Video graphic simulator systems

Claim 1

A video graphic simulator system comprising: a) first source means for video signals representing a scene which includes features at different distances from an observer and which are separated by boundaries; b) second source means for video signals representing an object moving with respect to the scene; c) third source means for video signals representing a stencil for the scene and a stencil for the object, each of said stencils for the scene and the object having a value for each point of the scene which values are graduated at the boundaries between the features; d) fourth source means for signals representing the distances from the features in the scene to the observer and from the object to the observer; e) means for deriving contemporaneous sequences of video signals from said first, second and third source means with corresponding signals in said sequences relating to the same point on the scene; f) processor means responsive to successive video signals derived from said third source means for selectively interpolating one of the corresponding scene and object video signals on the other of said corresponding scene or object video signals in dependence upon the relationship of said object and scene distance signals; g) means included in said processor means responsive to video signals from said third source means for gradually reducing the proportion of the object video signals and increasing the proportion of the scene video signals at the edges of the object where the object is interpolated on the scene, and also at discontinuities where a feature of the scene obscures part of the object; and h) display means for displaying the combined video signals.