Digital Map Rotation for Clear Destination Orientation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional navigation applications on portable computing devices suffer from map disorientation, making it difficult to determine the direction of map scrolling and locate the destination, often requiring cluttered additional symbols like a compass.
Innovation Solution
A method and computing device that provide a digital map with a defined point of rotation, locator coordinates, and rotate the map to align the target area in a predetermined direction, eliminating the need for additional directional symbols.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a compass or additional directional symbols are added to indicate direction, then the user can determine the direction of map scrolling, but the map data becomes cluttered
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of adding directional symbols to the map, the patent inverts the approach by rotating the entire map around the user's location. The map data itself becomes the directional indicator through its orientation, eliminating the need for additional compass symbols and keeping the map clean while providing clear directional information.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the directional indication function from traditional compass symbols and integrates it into the map rendering system itself. By making the map rotate around the user's position, the directional information is embedded in the map's orientation rather than requiring separate indicator elements.
2Ease of operation
If only a portion of the map is displayed on the portable computing device screen, then the device can be used for navigation, but it becomes difficult to locate the destination location
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a rotational dimension to the map display. By rotating the map around the user's location rather than just panning it, the system creates a new dimensional approach to navigation where the destination's angular position and distance provide intuitive spatial context for location detection.
3Ease of operation
If the map is rotated to align the target area in a predetermined direction, then the user can easily find the destination, but additional processing is required to define a point of rotation and manage locator coordinates
Solution Approach 1:
The system makes the map self-orienting by automatically rotating it around the user's location based on the calculated angle to the destination. The map serves its own orientation needs through programmatic rotation rather than requiring manual user adjustment, and the rotation center is automatically determined from the user's position data.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a method for rendering a user interface (200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700), the method comprising providing a digital map (206, 306, 406, 506, 606, 706), the digital map comprising a first area (208, 408, 508, 608, 708) surrounding at least partly a target area (212, 412, 512, 612, 712), defining a point of rotation (516) on digital map, providing locator co-ordinates in respect to digital map, rendering, on user interface, provided locator co-ordinates (210, 410, 510, 610, 710) within first area of digital map and rotating, about point of rotation, digital map to align target area in a predetermined direction (r) with respect to user interface. Disclosed also is a computing device (204, 304, 404, 504, 604, 704) for rendering a user interface on a display (202, 302, 402, 502, 602, 702) thereof.