Spatial referenced photographic system with navigation arrangement
DCFirst Claim
1. A spatially referenced photographic system comprising:
- a data base containing plural images of objects and also containing information corresponding to said images defining the position at which each image was originally viewed and the orientation of the image with respect to that position;
image presentation and navigation means for displaying the images to a user and for facilitating the user in navigating among said images by receiving spatial movement commands from the user, as indicated by said spatial movement commands;
wherein said image presentation and navigation means includes means for displaying, along with an image, a view of the camera path and an indication of the camera position and orientation when the image was recorded;
wherein camera position and orientation is indicated by a mark on the path oriented as the camera is oriented to point where the camera was pointing; and
wherein the view is a plan view and wherein the mark bears an indication thereon of the yaw angle of the camera.
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Abstract
An image system which captures, along with the images, information defining both the position and the orientation of the camera along with the distance to the subject. A video camera is attached to three accelerometers, two gyroscopes, and a rangefinder. Data gathered from these devices and defining the pitch, yaw, and roll of the camera, the camera'"'"'s acceleration, and the distance to the subject is captured and recorded along with video images. The video images are later stored within a computer'"'"'s data base along with data defining the position and orientation of the camera and the distance to the subject for each image, this latter data being computed from the captured data. The images may then be presented to the user in a three-dimensional display in which the user can navigate through the images using a joystick device, with the images located in positions corresponding to the positions in space of the objects that were imaged.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A spatially referenced photographic system comprising:
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a data base containing plural images of objects and also containing information corresponding to said images defining the position at which each image was originally viewed and the orientation of the image with respect to that position; image presentation and navigation means for displaying the images to a user and for facilitating the user in navigating among said images by receiving spatial movement commands from the user, as indicated by said spatial movement commands; wherein said image presentation and navigation means includes means for displaying, along with an image, a view of the camera path and an indication of the camera position and orientation when the image was recorded; wherein camera position and orientation is indicated by a mark on the path oriented as the camera is oriented to point where the camera was pointing; and wherein the view is a plan view and wherein the mark bears an indication thereon of the yaw angle of the camera.
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2. A spatially referenced photographic system comprising:
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a data base containing plural images of objects and also containing information corresponding to said images defining the position at which each image was originally viewed and the orientation of the image with respect to that position; image presentation and navigation means for displaying the images to a user and for facilitating the user in navigating among said images by receiving spatial movement commands from the user, as indicated by said spatial movement commands; wherein said image presentation and navigation means includes means for displaying, along with an image, a view of the camera path and an indication of the camera position and orientation when the image was recorded; and wherein a mark appears in said image of a location associated with another image such that the user may signal a desire to navigate forward to view said another image in a simple manner. - View Dependent Claims (3)
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4. A spatially referenced photographic system comprising:
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a data base containing plural images of objects and also containing information corresponding to said images defining the position at which each image was originally viewed and the orientation of the image with respect to that position; image presentation and navigation means for displaying the images to a user and for facilitating the user in navigating among said images by receiving spatial movement commands from the user, as indicated by said spatial movement commands; and wherein said image presentation and navigation means provides the user with navigation controls for moving backward, in response to the actuation of which controls said means selects an image captured at a generally backward camera position having an orientation similar to that of an image the user is currently viewing.
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5. A spatially referenced photographic system comprising:
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a data base containing plural images of objects and also containing information corresponding to said images defining the position at which each image was originally viewed and the orientation of the image with respect to that positions; image presentation and navigation means for displaying the images to a user and for facilitating the user in navigating among said images by receiving spatial movement commands from the user, as indicated by said spatial movement commands; and wherein said image presentation and navigation means provides the user with navigation controls for rotating left or right, in response to the actuation of which controls said means selects an image captured at a generally left-rotated or right-rotated camera position having a position fore-, aft-, and side-to-side similar to that of an image the user is currently viewing. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7)
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8. A spatially referenced photographic system comprising:
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a data base containing plural images of objects and also containing information corresponding to said images defining the position at which each image was originally viewed and the orientation of the image with respect to that position; image presentation and navigation means for displaying the images to a user and for facilitating the user in navigating among said images by receiving spatial movement commands from the user, as indicated by said spatial movement commands; and wherein said image presentation and navigation means provides the user with navigation controls for moving forward and simultaneously rotating to the left or to the right, in response to the actuation of which controls said means selects an image captured at a generally forward camera position having an angular orientation rotated to the left or to the right of that of an image the user is currently viewing.
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9. A spatially referenced photographic system comprising:
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a data base containing plural images of objects and also containing information corresponding to said images defining the position at which each image was originally viewed and the orientation of the image with respect to that position; image presentation and navigation means for displaying the images to a user and for facilitating the user in navigating among said images by receiving spatial movement commands from the user, as indicated by said spatial movement commands; said image presentation and navigation means providing the user with navigation controls, in response to the actuation of which controls said presentation and navigation means selects an image captured at a position generally shifted from that of an image the user is currently viewing, as indicated by the user actuation of said controls.
