Transportable Projection-Based Simulator

• US 20090042173A1
• Filed: 07/31/2008
• Published: 02/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pathfinder Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Ivan John Jaszlics, Scot David Sanders, Sheila Lynn Jaszlics
• Inventors: Jaszlics, Sheila Lynn, Sanders, Scot David, Jaszlics, Ivan John
• Granted Patent: US 8,506,301 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/219
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/00 Teaching not covered by other main groups of this subclass teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying F41G3/26
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/00 Simulators for teaching or training purposes for the use of weapons F41; computing aspects G06; protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality H04L67/131
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/32 by projected image G09B9/307, G09B9/36 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49 Method of mechanical manufacture
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

A transportable projection-based simulator is expanded on one or both sides. Bowl-like screen assemblies partially surround a mock cabin within the simulator. A combination of projectors and mirrors reflect images of a virtual landscape onto the screen assemblies. A trainee within the mock cabin can lean out of the mock cabin and look down at the image of the virtual landscape projected onto the portion of the screen assembly below without interfering with the projection of that image.

Claims

1. A transportable projection-based simulator, comprising:

a trailer;

a mock cabin within the trailer, the mock cabin defining at least one visual opening;

a screen assembly having a top and a bottom, the screen assembly having a projection surface which substantially faces the mock cabin, the top of the screen assembly having two corner ends with a curvature between the two corner ends, the two corner ends of the top of the screen assembly being closer to the mock cabin than the top of the screen assembly between the two corner ends, the projection surface being substantially vertical near the top and which curves to approach a horizontal orientation at the bottom; and

a plurality of projectors positioned to project images onto the screen assembly, the projected images substantially covering the projection surface of the screen assembly.

2. A transportable projection-based simulator as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

an additional mock cabin and an additional screen assembly; and

wherein each screen assembly is positioned adjacent to one of the mock cabins.

3. A transportable projection-based simulator as defined in claim 1, wherein the screen assembly further comprises:

two eighth sections, each eighth section generally shaped like one eighth of a sphere and having three edges;

a center section, the center section generally shaped like one fourth of a cylinder; and

wherein;

each eighth section is attached to a different side of the center section.

4. A transportable projection-based simulator as defined in claim 3, wherein the simulator comprises at least two screen assemblies, one positioned on either side of the mock cabin, the simulator further comprising:

a center section which connects the two screen assemblies.

5. A transportable projection-based simulator as defined in claim 3, wherein each eighth section further comprises:

a quarter piece having a projection surface and three edges, the first two of the three edges of the quarter piece each forming a portion of one of the edges of the eighth section and curving within a plane that is substantially perpendicular to the projection surface of the quarter piece adjacent to the plane, the third edge curving within a plane that is not substantially perpendicular to the projection surface of the quarter piece adjacent to the plane; and

a plurality of non-quarter pieces each having four sides, at least one side of each non-quarter piece forming a portion of one of the edges of the eighth section.

6. A simulator as defined in claim 1, wherein the trailer further comprises:

a fixed frame which includes a fixed floor, a fixed roof, and a plurality of vertical supports which support the fixed roof above the fixed floor, the fixed frame having an interior space between the fixed floor and the fixed roof;

an expandable floor section hingeably coupled to the fixed floor and moveable between a compact position in which the expandable floor section is substantially vertical and an expanded position in which the expandable floor section is substantially horizontal;

an expandable side wall section hingeably coupled to the fixed frame and moveable between a compact position in which the expandable side wall section resides within the interior space of the fixed frame and an expanded position in which the expandable side wall section is spaced away from the fixed frame, the expandable side wall section maintaining a vertical orientation in both the compact and expanded positions;

an expandable roof section hingeably coupled to the fixed frame and moveable between a compact position in which the expandable roof section is substantially vertical and an expanded position in which the expandable roof section rests on top of the expandable side wall section when the expandable side wall section is in the expanded position; and

wherein the expandable roof section, the expandable side wall section and the expandable floor sections expand the interior space of the simulator when in the expanded positions.

7. A transportable projection-based simulator as defined in claim 6, wherein each side of the simulator has an expandable floor section, an expandable side wall section, and an expandable roof section.

8. A transportable projection-based simulator as defined in claim 6, wherein some of the plurality of projectors project images onto a top half of the screen assembly, some of the plurality of projectors project images onto a bottom half of the screen assembly, the area of the screen assembly on which the image from a single projector is projected is a coverage area, and each coverage area has some overlap with adjacent coverage areas.

