Driving simulator

• US 4,077,138 A
• Filed: 05/13/1976
• Issued: 03/07/1978
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/1975
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Reiner Foerst
• Original Assignee: Reiner Foerst
• Inventors: Foerst, Reiner
• Primary Examiner(s): Grieb, William H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hum, Vance Y.
• Application Number:
  US05/686,113
• Time in Patent Office: 663 Days
• Field of Search: 35/11 R, 35/11 A, 35/10.2, 35/12 N, 35/12 L, 35/12 Q, 35/25, 178/6.8, 178/DIG. 30, 178/DIG. 35, 273/1 E, 273/85 R, 273/DIG. 28, 273/86 B, 340/324 A, 340/324 AD, 340/384 R, 340/384 E, 358/80, 358/81
• US Class Current: 434/69
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/04 for teaching control of land vehicles

Abstract

The devices for the simulation include

Several video signal generators each of which brightening on a monitor one light spot pair representing two road border posts,

An analog deflection voltage generator for the horizontal and vertical shifting and for the width and height alteration of said light spots, using an evaluation matrice, integrators, and digitally actuated electronic switches,

An analog computing device for the computation of the speed signal, simulating a decreasing rotation-torque characteristic,

Several curve function generators which generate standard curves on triggering by a digital curve sequence program generator,

A curvature function generator which generates an additional voltage proportional to the curvature of the road and used for comparison with the steering wheel angle, the difference being supplied to a horizontal shifting control device,

Oscillators for the generation of noises, to which the rotation signal, the signal of excessive centrifugal acceleration, and an error signal are supplied, and

An additional video signal generator as well as an additional sequence program generator, for the generation of an obstacle.

Claims

1. A device for the simulation of a car ride on a plane curved road laterally limited by an enclosure using a monitor for the picture of the road perspectively observed by the driver, the monitor being provided for the generation of the road picture, as well as using control devices such as accelerator pedal, brake pedal, clutch pedal, and steering wheel, and means for providing signals responsive to the various control devices, which devices influence the road picture, as well as using sound generating devices, comprising in combination:

several video signal generators by each of which one phase- and length-controlled vertical pulse and two phase- and length-controlled horizontal pulses for the brightening of one light spot pair are generated,

means for generating a speed signal,

a deflection voltage generator which is controlled by a speed-proportional pulse generator, which comprises an evaluation matrice having sections, means for switching the evaluation matrice in sections and fed by the speed signal, and which generates periodical voltages being composed of linear time sections for the horizontal and vertical shifting and for the width and height alternation of said light spots,

a computing device for the computation of said speed signal, simulating a decreasing rotation - torque characteristic and supplying not only the speed signal but also the signal for the engine rotation, the clutch gripping or not gripping,

means for programming a digital curve sequence generator,

phase locking means and video signal generators,

several standard curve function generators, which generate a sequence of curves on triggering by a digital curve sequence program generator being phase locked to said deflection voltage generator, which curve function generators comprise the same kind of elements and are functioning in principle like said deflection voltage generator, and which supply their output voltages to said video signal generators for the horizontal shifting of said light spot pairs,

means connecting curve functional generators to system features,

means for determining curvature of road, track angle and parallel track position and the like,

a curvature function generator which is controlled by the same signals and comprises the same kind of elements and is functioning in principle like said curve function generators, and which generates an additional voltage being proportional to the curvature of the road,

a subtraction device by which said additional voltage is subtracted from a voltage proportional to the angle of the steering wheel,

a horizontal shifting control device to which the output of said subtraction device is supplied for influencing the picture according to deviations of the track angle and the parallel track position.

2. A device for the simulation of car ride on a plane curved road laterally limited by an enclosure using a monitor for the picture of the road perspectively observed by the driver, the monitor being provided for the generation of the road picture, as well as using control devices such as accelerator pedal, brake pedal, clutch pedal, and steering wheel, and means for providing signals responsive to the various control devices, which devices influence the road picture, as well as using sound generating devices, comprising in combination:

several video signal generators by each of which one phase- and length-controlled vertical pulse and two phase- and length-controlled horizontal pulses for the brightening of one light spot pair are generated,

means for generating a speed signal,

a deflection voltage generator which is controlled by a speed-proportional pulse generator, which comprises an evaluation matrice having sections, means for switching the evaluation matrice in sections and fed by the speed signal, and which generates periodical voltages being composed of linear time sections for the horizontal and vertical shifting and for the width and height alteration of said light spots,

a computing device for the computation of said speed signal, simulating a decreasing rotation - torque characteristic and supplying not only the speed signal but also the signal for the engine rotation, the clutch gripping or not gripping,

means for programming a digital curve sequence generator,

phase locking means and video signal generators,

several standard curve function generators, which generate a sequence of curves on triggering by a digital curve sequence program generator being phase locked to said deflection voltage generator, which curve function generators comprise the same kind of elements and are functioning in principle like said deflection voltage generator, and which supply their output voltages to said video signal generators for the horizontal shifting of said light spot pairs,

means connecting curve functional generators to system features,

means for determining curvature of road, track angle and parallel track position and the like,

a curvature function generator which is controlled by the same signals and comprises the same kind of elements and is functioning in principle like said curve function generators, and which generates an additional voltage being proportional to the curvature of the road,

a subtraction device by which said additional voltage is subtracted from a voltage proportional to the angle of the steering wheel,

a horizontal shifting control device to which the output of said subtraction device is supplied for influencing the picture according to deviations of the track angle and the parallel track position, said horizontal shifting control device including;

a multiplying device multiplying the voltage U_K, proportional to the curvature of the road, by the speed signal V,

a limiting device by which the product of the steering wheel angle W_L and the speed V is limited for both polarities,

