The Singer Company

Computer Graphics Systems Development Corporation

David R Marsh

Raymond C Osofsky

John B Sullivan

William David Fahey

Roy Westlake Latham

Peter O'Driscoll

Wei L Chen

David E Manners

Steven R Bryan

A locomotion simulator has two independently controlled movable footpads. Each footpad is positioned dynamically in three-dimensions. The top of each footpad has a controlled rotational motion, and the assembly having the two footpads is rotated under control. In operation, a user, whose feet are tracked in position and angle, walks or runs on the simulator and the footpads are controlled to simulate ground contact. Controlled rotation and translation movements permit simulation of turning, climbing, and decending.

Computer controlled robotic system for unencumbered movement

The terrain objects within the data base for an aircraft flight simulation system are formed by polygon faces and include certain objects formed by repetitive patterns of equally spaced identical polygon faces. More specifically, objects such as runway markings, which are a series of elongated narrow rectangles equally spaced along the length of the runway. The image data is arranged in a particular format including instruction words for identifying the type of data in the data words following each instruction word, and for controlling the flow of data through the image processor. The image data formatted and processed includes: Initialization vectors (Vo), defining the position of landmark points (i.e., the first vertex of the initial polygon of each series of faces). Delta data (shape data), defining the position of other points, (i.e., the remaining vertices of each initial face) with respect to the initial point therefor. Increment data defining the uniform spacing between adjacent identical faces of each series. Series data defining the number of identical faces in each series. The image processor translates initial position data into the aircraft coordinate system, then rotates, clips, and projects each three-dimensional position vector to form two-dimensional display vectors (Vd). Raster scanlines are generated from the display vectors Vd of each face for display on a CRT.

Repeating pattern simulation of a polygon face object system

The visual system within an aircraft flight simulation system receives flight data from a flight simulation computer, and terrain data from a gaming area data base. A computer within the visual system organizes this image data in a buffer memory according to a particular format, and forwards the image data to an image processor. The following types of data are formatted and processed: Position vectors, defining the changing position of the aircraft with respect to the origin of the terrain coordinate system. Rotational data, defining the changing attitude of the aircraft with respect to the terrain coordinate system. Initialization vectors, defining the position of the landmark points within the terrain coordinate system. The landmark points are translated into the aircraft coordinate system to form translated vectors. Delta data, defining the position of other points, lines, and faces with respect to the landmark points. CIF data, defining color, intensity, defocus, etc. of individual lines and points and the texture within each face. Transfer data, which is coded to identify the data thereafter. The image processor translates delta data into face vertex vectors, defining the position relationship between the vertices of each terrain object and the aircraft. The image processor then rotates the face vertex vectors into channel vectors and clips the data outside the field of vision. The image processor then projects each three-dimensional channel vector into a two-dimensional display vector. Finally, the image processor generates raster scanlines and a display generator receives the display vector faces, and other image data to provide analog inputs to CRT devices which provide the window displays for the simulated aircraft.

Real-time simulation of a polygon face object system as viewed by a

The terrain data within an aircraft flight simulation system includes two and three dimensional object items formed by polygon faces having shapes orientations and dimensions selected from a series of fundamental shapes orientations and dimensions. The image data is coordinated in a buffer memory according to a particular format, and forwarded to an image processor. Instruction words appear throughout the format for identifying the type of data in the data words following each instruction word, and for controlling the flow of data through the image processor. The image data formatted and processed includes: Initial position data (Vo), defining the position of initial points or landmark points (i.e., the first vertex of each polygon face) within the terrain coordinate system. Shape data (delta data) defining the relative position of other points, (i.e., the remaining vertices of the fundamental shape incorporated in each polygon face) with respect to the landmark points of each Vo. Scale data for defining the dimensions of each face to be formed from the fundamental object shapes. The image processor translates initial position data into the aircraft coordinate system; then rotates, clips, and projects each three-dimensional position vector to form two-dimensional display vectors. Raster scanlines are generated from the display vectors Vd of each face for display on a CRT.

Simulation of an object system formed by polygon faces having a series

The visual system within an aircraft flight simulator receives flight data from a flight simulation computer, and polygon face terrain data from a gaming area data base. The visual system computer organizes this image data into the prescribed format, and forwards the image data to an image processor. The following types of data are included in the format:

Variable resolution for real-time simulation of a polygon face object

A night visual aircraft system receives flight data from an aircraft simulator, and ground light data from the gaming area data base. A computer within the night visual system organizes this image data by frame in a buffer memory according to a particular format of addresses, sequences, and bit places. The following types of image data are uniquely positioned in the format:

Real-time simulation of point system having multidirectional points as

A night visual aircraft system receives flight data from an aircraft simulator, and terrain data from the gaming area data base. A computer within the night visual system organizes this image data by frame in a buffer memory according to a particular format of addresses, sequences, and bit places. The following types of image data are uniquely positioned in the format:

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Los Altos, CA, United States of America

David R Marsh