SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ESTIMATION OF BUILDING WALL AREA

• US 20130202157A1
• Filed: 02/03/2012
• Published: 08/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EagleView Technologies Incorporated (Eagleview Technologies, Inc. /Wa/)
• Original Assignee: EagleView Technologies Incorporated (Eagleview Technologies, Inc. /Wa/)
• Inventors: Pershing, Chris
• Granted Patent: US 9,933,257 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/106
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 21/28 for measuring areas
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 11/04 Interpretation of pictures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/13 Architectural design, e.g. computer-aided architectural design [CAAD] related to design of buildings, bridges, landscapes, production plants or roads

Abstract

A wall area estimation system generates an estimated wall area measurement of a building based on the received roof measurements (e.g., those generated by, received from or found in a three dimensional model of the roof) and a reference distance. The reference distance is a measurement indicative of a distance between a reference point on the roof and a ground surface. This reference distance may be used to determine how for down to extend the walls of the building (e.g., to a ground level) when building a three dimensional digital model of the building to aid in generating wall area measurements. The resulting wall measurements, roof measurements, measurements of areas missing from the wall used to generate a wall estimate report, or a combined roof and wall estimate report including various different identifiers indicating the different features and measurements based on the three dimensional model.

Claims

1. A computing system for generating estimated wall area measurements, the computing system comprising:

a memory;

a wall area measurement estimation module that is stored on the memory and that is configured, when executed, to;

receive roof measurements of a building having a roof;

receive one or more measurements indicative of one or more distances between one or more reference points on the roof and a ground surface on which the building rests; and

generate, based at least in part on the received roof measurements and the received one or more measurements indicative of the one or more distances between the one or more reference points on the roof and the ground surface, an estimated wall area measurement of the building.

2. The computing system of claim 1 further comprising generating the roof measurements from a digital three dimensional model of the roof.

3. The computing system of claim 2 wherein the generating the estimated wall area measurement of the building includes:

generating a digital three dimensional model of the building by;

including the three dimensional model of the roof as part of the three dimensional model of the building; and

generating a wall within the three dimensional model of the building by extending the wall from along an edge of a model roof represented by the three dimensional model of the roof toward a model ground surface, the wall extending a distance until either intersecting a level of the model ground surface, according to the received one or more measurements indicative of the one or more distances between the one or more reference points on the roof and the ground surface, or intersecting another surface of the model roof, according to the three dimensional model of the roof; and

using dimensions of the wall generated in the three dimensional model of the building to determine an area of the wall.

4. The computing system of claim 3 wherein the wall area measurement estimation module is further configured, when executed, to:

render the three dimensional model of the building within a graphical user interface; and

provide selectable user interface elements within the graphical user interface configured to be overlaid on areas on the wall, the user interface elements having dimensions corresponding to areas missing from the wall;

receive indications regarding locations on the wall on which one or more of the selectable user interface elements have been overlaid; and

subtract an amount from the estimated wall area measurement of the building corresponding based on the received indications regarding locations on the wall on which one or more of the selectable user interface elements have been overlaid.

5. The computing system of claim 3 wherein the using the dimensions of the wall generated in the three dimensional model of the building to determine an area of the wall includes:

rendering the three dimensional model of the building within a graphical user interface;

providing selectable user interface elements within the graphical user interface configured to be utilized by a user to cut out one or more portions of the wall;

receiving indications regarding locations on the wall on which one or more of the selectable user interface elements have been utilized to cut out one or more portions of the wall; and

determining the area of the wall by calculating an area of a shape of the wall formed based on the received indications regarding locations on the wall on which the one or more of the selectable user interface elements have been utilized to cut out the one or more portions of the wall.

6. The computing system of claim 5 wherein the graphical user interface includes windows each displaying different views of the three dimensional model of the building that are configured to concurrently show modifications being made by a user to walls of the three dimensional model of the building from a corresponding perspective of each of the different views.

7. The computing system of claim 5 wherein the dimensions corresponding to areas missing from the wall are those of a predefined window size or a predefined door size.

8. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the wall area measurement estimation module is further configured, when executed, to repeat the generating the estimated wall area measurement of the building for each exterior wall of the building.

9. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the wall area measurement estimation module is further configured, when executed, to:

subtract an amount from the estimated wall area measurement of the building corresponding to an area on a wall of the building indicated as an area missing from the wall.

10. The computing system of claim 9 wherein the area on the wall of the building indicated as an area missing from the wall is an area corresponding to a window or a door of the building.

11. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the wall area measurement estimation module is further configured, when executed, to:

receive an indication that a wall of the building for which the estimated wall area measurement is generated is at least partially obstructed by an object in an image of the wall used to generate the three dimensional model of the roof;

(may want to not tie together the concept of ‘

marking obstructed areas’ and

‘

accounting for assumed % of non-wall area’

) and

subtract a predefined percentage from the estimated wall area measurement of the building corresponding to a size of the partial obstruction to account for possible areas missing from the wall which may be obstructed in the image by the object in the image.

12. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the three dimensional model of the roof is based on a correlation between two aerial images of the roof.

13. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the wall area measurement estimation module is further configured, when executed, to generate and deliver a wall area measurement estimate report that includes multiple line drawings of the building, each from a different perspective annotated with numerical values that indicate corresponding estimated wall area measurements for walls visible in the respective perspective.

14. The computing system of claim 13 wherein the wall area measurement estimation module is further configured, when executed, to generate and deliver a wall area measurement estimate report that includes roof measurements including pitch annotated on corresponding roof sections.

15. A computer-implemented method for generating estimated wall area measurements, the method comprising:

including a three dimensional model of a roof of a building as part of a three dimensional model of the building; and

generating a wall within the three dimensional model of the building by extending the wall in the three dimensional model from along or near an edge of a model roof represented by three dimensional model of the roof toward a ground surface, the wall extending a distance until either intersecting a level of a model ground surface, according to one or more measurements indicative of one or more distances between one or more reference points on the roof and an actual ground surface, or intersecting another surface of the model roof, according to the three dimensional model of the roof; and

using dimensions of the wall generated in the three dimensional model of the building to determine an area of the wall.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

rendering the three dimensional model of the building within a graphical user interface; and

providing selectable user interface elements within the graphical user interface configured to be placed on areas on the wall, the user interface elements having dimensions corresponding to areas missing from the wall.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

generating windows within the graphical user interface, each generated window configured to display different views of the three dimensional model of the building and to concurrently show modifications being made by a user to walls of the three dimensional model of the building from a corresponding perspective of each of the different views.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium whose contents enable a computing system to generate estimated wall area measurements, by performing a method comprising:

receiving a first and a second aerial image of a building having a roof, each of the aerial images providing a different view of the roof of the building;

correlating the first aerial image with the second aerial image;

generating, based at least in part on the correlation between the first and second aerial images, a three-dimensional model of the roof that includes a plurality of planar roof sections that each have a corresponding slope, area, and edges;

generating an estimated wall area measurement of the building based at least in part on the three-dimensional model of the roof and one or more measurements indicative of one or more distances between one or more reference points on the roof and a ground surface.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18 wherein the contents further enable a computing system to subtract an amount from the estimated wall area measurement of the building corresponding to an area on a wall of the building indicated as an area missing from the wall.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19 wherein the area on the wall of the building indicated as an area missing from the wall is an area corresponding to a window or a door of the building.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 18 wherein the contents further enable a computing system to:

associating one or more areas of a wall for which the estimated wall area is generated with one or more wall characteristics; and

generating an estimated area of each of the one or more areas of the wall associated with one or more wall characteristics.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 21 wherein the one or more wall characteristics include characteristics regarding one or more of:

wall material type, wall color, wall covering type, wall paint type, wall siding type, wall faç

ade type, wall damage, wall damage type, and extent of wall damage.

23. A wall area measurement estimate report produced by a process comprising:

receiving a first and a second aerial image of a building having a roof, each of the aerial images providing a different view of the roof of the building;

correlating the first aerial image with the second aerial image;

generating, based at least in part on the correlation between the first and second aerial images, a three-dimensional model of the roof that includes a plurality of planar roof sections that each have a corresponding slope, area, and edges;

generating an estimated wall area measurement of the building based at least in part on the three-dimensional model of the roof and one or more measurements indicative of one or more distances between one or more reference points on the roof and a ground surface.

24. The wall area report of claim 23 wherein the generating an estimated wall area measurement of the building includes generating a three dimensional model of the building by including the three dimensional model of the roof as part of the three dimensional model of the building and using the one or more measurements indicative of the one or more distances between the one or more reference points on the roof and the ground surface.

25. The wall area report of claim 23 wherein the process further comprises:

generating associations between one or more areas of a wall for which the estimated wall area is generated with one or more wall characteristics; and

including in the report indications of the associations between the one or more areas of a wall for which the estimated wall area is generated with one or more wall characteristics.

26. The wall area report of claim 25 wherein the one or more wall characteristics include characteristics regarding one or more of:

wall material type, wall construction type, wall color, wall covering type, wall paint type, wall siding type, wall faç

ade type, wall damage, wall damage type, and extent of wall damage.

27. The wall area report of claim 23 wherein the process further comprises:

generating an estimated area of each of the one or more areas of the wall associated with one or more wall characteristics; and

including in the report the estimated area of each of the one or more areas of the wall associated with the one or more wall characteristics.