Navigation paths for panorama

• US 9,244,940 B1
• Filed: 11/19/2013
• Issued: 01/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Donsbach, Aaron Michael, Rapoport, Evan, Isidoro, John, Beis, Jeffrey Scott, Chen, Ping Hsin
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): Flora, Nurun N
• Application Number:
  US14/084,077
• Time in Patent Office: 798 Days
• Field of Search: 707/E17.02
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/343 Calculating itineraries, i.e. routes leading from a starting point to a series of categorical destinations using a global route restraint, round trips, touristic trips travelling salesman problem G06Q10/04; optimisation of routes G06Q10/047
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/20 Drawing from basic elements, e.g. lines or circles
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4038 Image mosaicing, e.g. composing plane images from plane sub-images
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture

Abstract

Aspects of the disclosure relate generally to allowing users to create their own image navigation experiences. As an example, a set of panoramic images may be identified using manual and/or automated methods. One or more suggested potential paths connecting ones of the panoramic images may be determined. This information may be displayed to a user with an interface that allows the user to create and change relationships between the panoramic images. For example, users may activate the suggested paths and create connections between the panoramic images of the set. Users may also draw their own connecting paths between panoramic images. The panoramic images and the connections between them may be used to provide a navigation experience.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

identifying, by one or more computing devices, a set of panoramic images, each panoramic image of the set of panoramic images being associated with geographic location information;

determining, by the one or more computing devices, suggested potential paths, each path connecting two of the panoramic images based on a geographic proximity and an angular proximity of the two panoramic images to each other, wherein for each suggested potential path, the location of at least one of the two panoramic images is different from the location of at least one panoramic image of every other suggested potential path;

providing for display, by the one or more computing devices, a view including a map, a map marker for each panoramic image of the set, and a plurality of the suggested potential paths in order to show that a link between the two panoramic images connected by each suggested potential path is not yet created, the map markers being displayed at locations on the map that are determined based at least in part on using the geographic location information;

after providing the view for display, receiving, by the one or more computing devices, user input selecting at least one path from the plurality of suggested potential paths;

based on the received user input, establishing, by the one or more computing devices, the link between each two panoramic images of each selected path; and

generating, by the one or more computing devices, navigation data for a navigation experience, the navigation data including each two panoramic images of each selected path and a navigation connection between the two panoramic images of each selected path, and between each selected path and any other selected path which shares the same panoramic image.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a particular panoramic image of the set of panoramic images as a reference panoramic image, and

wherein the suggested potential paths are determined such that they extend between the map marker of the reference panoramic image and a map marker of a panoramic image of the set of panoramic images different from the map marker of the reference panoramic image.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein one or more of the suggested potential paths are determined further based on an angular distance between panoramic images of the set of panoramic images relative to the map marker of the reference panoramic image.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving identification of a second panoramic image of the set of panoramic images as a new reference panoramic image, and

determining, by the one or more computing devices, one or more new suggested potential paths connecting the map marker of the new reference panoramic image and a map marker of a panoramic image of the set of panoramic images different from the map marker of the new reference panoramic image.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving user input indicating updated geographic location information of a particular map marker of the set of panoramic images different from the map marker of the reference panoramic image;

associating, by the one or more computing devices, the received updated geographic location information with the particular map marker;

determining, by the one or more computing devices, a new suggested potential path connecting the map marker of the reference panoramic image and the particular map marker; and

updating the display of the view with the new suggested potential path and the updated geographic location information of the particular map marker.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

each of the panoramic images of the set of panoramic images are associated with timestamp information; and

the suggested potential paths are determined further based on the timestamp information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the user input indicates that the user has drawn a line between the map markers of the two of the panoramic images of the selected path, and the method further comprises generating the navigation connection based on the user input.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the user input indicates that the user has activated one of the suggested potential paths, and the method further comprises generating the navigation connection based on the user input.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from a client computing device, a request for a navigation experience; and

sending, to the client computing device, the navigation data for display as a navigation experience.

