Three-dimensional tilt and pan navigation using a single gesture

• US 10,606,360 B2
• Filed: 04/13/2016
• Issued: 03/31/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Kontkanen, Janne
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Jennifer N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wan, Qi
• Application Number:
  US15/097,321
• Publication Number:
  US 20160231826A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,448 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing tilt and pan navigation within a three-dimensional environment in response to a single gesture are provided. An exemplary computer-implemented method includes receiving, by one or more computing devices, data describing a drag performed by a user. The computer-implemented method includes, in response to the drag, incrementally adjusting, by the one or more computing devices, a tilt angle of a virtual camera until the tilt angle equals one of a maximum tilt angle or a minimum tilt angle, and panning, by the one or more computing devices, the virtual camera with respect to a rendering of a three-dimensional model. An exemplary system includes a client device and a server in operative communication over a network.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for controlling a virtual camera in a three-dimensional environment, the computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, by one or more computing devices, data describing a received user input that includes only a single drag gesture, the single drag gesture comprising movement of a single input object by a user in a single linear direction; and

in response to the single drag gesture;

adjusting, by the one or more computing devices, a tilt angle of the virtual camera until the tilt angle equals one of a maximum tilt angle or a minimum tilt angle based at least in part on the data describing the single drag gesture; and

adjusting, by the one or more computing devices, a location of the virtual camera from a first location to a second, different location, wherein adjusting the location of the virtual camera comprises adjusting the location of the virtual camera in a direction parallel to a surface of a rendering of a three-dimensional model included in the three-dimensional environment based at least in part on the data describing the single drag gesture, such that the virtual camera is both tilted and moved in a direction parallel to the surface of the rendering of the three-dimensional model in response to the single drag gesture that comprises movement of the single input object by the user in the single linear direction.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein receiving, by the one or more computing devices, data describing the received user input that includes only the single drag gesture comprises receiving, by the one or more computing devices, data describing the single drag gesture captured by a motion-sensing device that senses the movement of the single input object by the user in the single linear direction.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein receiving, by the one or more computing devices, data describing the single drag gesture captured by the motion-sensing device comprises receiving, by the one or more computing devices, data describing a bodily movement of the single input object performed by the user and captured by the motion-sensing device.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein receiving, by the one or more computing devices, data describing the bodily movement of the single input object in the single linear direction performed by the user and captured by the motion-sensing device comprises receiving, by the one or more computing devices, data describing a hand gesture performed by the user and captured by the motion-sensing device, the single input object comprising a hand of the user, the hand gesture comprising movement of the hand of the user in the single linear direction.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the tilt angle of the virtual camera comprises pivoting the virtual camera about a pivot point that is located below a surface of the rendering of the three-dimensional model.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the maximum tilt angle is based at least in part on an altitude of the virtual camera above the rendering of the three-dimensional model.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

continuously providing, by the one or more computing devices, a depiction of the rendering of the three-dimensional model from a perspective of the virtual camera.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the three-dimensional model comprises a three-dimensional model of a surface of Earth; and

the tilt angle of the virtual camera is measured with respect to a normal vector that is normal to the surface of the Earth.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the tilt angle comprises an x-axis tilt angle, wherein the x-axis tilt angle is defined as the angle between a normal vector normal to a surface of the rendering of the three-dimensional model and a projection of a line of sight associated with the virtual camera onto a y-axis plane.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the tilt angle of the virtual camera comprises incrementally increasing or decreasing the tilt angle at a rate that is proportional to a velocity associated with the single drag gesture.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more computing devices, cause the one or more computing devices to perform operations, the operations comprising:

receiving, by the one or more computing devices, data describing a user input that includes only a single drag gesture, the single drag gesture comprising movement of a single input object by a user in a single linear direction;

adjusting, by the one or more computing devices in response to the drag gesture, a tilt angle of a viewpoint of a rendering of a three-dimensional model included in a three-dimensional environment; and

adjusting, by the one or more computing devices in response to the drag gesture, a location of the viewpoint from a first location to a second, different location, wherein adjusting the location of the viewpoint comprises adjusting the location of the viewpoint in a direction parallel to a surface of the rendering of the three-dimensional model, such that the viewpoint is both tilted and moved in a direction parallel to the surface of the rendering of the three-dimensional model in response to the single drag gesture that comprises movement of the single input object by the user in the single linear direction.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein:

adjusting, by the one or more computing devices in response to the drag gesture, the tilt angle of the viewpoint comprises;

when the drag gesture comprises an upwards drag, adjusting, by the one or more computing devices, the tilt angle of the viewpoint to equal a maximum tilt value;

when the drag gesture comprises a downwards drag, adjusting, by the one or more computing devices, the tilt angle of the viewpoint to equal a minimum tilt value; and

adjusting, by the one or more computing devices in response to the drag gesture, the location of the viewpoint comprises adjusting, by the one or more computing devices in response to the drag gesture, the location of the viewpoint in the direction parallel to the surface of the rendering of the three-dimensional model after the tilt angle has been adjusted to equal either the maximum tilt value or the minimum tilt value.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein:

adjusting the tilt angle comprises pivoting the viewpoint of the rendering of the three-dimensional model about a pivot point located beneath a surface of the rendering of the three-dimensional model; and

adjusting the location of the viewpoint comprises adjusting the location of the viewpoint in the direction parallel to the surface of the rendering of the three-dimensional model while holding the tilt angle constant.

14. A computing device, comprising:

at least one processor;

a display; and

at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores instructions that when executed by the at least one processor cause the computing device to;

provide on the display a depiction of a three-dimensional environment from a perspective of a virtual camera;

receive data describing a user input that includes only a single drag gesture, the single drag gesture comprising movement of a single input object by a user in a single linear direction; and

in response to the drag gesture;

adjust a tilt angle of the virtual camera until the tilt angle equals one of a maximum tilt angle or a minimum tilt angle based at least in part on the data describing the drag gesture; and

adjust a location of the virtual camera from a first location to a second, different location, wherein to adjust the location of the virtual camera from the first location to the second location, the computing device adjusts the location of the virtual camera in a direction parallel to a surface of a rendering of a three-dimensional model included in the three-dimensional environment based at least in part on the data describing the drag gesture, such that the virtual camera is both tilted and moved in a direction parallel to the surface of the rendering of the three-dimensional model in response to the single drag gesture that comprises movement of the single input object by the user in the single linear direction.

15. The computing device of claim 14, further comprising:

a positioning system that identifies a position of the computing device relative to the rendered three-dimensional model.

16. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the positioning system comprises an inertial navigation system.

17. The computing device of claim 14, further comprising:

a motion sensor that captures a bodily movement of the user, wherein the bodily movement comprises the movement of the single input object by the user in the single linear direction.

18. The computing device of claim 14, further comprising:

a motion sensor that captures a hand gesture of the user, wherein the hand gesture comprises the movement of the single input object by the user in the single linear direction, the single input object comprising a hand of the user.

19. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the computing device is wearable.