JP2005250560A - Landscape display device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a landscape display device capable of displaying a landscape over a wide range with high response without depending on transmission performance of a line or display performance of a terminal. <P>SOLUTION: A panoramic image with low data capacity is previously stored in association with a viewpoint information in a panoramic image database 23. An image transmission means 24 fetches the panoramic image matching the set viewpoint position from the panoramic image database 23. A display control means 11 carries out display control on the fetched panoramic image. In this way, this landscape display device can reproduce the landscape matching shift of the viewpoint position even when a circuit with a low transmission speed or a terminal with low three-dimensional model display performance is used. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a landscape display device that reproduces and displays a landscape viewed from a set viewpoint position by using a panoramic image or spatial data for expressing a landform or a cityscape.

  Conventional techniques for reproducing a landscape using a panoramic image or spatial data for expressing the topography or urban landscape include the following.

  There is a method of transmitting and displaying spatial data composed of terrain and building data for reproducing a landscape from a server device to a client terminal (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this method, the three-dimensional spatial data transmission display device includes the number of divisions of the three-dimensional space based on the transmission capability when the communication path is not congested, and the division unit for each divided region. The degree of detail of the three-dimensional object data to be set is set in advance. Then, the data amount of the three-dimensional object to be transmitted is adjusted based on the set number of divisions and detail level.

  There is another method for transmitting spatial data from a server device to a client terminal and displaying it (for example, see Patent Document 2). In the 3D spatial data transmission display system in this method, the upper limit of the capacity of 3D object data transmitted per unit time from the server to the client device is changed in accordance with changes in the congestion status of the communication channel for transmitting data. The three-dimensional object data in a range not exceeding the upper limit of the data capacity is extracted and transmitted.

  Furthermore, there is one that performs route guidance by reconstructing and providing a viewpoint from an arbitrary position from a plurality of accumulated panoramic images (see, for example, Patent Document 3). This can be generated by synthesizing arbitrary viewpoint positions from panoramic images taken in advance, and the three-dimensional coordinates of vertices extracted from the panoramic image using a change in luminance, etc. A new panoramic image viewed from an arbitrary position is reconstructed by calculating using the principle of line stereo.

JP 2002-279449 A (first page, FIG. 2) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-197016 (first page, FIG. 1) JP 2002-213984 A (first page, FIG. 1)

  However, the prior art has the following problems. In the conventional method of Patent Document 1, it is possible to display with a comfortable response unless data of various details is prepared in advance depending on the display performance of a terminal that displays three-dimensional data or the speed of the line used for transmission. There is a problem that you can not. In addition, when displaying on a terminal with low display performance, or when transmitting using a low-speed line, there is a problem that a three-dimensional display that reproduces a landscape can be performed only with rough data having a low level of detail.

  Moreover, in the method of the conventional patent document 2, since the amount of the three-dimensional object to be transmitted is adjusted according to the change in the upper limit value of the data amount to be transmitted per unit time, when displaying on a terminal with low display performance, Alternatively, when transmission is performed using a low-speed line, there is a problem that the amount of three-dimensional objects to be transmitted is remarkably reduced, and reproducibility or appearance when a landscape is displayed is deteriorated.

  Furthermore, in the conventional method of Patent Document 3, the viewpoint position cannot be reconstructed unless a feature point such as the vertex of an object can be extracted from the panoramic image. In this method, a feature point is extracted using a point where there is a sudden change in luminance. However, if the panoramic image from which the feature points are extracted is a photograph taken from a point where many buildings are built, the buildings overlap each other, and the edges and vertices of the building are caused by fine irregularities and patterns on the building surface, light reflection, etc. Is difficult to extract clearly, and as a result, it is difficult to reconstruct a panoramic image viewed from an arbitrary viewpoint.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems, and does not depend on the transmission performance of the line or the display performance of the terminal, and follows a viewpoint position that moves from moment to moment, with a high response and a wide range of landscapes. It aims at obtaining the landscape display device which can perform a display.

  A landscape display device according to the present invention is a landscape display device in which a device for image distribution and a device for image display are connected via a communication line to display a landscape image. A panorama image database that stores panorama images associated with viewpoint information having a field of view area, and viewpoints that move with time from an image display device via a communication line, and are stored in the panorama image database The field of view corresponding to each viewpoint information is obtained from the information, the viewpoint information whose viewpoint position is included in the field of view area is extracted, and the panorama image associated with the extracted viewpoint information is extracted from the panorama image database together with the viewpoint information. And an image transmission means for transmitting to the image display device via a communication line. The cut-out panorama image is cut out when the input viewpoint direction is viewed from the input viewpoint position based on the panorama image and the viewpoint information received from the image distribution apparatus as the user moves, and the cut-out panorama image is displayed. Display control means for displaying on the screen.

  According to the present invention, a panoramic image with a small data capacity is stored in advance in association with viewpoint information, and a panoramic image suitable for the viewpoint position that moves from moment to moment is taken out and displayed for display control. Even when a terminal with a low display performance of a three-dimensional model is used, a landscape display device capable of reproducing a landscape corresponding to the movement of the viewpoint position can be obtained.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a landscape display device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The landscape display device in FIG. 1 shows a case where an image display computer 10 and an image distribution computer 20 are connected to each other via a communication line 30. Here, the image display computer 10 corresponds to an image display device such as a PDA, a mobile phone, or a car navigation device. The image distribution computer 20 corresponds to an image distribution apparatus. The communication line 30 corresponds to a wired or wireless communication line such as LAN, ISDN, ADSL, or wireless LAN. Further, the communication line includes an Internet line connection via a mobile phone or PHS and a mobile line connection via an infrared device.

  The image display computer 10 includes display control means 11. The display control means 11 outputs the viewpoint information of the panoramic image to be displayed to the image distribution computer 20 via the communication line 30 based on the operation input from the user.

  On the other hand, the image distribution computer 20 includes a spatial data database 21, a panorama image generation unit 22, a panorama image database 23, and an image transmission unit 24. The spatial data database 21 stores spatial data for reproducing buildings, topography, roads, and the like as images. The panoramic image generation means 22 generates a panoramic image viewed from a position specified by the viewpoint information, based on the spatial data stored in the spatial data database 21.

  The panorama image generation unit 22 stores the panorama images generated for various viewpoint information in the panorama image database 23 in association with the viewpoint information. In the first embodiment, it is assumed that various viewpoint information is determined in advance, and panoramic images for each viewpoint information are stored in the panorama image database 23 in advance.

  The image transmission unit 24 receives viewpoint information from the display control unit 11 via the communication line 30. Then, the image transmission unit 24 extracts an optimal panoramic image based on the comparison between the received viewpoint information and the viewpoint information in the panorama image database 23. Further, the image transmission unit 24 transmits the extracted panoramic image to the display control unit 11 via the communication line 30. Note that the extraction of the optimal panoramic image and details of the viewpoint information will be described later.

  On the other hand, the display control unit 11 captures an optimal panoramic image corresponding to the previously transmitted viewpoint information from the image distribution computer 20 via the communication line 30 and performs screen display. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to control display of an optimal panoramic image with respect to viewpoint information that moves moment by moment.

  Next, spatial data and a panoramic image will be described. FIG. 2 is an image diagram showing the relationship between the spatial data and the panoramic image in the first embodiment of the present invention.

