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US 12,737,915 B2Granted
Method and system for object detection
AssigneeTop Seven GmbH & Co. KG
InventorsUlrich Seng, Oliver Neubauer, Herbert Stocker
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for detecting an object describable by a plurality of predetermined features comprises flying along the object and detecting several portions of the object using at least one recording unit. Each of the portions is detected multiple times from different positions of the recording unit to generate a set of images. Position and location information of the recording unit are associated to each image. Additionally, the method has recognizing features in the image sets and determining the positions and/or locations of the features using the position and location information of the images which contain the features.
Claims14
A method for detecting an object describable by a plurality of predetermined features, the method comprising:
- (a) flying along the object and detecting several portions of the object using at least one recording unit in combination with a drone, in order to obtain image sets, wherein each of the portions is detected multiple times from different positions of the recording unit to generate a set of images of the image sets, wherein position and location information of the recording unit are associated to each image;
- and
- (b) recognizing features in the image sets;
- and
- (c) determining the positions and/or locations of the features using the position and location information of the images which comprise the features;
- wherein the object is a wind turbine, the wind turbine comprising a tower, a nacelle, a hub, rotor blade flanges and rotor blades and a common rotation axis of the rotator blades;
- and
- the method further comprising determining one or more parameters of the wind turbine based on the positions and/or locations of the features;
- wherein the parameter comprises at least one of the following enumerate features:
- 1) a position of a rotor blade tip which is determined as follows:
- determining a straight between the position of the rotor blade tip identified in an image and the respective position of the recording unit, wherein the location of the recording unit at the time of recording the image and characteristics of the recording unit are also taken into consideration for determining the straight, apart from the position of the recording unit at the time of recording the image and the identified position of the rotor blade tip;
- determining a plurality of straights for a set of images of the rotor blade tip;
- evaluating the plurality of straights in pairs;
- calculating a point of intersection for each pair of straights;
- and
- calculating the position of the rotor blade tip from an amount of the points of intersection of the pairs of straights;
- 2) a position of a rotor blade flange which is determined as follows:
- determining a first straight between the position of a first point of the rotor blade flange identified in an image and the position of the recording unit and a second straight between the position of a second point of the rotor blade flange, opposite the first point, identified in the same image and the position of the recording unit, wherein the location of the recording unit at the time of recording the image and characteristics of the recording unit are also taken into consideration for determining the first and second straights, apart from the position of the recording unit at the time of recording the image and the identified positions of the points of the rotor blade flanges;
- determining another straight passing in the center between the first and the second straight;
- determining a plurality of further straights for a set of images of the rotor blade flange;
- and
- determining the position of the rotor blade flange from the plurality of further straights;
- 3) a location of the rotor blade flange which is determined as follows:
- identifying two opposite points of the rotor blade flange in an image;
- determining a direction vector of a connecting straight between the positions of the two opposite points of the rotor blade flange;
- determining a plurality of direction vectors of connecting straights for a set of images of the rotor blade flange;
- calculating an amount of possible normal vectors of the rotor blade flange from the plurality of the directional vectors of the connecting straights by forming the cross product of the direction vectors of the connecting straights in pairs;
- and
- calculating a normal vector of the rotor blade flange from the amount of possible normal vectors;
- 4) the tower center which is determined as follows:
- at least partly circling the tower by the recording unit along the outer wall of the tower;
- recording the positions of the recording unit when circling the tower;
- forming position subsets from three points each, wherein the three points comprise a predetermined distance to one another;
- determining an amount of centers of gravity of triangles from a plurality of position subsets, wherein each triangle is formed from the three points of a position subset;
- and
- calculating the center of the tower from an average of the amount of centers of gravity of triangles;
- or
- determining an amount of circle centers from a plurality of position subsets, wherein each circle center is determined from the three points of a position subset, using the equation of circle;
- and
- calculating the center of the tower from the amount of the circle centers;
- or
- determining an amount of circumcircle centers from a plurality of position subsets, wherein each circumcircle center is the center of a circumcircle of a triangle which is formed from the three points of a position subset;
- and
- calculating the center of the tower from the amount of circumcircle centers.
