Style sheet driven virtual camera for defining a navigation presentation

• US 10,247,568 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2016
• Issued: 04/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Fillhardt, Nathan L., Davie, Thomas, Strawn, Justin M., Marrin, Christopher F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoang, Phi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Elbinger, Steven Z
• Application Number:
  US15/274,907
• Publication Number:
  US 20170356754A1
• Time in Patent Office: 921 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3415 Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3608 using speech input, e.g. using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3635 Guidance using 3D or perspective road maps
• 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: G01C 21/3655 Timing of guidance instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3667 Display of a road map G01C21/3614 takes precedence; guidance using 3D or perspective road maps G01C21/3635
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3676 Overview of the route on the road map
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/147 using display panels
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/20 Perspective computation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/05 Geographic models
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/003 Navigation within 3D models or images
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 having a display in the form of a map
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/10 Automotive applications
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/188 Capturing isolated or intermittent images triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined event, e.g. an object reaching a predetermined position signal generation from motion picture films H04N5/253

Abstract

Some embodiments of the invention provide methods for generating navigation presentations that display a device navigating a route on a map. The method uses a virtual camera that, based on detected changes to the navigation context, dynamically modifies how it captures map portions to produce navigation scenes in the presentation. The method of some embodiments identifies attribute sets describing different navigation contexts and uses these attribute sets to identify virtual camera operating styles. The method uses an identified style to specify the virtual camera'"'"'s positional attributes, which define the map portions identified for rendering to produce navigation scenes over time. During the navigation presentation, each time the navigation context changes, the identified attribute set may change. This, in turn, may cause the method to select a new virtual camera operating style. When the style changes, the method modifies the way the virtual camera captures the map portion to render.

Claims

1. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing a virtual camera style sheet and a program for execution by at least one processing unit, the program for generating a navigation presentation for display on a device that navigates to a destination along a map, the program comprising sets of instructions for:

storing a plurality of virtual camera styles within the virtual camera style sheet, further comprising storing a set of style attributes and a set of properties for each style of the plurality of virtual camera styles;

during the navigation to the destination, receiving a set of contextual attributes describing a current context of the navigation, wherein the set of contextual attributes includes one or more of the type of road currently being navigated and the posted speed limit for the road currently being navigated;

selecting a style from the plurality of virtual camera styles stored in the virtual camera style sheet, further comprising matching the received set of contextual attributes to the set of style attributes for the style, the style being identified by a style identifier that is generated based on the set of style attributes; and

causing the virtual camera to identify, by a set of style properties for the selected style, the portion of the map to render to produce a navigated scene in the navigation presentation.

2. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the identified style comprises a set of properties that a virtual camera engine uses to identify parameters of the virtual camera, said parameters defining a field of view of the virtual camera.

3. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 2, wherein the identified parameters include parameters that specify how the virtual camera should identify a bounding polygon to frame a collection of points in the map.

4. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein for each of a plurality of different instances of the navigation presentation, the program further comprises sets of instructions for:

identifying a set of contextual attributes describing a current context of the navigation for the instance;

from the plurality of stored virtual-camera styles, identifying a style for the instance by using the set of contextual attributes identified for the instance; and

providing the style identified for the instance to the virtual camera to use to identify the map portion to render to produce the navigated scene for the instance.

5. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein each identified style comprises a set of style attributes associated with the style and a set of properties for the virtual camera to use to identify the map portion to render, and wherein the style identifier is generated using a hash value of the set of style attributes associated with the style.

6. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein causing the virtual camera to identify, by the set of style properties, the portion of the map to render comprises causing the virtual camera to identify one or more positional attributes for the virtual camera, and wherein the positional attributes include one or more of a pitch, distance and rotation parameters for the virtual camera.

7. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the set of instructions for identifying the set of contextual attributes comprises a set of instructions for receiving the set of contextual attributes from a navigation engine that tracks movement of the device along a route that the device is navigating to the destination.

8. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 7, wherein the set of contextual attributes describe the current navigation context by describing at least two of:

day navigation mode or night navigation mode;

distance to next maneuver;

type of next maneuver;

number of upcoming maneuvers near the next maneuver; and

type of device displaying the navigation presentation.

9. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 7, wherein the sets of instructions for identifying are sets of instructions that are part of a style sheet engine.

10. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 7, wherein the set of instructions for providing the identified style comprises a set of instructions for providing the set of properties of the identified style to the virtual camera.

11. A mobile device comprising:

a set of processing units for executing instructions;

a non-transitory machine readable medium storing a program for execution by at least one processing unit, the program for generating a navigation presentation for display on a device that navigates to a destination along a map, the program comprising sets of instructions for;

storing a plurality of virtual camera styles within the virtual camera style sheet, further comprising storing a set of style attributes and a set of properties for each style of the plurality of virtual camera styles;

during the navigation to the destination, receiving a set of contextual attributes describing a current context of the navigation, wherein the set of contextual attributes includes one or more of the type of road currently being navigated and the posted speed limit for the road currently being navigated;

selecting a style from the plurality of virtual camera styles stored in the virtual camera style sheet, further comprising matching the received set of contextual attributes to the set of style attributes for the style, the style being identified by a style identifier that is generated based on the set of style attributes; and

causing the virtual camera to identify, by a set of style properties for the selected style, the portion of the map to render to produce a navigated scene in the navigation presentation.

12. The mobile device of claim 11, wherein the identified style comprises a set of properties that a virtual camera engine uses to identify parameters of the virtual camera, said parameters defining a field of view of the virtual camera.

13. The mobile device of claim 12, wherein the identified parameters include parameters that specify how the virtual camera should identify a bounding polygon to frame a collection of points in the map.

14. The mobile device of claim 11, wherein for each of a plurality of different instances of the navigation presentation, the program further comprises sets of instructions for:

identifying a set of contextual attributes describing a current context of the navigation for the instance;

from the plurality of stored virtual-camera styles, identifying a style for the instance by using the set of contextual attributes identified for the instance; and

providing the style identified for the instance to the virtual camera to use to identify the map portion to render to produce the navigated scene for the instance.

15. The mobile device of claim 11, wherein each identified style comprises a set of style attributes associated with the style and a set of properties for the virtual camera to use to identify the map portion to render, and wherein the style identifier is generated using a hash value of the set of style attributes associated with the style.

16. The mobile device of claim 11, wherein causing the virtual camera to identify, by the set of style properties, the portion of the map to render comprises causing the virtual camera to identify one or more positional attributes for the virtual camera, and wherein the positional attributes include one or more of a pitch, distance and rotation parameters for the virtual camera.

17. The mobile device of claim 11, wherein the set of instructions for identifying the set of contextual attributes comprises a set of instructions for receiving the set of contextual attributes from a navigation engine that tracks movement of the device along a route that the device is navigating to the destination.

18. A method of generating a navigation presentation for display on a device that navigates to a destination along a map, the method comprising:

storing a plurality of virtual camera styles within the virtual camera style sheet, further comprising storing a set of style attributes and a set of properties for each style of the plurality of virtual camera styles;

during the navigation to the destination, receiving a set of contextual attributes describing a current context of the navigation, wherein the set of contextual attributes includes one or more of the type of road currently being navigated and the posted speed limit for the road currently being navigated;

selecting a style from the plurality of virtual camera styles stored in the virtual camera style sheet, further comprising matching the received set of contextual attributes to the set of style attributes for the style, the style being identified by a style identifier that is generated based on the set of style attributes; and

causing the virtual camera to identify, by a set of style properties for the selected style, the portion of the map to render to produce a navigated scene in the navigation presentation.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the identified style comprises a set of properties that a virtual camera engine uses to identify parameters of the virtual camera, said parameters defining a field of view of the virtual camera.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the identified parameters include parameters that specify how the virtual camera should identify a bounding polygon to frame a collection of points in the map.