Mobile system for indoor 3-D mapping and creating virtual environments

A mobile mapping system is designed to generate a geometrically precise three-dimensional detailed model of an unknown indoor environment. There is no limit on the distance the mobile system may travel, nor on the type of details that can be mapped. The same design is used for environments ranging from simple office hallways to long winding underground mine tunnels. Surfaces and features can be mapped from images acquired by a unique configuration of different types of optical imaging sensors and positioning devices. This configuration ensures that all the information required to reconstruct the three-dimensional environment is included in the collected images. Provided a sufficient overlap between two-dimensional intensity images and combining such with three-dimensional range images, the method reconstructs an environment by adjusting a plurality of images simultaneously.