Integrating maps and street views

• US 10,324,601 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2016
• Issued: 06/18/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Unnikrishnan, Sreejit, De, Arijit, Katragadda, Lalitesh Kumar, Komaragiri, Vihari Venkata
• Primary Examiner(s): Lu, Hua
• Application Number:
  US15/008,156
• Publication Number:
  US 20160139781A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,238 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3647 Guidance involving output of stored or live camera images or video streams
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3664 Details of the user input interface, e.g. buttons, knobs or sliders, including those provided on a touch screen; remote controllers; input using gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/367 Details, e.g. road map scale, orientation, zooming, illumination, level of detail, scrolling of road map or positioning of current position marker
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• 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 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/00 Geometric image transformations in the plane of the image
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/007 using computer methods

Abstract

Methods and systems for improved integration of an overhead representation (e.g., a map) with a street view representation. A user interface with at least two regions is output for display to a user. One region includes an overhead representation of an area and an interactive control overlaid onto the overhead representation. Another region includes a street view perspective that has a point of view corresponding to a position and directional orientation of the interactive control. Information about a user input that adjusts the interactive control is received and the street view perspective is updated to track the control as it is adjusted. The field of view of the street view perspective may be reflected in the appearance of the interactive control. Additionally, the street view perspective may follow the location of a marker as it is moved around the overhead representation.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

outputting, for display in a first region of a user interface, an overhead representation of an area;

outputting a visual indicator for display on the overhead representation, the visual indicator having a position, a directional orientation, and an appearance;

outputting, for display in a second region of the user interface, a first-person perspective view of the area, the first-person perspective view corresponding to the position and directional orientation of the visual indicator and having a field of view that corresponds to the appearance of the visual indicator;

identifying a plurality of features within the overhead representation of the area that are also within the first-person perspective view of the area, each of the plurality of identified features associated with map data describing a location of the feature and other attribute information of the feature; and

projecting the plurality of identified features onto the overhead representation, wherein projecting the plurality of identified features comprises marking the plurality of identified features in the overhead representation in a manner that visibly distinguishes the plurality of identified features from one or more additional features within the overhead representation of the area, wherein the one or more additional features are not within the first-person perspective view of the area.

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

responsive to the user moving a first visual marker displayed on the overhead representation to a new location, updating the first-person perspective view to display movement of a second visual marker to the new location as the first visual marker is moved to the new location.

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

responsive to the user moving a first visual marker displayed on the overhead representation to a new location, updating the first-person perspective view to show the new location of a second visual marker, wherein the updated first-person perspective view shows how the second visual marker appears from a street location facing the second visual marker.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first-person perspective view is a visualization from a point of view that is near ground level.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the visual indicator comprises a cone, and an angular size of the cone corresponds to the size of the field of view.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein identifying the plurality of features comprises:

identifying the plurality of features in the first-person perspective view based at least in a part on one or more previously stored associations between one or more first-perspective view images and the plurality of features.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions, which when executed by a processor cause the processor to:

output, for display in a first region of a user interface, an overhead representation of an area;

output a visual indicator for display on the overhead representation, the visual indicator having a position, a directional orientation, and an appearance;

output, for display in a second region of the user interface, a first-person perspective view of the area, the first-person perspective view corresponding to the position and directional orientation of the visual indicator and having a field of view that corresponds to the appearance of the visual indicator;

identify a plurality of features within the overhead representation of the area that are also within the first-person perspective view of the area, each of the plurality of identified features associated with map data describing a location of the feature and other attribute information of the feature; and

project the plurality of identified features onto the overhead representation, wherein projecting the plurality of identified features comprises marking the plurality of identified features in the overhead representation in a manner that visibly distinguishes the plurality of identified features from one or more additional features within the overhead representation of the area, wherein the one or more additional features are not within the first-person perspective view of the area.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, further comprising instructions that cause the processor to:

responsive to the user moving a first visual marker displayed on the overhead representation to a new location, update the first-person perspective view to display movement of a second visual the marker to the new location as the first visual marker is moved to the new location.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, further comprising instructions that cause the processor to:

responsive to the user moving a first visual marker displayed on the overhead representation to a new location, update the first-person perspective view to show the new location of a second visual marker, wherein the updated first-person perspective view shows how the second visual marker appears from a street location facing the second visual marker.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the first-person perspective view is a visualization from a point of view that is near ground level.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the visual indicator comprises a cone, and an angular size of the cone corresponds to the size of the field of view.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the instructions that cause the processor to identify the plurality of features comprise instructions that cause the processor to:

identify the plurality of features in the first-person perspective view based at least in a part on one or more previously stored associations between one or more first-perspective view images and the plurality of features.

13. A system comprising:

a processor; and

non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions, which when executed by the processor cause the processor to;

output, for display in a first region of a user interface, an overhead representation of an area;

output a visual indicator for display on the overhead representation, the visual indicator having a position, a directional orientation, and an appearance;

output, for display in a second region of the user interface, a first-person perspective view of the area, the first-person perspective view corresponding to the position and directional orientation of the visual indicator and having a field of view that corresponds to the appearance of the visual indicator;

identify a plurality of features within the overhead representation of the area that are also within the first-person perspective view of the area, each of the plurality of identified features associated with map data describing a location of the feature and other attribute information of the feature; and

project the plurality of identified features onto the overhead representation, wherein projecting the plurality of identified features comprises marking the plurality of identified features in the overhead representation in a manner that visibly distinguishes the plurality of identified features from one or more additional features within the overhead representation of the area, wherein the one or more additional features are not within the first-person perspective view of the area.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium further comprises instructions that cause the processor to:

responsive to the user moving a first visual marker displayed on the overhead representation to a new location, update the first-person perspective view to display movement of a second visual marker as the first visual marker is moved to the new location.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium further comprising instructions that cause the processor to:

responsive to the user moving a first visual marker displayed on the overhead representation to a new location, update the first-person perspective view to show the new location of a second visual marker, wherein the updated first-person perspective view shows how the second visual marker appears from a street location facing the second visual marker.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the first-person perspective view is a visualization from a point of view that is near ground level.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the instructions that cause the processor to identify the plurality of features comprise instructions that cause the processor to:

identify the plurality of features in the first-person perspective view based at least in a part on one or more previously stored associations between one or more first-perspective view images and the plurality of features.