Thomson-csf

Le Materiel Telephonique Thomson-csf

Alain Couturier

Philippe Y Paris

In order to improve the contrast of a synthetic image generator, the usually implemented operations of luminance compression are eliminated. Instead, a computation of true luminosity is made and the function of adaptation of the eye is included by computing the true output light energy. Then, the video components of the signal are sent to a display system and are standardized as a function of the light energy of the image displayed and the possible range of the image display. The method includes producing images with a luminance range substantially equal to the true luminance range of an eye and sending this signal to the display system. The signal is varied for different images at a time equal to the time an eye adjusts to different images. The apparatus includes a main channel being corrected by a computing circuit, having a peak luminance extraction circuit and a light energy computing circuit for generating a luminance correction signal.

Method for increasing the contrast of a synthetic image generator, and

A simulator comprises a dome on which are formed synthesized large-field images, the image-forming surface of the dome being 'active', i.e., it is not used as a projection screen, but the images are formed directly by 'cells'. As a result of this arrangement, successive portions of the spherical surface, which are dark in the absence of excitation, make it possible to increase the contrast of the images obtained. According to one embodiment, these cells comprise encapsulated liquid crystals.

Device for forming images on a large surface and simulator equipped with

The invention relates to simulators, for example, simulators of a ship's bridge and the visual display of the scene as viewed from that bridge. Elementary images are juxtaposed, forming an image of a large angle where, without discontinuity, a moving object appears on several television monitors positioned adjacent one another. The images are read simultaneously from 'synthetic images' which are stored in a memory. The moving portion of the image, e.g. a ship, is inlayed in a background or environment image. The image of the object is furnished from a camera which is focused on a model of the object, in the example a ship or ships. There is a synchronization between the delayed line signal of the television camera in relation to the synchronizations of the signals throughout the system.

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Les Essarts Le Roi, France

Alain Couturier