US 12,339,242 B2
Solar panel inspection using unmanned aerial vehicles
Bernard J. Michini, Plymouth Meeting, PA (US); Fabien Blanc-Paques, San Francisco, CA (US); and Edward Dale Steakley, Cupertino, CA (US)
Assigned to Skydio, Inc., San Mateo, CA (US)
Filed by Skydio, Inc., San Mateo, CA (US)
Filed on Jan. 17, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/414,582.
Application 18/414,582 is a continuation of application No. 18/147,955, filed on Dec. 29, 2022, granted, now 11,885,759.
Application 18/147,955 is a continuation of application No. 17/483,249, filed on Sep. 23, 2021, granted, now 11,567,019, issued on Jan. 31, 2023.
Application 17/483,249 is a continuation of application No. 15/640,135, filed on Jun. 30, 2017, granted, now 11,156,573, issued on Oct. 26, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/357,340, filed on Jun. 30, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2024/0230565 A1, Jul. 11, 2024
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G01N 25/72 (2006.01); H02S 50/10 (2014.01)
CPC G01N 25/72 (2013.01) [H02S 50/10 (2014.12)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system comprising:
one or more processors; and
a non-transitory computer-readable medium including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to:
determine a flight path for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for inspection of one or more solar panels;
navigate the UAV according to the flight path;
obtain, at multiple geo-spatial locations, respective thermal images of the one or more solar panels;
determine, based on the obtained thermal images, that one or more solar cells of the one or more solar panels failed; and
responsively generate a report indicating that the one or more solar cells of the one or more solar panels failed.