Earth photo globe with overlay and magnification assembly
First Claim
1. A globe characterized in that the geographical indicia comprise LANDSAT or other remote sensing data reproduced on the globe sphere with a definition smaller than that resolvable by the unaided human eye, said indicia comprising quantized image dots each corresponding to an average value of plural adjacent or overlapped LANDSAT or other remote sensing pixels, together with a generally spherical "cloud layer" overlay surrounding said globe sphere, said overlay containing a representation of the cloud cover of the earth, portions of said overlay being transparent to permit viewing therethrough of said geographical indicia, and wherein:
- said "cloud layer" overlay is rigid and moveable with respect to said globe sphere, together with an optical magnification assembly mounted to said overlay to permit more detailed inspection of said geographical indicia on said globe sphere, said assembly having a magnification sufficient to enable resolution by the human eye of the full definition of said reproduced sensing data, and wherein;
said cloud layer overlay comprises two interlocking hemispheres ,said cloud layer overlay being arbitrarily positionable about said globe,said optical magnification assembly comprising a magnifying eyepiece which is small compared to the overall size of said cloud layer overlay so as to permit viewing of said globe without magnification through the majority of said overlay,said magnifying eyepiece being integrally supported by said overlay so as to be locatable at any position on said globe by correspondingly positioning said overlay.
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Abstract
This Earth Photo Globe is characterized in that LANDSAT or other remote sensing geographical indicia is reproduced on the globe sphere with a definition smaller than that resolvable by the unaided human eye. An optical magnifier is mounted above the globe sphere to enable resolution of the full globe definition. A "cloud cover" spherical overlay may surround the sphere and contain a representation of the earth'"'"'s cloud cover. The magnifier may be supported by this overlay.
Various systems are disclosed for making the Earth Photo Globe. One uses a laser beam that is raster scanned across a photosensitized sphere, and is modulated by LANDSAT pixel data. In another system the LANDSAT data is used to prepare a set of photographic negative images each covering a section of the globe, and each containing alignment and positioning information. These images are projected onto a photosensitized sphere to make the globe.
Several globe-illumination systems are also disclosed, including a diurnal interior lighting assembly and a surface lighting scheme for displaying geopolitical data.
15 Citations
2 Claims
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1. A globe characterized in that the geographical indicia comprise LANDSAT or other remote sensing data reproduced on the globe sphere with a definition smaller than that resolvable by the unaided human eye, said indicia comprising quantized image dots each corresponding to an average value of plural adjacent or overlapped LANDSAT or other remote sensing pixels, together with a generally spherical "cloud layer" overlay surrounding said globe sphere, said overlay containing a representation of the cloud cover of the earth, portions of said overlay being transparent to permit viewing therethrough of said geographical indicia, and wherein:
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said "cloud layer" overlay is rigid and moveable with respect to said globe sphere, together with an optical magnification assembly mounted to said overlay to permit more detailed inspection of said geographical indicia on said globe sphere, said assembly having a magnification sufficient to enable resolution by the human eye of the full definition of said reproduced sensing data, and wherein; said cloud layer overlay comprises two interlocking hemispheres , said cloud layer overlay being arbitrarily positionable about said globe, said optical magnification assembly comprising a magnifying eyepiece which is small compared to the overall size of said cloud layer overlay so as to permit viewing of said globe without magnification through the majority of said overlay, said magnifying eyepiece being integrally supported by said overlay so as to be locatable at any position on said globe by correspondingly positioning said overlay. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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Specification