RTC360 / Overview all firmware from ver 1.0 to 6.0
Preview:
Ver 2.0 and Ver 2.50 - Data size and quality
Ver 3.0 - Check and Adjust
Ver. 4.0 - Adaptive Image Resolution
Ver. 5.0 and 5.11 - High Tilt Compensation
Ver. 6.0 - Data Security
Firmware ver. 2.0 - 2.5
Leica RTC360 was released in 2018 and many improvements have been done since that date. In that article, I would like to highlight the main ones. In 2019, the first major firmware update version 2.0 and 2.5 was released, which added new functionality, data quality, and data size improvements:
Data Size Reduction of Scan Data - The file size of 3D scan data has been reduced by a factor of >3. This results in smaller scan projects, more space for projects on the USB stick, and faster file transfer.
Data Size Reduction of Image Data - The file size of spherical image data has been reduced by a factor of 1.5. In addition, an option for image compression has been added. Image compression allows file size reduction rates of >4 for spherical images
Improved Image Quality - Improved auto white balancing in the onboard firmware combined with enhanced tone mapping at import in Cyclone and REGISTER360 result in better spherical images with a more natural look
VIS Performance Improvement in Dark Environments - The performance of the VIS system has been improved in dark environments by implementing histogram equalization so that the VIS cameras are able to find more common feature points.
Pin Code Protection - With the new firmware it becomes possible to define a 6-digit numerical Pin Code to protect the instrument from unauthorized access.
Deactivate Monitoring of Tilt Change - To be able to work in high-vibration environments an option has been added to deactivate the tilt change monitoring. When tilt change monitoring is deactivated, no messages about tilt change or external force detection will appear.
Improved WiFi Performance - The stability of the WiFi communication to Cyclone FIELD 360 has been improved for areas with high WiFi radio traffic.
3rd Party API - The API provides direct access to the instrument for scan control as well as data import into third-party software.
Support of the new RTC360 LT - that laser scanner offers a maximum scan rate of 1mio points/sec but without any VIS cameras.
Improved resolution in Cyclone FIELD 360 for high-resolution scans - For high-resolution scans (3mm @ 10m) the resolution of the spherical scan displayed in the 360° tab of the Cyclone FIELD 360 app has been doubled.
Colorized thumbnail previews for scanner onboard display and FIELD 360 - for colored scans (scan & image) the thumbnail previews in the scanner’s onboard display and in the Cyclone FIELD 360 navigator panel are now displayed in color.
Firmware ver. 3.0
Check & Adjust - is a fully automated field procedure that allows to:
Check the current angular accuracy of the instrument
Adjust the angular parameters to improve the angular accuracy of the instrument
The full procedure will not take more than 7 minutes and doesn't require any kind of targets for calibration. It is based on cloud-to-cloud comparison so it requires only hard surfaces in your scan, like walls and floors. When the calculation of corrections will be done you'll see the current accuracy and corrections. After the procedures will be finished, you'll find a PDF report on the USB stick.
Format USB stick - The attached USB stick can be formatted so that huge jobs or multiple jobs on the USB stick can be removed quickly
Improved resolution for color layer in Cyclone FIELD 360 - For low-resolution colored scans (12mm scan & image) the resolution of the image layer in Cyclone FIELD 360 has been improved
Tilt and altitude sanity check - The tilt and altitude information provided by the VIS system is compared with data provided by the tilt sensor and barometer. In case of considerable differences, a warning is displayed at the end of a scan. This can be helpful when some of the VIS cameras were covered or when scanning in a dark environment.
Improved tilt change detection - For better tilt change detection the tilt threshold has been reduced to 0.03m/s2 which equals 0.17°
Performance increase for Cyclone FIELD 360 synchronization with large jobs
Linux API - An application programming interface (API) for the Linux operating system is now available for Leica Geosystems software partners. The API provides direct access to the instrument for scan control as well as data import into third-party software.
