Pitch determination systems and methods for aerial roof estimation

• US 8,818,770 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2012
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EagleView Technologies Incorporated (Eagleview Technologies, Inc. /Wa/)
• Original Assignee: EagleView Technologies Incorporated (Eagleview Technologies, Inc. /Wa/)
• Inventors: Pershing, Chris
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Kamini S
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIERRE LOUIS, ANDRE
• Application Number:
  US13/438,288
• Publication Number:
  US 20120191424A1
• Time in Patent Office: 875 Days
• Field of Search: 703/1
• US Class Current: 703/1
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/20 Finite element generation, e.g. wire-frame surface description, tesselation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/24 involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10032 Satellite or aerial image; Remote sensing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20104 Interactive definition of region of interest [ROI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30108 Industrial image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30184 Infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30204 Marker
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/12 Edge-based segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/30 Determination of transform parameters for the alignment of images, i.e. image registration
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/73 using feature-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/75 involving models
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/176 Urban or other man-made structures

Abstract

User interface systems and methods for roof estimation are described. Example embodiments include a roof estimation system that provides a user interface configured to facilitate roof model generation based on one or more aerial images of a building roof. In one embodiment, roof model generation includes image registration, image lean correction, roof section pitch determination, wire frame model construction, and/or roof model review. The described user interface provides user interface controls that may be manipulated by an operator to perform at least some of the functions of roof model generation. In one embodiment, the user interface provides user interface controls that facilitate the determination of pitch of one or more sections of a building roof. This abstract is provided to comply with rules requiring an abstract, and it is submitted with the intention that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented process in a roof estimation system comprising:

displaying, by the roof estimation system, a graphical user interface including a first aerial image of a roof structure of a building and also at least one first visual marker that is moveable by a user in a same display window as the first aerial image while said first aerial image is displayed within the graphical user interface;

moving the first visual marker with respect to the first aerial image of the roof structure to a first location in response to input from the user;

storing data in a memory of the computer of the first location to which the first visual marker was moved;

displaying a second aerial image of the roof structure of the building, the second aerial image providing a different view of the roof than the first aerial image; and

displaying a location of a second visual marker on the roof structure of the building in the second aerial image of the roof structure based on an indication received from the stored data in the memory of the first location on the displayed first aerial image to which the user had moved the first visual marker; and

generating and outputting a roof estimate report using a report generation engine, wherein the roof estimate report includes one or more top plan views of a model of the roof annotated with numerical values for corresponding slope, area, or lengths of the edges of at least some of the plurality of planar roof sections of the model of the roof.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein the least one first visual marker includes four visual markers.

3. The process of claim 1 wherein the at least one location over the roof structure includes at least four spatially distributed corners of the roof structure.

4. The process of claim 1 wherein at least one first visual marker is an interactive user interface control that can be directly manipulated by the user in order to specify points on the roof structure in the aerial imagery to be used by the roof estimation system to perform image registration.

5. The process of claim 4, further comprising receiving, by the roof estimation system, input regarding multiple points on the roof structure in the aerial imagery based on indications received of locations to which the at least one first marker had been moved.

6. The process of claim 5, further comprising performing, by the roof estimation system, the image registration based on the multiple points on the roof structure in the aerial imagery.

7. The process of claim 6 wherein the image registration includes determining a transformation between each of one or more images of the aerial imagery and a uniform three dimensional reference grid based on the specified multiple points.

8. The process of claim 1, wherein the at least one first visual marker is a crosshair.

9. The process of claim 1 wherein the location data is an address of the building.

10. The process of claim 1 further comprising:

enabling, by the roof estimation system, a user to input location data corresponding to a location of a building; and

in response to the input, providing, by the roof estimation system, access to aerial imagery of a roof structure of the building corresponding to the location data, wherein the location data is one or more of;

a street address, global positioning coordinates and a lot number of the building.

11. The process of claim 1 further comprising:

performing, by the roof estimation system, roof pitch determination of the roof structure based on the at least one location over the roof structure in the displayed aerial imagery to which the user moved the least one first visual marker.

12. The process of claim 1 further comprising:

performing, by the roof estimation system, digital wire frame model construction of the roof structure based on the at least one location over the roof structure in the displayed aerial imagery to which the user moved the least one first visual marker.

13. The process of claim 1 further comprising:

performing, by the roof estimation system, image lean correction of the aerial imagery based on the at least one location over the roof structure in the displayed aerial imagery to which the user moved the least one first visual marker.

14. The process of claim 1 further comprising:

determining, by the roof estimation system, roof measurement information of one or more roof sections of the roof structure based on the at least one location over the roof structure in the displayed aerial imagery to which the user moved the least one first visual marker.

