Towards reliable fusion of segmented surface descriptions

This paper presents a novel solution for integrating range views into 3D geometry models. Unlike previous approaches, sparse surface and relation attributes are fused directly, without relying on the original range data or a dense mesh of data points. Corresponding surface patches in overlapping views are found and registered automatically. The main focus is on the integration of registered views. Two algorithms for merging partial boundary polygons, one following the 'explained' and the other following the 'enlarging' contour, are presented and methods for updating surface areas, quadric approximations and other attributes are provided. The technique is relevant for 3D map making in autonomous vehicles: the current surface map is used for symbolic action planning while being extended by incoming sensor data. Preliminary experimental results indicate that the prototype system copes well with large measurement and segmentation errors.