System and method for dynamically rendering bounded region labels on a moving map display

• US 8,786,633 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2011
• Issued: 07/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Dairman, Charles, Pearson, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): McDowell, Jr., Maurice L
• Application Number:
  US13/276,033
• Publication Number:
  US 20130093794A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,008 Days
• Field of Search: 345/638, 345/629, 345/672, 701/460, 340/995.1
• US Class Current: 345/638
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3673 Labelling using text of road map data items, e.g. road names, POI names
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/00 Combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value, e.g. for aircraft; Combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement, e.g. distance, speed or acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are provided for dynamically rendering, on a moving map display having a viewable area, a label associated with a bounded region. Moving map data are processed to determine if the bounded region has a viewable boundary, and to determine a perimeter of one or more polygons that are each defined by intersections of the viewable boundary of the bounded region and the viewable area. Commands are supplied to the moving map display that cause the moving map display to continuously render the label associated with the bounded region at a position within the one or more polygons that is closest to a predetermined point on the moving map display.

Claims

1. A system for dynamically rendering a label associated with a bounded region, the label having a text height and a text length comprising:

a moving map display having a viewable area and coupled to receive image rendering display commands, the moving map display configured, in response to the image rendering display commands, to render images thereon; and

a processor coupled to the moving map display and adapted to receive moving map data, the processor configured, upon receipt of the moving map data, to supply image rendering display commands to the moving map display that cause the moving map display to render an image of a moving map, the processor further configured to;

determine if the rendered moving map includes a bounded region and, if so, determine if the bounded region has a viewable boundary, a viewable boundary being one that is rendered on the viewable area of the moving map display,

determine a perimeter of one or more polygons, each polygon defined by intersections of the viewable boundary of the bounded region and the viewable area,

calculate a length of each of a predetermined number of parallel horizontal scan lines that intersect the perimeter of each of the one or more polygons,

identify sets of consecutive horizontal scan lines that (i) are sufficient to span the text height, (ii) have a minimum length greater than or equal to the text length, and (iii) are spaced apart from each other by a separation distance that is based upon the text height,

select each of the identified sets of consecutive horizontal scan lines as candidate text bounding boxes,

define the horizontal span of each of the candidate text bounding boxes,

calculate a straight-line distance from a predetermined point on the moving map display to a center of each candidate text bounding box,

determine which of the calculated straight-line distances is smallest distance, and

supply image rendering display commands to the moving map display that cause the moving map display to render the label in the center of the candidate text bounding box associated with the smallest distance, such that a center of the rendered label corresponds to the center of the candidate text bounding box.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the moving map display is disposed in a vehicle.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the vehicle is an aircraft.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the vehicle is an automobile.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the vehicle is a watercraft.

6. A system for dynamically rendering a label associated with a bounded region, the label having a text height and a text length comprising:

a moving map display having a viewable area and coupled to receive image rendering display commands, the moving map display configured, in response to the image rendering display commands, to render images thereon; and

a processor coupled to the moving map display and adapted to receive moving map data, the processor configured, upon receipt of the moving map data, to supply image rendering display commands to the moving map display that cause the moving map display to render an image of a moving map, the processor further configured to;

determine if the rendered moving map includes a bounded region and, if so, determine if the bounded region has a viewable boundary, a viewable boundary being one that is rendered on the viewable area of the moving map display,

determine a perimeter of one or more polygons, each polygon defined by intersections of the viewable boundary of the bounded region and the viewable area,

calculate a length of each of a predetermined number of parallel horizontal scan lines that intersect the perimeter of each of the one or more polygons, each of the predetermined number of parallel horizontal scan lines intersecting the perimeter of each of the one or more polygons at a start point and an end point,

define an edge of the viewable display area as an origin edge,

determine a distance of the start point and the end point of each of the predetermined number of parallel horizontal scan lines from the origin edge,

define the horizontal span of each candidate text bounding box as (i) a maximum distance of each start point in the set of consecutive horizontal scan lines in each identified set and (ii) a minimum distance of each end point in the set of consecutive scan lines in each identified set,

reduce the horizontal span of each candidate text bounding box to a minimum span within which the label may be fully rendered to thereby define shifted text bounding boxes,

calculate a straight-line distance from the predetermined point on the moving map display to a center of each shifted text bounding box,

determine which of the calculated straight-line distances is smallest distance; and

supply image rendering display commands to the moving map display that cause the moving map display to render the label in the center of the shifted text bounding box associated with the smallest distance, such that a center of the rendered label corresponds to the center of the shifted text bounding box.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the moving map display is disposed in a vehicle.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the vehicle is an aircraft.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the vehicle is an automobile.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the vehicle is a watercraft.