Patent Issued for Technology for automatically ensuring consistent digital image capture parameters (USPTO 11050926)

2021 JUL 21 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- From Alexandria, Virginia, NewsRx journalists report that a patent by the inventors Allen, Lucas (East Peoria, IL, US), Cunningham, Jeremy T. (Bloomington, IL, US), Sliz, Bradley A. (Normal, IL, US), filed on January 28, 2020, was published online on June 29, 2021.

The patent’s assignee for patent number 11050926 is State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (Bloomington, Illinois, United States).

News editors obtained the following quote from the background information supplied by the inventors: “Aerial imagery generally includes image data that is captured from a vantage point located above an object that is depicted in the image data. The use of aerial imagery is increasing as the amount of devices and components used to capture aerial imagery increases. For instance, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs; i.e., “drones”) and satellites are increasing in amount and usage. Generally, aerial imagery may be used in certain applications, such as supplementing mapping applications and creating graphical and video productions including promotional materials and movies.

“Because aerial imagery may be captured by various components and in various conditions or circumstances, aerial imagery is often not consistent. For example, aerial imagery captured by satellites does not have the same level of detail as aerial imagery captured by drones. Entities that analyze and process aerial imagery are thus often not afforded the benefit of consistent image data, and certain applications may be limited or ineffective. Additionally, these entities have no way to automatically or dynamically request the recapture of aerial imagery.

“Accordingly, there is an opportunity to automatically analyze image data to ensure or improve consistency with a set of parameters, and facilitate certain actions to recapture image data so that the recaptured image data is consistent with the set of parameters.”

As a supplement to the background information on this patent, NewsRx correspondents also obtained the inventors’ summary information for this patent: “In one aspect, a computer-implemented method of analyzing image data to automatically ensure consistent image capture parameters may be provided. The method may include, via one or more processors, servers, sensors, and/or transceivers: (1) accessing a set of digital image data depicting an aerial view of an area; (2) identifying a set of image capture parameters from the set of digital image data; (3) accessing a set of baseline image capture parameters corresponding to at least a portion of the set of image capture parameters; (4) comparing at least the portion of the set of image capture parameters to the set of baseline image capture parameters; (5) based upon the comparing, determining that the set of digital image data is not consistent with the set of baseline image capture parameters; and/or (6) in response to the determining, generating a digital image recapture instruction according to how the set of digital image data is not consistent with the set of baseline image capture parameters. The method may include additional, less, or alternate actions, including those discussed elsewhere herein.

“In another aspect, a computer system for analyzing image data to automatically ensure consistent image capture parameters may be provided. The system may include a memory configured to store non-transitory computer executable instructions, and a processor interfacing with the memory, and configured to execute the non-transitory computer executable instructions to cause the processor to: (1) access a set of digital image data depicting an aerial view of an area; (2) identify a set of image capture parameters from the set of digital image data; (3) access a set of baseline image capture parameters corresponding to at least a portion of the set of image capture parameters; (4) compare at least the portion of the set of image capture parameters to the set of baseline image capture parameters; (5) based upon the comparing, determine that the set of digital image data is not consistent with the set of baseline image capture parameters; and/or (6) in response to the determining, generate a digital image recapture instruction according to how the set of digital image data is not consistent with the set of baseline image capture parameters.”

The claims supplied by the inventors are:

“1. A computer-implemented method of analyzing image data to automatically ensure consistent image capture parameters, the method comprising, via one or more processors: accessing digital image data (i) depicting an aerial view of an area, and (ii) associated with image capture parameters, the digital image data captured at a time of day and at a location; accessing, based upon at least one of the time of day or the location at which the digital image data was captured, baseline image capture parameters corresponding to at least a portion of the image capture parameters; comparing at least the portion of the image capture parameters to the baseline image capture parameters; based upon the comparing, determining that the digital image data is not consistent with the baseline image capture parameters; and in response to the determining, generating, by the one or more processors, a digital image recapture instruction according to how the digital image data is not consistent with the baseline image capture parameters.

“2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: transmitting the digital image recapture instruction to a component that captured the digital image data.

“3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the component that captured the digital image data is configured to execute the digital image recapture instruction.

