Method and apparatus for identifying a 3-D object from a 2-D display of a portable unit

• US 8,836,698 B2
• Filed: 12/26/2011
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Thaddeus Gabara
• Original Assignee: TrackThings LLC
• Inventors: Gabara, Thaddeus John
• Primary Examiner(s): Zarka, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Vu
• Application Number:
  US13/337,253
• Publication Number:
  US 20130162627A1
• Time in Patent Office: 995 Days
• Field of Search: 345/419
• US Class Current: 345/419
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/05 Geographic models

Abstract

A background map remains stationary relative to a portable unit while the portable unit moves within a plane parallel to the screen of the portable unit allowing the user to assess the relative distance between a source location and a destination. In addition, the orientation or movement at an angle that provides further information about the content of the image. A stationary three dimensional (3-D) background image can be viewed by moving the handheld unit within the 3-D space. The map would be three dimensional and would correspond in scale to the two axes displayed on the screen of the portable unit while the third dimensional or axis can be viewed by moving the device perpendicular to the plane of the screen of the portable device forming a rectangular cuboid.

Claims

1. A portable unit comprising:

a three dimensional image of a stationary map coupled to a memory containing an object;

a plane containing a first axis and a second axis in the stationary map, wherein the second axis intersects the first axis at a reference point;

a third axis intersects the plane at the reference point;

a screen of the portable unit displays a two-dimensional cross-sectional image of the object within the plane;

the portable unit is moved from the reference point to a final point defined by a vector;

an inertial guidance system configured to provide movement data to a microprocessor as the portable unit is moved;

the microprocessor calculates a magnitude and a direction of the vector using software;

the direction includes a first angle from the first axis and a second angle from the third axis;

the magnitude comprises a distance between the reference point and the final point;

the microprocessor extracts image data from the memory corresponding to the magnitude and the direction of the vector; and

the screen of the portable unit displays the image data extracted from the memory;

wherein

the extracted image data corresponding to the magnitude and the direction of the vector is configured by the microprocessor to display a new two-dimensional cross-sectional image of the object.

2. The portable unit of claim 1, further comprising:

a sequence of movement data corresponding to incremental vectors along a path each provided to the microprocessor, wherein the microprocessor extracts the image data from the memory for each of the corresponding incremental vectors; and

a solid image is effectively determined by a summation of all the two-dimensional cross-sectional images of the object as the portable unit is moved over the path.

3. The portable unit of claim 1, further comprising:

an origin mapped to the reference point.

4. The portable unit of claim 1, wherein

the three axes are at right angles to one another.

5. The portable unit of claim 4, wherein

the first and second angles are spherical coordinates φ

(phi) and Θ

(theta), respectively.

6. The portable unit of claim 1, wherein

the object can be displayed on the screen of the portable unit at any angled plane between the three axes.

7. The portable unit of claim 1, wherein

an external database can be accessed via a communication link to supply the memory with data.

8. A portable unit comprising:

a three dimensional image of a stationary map coupled to a memory containing an object;

a screen displays a two-dimensional cross-section of the object in a plane containing a first axis and a second axis, wherein the second axis is perpendicular to the first axis and intersects at a reference point;

a third axis perpendicularly intersects the plane at the reference point;

a microprocessor coupled to an inertial guidance system provides movement data;

the microprocessor configured to calculate a vector along a path in any direction, from the reference point; and

the screen of the portable unit displays an image of a new two-dimensional cross-section of the object corresponding to the vector.

9. The portable unit of claim 8, further comprising:

a sequence of movement data corresponding to incremental vectors along the path each provided to the microprocessor, wherein the microprocessor extracts image data from the memory for each of the corresponding incremental vectors; and

a solid image is effectively determined by a summation of all the two-dimensional cross-sectional images of the object as the portable unit is moved over the path.

10. The portable unit of claim 8, wherein

the first and second angles are spherical coordinates φ

(phi) and Θ

(theta), respectively.

11. The portable unit of claim 8, further comprising:

an origin mapped to the reference point.

12. The portable unit of claim 8, further comprising:

a reference plane mapped to the first axis and the second axis within the image of the stationary map.

13. The portable unit of claim 8, wherein

the object can be displayed on the screen of the portable unit at any angled plane between the three axes.

14. The portable unit of claim 8, wherein

an external database can be accessed via a communication link to supply the memory with image data.

15. A method of displaying a new two-dimensional cross-sectional image of an object corresponding to a portable unit displaced by a vector of from a reference point comprising the steps of:

coupling a memory containing a three dimensional image of the object in a stationary map;

containing a first axis and a second axis within a plane in the stationary map, wherein the second axis intersects the first axis at the reference point;

intersecting, the reference point of the plane with a third axis;

displaying on a screen of the portable unit a two-dimensional cross-sectional image of the object within the plane;

moving the portable unit from the reference point to a final point defined by the vector;

configuring an inertial guidance system to provide movement data to a microprocessor of the portable unit;

calculating a magnitude and a direction of the vector using software;

setting a first angle from the first axis and a second angle from the third axis as the direction;

setting a distance between the reference point and the final point as the magnitude;

using the microprocessor to extract image data from the memory corresponding to the magnitude and the direction of the vector; and

displaying on the screen of the portable unit the image data extracted from the memory;

wherein the extracted image data corresponding to the magnitude and the direction of the vector is configured by the microprocessor to display the new two-dimensional cross-sectional image of the object.

16. The process of claim 15, further comprising the steps of:

providing a sequence of incremental vectors along a path to the microprocessor, wherein the microprocessor extracts the image data from the memory for each of the corresponding incremental vectors.

17. The process of claim 16, further comprising the steps of:

determining a solid image by summing of all the two-dimensional cross-sectional images of the object as the portable unit is moved over the path.

18. The process of claim 15, wherein

the three axes are at right angles to one another.

19. The process of claim 15, further comprising the steps of:

accessing an external database via an RF module to supply the memory with image data.

20. The process of claim 19, wherein

the external database is coupled by the Internet to a server.