MAPPING SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR APPLYING TEXTURE TO VISUAL REPRESENTATIONS OF BUILDINGS

• US 20200132495A1
• Filed: 10/26/2018
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (HERE Holding Corporation)
• Original Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (HERE Holding Corporation)
• Inventors: SMITH, Kenneth M., BACH, Jeffrey R., THOMPSON, Mark, DEASON, Mitchel, FREDRICKSON, Marc
• Granted Patent: US 10,955,256 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 21/367 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: G01C 21/3679 Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities G01C21/3611 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/04 Texture mapping
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/05 Geographic models
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/00 Manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/04 Architectural design, interior design
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/49 based on structural texture description, e.g. using primitives or placement rules

Abstract

A mapping system, method and computer program product are provided to apply texture, such as windows and doors, to the visual representation of a plurality of buildings. In the context of a method, images of each of a plurality of buildings are analyzed to detect building texture for one or more faces of the buildings. A representation of the building texture is spread to visual representations of one or more faces of a respective building that do not have a detected texture. The building texture may be spread from another face of the same building that has detected texture and is of a corresponding size to the face of the building without detected texture. Or, the building texture may be spread from a face of a neighboring building has a detected texture and is of a corresponding size to the face of the building without detected texture.

Claims

1. A mapping system configured to provide visual representations of a plurality of buildings to which texture has been applied, the mapping system comprising a map database, at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the processor, cause the mapping system to at least:

for each of the plurality of buildings, analyze images of the buildings to detect building texture for one or more faces of the buildings including windows and doors;

spread a representation of the building texture to visual representations of one or more faces of a respective building that do not have a detected texture, wherein spreading the representation of the building texture comprises;

in an instance in which another face of the respective building has the detected texture and is of a corresponding size to the face of the respective building that does not have the detected texture, copying the representation of the detected texture of the another face of the respective building onto the visual representation of the face of the respective building that does not have the detected texture; and

otherwise, in an instance in which a face of a neighboring building has a detected texture and is of a corresponding size to the face of the respective building that does not have the detected texture, copying the representation of the detected texture of the face of the neighboring building onto the visual representation of the face of the respective building that does not have the detected texture; and

store the visual representations of the plurality of buildings in association with the map database; and

with reference to the map database, cause a map to be presented upon a display including the visual representations of the plurality of buildings to which texture has been applied.

2. A mapping system according to claim 1 wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the processor, cause the mapping system to copy the representation of the detected texture of the another face of the respective building onto the visual representation of the face of the respective building that does not have the detected texture by, in an instance in which the another face of the respective building has the detected texture and is a predefined fraction of a size of the face of the respective building that does not have the detected texture, repeatedly copying and mirroring the representation of the detected texture of the another face of the respective building onto the visual representation of the face of the respective building that does not have the detected texture.

3. A mapping system according to claim 1 wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the mapping system to determine at least one face of one or more buildings that is visible from a street but that does not have the detected texture, and wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the processor, cause the mapping system to spread the representation of the building texture by spreading the representation of the building texture to the visual representations of the at least one face of the one or more buildings that is visible from the street but that does not have the detected texture.

4. A mapping system according to claim 1 wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the processor, cause the mapping system to analyze images of the buildings by, in an instance in which there are a plurality of images of a first building, identifying the image of the first building to be analyzed based upon occlusions included in the plurality of images of the first building.

5. A mapping system according to claim 1 wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the processor, cause the mapping system to analyze images of the buildings by:

classifying pixels of the image of a first building as representing a portal or a portion of a faç

ade of the first building; and

defining regions of a face of the first building by defining bounding boxes about the portals on the face of the first building and identifying patterns of repeating rows or columns of the bounding boxes.

6. A mapping system according to claim 5 wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the processor, cause the mapping system to define the regions of the face of the first building by defining the regions based upon a predefined degree of similarity in alignment of the bounding boxes and a size of gaps between the bounding boxes of a respective region.

7. A method of applying texture to visual representations of a plurality of buildings, the method comprising:

for each of the plurality of buildings, analyzing images of the buildings to detect building texture for one or more faces of the buildings including windows and doors; and

spreading a representation of the building texture to visual representations of one or more faces of a respective building that do not have a detected texture, wherein spreading the representation of the building texture comprises;

in an instance in which another face of the respective building has the detected texture and is of a corresponding size to the face of the respective building that does not have the detected texture, copying the representation of the detected texture of the another face of the respective building onto the visual representation of the face of the respective building that does not have the detected texture; and

otherwise, in an instance in which a face of a neighboring building has a detected texture and is of a corresponding size to the face of the respective building that does not have the detected texture, copying the representation of the detected texture of the face of the neighboring building onto the visual representation of the face of the respective building that does not have the detected texture.

