Method and system for display of weather-related information
First Claim
Patent Images
1. 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.
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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.
167 Citations
35 Claims
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1. A method for visually displaying weather-related information on a video display in a three-dimensional animated fashion comprising the steps of:
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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. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method for interactively immersing a subject in a three-dimensional display of computer-generated, weather-related information, comprising the steps of:
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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. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16)
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17. A weather visualization system comprising:
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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. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A computerized system for visually displaying weather-related information comprising:
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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. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27)
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28. A computerized system for interactively immersing a subject in a three-dimensional display of computer-generated, weather-related information, comprising:
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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. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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Specification