Systems and methods for surface and subsurface damage assessments, patch scans, and visualization

• US 9,805,261 B1
• Filed: 02/27/2017
• Issued: 10/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Loveland Innovations, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Loveland Innovations, LLC
• Inventors: Loveland, Jim, Larson, Leif, Christiansen, Dan, Christiansen, Tad, Christiansen, Cam
• Primary Examiner(s): Tucker, Wesley
• Application Number:
  US15/444,164
• Time in Patent Office: 246 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/002 Taxiing aids
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 5/60 Testing or inspecting aircraft components or systems
• 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: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0038 by providing the operator with simple or augmented images from one or more cameras located onboard the vehicle, e.g. tele-operation images analyzed by a computer and used for automatic navigation G05D1/0246
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0094 involving pointing a payload, e.g. camera, weapon, sensor, towards a fixed or moving target
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/05 Geographic models
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/04 involving 3D image data
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/24 involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10032 Satellite or aerial image; Remote sensing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30184 Infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0004 Industrial image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/235 based on user input or interaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/176 Urban or other man-made structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/20 in augmented reality scenes

Abstract

An unmanned autonomous vehicle assessment and reporting system may conduct patch scan analyses of a roof. Damage points on the roof may be evaluated for severity and assigned a severity value. A remediation status may be objectively developed for one or more faces of the roof based on the number of damage points within a patch region of a defined size and the severity value of each of the damage points within the patch region. A visualization system may overlay markings, such as color-coded markings, to display a representation of a roof, patch regions, damage points, and/or severity values.

Claims

1. An unmanned autonomous vehicle (UAV) assessment system for exterior surface or subsurface analysis, comprising:

an electronic display for displaying a user interface to initiate a surface or subsurface analysis;

a user input device associated with the electronic display to receive an input from an operator to initiate the surface or subsurface analysis;

a network communication receiver to receive data collected by at least one sensor on an unmanned autonomous vehicle, the data including scan data of a portion of a surface or subsurface;

an assessment processor to identify at least two defects within a single sample region of the surface or subsurface from the scan data, wherein the sample region comprises a sub-portion of the surface or subsurface having a defined size characteristic; and

a visualization module to visually present on the electronic display;

a first, sample region overlay marking identifying the sample region sub-portion of the surface or subsurface, and

a plurality of defect overlay markings that each correspond to one of the at least two defects within the sample region.

2. The UAV assessment system of claim 1, further comprising a sample region selection module configured to receive input from the operator defining the size characteristic of the sample region based on at least one of a size, perimeter, area, shape, and location within which the at least one defect is to be identified by the assessment processor.

3. The UAV assessment system of claim 1, wherein

the assessment processor is configured to identify the at least two defects within the sample region by receiving data from a cloud-based identification system.

4. The UAV assessment system of claim 1, wherein the sample region is defined as a 10-foot by 10-foot square.

5. The UAV assessment system of claim 1, wherein the surface or subsurface comprises at least one of a surface of a roof and a subsurface of a roof.

6. The UAV assessment system of claim 1, wherein the electronic display and user input device are part of a portable computing device.

7. The UAV assessment system of claim 1, further comprising an estimation module to visually display, via the electronic display, an estimate for repairing or replacing at least a portion of the surface or subsurface.

8. An unmanned autonomous vehicle (UAV) assessment system for surface or subsurface analysis, comprising:

at least one sensor on a UAV for capturing scan data of a surface or subsurface of a structure;

a navigation system to autonomously navigate proximate the surface or subsurface for the at least one sensor on the UAV to capture scan data from a plurality of locations;

an evaluator to;

compare scan data captured by the at least one sensor with at least one data profile within a library of data profiles, and

identify at least one matched data profile indicating at least one defect on the surface or subsurface;

a sample region analyzer to identify a number of defects within a sample region of the surface or subsurface,

wherein the sample region comprises a sub-portion of the surface or subsurface of the structure, and

wherein the sample region has defined dimensions; and

a visualization module to visually present, via an electronic display;

at least a first overlaid marking defining a boundary of the sample region of the sub-portion of the surface or subsurface, and

a plurality of additional overlaid markings identifying at least some of the defects identified by the evaluator within the sample region.

9. The UAV assessment system of claim 8, wherein the surface or subsurface comprises at least one of a surface of a roof and a subsurface of a roof.

10. The UAV assessment system of claim 8, further comprising a sample region selection system configured to receive an input defining the dimensions of the sample region by specifying at least one of a size, perimeter, area, shape, and location of the sample region within which the defects are to be identified by the evaluator.

11. The UAV assessment system of claim 8, wherein the sample region analyzer is configured to identify a number of defects within a sample region having defined dimensions for each face of the surface or subsurface.

12. The UAV assessment system of claim 8, wherein the at least one defect comprises at least one of a damage point, manufacturing defect, and an installation defect.

13. The UAV assessment system of claim 8, wherein the visualization module is further configured to selectively visually present, via the electronic display:

a three-dimensional model of at least a portion of the surface or subsurface;

an overlaid marking defining a boundary of the sample region of the surface or subsurface on the three-dimensional model; and

an overlaid marking identifying at least some of the defects within the sample region on the three-dimensional model.

14. The UAV assessment system of claim 8, wherein the sample region is defined as a 10-foot by 10-foot square.

15. The UAV assessment system of claim 8 further comprising a remediation determination system to assign a remediation status based on each sample region comprising one of:

no remediation, repair, and replace.

16. The UAV assessment system of claim 15, further comprising a repair estimation system to determine a cost estimate for implementing repairs based on the remediation status assigned by the remediation determination system.

17. The UAV assessment system of claim 8, wherein the at defects comprise at least one of damage points, manufacturing defects, and an installation defects.