# US 12,118,782 B2 · Forest resource information generation structure and forest resource information generation method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,118,782 B2 - Document ID: US12118782B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/499,140 - Filed: 2021-10-12 - Published: 2022-04-14 - Granted: 2024-10-15 - Earliest claimed: 2020-10-14 - Assignees: Kouwa Co., Ltd. - Applicants: KOUWA Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Motoyoshi Kikuchi; Kou Onoda; Yuka Kawamata; Koki Kimura; Satoshi Tsuchiya - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12118782B2 ## CPC - G06V 20/188: {Vegetation} - B64C 39/024: {of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV} - G01S 17/89: for mapping or imaging - G06T 7/62: of area, perimeter, diameter or volume - G06V 10/25: Determination of region of interest [ROI] or a volume of interest [VOI] - B64U 10/13: Flying platforms - B64U 2101/30: for imaging, photography or videography - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING - B64C: AEROPLANES; HELICOPTERS - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL - B64U: UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES [UAV]; EQUIPMENT THEREFOR ## Abstract A forest resource information generation structure and a forest resource information generation method enable more efficiently grasping forest resource information via direct measurement of a breast height diameter with no need for an actual measurement data collection process such as a ground survey are provided. A forest resource information generation structure 100 is a structure for generating forest resource information using point cloud data D00 of forest resources, the point cloud data D00 being acquired via a remote sensing technique, and includes a tree top detection processing section 10 for obtaining tree top information D10 and a breast height diameter calculation processing section 35 for obtaining breast height diameter information D35, and further includes a tree trunk detection processing section 30 for obtaining breast height part information D30 based on terrain height information obtained from the point cloud data D00 and the tree top information D10, and the breast height diameter information D35 is generated by the breast height part information D30 being subjected to processing in the breast height diameter calculation processing section 35. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A forest resource information generation structure for generating forest resource information using point cloud data of forest resources, the point cloud data being acquired via a remote sensing technique, the structure comprising: a tree top detection processing section for obtaining tree top information, and a breast height diameter calculation processing section for obtaining breast height diameter information, the structure further comprising: a tree trunk detection processing section for obtaining breast height part information based on terrain height information obtained from the point cloud data and the tree top information, wherein the breast height diameter information is generated by the breast height part information being subjected to processing in the breast height diameter calculation processing section; and wherein the forest resource information generation structure further comprises a breast height diameter reliability addition processing section for evaluating reliability of the breast height diameter information generated in the breast height diameter calculation processing section, wherein in the reliability addition processing section, reliability information for evaluation of whether or not the breast height diameter information has reliability, the reliability information being determined according to comparison between the breast height part information in a two-dimensional form and the breast height diameter information generated by the breast height diameter calculation processing section, is added to the breast height diameter information. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The forest resource information generation structure according to claim 1, wherein in the tree trunk detection processing section, a detection range with the tree top information as a center is set, and in the detection range, a point cloud in a part at around a breast height with the terrain height information reflected is acquired as the breast height part information. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The forest resource information generation structure according to claim 2, wherein in the breast height diameter calculation processing section, a substantially arc or substantially circular two-dimensional distribution with a Z-coordinate removed from the acquired breast height part information is created, and the breast height diameter information is generated by a radius of the two-dimensional distribution being calculated according to a predetermined method. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The forest resource information generation structure according to claim 3, wherein the calculation according to the predetermined method is calculation according to properties of chords and Pythagorean's theorem. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The forest resource information generation structure according to claim 1, wherein in the tree top detection processing section, the tree top information is obtained from the point cloud data using a planar structure in which units of the detection range, the units having a same shape and a same size defining mesh element(s), are consecutively provided to define a mesh structure and for each mesh element, processing for determining highest point data of a highest point converged through repetition of and below, as the tree top information is performed: extract highest point data whose Z-coordinate is largest in the mesh element; and re-set a detection range having a size that is same as that of the mesh element, with X and Y coordinates of the highest point data as a center. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The forest resource information generation structure according to claim 5, wherein in the tree top detection processing section, for the tree top information for each mesh element, processing for removing data whose Z-coordinate is smaller, the data being present around the tree top information, according to a predetermined criterion based on an estimated tree crown diameter value is performed. