Variable density depthmap

• US 8,718,922 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2011
• Issued: 05/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (HERE Holding Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Navteq B.V. (HERE Holding Corporation)
• Inventors: Barnes, Craig R., Mays, Joseph P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Dalena
• Application Number:
  US13/192,897
• Publication Number:
  US 20130030699A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,013 Days
• Field of Search: 701/400, 701408-410, 382254-256, 382/276, 382/285, 382/286, 345/419, 348/143, 348/148, 348/161, 348/169
• US Class Current: 701/400
• 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: G01C 21/3811 Point data, e.g. Point of Interest [POI]
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3881 Tile-based structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20016 Hierarchical, coarse-to-fine, multiscale or multiresolution image processing; Pyramid transform
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/50 Depth or shape recovery

Abstract

One or more systems, devices, and/or methods for organizing spatial data are disclosed. For example, a method includes receiving a location data point from a navigation device. A controller compares the distance from each of a plurality of data points to the location data point. In constructing a depthmap that associates each of the data points with the distance from the location data point, the controller assign data points within a minimum distance from the location data point into a first cell and data points greater than the minimum distance from the location data point into a second cell. The second cell is larger than the first cell and corresponds to a larger geographic area than the first cell. The depthmap may be configured to position points of interest in a panoramic or street level view image.

Claims

1. A method for organizing spatial data, the method comprising:

receiving a location data point from a navigation device;

identifying a plurality of data points indexed by a geographic distance from the location data point;

comparing the geographic distance from each of the plurality of data points to the location data point;

assigning at least one of the plurality of data points within a minimum distance from the location data point into a first cell;

assigning a subset of the plurality of data points greater than the minimum distance from the location data point into a second cell, wherein the subset of the plurality of data points comprises two or more data points;

constructing a depthmap including the first cell and the second cell, wherein the second cell is geographically larger than the first cell; and

sending the depthmap for display on the navigation device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the depthmap is constructed as a k dimensional tree.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of data points indicates a location of a point of interest.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving orientation data from the navigation device; and

determining a map based on the location data point and the orientation data.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

associating the map with the depthmap, wherein sending the depthmap for display on the navigation device comprises sending the map associated with the depthmap for display on the navigation device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the map is a street level view map.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the plurality of data points is a single data point.

8. An apparatus for organizing spatial data, the apparatus comprising:

a memory configured to store a plurality of objects indexed by location;

a communication interface configured to receive a location data point from a navigation device; and

a controller configured to calculate a distance from each of the plurality of objects to the location data point and construct a variable density depthmap by associating each of the plurality of objects with one of a plurality of cells of the variable density depthmap according to the distance,

wherein at least one of the plurality of objects less than a predetermined distance from the location data point is associated with a first cell of the plurality of cells and at least one of the plurality of objects greater than the predetermined distance from the location data is associated with a second cell of the plurality of cells, and

wherein the second cell corresponds to a larger geographic area than the first cell.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the communication interface is configured to send the variable density depthmap to the navigation device.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the variable density depthmap is constructed as a k dimensional tree.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of objects includes a point of interest.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the communication interface is configured to receive orientation data from the navigation device and the plurality of objects are selected based on the location data point and the orientation data.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to associate a panoramic image with the variable density depthmap.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the plurality of objects are positioned with the panoramic image according to the variable density depthmap.

15. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein at least one of the plurality of objects greater than a second predetermined distance from the location data point is associated with a third cell of the plurality of cells and the third cell corresponds to a larger geographic area than the second cell.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium configured to store a computer program configured to organize spatial data, the program comprising instructions to:

receive a location data point from a mobile device;

identify a plurality of points of interest indexed by a distance from the location data point;

compare the distance from each of the plurality of points of interest to the location data point;

assign at least one of the plurality of points of interest within a minimum distance from the location data point into one of a plurality of high resolution cells;

assign at least one of the plurality of points of interest greater than the minimum distance from the location data point into one of a plurality of low resolution cells;

construct a depthmap including the plurality of low resolution cells and the plurality of high resolution cells; and

send the depthmap to the mobile device.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, the program comprising instructions to:

receive orientation data from the mobile device;

determine a panoramic view based on the location data point and the orientation data; and

position the points of interest in the panoramic view.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, the program comprising instructions to:

position the points of interest in a street level view image.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the depthmap is constructed as a k dimensional tree.