System for detecting image abnormalities

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9262818-B2
Application number	US-201313744174-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 17, 2013
Priority date	May 1, 2007
Publication date	Feb 16, 2016
Grant date	Feb 16, 2016

Abstract

An image capture system for capturing images of an object, the image capture system comprising a moving platform such as an airplane, one or more image capture devices mounted to the moving platform, and a detection computer. The image capture device has a sensor for capturing an image. The detection computer executes an abnormality detection algorithm for detecting an abnormality in an image immediately after the image is captured and then automatically and immediately causing a re-shoot of the image. Alternatively, the detection computer sends a signal to the flight management software executed on a computer system to automatically schedule a re-shoot of the image. When the moving platform is an airplane, the detection computer schedules a re-shoot of the image such that the image is retaken before landing the airplane.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image capture system for capturing aerial images of the Earth, the image capture system comprising:
an airplane flying a planned flight path;
an image capture device mounted to the airplane, the image capture device having a sensor for capturing an image, the image having pixels;
a computer system executing flight management software monitoring the position of the airplane and outputting signals to the image capture device to cause the image capture device to capture predetermined images based upon a schedule; and
a detection computer executing an abnormality detection algorithm for detecting an abnormality in the pixels of a predetermined image immediately after the image is captured, the abnormality obscuring at least a portion of the image, the abnormality detection algorithm causing the detection computer to flag the image as having the abnormality and to send a signal to the flight management software executed on the computer system to automatically schedule a re-shoot of the predetermined image prior to landing of the airplane.

2. A method of taking aerial images, comprising the steps of:
capturing a first predetermined image of a portion of the Earth utilizing an image capture device mounted to a moving platform, the platform moving in a predetermined manner, the first image having pixels;
immediately detecting an abnormality in the pixels of the first image, the abnormality obscuring at least a portion of the first image;
flagging the first image as having the abnormality;
shortly thereafter capturing a second image overlapping the first image upon detection of the abnormality in the pixels of the first image; and
combining the first and second images to form a third image devoid of the abnormality responsive to the second image having the abnormality.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the step of shortly thereafter capturing the second image is defined further as capturing the second image, the second image having pixels, and scanning the second image to determine whether an abnormality is located in the pixels of the second image.

4. A method of taking aerial images, comprising the steps of:
capturing a first predetermined image of a portion of the Earth utilizing an image capture device mounted to a moving platform and based upon a schedule accessed by flight management software executed by a computer system, the first image having pixels;
immediately detecting an abnormality in the pixels in the first image, the abnormality obscuring at least a portion of the first image;
flagging the first image as having the abnormality with the computer system; and immediately causing, with the flight management software, a sequence of re-shoots of the first image.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the step of immediately causing, with the flight management software, a sequence of re-shoots of the first image is defined further as immediately causing, with the flight management software, a sequence of re-shoots of the first image until the next scheduled image to be taken by the image capture device.

Assignees

• Pictometry Int Corp

Inventors

• Giuffrida Frank
• Schultz Stephen

Classifications

• H04N23/64

  Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image · CPC title

• G06T2207/30168

  Image quality inspection · CPC title

• G06T7/0002 Primary

  Inspection of images, e.g. flaw detection · CPC title

• G06T2207/10016

  Video; Image sequence · CPC title

• H04N5/23222

  Electricity · mapped topic