Fmc Corporation

The Singer Company

David J Westerman

Louis S McTamaney

Robert W Lotz

David J Kauber

The visual system within an aircraft flight simulation system receives flight data and terrain data which is formated into a buffer memory. The image data is forwarded to an image processor which translates the image data into face vertex vectors Vf, defining the position relationship between the vertices of each terrain object and the aircraft. The image processor then rotates, clips, and projects the image data into two-dimensional display vectors (Vd). A display generator receives the Vd faces, and other image data to provide analog inputs to CRT devices which provide the window displays for the simulated aircraft. The video signal to the CRT devices passes through an edge smoothing device which prolongs the rise time (and fall time) of the video data inversely as the slope of the edge being smoothed. An operational amplifier within the edge smoothing device has a plurality of independently selectable feedback capacitors each having a different value. The values of the capacitors form a series which doubles as a power of two. Each feedback capacitor has a fast switch responsive to the corresponding bit of a digital binary control word for selecting (1) or not selecting (0) that capacitor. The control word is determined by the slope of each edge. The resulting actual feedback capacitance for each edge is the sum of all the selected capacitors and is directly proportional to the value of the binary control word. The output rise time (or fall time) is a function of the feedback capacitance, and is controlled by the slope through the binary control word.

Edge smoothing for real-time simulation of a polygon face object system

A solid state circuit providing the function of a ratchet relay which circuit is relatively immune from noise and is capable of high speed switching operation. The circuit is adapted to receive an AC input trigger signal and convert such signal into an appropriate signal for alternately firing a pair of triacs that are each serially connected with a load and an AC power source. The circuit includes an input section comprising an AC to DC pulse converter, a time delay network, and a pulse shaping circuit which provide a clean input pulse to trigger a flip-flop and an output section including an opto-isolated Darlington transistor pair which is provided with a separate power supply and which operates to alternately fire the triacs in response to the output state of the flip-flop.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

David J Westerman