Generating a mission plan for capturing aerial images with an unmanned aerial vehicle

• US 9,852,639 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2016
• Issued: 12/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Skycatch, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Skycatch, Inc.
• Inventors: Teng, Yifei, Chen, David, Stuart, Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Sample, Jonathan L
• Application Number:
  US15/291,433
• Publication Number:
  US 20170110014A1
• Time in Patent Office: 440 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/14 with four distinct rotor axes, e.g. quadcopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0094 involving pointing a payload, e.g. camera, weapon, sensor, towards a fixed or moving target
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0202 specially adapted to aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0034 Assembly of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/006 in accordance with predefined flight zones, e.g. to avoid prohibited zones
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0086 for monitoring terrain radar or analogous systems specially adapted for terrain avoidance G01S13/935

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for generating a digital flight path within complex mission boundaries. In particular, in one or more embodiments, systems and methods generate flight legs that traverse a target site within mission boundaries. Moreover, one or more embodiments include systems and methods that utilize linking algorithms to connect the generated flight legs into a flight path. Moreover, one or more embodiments include systems and methods that generate a mission plan based on the flight path. In one or more embodiments, the generated mission plan enables a UAV to traverse a flight area within mission boundaries and capture aerial images with regard to the target site.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

generating a mission plan comprising a flight path with flight legs for capturing aerial images of a target site utilizing a UAV;

while the UAV is flying the mission plan, generating, by at least one processor, a three-dimensional model corresponding to the target site by capturing a plurality of initial images of the target site;

while the UAV is flying the mission plan, identifying, by the at least one processor, a building within the target site based on the generated three-dimensional model from the plurality of initial images of the target site;

modifying, by the at least one processor, the flight path during the mission plan based on the identified building from the generated three-dimensional model to include additional flight legs that orbit the identified building, wherein the additional flight legs orbit the identified building at a plurality of different altitudes; and

capturing digital images of the building by causing the UAV to orbit the identified building according to the modified flight path and the additional flight legs.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the flight path during the mission plan based on the identified building from the generated three-dimensional model to include the additional flight legs that orbit the identified building further comprises:

generating a first plurality of flight legs at a first altitude; and

generating a second plurality of flight legs at a second altitude, wherein the second altitude is separated from the first altitude by a vertical spacing.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein capturing digital images of the building further comprises:

capturing a first set of digital images of the building at the first altitude; and

capturing a second set of digital images of the building at the second altitude.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining the vertical spacing based on a characteristic of the UAV.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the characteristic of the UAV comprises a resolution of a camera affixed to the UAV utilized to capture the digital images of the building.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining the vertical spacing based on a characteristic of the building, wherein the characteristic of the building comprises at least one of:

a shape of the building or a height of the building.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying an orientation of a camera affixed to the UAV based on the three-dimensional model to capture digital images of the building.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying an orientation of the UAV based on the three-dimensional model to capture digital images of the building.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the flight path during the mission plan based on the identified building from the generated three-dimensional model to include additional flight legs that orbit the identified building further comprises:

determining a buffer spacing between the UAV and the building; and

generating the additional flight legs based on the buffer spacing between the UAV and the building.

10. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions thereon that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to;

capture a plurality of initial aerial images of a target site utilizing a UAV;

generate a three-dimensional model corresponding to the target site based on the captured plurality of initial aerial images of the target site;

identify a structure within the target site based on the generated three-dimensional model from the plurality of initial aerial images of the target site;

generate a mission plan for capturing aerial images of the identified structure, the mission plan comprising a flight path comprising a plurality of flight legs that orbit the identified structure, wherein the plurality of flights legs orbit the identified structure at a plurality of different altitudes; and

capture digital images of the identified structure by causing the UAV to orbit the identified structure at the plurality of different altitudes according to the plurality of flight legs.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to generate the mission plan for capturing aerial images of the identified structure by:

generating a first plurality of flight legs connected by a first plurality of waypoints at a first altitude; and

generating a second plurality of flight legs connected by a second plurality of waypoints at a second altitude, wherein the second altitude is separated from the first altitude by a vertical spacing.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to capture digital images of the identified structure by:

capturing a first plurality of digital images of a side of the identified structure at the first altitude; and

capturing a second plurality of digital images of the side of the identified structure at the second altitude.

13. The system of claim 11, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to determine the vertical spacing based on a characteristic of the UAV, wherein the characteristic of the UAV comprises a resolution of a camera affixed to the UAV.

14. The system of claim 11, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to determine the vertical spacing based on a characteristic of the identified structure.

15. The system of claim 10, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to modify orientation of a camera affixed to the UAV based on the three-dimensional model to capture digital images of the identified structure.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein generating the mission plan for capturing the aerial images of the identified structure further comprises:

determining a buffer spacing between the UAV and the identified structure; and

generating the plurality of flight legs based on the buffer spacing between the UAV and the identified structure.

17. A computer-implemented method comprising:

capturing a plurality of initial images of a target site via a UAV flying a mission plan corresponding to the target site;

while the UAV is flying the mission plan, generating, by at least one processor, a three-dimensional model corresponding to the target site based on the plurality of initial images of the target site;

while the UAV is flying the mission plan, identifying, by the at least one processor, a structure within the target site from the generated three-dimensional model;

in response to identifying the structure, determining a buffer spacing between the UAV and the identified structure and a vertical spacing between flight legs;

modifying, by the at least one processor, the mission plan to include a plurality of flight legs that navigate around the identified structure at a plurality of different altitudes based on the structure identified from the generated three-dimensional model, based on the determined buffer spacing between the UAV and the identified structure, and based on the vertical spacing between flight legs; and

capturing digital images of the structure by causing the UAV to navigate around the identified structure at the plurality of different altitudes according to the flight legs.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

determining the buffer spacing and the vertical spacing based on an amount of desired overlap between one or more captured digital images of the structure.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising determining the vertical spacing based on a characteristic of the UAV.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising modifying an orientation of a camera affixed to the UAV based on the three-dimensional model to capture the digital images of the structure.