Aerial roof estimation systems and methods

• US 9,514,568 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2014
• Issued: 12/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EagleView Technologies Incorporated (Eagleview Technologies, Inc. /Wa/)
• Original Assignee: EagleView Technologies Incorporated (Eagleview Technologies, Inc. /Wa/)
• Inventors: Pershing, Chris, Carlson, David P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, Cedric D
• Application Number:
  US14/195,543
• Publication Number:
  US 20140177945A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,009 Days
• Field of Search: 703/1, 703/2
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: G06Q 10/06313 Resource planning in a project environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/10 Constructive solid geometry [CSG] using solid primitives, e.g. cylinders, cubes
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/20 Finite element generation, e.g. wire-frame surface description, tesselation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/20 Editing of 3D images, e.g. changing shapes or colours, aligning objects or positioning parts
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/08 involving all processing steps from image acquisition to 3D model generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10032 Satellite or aerial image; Remote sensing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30184 Infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/04 Architectural design, interior design
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/004 Annotating, labelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/32 using correlation-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/337 involving reference images or patches

Abstract

Methods and systems for roof estimation are described. Example embodiments include a roof estimation system, which generates and provides roof estimate reports annotated with indications of the size, geometry, pitch and/or orientation of the roof sections of a building. Generating a roof estimate report may be based on one or more aerial images of a building. In some embodiments, generating a roof estimate report of a specified building roof may include generating a three-dimensional model of the roof, and generating a report that includes one or more views of the three-dimensional model, the views annotated with indications of the dimensions, area, and/or slope of sections of the 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 method for generating a roof estimate report, the method comprising:

receiving a request for a roof estimate report for a roof of a building;

receiving location information regarding the building having the roof;

receiving a first aerial image of the building having the roof;

receiving a second aerial image of the building having the roof, the first and second aerial images of the building having been taken independent of each other, the first and second aerial images of the building providing different views of the roof from each other, the first aerial image of the building including a top plan view of the roof and the second aerial image of the building including an oblique perspective view of the roof;

calibrating at least one of the first and second aerial images of the building using calibration information received from a calibration module;

performing image analysis on the first and second aerial images of the building by correlating the first aerial image of the building with the second aerial image of the building, the correlating including registering pairs of points on the first and second aerial images of the building, each pair of points corresponding to a same point on the roof depicted in each of the first and second aerial images of the building;

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

determining a pitch of a plurality of sections of the roof;

determining a direction of the pitch for each of the plurality of sections of the roof for which a pitch was determined;

generating a roof estimate report that includes at least one top plan view of the three-dimensional model annotated with numerical indications of the determined pitch and the direction of the pitch;

determining a ridge line and a valley line of the roof;

displaying, on at least one top plan view of the three-dimensional model included in the roof estimate report, a ridge line in which a property of the ridge line being a ridge line is conveyed by the ridge line being displayed in a first color;

displaying, on at least one top plan view of the three-dimensional model included in the roof estimate report, a valley line in which a property of the valley line being a valley line is conveyed by the valley line being a second color different from the first color; and

transmitting the generated roof report.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining a combined area of the plurality of roof sections based on the image analysis.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising including the combined area of the plurality of roof sections of the roof on a same page of the roof report showing a top plan view of the three-dimensional model of the roof that includes the numerical indications of the determined pitch and the direction of the pitch.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the calculated pitch is based solely on the image analysis.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing associated aerial images with the roof report.

6. A system for generating a roof estimate report, comprising:

at least one computer processor;

at least one memory coupled to the at least one computer processor, the at least one non-transitory memory having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the at least one computer processor, cause the at least one computer processor to cause a the system to;

receive a request for a roof estimate report for a roof of a building;

receive location information regarding the building having the roof;

receive a first aerial image of the building having the roof;

receive a second aerial image of the building having the roof, the first and second aerial images of the building having been taken independent of each other, the first and second aerial images of the building providing different views of the roof from each other, the first aerial image of the building including a top plan view of the roof and the second aerial image of the building including an oblique perspective view of the roof;

calibrate at least one of the first and second aerial images of the building using calibration information received from a calibration module;

perform image analysis on the first and second aerial images of the building by correlating the first aerial image of the building with the second aerial image of the building, the correlating including registering pairs of points on the first and second aerial images of the building, each pair of points corresponding to a same point on the roof depicted in each of the first and second aerial images of the building;

