Rendering Maps

• US 20130322702A1
• Filed: 09/30/2012
• Published: 12/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Piemonte, Patrick S., Moore, Christopher D., Pahwa, Aroon, Howard, James A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,111,380 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/113
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/28 with correlation of data from several navigational instruments
• 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: G06F 16/2291 User-Defined Types; Storage management thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/005 General purpose rendering architectures
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/20 Editing of 3D images, e.g. changing shapes or colours, aligning objects or positioning parts
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/2016 Rotation, translation, scaling
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/2024 Style variation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Some embodiments provide a mapping application for rendering map portions. The mapping application includes a map receiver for receiving map tiles from a mapping service in response to a request for the map tiles needed for a particular map view. Each map tile includes vector data describing a map region. The mapping application includes a set of mesh building modules. Each mesh building module is for using the vector data in at least one map tile to build a mesh for a particular layer of the particular map view. The mapping application includes a mesh aggregation module for combining layers from several mesh builders into a renderable tile for the particular map view. The mapping application includes a rendering engine for rendering the particular map view.

Claims

1. A machine readable medium storing a mapping application for rendering map portions, the mapping application comprising:

a map receiver for receiving map tiles from a mapping service in response to a request for the map tiles needed for a particular map view, each map tile comprising vector data describing a map region;

set of mesh building modules, each mesh building module for using the vector data in at least one map tile to build a mesh for a particular layer of the particular map view;

a mesh aggregation module for combining layers from several mesh builders into a renderable tile for the particular map view; and

a rendering engine for rendering the particular map view.

2. The machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the map receiver sends the request to the mapping service.

3. The machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the received map tiles are encoded.

4. The machine readable medium of claim 3, wherein the mapping application further comprises a decompressor module for decoding the encoded map tiles.

5. The machine readable medium of claim 4, wherein the decompressor module is further for storing the decoded map tiles in a cache.

6. The machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the mapping application further comprises a virtual camera for determining the particular map view to be rendered.

7. The machine readable medium of claim 6, wherein the mesh building modules are for receiving an empty version of the particular map view and determining the map tiles needed for the particular map view.

8. The machine readable medium of claim 7, wherein the mapping application further comprises a tile queue for receiving requests for tiles from the mesh building modules and removing duplicate requests from different mesh building modules.

9. The machine readable medium of claim 7, wherein a particular mesh building module is for building mesh for its particular layer on the received empty version of the particular map view and returning the built mesh to the mesh aggregation module.

10. The machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the set of mesh building modules comprises a particular mesh building module for a roads layer.

11. The machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the set of mesh building modules comprises a particular mesh building module for a land cover polygons layer.

12. The machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the set of mesh building modules comprises a particular mesh building module for a labels layer.

13. The machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the set of mesh building modules comprises a particular mesh building module for a buildings layer.

14. The machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the set of mesh building modules comprises a particular mesh building module for a traffic layer.

15. A machine readable medium storing a mapping application for execution by at least one processor, the mapping application comprising sets of instructions for:

rendering a first map viewing mode by using a first set of map tiles;

while rendering the first map viewing mode, determining that a switch to a second map viewing mode is likely to occur;

based on the determination, downloading a second set of map tiles for use in rendering the second map viewing mode; and

before receiving a request to switch to the second map viewing mode, preparing a pipeline for rendering the second map viewing mode by using the second set of map tiles.

16. The machine readable medium of claim 15, wherein the first map viewing mode is a non-immersive 3D map view and the second map viewing mode is an immersive 3D map view.

17. The machine readable medium of claim 15, wherein the first map viewing mode is a map browsing mode and the second map viewing mode is a navigation mode.

18. The machine readable medium of claim 17, wherein a switch to the second map viewing mode is likely to occur when the mapping application receives a request for a route from a current location of a user to a destination.

19. The machine readable medium of claim 15, wherein the mapping application further comprises a set of instructions for rendering the second map viewing mode upon receiving input to switch to the second map viewing mode.

20. The machine readable medium of claim 19, wherein the mapping application further comprises a set of instructions for rendering a transition from the first map viewing mode to the second map viewing mode.

21. For a mapping application, a method comprising:

rendering a first map viewing mode by using a first set of map tiles;

while rendering the first map viewing mode, determining that a switch to a second map viewing mode is likely to occur;

based on the determination, downloading a second set of map tiles for use in rendering the second map viewing mode; and

before receiving a request to switch to the second map viewing mode, preparing a pipeline for rendering the second map viewing mode by using the second set of map tiles.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the first map viewing mode is a non-immersive 3D map view and the second map viewing mode is an immersive 3D map view.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the first map viewing mode is a map browsing mode and the second map viewing mode is a navigation mode.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein a switch to the second map viewing mode is likely to occur when the mapping application receives a request for a route from a current location of a user to a destination.