INTELLIGENTLY PLACING LABELS

• US 20140354629A1
• Filed: 06/01/2013
• Published: 12/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Adlers, Erik Anders Mikael, Hultquist, Jeffrey Paul McCurdy, Martin, Christopher F., Lindkvist, Elisabeth, Henderson, Ian MacDonald
• Granted Patent: US 9,396,697 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/419
• 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 21/3673 Labelling using text of road map data items, e.g. road names, POI names
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3682 output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3691 Retrieval, searching and output of information related to real-time traffic, weather, or environmental conditions arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions G08G1/09
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/00 2D [Two Dimensional] image generation
• 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 2219/004 Annotating, labelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/2016 Rotation, translation, scaling
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/60 Rotation of whole images or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T

Abstract

Some embodiments provide a mapping application that displays a rotation of a 3D map and corresponding rotation of a set of map labels overlaying the 3D map in response to receiving input to rotate the 3D map. When a particular map label in the set of map labels rotates towards an upside down orientation, the mapping application also replaces the particular map label with a version of the particular map label arranged in a right side up orientation to prevent the particular map label from being displayed in the upside down orientation in the 3D map.

Claims

1. A non-transitory machine-readable medium storing a mapping application which when executed on a device by at least one processing unit of a device provides views of a three-dimensional (3D) map, the mapping application comprising sets of instructions for:

in response to receiving input to rotate the 3D map, displaying a rotation of the 3D map and corresponding rotation of a set of map labels overlaying the 3D map; and

when a particular map label in the set of map labels rotates towards an upside down orientation, replacing the particular map label with a version of the particular map label arranged in a right side up orientation to prevent the particular map label from being displayed in the upside down orientation in the 3D map.

2. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the set of map labels is a first set of map labels, wherein the set of instructions for displaying the rotation of the 3D map comprises a set of instructions for displaying a second set of map labels overlaying the 3D map that are maintained in an upright orientation while displaying the rotation of the 3D map.

3. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 2, wherein the first set of map labels comprises road names.

4. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 3, wherein the second set of map labels comprises at least one of a point of interest (POI) name, a city name, a state name, and a continent name.

5. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 3, wherein the second set of map labels comprises a banner for a point of interest (POI) indicator.

6. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 5, wherein the mapping application further comprises a set of instructions for displaying the banner for the POI indicator upon receiving a selection of the POI indicator.

7. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the particular map label in the set of map labels rotates towards an upside down orientation when the particular map label rotates passed a threshold angle relative to the display of the 3D map.

8. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the set of instructions for replacing the particular map label with the version of the particular map label arranged in the right side up orientation comprises a set of instructions for displaying a crossfade effect that fades out the particular map label while fading in the version of the particular map label arranged in the right side up orientation.

9. A device comprising:

a display screen;

at least one processing unit; and

a storage storing a mapping program which when executed by the processing unit generates views of a three-dimensional (3D) map, the mapping program comprising sets of instructions for;

receiving input to manipulate the 3D map displayed in the display screen, wherein a plurality of map labels overlay the 3D map that is displayed in the display screen;

in response to the input, displaying the manipulation of the 3D map and the plurality of map labels overlaying the 3D map; and

when first and second map labels in the plurality of map labels is determined as overlapping each other in the display screen, continuing to display one of the first and second map labels and discontinuing to display the other of the first and second map labels in order to avoid displaying colliding map labels overlaying the 3D map.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the first and second map labels are determined as overlapping each other in the display screen based on first and second bounding shapes that encompass the first and second map labels, respectively, wherein the mapping program further comprises a set of instructions for:

determining that the first and second map labels overlap each other when the first and second bounding shapes intersect.

11. The device of claim 9, wherein the first and second map labels are first and second road names, wherein the set of instructions for continuing to display one of the first and second map labels and discontinuing to display the other of the first and second map labels comprises a set of instructions for

selecting the map label in the first and second map labels to continue displaying based on road classifications of roads to which the first and second road names correspond.

12. The device of claim 9, wherein the first map label comprises a point of interest (POI) indicator and a POI name, wherein the set of instructions for continuing to display one of the first and second map labels and discontinuing to display the other of the first and second map labels comprises a set of instructions for:

when the second map label is determined to overlap both the POI indicator and the POI name of the first map label, continuing to display the second map label and discontinuing to display the first map label.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the set of instructions for continuing to display one of the first and second map labels and discontinuing to display the other of the first and second map labels further comprises a set of instructions for:

when the second map label is determined to overlap only the POI name of the first map label, continuing to display the second map label and the POI indicator of the first map label and discontinuing to display the POI name of the first map label.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the set of instructions for continuing to display one of the first and second map labels and discontinuing to display the other of the first and second map labels further comprises a set of instructions for displaying a fading effect that fades out the other of the first and second map labels.

15. The device of claim 9, wherein the mapping program further comprises a set of instructions for:

identifying a location in the 3D map that corresponds to a particular map label in the plurality of map labels;

projecting a line segment vertically from the identified location in the 3D map;

discontinuing to display the particular map label when the line segment is determined as occluded by map elements in the display screen.

16. A non-transitory machine-readable medium storing a mapping application which when executed on a device by at least one processing unit of a device provides map labels for views of a three-dimensional (3D) map, the mapping application comprising sets of instructions for:

upon receiving a set of map tiles comprising road data that describes roads in a portion of the 3D map, generating a road network of the roads for the portion of the 3D map;

determining a layout of map labels for the portion of the 3D map based on the road network; and

rendering map labels for the portion of the 3D map based on the layout of the map labels.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the set of instructions for generating the road network for the portion of the 3D map comprises sets of instructions for:

identifying locations along the roads of the road network at which not to place a map label; and

based on the identified locations, identifying a plurality of candidate positions along the roads of the road network at which to potentially place map labels.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the set of instructions for determining the layout of map labels for the portion of the 3D map comprises a set of instructions for selecting a subset of the plurality of candidate positions along the roads of the road network at which to place map labels.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the set of instructions for determining the layout of map labels for the portion of the 3D map comprises a set of instructions for performing a set of culling operations to identify positions in the subset of candidate positions at which not to render map labels.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the set of culling operations comprises:

a collision detection operation for detecting map labels that collide and eliminating the collision of the map labels; and

a occlusion detection operation for detecting map labels that are occluded by map elements in the 3D map and specifying not to render the occluded map labels.