Image analysis and estimation of rooftop solar exposure

• US 10,733,443 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2019
• Issued: 08/04/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Loveland Innovations, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Loveland Innovations, LLC
• Inventors: Loveland, Jim, Larson, Leif, Christiansen, Dan, Christiansen, Tad
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Nam D
• Application Number:
  US16/522,948
• Publication Number:
  US 20200065583A1
• Time in Patent Office: 375 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/00 UAVs characterised by their flight controls
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/44 Electric circuits for command of an exposure part G03B7/02
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2001/4276 Solar energy integrator over time
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/143 Sensing or illuminating at different wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/17 taken from planes or by drones
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/176 Urban or other man-made structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/188 Vegetation
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/58 Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads

Abstract

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) solar irradiation assessment system may automate several design parameters of solar panel design, cost and payoff estimations, and installation. The system determines the irradiance at various locations on a roof during various time periods. The system accounts for the effects of various existing or potential or future obstacles proximate the structure (e.g., on the structure). In some embodiments, a visual model (e.g., two-dimensional or three-dimensional) of the roof may be shown with a heatmap of irradiance values and/or graphical placement of solar panels. In other embodiments, the data may be analyzed and reported without visual presentation.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for imaging, via a camera, target locations of a roof, including at least one existing obstruction and at least one future obstruction; and

a computing system to;

generate a first user interface to receive an input identifying solar panel characteristics;

calculate solar irradiance at the target locations with consideration of shadowing effects of the at least one existing obstruction and the shadowing effects associated with the at least one future obstruction; and

display, via a second user interface, a representation of the target locations of the roof with an indication of solar panel placement based on the calculated solar irradiance at the target locations with consideration of the shadowing effects of the at least one existing obstruction and the at least one future obstruction.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer system is further configured to calculate and display a solar panel size recommendation based on shadowing effects of the at least one existing obstruction and the shadowing effects associated with the at least one future obstruction.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the computer system is further configured to calculate and display a recommended angle of solar panels.

4. A solar exposure system, comprising:

an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for imaging, via a camera, at least a portion of roof;

an obstruction identification subsystem to identify;

at least one existing obstruction that is calculated to cast a first shadow on the portion of the roof for a first amount of time during a time period, and

at least one future obstruction that is calculated to cast a second shadow on the portion of the roof for a second amount of time during in future time periods; and

a computing system to;

generate a graphical first user interface to display a representation of the portion of the roof with visual indications of each of;

the first shadow cast by the existing obstruction, and

the second shadow calculated to be cast by the future obstruction during the future time periods.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the visual indications of each of the first shadow and the second shadow comprises a shaded portion overlaid on the displayed representation of the portion of the roof.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein multiple shading levels are used to represent each of the first shadow and the second shadow, such that regions of the portion of the roof that are in shadow for a longer amount of time during the time period are shaded darker than regions of the portion of the roof that are in shadow for a shorter amount of time during the same time period.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the time period spans multiple years, and wherein the future obstruction is calculated to case the second shadow on the portion of the roof for the second amount of time during only some of the multiple years.

8. The system of claim 4, wherein the time period comprises one of:

a one-month period, a three-month period, a twelve-month period, and a multi-year period, and wherein the future time periods comprise corresponding lengths of time in a subset of future years.

9. The system of claim 4, wherein the future obstruction comprises a vacant lot identified to accommodate a future building estimated to cast the second shadow on the portion of the roof for the second amount of time during at least some days in future years.

10. The system of claim 4, wherein the future obstruction comprises a tree estimated to grow to a height at which the tree is estimated to cast the second shadow on the portion of the roof for the second amount of time during at least some days in future years.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising a tree variety identification subsystem to identify a variety of the tree, and wherein the identified tree variety is used to estimate the height to which the tree is estimated to grow.

12. A system for determining solar exposure on a roof of a structure, comprising:

an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system to navigate a flight pattern relative to a structure;

a camera on the UAV to capture images of a portion of a roof of the structure during navigation of the flight pattern by the UAV;

an imaging subsystem to utilize images captured by the camera on the UAV to identify;

an existing obstruction proximate the structure identified to cast a first shadow on the portion of the portion of the roof of the structure for a first amount of time during a current month, and

a future obstruction proximate the structure that;

is not estimated to cast a shadow on the portion of the roof of the structure during the current month, and

is estimated to cast a second shadow on the portion of the roof of the structure for a second amount of time at a future date; and

an irradiance exposure subsystem to calculate a total irradiance on the portion of the roof of the structure during a time period based, at least in part, on the first shadow of the existing obstruction and the estimated second shadow of the future obstruction.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the imaging subsystem is further configured to utilize the images captured by the camera on the UAV to identify characteristics of the portion of the roof, wherein the characteristics of the portion of the roof comprise a slope angle and orientation of the portion of the roof.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the existing obstruction proximate the structure comprises one of:

a chimney on the roof, a vent pipe on the roof, another portion of the roof, a swamp cooler on the roof, and satellite dish on the roof.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the future obstruction proximate the structure comprises a tree that does not currently cast a shadow on the roof of the structure but is estimated to begin casting a shadow at a future date.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the future obstruction proximate the structure comprises a vacant lot identified to accommodate a future building estimated to cast the second shadow on the portion of the roof for the second amount of time.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the flight pattern includes an approximate 360-degree rotation of the UAV to capture images, via the camera, of regions surrounding the structure, including the vacant lot.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the future obstruction proximate the structure comprises a tree estimated to grow to a height at which the tree is estimated to cast the second shadow on the portion of the roof for the second amount of time.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising a tree variety identification subsystem to identify a variety of the tree, and wherein the identified tree variety is used to estimate the height to which the tree is estimated to grow.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein the future obstruction proximate the structure is estimated to cast the second shadow on the portion of the roof of the structure for the second amount of time in a future year.