15. The process of claim 14 wherein the roof measurement information includes dimension, slope and orientation of the one or more roof sections of the roof structure.

16. A roof estimation system comprising:

at least on computer processor; and

at least one memory coupled to the at least one computer processor having computer executable instructions thereon that, when executed, cause the at least one processor to;

provide a graphical user interface including at least one first visual marker that is moveable by a user over aerial imagery of a roof structure of a building, the aerial imagery including a first aerial image of the roof structure and a second aerial image of the roof structure that provides a different view than the first aerial image, the first visual marker being provided, while said first aerial image is displayed within the graphical user interface, and moveable by the user to a location over the displayed first aerial image;

receive an indication of a selection of at least one location on the roof structure as a result of detection of movement of the at least one first visual marker to the location on the roof structure in the displayed first aerial image;

use the indication of the selection of at the least one location on the roof structure to identify that location of the roof structure of the building in the aerial imagery; and

display at the same location on the roof structure a second visual on the roof structure of the building in the second aerial image of the roof structure based on the indication received of the location on the displayed first aerial image to which the user had moved the first visual marker; and

generate and output a roof estimate report using a report generation engine, wherein the roof estimate report includes one or more top plan views of a model of the roof annotated with numerical values for corresponding slope, area, or lengths of the edges of at least some of the plurality of planar roof sections of the model of the roof.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed, further cause the at least one processor to:

determine roof measurement information of one or more roof sections of the roof structure based on the indication of the selection of at the least one location on the roof structure.

18. The process of claim 17 wherein the roof measurement information includes dimension, slope and orientation of the one or more roof sections of the roof structure.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium having computer executable instructions thereon that, when executed, cause at least one processor to:

enable a user to input location data corresponding to a location of a building;

in response to input of the location data, provide access to aerial imagery of a roof structure of the building, the aerial imagery including a first aerial image of the roof structure and a second aerial image of the roof structure that provides a different view than the first aerial image, corresponding to the location data;

receive an indication of a selection of at least one location on the roof structure indicated as a result of detection of movement of at least one first visual marker in a graphical user interface to the location on the roof structure in the first aerial image while the first aerial image is displayed within the graphical user interface;

use the indication of the selection of at the least one location on the roof structure to identify a location of the roof structure of the building in the first aerial image; and

display the location of a second visual marker corresponding to the first visual marker on the roof structure of the building in the second aerial image of the roof structure based on the indication received of the location on the displayed first aerial image to which the user had moved the first visual marker; and

generate and output a roof estimate report using a report generation engine, wherein the roof estimate report includes one or more top plan views of a model of the roof annotated with numerical values for corresponding slope, area, or lengths of the edges of at least some of the plurality of planar roof sections of the model of the roof.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19 wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed, further cause at least one processor to:

provide the at least one first visual marker is as an interactive user interface control of the graphical user interface that can be directly manipulated by the user in order to specify multiple corresponding points on the roof structure in different images that comprise the aerial imagery.

21. A method carried out using a computer system having a memory, the method comprising:

displaying on a visual display a photographic aerial image of a roof of a building, the roof having a pitch;

displaying a pitch determination marker on the visual display overlying the photographic aerial image;

moving at least a portion of the pitch determination marker from a first position to a second position in response to input from a user to align with a pitch of the roof in the aerial image;

calculating, by the computer system, the pitch of the roof based on the pitch determination marker being placed in the second position;

storing that pitch in the computer memory; and

outputting the calculated pitch value of the roof.

22. The method according to claim 21 wherein the pitch determination marker is a protractor tool and the step of moving the pitch determination marker from a first position to a second position comprises:

moving one arm of the protractor tool in response to input from the user.

23. The method according to claim 21 wherein the pitch determination marker is an envelope tool and the step of moving the pitch determination marker from a first position to a second position comprises:

changing angle of the envelope tool to have spine substantially align with a ridge line of the roof and having a first surface lie substantially atop a first section of the roof and a second surface lie substantially atop a second section of the roof in the aerial image of the roof.

24. The method according to claim 21 wherein the step of outputting the calculated value of the pitch includes:

displaying the calculated value of the pitch on the visual display.

25. The method according to claim 24 wherein the step of displaying the calculated value of the pitch on the visual display includes:

displaying the pitch value in a text menu that is adjacent to the aerial image.

26. The method according to claim 24 wherein the step of displaying the calculated value of the pitch on the visual display includes:

displaying the pitch value on the display screen as a numeric value overlaying at least some portion of the aerial image itself.