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The forest resource information generation structure according to claim 6, wherein the predetermined criterion includes and below: within the estimated tree crown diameter value, delete data whose Z-coordinate is smaller than that of the tree top information; and within a range that is double the estimated tree crown diameter value, delete data present within a top angle estimated from a tree species. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The forest resource information generation structure according to claim 5, wherein in the tree top detection processing section, during the repetition of and , if there is data whose Z-coordinate has a local minimal value between the highest point data before and after the re-setting of the detection range, processing for sectioning the re-set detection range by the local minimal value is performed. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The forest resource information generation structure according to claim 1, comprising a tree height calculation processing section for obtaining the terrain height information from a lowermost layer data of the point cloud data and obtaining tree height information from the terrain height information and the tree top information. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The forest resource information generation structure according to claim 9, wherein in the tree height calculation processing section, a triangulated irregular network including X, Y coordinates of the tree top information is created from three points data neighboring the tree top information to obtain the terrain height information, and the tree height information is generated by subtraction of the terrain height information from a Z-coordinate of the tree top information. ### Claim 11 A forest resource information generation structure for generating forest resource information using point cloud data of forest resources, the point cloud data being acquired via a remote sensing technique, the structure comprising: a tree top detection processing section for obtaining tree top information, and a breast height diameter calculation processing section for obtaining breast height diameter information, the structure further comprising: a tree trunk detection processing section for obtaining breast height part information based on terrain height information obtained from the point cloud data and the tree top information, wherein the breast height diameter information is generated by the breast height part information being subjected to processing in the breast height diameter calculation processing section; and wherein the forest resource information generation structure further comprises a tree crown information calculation processing section for obtaining tree crown projected area information and other tree crown information, wherein in the tree crown information calculation processing section, processing for extracting a data group for specifying a tree crown with the tree top as a center from the point cloud data, dividing the data group by a predetermined angle into circumferential angular sectors, specifying an end point estimated as an outermost edge of the tree crown in each angular sector and connecting respective end points to determine an outer circumference of the tree crown is performed. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The forest resource information generation structure according to claim 11, wherein in the tree crown information calculation processing section, processing for dividing each angular sector in a centrifugal direction with a predetermined resolution into radial sectors and connecting highest point data specified in the respective radial sectors to draw a schematic figure of a side contour of the tree crown and specifying the end point based on a degree of an inclination of a line segment included in the figure is performed. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The forest resource information generation structure according to claim 12, wherein the specification of the end point is performed by any of to below: if the inclination is smaller than a predetermined angle indicating smoothness through a predetermined number of consecutive line segments, determine a point immediately preceding the line segments as the end point; if a sign of the inclination is inverse through a predetermined number of consecutive line segments, determine a point immediately preceding the line segments as the end point; and if there is no point in the radial sector, determine a point detected last as the end point. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The forest resource information generation structure according to claim 11, wherein if there is a tree top other than a processing target tree top in the data group, processing for determining a boundary between tree crowns according to tree heights of the tree tops is performed. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The forest resource information generation structure according to claim 11, wherein processing for correcting the end point for specifying the tree crown using a horizontal distance from the tree top to the end point is performed and the correction is correction in which the horizontal distance for the correction target end point is increased or decreased based on respective end point distances for two points neighboring the correction target on opposite sides. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The forest resource information generation structure according to claim 1, comprising a tree volume calculation processing section for calculating tree volume information based on the breast height diameter information. ### Claim 17 A forest resource information generation structure for generating forest resource information using point cloud data of forest resources, the point cloud data being acquired via a remote sensing technique, the structure comprising: a tree top detection processing section for obtaining tree top information, and a breast height diameter calculation processing section for obtaining breast height diameter information, the structure further comprising: a tree trunk detection processing section for obtaining breast height part information based on terrain height information obtained from the point cloud data and the tree top information, wherein the breast height diameter information is generated by the breast height part information being subjected to processing in the breast height diameter calculation processing section; the forest resource information generation further comprising a breast height diameter reliability addition processing section that performs below in order to evaluate reliability of the breast height diameter information, and a breast height diameter estimation processing section that, for breast height diameter information having no reliability or low reliability, generating estimated breast height diameter information by estimating a breast height diameter based on information generated in the forest resource information generation structure, addition of the reliability information for evaluation of whether or not the breast height diameter information has reliability, the reliability information being determined according to comparison between the breast height part information in a two-dimensional form and the breast height diameter information generated in the breast height diameter calculation processing section, to the breast height diameter information. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The forest resource information generation structure according to claim 17, comprising a tree volume calculation processing section for calculating tree volume information based on the breast height diameter information or the estimated breast height diameter information. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The forest resource information generation structure according to claim 17, wherein processing in the breast height diameter estimation processing section is performed using an information set including the information generated in the forest resource information generation structure and in the information set, cluster numbers generated by Voronoi cells of a Voronoi diagram covering a target forest stand being subjected to clustering processing are spatially joined to the information set, and the forest resource information generation structure includes a Voronoi diagram creation processing section that creates the Voronoi diagram and a clustering processing section that performs the clustering processing. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The forest resource information generation structure according to claim 19, wherein a layer of the Voronoi diagram includes information of an inclination and a curvature, the information being created from a digital terrain model obtained based on the point cloud data, and the forest resource information generation structure includes an inclination and other calculation processing section for calculating the inclination and the curvature. ### Claim 21 (depends on 1) The forest resource information generation structure according to claim 1, wherein the point cloud data is acquired via a remote sensing technique for any of , and below: acquisition via a measurement technique using an unmanned aerial vehicle or drone-mounted laser scanner; acquisition via the unmanned aerial vehicle or drone-mounted laser scanner and a measurement technique using a ground laser scanner; and creation from an SfM multi-viewpoint stereoscopic photograph using an unmanned aerial vehicle or drone and acquisition via the ground laser scanner. ### Claim 22 (depends on 1) The forest resource information generation structure according to claim 1, wherein the forest resource information generation structure takes a form of an apparatus and is a forest resource information generation apparatus. ### Claim 23 (depends on 1) The forest resource information generation structure according to claim 1, wherein the forest resource information generation structure takes a form of a system including a data acquisition section for acquiring the point cloud data and is a forest resource information generation system. ### Claim 24 (depends on 1) The forest resource information generation structure according to claim 1, wherein the forest resource information generation structure takes a form of a computer program and is a forest resource information generation program, and the respective processing sections included in the forest resource information generation program are steps for generating forest resource information, and the forest resource information generation program makes a computer execute the steps. ### Claim 25 A forest resource information generation method for generating forest resource information, said method comprising: using a forest resource information generation structure comprising: (i) a tree top detection processing section for obtaining tree top information, and (ii) a breast height diameter calculation processing section for obtaining breast height diameter information, (iii) a tree trunk detection processing section for obtaining breast height part information based on terrain height information obtained from the point cloud data and the tree top information, wherein the breast height diameter information is generated by the breast height part information being subjected to processing in the breast height diameter calculation processing section, wherein the method further comprises making the respective processing sections included in the forest resource information generation structure operate simultaneously or in an appropriate order; and wherein a breast height diameter reliability addition processing section for evaluating reliability of breast height diameter information generated by the breast height diameter calculation processing section is included in the forest resource information generation structure, and in the reliability addition processing section, where reliability information for evaluation of reliability of breast height diameter information generated by the breast height diameter calculation processing section, the reliability information being determined according to comparison between the breast height part information in a two-dimensional form and the breast height diameter information, is added to the breast height diameter information, the comparison is made visually. ### Claim 26 (depends on 25) The forest resource information generation method according to claim 25, wherein a noise removal step of removing data in a point cloud, the data being determined as noise based on the comparison made visually, is provided, and a step of tree trunk detection processing is performed again based on the data group subjected to the noise removal. ### Claim 27 (depends on 25) The forest resource information generation method according to claim 25, wherein the point cloud data is acquired by making an unmanned aerial vehicle or drone fly at a height above ground level of no less than 40 m but no more than 100 m. ### Claim 28 (depends on 26) The forest resource information generation method according to claim 26, wherein the point cloud data is acquired by an unmanned aerial vehicle or drone-mounted laser scanner with an irradiation angle of no more than ±60°.