Firmware ver. 4.0
Scan file size reduction - The file size of 3D scan data has been reduced by one-third. The file size of 3D scan data can vary depending on the scanned scene. For the outdoor scene, the reduction rate can be up to 50%.
Image file size reduction - The file size of images has been reduced by one-third.
Adaptive image resolution - In the Settings menu a new option Adaptive Resolution has been added. With this setting enabled the image resolution is adapted dynamically depending on the selected scan resolution. The lower the scan resolution equals the higher the image size reduction. This option allows you to minimize file size data and increase import speed, but you should apply it only when high image quality is not required. In the scenarios where you want to get only colorized point clouds by photo for example. If you want to keep the highest quality of images, you should disable this option.
Extended API functionality - Remote import of scan. This new API feature supports the project data import directly from the USB stick inside the instrument.
API for Android and iOS - An application programming interface (API) for iOS and Android operating systems is now available for Leica Geosystems software partners.
Firmware ver. 5.0 - 5.11
Tilt improvement - The tilt accuracy has been improved to 18”. With the new setting High Tilt Accuracy enabled, this tilt accuracy is achieved in a working range of ± 10° for upright and upside-down orientation of the instrument. That is a highly important feature if you are working in an environment without targets and with higher ranges. Setups that were done with the enabled High Tilt Accuracy option, will come into Cyclone REGISTER 360 PLUS as leveled Setups. This is indicated by the level icon in the left panel of explorer. All Leveled scans have more weight on registration. And for that setups are not allowed to apply the Correct Tilt feature while Visual Alignment. From REGISTER 360 PLUS 2023 version is possible to deactivate the Leveled status and correct the tilt as you want.
Tilt angle indication for high tilt accuracy working range - A status indication for the high tilt accuracy mode has been added in the status bar and by the LED light. When the High Tilt Accuracy and Monitor Tilt Change options are active, a new icon in the status bar indicates whether the tilt of the instrument is inside or outside the high tilt accuracy working range of +/-10°. Additionally, the status LED also indicates the tilt of the instrument.
Display of internal temperature - In the Settings menu the Internal Temperature of the instrument is displayed.
Option to permanently disable WLAN - For projects in radio-sensitive environments where WLAN transmission is not allowed the WLAN control in the Settings menu can be completely disabled by a special license.
Firmware ver. 6.0
Data Security - The new Data Security workflow in the RTC360 / RTC360 LT laser scanner and in Cyclone REGISTER 360 PLUS enables the user to digitally sign jobs in the field and verify these jobs for data integrity at import in Cyclone REGISTER 360 PLUS. Leica Geosystem’s Data Security feature is built for Public Safety industry professionals to provide a simple, forensically-sound way to authenticate digital laser scanning data. The Data Security feature allows us to authenticate each file and verify each sensor (which scanner was used to collect the data).
The Data Security feature has been added to the Settings menu.
Before the feature can be enabled, an initial connection to Cyclone REGISTER 360 PLUS is required for the installation of a scanner-specific signature.
With the signature installed the scanner can digitally sign jobs once finished. The job status is indicated by a graphics icon:
Secure job, not signed
Secure job, signed
Secure job, signed but modified
Jobs can be signed in the Settings menu by pressing the Sign button in the Data Security feature, or by clicking on the job status icon right to the job name:
Signed jobs can be imported in Cyclone REGISTER 360 PLUS and checked for data integrity. A verification report is created to inform if the imported data is the same as signed in the field or if any changes have been made.
And of course, there were a lot of stability improvements, so we always recommend using the latest firmware on your scanner, you can install it yourself by downloading it through MyWorld. But keep in mind two main things:
Sometimes to support the new firmware you should have the relevant version of desktop software. Because the structure of data changes with each improvement. For the software updates, you should have active maintenance.
Do not make a downgrade of the firmware by yourself without recommendations from the Leica-Geosystems support specialist.