  First, the spatial data is three-dimensional shape data obtained by coordinate-converting image data that can reproduce buildings, topography, roads, and the like, for example, with 1 unit of 1 meter for each of longitude, latitude, and altitude. . This spatial data is expressed in a description language such as VRML (Virtual reality modeling language) and stored in advance in the spatial data database 21.

  The coordinate values of the spatial data in the spatial data database 21 maintain a positional relationship with the real space by using a point of a specific altitude, latitude, and longitude as the origin. The spatial data specifically includes the following shape data. For example, building shape data is data expressed by images called textures added to vertices, sides, faces, and surfaces of faces. In the case of a building, the building has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The scenery that can be reproduced differs depending on how far the fine irregularities of the building or the shape of the roof are converted into shape data.

  Furthermore, the shape data of the terrain is, for example, data expressing the height of the terrain with the coordinate points of sample points every several meters on the ground. The spatial data further includes shape data of road surfaces and sidewalk surfaces.

  In contrast, a panoramic image is a display image generated based on spatial data. Specifically, it is an image in which a cylindrical visual field is developed in a rectangular shape when looking around the entire circumference 360 degrees with a certain radius in the vertical direction, for example, 30 degrees vertically from one point in space. In the following description, this rectangular panoramic image is adopted, but the panoramic image is not limited to this. For example, a circular image obtained by projecting the field of view of a hemisphere on a horizontal plane from a point in space, looking around the hemisphere from 360 degrees around the circumference in a horizontal direction and horizontally to vertically upward in the vertical direction. It can also be a panoramic image.

A rectangular panoramic image is specified by what size cylindrical shape is placed at which position in the spatial data. Here, the radius and height of the cylindrical shape have the following relationship with the viewing angle of the panoramic image. The viewing angle in this case is an angle of how many panoramic images are reproduced in the vertical direction with respect to the horizontal from the viewpoint position. For example, when the angle from the horizontal position of the viewing angle to the upward angle and the angle from the horizontal position to the downward direction are both θ, θ and the height and radius of the cylinder have the following relationship.
tan θ = (cylindrical height / 2) / (cylindrical radius)

  Accordingly, by specifying the three parameters of the cylindrical center position, the cylindrical radius, and the viewing angle from the cylindrical center position, a corresponding panoramic image is also specified. The cylindrical center position corresponds to a viewpoint position for generating a panoramic image, and can be specified by longitude, latitude, and altitude.

  The radius of the cylindrical shape can be determined in relation to the viewpoint position interval for generating the panoramic image. For example, a value longer than the viewpoint interval and not exceeding twice the viewpoint interval can be set as the cylindrical radius. In the spatial data in which the coordinate unit 1 corresponds to 1 meter, when viewpoint positions for generating panoramic images are arranged at 20 meter intervals, a value of 20 meters or more and less than 40 meters is set as the cylindrical radius. To do.

  The viewing angle can be determined depending on the height direction of the rectangular panoramic image. The angle of the viewing range in the upward direction and the downward direction may be different. The viewpoint position, radius, and viewing angle as described above, which are parameters for generating a panoramic image, are collectively referred to as viewpoint information in the following description. The panoramic image is stored in the panoramic image database 23 in association with this viewpoint information.

  Next, a method for setting the viewpoint position by the operator will be described. The landscape display device according to the present invention reproduces a landscape of spatial data in a designated place based on a viewpoint position designated by an operator. An appropriate panoramic image is displayed for the viewpoint position that is moved momentarily by an input operation from the operator accompanying the movement of the viewpoint position.

  When displaying the panoramic image for the first time, the operator inputs longitude, latitude, and altitude to the display control means 11 in order to specify the viewpoint position of the panoramic image to be displayed.

  As a method for the operator to specify the longitude, latitude, and altitude with respect to the display control means 11, the following can be considered in addition to setting numerical values. For example, dictionary data corresponding to a place name, longitude, latitude, and altitude is prepared in advance in the display control means 11. By referring to this dictionary data, the longitude, latitude, and altitude can be specified from the place name input by the operator.

  In addition, a two-dimensional map in which the longitude and latitude of the points on the map are known in advance is displayed on the screen, and the operator specifies the arbitrary position on the map to specify the longitude, latitude, and altitude of that position. It is also possible to do. Further, the operator can specify the viewpoint position, and at the same time, specify the viewpoint direction in any direction in the east, west, south, north, and upper directions.

  When one or more panoramic images are already displayed, the operator can perform the following operation input to the display control means 11. In other words, the operator operates how to move from the current viewpoint position and viewpoint direction by performing operation inputs such as forward, right turn, left turn, reverse, and ascending.

  The display control means 11 calculates the viewpoint position that becomes new viewpoint information from the operation input of the operator for the current viewpoint position and viewpoint direction. For example, when the operator specifies advance, the viewpoint position is determined by calculating the new longitude, latitude, and altitude of the position advanced in the viewpoint direction by a predetermined amount of displacement, and new viewpoint information is created. Will be.

  Next, an optimal panoramic image extraction method will be described. The viewpoint information generated based on the operator's input is transmitted from the display control means 11 to the image transmission means 24 via the communication line 30. Then, the image transmission unit 24 takes out the optimum panoramic image from the panoramic image database 23 based on the viewpoint information received from the display control unit 11, and specifically performs as follows.

  The image transmission unit 24 extracts viewpoint information stored in advance in the panoramic image database 23. Next, the image transmission means 24 obtains the viewing area of each panoramic image from the viewpoint position and radius data in the viewpoint information. This visual field region is a region within a circle determined by a radius centered on the viewpoint position, and corresponds to a region in the cylindrical shape when the cylindrical shape in FIG. 2 is viewed from directly above.

  Then, the image transmission unit 24 determines whether or not the viewpoint position in the viewpoint information received from the display control unit 11 is included in each field region. When the image transmission unit 24 extracts the visual field area including the received viewpoint position, the image transmission unit 24 extracts the viewpoint information and the panoramic image corresponding to the extracted visual field area from the panoramic image database 23.

  Since the received viewpoint position is included in the cylindrical shape when the panoramic image is generated, the panoramic image extracted in this way can be said to be a panoramic image suitable for reproducing the landscape from the received viewpoint position. . Note that when the visual field regions overlap, a plurality of panoramic images are extracted for one viewpoint position. The panoramic image extracted in this way is transmitted from the image transmission unit 24 to the display control unit 11 via the communication line 30 together with the viewpoint information associated with the panoramic image.

  Next, a method for displaying a panoramic image by the display control unit 11 based on the received panoramic image will be described. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a display image of a panoramic image according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Upon receiving the panoramic image and the viewpoint information from the image transmission unit 24, the display control unit 11 displays a three-dimensional cylindrical shape three-dimensionally based on the received viewpoint information, and displays the received panoramic image inside the cylindrical shape. Paste and display.

  As a method for displaying a three-dimensional shape in a three-dimensional manner, for example, a software function group named OpenGL (registered trademark) can be used. By using the software function group, the display control means 11 can display a polygonal column having a polygonal shape instead of a cylindrical shape when viewed from directly above. For example, the display control unit 11 displays a panoramic image by displaying a polygonal column that has 36 corners when viewed from directly above and pasting a panoramic image at a rate of 10 degrees per side when viewed from directly above. Can be approximated and reproduced.

  When a panoramic image is displayed by displaying a cylindrical shape, the center of the cylindrical shape is the center of the panoramic image, and is a virtual viewpoint position when the panoramic image is generated in advance by the panoramic image generating means 22. Therefore, the viewpoint position specified by the operator's input does not necessarily match the virtual viewpoint position. Therefore, the display control unit 11 needs to display an image according to the viewpoint direction designated by the operator from the viewpoint position designated by the input of the operator, not from the center of the cylindrical shape.

