Panorama Orientation Overlay for Seamless Map Transitions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional mobile device map applications face challenges in providing users with a seamless orientation experience when transitioning from a 2D street map to a 3D panoramic view, as users often lose their bearings due to limited field of view and jagged transitions, and lack of direction information, especially in areas with no available panoramic data.
Innovation Solution
A multi-step animation sequence is implemented to transition from a street map to a panorama view, including zooming, spinning, and displaying an orientation overlay with a pie-shaped indicator to show the direction and angular extent of the field of view, along with the use of a navigable placeholder panorama when data is unavailable.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If a street panorama is displayed inside a window on top of a street map, then users can identify their current location on the map, but users may easily lose their bearings in the panorama due to limited field of view and lack of direction information
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an orientation overlay as an intermediary element that bridges the street map and panorama view. This overlay includes a pie-shaped indicator showing the direction and angular extent of the field of view, allowing users to understand their orientation in the panorama while maintaining full-screen display. The overlay acts as a mediator that provides reference information without requiring a separate reference map window.
Solution Approach 2:
The orientation overlay uses visual elements including color-coded indicators and graphical representations to convey directional information. The pie-shaped indicator and other visual elements change or display different orientations to help users understand their current direction and field of view extent, making orientation information intuitively perceivable.
2Loss of information
If screen space is allocated to show both the street panorama and the underlying reference street map, then users can maintain spatial context, but available screen space for the panorama is reduced in mobile devices with limited display area
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential orientation information (direction and angular extent) from the traditional reference map approach and presents it through a compact orientation overlay. This allows the full street map to be replaced by the panorama while retaining orientation context through the overlay, maximizing the panorama display area while preserving spatial context information.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of providing spatial context through a 2D reference map occupying screen space, the patent uses an orientation overlay that adds dimensional information (directional arrows, angular indicators) overlaid on the panorama. This transforms the way spatial context is conveyed, using graphical dimensionality rather than map area.
3Device complexity
If conventional transition methods are used from street map to panorama view, then the transition can be implemented simply, but the transition appears jagged and users may struggle to identify landmarks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by displaying an orientation overlay before and during the transition from map to panorama view. This overlay is prepared in advance and remains visible throughout the transition, providing continuous reference information that helps users anticipate and understand the changing view, thereby facilitating smoother landmark identification.
Solution Approach 2:
The orientation overlay provides continuous orientation information throughout the transition process, maintaining useful action (orientation reference) continuously rather than interrupting it. This ensures users have constant reference to their direction and field of view even as the view transitions, making landmark identification easier despite the dynamic change.
Data Source
AI summary
A multi-step animation sequence for smoothly transitioning from a map view to a panorama view of a specified location is disclosed. An orientation overlay can be displayed on the panorama, showing a direction and angular extent of the field of view of the panorama. An initial specified location and a current location of the panorama can also be displayed on the orientation overlay. A navigable placeholder panorama to be displayed in place of a panorama at the specified location when panorama data is not available is disclosed. A perspective view of a street name annotation can be laid on the surface of a street in the panorama.