# US 10,313,575 B1 · Drone-based inspection of terrestrial assets and corresponding methods, systems, and apparatuses > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,313,575 B1 - Document ID: US10313575B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 15/656,933 - Filed: 2017-07-21 - Granted: 2019-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2016-11-14 - Assignees: Talon Aerolytics, Inc. - Applicants: Talon Aerolytics (Holding), Inc. - Inventors: Austin Wingo; Phillip Bevel; Eric S Hare - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10313575B1 ## CPC - H04N 23/66: Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices - B64U 10/00: Type of UAV - B64U 30/20: Rotors; Rotor supports - G05D 1/0094: {involving pointing a payload, e.g. camera, weapon, sensor, towards a fixed or moving target} - G05D 1/101: {specially adapted for aircraft} - G06T 3/4038: Image mosaicing, e.g. composing plane images from plane sub-images - G06V 20/176: {Urban or other man-made structures} - H04N 23/62: Control of parameters via user interfaces - H04N 23/69: Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming - B64U 2101/30: for imaging, photography or videography - B64U 2201/10: autonomous, i.e. by navigating independently from ground or air stations, e.g. by using inertial navigation systems [INS] - G06T 2200/32: involving image mosaicing - G08G 5/32: for flight plan preparation - G08G 5/55: for a single aircraft - G08G 5/57: for unmanned aircraft - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION - B64U: UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES [UAV]; EQUIPMENT THEREFOR - G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING - G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93}) ## Abstract A terrestrial asset inspection system includes a drone (101). One or more processors (105) of the drone receive one or more image capture parameters (202), which can include a minimum number of images per unit area (206), a minimum overlap amount for any two adjacent images (207), or other factors. The one or more processors also receive geographical boundary information (222) of the terrestrial asset (400). At least one flight plan (122) is determined as a function of these parameters, and the drone flies in accordance with the flight plan while an image capture device (108) captures a plurality of images (501) meeting or exceeding the image capture parameters to inspect the terrestrial asset. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of inspecting a terrestrial asset, the method comprising: receiving, with one or more processors carried by an unmanned aircraft, one or more image capture parameters comprising at least: a minimum number of images per unit area; and a minimum overlap amount for any two adjacent images; receiving, with the one or more processors, geographical boundary information of the terrestrial asset; determining, with the one or more processors, at least one flight plan as a function of each of the minimum number of images per unit area, the minimum overlap amount for any two adjacent images, and the geographical boundary information; flying, by the one or more processors, the unmanned aircraft in accordance with the at least one flight plan; and capturing, with an image capture device carried by the unmanned aircraft, a plurality of images meeting or exceeding both the minimum number of images per unit area and the minimum overlap between any two adjacent images. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, the one or more image capture parameters further comprising an initial vector heading for flying the unmanned aircraft relative to the terrestrial asset, the determining the at least one flight plan further occurring as a function of the initial vector heading. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, the one or more image capture parameters further comprising an overshoot metric beyond which the unmanned aircraft will fly beyond a geographical boundary of the terrestrial asset, the determining the at least one flight plan further occurring as a function of the overshoot metric. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, one or more image capture parameters further comprising a desired flight altitude, the determining the at least one flight plan further occurring as a function of the desired flight altitude. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, the one or more image capture parameters further comprising a desired flight speed, the determining the at least one flight plan further occurring as a function of the desired flight speed. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, the determining the at least one flight plan further occurring as a function of one or more lens parameters defining an angle of view of the image capture device. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, further comprising: delivering, from the unmanned aircraft, the plurality of images to an image assembly device; and assembling, with the image assembly device, the plurality of images into a composite image of the terrestrial asset. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, further comprising: identifying, with an optical identification device, one or more anomalies of the terrestrial asset from the composite image; and marking, with one or more other processors operable with the optical identification device, the one or more anomalies of the terrestrial asset on the composite image, thereby creating a marked composite image. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, further comprising delivering, with a communication device operable with the one or more other processors, the marked composite image to a remote electronic device across a network. ### Claim 10 A terrestrial asset inspection system, comprising: an unmanned aircraft, comprising one or more processors operable with an image capture device and a propulsion system; the one or more processors: receiving one or more image capture parameters comprising at least: a minimum number of images per unit area; and a minimum overlap amount for any two adjacent images; receiving geographical boundary information of the terrestrial asset; determining at least one flight plan as a function of each of the minimum number of images per unit area, the minimum overlap amount for any two adjacent images, and the geographical boundary information; and flying, by controlling the propulsion system, the unmanned aircraft in accordance with the at least one flight plan; the image capture device: capturing a plurality of images meeting or exceeding both the minimum number of images per unit area and the minimum overlap between any two adjacent images. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The terrestrial asset inspection system of claim 10, the unmanned aircraft further comprising an energy storage device delivering energy to the propulsion system, wherein the flying comprises flying a portion of the at least one flight plan until an amount of stored energy is depleted to a level insufficient to drive the propulsion system. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The terrestrial asset system of claim 11, further comprising an image assembly device, the image assembly receiving device receiving the plurality of images from the unmanned aircraft and assembling an orthomosaic image from the plurality of images. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The terrestrial asset system of claim 12, the image assembly device identifying a tie point across at least a subset of the plurality of images, the assembling the orthomosaic image occurring as a function of the tie point. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The terrestrial asset system of claim 13, further comprising an optical identification device in communication with the image assembly device, the optical identification device identifying one or more anomalies of the terrestrial asset from the orthomosaic image. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The terrestrial asset system of claim 14, further comprising a marking device operable with the optical identification device, the marking device marking the one or more anomalies of the terrestrial asset on the orthomosaic image to create a marked orthomosaic image. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The terrestrial asset system of claim 15, further comprising a communication device operable with the marking device, the communication device delivering, across a network, the marked orthomosaic image to a remote electronic device. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The terrestrial asset system of claim 16, the terrestrial asset comprising a solar panel farm. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The terrestrial asset system of claim 17, wherein the at least one flight plan comprises an initial vector heading, wherein the initial vector heading is aligned with at least one row of solar panels of the solar panel farm. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The terrestrial asset system of claim 18, wherein the solar panel farm comprises a perimeter boundary, wherein the at least one flight plan defines an overshoot metric beyond which the unmanned aircraft will fly beyond the perimeter boundary. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The terrestrial asset system of claim 19, wherein the a minimum number of images per unit area comprises 200 images per acre, wherein the minimum overlap amount for any two adjacent images comprises a ninety-percent overlap.