Systems and methods for utilizing remote visualization for directional boring

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12530506-B2
Application number	US-202318310839-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 2, 2023
Priority date	May 2, 2023
Publication date	Jan 20, 2026
Grant date	Jan 20, 2026

Abstract

Systems and method for directional boring include causing one or more cameras to capture a plurality of photographs of an installation area; obtaining the plurality of photographs and causing processing of the plurality of photographs to provide one or more remote visualizations of the installation area; utilizing the one or more remote visualizations for determining one or more locations in the installation area best suited for directional boring; and installing portions of a fiber network via directional boring in the one or more locations.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of utilizing directional boring in fiber networks, the method comprising steps of:
causing one or more cameras to capture a plurality of photographs of an installation area, each of the plurality of photographs including at least two distinct location identifiers indicative of a position of the camera when the photograph was taken; obtaining the plurality of photographs and causing processing of the plurality of photographs to provide one or more remote visualizations of the installation area, wherein the processing comprises photogrammetry-based construction of a three-dimensional (3D) model from the plurality of photographs including overlapping fields of view; utilizing the one or more remote visualizations for determining one or more locations in the installation area best suited for directional boring, including determining that the directional boring reduces an overall trenching distance across at least one of a body of water, roadway, or structure; and installing portions of a fiber network via directional boring in the one or more locations.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein determining one or more locations in the installation area best suited for directional boring includes, based on the one or more remote visualizations, determining one or more locations where directional boring reduces an overall length of the fiber network.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the installation area includes any of a highway system, a neighborhood, an intersection, a business park, and one or more buildings.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the processing includes processing the plurality of photographs to define a three dimensional (3D) model of the installation area based on one or more location identifiers and one or more objects of interest in the plurality of photographs.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the steps comprise causing the one or more cameras to capture a 360 degree view of one or more locations in the installation area.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein causing the one or more cameras to capture a plurality of photographs includes causing an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) to fly a flight path over the installation area and capture the plurality of photographs.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of photographs are obtained from a combination of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and one or more camera systems, the UAV configured for exterior aerial capture and the one or more camera systems configured for interior building capture, and wherein exterior and interior photographs are combined to form an integrated 3D model of the installation area.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein causing the one or more cameras to capture a plurality of photographs is performed remotely.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the steps further comprise, after the installing, performing a virtual site inspection of the fiber network and the one or more locations.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein performing a virtual site inspection of the fiber network includes causing the one or more cameras to capture a plurality of photographs of the installation area and the one or more locations after the installation is completed.

11 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the steps further comprise providing a close-out package, wherein the close-out package provides verification of the fiber network installation.

Assignees

• Etak Systems Llc

Inventors

• Priest Lee

Classifications

• E21B47/002

  by visual inspection · CPC title

• G06T2207/10032

  Satellite or aerial image; Remote sensing · CPC title

• G06T2207/10028

  Range image; Depth image; 3D point clouds · CPC title

• G06T17/05

  Geographic models · CPC title

• G06F30/18 Primary

  Network design, e.g. design based on topological or interconnect aspects of utility systems, piping, heating ventilation air conditioning [HVAC] or cabling (circuit design at the physical level G06F30/39; network planning tools for wireless communication networks H04W16/18) · CPC title