41 more elements
A system for detecting an object describable by a plurality of predetermined features, the system comprising:
- a recording unit in combination with a drone, configured:
- to fly along the object,
- to detect several portions of the object, in order to obtain image sets;
- to detect each of the portions multiple times from different positions to generate a set of images of the image sets, wherein position and location information of the recording unit are associated to each image;
- and
- an evaluation device configured to recognize features in the image sets and determine positions and/or locations of the features using the position and location information of the images which comprise the features;
- wherein the object is a wind turbine, the wind turbine comprising a tower, a nacelle, a hub, rotor blade flanges and rotor blades and a common rotation axis of the rotator blades;
- and
- wherein the evaluation device is configured to determine one or more parameters of the wind turbine based on the positions and/or locations of the features;
- wherein the parameter comprises at least one of the following:
- 1) a position of a rotor blade tip, wherein the evaluation device is configured to:
- determine a straight between the position of the rotor blade tip identified in an image and the respective position of the recording unit, wherein the location of the recording unit at the time of recording the image and characteristics of the recording unit are also taken into consideration for determining the straight, apart from the position of the recording unit at the time of recording the image and the identified position of the rotor blade tip;
- determine a plurality of straights for a set of images of the rotor blade tip;
- evaluate the plurality of straights in pairs;
- calculate a point of intersection for each pair of straights;
- and
- calculate the position of the rotor blade tip from an amount of the points of intersection of the pairs of straights;
- in order to determine the position of a rotor blade tip;
- 2) a position of a rotor blade flange, wherein the evaluation device is configured to:
- determine a first straight between the position of a first point of the rotor blade flange identified in an image and the position of the recording unit and a second straight between the position of a second point of the rotor blade flange, opposite the first point, identified in the same image and the position of the recording unit, wherein the location of the recording unit at the time of recording the image and characteristics of the recording unit are also taken into consideration for determining the first and second straights, apart from the position of the recording unit at the time of recording the image and the identified positions of the points of the rotor blade flanges;
- determine another straight passing in the center between the first and the second straight;
- determine a plurality of further straights for a set of images of the rotor blade flange;
- and
- determine the position of the rotor blade flange from the plurality of further straights;
- in order to determine the position of a rotor blade flange;
- 3) a location of the rotor blade flange, wherein the evaluation device is configured to:
- identify two opposite points of the rotor blade flange in an image;
- determine a direction vector of a connecting straight between the positions of the two opposite points of the rotor blade flange;
- determine a plurality of direction vectors of connecting straights for a set of images of the rotor blade flange;
- calculate an amount of possible normal vectors of the rotor blade flange from the plurality of the directional vectors of the connecting straights by forming the cross product of the direction vectors of the connecting straights in pairs;
- and
- calculate a normal vector of the rotor blade flange from the amount of possible normal vectors;
- in order to determine the location of the rotor blade flange;
- 4) the tower center, wherein in order to determine the tower center:
- the recording unit is configured to record the positions of the recording unit when the recording unit at least partly circles the tower along the outer wall of the tower;
- the evaluation device is configured to
- form position subsets from three points each, wherein the three points comprise a predetermined distance to one another;
- determine an amount of centers of gravity of triangles from a plurality of position subsets, wherein each triangle is formed from the three points of a position subset;
- and
- calculate the center of the tower from an average of the amount of centers of gravity of triangles;
- or
- determine an amount of circle centers from a plurality of position subsets, wherein each circle center is determined from the three points of a position subset, using the equation of circle;
- and
- calculate the center of the tower from the amount of the circle centers;
- or
- determine an amount of circumcircle centers from a plurality of position subsets, wherein each circumcircle center is the center of a circumcircle of a triangle which is formed from the three points of a position subset;
- and
- calculate the center of the tower from the amount of circumcircle centers.
45 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.