  Such image display not only reproduces a panoramic image by installing a cylindrical three-dimensional model, but also cuts out an image of a specified part based on a specified viewpoint position and viewpoint from the panoramic image. This can be realized by displaying.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the display control means 11 can cut out the display range specified by the designated viewpoint position and viewpoint direction from the panoramic image and display it on the screen. That is, the display control means 11 assumes that the panoramic image is pasted inside the cylindrical model for reproducing the panoramic image, and does not display the cylindrical model but sets it from the set viewpoint position. A display image of a display range that falls within a predetermined angle of view in the up, down, left, and right directions toward the set viewpoint can be cut out from the panoramic image and output to the screen.

  By combining the above contents, panorama image extraction and display accompanying movement of the viewpoint position will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between the movement of the viewpoint position and the panorama image corresponding thereto in the first embodiment of the present invention.

  FIG. 4 shows a state in which four cylindrical models for displaying a panoramic image are viewed from directly above. The center of this cylindrical model corresponds to the virtual viewpoint position when the panoramic image is generated in advance by the panoramic image generating means 22. Accordingly, here, four panoramic images corresponding to the four cylindrical models are stored in the panoramic image database 23 in advance.

  FIG. 4 shows a case where the viewpoint position input by the operator is sequentially moved from the viewpoint position P1 to the viewpoint position P2, the viewpoint position P3, and the viewpoint position P4. First, it is assumed that the image transmission unit 24 has already transmitted the panoramic image A corresponding to the viewpoint position P1 to the display control unit 11, and the display control unit 11 is displaying based on the panoramic image A. .

  Next, when the viewpoint position moves from P1 to P2 by an operation input by the operator, the display control unit 11 transmits the viewpoint information regarding the viewpoint position P2 to the image transmission unit 24. The image transmission unit 24 transmits only the panoramic image A to the display control unit 11 because the viewpoint position P2 belongs to only the range of the visual field region of the cylindrical model for reproducing the panoramic image A. The display control means 11 can determine that the display of a new panoramic image is unnecessary after taking in only the already displayed panoramic image A.

  Further, when the viewpoint position is moved from P2 to P3 by the operator's operation input, the display control unit 11 transmits the viewpoint information regarding the viewpoint position P3 to the image transmission unit 24. The image transmission means 24 is a position where the viewpoint position P3 belongs to both the range of the viewing area of the cylindrical model for reproducing the panoramic image A and the range of the viewing area of the cylindrical model for reproducing the panoramic image B. Therefore, both panorama image A and panorama image B are transmitted to display control means 11. After capturing the panorama image A and the panorama image B, the display control means 11 can determine that the display based on the new panorama image B together with the already displayed panorama image A is necessary.

  Further, when the viewpoint position is moved from P3 to P4 by the operation input of the operator, the display control unit 11 transmits the viewpoint information regarding the viewpoint position P4 to the image transmission unit 24. The image transmission unit 24 transmits only the panoramic image B to the display control unit 11 because the viewpoint position P4 belongs to only the range of the visual field region of the cylindrical model for reproducing the panoramic image B. The display control means 11 can determine that it is necessary to delete the display based on the already displayed panoramic image A and to continue only the display based on the panoramic image B after taking in only the panoramic image B.

  By performing the above-described procedure, the display control means 11 can display a plurality of panoramic images on the screen when the viewpoint position is in the section Z1 or the section Z2 with respect to the movement path of the viewpoint position shown in FIG. It becomes possible. Accordingly, for example, in the section Z1, a plurality of image displays based on the panorama image A and the panorama image B can be performed instead of suddenly switching from the display based on the panorama image A to the display based on the panorama image B, and the landscape is continuously displayed. Sex is maintained.

  Furthermore, the display control unit 11 can obtain the viewpoint movement direction and the viewpoint movement speed based on the previously transmitted viewpoint position and transmission time, and the current viewpoint position and current time input by the operator. That is, the viewpoint movement direction can be specified from the coordinates of the two viewpoint positions. Further, the viewpoint moving speed can be specified from the difference between the distance between the two viewpoint positions and the time.

  When the difference between the previous transmission time and the current time is shorter than a predetermined limit time interval, the display control unit 11 determines the previous time based on the input current viewpoint position, viewpoint movement direction, and viewpoint movement speed. The viewpoint position at the time after the limit time interval elapses from the transmission time can be estimated. The display control means 11 can transmit the viewpoint position estimated in this way at the corresponding time, and the viewpoint information and timing to be transmitted to the image transmission means 24 in consideration of the viewpoint movement direction and the viewpoint movement speed. Can be adjusted.

  According to the first embodiment, the image transmission means is a panorama suitable for the viewpoint position from among the panorama images stored in advance in the panorama image database in association with the viewpoint position based on the viewpoint information received from the display control means. The image can be taken out. Furthermore, the display control means can display the optimal panoramic image received from the image transmission means. In this way, the transmission / reception data between the image transmission means and the display control means can be realized not by the spatial data itself having a large amount of information but by panoramic image data converted into an image format having a small data capacity. Thereby, even when a line with a low transmission speed or a terminal with a low display performance of a three-dimensional model is used, a landscape display with a panoramic image corresponding to the viewpoint information accompanying the movement of the viewpoint position can be realized.

  Further, the display control means can cut out a portion specified by the designated viewpoint position and viewpoint direction from the panoramic image and display the image. Furthermore, in response to the movement of the viewpoint, a plurality of panoramic images can be displayed together, or the display of the panoramic image in the range that is no longer necessary according to the movement of the viewpoint can be erased. In this way, by displaying multiple panoramic images according to the viewpoint position, the display screen can be smoothly switched even when the viewpoint position is moved, and a continuous image display that suppresses sudden changes is realized. it can.

  Further, the display control unit can adjust the viewpoint information and timing to be transmitted to the image transmission unit in consideration of the viewpoint movement direction and the viewpoint movement speed. As a result, even when the viewpoint movement speed is fast, the accuracy of the viewpoint reproduced by the panorama image is not impaired, and the time interval for generating the panorama image is shortened, so that the screen display frequently changes. Can be prevented.

  It should be noted that the switching of the panoramic image display accompanying the movement of the viewpoint position is not limited to the method described above. For example, when the display control means 11 has viewpoint information corresponding to the panoramic images stored in advance in the panoramic image database 23, it is possible for the display control means 11 to determine that a new panoramic image is necessary. . In this case, the display control unit 11 may transmit the viewpoint information only when a new panoramic image is required.

  Further, the display control means 11 can directly specify the panorama image number as the viewpoint information only when a new panorama image is required.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
In the second embodiment, the display control means 11 synthesizes and displays a panoramic image for distant view display. The configuration is the same as FIG. 1 in the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a cylindrical arrangement corresponding to a plurality of panoramic images in the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 shows the respective cylindrical ranges displayed by the panoramic images 1 to 4 from directly above.

  The cylindrical shape corresponding to the panoramic images 1 to 3 has a partial overlap as shown in FIG. 5, and is the same as the panoramic image described above with reference to FIG. Further, the cylindrical shape corresponding to the panoramic image 4 covers a wider range including the cylindrical range corresponding to the panoramic images 1 to 3. Furthermore, it is assumed that the panorama image 4 displays spatial data in a range outside the cylindrical region corresponding to the panorama image 4 as a panorama image. In addition, in the panorama images 1 to 3, it is assumed that only spatial data inside the cylinder corresponding to the panorama image 4 is displayed as a panorama image. Accordingly, the panorama images 1 to 3 are foreground display panorama images that can be displayed in a near view, and the panorama image 4 is a distant view display panorama image that can be displayed in a distant view.