10. A system comprising one or more computing devices configured to:

identify a set of panoramic images, each panoramic image of the set of panoramic images being associated with geographic location information;

determine suggested potential paths, each path connecting two of the panoramic images based on a geographic proximity and an angular proximity of the two panoramic images to each other, wherein for each suggested potential path, the location of at least one of the two panoramic images is different from the location of at least one panoramic image of every other suggested potential path;

provide for display a view including a map, a map marker for each panoramic image of the set, and a plurality of the suggested potential paths in order to show that a link between the two panoramic images connected by each suggested path is not yet created, the map markers being displayed at locations on the map that are determined based at least in part on using the geographic location information;

after providing for display the view, receive user input selecting at least one path from the plurality of suggested potential paths;

based on the received user input, establish the link between each two panoramic images of each selected path; and

generate navigation data for a navigation experience, the navigation data including each two panoramic images of each selected path and a navigation connection between the two panoramic images, and between each selected path and any other selected path which shares the same panoramic image.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to:

receive, from a client computing device, a request for a navigation experience; and

send, to the client computing device, a panoramic image based on the navigation data.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to identify the set of panoramic images by receiving user input selecting an individual panoramic image of the set of panoramic images.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to, in response to receiving user input selecting a particular panoramic image, generate a notification that the particular panoramic image is not available for connections to other images.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to:

display a second view including a plurality of panoramic images; and

in response to receiving user input selecting a given panoramic image of the plurality of panoramic images that is also in the set of panoramic images, indicate whether any of the plurality of panoramic images are available.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to determine whether any of the plurality of panoramic images is available based on timestamp information associated with each of the plurality of panoramic images.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to determine whether any of the plurality of panoramic images is available based on geographic location information associated with each of the plurality of panoramic images.

17. The system of claim 10 wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to:

determine the set of panoramic images based on the geographic location information associated with each panoramic image of the set of panoramic images;

provide a notification that the set of panoramic images are available for connection; and

identify the set of panoramic images further based on user input received in response to the notification.

18. The system of claim 10 wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to:

display a second view including a second map, the second map including a plurality of markers, each marker of the plurality of markers representing a panoramic image; and

identify the set of panoramic images further based on the panoramic images represented by the plurality of markers in the second view.

19. The system of claim 10 wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to:

display a second view including a second map at a first zoom level, the second map including a plurality of markers, each marker of the plurality of markers representing a panoramic image;

in response to user input, display a third map at a predetermined zoom level in the second view, the third map including a second plurality of markers, each marker of the second plurality of markers representing a panoramic image;

when the third map is displayed at the predetermined zoom level, provide a notification that the set of panoramic images are available for connection; and

identify the set of panoramic images further based on user input received in response to the notification.

20. A non-transitory, tangible computer-readable storage device on which computer readable instructions of a program are stored, the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the processors to perform a method, the method comprising:

identifying a set of panoramic images, each panoramic image of the set of panoramic images being associated with geographic location information;

determining suggested potential paths, each path connecting two of the panoramic images based on a geographic proximity and an angular proximity of the two panoramic images to each other, wherein for each suggested potential path, the location of at least one of the two panoramic images is different from the location of at least one panoramic image of every other suggested potential path;

providing for display, a view including a map, a map marker for each panoramic image of the set, and a plurality of the suggested potential paths in order to show that a link between the two panoramic images connected by each suggested potential path is not yet created, the map markers being displayed at locations on the map that are determined based at least in part on using the geographic location information;

after providing the view for display, receiving user input selecting at least one path from the plurality of suggested potential paths;

based on the received user input, establishing the link between each two panoramic images of each selected path; and

generating navigation data for a navigation experience, the navigation data including each two panoramic images of each selected path and a navigation connection between the two panoramic images of each selected path, and between each selected path and any other selected path which shares the same panoramic image.