DRONE BASED SYSTEMS AND METHODOLOGIES FOR CAPTURING IMAGES

• US 20180265194A1
• Filed: 12/17/2015
• Published: 09/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PicPocket-Labs, Inc.
• Original Assignee: PicPocket, Inc.
• Inventors: Gauglitz, Wolfram K.
• Granted Patent: US 10,640,208 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0016 characterised by the operator's input device input arrangements for computing systems in general G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0278 Product appraisal
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/10 Services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/16 Real estate
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences

Abstract

A method is provided for sending a drone to a user on request. The method includes providing software, an instance of which is installed on a plurality of mobile technology platforms, wherein each mobile technology platform is associated with a user and is equipped with a tangible, non-transient medium having an instance of the software installed therein. The software contains suitable programming instructions which, when executed by a processor, perform the steps of (a) displaying, on a display associated with the mobile technology platform, a graphical user interface (GUI) having a user selectable object displayed thereon, (b) determining when the user selectable object has been selected by a user, and (c) when the user selectable object has been selected by the user, (i) determining the current location of the user via the location awareness functionality, and (ii) transmitting a request for a drone, wherein the request includes the determined current location of the user. The method further includes receiving, from one of the plurality of mobile technology platforms, a transmitted request for a drone, and dispatching a drone, from a fleet of drones, to fly over the determined current location of the user set forth in the request.

Claims

1. A method for sending a drone to a user on request, comprising:

providing software, an instance of which is installed on a plurality of mobile technology platforms, wherein each mobile technology platform is associated with a user and is equipped with a tangible, non-transient medium having an instance of the software installed therein, and wherein the software contains suitable programming instructions which, when executed by a processor, perform the steps of

(a) displaying, on a display associated with the mobile technology platform, a graphical user interface (GUI) having a user selectable object displayed thereon,

(b) determining when the user selectable object has been selected by the user,

(c) when the user selectable object has been selected by the user, (i) obtaining a destination for a drone, and (ii) transmitting a request for a drone, wherein the request includes the destination;

receiving, from one of the plurality of mobile technology platforms, a transmitted request for a drone; and

dispatching a drone to fly over the destination specified in the request.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining a destination for a drone includes querying the user for a destination.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining a destination for a drone includes obtaining the current location of the user, and specifying the current location of the user as the destination.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the mobile technology platform associated with the user has location awareness capabilities, and wherein the location of the mobile technology platform at the time the request is transmitted is specified as the destination.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

capturing digital media from the determined location of the user from a device disposed on the drone.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the digital media includes at least one digital image.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the digital media includes at least one digital video.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the digital media includes at least one audio file.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the software further identifies a geofence associated with the mobile technology platform associated with the user, and transmits this information with the request.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein, upon approaching the determined location of the user, the drone adopts a flight path parallel to the boundary of the geofence.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the drone captures the digital media while it is on the adopted flight path.

12. The method of claim 5 wherein, upon approaching the determined location of the user, the software allows the user to assume at least partial control over the flight path of the drone.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the GUI includes a flight control panel that allows the user to input flight control commands from the mobile technology platform to the drone.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the drone is equipped with a database of allowable commands, and wherein any flight control command input by the user which is not an allowable command is disregarded by the drone.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said flight control commands include commands which specify a portion of the flight path to be taken by the drone during digital media capture.

16. The method of claim 5 wherein, upon approaching the determined location of the user, the software allows the user to assume at least partial control over the capture of digital media by the drone.

17. The method of claim 5 wherein, upon entering a geofence associated with a user'"'"'s mobile technology platform, the software allows the user to assume at least partial control over the capture of digital media by the drone while the drone is within the geofence.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the GUI includes a digital media control panel that allows the user to input digital media capture control commands from the mobile technology platform to the drone.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said digital media capture control commands include commands which specify the type of digital media to be captured by the drone.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein said digital media capture control commands include commands which specify when digital media is to be captured by the drone.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein said digital media capture control commands include commands which specify how frequently digital media is to be captured by the drone.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein said digital media capture control commands include commands which specify the location of a target to be imaged.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein said digital media capture control commands allow the location of a target for digital media capture to be specified by a set of coordinates.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein said digital media capture control commands allow the location of a target for digital media capture to be specified by a geofence.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said geofence is a user defined geofence.

26. The method of claim 18, wherein said digital media capture control commands include commands selected from the group consisting of shutter speed, zoom and exposure.

27. The method of claim 18, wherein said drone is equipped with a plurality of lenses, and wherein said digital media capture control commands include commands which specify which lens is to be used during digital media capture.

28. The method of claim 18, wherein said drone is equipped with a plurality of cameras, and wherein said digital media capture control commands include commands which specify which camera is to be used during digital media capture.

29. The method of claim 18, wherein said digital media capture control commands include target information obtained from a target painter.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the target painter is a component of the mobile technology platform.

