Map display apparatus

• US 7,460,120 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2004
• Issued: 12/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Godo Kaisha IP Bridge 1 (IP Bridge, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yoshida, Tadashi, Yuda, Masato, Kawasaki, Yoshiteru, Araki, Hitoshi, Senda, Keiichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tung; Kee M
• Assistant Examiner(s): MATHEWS, CRYSTAL ANN
• Application Number:
  US10/984,840
• Publication Number:
  US 20050104881A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,483 Days
• Field of Search: 345/630, 345/651, 345/427, 701/208, 340/995.1
• US Class Current: 345/427
• 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

Abstract

A map display apparatus includes a view transformation matrix generation unit which generates a view transformation matrix, including four rows and four columns, for transforming a global coordinate of a three-dimensional object into a view coordinate system; a view transformation matrix change unit which (i) changes, to 0, (a) the value of the first row in the second column and (b) the value of the third row in the second column in the view transformation matrix, in the case where the coordinate transformation is executed by multiplying a coordinate with the view transformation matrix from the left side of the coordinate, and (ii) changes, to 0, (a) the value of the second row in the first column and (b) the value of the second row in the third column in the view transformation matrix, in the case where the coordinate transformation is executed by multiplying the coordinate with the view transformation matrix from the right side of the coordinate; and a view transformation unit which transforms the global coordinate into the view coordinate system using the changed view transformation matrix.

Claims

1. A map display apparatus for displaying a three-dimensional map on a screen, based on map data including data regarding a three-dimensional object,

wherein the map data includes a display correction flag indicating whether or not to execute a correction so that a line of the three-dimensional object in a vertical direction is vertical, when the three-dimensional object is displayed on the screen, and

wherein the map display apparatus comprises:

a correction unit operable to execute, in the case where the display correction flag indicates that the correction should be executed, a correction on a first lean, on the screen, occurring in a line in the vertical direction of the three-dimensional object so that the line in the vertical direction of the three-dimensional object is displayed vertically on the screen while keeping a tilted second lean to be displayed on the screen, the second lean occurring in a line in a horizontal direction of the three-dimensional object, and the first lean and the second lean being a perspective distortion occurring due to a perspective difference between objects from a viewpoint position; and

a selection unit operable to select one of (i) “

always execute a correction”

in said correction unit, (ii) “

execute a correction based on the display correction flag”

in said correction unit, and (iii) “

never execute a correction”

in said correction unit,

wherein in the case where (i) “

always execute a correction”

is selected by said selection unit, said correction unit executes the correction on the three-dimensional object regardless of the display correction flag,

wherein in the case where (ii) “

execute a correction based on the display correction flag”

is selected by said selection unit, said correction unit executes the correction on the three-dimensional object based on the display correction flag, and

wherein in the case where (iii) “

never execute a correction”

is selected by said selection unit, said correction unit does not execute the correction on the three-dimensional object.

2. The map display apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the display correction flag is included in the three-dimensional object, and

wherein said correction unit executes the correction of the corresponding three-dimensional object based on the display correction flag.

3. The map display apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the display correction flag is shared by a plurality of the three-dimensional objects, and

wherein said correction unit executes the correction of a corresponding at least one of the three-dimensional objects based on the display correction flag.

4. The map display apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an object generation unit operable to execute a generation process of the three-dimensional object by specifying a local coordinate of each vertex of the three-dimensional object, based on the map data;

a local-to-global transformation unit operable to transform the local coordinate of the three-dimensional object into a global coordinate;

a view transformation matrix generation unit operable to (i) specify a view coordinate of a viewpoint on the global coordinate, and (ii) generate a view transformation matrix for transforming the global coordinate into a view coordinate system whose origin point is the view coordinate;

a view transformation unit operable to transform the global coordinate into the view coordinate system, using the view transformation matrix; and

a rendering unit operable to (i) projection-transform, the coordinate which has been transformed into the view coordinate system, into a screen coordinate system which is a two-dimensional coordinate system, and (ii) adjust the projection-transformed coordinate to a final display area of a proper size on the screen,

wherein said correction unit changes a view transformation matrix generated by said view transformation matrix generation unit to execute the correction on the first lean, on the screen, occurring in the line in the vertical direction of the three-dimensional object so that the line in the vertical direction of the three-dimensional object is displayed vertically on the screen while keeping the tilted second lean, and

wherein said view transformation unit transforms the global coordinate into the view coordinate system, using the view transformation matrix changed by said correction unit.

5. The map display apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein said correction unit sets, to zero, an element to be multiplied to a value of a “

y”

coordinate which is a value in a vertical direction in a global coordinate system, from among elements which are included in the view transformation matrix generated by said view transformation matrix generation unit and are used for deriving a value of an “

x”

coordinate and a value of a “

z”

coordinate in the view coordinate system.

6. The map display apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein the view transformation matrix is a transformation matrix including four rows and four columns, and

wherein said correction unit changes, to 0, (i) a value of a first row in a second column and (ii) a value of a third row in a second column in the view transformation matrix, in the case where a coordinate transformation is executed by multiplying a coordinate with the view transformation matrix from a left side of the coordinate.

7. The map display apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein the view transformation matrix is a transformation matrix including four rows and four columns, and

wherein said correction unit changes, to 0, (i) a value of a second row in a first column and (ii) a value of a second row in a third column in the view transformation matrix, in the case where a coordinate transformation is executed by multiplying a coordinate with the view transformation matrix from a right side of the coordinate.