and localization solution for a UAV integrated with low-cost Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) sensors. Considering the advantage of the typical geometric structure of indoor environments, the planar position of UAVs can be efficiently calculated from a point-to-point scan matching algorithm using measurements from a horizontally scanning primary LiDAR. The altitude of the UAV with respect to the floor can be estimated accurately using a vertically scanning secondary LiDAR scanner, which is mounted orthogonally to the primary LiDAR. Furthermore, a Kalman filter is used to derive the 3D position by fusing primary and secondary LiDAR data. Additionally, this work presents a novel method for its application in the real-time classification of a pipeline in an indoor map by integrating the proposed navigation approach. Classification of the pipeline is based on the pipe radius estimation considering the region of interest (ROI) and the typical angle. The ROI is selected by finding the nearest neighbors of the selected seed point in the pipeline point cloud, and the typical angle is estimated with the directional histogram. Experimental results are provided to determine the feasibility of the proposed navigation system and its integration with real-time application in industrial plant engineering.

Intelligent Reconstruction and Assembling of Pipeline from Point Cloud Data in Smart Plant 3D

The laser-scanned data of subsisting industrial pipeline plants are not only astronomically immense, but are withal intricately entwined like a net. The users must identify 3D points corresponding to each pipeline to be modelled in immensely colossal laser-scanned data sets. To accurately identify the 3D points corresponding to each pipeline, the users need to have some cognizance of direction and design of the pipelines. In addition, manually identifying each pipeline from gigantic and intricate scanned data is proximately infeasible, time-consuming and cumbersome process. In order to simplify and make the process more facile for reconstruction process an intelligent way of reconstruction and assembling of pipeline from point cloud data in Smart Plant 3D SP3D is proposed. The presented results shows that the proposed method indeed contribute automation of 3D pipeline model.

Hybrid interface of a two-dimensional cubic Hermite curve oversketch and a three-dimensional spatial oversketch for the conceptual body design of a car

A spatial modelling system with a new interface which is optimized for automotive design is proposed in the conceptual modelling phase. In the initial sketch stage to set the volume and the ratio of the car, the automotive styling is created using a two-dimensional plane sketch with an accurate input and a designer-friendly interface. The character lines, which have important implications in the design of the car, are drawn with a curve-based oversketch. The shape of the car is modified using area-based modification. A completed two-dimensional model consists of converting the character lines to a three-dimensional car model. In the three-dimensional spatial oversketch stage, the edge and mesh on the surface are deformed by viewing the three-dimensional shape of the vehicle with various views using a spatial input device and stereoscopic display. Edge-based deformation modifies single or multiple edges while maintaining continuity between the surfaces. A sculpting technique is applied to execute special shapes such as the accent lines and the strake lines. A sketch system which can be used by designers to perform three-dimensional spatial modelling is proposed.

Hybrid approach for alignment of a pre-processed three-dimensional point cloud, video, and CAD model using partial point cloud in retrofitting applications

Acquiring the three-dimensional point cloud data of a scene using a laser scanner and the alignment of the point cloud data within a real-time video environment view of a camera is a very new concept and is an efficient method for constructing, monitoring, and retrofitting complex engineering models in heavy industrial plants. This article presents a novel prototype framework for virtual retrofitting applications. The workflow includes an efficient 4-in-1 alignment, beginning with the coordination of pre-processed three-dimensional point cloud data using a partial point cloud from LiDAR and alignment of the pre-processed point cloud within the video scene using a frame-by-frame registering method. Finally, the proposed approach can be utilized in pre-retrofitting applications by pre-generated three-dimensional computer-aided design models virtually retrofitted with the help of a synchronized point cloud, and a video scene is efficiently visualized using a wearable virtual reality device. The prototype method is demonstrated in a real-world setting, using the partial point cloud from LiDAR, pre-processed point cloud data, and video from a two-dimensional camera.

A Study on Automatic Modeling of Pipelines Connection Using Point Cloud

Manual 3D pipeline modeling from LiDAR scanned point cloud data is laborious and time-consuming process. This paper presents a method to extract the pipe, elbow and branch information which is essential to the automatic modeling of the pipeline connection. The pipe geometry is estimated from the point cloud data through the Hough transform and the elbow position is calculated by the medial axis intersection for assembling the nearest pair of pipes. The branch is also created for a pair of pipe segments by estimating the virtual points on one pipe segment and checking for any feasible intersection with the other pipe’s endpoint within the pre-defined range of distance. As a result of the automatic modeling, a complete 3D pipeline model is generated by connecting the extracted information of pipes, elbows and branches.