31. The method of claim 1, wherein dispatching a drone to fly over destination set forth in the request includes dispatching one of a plurality of drones.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein dispatching a drone includes determining which drone in the plurality of drones is available and is closest to the destination set forth in the request.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein dispatching a drone includes determining which drone in the plurality of drones is available and has the shortest flight path to the destination set forth in the request.

34. A method for requesting digital media capture by a drone, comprising:

obtaining a mobile technology platform equipped with a display and having a tangible, non-transient medium with an instance of a software program installed therein, wherein the software program contains suitable programming instructions which, when executed by a processor, perform the steps of

(a) displaying, on the display, a graphical user interface (GUI) having a user selectable object displayed thereon, wherein the GUI includes a digital media control panel that allows the user to input digital media capture control commands from the mobile technology platform to the drone,

(b) determining when the user selectable object has been selected by the user, and

(c) when the user selectable object has been selected by the user, (i) obtaining a target location from the user or the mobile technology platform associated with the user, and (ii) transmitting a request for a drone, wherein the request includes the target location;

selecting the selectable object; and

inputting digital media capture control commands into the digital media control panel.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

receiving captured digital media from the drone in response to the request.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein said digital media capture control commands include commands which specify the type of digital media to be captured by the drone.

37. The method of claim 34, wherein said digital media capture control commands include commands which specify when digital media is to be captured by the drone.

38. The method of claim 34, wherein said digital media capture control commands include commands which specify how frequently digital media is to be captured by the drone.

39. The method of claim 34, wherein said digital media capture control commands include commands which specify the location of a target to be imaged.

40. The method of claim 34, wherein said digital media capture control commands allow the location of a target for digital media capture to be specified by a set of coordinates.

41. The method of claim 34, wherein said digital media capture control commands allow the location of a target for digital media capture to be specified by a geofence.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein said geofence is a user defined geofence.

43. The method of claim 34, wherein said digital media capture control commands include commands selected from the group consisting of shutter speed, zoom and exposure.

44. The method of claim 34, wherein said drone is equipped with a plurality of lenses, and wherein said digital media capture control commands include commands which specify which lens is to be used during digital media capture.

45. The method of claim 34, wherein said drone is equipped with a plurality of cameras, and wherein said digital media capture control commands include commands which specify which camera is to be used during digital media capture.

46. The method of claim 34, wherein said digital media capture control commands include target information obtained from a target painter.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein the target painter is a component of the mobile technology platform.

48. The method of claim 34, wherein the target location is the location of the mobile technology platform associated with the user.

49. The method of claim 48, wherein the mobile technology platform has location awareness functionality by way of its operating system, and wherein obtaining a target location includes querying the operating system for the current location of the mobile technology platform.

50. A system for capturing digital media, comprising:

a plurality of drones;

a plurality of mobile technology platforms, each of which is equipped with

(a) location awareness functionality,

(b) a display,

(c) a tangible, non-transient memory medium, and

(d) an instance of a software program recorded in the memory medium,

wherein said software program contains suitable programming instructions which, when executed by a processor associated with the mobile technology platform, render on the display a graphic user interface (GUI) having a graphical object thereon which, when selected by the user, (i) determines the current location of the user via the location awareness functionality, and (ii) transmits a request for a drone, said request including the determined current location of the user; and

a controller which receives requests for drones from the plurality of mobile technology platforms and directs one of the plurality of drones to the determined current location of the user.

51. The system of claim 50, wherein each of said plurality of drones is equipped to capture digital media related to a ground based target.

52. A method for performing an appraisal on an asset, comprising:

providing a drone equipped with image capture and location awareness functionalities;

obtaining a set of comparable assets to be used as a basis for establishing the appraisal value of the asset;

repeating, until n images have been captured, where n≥

1, the steps of

transmitting to the drone a request to capture an image of a target asset selected from the group consisting of the asset and the comparable assets,

determining the current location of the drone with respect to a geofence associated with the target asset, and

if the drone is within a distance d of the geofence associated with the target asset, then capturing the image, and otherwise denying the request; and

using the n images to determine an appraisal value of the asset.

53. The method of claim 52, wherein the asset is real estate.

54. The method of claim 52, wherein the n images include at least one image of each comparable asset.

55. The method of claim 54, wherein there are at least 3 comparable assets, and no greater than 5 comparable assets.

56. The method of claim 52, further comprising:

placing each captured image in a folder associated with the target asset.

57. The method of claim 52, wherein determining the current location of the drone with respect to a geofence associated with the target asset includes determining the GPS coordinates of the drone.

58. The method of claim 52, further comprising:

associating locative and temporal data with each captured image which specifies, respectively, the location and time at which the image was captured.

59. The method of claim 58, wherein associating locative and temporal data with each captured image includes recording the locative and temporal data in metadata associated with the captured image.

60. A method for capturing images of an asset, comprising:

providing a drone which is equipped with image capturing and location awareness functionalities;

receiving, from the drone, a request to capture an image of the asset using the software;

determining the current location of the drone with respect to a geofence associated with the asset; and

if the drone is within a distance d of the geofence associated with the asset, then granting the request, and otherwise denying the request.