Implementation of route instruction service with three-dimensional model

• US 20040015292A1
• Filed: 07/11/2003
• Published: 01/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technology GmbH (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Wiio, Antti, Voipio, Mikko
• Granted Patent: US 6,944,537 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/210
• 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 15/30 Clipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/16 involving adaptation to the client's capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/08 Bandwidth reduction

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for implementing a route guidance service in a telecommunications system. In order for it to be possible to utilize both the data transmission capacity of the telecommunications system and the memory and processing capacity of the user workstation efficiently in the execution of a route animation based on a three-dimensional model, the description of the 3D model sent to the terminal is restricted by first defining a route between desired route points and thereafter selecting from the 3D model comprising surface elements at least some of the surface elements that are visible to said route. A partial model comprising only these selected surface elements is transmitted to the user workstation, and in addition the requisite description of how the route animation is constructed on the basis of the partial model.

Claims

1. Method for implementing a route guidance service to a user in a telecommunications system, the method comprising the steps of

representing the area serviced by a three-dimensional model comprising surface elements describing the area,

sending a description of how a route animation is formed at a user terminal to the user terminal,

characterized by the steps of

defining first a route between selected route points,

selecting surface elements visible to said route from the three-dimensional model on the basis of the route defined,

forming an ordered set from the selected surface elements, and

in said description, informing the terminal of said ordered set for constructing a route animation on the basis of said ordered set.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the route is defined between the desired starting point and end point.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that in the step of forming the ordered set, (1) an order of appearance in accordance with the route is defined for the selected surface elements, said order of appearance indicating the order in which the surface elements become visible in the route, and (2) the order of appearance is used as a criterion for forming the ordered set.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that in defining the order of appearance, times of emergence are determined for the surface elements, the time of emergence of a surface element representing the moment at which said surface element becomes visible for the first time in the route.

5. A method as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that in addition to the order of appearance, a visibility time is defined for the selected surface elements, comprising in addition to the time of emergence the deletion time representing the moment after which the surface element no longer becomes visible in the route.

6. A method as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that also the surface elements belonging to the set are transmitted in said description, and that the transmission takes place in the order determined by the ordered set.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the transmission is optimized by forming the ordered set in an order deviating from the order of appearance.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that the selected surface elements are sent in the order of importance in view of perceiving the route.

9. A method as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that also the surface elements belonging to the set as well as their order of appearance and visibility times are transmitted in said description.

10. A method as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that the transmission is scheduled in accordance with the visibility times.

11. A method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the current position of the terminal is also monitored in the method and the route is presented synchronously with the position of the terminal.

12. A method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that only such surface elements that are within a given distance from the route are selected from the three-dimensional model.

13. A system for implementing a route guidance service to a user, said system comprising

a three-dimensional model describing the area serviced, comprising surface elements representing the area,

route determining means (52) for constructing a route between desired route points, and

transmission means (55) for transmitting presentation information to the user for implementing route guidance on the basis of said information,

characterized in that the system further comprises

selection means (5, 53) responsive to the route determining means and adapted to select from a three-dimensional model surface elements that are visible to the route on the basis of the route, and

scheduling means (5, 54) for forming an ordered set from selected surface elements on the basis of the route, the transmission means being adapted to transmit information on the ordered set along with said presentation information to implement route guidance on the basis of the ordered set.

14. A system as claimed in claim 13, characterized in that the scheduling means are adapted to define for the selected surface elements an order of appearance corresponding to the route and said ordered set on the basis of the order of appearance.

15. A system as claimed in claim 14, characterized in that the transmission means are adapted to transmit the surface elements in the order determined by the ordered set to the user.

16. A system as claimed in claim 15, characterized in that it further comprises means (54) for defining a visibility time for the selected surface elements, said visibility time indicating the moment at which a surface element becomes visible for the first time in the route and the moment after which the surface element will no longer become visible in the route.

17. A system as claimed in claim 15, characterized in that the scheduling means are adapted to form from the selected surface elements an ordered set in accordance with their order of appearance.

18. A system as claimed in claim 15, characterized in that to optimize the transmission of the surface elements, the scheduling means are adapted to form an ordered set deviating from the order of appearance.

19. A system as claimed in claim 16, characterized in that the transmission means (55) are adapted to time the transmission in accordance with the visibility time.

20. A system as claimed in claim 13, characterized in that it further comprises positioning means (3a, 3b) for positioning the user terminal, and that presentation means are adapted to synchronize the presentation with the position data given by the positioning means.,