Three dimensional image data models

• US 9,384,277 B2
• Filed: 05/28/2012
• Issued: 07/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Visual Real Estate Incorporated (California Gold Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Visual Real Estate Incorporated (California Gold Corporation)
• Inventors: Meadow, William D., Gordie, Randall A. Jr., Pavelle, Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kimbinh T
• Application Number:
  US13/481,912
• Publication Number:
  US 20120293505A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,499 Days
• Field of Search: 345/419, 345/427, 345/426, 345/441, 382/107, 382/154, 382/285, 701/207
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/50 of still image data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/587 using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/78 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/7867 using information manually generated, e.g. tags, keywords, comments, title and artist information, manually generated time, location and usage information, user ratings
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/787 using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/10 Text processing natural language analysis G06F40/20; semantic analysis G06F40/30; processing or translation of natural language G06F40/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0278 Product appraisal
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0629 for generating comparisons
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/16 Real estate
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/05 Geographic models
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/20 Finite element generation, e.g. wire-frame surface description, tesselation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4038 Image mosaicing, e.g. composing plane images from plane sub-images
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 : for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/28 : Mobile studios
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 : Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 : for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

The present invention provides methods and apparatus for generating a three dimensional output which includes a continuum of image data sprayed over three-dimensional models. The three-dimensional models can be representative of features captured by the image data wherein image data can be captured at multiple disparate points along another continuum. The user interface can also include multiple modalities of image data and statistical analysis of the image data.

Claims

1. Apparatus for generating a three dimensional representation based upon two dimensional image data, the apparatus comprising:

a processor in digital communication with one or more storage devices and executable computer code stored in the one or more storage devices and executable upon demand to cause the processor to;

receive multiple captured image data sets of a subject identified with a real estate property parcel, wherein the image data sets comprise two dimensional image data captured at street level by multiple adjacent image capture devices comprising multiple cameras mounted on a vehicle and the multiple image data sets are captured from disparate points along one or more continuums;

calculate a centroid of the real estate parcel;

determine a camera orientation and position to enable accurate delivery of image data that is pointed toward the centroid of the real estate property parcel;

determine which of the multiple image data sets are captured by an image capture device directed at the calculated centroid of the real estate property parcel;

generate a composite two dimensional image of the subject by aligning image data sets directed at the calculated centroid of the real estate property parcel; and

generating one or more three-dimensional models comprising one or more three-dimensional models comprising one or more polygon based models generated from a point cloud array based upon structures included in the composite two dimensional image of the subject and image data included in the composite two dimensional image of the subject.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the software is additionally operative to generate an aerial view of the subject and a geographic area associated with the subject, said aerial view including a polygon designation of the geographic area associated with the subject and additionally generate a point cloud array for one or more features found in one or more of said image data sets of the subject.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least some of the image slices are correlated to recorded descriptive metadata which can be used to determine one or more of:

an image capturing device position and orientation, altitude, and depth of focus at a time of capture.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the aligning of the two or more image data sets of the subject includes using the point cloud array to generate a polygon based model associated with a geospatial location relative to the portions of the image data sets.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the software is additionally operative to virtually spray image data onto the generated polygon based model, wherein the generated polygon based model comprises at least one three dimensional polygon based model and wherein the image data sprayed onto the polygon based model is based upon two dimensional captured image data sets and the location of the polygon based model.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 additionally comprising one or more user interaction device(s) in communication with said processor and wherein the processor is capable of receiving a signal from the one or more user interaction device(s) indicating one or both a desired location and view perspective in relation to a three dimensional representation.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the one or more user interaction device(s) include a handheld cellular device.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the one or more user interaction device(s) include a tablet device.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, additionally operative to generate and send a series of generated composite images to be displayed to simulate motion in relation to a three dimensional representation of a subject.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the software is additionally operative to remove identified object representations obstructing the view of the three dimensional representation of a subject upon a user'"'"'s demand.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the software is additionally operative to add stored three dimensional object representations based on a location in relation to the three dimensional representation of a subject upon a user'"'"'s demand.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the software is additionally operative to replicate object representations in the received captured image data and locate them in a location in relation to the three dimensional representation of a subject upon a user'"'"'s demand.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the software is additionally operative to overlay layers of image data in relation to the three dimensional representation of a subject.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the descriptive metadata is recorded from a digital location recording device.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the digital location recording device includes a global positioning system.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the descriptive metadata is from an electromechanical system capable of recording motion.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the electro-mechanical system includes an accelerometer.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least some of the captured image data sets are captured with a camera at a position about orthogonal to the subject matter.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least some of the captured image data sets are captured with a camera at a position other than orthogonal to the subject matter.

20. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the continuum comprises a path of a vehicle carrying multiple captured image data sets of the subject.