IP Library Granted Patent US 10,691,942
Granted Patent B2
US 10,691,942 · App. 15/812,124 · Granted Jun 23, 2020

Unsupervised land use and land cover detection

Inventor: Georgios Ouzounis (Longmont, CO)
Assignee: DIGITALGLOBE, INC.
G06K9/0063G06F16/5854G06K9/00637G06K9/627G06K9/6215G06K9/6219G06K9/6221G06K9/6242G06K9/6267G06K9/6282G06T7/0002G06T7/0004G06T7/11G06T7/12G06T7/90G06K9/40G06T2207/10024G06T2207/10036G06T2207/30181G06T2207/30184G06T2207/30188
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,691,942
App. No.
15/812,124
Granted
Jun 23, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

A system and methods for unsupervised land use and land cover detection using a classifier that produces a plurality of class image layers which are filtered to remove misclassified same-label pixel groupings, a class resolution module that reduces multiple pixel labels to a single one if applicable and a reconstruction module that generates the output land use and land cover image.

Claims (21)

1. A system for unsupervised land use and land cover detection, comprising:

a spectrum analyzer comprising a processor, a memory, and a plurality of programming instructions stored in the memory and operating on the processor, wherein the programming instructions, when operating on the processor, cause the processor to:

receive an image from an image source; and

algorithmically process the image to produce a plurality of class layers of image information within the image;

a class layer filtering module comprising a processor, a memory, and a plurality of programming instructions stored in the memory and operating on the processor, wherein the programming instructions, when operating on the processor, cause the processor to:

receive a plurality of class layers, wherein the layers comprise at least one of a cloud layer, a soil layer, a vegetation layer, a shadow layer, and a water layer; and

algorithmically process each layer to remove same-class pixel groupings that fail class-related size, shape and color criteria;

hierarchically filter the layers in order from the cloud layer, to the soil layer, to the vegetation layer, to the shadow layer, to the water layer;

a class resolution module comprising a processor, a memory, and a plurality of programming instructions stored in the memory and operating on the processor, wherein the programming instructions, when operating on the processor, cause the processor to:

receive a plurality of filtered class layers;

detect pixels in the stack of class layers that are assigned more than one class; and

perform of plurality of class-assignment confidence comparisons for each multi-class pixel to produce a single class label for that pixel; and

an image reconstruction engine comprising a processor, a memory, and a plurality of programming instructions stored in the memory and operating on the processor, wherein the programming instructions, when operating on the processor, cause the processor to:

receive a plurality of class image layers from the class resolution module; and

reconstruct the colored output image based at least in part on the filtered class image layers.

2. A system according to claim 1 , wherein any dense cloud forms regardless of saturation levels are identified.

3. A system according to claim 1 , wherein rocks, gravel, and sand are excluded.

4. A system according to claim 1 , wherein the cloud layer is detected using a parabolic function fit calculation.

5. A system according to claim 1 , wherein the soil layer is detected using a linear segment fitting calculation.

6. A system according to claim 1 , wherein the vegetation layer is detected using a two-line segment fitting calculation.

7. A system according to claim 1 , wherein the water layer is detected using a normalized difference water index ratio discrimination calculation.

Assignments (15)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Mar 3, 2026
From: SIXTH STREET LENDING PARTNERS, ACTING IN ITS CAPACITY AS AGENT
To: AURORA INSIGHT INC.; VANTOR INC. (F/K/A MAXAR INTELLIGENCE INC.); VANTOR SERVICES INC. (F/K/A MAXAR MISSION SOLUTIONS INC.); LANTERIS SPACE LLC (F/K/A MAXAR SPACE LLC); SPATIAL ENERGY, LLC; LANTERIS SPACE ROBOTICS LLC (F/K/A MAXAR SPACE ROBOTICS LLC); VANTOR HOLDINGS INC. (F/K/A MAXAR TECHNOLOGIES HOLDINGS INC.)
Reel/Frame 075021/0624 →
RELEASE (REEL 060389/FRAME 0720) Recorded May 12, 2023
From: ROYAL BANK OF CANADA
To: MAXAR INTELLIGENCE INC.; MAXAR SPACE LLC
Reel/Frame 063633/0431 →
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded May 5, 2023
From: MAXAR INTELLIGENCE INC. (F/K/A DIGITALGLOBE, INC.); AURORA INSIGHT INC.; MAXAR MISSION SOLUTIONS INC. ((F/K/A RADIANT MISSION SOLUTIONS INC. (F/K/A THE RADIANT GROUP, INC.)); MAXAR SPACE LLC (F/K/A SPACE SYSTEMS/LORAL, LLC); SPATIAL ENERGY, LLC; MAXAR SPACE ROBOTICS LLC ((F/K/A SSL ROBOTICS LLC) (F/K/A MDA US SYSTEMS LLC)); MAXAR TECHNOLOGIES HOLDINGS INC.
To: SIXTH STREET LENDING PARTNERS, AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
Reel/Frame 063660/0138 →
TERMINATION AND RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS AND TRADEMARKS - RELEASE OF REEL/FRAME 051258/0465 Recorded May 4, 2023
From: ROYAL BANK OF CANADA, AS AGENT
To: MAXAR INTELLIGENCE INC.; MAXAR SPACE LLC
Reel/Frame 063542/0300 →
TERMINATION AND RELEASE OF PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT - RELEASE OF REEL/FRAME 053866/0412 Recorded May 4, 2023
From: WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: MAXAR INTELLIGENCE INC.; MAXAR SPACE LLC
Reel/Frame 063544/0011 →
TERMINATION AND RELEASE OF PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT - RELEASE OF REEL/FRAME 060389/0782 Recorded May 4, 2023
From: WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: MAXAR INTELLIGENCE INC.; MAXAR SPACE LLC
Reel/Frame 063544/0074 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Feb 15, 2023
From: DIGITALGLOBE, INC.
To: MAXAR INTELLIGENCE INC.
Reel/Frame 062760/0832 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 21, 2022
From: WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
To: DIGITALGLOBE, INC.; SPACE SYSTEMS/LORAL, LLC; RADIANT GEOSPATIAL SOLUTIONS LLC
Reel/Frame 060390/0282 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jun 17, 2022
From: MAXAR INTELLIGENCE INC.; MAXAR SPACE LLC
To: WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
Reel/Frame 060389/0782 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jun 16, 2022
From: MAXAR INTELLIGENCE INC.; MAXAR SPACE LLC
To: ROYAL BANK OF CANADA
Reel/Frame 060389/0720 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Sep 23, 2020
From: DIGITALGLOBE, INC.
To: WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 053866/0412 →
CHANGE OF ADDRESS Recorded Mar 10, 2020
From: DIGITALGLOBE, INC.
To: DIGITALGLOBE, INC.
Reel/Frame 052136/0893 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT (NOTES) Recorded Dec 12, 2019
From: DIGITALGLOBE, INC.; RADIANT GEOSPATIAL SOLUTIONS LLC; SPACE SYSTEMS/LORAL, LLC (F/K/A SPACE SYSTEMS/LORAL INC.)
To: WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, - AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 051262/0824 →
AMENDED AND RESTATED U.S. PATENT AND TRADEMARK SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Dec 11, 2019
From: DIGITALGLOBE, INC.
To: ROYAL BANK OF CANADA, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 051258/0465 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 15, 2017
From: OUZOUNIS, GEORGIOS
To: DIGITALGLOBE, INC.
Reel/Frame 044139/0926 →