Method and system for display of weather-related information
AssigneeEarthWatch Communications, Inc.
InventorsCraig R. Burfeind, Christopher F. Ebbert, Douglas P. Kruhoeffer, Peter Resch
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and a system for the display of weather-related information are described. The display is interactive, three-dimensional, and weather forecaster-immersive. A three-dimensional image from a computer is integrated with a video feed source of a weather forecaster preferably in real time, so that the resulting image is a weather forecaster who is inside or a part of the visualized weather information. The integrated images of the forecaster and the weather display are preferably generated quickly, so that they appear animated when shown in succession.
Claims35
A method for visually displaying weather-related information on a video display in a three-dimensional animated fashion comprising the steps of:
- a. generating signals representative of the changing x-y position of a subject as the subject moves within a three-dimensional background of a single color;
- b. generating a virtual set of said subject moving within said three-dimensional background using a video camera;
- c. generating a chroma-keyed mask based upon said virtual set;
- d. using a real-time texture map generator to create a textured memory based upon said virtual set and said chroma-keyed mask;
- e. creating a computer-generated weather display using weather data;
- f. combining said textured memory, weather display and signals representative of the changing position of said subject to create a real-time animation depicting the subject moving about said weather display;
- and
- g. displaying said animation on a video display.
A method for interactively immersing a subject in a three-dimensional display of computer-generated, weather-related information, comprising the steps of:
- a. tracking the movement of the subject within a three-dimensional, solid color background and generating tracking signals representative of said movement;
- b. chroma-keying a video feed of the subject moving within a three-dimensional solid colored background to generate a chroma-keyed mask comprising an image of the subject having a color corresponding to an on color against a background having a color corresponding to an off color;
- c. mapping the video feed to a texture memory in real-time using the chroma-keyed mask as an alpha input, wherein the texture memory comprises a digital representation correspond to the subject;
- and
- d. mapping the texture memory of the video feed onto a three-dimensional display of weather-related information generated by a computer such that the subject appears to have become a part of and move about the three-dimensional display, said tracking signals being used to coordinate the position of the subject with respect to the three-dimensional display as the subject moves within the three-dimensional solid color background.
A weather visualization system comprising:
- a. a three-dimensional, single-color background in which a subject can move about;
- b. a sensor for tracking the x-y position of a subject as it moves with said three-dimensional single-color background;
- c. a chroma-key device to generate a mask based on a video feed including a subject against said three-dimensional single-color background;
- d. a texture map device utilizing the mask as an alpha input to generate a texture memory based on the video feed;
- and
- e. at least one graphics processor to map the texture memory onto a three-dimensional display of weather-related information-based upon the position of the subject as it moves about said three-dimensional single-color background.
A computerized system for visually displaying weather-related information comprising:
- a. means for tracking the position of a subject as the subject moves within a three-dimensional background;
- b. means for generating a virtual set of said subject;
- c. means for generating a chroma-keyed mask based on the virtual set;
- d. means for generating a memory of the virtual set based on the chroma-keyed mask;
- e. means for mapping the texture memory onto the weather-related information based upon the position of the subject as the subject moves within the three-dimensional background;
- and
- f. means for displaying the weather-related information including the mapped texture memory.
A computerized system for interactively immersing a subject in a three-dimensional display of computer-generated, weather-related information, comprising:
- a. means for chroma-keying a video feed of the subject against a solid-colored, three-dimensional background to generate a chroma-keyed mask comprising an image of the subject having a color corresponding to an on color against said background having a color corresponding to an off color;
- b. means for mapping the video feed to a texture memory in real-time, using the chroma-keyed mask as an alpha input, wherein the texture memory comprises a digital representation corresponding to the subject, the digital representation comprising a plurality of pixels;
- c. means for tracking the position of the subject as the subject moves within said solid-color, three-dimensional background;
- and
- d. means for mapping the texture memory of the video feed onto the three-dimensional display of computer-generated, weather-related information based upon the position of the subject within said solid-color, three-dimensional background, such that the subject appears to have become a part of the three-dimensional display of computer-generated, weather-related information.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.