UNMANNED AIRCRAFT STRUCTURE EVALUATION SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20160313736A1
• Filed: 01/07/2015
• Published: 10/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pictometry International Corporation (Eagleview Technologies, Inc. /Wa/)
• Original Assignee: Pictometry International Corporation (Eagleview Technologies, Inc. /Wa/)
• Inventors: Monaco, John, Schultz, Stephen L.
• Granted Patent: US 9,612,598 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/00 Optical viewing arrangements; Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/27 providing all-round vision, e.g. using omnidirectional cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8093 for obstacle warning
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 47/08 Arrangements of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/10 Rotorcrafts
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 20/87 Mounting of imaging devices, e.g. mounting of gimbals
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/10 autonomous, i.e. by navigating independently from ground or air stations, e.g. by using inertial navigation systems [INS]
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/39 the satellite radio beacon positioning system transmitting time-stamped messages, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System], GLONASS [Global Orbiting Navigation Satellite System] or GALILEO
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0094 involving pointing a payload, e.g. camera, weapon, sensor, towards a fixed or moving target
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/51 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5838 using colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5866 using information manually generated, e.g. tags, keywords, comments, manually generated location and time information
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/587 using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/176 Urban or other man-made structures
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0039 Modification of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 : specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0086 : for monitoring terrain radar or analogous systems specially adapted for terrain avoidance G01S13/935
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/045 : Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. determination of anti-collision manoeuvers radar or analogous systems specially adapted for anti-collision between aircraft G01S13/933
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 : for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 : End-user applications

Abstract

An unmanned aircraft structure evaluation system includes a computer system with an input unit, a display unit, one or more processors, and one or more non-transitory computer readable medium. Image display and analysis software causes the one or more processors to generate unmanned aircraft information. The unmanned aircraft information includes flight path information configured to direct an unmanned aircraft to fly a flight path around the structure.

Claims

1. A computerized system, comprising:

a computer system having an input unit, a display unit, one or more processors and one or more non-transitory computer readable medium, the one or more processors executing image display and analysis software to cause the one or more processors to;

receive an identification of a structure from the input unit, the structure having multiple sides and an outline;

obtain data indicative of multiple geographic positions pertaining to an outline of a structure having multiple sides and structure height information;

obtain characteristics of a camera mounted onto an unmanned aircraft;

generate unmanned aircraft information including;

flight path information configured to direct the unmanned aircraft to fly a flight path around the structure that is laterally and vertically offset from the geographic positions of the outline of the structure, the lateral and vertical offset being dependent upon the structure height information, an orientation of the camera relative to the unmanned aircraft, and the characteristics of the camera; and

,

storing the unmanned aircraft information on the one or more non-transitory computer readable medium.

2. The computerized system of claim 1, wherein the image display and analysis software causes the one or more processors to cause a camera on the unmanned aircraft to capture at least one image of at least one of the sides of the structure.

3. The computerized system of claim 2, wherein the image display and analysis software causes the one or more processors to display an image of the structure on the display unit, the image depicting at least a portion of the outline of the structure.

4. The computerized system of claim 3, wherein the image is a first image, and wherein the image display and analysis software causes the one or more processors to display a second image and a flight path layer overlaying the second image, the flight path layer depicting the flight path that the flight path information is configured to direct the unmanned aircraft to fly.

5. The computerized system of claim 4, wherein the first image is selected from a group consisting of an oblique image and a nadir image;

and the second image is selected from a group consisting of an oblique image and a nadir image.

6. The computerized system of claim 2, wherein the computer system includes a communication port and wherein the image display and analysis software causes the one or more processors to receive, via the communication port, one or more oblique images captured by the unmanned aircraft and store the one or more oblique images in the one or more non-transitory computer readable medium.

7. The computerized system of claim 6, wherein the computer system includes a user terminal having one or more first processors communicating with a computer system having one or more second processors and hosting an aerial imaging database, and wherein the image display and analysis software causes the one or more first processors to receive the one or more oblique images captured by the unmanned aircraft and communicate with the one or more second processors to load the one or more oblique images into the aerial imaging database.

8. The computerized system of claim 7, wherein the oblique images are first images, and wherein one or more second images are stored in the one or more non-transitory computer readable medium, and wherein the image display and analysis software causes the one or more processors to display the first images and the one or more second images simultaneously on the display unit.

9. The computerized system of claim 1, wherein the computer system includes a communication port and wherein the image display and analysis software causes the one or more processors to load the unmanned aircraft information onto the unmanned aircraft via the communication port.

10. A computerized system, comprising:

a computer system having an input unit, a display unit, one or more processors and one or more non-transitory computer readable medium, the one or more processors executing image display and analysis software to cause the one or more processors to;

receive an identification of a structure from the input unit, the structure having multiple sides and an outline;

obtaining data indicative of multiple geographic positions pertaining to the outline of the structure and structure height information,

generating unmanned aircraft information including;

flight path information configured to direct an unmanned aircraft to fly a flight path around the structure that is laterally and vertically offset from the geographic positions of the outline of the structure; and

camera control information configured to cause a camera on the unmanned aircraft to capture oblique images of at least one of the sides of the structure; and

storing the unmanned aircraft information on the one or more non-transitory computer readable medium.

11. The computerized system of claim 10, wherein the image display and analysis software causes the one or more processors to display an image of a structure on the display unit, the image depicting at least a portion of the outline of the structure.

12. The computerized system of claim 11, wherein the image is a first image, and wherein the image display and analysis software causes the one or more processors to display a second image and a flight path layer overlaying the second image, the flight path layer depicting the flight path that the flight path information is configured to direct the unmanned aircraft to fly.

13. The computerized system of claim 12, wherein the first image is selected from a group consisting of an oblique image and a nadir image;

and the second image is selected from a group consisting of an oblique image and a nadir image.

14. The computerized system of claim 10, wherein the computer system includes a communication port and wherein the image display and analysis software causes the one or more processors to load the unmanned aircraft information onto the unmanned aircraft via the communication port.

15. The computerized system of claim 10, wherein the computer system includes a communication port and wherein the image display and analysis software causes the one or more processors to receive the one or more oblique images captured by the unmanned aircraft and store the one or more oblique images in the one or more non-transitory computer readable medium.

16. The computerized system of claim 15, wherein the computer system includes a user terminal having one or more first processors communicating with a computer system having one or more second processors and hosting an aerial imaging database, and wherein the image display and analysis software causes the one or more first processors to receive the one or more oblique images captured by the unmanned aircraft and communicate with the one or more second processors to load the one or more oblique images into the aerial imaging database.

17. The computerized system of claim 16, wherein the oblique images are first images, and wherein one or more second images are stored in the one or more non-transitory computer readable medium, and wherein the image display and analysis software causes the one or more processors to display the first images and the one or more second images simultaneously on the display unit.