Apparatus and method for producing a video display

Apparatus for moving an article into a selected position, comprising:

• a target located a given distance from and a given orientation relative to the selected position;
• a moveable mechanical arm;
• video display means;
• a video camera connected to the video display means to produce a picture of the target thereon;
• means to connect the video camera to the article for movement therewith, and to hold the video camera said given distance from and said given orientation relative to the article;
• graphics display means connected to the video display means to generate on the video display means an outline of the target;
• arm control means connected to the mechanical arm to operate the mechanical arm to grip and to carry the article into the selected posit on;
• and
• sensing means to sense forces on the article and to generate a signal indicating the magnitude of the sensed forces;
• and
• wherein the graphics display means is connected to the sensing means to receive said signal therefrom, and is adapted to generate on the video screen a graphical display illustrating the magnitude of the sensed forces.

A display system, comprising:

• display means to show a picture, and including a multitude of pixels;
• display control means to control the picture shown on the display means and including a graphics card having a multitude of memory locations, each of the pixels of the display means being associated with a respective one of said memory locations;
• video means to generate a multitude of picture signals from pictures of a target located a fixed distance and direction from an object, each of the picture signals including a multitude of picture data values, each data value of each picture signal being associated with a respective one memory location in the graphics card and with a respective one pixel;
• means to transmit the picture signals to the graphics card;
• sensing means to sense at least one variable parameter of the object and to generate a multitude of data values for said parameter;
• a processor including
• i) a memory page having a multitude of memory locations to hold data for producing a graphical display on the display means, each of the memory locations of the memory page being associated with a respective one memory location in the graphics card and with a respective one pixel,
• ii) a graphics module to generate graphical image data values, and including means to generate at least selected graphical image data values from the data values for the parameter, each image data value being associated with one memory location in the memory page, and
• iii) means to transmit the graphical image data values from the graphics module to the memory page;
• means to transmit data values from the memory page to the graphics card;
• and
• control means to control the transmission of data from the video camera and from the memory page to the graphics card, and adapted to transmit to each memory location in the graphics card, an associated data value from a selected one of (i) one of the picture signals from the video camera and (ii) the memory page.