Map presentation for multi-floor buildings

• US 9,488,481 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2014
• Issued: 11/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Digital Holdings LLC (GE Aerospace)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Javed, Waqas, Carroll, Alexander Kaber
• Primary Examiner(s): Jabr, Fadey
• Assistant Examiner(s): Martinez Borrero, Luis A
• Application Number:
  US14/514,118
• Publication Number:
  US 20160102983A1
• Time in Patent Office: 756 Days
• Field of Search: 701/532, 701/533, 701/23, 701/469, 701/1, 701/26, 701/446, 701/445, 701/517, 701/519, 701/475, 701/412, 701/417, 701/431, 701/454, 701/523, 715/753, 715/765, 715/771, 715/233, 715/243, 715/757, 715/735, 715/744
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/367 Details, e.g. road map scale, orientation, zooming, illumination, level of detail, scrolling of road map or positioning of current position marker
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/005 Map projections or methods associated specifically therewith

Abstract

Example systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media for displaying a map of a multi-floor building are presented. In one example, a first view may be presented for display. The first view may include a floor map of each of multiple floors of a building. The floor maps may be arranged in parallel according to position within the building and displayed at an angle between perpendicular to the floor maps and parallel to the floor maps. During the presenting for display of the first view, a user selection of a first one of the floor maps may be received. In response to the user selection, an animation from the first view to a second view may be presented for display. The second view may display the first one of the floor maps at an angle perpendicular to the first one of the floor maps.

Claims

1. A method of displaying a map of a multi-floor building, the method comprising:

generating a first view, by one or more hardware processors, the first view comprising a floor map of each of a plurality of floors of a building, the floor maps of the plurality of floors being arranged in parallel according to position within the building and displayed at an angle between perpendicular to the floor maps and parallel to the floor maps;

causing display of the first view on a display device of a user device comprising one or more processors;

receiving, during the display of the first view, a user selection of a first one of the floor maps input via a user interface presented on the display device;

generating, by one or more hardware processors and in response to receiving the user selection, using at least one hardware processor of a machine, an animation from the first view to a second view, the second view comprising the first one of the floor maps displayed at an angle perpendicular to the display of the first one of the floor maps in the first view;

causing display of the animation from the first view to the second view on the display device of the user device;

receiving, during the display of the second view, a further user selection of an individual feature of the first one of the floor maps, the further user selection being input via the user interface; and

in response to receiving the further user selection of the individual feature of the first one of the floor maps, modifying the display of the second view to include information corresponding to the selected feature, the modifying of the display of the second view further including;

scanning across the second view to the selected feature of the one of the floor maps; and

zooming in the second view to the selected feature of the first one of the floor maps.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user selection is received while a cursor is positioned on the first one of the floor maps.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, prior to the user selection, a user indication of the first one of the floor maps, wherein the first one of the floor maps represents a first one of the floors of the building and is at least partially obscured in the first view by a second one of the floor maps representing a second one of the floors of the building, and wherein the second one of the floors is located immediately above and adjacent to the first one of the floors in the building; and

modifying, in response to the user indication, the second one of the floor maps, as displayed in the first view, so that the first one of the floor maps is not obscured by the second one of the floor maps.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the user indication comprises a cursor positioned on the first one of the floor maps.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

causing display of a plurality of selectable regions in addition to the first view, wherein each of the plurality of selectable regions corresponds to one of the floor maps, wherein the user indication comprises a cursor positioned on the selectable region corresponding to the first one of the floor maps.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the modifying of the second one of the floor maps comprises at least partially increasing a transparency of the second one of the floor maps.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein:

the first one of the floor maps is at least partially obscured in the first view by a third one of the floor maps representing a third one of the floors of the building, wherein the third one of the floors is located immediately above and adjacent to the second one of the floors in the building; and

the method further comprises modifying, in response to the user indication, the third one of the floor maps, as displayed in the first view, so that the first one of the floor maps is not obscured by the third one of the floor maps.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the modifying of the display of the second view further comprises presenting a pop-up graphical object that includes the information corresponding to the selected feature.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving user input indicating a request for display of a navigation route from a current location of a user to the selected feature; and

