Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
193 words
An image system for providing selected image data to a display device which displays polygon object faces as viewed from an observation point in simulated relative motion with the polygon object faces, by combining object data defining the positions of the vertices of the polygon object faces with the observer data defining the position and orientation of the observation point relative to the object faces, and eliminating the data representing polygon object faces having a display size less than a minimum predetermined size, the image system comprising: object data base means for providing the object data; resolution standard means for defining the minimum predetermined size; resolvability means responsive to the object data and to the observer data for determining the display size of each polygon face, and responsive to the resolution standard means for eliminating from the flow of the object data representing polygon faces the data representing those faces having a size less than the minimum predetermined size; and image data processing means responsive to the polygon object data remaining in the flow of object data and to the observer data, for providing control signals and display data to the display device.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
193 words
An image system for providing selected image data to a display device which displays polygon object faces as viewed from an observation point in simulated relative motion with the polygon object faces, by combining object data defining the positions of the vertices of the polygon object faces with the observer data defining the position and orientation of the observation point relative to the object faces, and eliminating the data representing polygon object faces having a display size less than a minimum predetermined size, the image system comprising: object data base means for providing the object data; resolution standard means for defining the minimum predetermined size; resolvability means responsive to the object data and to the observer data for determining the display size of each polygon face, and responsive to the resolution standard means for eliminating from the flow of the object data representing polygon faces the data representing those faces having a size less than the minimum predetermined size; and image data processing means responsive to the polygon object data remaining in the flow of object data and to the observer data, for providing control signals and display data to the display device.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
68 words
The image system of claim 1, wherein: the resolution standard means provides minimum predetermined angular subtense θrc for defining the predetermined minimum size; and the resolvability means determines the display size of each polygon face by calculating the display angular subtense thereof as viewed from the observation point, and eliminates the data representing polygon faces having a display angular subtense less than the minimum predetermined angular subtense θrc.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
58 words
The image system of claim 2, wherein each object face has resolvability data associated therewith including a rectangle the long side of which is equal to the major dimension (S major) of the object face and the short side of which ia equal to the minor dimension (S minor) of the object face perpendicular to the major dimension.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
71 words
The image system of claim 3, wherein: the resolvability means determines the display angular subtense (θ major) of the major dimension (S major) of each polygon face, and determines the display angular subtense (θ minor) of the minor dimension (S minor) of each face, and compares the lessor of the two, θ min, with the angular subtense θrc for eliminating polygon faces having a θ min which is less than θrc.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
21 words
The image system of claim 4, wherein: the resolvability data associated with each face includes data representing θrc for that face.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
70 words
The image system of claim 1, wherein: the object data for each polygon face includes the following items of resolvability data: S major--the longest dimension of the face, S minor--the dimension of the face which is perpendicular to S major, o--a unit orientation vector in the plane of the face and extending in the direction of S major, and n--a unit normal vector extending from the plane of the face.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
23 words
The image system of claim 6, wherein: each face has an initial vertex Vo which forms the starting point of o and n.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
49 words
The image system of claim 7, wherein: the resolvability means makes the following calculation for each face: Vt.n=D cos θc, where Vt is the vector from the observer to the initial vertex Vo of that face, and D is |Vy|, and θc is the angle between Vt and n.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
54 words
The image system of claim 8, wherein: the resolvability means includes a normal test circuit which provides a signal to the image data processing means to eliminate that face from the data flow when the sign of D cos θc is negative indicating that θc is greater than 90° and the face is backfacing.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
49 words
The image system of claim 7, wherein: the resolvability means makes the following calculation for each face: Vt.o=D cos θa, where Vt is the vector from the observer to the initial vertex Vo of that face, and D is |Vt| and θa is the angle between Vt and o.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
52 words
The image system of claim 10, wherein: the resolvability means includes an orientation test circuit for determining whether the sign of D cos θa for each face is negative indicating that θa is greater than 90° and D=D min, where D min is the minimum distance between the observer and that face.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
47 words
The image system of claim 11, wherein: the resolvability means calculates the following ratio for each face in which the sign of D cos θa is positive: D cos θa/S major, where D is the distance from the observer to the initial vertex Vo of each face.