Patent Document ID: 20160229555
Application ID: 14618551
Patent Status: 0

Claim One:
1. A method of creating a orthomosaic of a corridor area, the corridor area at least partially described by a corridor path, the method comprising: (a) flying an aircraft along a primary flight line, the primary flight line comprising a sequence of primary flight line segments, each primary flight line segment approximating at least part of the corridor path; (b) capturing, during flight along each primary flight line segment and via an aerial camera system carried by the aircraft, a sequence of primary images, each primary image at least partially overlapping its successor in the sequence; (c) flying the aircraft along a secondary flight line, the secondary flight line comprising a sequence of secondary flight line segments, each secondary flight line segment substantially parallel to at least part of the corridor path; (d) capturing, during flight along each secondary flight line segment and via the aerial camera system carried by the aircraft, a sequence of secondary images, at least some of the secondary images overlapping at least some of the primary images; (e) identifying, in a plurality of the primary images and secondary images, common features corresponding to common ground points; (f) estimating, via bundle adjustment and from the common ground points, an exterior orientation associated with each primary image and a three-dimensional position associated with each ground point; (g) orthorectifying, using at least some of the exterior orientations and at least some of the three-dimensional ground point positions, at least some of the primary images; and (h) merging the orthorectified primary images to create the orthomosaic.