# US 10,373,011 B2 · Automated accurate viable solar area determination > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,373,011 B2 - Document ID: US10373011B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/246,360 - Filed: 2016-08-24 - Published: 2017-03-30 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2015-08-26 - Assignees: OnSwitch LLC - Applicants: OnSwitch LLC - Inventors: Vijay Anand Ananthakrishnan; Stacia Renee Okura; Mark Andrew Bronez - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10373011B2 ## CPC - G06V 20/176: {Urban or other man-made structures} - G01C 21/3617: {using user history, behaviour, conditions or preferences, e.g. predicted or inferred from previous use or current movement} - G06F 30/13: Architectural design, e.g. computer-aided architectural design [CAAD] related to design of buildings, bridges, landscapes, production plants or roads - G06T 3/4038: Image mosaicing, e.g. composing plane images from plane sub-images - G06T 11/26: Drawing of charts or graphs - G06V 20/188: {Vegetation} - G01C 11/06: by comparison of two or more pictures of the same area - G06F 2111/04: Constraint-based CAD - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING - G01C: MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY (measuring liquid level G01F; radio navigation, determining distance or velocity by use of propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effects, propagation time, of radio waves, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL ## Abstract A system for determining a viable area automatically and accurately includes an interface and a processor. The interface is configured to receive location information. The processor is configured to determine multi-view imagery data based on the location information, to determine a point cloud using the multi-view imagery data, determine one or more features using the point cloud, determine viable area using the one or more features, and determine a solar irradiance of the viable area. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system for determining a viable area for solar radiation, comprising: an interface configured to: receive location information; and a processor configured to: determine multi-view imagery data based on the location information; determine a point cloud using the multi-view imagery data, wherein the point cloud comprises a set of three dimensionally specified points representing an upper-most surface of a location associated with the location information, wherein the determining of the point cloud comprises to: combine, using aerial triangulation, a plurality of images of the multi-view imagery data; determine points corresponding with the combined plurality of images; determine coordinates associated with the points; and project the points onto images of the earth to obtain the set of three dimensionally specified points; determine one or more features using the point cloud, wherein determining the one or more features using the point cloud comprises to: classify ground points based on a determination of points in a plane; classify vegetation points based on a signature associated with points in an infrared image; and classify structure points based on a determination of points that are above a ground plane; determine a viable area using the one or more features, comprises to: extract corners of a structure of the one or more features; determine adjacent points based on the corners, wherein the adjacent points have the same orientation or tilt; and determine the viable area based on the adjacent points; and determine solar irradiance of the viable area. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system as in claim 1, wherein determining the point cloud includes stitching the multi-view imagery data. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system as in claim 1, wherein determining the point cloud includes determining point correspondence. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system as in claim 1, wherein a feature of the one or more features comprises vegetation. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system as in claim 1, wherein a feature of the one or more features comprises structure. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system as in claim 1, wherein a feature of the one or more features comprises ground. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system as in claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a solar power configuration. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The system as in claim 7, wherein the solar power configuration is determined based at least in part on an optimization criteria. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The system as in claim 8, wherein the optimization criteria comprise one or more of the following: maximum financial return of the solar system, maximum solar energy generation, or achievement of a system cost target. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The system as in claim 7, wherein the solar power configuration is determined based at least in part on a constraint criteria. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The system as in claim 10, wherein the constraint criteria comprises one or more of the following: a mounting plane limit, an array shape, a component constraint, a minimum irradiance level constraint, a regulatory constraint, a mounting constraint, a racking constraint, or an electrical constraint. ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) The system as in claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to determine whether the solar power configuration is to be recalculated. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The system as in claim 12, wherein in response to a determination that the solar power configuration is to be recalculated, one or more calculation parameters are adjusted. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the viable area comprises a roof area, a parking lot area, or an open ground area. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the location information comprises an address of the location. ### Claim 16 A method for determining a viable area for solar radiation, comprising: receiving location information; determining, using a processor, multi-view imagery data based on the location information; determining a point cloud using the multi-view imagery data, wherein the point cloud comprises a set of three dimensionally specified points representing an upper-most surface of a location associated with the location information, wherein the determining of the point cloud comprises: combining, using aerial triangulation, a plurality of images of the multi-view imagery data; determining points corresponding with the combined plurality of images; determining coordinates associated with the points; and projecting the points onto images of the earth to obtain the set of three dimensionally specified points; extracting one or more features using the point cloud, wherein determining the one or more features using the point cloud comprises: classifying ground points based on a determination of points in a plane; classifying vegetation points based on a signature associated with points in an infrared image; and classifying structure points based on a determination of points that are above a ground plane; determining a viable area using the one or more features, comprises: extracting corners of a structure of the one or more features; determining adjacent points based on the corners, wherein the adjacent points have the same orientation or tilt; and determining the viable area based on the adjacent points; and determining a solar irradiance of the viable area. ### Claim 17 A computer program product for determining a viable area for solar radiation, the computer program product being embodied in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for: receiving location information; determining, using a processor, multi-view imagery data based on the location information; determining a point cloud using the multi-view imagery data, wherein the point cloud comprises a set of three dimensionally specified points representing an upper-most surface of a location associated with the location information, wherein the determining of the point cloud comprises: combining, using aerial triangulation, a plurality of images of the multi-view imagery data; determining points corresponding with the combined plurality of images; determining coordinates associated with the points; and projecting the points onto images of the earth to obtain the set of three dimensionally specified points; extracting one or more features using the point cloud, wherein determining the one or more features using the point cloud comprises: classifying ground points based on a determination of points in a plane; classifying vegetation points based on a signature associated with points in an infrared image; and classifying structure points based on a determination of points that are above a ground plane; determining a viable area using the one or more features, comprises: extracting corners of a structure of the one or more features; determining adjacent points based on the corners, wherein the adjacent points have the same orientation or tilt; and determining the viable area based on the adjacent points; and determining a solar irradiance of the viable area.