Generating a model and estimating a cost using a controllable inspection aircraft

• US 9,659,283 B1
• Filed: 09/29/2016
• Issued: 05/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Original Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Inventors: Tofte, Nathan L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tien
• Application Number:
  US15/280,219
• Time in Patent Office: 236 Days
• Field of Search: 705 30, 705 40, 705 45, 705 39, 705 41, 705 4, 705 2, 705 5, 382100, 382154, 345419, 348140, 348125, 713186, 703 1, 703 6, 700 99, 702181
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 47/08 Arrangements of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 20/87 Mounting of imaging devices, e.g. mounting of gimbals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/22 Matching criteria, e.g. proximity measures
• 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 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/10 Constructive solid geometry [CSG] using solid primitives, e.g. cylinders, cubes
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10004 Still image; Photographic image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0002 Inspection of images, e.g. flaw detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/176 Urban or other man-made structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• 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 7/185 from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control

Abstract

Disclosed systems and methods estimate a financial cost to remedy estimated damage to a building. A controllable inspection vehicle, such as an aircraft, may capture one or more images of the building. The one or more images may be utilized to generate a model of the building, which can be analyzed to estimate the damage to the building.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a controller that wirelessly transmits a command;

a controllable inspection aircraft that includes an image sensor and actuates the image sensor in response to receiving the command; and

one or more computing devices communicatively coupled to the controllable inspection aircraft, the one or more computing devices configured to;

(a) receive from the controllable inspection aircraft one or more captured images of a building, the one or more captured images captured, via the image sensor of the controllable inspection aircraft, from one or more locations traversed by the controllable inspection aircraft;

(b) generate a model of the building based on the one or more captured images;

(c) estimate damage to the building based on an analysis of the generated model;

(d) estimate a financial cost to remedy the damage estimated based on the analysis of the generated model; and

(e) store to a memory the estimated financial cost.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the controllable inspection aircraft includes an autonomous transportation module that autonomously moves the controllable inspection aircraft to the locations traversed by the controllable inspection vehicle.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the controllable inspection aircraft includes a module that moves the controllable inspection aircraft to the locations traversed by the controllable inspection vehicle in response to receiving one or more movement commands from the controller.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the controllable inspection aircraft traverses the one or more locations via a plurality of motors.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the controllable inspection aircraft includes a display device and wherein the controllable inspection aircraft is configured to display the one or more captured images of the building via the display.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the analysis of the generated model comprises a comparison of the generated model to one or more predefined structure models.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the generated model is a three-dimensional model.

8. A computer-implemented method comprising:

moving a controllable inspection aircraft to one or more locations;

transmitting a command to the controllable inspection aircraft;

in response to the controllable inspection aircraft receiving the command, actuating an image sensor of the controllable inspection aircraft to capture one or more images of a building;

transmitting the one or more captured images to a computing device;

generating, by the computing device, a model of the building based on the one or more captured images of the building;

estimating, by the computing device, damage to the building based on an analysis of the generated model;

estimating, by the computing device, a financial cost to remedy the damage estimated based on the analysis of the generated model; and

storing to a memory the estimated financial cost.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein moving the controllable inspection aircraft to the one or more locations comprises:

autonomously moving the controllable inspection aircraft.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein moving the controllable inspection aircraft to the one or more locations comprises:

moving the controllable inspection aircraft in response to one or more movement commands from a controller.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

displaying, via a display device of the controllable inspection aircraft, the one or more captured images of the building via the display.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the analysis of the generated model comprises a comparison of the generated model to one or more predefined structure models.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein generating the model comprises generating a three-dimensional model.

14. A system comprising:

a controllable inspection aircraft;

a means for moving the controllable inspection aircraft to one or more locations;

a means for transmitting a command to the controllable inspection aircraft;

a means for causing the controllable inspection aircraft to receive the command and respond by actuating an image sensor of the controllable inspection aircraft to capture one or more images of a building;

a means for generating a model of the building based on the one or more captured images of the building;

a means for estimating damage to the building based on an analysis of the generated model;

a means for estimating a financial cost to remedy the damage estimated based on the analysis of the generated model; and

a means for storing to a memory the estimated financial cost.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the means for moving the controllable inspection aircraft to the one or more locations comprises:

a means for autonomously moving the controllable inspection aircraft.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the means for moving the controllable inspection aircraft to the one or more locations comprises:

a means for moving the controllable inspection aircraft in response to one or more movement commands from a controller.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the means for moving the controllable inspection aircraft to the one or more locations comprises:

a plurality of motors.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein further comprising:

a means for displaying the one or more captured images of the building.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the analysis of the generated model comprises:

a comparison of the generated model to one or more predefined structure models.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the means for generating the model comprises:

a means for generating a three-dimensional model.