Panning In A Three Dimensional Environment On A Mobile Device

• US 20100053219A1
• Filed: 08/24/2009
• Published: 03/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Kornmann, David
• Granted Patent: US 9,310,992 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/653
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• 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 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/003 Navigation within 3D models or images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/24 involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]

Abstract

This invention relates to panning in a three dimensional environment on a mobile device. In an embodiment, a computer-implemented method for navigating a virtual camera in a three dimensional environment on a mobile device having a touch screen. A user input is received indicating that an object has touched a first point on a touch screen of the mobile device and the object has been dragged to a second point on the touch screen. A first target location in the three dimensional environment is determined based on the first point on the touch screen. A second target location in the three dimensional environment is determined based on the second point on the touch screen. Finally, a three dimensional model is moved in the three dimensional environment relative to the virtual camera according to the first and second target locations.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for navigating a virtual camera in a three dimensional environment on a mobile device having a touch screen, comprising:

(a) receiving a user input indicating that an object has touched a first point on a touch screen of the mobile device and the object has been dragged to a second point on the touch screen;

(b) determining a first target location in the three dimensional environment based on the first point on the touch screen;

(c) determining a second target location in the three dimensional environment based on the second point on the touch screen; and

(d) moving a three dimensional model in the three dimensional environment relative to the virtual camera according to the first and second target locations.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining (b) comprises:

(i) extending a ray based on a position of the virtual camera and the first point on the touch screen; and

(ii) intersecting the ray with a three dimensional model in the three dimensional environment to determine the first target location.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

(e) determining a virtual surface based on the first target location.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the determining (c) comprises:

(i) extending a ray based on a position of the virtual camera and the second point on the touch screen; and

(ii) intersecting the ray with the virtual surface to determine the second target location.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the determining (e) comprises constructing a sphere tangent to the first target location and centered at a center of the three dimensional model to determine the virtual surface.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the moving (d) comprises rotating the three dimensional model.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

(e) determining a cross product of the first and second target location to determine a rotation axis; and

(f) determining a dot product of the first and second target location to determine a rotation angle.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

(g) determining a rotation matrix based on the rotation axis and the rotation angle,

wherein the moving (d) further comprises rotating the three dimensional model according to the rotation matrix.

9. A system for navigating a virtual camera in a three dimensional environment on a mobile device, comprising:

a touch receiver that receives a user input indicating that an object has touched a first point on a touch screen of the mobile device and the object has been dragged to a second point on the touch screen;

a target module that determines a first target location in the three dimensional environment based on the first point on the touch screen and determines a second target location in the three dimensional environment based on the second point on the touch screen; and

a pan module that moves a three dimensional model in the three dimensional environment relative to the virtual camera according to the first and second target locations.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the target module extends a ray based on a position of the virtual camera and the first point on the touch screen and intersects the ray with a three dimensional model in the three dimensional environment to determine the first target location.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the pan module determines a virtual surface based on the first target location.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the target module extends a ray based on a position of the virtual camera and the second point on the touch screen and intersects the ray with the virtual surface to determine the second target location.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the virtual surface is a sphere tangent to the first target location and centered at a center of the three dimensional model.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the pan module rotates the three dimensional model.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the pan module determines a cross product of the first and second target location to determine a rotation axis and determines a dot product of the first and second target location to determine a rotation angle.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the pan module determines a rotation matrix based on the rotation axis and the rotation angle and rotates the three dimensional model according to the rotation matrix.

17. A computer-implemented method for navigating a virtual camera in a three dimensional environment on a mobile device having a touch screen, comprising:

(a) receiving a user input indicating that an object has touched a first point on a screen of the mobile device and the object has been dragged to a second point on the touch screen;

(b) receiving an orientation of the mobile device; and

(c) determining a panning mode from a plurality of panning modes based on the orientation of the model device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the determining (c) comprises selecting a first panning mode when the orientation of the mobile device is facing downward and selecting a second panning mode when the orientation of the mobile device is facing toward a horizon.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

(d) moving a three dimensional model to follow the object when the second panning mode is determined in (c).

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

(d) moving a three dimensional model to follow movement of the object up or down on the touch screen when the first panning mode is determined in (c); and

(e) changing an orientation of the virtual camera according to movement of the object left or right of the touch screen when the first panning mode is determined in (c).