Method and Apparatus for Identifying a 3-D Object from a 2-D Display of a Portable Unit

• US 20130162627A1
• Filed: 12/26/2011
• Published: 06/27/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thaddeus Gabara
• Original Assignee: Truemaps LLC
• Inventors: Gabara, Thaddeus John
• Granted Patent: US 8,836,698 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/419
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/05 Geographic models

Abstract

A background map remains stationary relative to a portable unit while the portable unit moves within a plane parallel to the screen of the portable unit allowing the user to assess the relative distance between a source location and a destination. In addition, the orientation or movement at an angle that provides further information about the content of the image. A stationary three dimensional (3-D) background image can be viewed by moving the handheld unit within the 3-D space. The map would be three dimensional and would correspond in scale to the two axes displayed on the screen of the portable unit while the third dimensional or axis can be viewed by moving the device perpendicular to the plane of the screen of the portable device forming a rectangular cuboid.

Claims

1. A portable unit comprising:

a three dimensional image of a stationary object coupled to a memory;

a screen of the portable unit displays a two dimensional cross section image of the stationary object in a reference plane;

the portable unit based on a change in perpendicular distance from the reference plane extracts data from the memory;

the screen of the portable unit displays the data extracted from the memory;

the extracted data displays the two dimensional cross section image of the stationary object corresponding to the change in perpendicular distance of the portable unit from the reference plane; and

a summation of all the two dimensional cross sections of the stationary object determines a three dimensional shape of the stationary object.

2. The portable unit of claim 1, further comprising:

the image of the stationary object maps into a three dimensional space.

3. The portable unit of claim 1, further comprising:

an origin mapped to a point within the image of the stationary object.

4. The portable unit of claim 1, further comprising:

the reference plane mapped to a plane in the image of a stationary object.

5. The portable unit of claim 1, further comprising:

an inertial guidance system providing movement data of the portable unit to a microprocessor;

whereby the microprocessor calculates change in perpendicular distance and magnitude of direction from reference plane using software.

6. The portable unit of claim 1, further comprising:

a scale to adjust a magnification.

7. The portable unit of claim 1, further comprising:

an RF module to access an external database to supply the memory with data.

8. A portable unit comprising:

a memory coupled to a screen of the portable unit;

the screen displays a two dimensional cross section of a stationary object in a reference plane;

a microprocessor coupled to an inertial guidance system provides movement data;

the microprocessor calculates a perpendicular distance from the reference plane;

the screen of the portable unit displays an image of the two dimensional cross section of the stationary object corresponding to the perpendicular distance from the reference plane; and

a summation of the cross sections of the stationary object determines a three dimensional shape of the object.

9. The portable unit of claim 8, further comprising:

the image of the stationary object maps into a three dimensional space.

10. The portable unit of claim 8, whereby

the microprocessor calculates a phi angle and a theta angle.

11. The portable unit of claim 9, further comprising:

an origin mapped to a point within the image of the stationary map representing by the three dimensional space.

12. The portable unit of claim 9, further comprising:

the reference plane mapped to a plane within the image of the stationary map representing three dimensional space.

13. The portable unit of claim 8, further comprising:

a scale to adjust a magnification.

14. The portable unit of claim 9, further comprising:

an RF module to access an external database to supply the memory with data.

15. A method of summing the cross sections of the stationary object together to determine a shape of the object comprising the steps of:

coupling a memory to a three dimensional image of an stationary object;

extracting data from the memory in the portable unit based on a physical position;

applying the data to a screen;

displaying a cross section two dimensional image of the stationary object in a reference plane on the screen of the portable unit;

moving the screen of the portable unit a perpendicular distance from the reference plane;

extracting data from the memory based on the perpendicular distance;

displaying the two dimensional image of the cross section of the stationary object corresponding to the data from the memory to the screen; and

summing the two dimensional cross sections of the stationary object together to determine a three dimensional shape of the object.

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

mapping the image of the stationary object within a three dimensional space.

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

mapping a point on the reference plane to an origin.

18. The process of claim 15, further comprising the steps of:

mapping a three dimensional point within the image of the stationary object to an origin.

19. The process of claim 17, whereby

the reference plane mapped to a plane in the three dimensional image of an stationary object.

20. The process of claim 15, further comprising the steps of:

providing movement data of the portable unit from an inertial guidance system to a microprocessor;

whereby the microprocessor calculates the perpendicular distance using software.