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

determine a pitch of a plurality of sections of the roof;

determine a direction of the pitch for each of the plurality of sections of the roof for which a pitch was determined;

generate a roof estimate report that includes at least one top plan view of the three-dimensional model annotated with numerical indications of the determined pitch and the direction of the pitch;

determine a ridge line and a valley line of the roof;

display, on at least one top plan view of the three-dimensional model included in the roof estimate report, a ridge line in which a property of the ridge line being a ridge line is conveyed by the ridge line being displayed in a first color;

display, on at least one top plan view of the three-dimensional model included in the roof estimate report, a valley line in which a property of the valley line being a valley line is conveyed by the valley line being a second color different from the first color; and

transmit the generated roof report.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one computer processor, further cause the at least one computer processor to cause the system to determine a combined area of the plurality of roof sections based on the image analysis.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one computer processor, further cause the at least one computer processor to cause the system to include the combined area of the plurality of roof sections of the roof on a same page of the roof report showing a top plan view of the three-dimensional model of the roof that includes the numerical indications of the determined pitch and the direction of the pitch.

9. The system of claim 6 wherein the calculated pitch is based solely on the image analysis.

10. The system of claim 6 wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one computer processor, further cause the at least one computer processor to cause the system to provide associated aerial images with the roof report.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by at least one computer processor, cause the at least one computer processor to cause a system for generating a roof estimate report to:

receive a request for a roof estimate report for a roof of a building;

receive location information regarding the building having the roof;

receive a first aerial image of the building having the roof;

receive a second aerial image of the building having the roof, the first and second aerial images of the building having been taken independent of each other, the first and second aerial images of the building providing different views of the roof from each other, the first aerial image of the building including a top plan view of the roof and the second aerial image of the building including an oblique perspective view of the roof;

calibrate at least one of the first and second aerial images of the building using calibration information received from a calibration module;

perform image analysis on the first and second aerial images of the building by correlating the first aerial image of the building with the second aerial image of the building, the correlating including registering pairs of points on the first and second aerial images of the building, each pair of points corresponding to a same point on the roof depicted in each of the first and second aerial images of the building;

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

determine a pitch of a plurality of sections of the roof;

determine a direction of the pitch for each of the plurality of sections of the roof for which a pitch was determined;

generate a roof estimate report that includes at least one top plan view of the three-dimensional model annotated with numerical indications of the determined pitch and the direction of the pitch;

determine a ridge line and a valley line of the roof;

display, on at least one top plan view of the three-dimensional model included in the roof estimate report, a ridge line in which a property of the ridge line being a ridge line is conveyed by the ridge line being displayed in a first color;

display, on at least one top plan view of the three-dimensional model included in the roof estimate report, a valley line in which a property of the valley line being a valley line is conveyed by the valley line being a second color different from the first color; and

transmit the generated roof report.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one computer processor, further cause the at least one computer processor to cause the system to determine a combined area of the plurality of roof sections based on the image analysis.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one computer processor, further cause the at least one computer processor to cause the system to include the combined area of the plurality of roof sections of the roof on a same page of the roof report showing a top plan view of the three-dimensional model of the roof that includes the numerical indications of the determined pitch and the direction of the pitch.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the calculated pitch is based solely on the image analysis.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one computer processor, further cause the at least one computer processor to cause the system to provide associated aerial images with the roof report.

16. A system for generating a roof estimate report, comprising:

means for receiving a request for a roof estimate report for a roof of a building;

means for receiving location information regarding the building having the roof;

means for receiving a first aerial image of the building having the roof;

means for receiving a second aerial image of the building having the roof, the first and second aerial images of the building having been taken independent of each other, the first and second aerial images of the building providing different views of the roof from each other, the first aerial image of the building including a top plan view of the roof and the second aerial image of the building including an oblique perspective view of the roof;

means for calibrating at least one of the first and second aerial images of the building using calibration information received from a calibration module;

means for performing image analysis on the first and second aerial images of the building by correlating the first aerial image of the building with the second aerial image of the building, the correlating including registering pairs of points on the first and second aerial images of the building, each pair of points corresponding to a same point on the roof depicted in each of the first and second aerial images of the building;

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

means for determining a pitch of a plurality of sections of the roof;

means for generating a roof estimate report that includes at least one top plan view of the three-dimensional model annotated with numerical indications of the determined pitch;

means for determining a ridge line and a valley line of the roof;

means for displaying, on at least one top plan view of the three-dimensional model included in the roof estimate report, a ridge line in which a property of the ridge line being a ridge line is conveyed by the ridge line being displayed in a first color;

means for displaying, on at least one top plan view of the three-dimensional model included in the roof estimate report, a valley line in which a property of the valley line being a valley line is conveyed by the valley line being a second color different from the first color; and

means for transmitting the generated roof report.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the calculated pitch is based solely on the image analysis.

18. The system of claim 16 further comprising means for providing associated aerial images with the roof report.