# US 10,970,591 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 10,970,591 B2 - Document ID: US10970591B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/442,280 - Filed: 2019-06-14 - Published: 2019-10-03 - Granted: 2021-04-06 - 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/US10970591B2 ## 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 imagery data based on the location information, to determine a point cloud using the 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 imagery data based on the location information; determine a point cloud using the imagery data, wherein the determining of the point cloud comprises to: determine points corresponding with a plurality of images of the imagery data; determine coordinates associated with the points; and project the points onto images of the earth to obtain a set of three dimensionally specified points; determine ground points, vegetation points, and structure points 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 ground points, vegetation points, and structure points, comprises to: extract corners of a structure of the structure points, vegetation points, and structure points; determine adjacent points based on the corners, wherein the adjacent points have the same orientation or tilt; determine the viable area based on the adjacent points; and determine solar power configuration based on the viable area. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system as in claim 1, wherein determining the point cloud includes stitching the 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 the solar power configuration is based at least in part on a shading criteria. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The system as in claim 4, wherein the solar power configuration is determined based at least in part on an optimization criteria. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The system as in claim 5, 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 7 (depends on 6) The system as in claim 6, wherein the solar power configuration is determined based at least in part on a constraint criteria. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The system as in claim 7, 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 9 (depends on 4) The system as in claim 4, wherein the processor is further configured to determine whether the solar power configuration is to be recalculated based at least in part on removing solar panels in the solar power configuration due to the shading criteria. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The system as in claim 9, wherein in response to a determination that the solar power configuration is to be recalculated, one or more calculation parameters are adjusted. ### Claim 11 (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 12 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the location information comprises an address of the location. ### Claim 13 A method for determining a viable area for solar radiation, comprising: receiving location information; determining, using a processor, imagery data based on the location information; determining a point cloud using the imagery data, wherein the determining of the point cloud comprises: determining points corresponding with a plurality of images of the imagery data; determining coordinates associated with the points; and projecting the points onto images of the earth to obtain a set of three dimensionally specified points; determining ground points, vegetation points, and structure points 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 round plane; determining a viable area using the ground points, vegetation points, and structure points comprises: extracting corners of a structure of the structure points, vegetation points, and structure points; determining adjacent points based on the corners, wherein the adjacent points have the same orientation or tilt; determining the viable area based on the adjacent points; and determining solar power configuration based on the viable area. ### Claim 14 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, imagery data based on the location information; determining a point cloud using the imagery data, wherein the determining of the point cloud comprises: determining points corresponding with a plurality of images of the imagery data; determining coordinates associated with the points; and projecting the points onto images of the earth to obtain a set of three dimensionally specified points; determining ground points, vegetation points, and structure points 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 ground points, vegetation points, and structure points comprises: extracting corners of a structure of the structure points, vegetation points, and structure points; determining adjacent points based on the corners, wherein the adjacent points have the same orientation or tilt; determining the viable area based on the adjacent points; and determine solar power configuration based on the viable area.