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GoogleGranted patentAR, VR & displaysInterest 6/10

Google patents method to update 3D maps of spaces using photos

Patent drawing
Patent drawing from the official filing.

This patent describes a way to create or update a 3D map of a room or area by comparing new photos to an existing digital model. The system identifies changes between the two and uses only the new image data to update the map, rather than rebuilding it from scratch. The final 3D model is then sent to a user's device for viewing.

Why it mattersThis could make augmented reality apps more efficient by allowing them to quickly update their understanding of a room when objects move, rather than scanning the entire space again.

In the filing’s own words

Disclosed implementations generate a virtual representation of a space based on a model. The model is updated with image data according to a difference metric. The difference metric is determined for a portion of the space based on the image data and a current state of the model. The virtual representation is provided to a user device.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A method comprising: receiving, from an imaging device, image data depicting a space in a first state; determining, for a portion of the space, a discrepancy between the first state and a second state of the space by performing a comparison of the image data and a first model representing the space in the second state; generating a second model representing the space in the first state based on the first model and a subset of the image data corresponding to the discrepancy; and generating a virtual representation of the space based on the second model.

Facts

Company
Google (GOOGLE LLC)
Official title
Scanning framework for mapping a space
Patent number
US12749266B2
Application number
18584887
Filed
Feb 22, 2024
Granted
Sep 29, 2026
Inventors
3
Claims
20

Classified under

G06T 17/05 Physics & computingG06T 7/10 Physics & computingG06T 19/006 Physics & computingG06T 19/20 Physics & computingG06T 2207/10028 Physics & computingG06T 2207/10052 Physics & computing
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.