Panning in a three dimensional environment on a mobile device

• US 10,222,931 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2016
• Issued: 03/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Kornmann, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, Motilewa Good
• Application Number:
  US15/095,442
• Publication Number:
  US 20160224204A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,058 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/003 Navigation within 3D models or images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/24 involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]

Abstract

This invention relates to panning in a three dimensional environment on a mobile device. In an embodiment, a computer-implemented method for navigating a virtual camera in a three dimensional environment on a mobile device having a touch screen. A user input is received indicating that an object has touched a first point on a touch screen of the mobile device and the object has been dragged to a second point on the touch screen. A first target location in the three dimensional environment is determined based on the first point on the touch screen. A second target location in the three dimensional environment is determined based on the second point on the touch screen. Finally, a three dimensional model is moved in the three dimensional environment relative to the virtual camera according to the first and second target locations.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for navigating a virtual camera in a three dimensional environment on a mobile device having a touch screen, comprising:

receiving a user input indicating that an object has touched a first point on a touch screen of a mobile device and the object has been dragged to a second point on the touch screen;

receiving an orientation of the mobile device;

determining a first panning mode for a virtual camera in a three dimensional environment on the mobile device when the orientation of the mobile device is below an angular threshold, wherein the three dimensional environment includes a three dimensional model, and wherein the first panning mode corresponds to a mode in which the virtual camera stays stationary and the three-dimensional model is translated only when the user input is up and down and in which a yaw value of the virtual camera changes when the user input is left and right; and

determining a second panning mode for the virtual camera in a three dimensional environment on the mobile device when the orientation of the mobile device is above the angular threshold, wherein the second panning mode corresponds to a mode in which the virtual camera stays stationary and the three-dimensional model is translated in all directions based on the user input;

wherein the user input indicating that an object has touched a first point on a screen of the mobile device and the object has been dragged to a second point on the touch screen causes a virtual camera to have a different behavior when the first panning mode is determined than when the second panning mode is determined.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein receiving an orientation of the mobile device comprises receiving an angle of the mobile device relative to gravity.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

determining a first panning mode occurs when the orientation of the mobile device is facing downward; and

determining a second panning mode occurs when the orientation of the mobile device is facing toward a horizon.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

moving a three dimensional model to follow movement of the object up or down on the touch screen when the first panning mode is determined; and

changing an orientation of the virtual camera according to movement of the object left or right on the touch screen when the first panning mode is determined.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further

comprising:

moving a three dimensional model to follow movement of the object up or down on the touch screen when the second panning mode is determined; and

moving a three dimensional model to follow movement of the object left or right on the touch screen when the second panning mode is determined.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

changing an orientation of the virtual camera according to movement of the object left or right on the touch screen when the first panning mode is determined; and

moving a three dimensional model to follow movement of the object left or right on the touch screen when the second panning mode is determined.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the three dimensional model includes a three dimensional model of the Earth.