US-12620317-B1 - Flight path optimization for aerial-based damage assessment

US12620317B1US 12620317 B1US12620317 B1US 12620317B1US-12620317-B1

Abstract

A system and method for automatically pre-generating a flight path for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to survey a target location is disclosed. The system comprises a computing system that considers environmental conditions such as external and structural factors about the target location to determine an optimal time and route that should be employed in order to best obtain the desired images of selected structures. The factors can include data about the weather, lighting, and atmospheric conditions in the target region, as well as specific physical characteristics for the structures and surrounding land, and features that have been designated as being of higher importance. By customizing the flight path to reflect the target location's particular environmental and structural conditions, the UAV can obtain images of greater quality and relevance.

Inventors

Donnette L. Moncrief Brown
Justin Dax Haslam
Matthew Ryan Santacroce
Robert Wiseman Simpson
Manfred Amann
Timothy Frank Davison
Snehal Desai
Michael J. Maciolek
Kelsey Anne O'Brien
Eric David Schroeder
Emily Margaret Gray

Assignees

UIPCO, LLC

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20211019

Claims (9)

1 . A method of improving the efficiency of an aerial survey performed by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for one or more structures at a first target area, the method comprising: receiving first data describing at least one environmental condition for the first target area, wherein the first data includes historical seasonal information regarding one or more thermals; wherein the historical seasonal information regarding one or more thermals includes information about one or more localities with rising currents of air that is warmer than surrounding air during one season and falling currents of air that is cooler than surrounding air during a different season; automatically determining, based on at least the first data, that the aerial survey should occur during a first time; receiving second data, from a geographical characteristics repository, describing one or more geographical characteristics of the first target area; based on the received second data, automatically generating a first flight path for the UAV to survey the first target area, the first flight path including instructions to avoid the one or more geographical characteristics and including instructions to conduct the aerial survey during the first time; and executing the generated flight path by flying the UAV in order to conduct an aerial survey during the first time.
2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising: receiving second data describing a first structural characteristic for a first structure in the first target area; and automatically determining that the aerial survey should include a first set of waypoints to accommodate the first structural characteristic.
3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the first flight path includes the first set of waypoints.
4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the first structural characteristic describes a footprint for the first structure.
5 . A system for improving the efficiency of an aerial survey performed by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for one or more structures at a first target area, the system comprising a processor and machine-readable media including instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: receive first data describing a first structural characteristic for a first structure in the first target area; receive second data, from a geographical characteristics repository, describing a first geographical characteristic of the first target area; receive third data describing at least one environmental condition for the first target area, wherein the third data includes historical seasonal information regarding one or more thermals; wherein the historical seasonal information regarding one or more thermals includes information about one or more localities with rising currents of air that is warmer than surrounding air during one season and falling currents of air that is cooler than surrounding air during a different season; automatically determine that the aerial survey should include a first set of waypoints to accommodate the first structural characteristic; automatically generate a first flight path for the UAV to survey the first target area, the first flight path including the first set of waypoints; and send the first flight path to an onboard computing device of the UAV; wherein automatically generating the first flight path includes generating instructions to avoid the first geographical characteristic and accommodate the one or more thermals; and wherein the system is further configured to execute the generated flight path by flying the UAV in order to conduct an aerial survey.
6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the first structural characteristic includes a footprint for the first structure.
7 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the first structural characteristic includes one or more features of interest for the first structure.
8 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to: automatically determine, based on at least the first environmental condition, that the aerial survey should occur during a first time.
9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the first flight path includes instructions to conduct the aerial survey during the first time.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/094,502 filed on Oct. 21, 2020 and titled “Flight Path Optimization For Aerial-Based Damage Assessment”, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure generally relates to flight path optimization techniques, and in particular to a system and method for more efficiently assessing damage done to structures using aerial imagery by customizing and generating flight path for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that is better positioned to capture images of a target structure and/or accommodate current environmental conditions of a particular target location. BACKGROUND Following disasters such as floods, hurricanes, fires, and tornadoes, entities that insure properties in the disaster area may need to survey the area in order to assess any damage that has impacted one or more insured properties. For large scale disaster areas, aerial imagery may be used to assess damage. Specifically, an aerial vehicle may fly over the disaster area collecting continuous images that may later be combined into a single ortho-mosaic image. These images can be used to identify generally whether a structure has been damaged. However, obtaining further information regarding the extent of such damage has remained a time-consuming and resource intensive task, typically requiring a human agent to visit the structure in person to more closely examine the effects of the disaster. Even when such examinations are necessary, local environmental conditions following a disaster can prevent access to the structure for several days or weeks. This process can lead to delays for homeowners and other insured entities in receiving much needed relief or support. The ability to quickly and accurately detect what portions of a structure have been damaged and correctly determining the degree of such damage, without the need for on-site manual inspections or other time-intensive tasks, is highly desirable. In order to ensure the most effective image capture by a UAV of a structure, a flight path should take into account the particular conditions associated with that location. There is a need in the art for a system and method that addresses the shortcomings discussed above. SUMMARY In one aspect, a method of improving the efficiency of an aerial survey performed by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for one or more structures at a first target area is disclosed. The method includes a first step of receiving first data describing a first environmental condition for the first target area, and a second step of automatically determining, based on at least the first environmental condition, that the aerial survey should occur during a first time. In addition, the method includes a third step of automatically generating a first flight path for the UAV to survey the first target area, the first flight path including instructions to conduct the aerial survey during the first time, and a fourth step of sending the first flight path to an onboard computing device of the UAV. In another aspect, an alternate method of improving the efficiency of an aerial survey performed by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for one or more structures at a first target area is disclosed. The method includes a first step of receiving first data describing a first structural characteristic for a first structure in the first target area. In addition, the method includes a second step of automatically determining that the aerial survey should include a first set of waypoints to accommodate the first structural characteristic. The method further includes a third step of automatically generating a first flight path for the UAV to survey the first target area, the first flight path including the first set of waypoints, and a fourth step of sending the first flight path to an onboard computing device of the UAV. In another aspect, a system for improving the efficiency of an aerial survey performed by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for one or more structures at a first target area includes a processor and machine-readable media including instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to receive first data describing a first structural characteristic for a first structure in the first target area. The instructions further cause the processor to automatically determine that the aerial survey should include a first set of waypoints to accommodate the first structural characteristic. In addition, the instructions cause the processor to automatically generate a first flight path for the UAV to survey the first target area, the first flight path including the first set of waypoints, as well as to send the first flight path to an onboard computing device of the UAV. Other systems, methods, features, and advantages of the disclosure will be, or will become, apparent to one of ordinary skill in