Back to results
US 8,411,113 B1Granted
Layered digital image data reordering and related digital image rendering engine
AssigneeGoogle Inc.
InventorsBrian Cornell, Sean Egan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A digital image rendering system, such as a geographic map rendering system, receives image data from an image database, such as a map database, in the form of data having image features defined as sets of image objects arranged in a series of layers. The image rendering system processes the received data in a manner that allows for rendering the original layered data without rendering each original layer separately by reordering the original layered digital image data into fewer layers.
Claims26
A computer-implemented method for reordering an original set of layered image data for use in rendering a display, comprising:
- obtaining at a computer device an original set of layered image data comprising multiple original layers of image data arranged to be rendered to form intermediate images prior to the intermediate images being rendered in a display, each of the original layers of image data comprising a plurality of image objects arranged in an intra-layer image object order;
- executing an image data reordering routine on the computer device that extracts a set of image objects of a first type from two or more of the original layers of image data and creates a set of reordered image data for use as a single reordered layer of image data for use in rendering a display, said reordered layer of image data comprising image objects of the first type ordered as a function of the identity of the original layers of image data from which each of the image objects of the first type was extracted and as a function of the intra-layer image object order of the original layers of image data from which each of the image objects of the first type was extracted;
- and
- storing at the computer device said reordered layer of image data.
1 more element
A digital image processing system for use in rendering an image on a display, comprising;
- a communications network interface;
- one or more processors;
- one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors;
- a routine stored on at least one of said one or more memories that executes on one of the one or more processors to obtain an original set of layered digital image data comprising multiple original layers of image data arranged in an ascending order to be rendered in a display, each original layer of image data comprising a plurality of image objects of different types arranged in an intra-layer image object order;
- a digital image data reordering routine stored on one of the one or more memories that, when executed on one of the one or more processors, extracts a first set of image objects of a first type from said original set of layered digital image data and creates a set of reordered digital image data, said set of reordered digital image data comprising a first layer comprising image objects of the first type, wherein the digital image data reordering routine reorders the image objects of the first type so that all of the image objects of the first type from a particular one of the original layers of image data are located in the reordered digital image data prior to any of the image objects of the first type from any of the original layers of image data in the ascending order subsequent to the particular one of the original layers of image data, and so that each of the image objects of the first type from the particular one of the original layers of image data are located in the reordered digital image data after all of the image objects of any of the original layers of image data in the ascending order prior to the particular one of the original layers of image data, and wherein the image objects of the first type of each of the original layers of image data are located in the reordered digital image data in reverse order of the intra-layer image object order of each of the original layers of image data;
- and
- a z-value assigning routine stored on one of the or more memories that, when executed, assigns a z-value to each image object in the reordered digital image data as a function of the order of the image object in the reordered digital image data.
4 more elements
A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions including a digital image data reordering routine stored thereon for use in an imaging system having a processor and a display rendering routine and for use in rendering a display without rendering each layer of an original set of layered digital image data in an intermediate image, the digital image data reordering routine comprising:
- a first data access routine stored on a memory that, when executed on the processor, accesses an original set of layered digital image data comprising multiple original layers arranged to be rendered to form intermediate images prior to the intermediate images being merged for use in rendering a display, each original layer comprising a plurality of image objects arranged in an intra-layer image object order and the original layers being ordered in an ascending order;
- one or more digital image data processing routines that, when executed on the processor, extracts a first set of image objects from said original set of layered digital image data and creates a set of reordered digital image data, said set of reordered digital image data comprising a first layer comprising image objects of a first type, wherein the one or more digital image data processing routines reorders the image objects of the first type so that all of the image objects of the first type from a particular one of the original layers are located in the set of reordered digital image data prior to any of the image objects of the first type from any of the original layers in the ascending order subsequent to the particular one of the original layers of image data, and so that each of the image objects of the first type from the particular one of the original layers are located in the set of reordered digital image data after all of the image objects of any of the original layers in the ascending order prior to the particular one of the original layers, and wherein the image objects of the first type of each of the original layers are located in the set of reordered digital image data in reverse order of the intra-layer image object order of the original layers of image data;
- and
- a z-value assigning routine stored on one of the or more memories that, when executed assigns a z-value to each image object in the reordered digital image data as a function of the relative image object depth within the original set of layered digital image data.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.