  The panoramic images 1 to 4 are stored in the panoramic image database 23 in association with the viewpoint information, as in the first embodiment. Further, it is assumed that the panorama images 1 to 3 are stored in the panorama image database 23 in association with the panorama image 4 that is a distant view display panorama image as being included in the panorama image 4. Further, it is assumed that the viewpoint position has moved according to the movement route as shown in FIG.

  A series of flows will be described based on these assumptions. The basic flow is the same as the procedure described in the first embodiment. First, the display control unit 11 transmits viewpoint information to the image transmission unit 24. The image transmission unit 24 extracts a corresponding panoramic image from the panoramic image database 23 based on the received viewpoint information.

  When the panorama images 1 to 3 are extracted, the image transmission unit 24 also extracts the panorama image 4 stored in association with the distant view display panorama image. The image transmission unit 24 first transmits the panorama image 1 and the panorama image 4 to the display control unit 11 in accordance with the movement of the viewpoint position, and then transmits the panorama image 2 and the panorama image 4. The image 3 and the panorama image 4 are transmitted.

  The display control means 11 displays the received plurality of panoramic images. Such distant view and near view panorama images may be displayed by combining three or more panorama images as necessary. Further, for example, in the visual field region where the panorama image 1 and the panorama image 2 which are near view display panorama images overlap, the display control means 11 can also receive and control display of a plurality of foreground display panorama images simultaneously. .

  Further, as a method of combining and displaying a panoramic image of a distant view and a close view, a method of combining and displaying a specific display range by cutting it out from the panoramic image can be considered as described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram relating to composite display of panoramic images according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. By arranging the image cut out from the foreground display panorama image in front of the image cut out from the distant view panorama image, the two images can be combined and displayed.

  According to the second embodiment, the display control unit can display the panoramic image corresponding to the viewpoint position by using the panoramic images of the distant view and the near view as the viewpoint position moves. In other words, since the panoramic images of the near view and the distant view are synthesized and displayed, even if the viewpoint moves, a small number of panoramic images can display a realistic landscape with a small shift in the landscape viewed from the viewpoint position.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
In the first embodiment, the case where the panorama image generation unit 22 generates a panorama image based on the spatial data at a predetermined viewpoint position and stores the panorama image in the panorama image database 23 has been described. In the third embodiment, the panorama image generation means 22 itself uses any point in the spatial data as a viewpoint position for generating a panoramic image based on the spatial data in the spatial data database 21 (hereinafter referred to as a panorama generation point). The case where this is determined will be described. The basic configuration is the same as that in FIG. 1 in the first embodiment, and a method for determining a panorama generation point will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram relating to a panorama generation point determination method according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a diagram of three-dimensional spatial data including eight buildings as buildings and roads as viewed from directly above. In order for the operator who has viewed the panoramic image displayed on the screen to easily grasp the positional relationship between multiple buildings, the panorama generation point from which the panoramic image is generated is set to any position in the spatial data. It is important to do it.

  The panorama generation point in the vicinity of the intersection can be obtained as a point where the distances to a plurality of buildings near the intersection are as uniform as possible. For example, at an intersection composed of four buildings, ie, building 1, building 2, building 3, and building 4, a point at which the distance from each of the vertices closest to the intersection in each building is substantially equal is obtained as the panorama generation point A.

  The points at which the distances from the four vertices are almost equal are determined by obtaining a Voronoi point having the four vertices as a mother point, and when the Voronoi points become a plurality of points, obtaining a midpoint of the Voronoi points. Here, the Voronoi point means a point where a vertical bisector of two generating points is drawn and a plurality of vertical bisectors intersect. When a panoramic image is reproduced, for example, a cylindrical screen is placed at a position from the panorama generation point to the nearest building apex so that it can be displayed.

  The panorama generation point B can be determined in the same manner as the method for determining the panorama generation point A at the intersection formed by the four buildings of the building 2, the building 4, the building 5, and the building 6. On the other hand, on the road other than the intersection, the panorama generation point is obtained as follows. First, a Voronoi point is obtained from a plurality of mother points within a predetermined distance range along the road in the same manner as at the intersection, with the central point of the side that forms the front of the building as the mother point. . The panorama generation point C and the panorama generation point D in FIG. 7 are the panorama generation points obtained in this way.

  When the distance between the panorama generation point C and the panorama generation point D is smaller than a predetermined value, the midpoint of the panorama generation point C and the panorama generation point D can be set as a new panorama generation point. is there. For example, the cylindrical shape for reproducing a panoramic image can be defined as the radius of the cylindrical shape from the panorama generation point to the center point of the side that forms the front of the nearest building. Similarly, the panorama generation point is determined from the point where the distance to the surrounding building is constant even on the road other than the road.

  If the distance between the panorama generation point of the intersection and the panorama generation point on the road, or the distance between the panorama generation points on the road is more than the preset distance, a new one is created between these panorama generation points. Set the panorama generation point. By repeating such an operation, at least one panorama generation point is set within a preset distance.

  As described above, the panorama image generation means 22 can determine the panorama generation point and the cylindrical radius necessary for display based on the coordinates of the building data in the spatial data in the spatial data database 21. Then, the panorama image generation unit 22 can generate a panorama image with the generated panorama generation point as a viewpoint position. Furthermore, the panorama image generation means 22 can store the generated panorama image in the panorama image database 23 in association with the viewpoint information, using the panorama generation point and the cylindrical radius necessary for display as viewpoint information.

  According to the third embodiment, the panorama image generation unit can automatically generate a panorama generation point for generating a panorama image based on the coordinates of spatial data stored in advance, and corresponds to the panorama generation point. A panoramic image can be generated. Furthermore, the panorama image generation means can store the panorama image associated with the viewpoint information including the panorama generation point in the panorama image database.

  The panorama generation point determined by the panorama image generation means is determined to be a position where the surroundings can be seen from the intersection, or a position in front of the building as much as possible. Thus, even when panoramic images generated from discrete positions are switched and displayed with the movement of the viewpoint, the image display of the building can be reproduced with less sense of incongruity.

Embodiment 4 FIG.
FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram of a landscape display device according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. Each component is the same as in the first to third embodiments. The fourth embodiment is different from the first to third embodiments in that the panoramic image generation unit 22 generates a new panoramic image based on the viewpoint information from the image transmission unit 24. A specific processing flow based on the configuration of FIG. 8 will be described later.

  FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram relating to a method for determining a new panorama generation point according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a view of three-dimensional spatial data composed of a plurality of buildings and roads as buildings viewed from directly above. Here, it is assumed that the viewpoint positions where the panoramic image is generated in advance are the panorama generation point A, the panorama generation point B, and the panorama generation point C. That is, the panorama image database 23 stores in advance three types of panorama images associated with these three panorama generation points.

  Furthermore, it is assumed that the viewpoint moves along the movement path of the viewpoint position shown in FIG. The display control means 11 displays a landscape using the panorama image A and the panorama image B as the viewpoint position moves. However, when the viewpoint comes to the point D, if the landscape is displayed using the panoramic image B, the point D is not necessary to reproduce the landscape sandwiched between the building 1 and the building 2, but the building 1, Only the scenery seen from the viewpoint position of the panoramic image B surrounded by the building 2, the building 3, and the building 4 can be reproduced.

