Methods and apparatus for building a three-dimensional model from multiple data sets

• US 10,163,260 B2
• Filed: 08/12/2016
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Howard, James A., Blumenberg, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phong
• Application Number:
  US15/235,803
• Publication Number:
  US 20170039757A1
• Time in Patent Office: 865 Days
• Field of Search: 345419
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3638 including 3D objects and buildings three dimensional [3D] modelling, e.g. data description of 3D objects G06T17/00; geographic models G06T17/05
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/04 Texture mapping
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/205 Image-based rendering
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/20 Finite element generation, e.g. wire-frame surface description, tesselation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/00 Manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/20 Editing of 3D images, e.g. changing shapes or colours, aligning objects or positioning parts

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for a map tool displaying a three-dimensional view of a map based on a three-dimensional model of the surrounding environment. The three-dimensional map view of a map may be based on a model constructed from multiple data sets, where the multiple data sets include mapping information for an overlapping area of the map displayed in the map view. For example, one data set may include two-dimensional data including object footprints, where the object footprints may be extruded into a three-dimensional object based on data from a data set composed of three-dimensional data. In this example, the three-dimensional data may include height information that corresponds to the two-dimensional object, where the height may be obtained by correlating the location of the two-dimensional object within the three-dimensional data.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

performing, by one or more computing devices;

receiving an indication to render a simplified map view corresponding to a map view of a map,

wherein two-dimensional mapping information comprising footprint information indicates locations and two-dimensional boundaries of one or more objects within the map view, and

wherein three-dimensional mapping information comprising three-dimensional mesh data indicates three-dimensional information corresponding to multiple locations within the map view;

correlating, for at least one object of the one or more objects, a respective footprint location of the at least one object derived from the two-dimensional mapping information to a respective location of the multiple locations within the three-dimensional mesh data; and

rendering, based on height information from the three-dimensional mesh data, the simplified map view that includes greater detail than the two-dimensional mapping information and less detail than the three-dimensional mapping information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said rendering further comprises:

extruding, for the at least one object of the one or more objects, a respective two-dimensional polygon corresponding to the respective two-dimensional boundaries of the at least one object into three-dimensional space;

wherein the respective two-dimensional polygons are respective footprints of respective structures.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

identifying two or more regions of a footprint based on a similarity of height values corresponding to each respective region of the two or more regions; and

dividing, based on the two or more regions, the footprint into the two or more regions;

wherein the extruding the respective two-dimensional polygon comprises;

extruding, based on height values corresponding to respective regions of the two or more regions, the two or more regions of the footprint.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said rendering comprises shaping a top of a three-dimensional representation of a respective object of the one or more objects based at least on zoning information corresponding to a respective physical boundary of the respective object of the one or more objects.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a granularity of the three-dimensional mapping information is greater than a granularity of the two-dimensional mapping information.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a navigation instruction corresponding to the map view; and

rendering an updated map view using the simplified map view without using updated two-dimensional mapping information and without using updated three-dimensional mapping information.

7. A system, comprising:

at least one processor; and

a memory comprising program instructions, wherein the program instructions are executable by the at least one processor to;

receive an indication to render a simplified map view corresponding to a map view of a map;

wherein two-dimensional mapping information comprising footprint information indicates locations and two-dimensional boundaries of one or more objects within the map view, and

wherein three-dimensional mapping information comprising three-dimensional mesh data indicates three-dimensional information corresponding to multiple locations within the map view;

correlate, for at least one object of the one or more objects, a respective footprint location of the at least one object derived from the two-dimensional mapping information to a respective location of the multiple locations within the three-dimensional mesh data; and

render, based on height information from the three-dimensional mesh data, the simplified map view that includes greater detail than the two-dimensional mapping information and less detail than the three-dimensional mapping information.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein to render the simplified map view the program instructions are further executable by the at least one processor to:

identify a footprint of a given object from the two-dimensional mapping information;

correlate the footprint to a corresponding area in the three-dimensional mapping information to find a height value; and

determine, based on a height value, one or more spatial dimensions for a three-dimensional representation of the given object.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein, based on a user selection of a granularity level, the simplified map view is rendered at a granularity corresponding to the user selection of the granularity level.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein a portable electronic device comprises the system, and wherein the program instructions are further executable by the at least one processor to:

detect a velocity of the portable electronic device;

determine that the velocity exceeds a velocity threshold; and

render an updated map view with a lower level of detail than the simplified map view for at least one or more areas of the simplified map view.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the two-dimensional mapping information is received from a first mapping service, and wherein the three-dimensional mapping information is received from a second mapping service that is different from the first mapping service.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the program instructions are further executable by the at least one processor to:

receive a navigation instruction corresponding to the simplified map view, wherein the navigation instruction indicates a change in perspective of a virtual camera, and wherein the simplified map view corresponds to a three-dimensional model generated by said correlate to display the simplified map view; and

render, without generating a new three-dimensional model of the map view, an updated map view in accordance with the change in perspective of the virtual camera.

13. A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions, wherein the program instructions are computer-executable to implement:

receiving an indication to render a simplified map view corresponding to a map view of a map,

wherein two-dimensional mapping information comprising footprint information indicates locations and two-dimensional boundaries of one or more objects within the map view, and

wherein three-dimensional mapping information comprising three-dimensional mesh data indicates three-dimensional information corresponding to multiple locations within the map view;

correlating, for at least one object of the one or more objects, a respective footprint location of the at least one object derived from the two-dimensional mapping information to a respective location of the multiple locations within the three-dimensional mesh data; and

rendering, based on height information from the three-dimensional mesh data, the simplified map view that includes greater detail than the two-dimensional mapping information and less detail than the three-dimensional mapping information.

14. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the rendering comprises:

extruding, for the at least one object of the one or more objects, a respective two-dimensional polygon corresponding to the respective two-dimensional boundaries of the at least one object into three-dimensional space;

wherein the respective two-dimensional polygons are respective footprints of respective structures.

15. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the program instructions are computer-executable to further implement:

identifying two or more regions of a footprint based on a similarity of height values corresponding to each respective region of the two or more regions; and

dividing, based on the two or more regions, the footprint into the two or more regions;

wherein the extruding the respective two-dimensional polygon comprises extruding, based on height values corresponding to respective regions of the two or more regions, the two or more regions of the footprint.

16. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the rendering the simplified map view comprises shaping a top of a three-dimensional representation of a respective object of the one or more objects based at least on zoning information corresponding to a respective physical boundary of the respective object of the one or more objects.

17. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein a granularity of the three-dimensional mapping information is greater than a granularity of the two-dimensional mapping information.

18. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the program instructions are computer-executable to further implement:

receiving a navigation instruction corresponding to the map view; and

rendering an updated map view using the simplified map view without using updated two-dimensional mapping information and without using updated three-dimensional mapping information.