Concurrent display systems and methods for aerial roof estimation

• US 8,209,152 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2009
• Issued: 06/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EagleView Technologies Incorporated (Eagleview Technologies, Inc. /Wa/)
• Original Assignee: EagleView Technologies Incorporated (Eagleview Technologies, Inc. /Wa/)
• Inventors: Pershing, Chris
• Primary Examiner(s): Craig, Dwin M
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIERRE LOUIS, ANDRE
• Application Number:
  US12/467,250
• Publication Number:
  US 20100114537A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,138 Days
• Field of Search: 703/1
• US Class Current: 703/1
• 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: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/20 Finite element generation, e.g. wire-frame surface description, tesselation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10012 Stereo images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30184 Infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/593 from stereo images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/176 Urban or other man-made structures

Abstract

User interface systems and methods for roof estimation are described. Example embodiments include a roof estimation system that provides a user interface configured to facilitate roof model generation based on one or more aerial images of a building roof. In one embodiment, roof model generation includes image registration, image lean correction, roof section pitch determination, wire frame model construction, and/or roof model review. The described user interface provides user interface controls that may be manipulated by an operator to perform at least some of the functions of roof model generation. The user interface is further configured to concurrently display roof features onto multiple images of a 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:

displaying a first and a second aerial image of a building having a roof, each of the aerial images providing a different view of the roof of the building;

receiving an indication of a feature of the building shown in the first aerial image;

modifying a three-dimensional model of the roof based on the received indication of the feature of the building; and

displaying a projection of the feature from the modified three-dimensional model onto the first and second aerial images as a line drawing of the feature, each overlaid on corresponding locations of the feature on the first and second aerial images.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein modifying the three-dimensional model of the roof includes adding a planar roof section to the three-dimensional model.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the indicated feature is at least one of:

a point on the roof, a section of the roof, a ridgeline of the roof, a valley of the roof, a rake edge of the roof, an eave of the roof, a hip ridge of the roof, an edge of a section of the roof, and a corner of a section of the roof.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein displaying the projection of the feature comprises:

displaying the feature in the first aerial image at a first time; and

displaying the feature in the second aerial image at a second time that is substantially coincident to the first time.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving the indication of the feature of the building occurs at a first time, and wherein displaying the projection of the feature occurs at a second time that is substantially coincident to the first time.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein displaying the projection of the feature includes initiating display of a line on the first and second image.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the first image provides a substantially top plan view of the roof of the building, and wherein the second image provides a perspective view of the roof of the building.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the first image provides a first perspective view of the roof of the building and the second image provides a second perspective view of the roof of the building.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting roof measurement information based at least in part on the modified three-dimensional model.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

displaying a marker operable to specify a point on an image;

receiving, via the marker, an indication of a point on the first aerial image; and

registering, based on the received indication of the point, the aerial image to a reference grid corresponding to the three-dimensional model.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

displaying a lean correction marker operable to indicate a vertical axis of an aerial image;

receiving, via the lean correction marker, an indication of a vertical axis of the first aerial image; and

registering, based on the received indication of the vertical axis, the first aerial image to a reference grid corresponding to the three-dimensional model.

12. A computing system for generating a roof estimate report, the computing system comprising:

a memory;

a roof estimation module that is stored on the memory and that is configured, when executed, to;

display a first and a second aerial image of a building having a roof, each of the aerial images providing a different view of the roof of the building;

receive an indication of a feature of the building shown in the first aerial image;

modify a three-dimensional model of the roof based on the received indication of the feature of the building;

display a projection of the feature from the modified three-dimensional model onto the first and second aerial images as a line drawing of the feature, each overlaid on corresponding locations of the feature on the first and second aerial images;

transmit roof measurement information based at least in part on the modified three-dimensional model.

13. The computing system of claim 12 wherein the roof estimation module includes an interactive roof modeling user interface.

14. The computing system of claim 12 wherein the computing system is a desktop computer and the roof estimation module is part of an interactive roof modeling program executing on the computing system.

15. The computing system of claim 12 wherein the roof estimation module is part of a network accessible roof modeling program executing on the computing system.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium whose contents enable a computing system to generate a roof estimate report for a building having a roof, by performing a method comprising:

receiving an indication of a feature of the building shown in a first aerial image that provides a first view of the roof of the building;

modifying a three-dimensional model of the roof based on the received indication of the feature of the building; and

in response to the receiving of the indication of the feature of the building, displaying a projection of the feature from the modified three-dimensional model onto a second aerial image that provides a second view of the roof of the building as a line drawing of the feature, each overlaid on corresponding locations of the feature on the first and second aerial images.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 wherein modifying the three-dimensional model of the roof includes adding a planar roof section to the three-dimensional model.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 wherein receiving an indication of the feature of the building includes receiving position information of the feature in the first aerial image, and wherein concurrently displaying the projection of the feature includes:

translating the received position information into position information of the feature in the three-dimensional model; and

translating the position information of the feature in the three-dimensional model into position information of the feature in the second aerial image.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 wherein displaying the projection of the feature comprises:

displaying the feature in the first aerial image at a first time; and

displaying the feature in the second aerial image at a second time that is within two seconds of the first time.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 wherein displaying the projection of the feature includes displaying the projection of the feature concurrently with receiving of the indication of the feature of the building.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 wherein displaying the projection of the feature includes displaying the projection of the feature at substantially the same time as receiving the indication of the feature of the building.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 wherein the method is performed iteratively, and the method further comprising:

providing an operator with an interactive model generation experience.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 wherein displaying the projection of the feature includes initiating display of a line on the first and second image.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 wherein the first image provides a perspective view of the roof of the building, and wherein the second image provides a substantially top plan view of the roof of the building.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 wherein the method further comprises:

generating a roof estimate report based at least in part on the modified three-dimensional model.