Confined-Space Tool Localization with 3D Model Distance Matching

The patent extracts and removes unnecessary sensors from the system. Instead of using multiple heavy sensors (cameras, 3D scanning sensors, ultrasound sensors, structured light profiling sensors, wheel encoders, inertial units), the invention retains only the essential distance sensor and pose sensor, eliminating the burden of redundant components while maintaining localization functionality.

The patent uses a pre-existing 3D environment model (a copy of the physical space) to simulate distance measurements and determine device pose. This virtual model replaces the need for multiple physical sensors, allowing the system to achieve accurate localization through computational methods rather than hardware multiplication.

The patent extracts and removes power-intensive sensors from the system. By eliminating cameras, 3D scanning sensors, ultrasound sensors, structured light profiling sensors, wheel encoders, and inertial units, the invention dramatically reduces power consumption while retaining only the essential distance sensor and pose sensor needed for localization.

The patent uses a pre-existing 3D environment model to simulate distance measurements computationally. This approach replaces power-intensive physical sensing with lower-power computational processing, achieving accurate localization through software-based methods rather than hardware-intensive approaches.

The patent uses a pre-existing 3D environment model (a virtual copy of the physical space) to simulate distance measurements and determine device pose. This computational approach replaces odometry-based localization, eliminating error accumulation while maintaining independence from external references like GPS or visual features.

The patent replaces the mechanical odometry system (wheel encoders and inertial units) with a computational system based on distance sensor measurements and 3D environment model matching. This substitution eliminates the error accumulation inherent in mechanical integration while achieving comparable or superior localization accuracy.

The patent performs the environmental modeling action in advance, creating a pre-existing 3D environment model before the actual localization task. This preliminary action captures the geometric structure of the space, which then serves as a reference for all subsequent localization operations, eliminating the need for real-time complex processing.

The patent creates a virtual copy of the physical environment (3D environment model) that can be reused multiple times for localization. This one-time modeling effort produces a reusable reference that simplifies all subsequent localization tasks, trading initial modeling effort for ongoing operational simplicity.