8. A method according to claim 7 further comprises providing the visual representations of the plurality of buildings to which texture has been applied to a mapping or navigation system for display.

9. A method according to claim 7 wherein copying the representation of the detected texture of the another face of the respective building onto the visual representation of the face of the respective building that does not have the detected texture comprises, in an instance in which the another face of the respective building has the detected texture and is a predefined fraction of a size of the face of the respective building that does not have the detected texture, repeatedly copying and mirroring the representation of the detected texture of the another face of the respective building onto the visual representation of the face of the respective building that does not have the detected texture.

10. A method according to claim 7 further comprising determining at least one face of one or more buildings that is visible from a street but that does not have the detected texture, and wherein spreading the representation of the building texture comprises spreading the representation of the building texture to the visual representations of the at least one face of the one or more buildings that is visible from the street but that does not have the detected texture.

11. A method according to claim 7 wherein analyzing images of the buildings comprises, in an instance in which there are a plurality of images of a first building, identifying the image of the first building to be analyzed based upon occlusions included in the plurality of images of the first building.

12. A method according to claim 7 wherein analyzing images of the buildings comprises:

classifying pixels of the image of a first building as representing a portal or a portion of a faç

ade of the first building; and

defining regions of a face of the first building by defining bounding boxes about the portals on the face of the first building and identifying patterns of repeating rows or columns of the bounding boxes.

13. A method according to claim 12 wherein defining the regions of the face of the first building comprises defining the regions based upon a predefined degree of similarity in alignment of the bounding boxes and a size of gaps between the bounding boxes of a respective region.

14. A computer program product configured to apply texture to visual representations of a plurality of buildings, the computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable program code instructions stored therein, the computer-executable program code instructions comprising program code instructions configured, upon execution, to:

for each of the plurality of buildings, analyze images of the buildings to detect building texture for one or more faces of the buildings including windows and doors; and

spread a representation of the building texture to visual representations of one or more faces of a respective building that do not have a detected texture, wherein spreading the representation of the building texture comprises;

in an instance in which another face of the respective building has the detected texture and is of a corresponding size to the face of the respective building that does not have the detected texture, copying the representation of the detected texture of the another face of the respective building onto the visual representation of the face of the respective building that does not have the detected texture; and

otherwise, in an instance in which a face of a neighboring building has a detected texture and is of a corresponding size to the face of the respective building that does not have the detected texture, copying the representation of the detected texture of the face of the neighboring building onto the visual representation of the face of the respective building that does not have the detected texture.

15. A computer program product according to claim 14 wherein the computer-executable program code instructions further comprise program code instructions configured, upon execution, to cause the visual representations of the plurality of buildings to which texture has been applied to be provided to a mapping or navigation system for display.

16. A computer program product according to claim 14 wherein the program code instructions configured to copy the representation of the detected texture of the another face of the respective building onto the visual representation of the face of the respective building that does not have the detected texture comprise program code instructions configured to, in an instance in which the another face of the respective building has the detected texture and is a predefined fraction of a size of the face of the respective building that does not have the detected texture, repeatedly copy and mirror the representation of the detected texture of the another face of the respective building onto the visual representation of the face of the respective building that does not have the detected texture.

17. A computer program product according to claim 14 wherein the computer-executable program code instructions further comprise program code instructions configured, upon execution, to determine at least one face of one or more buildings that is visible from a street but that does not have the detected texture, and wherein the program code instructions configured to spread the representation of the building texture comprise program code instructions configured to spread the representation of the building texture to the visual representations of the at least one face of the one or more buildings that is visible from the street but that does not have the detected texture.

18. A computer program product according to claim 14 wherein the program code instructions configured to analyze images of the buildings comprise program code instructions configured to, in an instance in which there are a plurality of images of a first building, identify the image of the first building to be analyzed based upon occlusions included in the plurality of images of the first building.

19. A computer program product according to claim 14 wherein the program code instructions configured to analyze images of the buildings comprise program code instructions configured to:

classify pixels of the image of a first building as representing a portal or a portion of a faç

ade of the first building; and

define regions of a face of the first building by defining bounding boxes about the portals on the face of the first building and identifying patterns of repeating rows or columns of the bounding boxes.

20. A computer program product according to claim 19 wherein the program code instructions configured to define the regions of the face of the first building comprise program code instructions configured to define the regions based upon a predefined degree of similarity in alignment of the bounding boxes and a size of gaps between the bounding boxes of a respective region.