US Patent 10955241 Aircraft imaging system using projected patterns on featureless surfaces

A method, apparatus, and system for processing images. A featureless surface is detected during at least a portion of a flight of an aircraft. A pattern is displayed in a fixed location on the featureless surface while the featureless surface is in a field of view of a camera system carried by the aircraft during at least the portion of the flight of the aircraft. Images of the featureless surface with the pattern in the fixed location using the camera system are generated during at least the portion of the flight of the aircraft.