Surveying and measurement methods and devices

Abstract

The present invention relates to devices and methods for generating surveys of interior and exterior locations using image capture devices associated with image processing techniques suitable to allow survey and measurement information and where such survey and measurement information can optionally be further processed. Such survey and measurement information relating to interior and exterior locations can be used in applications such as construction / remodeling estimation, 3D model generation, insurance policy underwriting and adjusting, interior design efforts, landscaping, real estate marketing, inventory management and other areas where it can be desirable to obtain information about features and dimensions of one or more features or objects present in the location

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 165,995, filed May 24, 2015. This application also claims priority to PCT Application No. PCT / US15 / 56752, filed Oct. 21, 2015. The disclosures of each of these applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to devices and methods for generating surveys of interior and exterior locations using image capture devices associated with image processing techniques suitable to allow survey and measurement information and where such survey and measurement information can optionally be further processed. Such survey and measurement information can be used in applications such as construction / remodeling estimation, 3D model generation, insurance policy underwriting and adjusting, interior design efforts, landscaping, real estate marketing, inventory management and other areas where it can be desirab...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention is a method to capture and analyze the 3D structure of buildings using a single passive image capture device. The method involves receiving multiple 2D images of a building element of interest, overlapping with each other, and converting the 2D images into a 3D digital representation. Measurements are then extracted from the 3D representation and processed to provide one or more actual measurement values. These measurement values can be used to generate takeoff information, construction estimations, wireframe building images, CAD drawings, site plans, architectural drawings, building information models, scale drawings, landscape plans, interior design plans, inventory management plans, virtual tours, and other types of information related to the building or structure. The advantages of the invention include improved precision and accuracy in the measurement process, and the ability to analyze and analyze the 3D structure of buildings using a single device.

Problems solved by technology

Imaging of interior and ground level (or substantially ground level) exterior scenes to generate data for accurate scene reconstructions using existing methodologies provides additional difficulties in extracting detail therefrom.

Furthermore, reconstructing a floorplan or extracting information requiring measurement accuracy from datasets derived from images of interior scenes can typically include large degrees of variability and ambiguity (e.g., noisy data), each of which makes it problematic to generate survey-quality information using such images.

Lighting can also be problematic.

Comparably, outdoor scenes at ground level often comprise aspects that will serve to clutter the view and make it difficult to resolve various salient details from the scene.

In areas where structures are located close together, it can be more difficult to extract features associated specifically with the structure of interest from images taken at ground level or thereabouts, whereas when aerial views of those same structures will demonstrate distinctions between the roofs that will generally allow the individual structures to be identified from above.

Because of the difficulties in generating accurate scene reconstructions of interior scenes and ground level exterior scenes using existing computer vision methods, information regarding many interior and exterior scenes are often still mainly generated primarily by hand.

However, a physical measurement capture step is still required, even though the data capture step itself may be faster.

In short, whether conducted by physically measuring the space with a measuring tape or a laser scanning tool, the measurement aspect of the process takes considerable time and at least some degree of experience in measurement to ensure that accurate data is obtained.

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