Range of focus in an augmented reality application

• US 8,754,907 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2013
• Issued: 06/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Tseng, Erick
• Primary Examiner(s): Tung, Kee M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Du, Haixia
• Application Number:
  US14/010,598
• Publication Number:
  US 20130342574A1
• Time in Patent Office: 294 Days
• Field of Search: 345/633
• US Class Current: 345/633
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3611 using character input or menus, e.g. menus of POIs character input methods in general G06F3/0233
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3632 Guidance using simplified or iconic instructions, e.g. using arrows G01C21/365 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3644 Landmark guidance, e.g. using POIs or conspicuous other objects
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3673 Labelling using text of road map data items, e.g. road names, POI names
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/13 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/18 involving self-service terminals [SST], vending machines, kiosks or multimedia terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/60 Analysis of geometric attributes

Abstract

A computer-implemented augmented reality method includes receiving one or more indications, entered on a mobile computing device by a user of the mobile computing device, of a distance range for determining items to display with an augmented reality application, the distance range representing geographic distance from a base point where the mobile computing device is located. The method also includes selecting, from items in a computer database, one or more items that are located within the distance range from the mobile computing device entered by the user, and providing data for representing labels for the selected one or more items on a visual display of the mobile computing device, the labels corresponding to the selected items, and the items corresponding to geographical features that are within the distance range as measure from the mobile computing device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving data indicating a base geographic location that was specified by user input at a computing device, the base geographic location being outside of a line-of-view of the computing device;

selecting a street-level image of the base geographic location for display by the computing device;

receiving data indicating a search query that was entered into the computing device, and data indicating a maximum distance range from the base geographic location;

selecting a point of interest (POI) that is referenced by one or more search results that are responsive to the search query, the POI having an associated geographic location that is different from the base geographic location and that is located within the maximum distance range from the base geographic location; and

providing, for display by the computing device, the street-level image of the base geographic location and an indication of the POI overlaid on the street-level image of the base geographic location so as to represent a general direction in which the POI is located in the street-level image.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device is a mobile computing device, the method further comprising determining a field of view based on data indicated by a compass of the mobile computing device, and

wherein the geographic location that is associated with the POI is located within the maximum distance range from the base geographic location and within the field of view.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the field of view represents a field of view as defined by a viewing angle of a camera of the mobile computing device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating data that defines a position on a display of the computing device for displaying the indication of the POI.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the search query, the data indicating a base geographic location, and the data indicating a maximum distance range from the base geographic location are received from the computing device at a central server system,

wherein the POI is selected by the central server system, and

wherein the street-level image, and the indication of the POI are provided by the central server system.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving data indicating a minimum distance range from the base geographic location, and

wherein the geographic location that is associated with the POI is located within the maximum distance range from the base geographic location and outside the minimum distance range from the base geographic location.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device is a mobile computing device, the method further comprising causing a presentation on the display of the mobile computing device to be changed from the street-level image overlaid with the indication of the POI to a map presentation in response to a specific motion of the mobile computing device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the specific motion of the mobile computing device is a motion moving the mobile computing device from a substantially vertical position to a substantially horizontal position.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising causing a telephone call to be made by the computing device to a telephone number that is determined to be associated with the POI in response to receiving a voice input.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving user input data indicating a command to pan the street-view image of the base geographic location;

in response to having received the user input data, (i) selecting a panned street-view image of the base geographic location, the panned street-view image representing the street-view image panned in a direction as indicated by the user input data, and (ii) removing the indication of the POI that is overlaid on the street-view image of the base geographic location;

selecting a new POI that is referenced by one or more search results that are responsive to the search query, the new POI having an associated geographic location that is different from the base geographic location and that is different from the geographic location associated with the POI, the new POI being located within the maximum distance range from the base geographic location; and

providing, for display by the mobile computing device in response to having received the user input data, the panned street-level image of the base geographic location and an indication of the new POI overlaid on the panned street-level image of the base geographic location.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the user input data is received from an accelerometer of the mobile computing device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the search query was entered into the computing device while the computing device was displaying the street-level image of the base geographic location without presenting the indication of the POI overlaid on the street-level image of the base geographic location.

