Abstract: This paper presents a new approach to the automatic registration of terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) point clouds using panoramic reflectance images. The approach follows a two-step procedure that includes both pair-wise registration and global registration. The pair-wise registration consists of image matching (pixel-to-pixel correspondence) and point cloud registration (point-to-point correspondence), as the correspondence between the image and the point cloud (pixel-to-point) is inherent to the reflectance images. False correspondences are removed by a geometric invariance check. The pixel-to-point correspondence and the computation of the rigid transformation parameters (RTPs) are integrated into an iterative process that allows for the pair-wise registration to be optimised. The global registration of all point clouds is obtained by a bundle adjustment using a circular self-closure constraint. Our approach is tested with both indoor and outdoor scenes acquired by a FARO LS 880 laser scanner with an angular resolution of 0.036° and 0.045°, respectively. The results show that the pair-wise and global registration accuracies are of millimetre and centimetre orders, respectively, and that the process is fully automatic and converges quickly.
This is an open access article distributed under the
Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution,
and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Export to BibTeX
MDPI and ACS Style
Kang, Z.; Li, J.; Zhang, L.; Zhao, Q.; Zlatanova, S. Automatic Registration of Terrestrial Laser Scanning Point Clouds using Panoramic Reflectance Images. Sensors 2009, 9, 2621-2646.
Kang Z, Li J, Zhang L, Zhao Q, Zlatanova S. Automatic Registration of Terrestrial Laser Scanning Point Clouds using Panoramic Reflectance Images. Sensors. 2009; 9(4):2621-2646.
Kang, Zhizhong; Li, Jonathan; Zhang, Liqiang; Zhao, Qile; Zlatanova, Sisi. 2009. "Automatic Registration of Terrestrial Laser Scanning Point Clouds using Panoramic Reflectance Images." Sensors 9, no. 4: 2621-2646.