Image analysis and estimation of rooftop solar exposure
AssigneeLoveland Innovations, LLC
InventorsJim Loveland, Leif Larson, Dan Christiansen, Tad Christiansen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) solar irradiation assessment system may automate several design parameters of solar panel design, cost and payoff estimations, and installation. The system determines the irradiance at various locations on a roof during various time periods. The system accounts for the effects of various existing, potential, or future obstacles proximate the structure. In some embodiments, a visual model of the roof may be shown with a heatmap of irradiance values and/or graphical placement of solar panels. In other embodiments, the data may be analyzed and reported without visual presentation.
Claims20
A system, comprising:
- a mobile camera for imaging target locations of a roof;
- and
- a computing system to:
- estimate a future obstruction estimated to occlude a portion of the roof during a future time period that does not currently occlude the portion of the roof;
- calculate solar irradiance at target locations of the portion of the roof for positioning solar panels with consideration of shadowing effects of the estimated future obstruction;
- and
- display, via a user interface, a representation of the target locations of the roof with an indication of solar panel placement based on the calculated solar irradiance at the target locations with consideration of the shadowing effects of the estimated future obstruction.
A system to determine solar exposure on a roof of a structure, comprising:
- a mobile device with a camera to capture images relative to a structure, including a portion of a roof of the structure;
- an imaging subsystem to utilize images captured by the camera to identify:
- an existing obstruction proximate the structure identified to cast a first shadow on the portion of the portion of the roof of the structure for a first amount of time during a current month, and
- a future obstruction proximate the structure that:
- is not estimated to cast a shadow on the portion of the roof of the structure during the current month, and
- is estimated to cast a second shadow on the portion of the roof of the structure for a second amount of time at a future date;
- and
- an irradiance exposure subsystem to calculate a total irradiance on the portion of the roof of the structure during a time period based, at least in part, on the first shadow of the existing obstruction and the estimated second shadow of the future obstruction.
A method to determine solar exposure on a roof of a structure, comprising:
- obtaining images of a portion of a roof of a structure;
- identifying within the images an existing obstruction proximate the structure identified to cast a first shadow on the portion of the portion of the roof of the structure for a first amount of time during a current month;
- identifying within the images a future obstruction proximate the structure that:
- is not estimated to cast a shadow on the portion of the roof of the structure during the current month, and
- is estimated to cast a second shadow on the portion of the roof of the structure for a second amount of time at a future date;
- and
- calculating a total irradiance on the portion of the roof of the structure during a time period based, at least in part, on the first shadow of the existing obstruction and the estimated second shadow of the future obstruction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.