Vehicle operations simulator with augmented reality
First Claim
1. A mobile vehicle operation and hazard encounter simulator comprising:
- a vehicle having at least one vehicle control and operated to move freely in a natural environment and thereby provide normal non-visual motion cues;
a scene generator;
a scene display in communication with said scene generator and viewable by a vehicle operator;
an environment view being presented on said scene display created at least in part by said scene generator; and
at least one virtual image not existing in said natural environment and visually superposed on said natural environment by the scene generator into said environment view and presented on said scene display so as to appear fixed or moving in a controlled fashion in said environment view, wherein said mobile vehicle operation and hazard encounter simulator carries said vehicle operator and is controlled by said vehicle operator in accordance with said environment view, said vehicle responding to actuation of said at least one vehicle control and said environment view responding to at least one of said at least one vehicle control, operator movement, and vehicle movement.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
This invention provides in a safe and effective manner the experience of observing potential collision obstacles or other hazard images to the human operator of an otherwise conventional vehicle, (such as an automobile or aircraft) moving in a normal manner in a natural environment (such as an outdoor test track). The invention incorporates in addition to the mobile vehicle, computer-based image generation devices, and position, velocity, acceleration, measurement instruments to enable the simulated visual hazard images, including operator perception of and response to those hazard images. Making the actual moving vehicle part of the simulated hazard encounter means the vestibular (motion) cues and visual cues of the natural environment are very realistic, while only the computer-generated hazard images imposed on the natural environment view are virtual. The system results in a safe and cost efficient way of producing a realistic experience of vehicle operation encounters, including both the observation and response.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A mobile vehicle operation and hazard encounter simulator comprising:
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a vehicle having at least one vehicle control and operated to move freely in a natural environment and thereby provide normal non-visual motion cues;
a scene generator;
a scene display in communication with said scene generator and viewable by a vehicle operator;
an environment view being presented on said scene display created at least in part by said scene generator; and
at least one virtual image not existing in said natural environment and visually superposed on said natural environment by the scene generator into said environment view and presented on said scene display so as to appear fixed or moving in a controlled fashion in said environment view, wherein said mobile vehicle operation and hazard encounter simulator carries said vehicle operator and is controlled by said vehicle operator in accordance with said environment view, said vehicle responding to actuation of said at least one vehicle control and said environment view responding to at least one of said at least one vehicle control, operator movement, and vehicle movement. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method for simulating hazard encounter in operation of a vehicle moving in a natural environment comprising:
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(a) generating an environment view, wherein at least a part of said environment view comprises a virtual image not existing in the natural environment but visually superposed on an operator'"'"'s display of the natural environment so as to appear fixed or moving in a controlled fashion in said environment view;
(b) presenting the environment view to an operator carried by said vehicle, said vehicle operating in the natural environment;
(c) the operator actuating controls for said vehicle, movement of said vehicle responding to actuated controls;
(d) altering said environment view in response to at least one of vehicle movement, actuated controls, operator head movement, and operator movement within said vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (19, 21)
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20. (canceled)
Specification