Underwater scanning device and underwater scanning method using the same

Underwater 3D Scanning Device Using Geometric Calculation of Rotating Camera and Line Laser

This technology is an underwater scanning device that projects a line onto an object and the seafloor using a laser emitter mounted on an underwater mobile body. It extracts the 3D shape of the object by geometrically calculating the distortion and spacing differences of the line captured by a camera rotating around the body's central axis.

Existing stereo vision methods require high-performance computing resources and lighting, while sonar methods necessitate expensive positioning sensors. Furthermore, determining the relative position between robots and objects underwater has historically been difficult, leading to high costs in achieving scanning precision.

This technology proposes a method to extract the height and actual size of an object without the need for separate, expensive positioning sensors by mathematically calculating the line length per frame and the spacing differences between the seafloor and the object. It can be applied to marine structure inspection and underwater artifact surveys, enabling precise 3D measurement with a low-cost configuration.

‍

‍

Key Features:

• A body capable of underwater movement extending in a first direction, and a propulsion unit for controlling movement
• A laser emitter that projects a line laser to form a line on the object and the surrounding ground where the object is placed
• A camera provided on one end of the body in the longitudinal direction to capture the object on which the line is formed
• A configuration that extracts 3D shapes by capturing images while rotating the camera around the longitudinal central axis of the body

‍

This invention was developed with the support of the Smart Underwater Tunnel System Research Center under the Ministry of Science and ICT.