System and method using image analysis for controlling a flight path of a surface inspection unmanned aerial vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11774969-B2
Application number	US-201817056308-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 26, 2018
Priority date	Feb 26, 2018
Publication date	Oct 3, 2023
Grant date	Oct 3, 2023

Abstract

Provided are a computer system and method using image analysis for controlling a flight path of a surface inspection unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein the computer system is configured to: acquire an image captured by a drone; perform image analysis on the acquired image; extract, in a result of the image analysis, a point whose an edge variation amount is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold; acquire a position coordinate of the extracted point; in a case where there are a plurality of points, set a flight path of the drone in a manner of flying in an order of edge variation amounts of the plurality of points from large to small; and control the drone to fly towards the acquired position coordinate and perform capturing with a camera using light other than visible light.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer system using image analysis for controlling a flight path of a surface inspection unmanned aerial vehicle,
wherein the computer system comprises a computer and a drone connected with the computer, and the computer comprises a processor and a memory,
wherein the processor is configured to:
acquire an image captured by the drone;
perform image analysis on the acquired image;
extract, in a result of the image analysis, a point whose an edge variation amount is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold;
acquire a position coordinate of the extracted point;
in a case where there are a plurality of points, set a flight path of the drone in a manner of flying in an order of edge variation amounts of the plurality of points from large to small; and
control the drone to fly towards the acquired position coordinate and perform capturing with a camera using light other than visible light.

2. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to:
in a case where there are a plurality of points, set a flight path of the drone in a manner of flying over all the plurality of points.

3. A method using image analysis for controlling a flight path of a surface inspection unmanned aerial vehicle, executed by a computer system, wherein the computer system comprises a computer and a drone connected with the computer, and the computer comprises a processor and a memory, wherein the method comprises:
acquiring an image captured by the drone;
performing image analysis on the acquired image;
extracting, in a result of the image analysis, a point whose an edge variation amount is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold;
acquiring a position coordinate of the extracted point;
setting, in a case where there are a plurality of points, a flight path of the drone in a manner of flying in an order of edge variation amounts of the plurality of points from large to small; and
controlling the drone to fly towards the acquired position coordinate and perform capturing with a camera using light other than visible light.

4. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, configured to store a program, wherein the program, when executed by a processor, implements the method of claim 3 .

Assignees

• Optim Corp

Inventors

• Sugaya Shunji

Classifications

• H04N23/11

  for generating image signals from visible and infrared light wavelengths · CPC title

• B64U2201/104

  using satellite radio beacon positioning systems, e.g. GPS · CPC title

• G05D1/0094 Primary

  involving pointing a payload, e.g. camera, weapon, sensor, towards a fixed or moving target · CPC title

• B64C39/024

  of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV · CPC title

• B64D47/08

  Arrangements of cameras · CPC title