Tracking device movement and captured images

• US 8,839,131 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2009
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Wallace, Alexander David, Bhatt, Nikhil, Cherna, Tim, Hanson, Eric, Kawano, Mark Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): ALVESTEFFER, STEPHEN D
• Application Number:
  US12/619,368
• Publication Number:
  US 20110055749A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,765 Days
• Field of Search: 715/772
• US Class Current: 715/771
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/51 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/907 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries

Abstract

A computing device includes a memory configured to store position data and images. The computing device also includes a processor configured to execute instructions to perform a method that includes receiving position data that represents the positions of a position tracking device over a period of time. The position data includes a group of position coordinates that represent a location. The method also includes receiving images that include a group of images associated with the location. The method also includes aligning the group of position coordinates that represent the location and the group of images associated with the location. The method also includes presenting a representation of the alignment of the group of position coordinates and the group of images.

Claims

1. A computing device comprising:

a memory configured to store position data and images;

a display unit operatively coupled to the memory; and

a processor configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to perform a method comprising;

receiving a plurality of position data points that represent positions of a position tracking device over a period of time, wherein each of the plurality of position data points include corresponding first time information;

identifying one or more position data point clusters based, at least in part, on the corresponding first time information, wherein the one or more position data point clusters represent one or more locations at which the position tracking device was substantially stationary during a portion of the period of time;

receiving a plurality of images captured during the period of time, wherein each of the images includes corresponding second time information;

displaying, on the display unit, a first adjustable control that includes a depiction of a sequential arrangement of at least some of the images;

displaying, on the display unit, a second adjustable control that includes a depiction of a sequential arrangement of at least some of the one or more locations at which the position tracking device was substantially stationary;

receiving an indication of a manual alignment of the first adjustable control and a manual arrangement of the second adjustable control; and

aligning, in response to receiving the indication, at least one first image from the sequential arrangement of images with at least one first location from the sequential arrangement of locations by associating the at least one image'"'"'s second time information with the at least one location'"'"'s first time information.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises, in response to aligning the at least one first image with the at least one first location, aligning additional locations with additional images based, at least in part, upon alignment of the at least one first location with the at least one first image.

3. The computing device of claim 2, wherein the instructions to configure the processor for aligning the additional locations having additional first time information with the additional images having additional second time information comprise instructions to configure the processor for:

identifying a time offset between the time information corresponding to the at least one location'"'"'s first time information and the at least one image'"'"'s second time information; and

utilizing the time offset to align the additional locations with the additional images.

4. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises storing data that represents the alignment of the at least one location and the at least one image in the memory.

5. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises displaying the alignment on the display unit.

6. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the instructions to configure the processor for aligning the at least one first location and the at least one first image comprise instructions to configure the processor for comparing the first time information associated with the at least one first location and the second time information associated with the at least one first image.

7. The computing device of claim 6, wherein the method further comprises applying an offset to the first time information associated with the at least one image.

8. The computing device of claim 7, wherein the offset represents a time difference between at least two time zones.

9. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the instructions to configure the processor for receiving the position data points comprise instructions to configure the processor for receiving the position data points from a first device and the instructions to configure the processor for receiving the images comprise instructions to configure the processor for receiving the images from a second device.

10. A method to align position data and image data, comprising:

receiving a plurality of position data points that represent the positions of a computing device over a period of time, wherein each of the plurality of position data points include corresponding first time information;

identifying one or more position data point clusters based, at least in part, on the corresponding first time information, wherein the one or more position data point clusters represent one or more locations at which the computing device was substantially stationary during a portion of the period of time;

receiving a plurality of images captured during the period of time that include, wherein each of the images include corresponding to second time information;

displaying a first adjustable control that includes a depiction of a sequential arrangement of at least some of the images;

displaying a second adjustable control that includes a depiction of a sequential arrangement of at least some of the one or more locations;

receiving an indication of a manual alignment of the first adjustable control and a manual arrangement of the second adjustable control;

aligning, in response to receiving the indication, at least one first image from the sequential arrangement of images with at least one first location from the sequential arrangement of locations by associating the at least one image'"'"'s second time information with the at least one location'"'"'s first time information; and

displaying, on a display unit, a representation of the alignment of the at least one first location with the at least one first image.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising aligning additional locations with additional images based, at least in part, upon the alignment of the at least one first location with the at least one first image.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein aligning the additional locations with the images comprises:

identifying a time offset between the time information corresponding to the at least one location'"'"'s first time information and the at least one image'"'"'s second time information; and

utilizing the time offset to align the additional locations and the additional images.

13. The method of claim 10 further comprising storing data that represents the alignment of the at least one location and the at least one image in a memory.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein aligning the at least one first location and the at least one first image comprises comparing first time information associated with the at least one first location and second time information associated with the at least one first image.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising applying an offset to the first time information associated with the at least one image.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the offset represents a time difference between at least two time zones.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the position data points include GPS data points.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein receiving the position data points comprises receiving the position data points from a first device and receiving the images comprises receiving the images from a second device.

19. A non-transitory program storage device, readable by a processor and comprising instructions stored thereon to cause one or more processors to:

receive a plurality of position data points from a position tracking device, wherein each of the position data points includes corresponding first time information;

identify one or more groups of position data points from the received position data points, wherein each group of position data points represents a location at which the position tracking device was substantially stationary for a period of time;

receive a plurality of images, wherein each of the images includes corresponding second time information;

display a first adjustable control that includes a depiction of a sequential arrangement of at least some of the images;

display a second adjustable control that includes a depiction of a sequential arrangement of at least some of the locations;

receive an indication of a manual alignment of the first adjustable control and a manual arrangement of the second adjustable control; and

align, in response to the received indication, at least one image from the sequential arrangement of images with at least one location from the sequential arrangement of locations by associating the at least one image'"'"'s second time information with the at least one location'"'"'s first time information.

20. The non-transitory program storage device of claim 19, wherein the instructions to cause the one or more processors to identify one or more groups of position data points comprise instructions to cause the one or more processors to:

divide the position data points into time-based segments; and

identify, within one or more of the time-based segments, clusters of data points that correspond to a substantially similar position.

21. The non-transitory program storage device of claim 19, wherein the first and second adjustable controls comprise bars in a graphical user interface.

22. The non-transitory program storage device of claim 21, wherein the instructions to cause the one or more processors to associate one or more images with one or more of the locations by manually aligning the second time information with the first time information comprise instructions to cause the one or more processors to:

receive an input via the graphical user interface that associates a first location with a first image; and

automatically associate one or more additional locations with one or more additional images based on the association of the first location and the first image.