Systems and methods for adaptive scanning based on calculated shadows

• US 10,089,529 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2017
• Issued: 10/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Loveland Innovations, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Loveland Innovations, LLC
• Inventors: Larson, Leif, Loveland, Jim, Christiansen, Dan, Christiansen, Tad, Christiansen, Cam
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Nam D
• Application Number:
  US15/675,616
• Publication Number:
  US 20180129856A1
• Time in Patent Office: 417 Days
• Field of Search: 348144
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 47/08 Arrangements of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 11/02 Picture taking arrangements specially adapted for photogrammetry or photographic surveying, e.g. controlling overlapping of pictures
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0044 by providing the operator with a computer generated representation of the environment of the vehicle, e.g. virtual reality, maps maps used for automatic navigation G05D1/0274; flight directors G01C23/005
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0094 involving pointing a payload, e.g. camera, weapon, sensor, towards a fixed or moving target
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/22 Matching criteria, e.g. proximity measures
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10032 Satellite or aerial image; Remote sensing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20101 Interactive definition of point of interest, landmark or seed
• 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 7/0004 Industrial image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/30 Determination of transform parameters for the alignment of images, i.e. image registration
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/38 Registration of image sequences
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/176 Urban or other man-made structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/45 for generating image signals from two or more image sensors being of different type or operating in different modes, e.g. with a CMOS sensor for moving images in combination with a charge-coupled device [CCD] for still images
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/62 : Control of parameters via user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 : Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/185 : from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control

Abstract

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) assessment and reporting system may utilize one or more scanning techniques to provide useful assessments and/or reports for structures and other objects. The scanning techniques may be performed in sequence and optionally used to further fine tune each subsequent scan. The system may include shadow elimination, annotation, and/or reduction for the UAV itself and/or other objects. A UAV may be used to determine a pitch of roof of a structure. The pitch of the roof may be used to fine tune subsequent scanning and data capture.

Claims

1. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) assessment system for imaging a structure, comprising:

a site selection user interface to receive an electronic input from a user identifying a location of a structure; and

a UAV to receive the location of the structure from the site selection interface, the UAV comprising;

a camera to capture images of a roof of the structure;

a proximate object determination system to identify at least one object proximate the roof of the structure; and

a shadow determination system to calculate a location of a shadow cast by the proximate object onto the structure based on a location of the sun at one or more times;

an imaging system to account for the calculated shadow by annotating images of the structure captured by the camera that are calculated to include the shadow.

2. The UAV assessment system of claim 1, wherein the imaging system is part of the UAV, and wherein the imaging system is configured to account for the shadow in real-time during imaging by annotating images of the structure that include the calculated shadow at the one or more times.

3. The UAV assessment system of claim 1, wherein the imaging system is integrated within the UAV.

4. The UAV assessment system of claim 1, wherein the site selection user interface and the imaging system are embodied within one of mobile phone, a personal computer, and a tablet device.

5. The UAV assessment system of claim 1, further comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium for receiving and storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the UAV to conduct a structural damage assessment, including;

a boustrophedonic scan of the site containing the structure, the boustrophedonic scan comprising a sequence of images captured during a boustrophedonic flight pattern within a first altitude range; and

a micro scan of the structure in a second flight pattern that includes vertical approaches proximate the structure to capture detail images of the structure.

6. The UAV assessment system of claim 1, wherein the camera is configured to capture images of a roof of the structure with an optical axis of the camera aligned perpendicular to the plane of the roof of the structure by adjusting at least a tilt angle of the camera of the UAV.

7. The UAV assessment system of claim 1, wherein the object comprises a tree.

8. The UAV assessment system of claim 1, wherein the object comprises one of:

a chimney and a skylight.

9. The UAV assessment system of claim 1, wherein the object comprises one of:

a power line, a power pole, a tree, and a neighboring structure.

10. The UAV assessment system of claim 1, wherein the camera comprises at least one of an infrared camera, a visible-light camera, and an ultraviolet camera;

and wherein the shadow comprises one of an infrared shadow, a visible-light shadow, and an ultraviolet shadow.

11. The UAV assessment system of claim 1, further comprising:

a pitch determination system to determine a pitch of a planar surface of the roof that is at an angle relative to a downward direction based on at least two distance measurements.

12. The UAV assessment system of claim 11, wherein the shadow determination system is further configured to calculate the location of a shadow cast by the proximate object onto the structure based on the determined pitch of the planar surface of the roof.