Patent Document ID: 9854165
Application ID: 15072220
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A method for generating panoramic aerial images, comprising: causing an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) carrying an image capturing device onboard the UAV to perform aerial imaging, wherein the image capturing device is coupled to the UAV via a carrier, wherein the UAV comprises a first set of sensors configured to detect at least a position, orientation, or velocity of the UAV, wherein the carrier comprises a second set of sensors configured to detect at least a position, posture, acceleration, or velocity of the carrier or the image capturing device, wherein at least one sensor in the second set of sensors has a higher sampling frequency than at least one sensor in the first set of sensors, and wherein the carrier is configured to permit the image capturing device to rotate around at least two orthogonal axes, the at least two axes comprising a first axis and a second axis; while the UAV is airborne, rotating the image capturing device by a predetermined angle of rotation around the first axis that is a yaw axis, and stabilizing the image capturing device such that the image capturing device substantially maintains a predetermined spatial disposition with respect to at least the second axis that is a roll axis or a pitch axis, wherein said stabilizing the image capturing device comprises controlling the UAV and the carrier collectively, utilizing sensor data acquired by one or more sensors from the first set of sensors to correct sensor data acquired by one or more sensors from the second set of sensors; capturing, by the image capturing device, a plurality of successive images at predetermined intervals during the stabilized rotation of the image capturing device around the first axis; and generating by one or more processors onboard the UAV, a panoramic image based on the plurality of images.