Point Cloud Waypoint Navigation for Spatial Orientation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users often lose spatial awareness and become disoriented when navigating freely within unstructured and unconstrained three-dimensional digital spaces, as they may pass through solid objects and lack proper orientation and scale, leading to confusion and inability to view the space in its intended context.
Innovation Solution
A point cloud system that introduces waypoints and volumes to restrict camera movement and orientation, automatically detects impassable features, and uses these to control viewing and movement, ensuring users remain focused on specific features without becoming disoriented, by employing 3D cameras, LiDAR, and other imaging devices to generate and process point cloud data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If users are allowed free movement within a 3D space, then freedom of movement is improved, but spatial awareness and orientation are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the continuous 3D space into discrete navigable locations or waypoints. Instead of allowing completely free movement, the system segments the space into manageable positions with predefined viewpoints, enabling users to move between locations while maintaining spatial context and preventing disorientation.
2Ease of operation
If the 3D space is unstructured, then user freedom is improved, but users may pass through solid objects causing confusion
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary structuring of the 3D space by defining navigable locations, viewpoints, and solid object boundaries before user interaction. This pre-configuration ensures that users cannot pass through solid objects and maintains spatial consistency, while still providing freedom to navigate between predefined locations.
3Ease of operation
If the 3D space lacks constraints, then ease of navigation is improved, but orientation and scale are not established
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms that provide users with continuous information about their position, orientation, and scale within the 3D space. By displaying viewpoint indicators, location identifiers, and spatial references at each navigable location, the system maintains user orientation and prevents loss of spatial context during navigation.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a system for structured and controlled movement and viewing within a point cloud. The system may generate or obtain a plurality of data points and one or more waypoints for the point cloud, present a first subset of the plurality of data points in a field-of-view of a camera at an initial position and an initial orientation of a first waypoint, change the camera field-of-view from at least one of (i) the initial position to a modified position within a volume of positions defined by orientation controls of the first waypoint or (ii) the initial orientation to a modified orientation within a range of orientations defined by the orientation controls of the first waypoint, and may present a second subset of the plurality of data points in the camera field-of-view at one or more of the modified position and the modified orientation.