Method and apparatus of physically moving a portable unit to view an image of a stationary map

• US 8,930,131 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2014
• Issued: 01/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Thaddeus Gabara
• Original Assignee: TrackThings LLC
• Inventors: Gabara, Asher Thomas, Gabara, Constance Marie, Gabara, Thaddeus John
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dunn, Alex C
• Application Number:
  US14/257,349
• Publication Number:
  US 20140229104A1
• Time in Patent Office: 260 Days
• Field of Search: 701/409
• US Class Current: 701/409
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/367 Details, e.g. road map scale, orientation, zooming, illumination, level of detail, scrolling of road map or positioning of current position marker
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/00 3D [Three Dimensional] image rendering
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/007 using computer methods
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/10 Map spot or coordinate position indicators; Map reading aids optical projection apparatus per se G03B
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/02 characterised by the way in which colour is displayed details of colour display specific for CRTs G09G1/28; specific for flat matrix panels other than liquid crystal displays G09G3/2003; specific for liquid crystal displays G09G3/3607

Abstract

A portable unit is moved along at least one of the orientations of a vector. As the user moves the unit, images of the background map appear on the screen of the portable device. The user scans the stationary map presented on the screen of the portable unit. This has several benefits since now relative distances and angular displacements between objects that are outside of the range of the screen of the handheld unit can be immediately be located and placed into view on the screen of a portable unit. The handheld unit is like a Sliding Window which provides a view of this image of a stationary map lying in the background of the portable unit.

Claims

1. A method of moving a portable unit to present a new portion of a stationary background image on a screen of the portable unit comprising the steps of:

displaying a first image on the screen of the portable unit matched and superimposed to a corresponding portion of the stationary background image;

mapping a first point of the first image located in a center of the screen of the portable unit to a corresponding reference point in the stationary background image;

determining a first vector between the center of the screen of the portable unit and the corresponding reference point in the stationary background image;

moving the portable unit along at least one of the orientations of the first vector; and

presenting a new location in the new portion of the stationary background image on the screen of the portable unit.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

forming portions of the stationary background image from one of a plurality of planes in a three dimensional space containing the corresponding reference point.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

matching the corresponding reference point in the stationary background image to a known position of the portable unit relative to a user.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the steps of:

moving the portable unit to the known position, if lost.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein

the at least one of the orientations of the first vector which the portable unit is moved is either theta, phi, or the combination of phi and theta.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising the steps of:

providing data corresponding to a movement of the portable unit from an inertial guidance system to a microprocessor, wherein

the microprocessor calculates the movement from a known position using either a Cartesian coordinate, a cylindrical coordinate or a spherical coordinate system, or any combination of the three by using an algorithm or a software program.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

storing the stationary background image to an internal memory or an external database;

receiving data from the external database on an Internet by an RF module; and

storing the data corresponding to the background image of the stationary background image in the internal memory.

8. A portable unit comprising:

a first portion of a stationary background image displayed on a screen of the portable unit;

a first image and a second image located in the stationary background image;

the second image in the stationary background image displaced from the first image in the stationary background image by a directional distance;

the first image in the first portion of the stationary background image displayed on the screen of the portable unit, wherein

the portable unit is moved in at least one of the orientations of the directional distance to display on the screen of the portable unit the second image located in a second portion of the stationary background image.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

the stationary background image formed from one of a plurality of planes in a three dimensional space containing a reference point in the first image.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

a known position of the portable unit positioned from a user matched to a reference point in the first image within the stationary background image.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein

the portable unit is moved to the known position, if lost.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein

the at least one of the orientations of the directional distance which the portable unit is moved is either theta, phi, or the combination of phi and theta.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

an inertial guidance system providing data to a microprocessor corresponding to a movement of the portable unit, wherein

the microprocessor calculates the movement from a known position using either a Cartesian coordinate, a cylindrical coordinate or a spherical coordinate system, or any combination of the three by using an algorithm or a software program.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

an internal memory or an external database stores the stationary background image;

an RF module transfers data from the external database on an Internet; and

the data corresponding to the stationary background image stored in the internal memory.

15. A method of displaying at least one of a plurality of images in a stationary background image on a screen of a portable unit comprising:

displaying a portion of the stationary background image on the screen of the portable unit, wherein a first image of the plurality of images is located in the portion of the stationary background image and a second image located in a new portion the stationary background image is displaced from the first image by a directional distance; and

moving the portable unit in at least one of the orientations of the directional distance to display on the screen of the portable unit the second image in the new portion the stationary background image.

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

forming the portions of the stationary background image from one of a plurality of planes in a three dimensional space containing a reference point in the first image.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising the steps of:

matching a known position of the portable unit from a user to the reference point in first image within the stationary background image.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

moving the portable unit to the known position, if lost.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein

the at least one of the orientations of the first vector which the portable unit is moved is either theta, phi, or the combination of phi and theta.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the steps of:

providing data corresponding to a movement of the portable unit from an inertial guidance system to a microprocessor, wherein

the microprocessor calculates the movement from the known position using either a Cartesian coordinate, a cylindrical coordinate or a spherical coordinate system, or any combination of the three by using an algorithm or a software program.

21. The method of claim 15, further comprising the steps of:

storing the stationary background image to an internal memory or an external database;

receiving data from the external database on an Internet by an RF module; and

storing the data corresponding to the background image of the stationary background image in the internal memory.