  In the fourth embodiment, such a point D is dealt with by the panorama image generation means 22 generating a new panorama image. The details will be described below by taking as an example a case where it is determined whether the designated viewpoint position is the point D and the panorama image at the panorama generation point B can be used as it is or whether a new panorama image should be generated. To do.

  In determining whether or not a new panoramic image should be generated, the radius R is the distance from the point B to the nearest point of the spatial data that is important when reproducing a landscape such as a building. It is important to ask for a rounded circle. When the point D is included in the circle region with the radius R centering on the point B, the landscape having the point D as the viewpoint position is not so different from the landscape reproduced by the panoramic image at the panorama generation point B. Judge that there is no.

  On the other hand, when the point D is not included in the area of the circle with the radius R centering on the point B, the landscape having the point D as the viewpoint position is reproduced by the panorama image at the panorama generation point B. Judge that the difference between the scenery and the landscape is large. In this case, it is determined that it is necessary to generate a new panoramic image D with the point D as the viewpoint position.

  The radius R can be calculated after the panorama image generation unit 22 obtains the panorama generation point from the spatial data in the third embodiment. Then, the panorama image generation means 22 adds a radius corresponding to the radius R described above together with the panorama generation point to the viewpoint information, and stores the panorama image associated with this viewpoint information in the panorama image database 23 in advance. Can do.

  Since such data is stored in advance in the panorama image database 23, whether or not a new panorama image should be generated can be determined by the image transmission unit 24. A series of flow until the panorama image corresponding to the viewpoint position is displayed with the movement of the viewpoint position will be described below based on the configuration of FIG.

  The display control unit 11 transmits the viewpoint information to the image transmission unit 24 as the viewpoint position moves. Here, it is assumed that the viewpoint information regarding the point D is transmitted. The image transmission means 24 extracts the viewpoint information in the panoramic image database 23 and determines whether or not the point D that is the received viewpoint information is included in the area calculated from the viewpoint information. This determination method is the same as the method of determining which visual field region the viewpoint position described in the first embodiment falls.

  As a result, when the distance from the panorama generation point B to the point D is equal to or less than the radius R, the image transmission unit 24 transmits the panorama image at the panorama generation point B to the display control unit 11. On the other hand, if the distance from the panorama generation point B to the point D is equal to or greater than the radius R, the image transmission unit 24 determines that a new panorama image at the point D needs to be generated, and the panorama image generation unit 22. Sends viewpoint information on point D to.

  The panoramic image generation means 22 generates a panoramic image with the point D as the viewpoint position based on the spatial data in the spatial data database 21 and calculates the radius. Then, the panorama image generation unit 22 stores the generated panorama image in the panorama image database 23 by associating the point D as the panorama generation point D with the corresponding radius. Thereafter, the image transmission unit 24 extracts the panorama image corresponding to the panorama generation point D from the panorama image database 23 and transmits it to the display control unit 11. The display control means 11 displays the received panoramic image.

  According to the fourth embodiment, it is possible to easily generate a new panoramic image for a landscape from a viewpoint position that is difficult to reproduce by using a panoramic image generated and stored in advance. As a result, when a landscape is reproduced and displayed, a panoramic image corresponding to an arbitrary viewpoint position can be used in addition to a panoramic image corresponding to a panorama generation point stored in advance.

Embodiment 5 FIG.
In the fifth embodiment, a partial image of a building or the like is divided and cut out to generate a panoramic image, which is combined and displayed with another panoramic image. The configuration is the same as FIG. 8 in the fourth embodiment. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram relating to the composite display of panoramic images in the fifth embodiment of the present invention. The panoramic image in FIG. 10 is generated by the panoramic image generating means 22.

  This panoramic image includes buildings A to C. From the panoramic image of the entire circumference, three rectangles, the smallest rectangle surrounding the part where the building A is reflected, the smallest rectangle surrounding the part where the building B is reflected, and the smallest rectangle surrounding the part where the building C is reflected Cut out images in advance as individual panoramic images. Further, for each building, the distance from the panorama generation point to the building is obtained from the spatial data.

  Further, when a panoramic image with the same elevation angle is generated for the buildings A to C, a tall building such as the building C may not fit in the panoramic image. In such a case, the building C can be cut out after the panorama image is regenerated by increasing the height so that it becomes a rectangle in a range where the entire view of the building C can be seen. In addition, although the building unit is used, a plurality of buildings can be grouped and cut out as one rectangular panoramic image.

  As described above, the panoramic image generated by dividing the panoramic image is obtained as the actual distance on the spatial data from the viewpoint position, and the panorama image is included as part of the viewpoint information together with the angle data indicating the clipped position on the circumference. The image is stored in the panorama image database 23 in association with the image.

  The image transmission unit 24 also transmits the viewpoint information associated with the panoramic image when transmitting the divided panoramic image to the display control unit 11. Thereby, the display control means 11 can specify a display position with respect to the panoramic image generated by dividing and display the landscape.

  FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram relating to the display of the panoramic image generated by dividing in the fifth embodiment of the present invention. A method for displaying a panoramic image of the building A will be described. In a normal panoramic image, various buildings are mixed and the distance in space cannot be specified. However, a panoramic image generated by dividing an individual building has an actual distance on the spatial data as viewpoint information as described above. Therefore, the position of the building A on the spatial data can be specified in FIG.

  When the longitude and latitude are converted into coordinates, the position where the space model of the building A is located is PA, the viewpoint position the display control means 11 wants to display is PS, and the viewpoint position when the panoramic image A is generated is P0. And Further, the distance from P0 to the cylindrical shape displaying the panoramic image is DP, the distance from P0 to PA is DA, and the distance from PS to PA is DS. Furthermore, it is assumed that the angle formed by the vector from P0 toward the PA direction and the predetermined reference direction is θ.

  First, a vector from PS to PA is obtained, and an angle γ formed from the reference direction is obtained. Next, DP × (DS / DA) is obtained using already known DP, DS, and DA, and this value is set as DSP. Then, in the virtual space, a panoramic image A is set at a position DSP from the PS at an angle γ with the reference direction. At this time, the panoramic image A may be directed in the PS direction, or may remain in the original panoramic image A direction.

  The divided panoramic image and a panoramic image displaying a plurality of distant or near views may be combined and displayed. In any composite display, a panoramic image in the back of the panoramic image that is close to the viewpoint position can be displayed by setting a transparent color to an empty portion where no spatial data is reflected.

  According to the fifth embodiment, the display control means can use the plurality of divided panoramic images to perform composite display of panoramic images corresponding to the viewpoint positions as the viewpoint position moves. That is, by dividing the panoramic image for each target of the spatial data, it is possible to realize a display that takes into account the distance from the viewpoint position in the spatial data, and to display the target by adjusting the display size and orientation for each target.

Embodiment 6 FIG.
FIG. 12 is a configuration diagram of a landscape display device in Embodiment 6 of the present invention. In the landscape display device according to the sixth embodiment, the media format to be transmitted for landscape reproduction is either a panoramic image or spatial data, or both, according to the display performance of the image display computer 10 or the transmission performance of the communication line 30. To choose.

  In FIG. 12, both the spatial data database 21 and the panoramic image database 23 are connected to the image transmission means 24. Thereby, the image transmission means 24 can take out either spatial data or a panoramic image. As in the first embodiment, the panorama image database 23 stores a panorama image corresponding to a predetermined viewpoint position.

