Patent Document ID: 4737921
Application ID: 06740224
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A real-time three-dimensional display device comprising: (a) a plurality of individual processing elements each having: (i) an associated object memory for storing a first digital representation of a portion of a three-dimensional objet to be displayed; (ii) an image memory for storing a second digital representation of a mini-image of the visible surface of that portion of the object as viewed from a selected direction with respect to a predetermined plane including the relative depth of that surface at each pixel of the mini-image; (iii) means for selecting said direction including means for mapping said first digital representation into said second digital representation; and (b) means for generating priority codes based upon the relative significance of a given pixel of the mini-image produced by a given processing element as compared to the pixels of mini-images produced by other processing elements for a given pixel in the combinedimage produced by all of said processing elements; and (c) merge control means responsive to said priority codes for generating the combined image of said object including, at each pixel, the depth of the visible surface of the object from said predetermined plane said combined image being generated on a pixel-by-pixel basis from said mini-images, each pixel of said combined image including only a selected pixel of said mini-images which is visible for a given orientation of said object, the pixel being selected in accordance with said priority codes.