US 11,783,544 B2
Solar ray mapping via divergent beam modeling
Jim Loveland, Alpine, UT (US); Leif Larson, Orem, UT (US); Dan Christiansen, Orem, UT (US); Tad Christiansen, Lehi, UT (US); and Daniel Gerszewski, Lehi, UT (US)
Filed by Loveland Innovations, Inc., Pleasant Grove, UT (US)
Filed on Dec. 3, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/457,435.
Application 16/522,948 is a division of application No. 16/228,019, filed on Dec. 20, 2018, granted, now 10,366,287, issued on Jul. 30, 2019.
Application 17/457,435 is a continuation of application No. 17/087,074, filed on Nov. 2, 2020, granted, now 11,205,072.
Application 17/087,074 is a continuation in part of application No. 16/865,158, filed on May 1, 2020, granted, now 11,210,514.
Application 16/865,158 is a continuation in part of application No. 16/522,948, filed on Jul. 26, 2019, granted, now 10,733,443, issued on Aug. 4, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/107,585, filed on Oct. 30, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/842,961, filed on May 3, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/722,714, filed on Aug. 24, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2022/0092305 A1, Mar. 24, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G06T 19/00 (2011.01); G01J 1/44 (2006.01); B64C 39/02 (2023.01); G06V 20/10 (2022.01); G06V 20/58 (2022.01); G06V 20/17 (2022.01); G01J 1/42 (2006.01); B64U 101/30 (2023.01)
CPC G06T 19/00 (2013.01) [B64C 39/024 (2013.01); G01J 1/44 (2013.01); G06V 20/17 (2022.01); G06V 20/176 (2022.01); G06V 20/188 (2022.01); G06V 20/58 (2022.01); B64U 2101/30 (2023.01); G01J 2001/4276 (2013.01)] 25 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method, comprising:
modeling a divergent ray path between each of a plurality of locations on a modeled surface of a structure and modeled locations of a sun relative to the modeled surface of the structure at each of a plurality of different times during a time period;
identifying a first set of the modeled ray paths that, for their respective locations on the surface and times during the time period, are unobstructed between the surface and the respective modeled locations of the sun; and
calculating a solar irradiance value for each location on the surface between a first time and a second time based, at least in part, on the identified unobstructed ray paths associated with each respective location on the surface between the first time and the second time.