  Here, the display control means 11 in the sixth embodiment can measure the display performance of the image display computer 10 or the transmission performance of the communication line 30. First, a method for measuring the display performance of the image display computer 10 will be described. When the image distribution computer 20 and the image display computer 10 can communicate with each other via the communication line 30, the display control means 11 reads from the spatial data database 21 via the communication line 30 and the image transmission means 24. Spatial data for display performance judgment is received.

  Here, the spatial data for display performance determination is spatial data such as two buildings on a 30m square tile land, and the capacity of spatial data including the number of vertexes of spatial data and texture data. Is sample data that is known in advance. The display control means 11 can store and hold the display performance determination spatial data in advance. The display control unit 11 displays the received display performance determination spatial data on the screen according to the viewpoint position and viewpoint direction specified in advance.

  In order to display, from an arbitrary viewpoint, shape data composed of vertices and spatial data composed of image data called textures to be pasted on the surface of the shape composed of vertices, for example, a general three-dimensional display function such as OpenGL (registered trademark) Can be used.

  Next, the display control means 11 switches the display of spatial data for display performance determination displayed on the screen to display spatial data from a predetermined new viewpoint position and new viewpoint direction. Then, when the display is completed, the display control means 11 further switches to the display of spatial data from a new viewpoint position and a new viewpoint direction, and repeats such a display operation for a certain time. Here, the number of times the display is repeated per second is called a frame rate. The display control means 11 can measure the frame rate by repeatedly displaying the display performance determination spatial data whose capacity is known in advance.

  Further, when the measured frame rate is equal to or higher than a preset reference frame rate, the display control unit 11 duplicates the display performance determination spatial data. Then, the display data is moved in parallel in either of the east, west, north, and south directions so that the display position does not overlap the display performance determination spatial data being displayed, and is displayed in addition to the display performance determination spatial data being displayed. This time, the frame rate when displaying the two spatial data of the original spatial data and the duplicated spatial data is measured by the same procedure as that for the single spatial data.

  When the measured frame rate is equal to or higher than the preset reference frame rate, the display control unit 11 further increases the number of spatial data and repeats the frame rate measurement. By repeating this measurement until the reference frame rate becomes lower than the preset reference frame rate, the display control means 11 obtains the limit number of spatial data vertices and data capacity that can be displayed at the reference frame rate. Data capacity is expressed in units of bytes. In the sixth embodiment, the number of vertices and the data capacity of the limit spatial data that can be displayed at the reference frame rate are referred to as the reference vertex number and the reference data capacity, respectively. This reference vertex number or reference data capacity corresponds to the display limit data capacity.

  Next, a method for measuring the transmission performance of the communication line 30 will be described. The display control means 11 sends a request for transmission of spatial data for measuring transmission performance of a certain size such as 100 kilobytes to the image transmission means 24 via the communication line 30 and measures the time until it is received. The transmission speed of the communication line 30 is measured. Bit / second is used as the unit of the transmission rate. By setting the upper limit of the transmission speed in advance and measuring the transmission speed using the spatial data for measuring the transmission performance with a large transmission capacity gradually, the transmission performance of the limit that can be transmitted within the upper limit of the transmission speed is measured. Spatial data is required. The data capacity of the spatial data for measuring the transmission performance at the limit that can be transmitted within the upper limit is defined as the reference transmission amount. This reference transmission amount corresponds to the transmission limit data capacity.

  As described above, the display control unit 11 can measure the reference vertex number, the reference data capacity, and the reference transmission amount by using the display performance measurement spatial data and the transmission performance measurement spatial data. As a result, the display control unit 11 can quantitatively determine the display performance of the image display computer 10 and the transmission performance of the communication line 30. In the following description, the reference vertex number, reference data capacity, and reference transmission amount are collectively referred to as reference performance information.

  Next, a method for switching the display of the spatial data or the panoramic image based on the measured reference performance information will be described. The display control unit 11 transmits the measured reference performance information to the image transmission unit 24 in advance. Further, the display control unit 11 transmits the viewpoint information corresponding to the operator's input to the image transmission unit 24 as in the first embodiment.

  Based on the received viewpoint information, the image transmission means 24 extracts from the spatial data database 21 spatial data in a predetermined radius range centered on the designated viewpoint position. Further, the image transmission means 24 obtains the data capacity and the number of vertices of the extracted spatial data.

  Further, the image transmission means 24 can make the following determination so as not to transmit the same data redundantly. That is, the spatial data of the range extracted based on the viewpoint information received last time and the spatial data of the range extracted based on the viewpoint information received this time may be compared to extract only the spatial data of the non-overlapping portion. it can. Further, in this case, the image transmission unit 24 obtains the data capacity and the number of vertices of the spatial data of the non-overlapping part.

  The image transmission means 24 compares the data capacity and the number of vertices of spatial data to be transmitted from the reference data capacity and the number of vertices included in the reference performance information received in advance, and displays the display performance of the image display computer 10. Judge whether to satisfy. Further, the image transmission means 24 compares the data capacity of the spatial data to be transmitted from now on with the reference transmission amount included in the reference performance information received in advance, and determines whether the transmission performance of the communication line 30 is satisfied.

  As a result of the comparison, the image transmission means 24 determines that the capacity of the spatial data to be transmitted is too large if at least one of the data capacity of the spatial data to be transmitted and the number of vertices exceeds the corresponding reference data. As described above, when it is determined that the capacity of the spatial data to be transmitted is too large, the image transmission unit 24 extracts the panorama image from the panorama image database 23 and transmits it to the display control unit 11. That is, a panoramic image with a small capacity is selected and transmitted to the display control means 11.

  On the other hand, if any of the data capacity and the number of vertices of the spatial data to be transmitted is equal to or less than the reference data, the image transmission unit 24 determines that the capacity of the spatial data to be transmitted is an appropriate size. When it is determined that the capacity of the spatial data to be transmitted is an appropriate size, the image transmission unit 24 transmits the spatial data already extracted from the spatial data database 21 to the display control unit 11. Then, the display control unit 11 displays the spatial data or panoramic image received from the image transmission unit 24.

  According to the sixth embodiment, it is possible to switch and transmit and display the spatial data and the panoramic image according to the display performance of the image display computer or the transmission performance of the communication line. As a result, even when a terminal with low display performance for displaying three-dimensional data is used, or even when the terminal is connected to a slow communication line, the time delay until display is small, and the operation response It is possible to display the landscape without deteriorating the image. In addition, when displaying scenery using a terminal with high display performance and a high-speed communication line, all three-dimensional spatial data is displayed, so the scenery from the viewpoint position is displayed more accurately than when represented by a panoramic image. can do.

  In the above description, when obtaining the display performance of the image display computer 10 and the transmission performance of the communication line 30, the spatial data for display performance measurement and the transmission performance measurement stored in the spatial data database 21 are obtained. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It is also possible for the image transmission means 24 to obtain the capacity and the number of vertices of arbitrary spatial data extracted from the spatial data database 21, and to perform performance measurement based on the spatial data. No need to have data for

  Furthermore, in the above description, the case where the display performance of the image display computer 10 and the transmission performance of the communication line 30 are first obtained has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It is also possible to appropriately evaluate the performance as necessary.

