System for combining driving simulators and data acquisition systems and methods of use thereof

• US 20050091018A1
• Filed: 09/03/2004
• Published: 04/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zoll Medical Corporation (Asahi Kasei Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Road Safety International, Inc. (Asahi Kasei Corporation)
• Inventors: Craft, Frederick G.
• Granted Patent: US 7,424,414 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 703/8
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/08 Registering or indicating performance data other than driving, working, idle, or waiting time, with or without registering driving, working, idle or waiting time
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/167 Control of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/04 for teaching control of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/052 characterised by provision for recording or measuring trainee's performance devices for psychotechnics, e.g. for vehicle drivers A61B5/16, A61B5/18

Abstract

The present invention relates to systems and methods of integrating driving simulators, data acquisition systems such as, for example, event data recorders, and/or vehicles, as well as to methods of training or providing instruction to drivers using driving simulators, data acquisition systems and/or vehicles.

Claims

1. A method for integrating a data acquisition system, a driving simulator, and a vehicle to provide driving instruction to a driver comprising:

interfacing said driving simulator with said data acquisition system,

exchanging a first set of data between said driving simulator and said data acquisition system,

terminating said interfacing of said driving simulator with said data acquisition system,

interfacing said data acquisition system with said vehicle, and

exchanging a second set of data between said data acquisition system and said vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said first set of data comprises data related to operation of said driving simulator by said driver and said second set of data comprises data related to operation of said vehicle by said driver.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising generating a driving performance report based on at least said first set of data.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising generating a driving performance report based on at least the second set of data.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the driving performance report is also based on at least the second set of data.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising downloading at least one of said first and second sets of data to a computer.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising downloading said first set of data to a computer before terminating said interface of said driving simulator with said data acquisition system.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said data acquisition system is an event data recorder.

9. A method for compiling and analyzing data related to a driver'"'"'s performance comprising:

providing a driving simulator comprising a data acquisition system,

permitting the driver to use the driving simulator,

acquiring data relating to the driver'"'"'s performance with the data acquisition system, and

analyzing the data.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the data acquisition system is an event data recorder.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising providing feedback to the driver.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein real-time feedback is provided to the driver.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the real-time feedback is audible.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the feedback is written.

15. A method for compiling and analyzing data related to a driver'"'"'s performance comprising:

providing a driving simulator comprising a data acquisition system,

permitting the driver to use the driving simulator,

acquiring data relating to the driver'"'"'s performance in the driving simulator with the data acquisition system associated with the driving simulator,

permitting the driver to use a vehicle,

acquiring data relating to the driver'"'"'s performance in the vehicle with a data acquisition system associated with the vehicle, and

analyzing the data from the data acquisition system associated with the driving simulator and/or the data from the data acquisition system associated with the vehicle.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the data acquisition system associated with the driving simulator is an event data recorder.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the data acquisition system associated with the driving simulator is the same data acquisition system as the data acquisition system associated with the vehicle.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the data acquisition system is an event data recorder.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising providing feedback to the driver.

20. The method of claim 15;

wherein both the data from the data acquisition system associated with the driving simulator and the data from the data acquisition system associated with the vehicle are analyzed.

21. An apparatus for compiling data related to a driver'"'"'s performance comprising:

a driving simulator; and

a data acquisition system, wherein said data acquisition system is interfaced with said driving simulator such that it acquires data related to a driver'"'"'s performance from said driving simulator.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the data acquisition system is an event data recorder.

23. A method for providing driving instruction to a driver comprising:

providing a driving simulator comprising a data acquisition system,

permitting the driver to use the driving simulator,

acquiring data relating to the driver'"'"'s performance with the data acquisition system, and

analyzing the data.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the data acquisition system is an event data recorder.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising providing feedback to the driver.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein real-time feedback is provided to the driver.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the real-time feedback is audible.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the feedback is written.

29. A method providing driving instruction to a driver comprising:

providing a driving simulator comprising a data acquisition system,

permitting the driver to use the driving simulator,

acquiring data relating to the driver'"'"'s performance in the driving simulator with the data acquisition system associated with the driving simulator,

permitting the driver to use a land-based or marine vehicle,

acquiring data relating to the driver'"'"'s performance in the land-based or marine vehicle with a data acquisition system associated with the land-based or marine vehicle, and

analyzing the data from the data acquisition system associated with the driving simulator and/or the data from the data acquisition system associated with the land- based or marine vehicle.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the data acquisition system associated with the driving simulator is an event data recorder.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the data acquisition system associated with the driving simulator is the same data acquisition system as the data acquisition system associated with the land-based or marine vehicle.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the data acquisition system is an event data recorder.

33. The method of claim 29, further comprising providing feedback to the driver.

34. The method of claim 29, wherein both the data from the data acquisition system associated with the driving simulator and the data from the data acquisition system associated with the land-based or marine vehicle are analyzed.