Advanced G seat for aircraft simulation
First Claim
1. A seat for use in a vehicle simulator comprising:
- support means;
a mosaic of driven elements supported on a first planar surface of said support means, each driven element having a rigid top plate, the top plates of said elements defining a body portion-supporting surface, the top plates being individually and selectively translatable by the driven elements in a direction perpendicular to said first surface of the support means, said driven elements comprising fluid cells;
means for driving said driven elements; and
means for coordinating the translation of the individual top plates to vary the elevation and attitude, and the contour of said body portion-supporting surface in a manner which produces, upon an occupant of said seat, compatible skeletal attitude shifts and flesh pressure gradient variations in said body portion, respectively.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A "G" seat for providing kinesthetic (sensation of motion) cues to a pilot of a simulated aircraft. The seat is designed specifically to stimulate elements of the haptic sensory system and is capable of independently producing desired skeletal attitude shifts, area of flesh contact changes and flesh pressure gradient variations and coordinating same to simulate acceleration effects. The seat contains two mosaics of air cells forming a seat cushion and a back cushion, respectively. The air cells comprise tension spring loaded bellows having rigid top plates. The top plates of the cells in each mosaic form a body supporting surface of the corresponding cushion. The cells may be individually driven under computer control to vary the elevation, attitude and shape of these body supporting surfaces. In addition, clam-shell shaped air cells are positioned on either side of the seat cushion to provide thigh pressure and area of contact variations and a lap belt is driven to provide ventral area pressure variation.
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Citations
27 Claims
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1. A seat for use in a vehicle simulator comprising:
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support means; a mosaic of driven elements supported on a first planar surface of said support means, each driven element having a rigid top plate, the top plates of said elements defining a body portion-supporting surface, the top plates being individually and selectively translatable by the driven elements in a direction perpendicular to said first surface of the support means, said driven elements comprising fluid cells; means for driving said driven elements; and means for coordinating the translation of the individual top plates to vary the elevation and attitude, and the contour of said body portion-supporting surface in a manner which produces, upon an occupant of said seat, compatible skeletal attitude shifts and flesh pressure gradient variations in said body portion, respectively. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method of simulating acceleration effects, comprising:
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positioning a subject in a seat so that at least a portion of the subject'"'"'s body is supported by a surface formed by a mosaic of individually translatable plates, each of said plates being translatable in a direction parallel to the direction of translation of the other plates; and translating said plates selected distances to induce a skeletal attitude shift of said subject corresponding to that produced by an acceleration being simulated, and simultaneously further altering the relative position of at least one of said plates within said mosaic to produce a compatible haptic system stimulus across the supported portion of the subject'"'"'s body similar to that produced by the acceleration being simulated. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12)
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13. In a vehicle simulator, apparatus for inducing motion sensations corresponding to those experienced during actual operation of the vehicle, comprising:
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a. a seat comprising; 1. a supporting structure, and 2. a first cushion supported by said supporting structure and including a first plurality of air cells having rigid top plates defining a body supporting surface of said first cushion, the air cells of said cushion responding to air pressure variations by displacing said top plates; b. first means for generating control signals representative of air pressures in said air cells which will cause selective displacement of said top plates to vary the elevation, attitude and contour of said body supporting surface in a manner which induces compatible haptic sensory system stimuli in an occupant of said seat; and c. second means for varying the air pressure in said air cells in response to said control signals, whereby motion sensations corresponding to those experienced during actual operation of the vehicle are produced. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. Apparatus for use in simulating vehicular motion, comprising:
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first means for supporting a seated subject; second means, supporting a portion of said subject'"'"'s body within said first means, for simultaneously, independently varying the seated subject'"'"'s skeletal attitude, changing the extent of contact between said second means and said body portion and altering the flesh pressure gradient across said body portion; and third means for automatically controlling said second means so that the independent skeletal attitude shifts, changes in extent of contact and pressure gradient alterations produced by said second means are coordinated to provide scaled, compatible haptic sensory system stimuli to said seated subject. - View Dependent Claims (27)
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Specification