  Furthermore, in the above description, one predetermined value is adopted as the radius from which the spatial data is extracted. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Even if the radius is the same, the capacity of the spatial data is different if the location is different. Therefore, the following processing can also be performed by setting an allowable range of the radius from which the spatial data is extracted. That is, when it is determined that the capacity of the spatial data to be transmitted is too large, the image transmission means 24 does not immediately transmit the panoramic image, but gradually reduces the radius for extracting the spatial data within the allowable range and newly This spatial data is taken out and this operation is repeated until the capacity becomes an appropriate size.

  Even in the spatial data obtained by using the lower limit value of the allowable range as the radius, if the capacity exceeds an appropriate size, the image transmission unit 24 transmits a panoramic image instead of the spatial data. On the other hand, if the capacity of the spatial data extracted using a predetermined value as a radius is sufficient for an appropriate size, it is possible to extract spatial data having a larger radius within an allowable range. .

Embodiment 7 FIG.
In the seventh embodiment, a case where a panoramic image and spatial data are combined and displayed will be described. The configuration is the same as FIG. 12 in the sixth embodiment. In the sixth embodiment, the image transmission means 24 selects and transmits either spatial data or a panoramic image according to the display performance of the image display computer 10 or the transmission performance of the communication line 30.

  On the other hand, in the seventh embodiment, the case where the image transmission unit 24 transmits both spatial data and a panoramic image according to the display performance of the image display computer 10 or the transmission performance of the communication line 30 will be described. .

  A panoramic image to be displayed in combination with the spatial data is generated as follows. That is, it is assumed that the spatial data of a region that falls within a circle with a certain radius from the viewpoint position is removed, and a panoramic image based on the spatial data with a radius beyond the certain radius is generated. Also, a plurality of panoramic images can be generated using a plurality of values as the constant radius for the same viewpoint position. The viewpoint position and radius are stored in the panorama image database 23 as viewpoint information in association with the generated panorama image.

  The image transmission unit 24 extracts a panoramic image from the panoramic image database 23 based on the viewpoint information from the display control unit 11. Further, the image transmission unit 24 extracts the spatial data in the range corresponding to the viewpoint position and the radius corresponding to the viewpoint information of the panoramic image from the spatial data database 21. Here, the image transmission means 24 compares the data capacity of the extracted spatial data with the reference transmission amount in the same manner as in the sixth embodiment.

  If the data capacity of the spatial data is larger than the reference transmission amount, the image transmission means 24 extracts new spatial data by reducing the radius from which the spatial data is extracted by a certain value. The image transmission means 24 repeats the extraction of the spatial data with a shorter radius until the spatial data having a capacity smaller than the reference transmission amount is extracted. When spatial data having a capacity smaller than the reference transmission amount is finally extracted, the image transmission unit 24 transmits the panoramic image extracted earlier to the display control unit 11.

  On the other hand, if the capacity of the spatial data extracted using a predetermined value as a radius has a margin with respect to the reference transmission amount, it is also possible to extract spatial data having a larger radius within an allowable range.

  In the above description, when the data capacity of the spatial data is larger than the reference transmission amount, the radius at which the spatial data is extracted is immediately gradually shortened, but the following method can be used. That is, when a panoramic image having a smaller radius for the same viewpoint position exists in the panoramic image database 23, the panoramic image is taken out, and spatial data of an area corresponding to the corresponding radius is extracted from the spatial data database 21. It is also possible to determine whether the reference transmission amount is satisfied by the same processing as described above.

  On the other hand, when the display control unit 11 receives the spatial data and the panoramic image from the image transmission unit 24, the display control unit 11 conforms to the reference vertex number and the reference data capacity, which are the display performance of the image display computer 10, based on the received spatial data. Determine whether. That is, the image transmission unit 24 determines that the received spatial data can be displayed when the number of vertices and the data capacity of the received spatial data are smaller than the reference number of vertices and the reference data capacity.

  The image transmission means 24 narrows the range for displaying the spatial data when the number of vertices of the received spatial data is larger than the reference number of vertices or when the data capacity of the received spatial data is larger than the reference data capacity. Try to reduce the amount of spatial data displayed. The range for displaying the spatial data is adjusted by changing the radius of the range to be displayed from the viewpoint position. The display control means 11 can obtain displayable spatial data by gradually reducing the radius of the spatial data until it can be determined that display is possible.

  Next, a method in which the display control unit 11 combines and displays the spatial data and the panoramic image will be described. FIG. 13 is an image diagram for combining and displaying the spatial data and the panoramic image in the seventh embodiment of the present invention. The display control unit 11 reproduces the periphery as a panoramic image, and reproduces the vicinity of the viewpoint with spatial data. When viewed from directly above, the viewpoint position is at the center of the cylindrical screen of the panoramic image, and spatial data is arranged around the viewpoint position. When viewed from the viewpoint position, first, the spatial data is spread in front of the eyes and displayed so that the panoramic image can be seen ahead.

  The display control means 11 displays the shape of the building where the shape of the building is displayed in the spatial data, and the empty portion where nothing is displayed is displayed in a transparent color, so that the portion without the building is displayed. Shall display a panoramic image. It is assumed that the display control means 11 uses the spatial data to display the portion of the ground or road that cannot be displayed because the panoramic image is blocked by the spatial data.

  For example, when a panoramic image having a radius of 50 meters from the panorama generation point is used, the display control unit 11 installs a cylindrical shape at a position of a radius of 50 meters from the panorama generation point, and the panorama image is located inside the cylindrical shape. Paste. Further, the display control means 11 fills the cylindrical shape with spatial data.

  When the panoramic image and the spatial data are combined and displayed in this way, it is desirable that the area inside the area displayed by the panoramic image is filled with the spatial data. Therefore, when the image transmission unit 24 cannot transmit the spatial data corresponding to the panoramic image at a time due to the transmission performance, the image transmission unit 24 can also divide and transmit the spatial data in units that can be transmitted within the transmission time. is there. At this time, it is possible to display from a position close to the viewpoint position by sequentially transmitting data starting from the position close to the center position of the viewpoint. When the image transmission unit 24 performs transmission in a divided manner, after one transmission is completed, the image transmission unit 24 receives the confirmation message indicating that the display can be performed from the display control unit 11, and then transmits the next data. .

  In addition, when the spatial data corresponding to the panoramic image cannot be displayed at one time due to the display performance, the display control unit 11 may display the spatial data by dividing it in units that can be displayed in one display time. Is possible. Also at this time, by displaying in order from data close to the center position of the viewpoint, it is possible to display from a position close to the viewpoint position.

  As a method of combining and displaying the spatial data and the panoramic image, a method of combining and displaying by cutting out a specific display range from the panoramic image can be considered as described with reference to FIG. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram relating to the combined display of the spatial data and the panoramic image in the seventh embodiment of the present invention. By arranging the image cut out from the panoramic image behind the spatial data corresponding to the area, the combined display of both images becomes possible.

  According to the seventh embodiment, the image transmission means can extract spatial data having an appropriate capacity according to the transmission performance. Furthermore, the display control means can display a spatial data of an appropriate capacity according to the display performance, and can also display a panoramic image. Thereby, according to the display performance of the image display computer or the transmission performance of the communication line, a landscape display in which the panoramic image and the spatial data are combined can be realized. Even if only a very narrow range of spatial data can be displayed due to restrictions on transmission performance and display lines, a panoramic image is displayed in the surrounding area, and spatial data is also displayed on the ground. Excellent landscape display.