“4. The computer implemented method of claim 2, further comprising: receiving, from the component that captured the digital image data, additional digital image data; identifying additional image capture parameters from the additional digital image data; comparing the additional image capture parameters to the baseline image capture parameters; and based upon the comparing of the additional image capture parameters to the baseline image capture parameters, determining that the additional digital image data is consistent with the baseline image capture parameters.

“5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: transmitting the digital image recapture instruction to a component configured to communicate with an image sensor that captured the digital image data.

“6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein generating the digital image recapture instruction comprises: generating a notification indicating how the digital image data is not consistent with the baseline image capture parameters.

“7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein generating the digital image recapture instruction comprises: determining changes needed to be consistent with the baseline image capture parameters; and generating a computer-executable instruction according to the changes.

“8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein accessing the digital image data depicting the aerial view of the area comprises: receiving the digital image data from a component that captured the digital image data.

“9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein comparing at least the portion of the image capture parameters to the baseline image capture parameters comprises: for each of at least the portion of the image capture parameters, calculating a difference between the image capture parameter and a corresponding baseline image capture parameter.

“10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein determining that the digital image data is not consistent with the baseline image capture parameters comprises: determining that at least a portion of the calculated differences at least meets a threshold amount or percentage.

“11. A system for analyzing image data to automatically ensure consistent image capture parameters, comprising: a memory configured to store non-transitory computer executable instructions; and a processor interfacing with the memory, and configured to execute the non-transitory computer executable instructions to cause the processor to: access digital image data (i) depicting an aerial view of an area, and (ii) associated with image capture parameters, the digital image data captured at a time of day and at a location, access, based upon at least one of the time of day or the location at which the digital image data was captured, baseline image capture parameters corresponding to at least a portion of the image capture parameters, compare at least the portion of the image capture parameters to the baseline image capture parameters, based upon the comparing, determine that the digital image data is not consistent with the baseline image capture parameters, and in response to the determining, generate a digital image recapture instruction according to how the digital image data is not consistent with the baseline image capture parameters.

“12. The system of claim 11, further comprising: a transceiver configured to communicate via at least one network connection; wherein the processor is configured to execute the non-transitory computer executable instructions to further cause the processor to: transmit, via the transceiver, the digital image recapture instruction to a component that captured the digital image data.

“13. The system of claim 12, wherein the component that captured the digital image data is configured to execute the digital image recapture instruction.

“14. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to execute the non-transitory computer executable instructions to further cause the processor to: receive, from the component that captured the digital image data via the transceiver, additional digital image data, identify additional image capture parameters from the additional digital image data, compare the additional image capture parameters to the baseline image capture parameters, and based upon the comparing additional image capture parameters to the baseline image capture parameters, determine that the additional digital image data is consistent with the baseline image capture parameters.

“15. The system of claim 11, further comprising: a transceiver configured to communicate via at least one network connection; wherein the processor is configured to execute the non-transitory computer executable instructions to further cause the processor to: transmit, via the transceiver, the digital image recapture instruction to a component configured to communicate with an image sensor that captured the digital image data.

“16. The system of claim 11, wherein to generate the digital image recapture instruction, the processor is configured to: generate a notification indicating how the digital image data is not consistent with the baseline image capture parameters.

“17. The system of claim 11, wherein to generate the digital image recapture instruction, the processor is configured to: determine changes needed to be consistent with the baseline image capture parameters, and generate a computer-executable instruction according to the changes.

“18. The system of claim 11, wherein to access the digital image data depicting the aerial view of the area, the processor is configured to: receive the digital image data from a component that captured the digital image data.

“19. The system of claim 11, wherein to compare at least the portion of the image capture parameters to the baseline image capture parameters, the processor is configured to: for each of at least the portion of the image capture parameters, calculate a difference between the image capture parameter and a corresponding baseline image capture parameter.

“20. The system of claim 19, wherein to determine that the digital image data is not consistent with the baseline image capture parameters, the processor is configured to: determine that at least a portion of the calculated differences at least meets a threshold amount or percentage.”

For additional information on this patent, see: Allen, Lucas. Technology for automatically ensuring consistent digital image capture parameters. U.S. Patent Number 11050926, filed January 28, 2020, and published online on June 29, 2021. Patent URL: http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=11050926.PN.&OS=PN/11050926RS=PN/11050926

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