13. A non-transitory recordable medium having recorded thereon instructions, that when executed, perform actions comprising:

receiving data indicating a base geographic location that was specified by user input at a computing device, the base geographic location being outside of a line-of-view of the computing device;

selecting a street-level image of the base geographic location for display by the computing device;

receiving data indicating a search query that was entered into the computing device, and data indicating a maximum distance range from the base geographic location;

selecting a point of interest (POI) that is referenced by one or more search results that are responsive to the search query, the POI having an associated geographic location that is different from the base geographic location and that is located within the maximum distance range from the base geographic location; and

providing, for display by the computing device, the street-level image of the base geographic location and an indication of the POI overlaid on the street-level image of the base geographic location so as to represent a general direction in which the POI is located in the street-level image.

14. The non-transitory recordable medium of claim 13, wherein the computing device is a mobile computing device, the actions further comprising determining a field of view based on data indicated by a compass of the mobile computing device, and

wherein the geographic location that is associated with the POI is located within the maximum distance range from the base geographic location and within the field of view.

15. The non-transitory recordable medium of claim 14, wherein the field of view represents a field of view as defined by a viewing angle of a camera of the mobile computing device.

16. The non-transitory recordable medium of claim 13, further comprising generating data that defines a position on a display of the computing device for displaying the indication of the POI.

17. A computer-implemented augmented reality system, comprising:

an interface programed to;

receive data indicating a base geographic location that was specified by user input at a computing device, the base geographic location being outside of a line-of-view of the computing device, and

receive data indicating a search query that was entered into the computing device, and data indicating a maximum distance range from the base geographic location;

a selector programed to;

select a street-level image of the base geographic location for display by the computing device, and

in response to the interface receiving data indicating a search query that was entered into the computing device, select a point of interest (POI) that is referenced by one or more search results that are responsive to the search query, the POI having an associated geographic location that is different from the base geographic location and that is located within the maximum distance range from the base geographic location; and

an augmented reality application on a computing device programed to display the street-level image of the base geographic location and an indication of the POI overlaid on the street-level image of the base geographic location so as to represent a general direction in which the POI is located in the street-level image.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the computing device is a mobile computing device, the system further comprising a compass to determine a field of view of the mobile computing device, and

wherein the geographic location that is associated with the POI is located within the maximum distance range from the base geographic location and within the field of view, and

wherein the augmented reality application is programmed to select for display, annotations that are in a direction that a camera on the mobile computing device is pointed.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the augmented reality application is programmed to position the indication of the POI on a display of the computing device such that the position on the display corresponds to a distance of the POI from the base geographic location.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the augmented reality application is located on the computing device, and

wherein the selector is located on a server system that is remote from the mobile computing device.

21. A computer-implemented augmented reality system, comprising:

an interface programed to;

receive data indicating a base geographic location that was specified by user input at a computing device, the base geographic location being outside of a line-of-view of the computing device, and

receive data indicating a search query that was entered into the computing device, and data indicating a maximum distance range from the base geographic location;

means for;

selecting a street-level image of the base geographic location for display by the computing device, and

in response to the interface receiving data indicating a search query that was entered into the computing device, selecting a point of interest (POI) that is referenced by one or more search results that are responsive to the search query, the POI having an associated geographic location that is different from the base geographic location and that is located within the maximum distance range from the base geographic location; and

an augmented reality application on a computing device programed to display the street-level image of the base geographic location and an indication of the POI overlaid on the street-level image of the base geographic location so as to represent a general direction in which the POI is located in the street-level image.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the computing device is a mobile computing device, the system further comprising means for determining a field of view of the mobile computing device, and

wherein the geographic location that is associated with the POI is located within the maximum distance range from the base geographic location and within the field of view.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the augmented reality application is programed to position the indication of the POI on a display of the computing device such that the position on the display corresponds to a distance of the POI from the base geographic location.