9. A transportable projection-based simulator as defined in claim 8, further comprising:

a plurality of image generating channel computers which communicate with the plurality of projectors and supply the projectors with information to construct images to be projected onto the coverage areas, and wherein;

the location of the coverage areas on the screen assembly is substantially fixed.

10. A transportable projection-based simulator as defined in claim 9, further comprising:

a projector truss attached to the fixed roof;

a plurality of projector arms hingeably attached to the projector truss; and

wherein;

at least one of the plurality of projectors is attached to each projector arm, the projector arms move between a compact position in which the projector arms do not interfere with the movement of the expandable roof section, the expandable side wall section or the expandable floor section, and an expanded position in which the projector arm is positioned so that each projector attached to the projector arm projects an image onto the correct coverage area for that particular projector.

11. A transportable projection-based simulator as defined in claim 10, further comprising:

a plurality of mirrors, the plurality of mirrors attached to at least some of the projector arms and at least some of the plurality of projectors projecting images onto the plurality of mirrors which are reflected onto the coverage areas, with each mirror reflecting the images from one of the plurality of projectors; and

wherein;

each of the mirrors is attached to the same projector arm as the projector whose images the mirror reflects.

12. A transportable projection-based simulator as defined in claim 11, wherein the projected images from the plurality of projectors create light cones as they pass through the space between the mirrors and the screen assembly, edges of the light cones closest to the mock cabin are further from a point horizontally displaced from a mid-point of the opening of the mock cabin than they are from points horizontally displaced from the top and bottom of the mock cabin.

13. A method of establishing a training simulator, the simulator comprising a trailer, a plurality of screen assembly pieces, and a plurality of projectors, the method comprising:

expanding a side of the trailer to increase an interior space of the trailer on the side of the trailer which is expanded, the added interior space being an expanded interior space and the non-expanded interior space being fixed interior space;

assembling the screen assembly pieces to create a screen assembly within the trailer;

locating the screen assembly so that at least a portion of the screen assembly is in the expanded interior space; and

positioning the plurality of projectors so that images from the plurality of projectors substantial cover the screen assembly.

14. A method of establishing a training simulator as defined in claim 13, wherein the trailer additionally comprises an expandable roof section, an expandable side wall section and an expandable floor section, the method further comprising:

expanding a side of the trailer by expanding the expandable roof section, expanding the expandable side wall section, and expanding the expandable floor section.

15. A method of establishing a training simulator as defined in claim 14, wherein the trailer additionally comprises a plurality of projector arms which are hingeably coupled to the trailer and to each of which are attached at least one of the plurality of projectors, the method further comprising:

positioning the plurality of projectors by moving the plurality of projector arms from a compact position within the fixed interior space to an expanded position in which the projector arms extend into the expanded interior space on the expanded side of the trailer.

16. A method of establishing a training simulator as defined in claim 15, wherein the trailer further comprises a mock cabin having viewing openings, additionally comprising:

orienting the screen assembly within the expanded side of the trailer so that a top portion of the screen assembly is substantially vertical and further displaced from the mock cabin than a bottom portion of the screen assembly which is more horizontal than vertical and closer to the mock cabin, and so that substantially all of a projection surface of the screen assembly is viewable by a person from the viewing opening of the mock cabin.

17. A method of establishing a training simulator as defined in claim 16, additionally comprising:

designating some of the plurality of projectors for displaying images on a top portion of the screen assembly; and

designating some of the plurality of projectors for displaying images on a bottom portion of the screen assembly.

18. A method of establishing a training simulator as defined in claim 17, additionally comprising:

orienting the projectors designated for displaying images on the top portion of the screen assembly to face away from the screen assembly;

orienting the projectors designated for displaying images on the bottom portion of the screen assembly to face towards the screen assembly; and

reflecting the images from the oriented projectors onto the portions of the screen assembly according to the designation respectively given each projector.

19. A method of establishing a training simulator as defined in claim 17, additionally comprising:

designating a higher number of projectors for displaying images on the top portions of the screen assemblies than the number of projectors designated for displaying images on the bottom portions of the screen assemblies.

20. A method of forming low stress fiberglass corners of a screen piece, the method comprising:

pulling a fiberglass thread taught;

wrapping structural material around the thread;

pulling the structural material around the thread so that the structural material forms a corner; and

applying gel coat to a side of the structural material adjacent to the thread.