3D navigation

• US 8,880,336 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2012
• Issued: 11/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: van Os, Marcel, Blumenberg, Christopher, Moore, Bradford A., Vulcano, Emanuele
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Assistant Examiner(s): Trivedi, Atul
• Application Number:
  US13/632,130
• Publication Number:
  US 20130345962A1
• Time in Patent Office: 765 Days
• Field of Search: 701/400, 701/412, 701418-419, 701428-432, 701436-438, 701/440, 345/173, 348/14.03, 348/E13.002, 348/E13.022
• US Class Current: 701/412
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3415 Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3626 Details of the output of route guidance instructions traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3632 Guidance using simplified or iconic instructions, e.g. using arrows G01C21/365 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3635 Guidance using 3D or perspective road maps
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3638 including 3D objects and buildings three dimensional [3D] modelling, e.g. data description of 3D objects G06T17/00; geographic models G06T17/05
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3664 Details of the user input interface, e.g. buttons, knobs or sliders, including those provided on a touch screen; remote controllers; input using gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3667 Display of a road map G01C21/3614 takes precedence; guidance using 3D or perspective road maps G01C21/3635
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3215 Monitoring of peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/05 Geographic models
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/00 Maps; Plans; Charts; Diagrams, e.g. route diagram star maps G09B27/04; devices for holding or supporting maps A47B97/02; for computing purposes G06G1/14, G09B1/16; display boards G09F
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/007 using computer methods
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/10 Map spot or coordinate position indicators; Map reading aids optical projection apparatus per se G03B
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

Some embodiments provide a device that stores a novel navigation application. The application in some embodiments includes a user interface (UI) that has a display area for displaying a two-dimensional (2D) navigation presentation or a three-dimensional (3D) navigation presentation. The UI includes a selectable 3D control for directing the program to transition between the 2D and 3D presentations.

Claims

1. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing a navigation program for execution by at least one processing unit of a device, the device comprising a touch-sensitive screen and a touch input interface, the program comprising sets of instructions for:

generating and displaying a two-dimensional (2D) navigation presentation;

generating and displaying a three-dimensional (3D) navigation presentation; and

displaying a single 3D control for transitioning between the 2D navigation presentation and the 3D navigation presentation, wherein the 3D control has at least three different appearances, each appearance corresponding to a different state of navigation presentation.

2. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the program further comprises sets of instructions for:

receiving a selection of the 3D control; and

in response to the selection,

directing the program to switch from the 2D navigation presentation to the 3D navigation presentation when the 3D navigation presentation is displayed, and

directing the program to switch from the 3D navigation presentation to the 2D navigation presentation when the 2D navigation presentation is displayed.

3. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the program further comprises sets of instructions for:

receiving, from the touch input interface, a first touch input for selecting the 3D control;

receiving, from the touch input interface, a second different touch input that is not for selecting the 3D control;

determining that the second touch input is a multi-touch gestural input for transitioning from the 2D navigation presentation to the 3D navigation presentation; and

in response to the first or second touch input, directing the program to switch from the 2D navigation presentation to the 3D navigation presentation.

4. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the program further comprises sets of instructions for:

receiving, from the touch input interface, a touch input that is not for selecting the 3D control;

determining that the touch input is a multi-touch gestural input for transitioning from the 2D navigation presentation to the 3D navigation presentation; and

in response to the touch input, directing the program to switch from the 2D navigation presentation to the 3D navigation presentation.

5. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 4,

wherein the multi-touch gestural input is a multi-touch drag operation in a particular direction,

wherein the multi-touch drag operation comprises at least two different touch contacts that are dragged along the touch-sensitive screen in the particular direction or within a threshold of the particular direction.

6. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 5, wherein the particular direction is an upward direction along a vertical axis of the touch-sensitive screen, and the multi-touch drag operation is a two finger drag operation.

7. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1,

wherein at least one particular navigation presentation displays a tracked current location of the device in a particular location within the presentation,

wherein the displayed tracked current location of the device is a map view of an area surrounding the current location of the device,

wherein the program further comprises sets of instructions for:

receiving a touch input through the touch input interface during the particular navigation presentation;

determining that the touch input is a gestural input for changing the map view during the particular navigation presentation; and

in response to the touch input, changing the particular navigation presentation by presenting a portion of the map that was previously not presented during the particular navigation presentation.

8. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 7, wherein the program further comprises a set of instructions for returning, after a duration of time, the displayed tracked current location of the device in the navigation presentation back to an original position in the presentation before changing the particular navigation presentation in response to the touch input.

9. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 7, wherein the touch input is a single-touch drag operation.

10. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the 3D control has a first appearance that corresponds to the 2D navigation presentation;

and a second appearance that corresponds to the 3D navigation presentation.

11. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 10, wherein the 3D control further has a third appearance when data is not available to present the 3D navigation presentation.

12. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the set of instructions for generating the 3D navigation presentation comprises a set of instructions for rendering a 3D presentation from a particular perspective view of a 3D map scene of an area in a map that surrounds a current location of the device.

13. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 12, wherein the 3D map scene includes constructs in the 3D map, said constructs comprising roads and buildings.

14. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 12, wherein the set of instructions for rendering comprises sets of instructions for:

defining a virtual camera to represent the particular perspective view; and

moving the virtual camera in response to receiving a touch input in order to change the perspective view for rendering the 3D map scene.

15. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1,

wherein the program further comprises a set of instructions for tracking a position of the device while providing one of the navigation presentations;

wherein the navigation presentation displays a tracked current location of the device in a particular location within the presentation;

wherein the navigation presentation shows the tracked current location of the device in a map of an area surrounding the device.

16. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 15, wherein the program further comprises sets of instructions for:

correlating the tracked current position to navigation directions along a navigated route;

generating a new set of navigation directions upon detecting that the device is no longer on the navigated route based on the tracked current position of the device; and

providing the new set of navigation directions during the navigation presentation that describes a new navigated route.

17. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 16, wherein the set of instructions for tracking the position of the device comprises a set of instructions for using global positioning system (GPS) data generated by a GPS receiver of the device to identify the tracked current location of the device.

18. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 15, wherein the program further comprises sets of instructions for:

detecting that the device is reaching an intersection while the program is displaying the 3D navigation presentation; and

switching from the 3D navigation presentation to the 2D navigation presentation to provide a better view of the intersection along a navigated route.

19. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 18, wherein the program further comprises sets of instructions for:

detecting that the device has passed the intersection after switching to the 2D navigation presentation; and

switching from the 2D navigation presentation to the 3D navigation presentation to resume the 3D navigation presentation.

20. A device comprising at least one processing unit, the device comprising a touch-sensitive screen and a multi-touch interface, the device storing a navigation program for execution by said at least one processing unit, the navigation program comprising a user interface (UI), the UI comprising:

a display area for displaying a two-dimensional (2D) navigation presentation or a three-dimensional (3D) navigation presentation; and

a selectable 3D control for directing the program to transition between the 2D and 3D navigation presentations, wherein the selectable 3D control has at least three different appearances, each appearance corresponding to a different state of navigation presentation.

21. The device of claim 20, wherein the selectable 3D control has a first appearance that corresponds to the 2D navigation presentation and a second appearance that corresponds to the 3D navigation presentation.

22. The device of claim 20,

wherein the multi-touch interface is for receiving multi-touch gestural inputs through the touch-sensitive screen,

wherein the UI further comprises a gesture processing module for receiving gestural inputs from the multi-touch interface and translating a first type of gestural input to an instruction that directs the program to switch between the 2D and 3D presentations.

23. The device of claim 22, wherein the first type of gestural input is a drag operation in a particular direction.

24. The device of claim 23, wherein the first type of gestural input comprises at least two different touch contacts that are dragged along the screen in the particular direction or within a threshold of the particular direction.