causing display of an animation of the navigation route from the current location of the user to the selected feature.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein:

information corresponding to the selected feature is displayed in an additional graphical object that is overlaid on the second view.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the information corresponding to the feature comprises at least one of a name of the feature, a name of a person corresponding to the feature, and contact information of the person corresponding to the feature.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the feature comprises at least one of a room and a cubicle represented in the first one of the floor maps.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the method further comprises

determining at least one additional feature of the first one of the floor maps based on a logical connection between the selected feature and the at least one additional feature; and

highlighting, within the second view, the selected feature and the at least one additional feature.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the method further comprises

determining at least one additional feature of a second one of the floor maps based on a logical connection between the selected feature and the at least one additional feature;

receiving, during the presenting for display of the second view, a second user selection of a second one of the floor maps;

causing display of, in response to the second user selection, a third view comprising the second one of the floor maps; and

highlighting, within the third view, the at least one additional feature.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting an external view, wherein the external view comprises a street map including a representation of the building; and

receiving, during the presenting of the external view, a user selection of the representation of the building;

wherein the presenting of the first view is performed in response to the user selection of the representation of the building.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the representation of the building in the external view comprises a second one of the floor maps of the plurality of floors of the building.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the second one of the floor maps in the external view comprises a floor map of one of a topmost floor and a bottommost floor of the building.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

causing display of an external view, wherein the external view comprises a street map including a representation of the building;

causing display of, along with the external view, a plurality of selectable regions, wherein each of the plurality of selectable regions corresponds to one of the floor maps;

receiving, during the display of the external view, a user indication of one of the selectable regions corresponding to a second one of the floor maps; and

modifying the representation of the building to present the second one of the floor maps in response to the user indication of the second one of the floor maps.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

generating, by the at least one processor, a first view, the first view comprising a floor map of each of a plurality of floors of a building, the floor maps of the plurality of floors are arranged in parallel according to position within the building and displayed at an angle between perpendicular to the floor maps and parallel to the floor maps,

causing display of the first view on a display device;

receiving, during the display of the first view, a user selection of a first one of the floor maps input via a user interface displayed on the display device;

generating, by the at east one processor and in response to receiving the user selection, an animation from the first view to a second view, the second view comprising the first one of the floor maps displayed at an angle perpendicular to the display of the first one of the floor maps in the first view;

causing display of the animation from the first view to the second view on the display device;

receiving, during the display of the second view, a further user selection of an individual feature of the first one of the floor maps, the further user selection being input via the user interface; and

in response to receiving the further user selection of individual feature of the first one of the floor maps, modifying the display of the second view to include information corresponding to the selected feature, the modifying of the display of the second view further including;

scanning across the second view to the selected feature of the first one of the floor maps; and

zooming in the second view to the selected feature of the first one of the floor maps.

20. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

a machine-readable medium storing a set of instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the machine to perform operations comprising;

accessing a map data for a building;

generating a first view, the first view comprising a floor map of each of a plurality of floors of the building, the floor maps of the plurality of floors being arranged in parallel according to position within the building and displayed at an angle between perpendicular to the floor maps and parallel to the floor maps;

causing display of the first view on a display device;

receiving, during the display of the first view, a user selection of a first one of the floor maps input via a user interface displayed on the display device;

generating, response to the receiving of the user selection, an animation the first view to a second view, the second view comprising the first one of the floor maps displayed at an angle perpendicular to the display of the first one of the floor maps in the first view, and the second view omitting each remaining one of the floor maps other than the first one of the floor maps;

causing display of the animation from the first view to the second view on the display device;

receiving, during display of the second view, a further user selection of an individual feature of the first one of the floor maps, the further user selection being input via the user interface; and

in response to receiving the further user selection of the individual feature of the first one of the floor maps, modifying the display of the second view to include information corresponding to the selected feature, the modifying of the display of the second view further including;

scanning across the second view to the selected feature of the first one of the floor maps; and

zooming in the second view to the selected feature of the first one of the floor maps.