System and Method for Exploring 3D Scenes by Pointing at a Reference Object

摘要

The system and method are described for enhancing location-based services by enabling spatial database systems to respond to or answer spatial queries that use a reference object to identify objects or features of interest in environmental scene before a system user. The system and method present invention enhances pointing technology by permitting system users to use queries to identify objects or features within the system user's field of view by pointing at the reference object or feature, and linking it to the object of interest by using spatial prepositions.

主权项

1. A computer-implemented method for identifying objects of interest in an environmental scene based on a reference object, comprising the steps of:
(A) pointing a pointing device at an object within a system user's visual field within the environmental scene, with the pointing device being capable of determining its geographic location and identifying the object to which the pointing device is pointing in a system user's visual field in a system user's environment; (B) generating a spatial scene with a scene generator that coincides with the system user's visual field, with the spatial scene including a spatial configuration of the system user's environment; (C) designating the object identified in step (A) as a reference object; (D) determining semantics of the spatial scene, with the semantics geographically associating objects within the system user's visual field with the reference object designated at step (C); (E) generating queries relating to one or more objects of interest within a system user's visual field based on pointing at the reference object designated at step (C); and (F) identifying one or more objects of interest within the system user's visual field based on the queries relating to such one or more objects of interest generated at step (E) based on pointing at the reference object designated at step (C).