Computer system for continuous oblique panning

• US 8,643,720 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2013
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pictometry International Corporation (Eagleview Technologies, Inc. /Wa/)
• Original Assignee: Pictometry International Corporation (Eagleview Technologies, Inc. /Wa/)
• Inventors: Schultz, Stephen L., Schnaufer, Chris, Giuffrida, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Backer, Firmin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Emdadi, Keyvan
• Application Number:
  US13/781,090
• Publication Number:
  US 20130208116A1
• Time in Patent Office: 341 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 348/144
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/05 Geographic models
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10032 Satellite or aerial image; Remote sensing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30184 Infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/20 Linear translation of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/13 Edge detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/33 using feature-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/337 involving reference images or patches
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

A computer system for continuously panning oblique images. More particularly, the computer system uses a methodology whereby separate oblique images are presented in a manner that allows a user to maintain an understanding of the relationship of specific features between different oblique images when panning.

Claims

1. A sequence of instructions stored on at least one non-transitory computer readable medium for running on a computer system capable of displaying and navigating oblique imagery, comprising:

instructions for displaying on a display a pixel representation of a primary oblique image, the primary oblique image the primary oblique image including overlapping data being part of a set of adjacent oblique images that partially, but not completely, overlap and-represent an area of interest;

instructions for panning within the primary oblique image;

instructions for detecting a transition event, triggered by a user, of the displayed primary oblique image;

instructions for selecting an adjacent secondary oblique image from the set of oblique images corresponding to a supplied location coordinate;

instructions for displaying the adjacent secondary oblique image in response to the detection of the transition event on the display by gradually transitioning between the primary and the adjacent secondary oblique image; and

wherein the primary and adjacent secondary oblique images match the perspectives from which the primary and adjacent secondary oblique images were captured.

2. The sequence of instructions stored on the at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions for displaying the adjacent secondary oblique image draws the adjacent secondary oblique image over the primary oblique image.

3. The sequence of instructions stored on the at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 further comprising instructions for translating at least the primary and secondary oblique images'"'"' pixel coordinates into location coordinates.

4. The sequence of instructions stored on the at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions for detecting the transition event include instructions for detecting an edge of the primary oblique image.

5. The sequence of instructions stored on the at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions for detecting the transition event include instructions for detecting an approach of an edge of the primary oblique image.

6. The sequence of instructions stored on the at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions for detecting the transition event include instructions for detecting a pre-selected distance or number of pixels from an edge of the primary oblique image.

7. The sequence of instructions stored on the at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein a current direction of travel or panning is used to select the adjacent secondary oblique image.

8. The sequence of instructions stored on the at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein a relative position of the supplied location coordinate within the adjacent secondary oblique image is used to select the adjacent secondary oblique image.

9. The sequence of instructions stored on the at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the set of oblique images is aerial oblique images.

10. The sequence of instructions stored on the at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions for selecting the adjacent secondary oblique image from the set of oblique images selects multiple adjacent secondary oblique images that correspond to multiple location coordinates.

11. The sequence of instructions stored on the at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions for displaying the adjacent secondary oblique image are configured to cause a rollback transition.

12. The sequence of instructions stored on the at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions for displaying the adjacent secondary oblique image are configured to cause a gradual transition by fading-out the primary oblique image.

13. The sequence of instructions stored on the at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the instructions for displaying the adjacent secondary oblique image are configured to cause the primary oblique image to fade-out and simultaneously cause the adjacent secondary oblique image to fade-in.

14. A method of using a sequence of instructions for displaying and navigating oblique imagery, comprising:

displaying a pixel representation of a primary oblique image on a display of a computer system, the primary oblique image the primary oblique image including overlapping data being part of a set of oblique images that partially, but not completely, overlap and represent an area of interest;

panning within the primary oblique image;

detecting a transition event, triggered by a user, and related to the displayed primary oblique image;

displaying an adjacent secondary oblique image on the display of the computer system by gradually transitioning between the primary and the adjacent secondary oblique image from the set of oblique images responsive to the detection of the transition event; and

wherein the primary and secondary oblique images match the perspectives from which the primary and secondary oblique images were captured.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of displaying is defined further as displaying the adjacent secondary oblique image by causing the primary oblique image to fade-out and causing the adjacent secondary oblique image to fade-in.

16. A method for configuring a computer system for displaying oblique images representative of adjacent areas on a display, comprising the step of:

making a set of instructions on a non-transitory computer readable medium accessible to a processor of the computer system, the set of instructions including instructions for;

displaying a pixel representation of a primary oblique image on the display of the computer system, the primary oblique image the primary oblique image including overlapping data being part of a set of oblique images that partially, but not completely, overlap and represent an area of interest;

panning within the primary oblique image;

detecting a transition event, triggered by a user; and

displaying an adjacent secondary oblique image from the set of oblique images by gradually transitioning between the primary and the adjacent secondary oblique image responsive to the detection of the transition event; and

wherein the primary and secondary oblique images match the perspectives from which the primary and secondary oblique images were captured.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein features in the primary and at least one secondary oblique images are aligned.

18. A method for enhancing an ability of users to display and navigate oblique imagery on a display of a computer system, comprising the step of:

distributing a set of instructions stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium for;

displaying a pixel representation of a primary oblique image on the display of the computer system, the primary oblique image the primary oblique image including overlapping data being part of a set of oblique images that partially, but not completely, overlap and represent an area of interest;

panning within the primary oblique image;

detecting a transition event, triggered by a user;

displaying at least one adjacent secondary oblique image from the set of oblique images on the display responsive to the detection of the transition event; and

wherein the primary and secondary oblique images match the perspectives from which the primary and secondary oblique images were captured.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of displaying is defined further as displaying the adjacent secondary oblique image by causing the primary oblique image to fade-out and causing the adjacent secondary oblique image to fade-in.

20. A method for configuring a computer system having a display for displaying oblique images representative of adjacent areas, comprising the step of:

providing access to a set of instructions stored on a first non-transitory computer readable medium for installation on a second non-transitory computer readable medium associated with the computer system, the set of instructions including instructions for;

displaying a pixel representation of a primary oblique image on the display of the computer system, the primary oblique image the primary oblique image including overlapping data being part of a set of oblique images that partially, but not completely, overlap and represent an area of interest;

panning within the primary oblique image;

detecting an approach of an edge of the primary oblique image;

displaying an adjacent secondary oblique image from the set of oblique images on the display responsive to the detection of the approach of the edge; and

wherein the primary and secondary oblique images match the perspectives from which the primary and secondary oblique images were captured.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein features in the primary oblique image and the adjacent secondary oblique images are aligned.