Computing devices and methods for navigating around a surface of three-dimensional (3D) coordinate system representations of 3D objects

• US 9,373,194 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2015
• Issued: 06/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Overbeck, Ryan Styles
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phu K
• Application Number:
  US14/740,304
• Publication Number:
  US 20150279100A1
• Time in Patent Office: 371 Days
• Field of Search: 345/418, 345/419
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: G06T 15/20 Perspective computation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/003 Navigation within 3D models or images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/20 Editing of 3D images, e.g. changing shapes or colours, aligning objects or positioning parts
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/2016 Rotation, translation, scaling

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to navigating around geographic maps within a map viewport display. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to navigating around a surface of a 3D, geographic coordinate system representation of a body using a pan feature while North is locked. In response to a user activating a pan feature of a navigation interface, a spin angle and, or a swing angle is calculated and the globe is revolved around a spin-axis and/or a swing-axis while revolution around a rotate-axis is locked.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, the method comprising:

rendering, by one or more computing devices, a display of a three-dimensional surface of a body within a two-dimensional viewport using three-dimensional coordinate system data, wherein the body surface is defined by data in the three-dimensional coordinate system having x, y, and z axes, and wherein the body includes a North pole and a South pole, a spin-axis that extends through a center of the body generally along the z-axis, and a swing-axis that extends generally along the x-axis through the center of the body perpendicular to the spin-axis and parallel to a plane defined by the viewport;

causing, by the one or more computing devices, the rendered body to move within the viewport between a current point on the body surface and a desired map point on the body surface using the three-dimensional coordinate system data by;

determining, by the one or more computing devices, an intermediate point associated with the body;

moving, by the one or more computing devices, the rendered body within the viewport along at least one of a determined spin-axis angle of revolution or a determined swing-axis angle of revolution, wherein the spin-axis angle of revolution comprises an angle of revolution around the spin-axis between the current point and the intermediate point around a first body circle, and wherein the swing-axis angle comprises an angle of revolution around the swing-axis between the intermediate point and the desired point around a second body circle;

wherein moving the body within the viewport between the current point and the desired point does not change an orientation of the North pole of the rendered body within the viewport; and

wherein the intermediate point comprises a point on the body at which the first body circle and the second body circle intersect.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, Wherein the body further includes a rotate-axis that extends generally along the y-axis through the center of the body perpendicular to the plane defined by the viewport and movement of the body within the viewport between the current point and the desired point does not move the body along the rotate-axis.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising determining, by the one or more computing devices, a camera tilt angle with respect to a point on the surface of the body.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, further comprising changing, by the one or more computing devices, the camera tilt angle based at least in part on a user input.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising determining, by the one or more computing devices, a camera altitude with respect to a point on the surface of the body.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the body comprises a sphere.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the desired map point is identified based at least in part on a user input.

8. A computing device comprising:

a cursor control device having a user input mechanism, wherein activation of the cursor control device and the input mechanism causes a processor to execute a body surface panning module;

a display generation module stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium that, when executed by one or more processors, renders a display of a surface of a body in a two-dimensional viewport using three-dimensional coordinate system data, wherein the body surface is defined by the three-dimensional coordinate system data having x, y, and z axes, and wherein the body includes a North pole and a South pole, a spin-axis that extends through a center of the body generally along the z-axis, and a swing-axis that extends generally along the x-axis through the center of the body perpendicular to the spin-axis and parallel to a plane defined by the viewport;

wherein the body surface panning module is stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the rendered body to move within the viewport between a current point on the body surface and a desired point on the body surface using the three-dimensional coordinate system data by;

determining an intermediate point associated with the body surface;

moving the rendered body within the viewport along at least one of a determined spin-axis angle of revolution or a determined swing-axis angle of revolution, wherein the spin-axis angle of revolution comprises an angle of revolution around the spin-axis between the current point and the intermediate point around a first body circle, and wherein the swing-axis angle of revolution comprises an angle of revolution around the swing-axis between the intermediate point and the desired point around a second body circle;

wherein moving the body within the viewport between the current point and the desired point does not change an orientation of the North pole of the rendered body within the viewport; and

wherein the intermediate point comprises a point on the body at which the first body circle and the second body circle intersect.

9. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the body further includes a rotate-axis that extends along the y-axis through the center of the body perpendicular to the plane defined by the viewport and movement of the body within the viewport between the current point and the desired point does not move the body along the rotate-axis.

10. The computing device of claim 8, further comprising an altitude computation module stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium that, when executed by a processor, calculates a camera altitude.

11. The computing device of claim 8, further comprising a camera tilt angle computation module stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium that, when executed by a processor, calculates a camera tilt angle.

12. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the body comprises a sphere.

13. One or more tangible, non-transitory computer-readable, media storing computer-readable instructions that when executed by one or more processors cause the one or more processors to perform operations, the one or more tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media comprising:

a display generation module that, when executed by one or more processors, renders a display of a surface of a body in a two-dimensional viewport using three-dimensional coordinate system data, the body surface including the three-dimensional coordinate system data having x, y, and z axes, wherein the body includes a North pole and a South pole, a spin-axis that extends through a center of the body along the z-axis between the North pole and the South pole, and a swing-axis that extends along the x-axis through the center of the body perpendicular to the spin-axis and parallel to a plane defined by the viewport;

a body surface panning feature module that, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the rendered body to move within the viewport between a current point on the body surface and a desired point on the body surface using the three-dimensional coordinate system data by;

determining an intermediate point on the body surface; and

moving the rendered body within the viewport along at least one of a determined spin-axis angle of revolution or a determined swing-axis angle of revolution, the spin-axis angle of revolution comprising an angle of revolution around the spin-axis between the current point and the intermediate point around a first body circle, and the swing-axis angle of revolution comprising an angle of revolution around the swing-axis between the intermediate point and the desired point around a second body circle;

wherein movement of the body within the viewport between the current point and the desired point does not change an orientation of the North pole of the rendered body within the viewport; and

wherein the intermediate point comprises a point on the body at which the first body circle and the second body circle intersect.

14. The one or more tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13, wherein the body further includes a rotate-axis that extends along the y-axis through the center of the body perpendicular to the plane defined by the viewport and movement of the body within the viewport between the current point and the desired point does not move the body along the rotate-axis.

15. The one or more tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13, further comprising an altitude computation module that, when executed by the one or more processors, calculates a camera altitude.

16. The one or more tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13, further comprising a camera tilt angle computation module, when executed by the one or more processors, calculates a camera tilt angle.