Method and apparatus for providing synthetic vision using reality updated virtual image

DETAILED DESCRIPTION From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that a need has arisen for a method and apparatus for providing an accurate image of a scene, even when a portion of the scene is not clearly observable by a sensor arrangement, while realizing the capability for accuracy without requiring the use of an active sensing arrangement.
According to the present invention, a method and apparatus are provided to address this need, and involve: causing a sensor to generate sensor image information which includes information representative of subject matter of interest and information representative of other subject matter; maintaining virtual image information, including the step of separately maintaining first virtual information representative of the subject matter of interest and second virtual information representative of the other subject matter; updating the virtual image information using the sensor image information in a manner which improves the quality of the representation of the subject matter of interest in the first virtual information and the quality of the other subject matter in the second virtual information; and preparing combined image information by combining information from the sensor image information with information from the first virtual information, the combined image information including an image of the subject matter of interest.