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12. A spatially referenced photographic apparatus comprising:
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a data base containing images of objects and information corresponding to the images, the information defining a position at which a respective image was captured and at least a yaw orientation of the respective image with respect to the position, wherein the information is derived from a camera position and orientation information automatically recorded substantially simultaneously with recording of the respective image; a computing device in communication with the data base, the computing device configured to receive spatial movement commands and provide images for display in response to receiving the spatial movement commands via an interface; wherein the computing device is configured to provide an overlay item projected onto a displayed image based on at least one of the respective images from the data base, the overlay item comprising an indication of a point or area of interest for the displayed image with respect to which one or more associated images are available in response to receiving signals indicating selection of the overlay item; and wherein the computing device is configured to provide, along with the displayed image and the overlay item projected onto the displayed image, navigation controls for moving forward and simultaneously rotating to the left or to the right, the computing device configured to provide in response to actuation of the navigation controls a selected image captured at a generally forward camera position having an angular orientation rotated to the left or to the right of that of the displayed image.
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13. A spatially referenced photographic apparatus comprising:
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a data base containing images of objects and information corresponding to the images, the information defining a position at which a respective image was captured and at least a yaw orientation of the respective image with respect to the position, wherein the information is derived from a camera position and orientation information automatically recorded substantially simultaneously with recording of the respective image; a computing device in communication with the data base, the computing device configured to receive spatial movement commands and provide images for display in response to receiving the spatial movement commands via an interface; wherein the computing device is configured to provide an overlay item projected onto a displayed image based on at least one of the respective images from the data base, the overlay item comprising an indication of a point or area of interest for the displayed image with respect to which one or more associated images are available in response to receiving signals indicating selection of the overlay item; and wherein the computing device is configured to provide, along with the displayed image and the overlay item projected onto the displayed image, navigation controls for moving backward, the computing device configured to provide in response to actuation of the navigation controls a selected image captured at a generally backward camera position having an orientation similar to that of the displayed image.
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14. A spatially referenced photographic apparatus comprising:
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a data base containing images of objects and information corresponding to the images, the information defining a position at which a respective image was captured and at least a yaw orientation of the respective image with respect to the position, wherein the information is derived from a camera position and orientation information automatically recorded substantially simultaneously with recording of the respective image; a computing device in communication with the data base, the computing device configured to receive spatial movement commands and provide images for display in response to receiving the spatial movement commands via an interface; wherein the computing device is configured to provide an overlay item projected onto a displayed image based on at least one of the respective images from the data base, the overlay item comprising an indication of a point or area of interest for the displayed image with respect to which one or more associated images are available in response to receiving signals indicating selection of the overlay item; and wherein the computing device is configured to provide, along with the displayed image and the overlay item projected onto the displayed image, navigation controls for rotating left or right, the computing device configured to provide in response to actuation of the navigation controls for rotating left or right an image captured at a generally left-rotated or right-rotated camera position having a position forward, backward, and side-to-side similar to that of the displayed image.
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15. A spatially referenced photographic apparatus comprising:
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a data base containing images of objects and information corresponding to the images, the information defining a position at which a respective image was captured and at least a yaw orientation of the respective image with respect to the position, wherein the information is derived from a camera position and orientation information automatically recorded substantially simultaneously with recording of the respective image; a computing device in communication with the data base, the computing device configured to receive spatial movement commands and provide images for display in response to receiving the spatial movement commands via an interface; wherein the computing device is configured to provide an overlay item projected onto a displayed image based on at least one of the respective images from the data base, the overlay item comprising an indication of a point or area of interest for the displayed image with respect to which one or more associated images are available in response to receiving signals indicating selection of the overlay item; and wherein the displayed image with the overlay item projected onto the displayed image includes designations indicating left and right possible rotations corresponding to a general location of a viewpoint of an image captured at generally left-rotated or right-rotated camera positions. - View Dependent Claims (16)
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17. A spatially referenced photographic apparatus comprising:
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a data base containing images of objects and information corresponding to the images, the information defining a position at which a respective image was captured and at least a yaw orientation of the respective image with respect to the position, wherein the information is derived from a camera position and orientation information automatically recorded substantially simultaneously with recording of the respective image; a computing device in communication with the data base, the computing device configured to receive spatial movement commands and provide images for display in response to receiving the spatial movement commands via an interface; wherein the computing device is configured to provide an overlay item projected onto a displayed image based on at least one of the respective images from the data base, the overlay item comprising an indication of a point or area of interest for the displayed image with respect to which one or more associated images are available in response to receiving signals indicating selection of the overlay item; and wherein the computing device is configured to provide, along with the displayed image and the overlay item projected onto the displayed image, navigation controls for moving forward and simultaneously rotating to the left or to the right, the computing device configured to provide in response to the actuation of the navigation controls an image captured at a generally forward camera position having an angular orientation rotated to the left or to the right of the displayed image. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A spatially referenced photographic apparatus comprising:
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a data base containing plural images of objects and also containing information corresponding to said images defining the position at which each image was originally captured and at least the yaw orientation of the image with respect to that position, wherein recorded information from which said position and yaw orientation information may be determined was automatically recorded substantially simultaneously with the recording of the image; image presentation and navigation means for displaying the images to a user and for facilitating the user in navigating among said images by receiving spatial movement commands from the user, as indicated by said spatial movement commands; said image presentation and navigation means providing to the user, for display in combination with the images and an overlay item, navigation controls, in response to the actuation of which controls said presentation and navigation means selects an image captured at a position generally shifted from that of an image the user is currently viewing, as indicated by the user actuation of said controls; and said image presentation and navigation means providing the user an overlay item projected onto the image the user is currently viewing, the overlay item comprising an indication of a point or area of interest for the image with respect to which one or more associated images are available in response to receiving signals indicating selection of the overlay item.
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Specification