  Furthermore, the display range of the panoramic image can be changed in accordance with the range that can be displayed with the spatial data, and even when the spatial data and the panoramic image are combined and displayed, a display with no sense of incongruity can be achieved.

  In the first to seventh embodiments described above, since the panorama image data volume is smaller than that of the spatial data, the panorama image capacity is not used for determination of transmission performance and display performance. However, it is possible to easily determine the transmission performance and the display performance in consideration of the capacity of the spatial data and taking the capacity of the panoramic image into consideration.

It is a block diagram of the landscape display apparatus in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is the image figure which showed the relationship between the spatial data in Embodiment 1 of this invention, and a panorama image. It is the figure which showed the display image of the panoramic image in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is the figure which showed the relationship between the movement of the viewpoint position in Embodiment 1 of this invention, and the panorama image corresponding to it. It is a figure which shows the cylindrical arrangement | positioning corresponding to the several panoramic image in Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing regarding the composite display of the panoramic image in Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing regarding the determination method of the panorama production | generation point in Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a block diagram of the landscape display apparatus in Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing regarding the determination method of the new panorama production | generation point in Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing regarding the composite display of the panoramic image in Embodiment 5 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing regarding the display of the panoramic image produced | generated by dividing | segmenting in Embodiment 5 of this invention. It is a block diagram of the landscape display apparatus in Embodiment 6 of this invention. It is an image figure for synthesize | combining and displaying the spatial data and panoramic image in Embodiment 7 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing regarding the composite display of the spatial data and panoramic image in Embodiment 7 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Image display computer, 11 Display control means, 20 Image delivery computer, 21 Spatial data database, 22 Panorama image generation means, 23 Panorama image database, 24 Image transmission means, 30 Communication line

Claims (12)

In the landscape display device in which the image distribution device and the image display device are connected via a communication line and display a landscape image,
The image distribution apparatus includes a panoramic image database that stores panoramic images associated with viewpoint information having a viewpoint position and a visual field area;
A viewpoint position that moves with time is received from the image display device via the communication line, and a field of view area corresponding to each viewpoint information is obtained from the viewpoint information stored in the panoramic image database, Extracting viewpoint information in which the viewpoint position is included in an area, extracting a panoramic image associated with the extracted viewpoint information from the panoramic image database, and together with the viewpoint information, the image display device via the communication line And image transmission means for transmitting to
When the image display device sees the viewpoint direction input from the input viewpoint position based on the panoramic image and the viewpoint information received from the image distribution apparatus as the input viewpoint position moves. A landscape display device comprising: a display control unit that cuts out a panoramic image of the image and displays the cut-out panoramic image on the display device. In the landscape display device according to claim 1,
When the display control means receives a plurality of panoramic images with overlapping visual field areas as the viewpoint position moves, the display control means determines the viewpoint direction input from the input viewpoint position with respect to the plurality of panoramic images. A landscape display device that cuts out each panoramic image when viewed and displays the plurality of panoramic images that are cut out simultaneously on a display device. In the landscape display device according to claim 1 or 2,
The display control means obtains the viewpoint movement direction and the viewpoint movement speed based on the viewpoint position and transmission time transmitted to the image transmission means last time and the input current viewpoint position and current time, and determines the previous transmission time. When the difference between the current time and the current time is shorter than the predetermined time limit, the time limit elapses from the previous transmission time based on the input current viewpoint position, the viewpoint movement direction, and the viewpoint movement speed. A landscape display device characterized in that a viewpoint position at a time after the determination is obtained and a viewpoint position to be transmitted and a transmission time are controlled. In the landscape display device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The panorama image database further includes a distant view display panorama image for performing landscape display outside the field of view range,
The said display control means displays the panoramic image which synthesize | combined the said panoramic image and the said distant view display panoramic image on a display apparatus. The landscape display apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. In the landscape display device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A spatial data database that prestores spatial data obtained by coordinate transformation of landscape image data associated with a geographical location;
Panorama image generation means for generating a panorama image corresponding to specified viewpoint information based on the spatial data stored in the spatial data database, and storing the generated panorama image in the panorama image database in association with the viewpoint information. In addition,
When the viewpoint position received from the display control means is not in any field of view corresponding to the viewpoint information stored in the panorama image database, the image transmission means determines the viewpoint position as the panorama image. A landscape display apparatus, wherein the panorama image generation unit transfers the image to the generation unit, extracts the panorama image newly generated based on the viewpoint position and registered in the panorama image database, and transmits the panorama image to the display control unit. In the landscape display device according to claim 5,
The panoramic image generation means obtains a position such that distances to a plurality of buildings are substantially equal based on the position of the building in the spatial data extracted from the spatial data database, and determines the viewpoint position. A distance from a position to the nearest building is defined as a radius, a panorama image is generated using the viewpoint position and the radius as viewpoint information, and the generated panorama image is associated with the viewpoint information and stored in the panorama image database. A landscape display device. In the landscape display device according to claim 5 or 6,
The panoramic image generation means generates a panoramic image obtained by cutting out and dividing a portion where a building is reflected from one panoramic image when generating a panoramic image, and also generating a panoramic image from the viewpoint position to the building. Angle data for specifying the position of the divided panoramic image with respect to the distance data and the one panoramic image is further stored in the panoramic image database in association with the viewpoint information as a part of the viewpoint information,
When the display control unit receives the divided panoramic image and the viewpoint information, the distance data includes the display position of the divided panoramic image viewed from the viewpoint position moving with time in the viewpoint information. And a landscape display device that calculates and displays on the display device based on the angle data. In the landscape display device according to claim 7,
The panoramic image generation means changes a viewing angle when a part of a building is cut out from a single panoramic image, and the entire view of the building protrudes from the height direction of the panoramic image. A landscape display device that generates a panoramic image obtained by cutting out and dividing a portion in which the building is reflected after regenerating a panoramic image that includes a full view. In the landscape display device according to claim 1,
It further includes a spatial data database in which spatial data obtained by coordinate conversion of landscape image data associated with a geographical position is stored in advance.
The image transmission means extracts a panoramic image corresponding to the viewpoint position from the panoramic image database, and also extracts a certain range of spatial data corresponding to the viewpoint position from the spatial data database, and a data capacity of the spatial data is determined in advance. When the transmission data capacity of the communication line is smaller than both the predetermined displayable data capacity and the display control means, the spatial data is transmitted together with the panoramic image to the display control means,
When the display control means receives the spatial data together with the panoramic image, the display control means synthesizes the spatial data together with the extracted panoramic image and displays it on the display device. In the landscape display device according to claim 9,
The panoramic image database includes panoramic images generated at a plurality of viewing radii for the same viewpoint position,
The image transmission means takes out a panoramic image with a plurality of viewing radii according to set viewpoint information from the panoramic image database, and takes out a plurality of spatial data in a range according to the plurality of viewing radii from the spatial data database, Extracting the spatial data having the largest data capacity within the transmission limit data capacity from the plurality of spatial data and the panoramic image data corresponding thereto, and transmitting the extracted data to the display control means,
The said display control means synthesize | combines the received said spatial data and the said panoramic image, and displays them on a display apparatus. The landscape display apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. In the landscape display device according to claim 9 or 10,
The display control means obtains the transmittable data capacity by measuring the data communication speed of spatial data whose data capacity is known with the image transmission means via the communication line. apparatus. In the landscape display device according to any one of claims 9 to 11,
The landscape display device, wherein the display control means obtains the displayable data capacity by measuring a display time of spatial data whose data capacity is known.

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