Method and system for displaying panoramic imagery

• US 8,767,040 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2012
• Issued: 07/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Jones, Jonah, Simpson, Matthew Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HUY THANH
• Application Number:
  US13/348,048
• Publication Number:
  US 20130176384A1
• Time in Patent Office: 902 Days
• US Class Current: 348/36
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/20 Perspective computation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/05 Geographic models
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/16 Spatio-temporal transformations, e.g. video cubism
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture

Abstract

Methods and systems for navigating panoramic imagery are provided. If a user rotates panoramic imagery to a view having a view angle that deviates beyond a threshold view angle, the view of the panoramic imagery will be adjusted to the threshold view angle. In a particular implementation, the view is drifted to the threshold view angle so that a user can at least temporarily view the imagery that deviates beyond the threshold view angle. A variety of transition animations can be used as the imagery is drifted to the threshold view angle. For instance, the view can be elastically snapped back to the threshold view angle to provide a visually appealing transition to a user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for displaying panoramic imagery, comprising:

presenting a first view of at least a portion of the panoramic imagery at a first view angle on a viewport of a display device;

receiving a user input to rotate the view of the panoramic imagery to a second view angle;

rotating the view of the panoramic imagery from the first view angle to the second view angle;

determining whether the second view angle deviates beyond a threshold view angle; and

if the second view angle deviates beyond the threshold view angle, adjusting the view of the panoramic imagery from the second view angle to the threshold view angle.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the view of the panoramic imagery from the second view angle to the threshold view angle comprises drifting the view of the panoramic imagery from the second view angle to the threshold view angle.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the view of the panoramic imagery is drifted from the second view angle to the threshold view angle using a transition animation.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the transition animation comprises drifting the image between the first view angle and the second view angle at a constant drift rate.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the transition animation comprises drifting the image between the first view angle and the second view angle at varying drift rates.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the transition animation comprises decelerating the drift rate before the view of the panoramic image reaches the threshold view angle.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the transition animation comprises elastically snapping back the panoramic imagery from the second view angle to the threshold view angle.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the threshold view angle comprises a threshold tilt angle.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the threshold tilt angle is in the range of about 45°

to about 60°

from a horizontal axis associated with the panoramic imagery.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the threshold view angle comprises a threshold azimuthal angle.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the threshold view angle is defined based at least in part on a canonical view of the panoramic image.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the threshold view angle is defined based at least in part on a view of a predominate feature in the panoramic image.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the second view angle deviates beyond a threshold view angle comprises determining whether the second view angle deviates beyond one of a plurality of threshold view angles.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the method comprises adjusting the view of the panoramic image from the second view angle to the closest threshold view angle if the second view angle deviates beyond one of the plurality of threshold view angles.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the panoramic imagery comprises street level imagery.

16. A system for displaying imagery, comprising:

a display device;

one or more processors; and

at least one memory coupled to the one or more processors, the at least one memory comprising computer-readable instructions for execution by the one or more processors to cause said one or more processors to perform operations, comprising;

presenting a first view of at least a portion of the panoramic imagery at a first view angle on a viewport of the display device;

receiving a user input to rotate the view of the panoramic imagery to a second view angle;

rotating the view of the panoramic imagery from the first view angle to the second view angle;

determining whether the second view angle deviates beyond a threshold view angle; and

drifting the view of the panoramic imagery from the second view angle to the threshold view angle if the second view angle deviates beyond the threshold view angle.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the panoramic imagery is drifted from the second view angle to the threshold view angle using a transition animation.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the transition animation comprises an elastic snap back of the view from the second view angle to the threshold view angle.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the threshold view angle comprises a threshold tilt angle.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the threshold tilt view angle is in the range of about 45°

to about 60°

from a horizontal axis associated with the panoramic image.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein the threshold view angle comprises a threshold azimuthal angle.

22. The system of claim 16, wherein the threshold view angle is defined based at least in part on a canonical view or a view of a predominate feature in the panoramic image.

23. The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more processors are configured to perform the operation of determining whether the second view angle deviates beyond one of a plurality of threshold view angles.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein one or more processors are configured to perform the operations of adjusting the view of the panoramic image from the second view angle to the closest threshold view angle if the second view angle view deviates beyond one of the plurality of threshold view angles.

25. A system for providing panoramic imagery, the system comprising a processing device and a network interface, the processing device configured to:

provide, via the network interface, a first view of at least a portion of a panoramic image at a first view angle;

receive a request for a second view of at least a portion of the panoramic image at a second view angle;

provide, via the network interface, the second view of the panoramic image at the second view angle;

determine whether the second view angle deviates beyond a threshold view angle; and

provide instructions with the second view of the panoramic image to adjust the view of the panoramic image from the second view angle to the threshold view angle if the second view angle deviates beyond the threshold view angle.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the instructions specify a transition animation for adjusting the view of the panoramic image from the second view angle to the threshold view angle.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the threshold view angle comprises a threshold tilt view angle.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the threshold tilt view angle is in the range of 40°

to about 60°

from a horizontal axis associated with the panoramic image.

29. The system of claim 25, wherein the threshold view angle comprises a threshold azimuthal view angle.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the threshold view angle is defined based on a canonical view or a predominate feature of interest in the panoramic image.