Unmanned aircraft structure evaluation system and method

Abstract

An unmanned aircraft structure evaluation system includes a computer system with an input unit, a display unit, one or more processors, and one or more non-transitory computer readable medium. Image display and analysis software causes the one or more processors to generate unmanned aircraft information. The unmanned aircraft information includes flight path information configured to direct an unmanned aircraft to fly a flight path around the structure. The software causes a camera on the unmanned aircraft to capture one or more image of at least one of the sides of the structure while executing the flight path. The system may receive the one or more image and generate a structure report based at least in part on the one or more image.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computerized system, comprising:
 a computer system having an input unit, a display unit, one or more processors and one or more non-transitory computer readable medium, the one or more processors executing software to cause the one or more processors to:
 receive an identification of a structure from the input unit, the structure having multiple sides; 
 generate unmanned aircraft information including flight path information configured to direct an unmanned aircraft to fly a flight path around the structure; 
 cause a camera on the unmanned aircraft to capture one or more image of at least one of the sides of the structure while executing the flight path; 
 receive the one or more image; and 
 generate a structure report based at least in part on the one or more image. 
   
     
     
         2 . The computerized system of  claim 1 , wherein the structure report includes one or more of the images of at least one of the sides of the structure. 
     
     
         3 . The computerized system of  claim 1 , wherein the structure report includes information indicative of damage to the structure. 
     
     
         4 . The computerized system of  claim 1 , wherein the software causes the one or more processors to display the structure report on the display unit. 
     
     
         5 . The computerized system of  claim 4 , wherein the displayed structure report includes a flight path layer overlaying one of the one or more image, the flight path layer depicting the flight path that the flight path information is configured to direct the unmanned aircraft to fly. 
     
     
         6 . The computerized system of  claim 5 , wherein the one or more image is selected from a group consisting of an oblique image and a nadir image. 
     
     
         7 . The computerized system of  claim 1 , wherein the computer system includes a user terminal having one or more first processors communicating with a computer system having one or more second processors and hosting an aerial imaging database, and wherein the software causes the one or more first processors to communicate with the one or more second processors to load the one or more images into the aerial imaging database. 
     
     
         8 . The computerized system of  claim 1 , wherein the software causes the one or more processors to display the structure report on the display unit including a first image and a second image of the one or more images simultaneously displayed on the display unit. 
     
     
         9 . The computerized system of  claim 1 , wherein the computer system includes a communication port and wherein the software causes the one or more processors to load the unmanned aircraft information onto the unmanned aircraft via the communication port. 
     
     
         10 . A method for generating a structure report using an unmanned aircraft, comprising:
 receiving, by a computer system, an identification of a structure from an input unit of the computer system, the structure having multiple sides;   generating automatically, with the computer system, unmanned aircraft information including flight path information configured to direct an unmanned aircraft to fly a flight path around the structure;   flying automatically, with the unmanned aircraft, the flight path around the structure capturing, with a camera on the unmanned aircraft, one or more image of at least one of the sides of the structure while executing the flight path;   receiving, by the computer system, the one or more image; and   generating, with the computer system, a structure report based at least in part on the one or more image.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising displaying the structure report on a display unit of the computer system. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the structure report includes a first image of the one or more image of the structure. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the structure report includes a second image of the one or more image of the structure and a flight path layer overlaying the second image, the flight path layer depicting the flight path that the flight path information is configured to direct the unmanned aircraft to fly. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the first image is selected from a group consisting of an oblique image and a nadir image; and the second image is selected from a group consisting of an oblique image and a nadir image. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising loading the unmanned aircraft information from the computer system onto the unmanned aircraft via a communication port. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising a user terminal of the computer system hosting an aerial imaging database, and loading the one or more received images into the aerial imaging database. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the structure report includes two or more of the images, further comprising displaying the two or more images of the structure report simultaneously on a display unit. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein generating automatically, with the computer system, unmanned aircraft information including flight path information configured to direct the unmanned aircraft to fly the flight path around the structure includes generating flight capture points along the flight path at which the camera of the unmanned aircraft is automatically directed to capture one or more of the images. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein generating automatically, with the computer system, unmanned aircraft information including flight path information configured to direct the unmanned aircraft to fly the flight path around the structure includes generating flight capture vertical planes perpendicular to and along the flight path, such that the camera of the unmanned aircraft is automatically directed to capture one or more of the images when the unmanned aircraft passes through the planes. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising generating a model of the structure based at least in part on the one or more images.