3D Panoramic Image Navigation via Spatial Markers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for displaying panoramic images do not efficiently associate images from different shooting locations, leading to disordered and non-intuitive navigation, requiring users to repeatedly switch between map views to access related images.
Innovation Solution
A panoramic image display apparatus and method that associates images with markers indicating shooting directions, allowing users to view images in a three-dimensional space, enabling seamless switching between locations by selecting markers within the images.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If panoramic images are displayed on a planar map interface, then users can search for spots to view images, but users must repeatedly return to the map to search for new spots, resulting in non-intuitive navigation and inefficient viewing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a 2D planar map interface to a 3D virtual space where panoramic images are positioned according to their shooting locations and orientations. This dimensional change allows users to navigate through images by moving in 3D space rather than repeatedly returning to a 2D map, making navigation more intuitive and efficient. The 3D space naturally represents spatial relationships between shooting locations, enabling direct access to related images through spatial navigation.
2Productivity
If panoramic images from different shooting locations are not associated, then storage and retrieval are simple, but the display becomes disordered and does not facilitate active utilization
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary association of panoramic images with their shooting location information and shooting orientation data during the image storage phase. By pre-organizing images with their spatial metadata (location coordinates and orientation angles), the system enables efficient retrieval and intuitive display without requiring complex real-time processing. This preliminary organization allows the 3D virtual space to be constructed automatically based on stored spatial relationships.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces shooting location information and shooting orientation data as intermediary elements that connect panoramic images to their spatial context. These intermediaries serve as the basis for positioning images in the 3D virtual space and for establishing associations between images from different locations. The intermediaries enable the system to automatically organize and relate images without requiring complex manual association mechanisms.
3Ease of operation
If markers indicating shooting directions are associated with panoramic images, then seamless switching between locations is enabled, but the processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates simplified marker representations that copy essential directional information from the original panoramic images. Instead of processing complete panoramic images for each marker, the system generates compact marker data structures containing location and orientation information. These markers serve as lightweight proxies that enable efficient navigation and image switching without requiring complex processing of full-resolution panoramic data.
Data Source
AI summary
When a place where a different panoramic image was captured is present in a direction in which a panoramic image to be displayed is captured, a marker setting unit associates a marker indicating that the different panoramic image is present in said image-captured direction with the panoramic image to be displayed. A mapping processing unit maps, as a texture, the panoramic image to be displayed, with which the marker of the different panoramic image is associated, in a three-dimensional panoramic space. A three-dimensional image generation unit generates a three-dimensional panoramic image when the three-dimensional panoramic space is viewed in a designated visual line direction, with a place where the panoramic image to be displayed is captured as a visual point position. A user interface unit accepts a user's instruction regarding the displayed three-dimensional panoramic image.