a subtracting device by which the output of said limiting device is subtracted from the product U_K V, the difference being fed to two integrators already known, the outputs of which being the control voltage U_H for the common horizontal shifting of the light spots and the control voltage U_S for the alteration of the gradient of the light spot lines,

evaluation device and adding devices by which said said signals are added and balanced,

an OR-gate having as inputs the stop signal S_AS and the error signal S_Fe and discharging said integrators by its output signal,

an adding device having as inputs the adjustable signal b_FGrenz, the evaluated signal b of the acceleration, and an alternating voltage, and controlling the limit of the limiting device by its output, p1 a rectifier to which the product b_F of the steering wheel angle W_L and the speed signal V is supplied,

a threshold device the threshold of which is the sum of the centrifugal acceleration limit b_FGrenz and the evaluated acceleration signal b, and

a further evaluation device the input of which being the output of said threshold device and the output of which being subtracted by a subtraction device from the limit of said limiting device.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said horizontal shifting control device includes:

means providing video signals for embankment posts,

a video signal generator for the car front generating a video signal S_Wa,

a logical circuit generating an error measuring signal S_FeM if one of the video signals for the embankment posts appears simultaneously with said video signal S_Wa, and

a monostable multivibrator supplying an error triggering signal S_Fe on actuation by said error measuring signal.

4. A device as claimed in claim 2 wherein each of said video signal generators includes:

an OR gate combining the left and right horizontal pulse voltages,

a third inlet at the AND-gate normally used for the combination of the vertical with the horizontal pulses, to which an inverted signal S_R is supplied for the darkening of the light spot return movement, and

adding devices by which the sum of the signal voltages U_H for the common horizontal light spot shifting, U_KL for the shifting of the light spot pair at curves, U_AR for the shifting of the right light spot, and the inverted voltage U_Al for the shifting of the left light spot is supplied to the normally used horizontally delaying devices.

5. A device as claimed in claim 2 wherein said deflection voltage generator includes:

a saw tooth generator the frequency of which being controlled by the speed signal V,

a triggering device by which said saw tooth voltage U_Sae is converted into a digital periodical signal S_PA by which the distance of the light spot pairs is defined,

a light spot sequence counter which supplies a periodical signal S_PF after all light spot pairs having run through the screen, the intermediate outputs of counter being supplied to a road section generator supplying current switching signals S_S by which road sections are defined,

an electronical switch for each section, by which the speed signal V is supplied during the section concerned to a polarity inverter,

a first evaluation matrice to which said switched speed signals, inverted and not inverted, are supplied, and via which an integrator for each light spot pair is charged and discharged in a way that it generates a periodical deflection voltage according to the driving simulation, being non-linear and being composed of linear sections,

a further second evaluation matrice equalling said matrice by which - in a similar way - a deflection voltage U_Ar is generated, the size of which is however influenced by the control voltage U_S in addition to the speed signal,

screen means,

means for providing speed signal,

means for determining when all light spot pairs have run through said screen means,

means for providing a control voltage U_S, and

a further third evaluation matrice also equalling said matrice, by way - in a similar way - the deflection voltage U_Al is generated, the size of which is influenced subtractively by the control voltage U_S in addition to the speed signal.

6. A device as claimed in claim 2 wherein said curve function generator includes:

means for determining road curvature,

means for generating a periodical light spot distance signal S_PA,

means for generating a curve triggering signal S_KT and blocking signal,

a curve section counter which is supplied by the periodical light spot distance signal S_PA and actuated by a curve triggering signal S_KT in the event no curve trigger blocking signal S_KTS is supplied, and the intermediate outputs of which are supplied to a curve section generator which supplies one sequence of switching signals S_S after each actuation, by which curve sections are determined,

means for generating a speed signal V,

an electronic switch for every section, by which the speed signal V is supplied to a polarity inverter during the concerned section,

an evaluation matrice, to which the switched speed signals, inverted and not inverted, are fed, via which an integrator for each light spot pair is charged and discharged in a way that it generates a control voltage U_KL according to the shape of the curve, being non-linear and composed of linear sections for the horizontal shifting of the light spot pair,

an additional integrator which is charged and discharged via a part of said matrice in a way that it generates a signal voltage U_K being proportional to the curvature of the road.

7. A device as claimed in claim 2 wherein main curve sequence program generator includes:

at least one curve sequence counter for every type of curve, which are supplied by the periodical light spot sequence signal S_PF, and by which different integers are periodically counted defining the distance of the curves and counting only when they are set in operation by the inverted stop signal S_AS,

curve sequence section generators to which the intermediate output signals of said curve sequence counters are supplied, and which supply curve sequence section signals S_KF lasting for a period of one light spot sequence,

an OR-gate by which all curve sequence section signals of one type of curve are added, and

an AND-gate the inputs of which are the output signal of said OR-gate and the synchronous signal S_KS supplied by the deflection voltage generator, and the output of which AND-gate being the curve triggering signals S_KT.

8. A device for the generation of noises, according to claim 2, including:

an oscillator to which the rotation signal n is supplied by the computing device for the speed, the frequency of the oscillator being proportional to the rotation signal,

an evaluation device, being adjusted by the position for the accelerator pedal, via which the generated oscillation signal u_M for the rotation is supplied to a sound amplifier with loudspeaker, the oscillation signal U_M also being directly supplied to the sound amplifier,

a second oscillator the output signal u_D of which is composed of partial oscillations and added to the input of the sound amplifier, and which oscillator is adjustable in volume by the signal b_Fexz for excessive centrifugal acceleration and by the signal S_Ru for high deceleration, and

a third oscillator the output signal u_Fe of which is also added to the input of the sound amplifier and which is adjustable in volume by the error signal S_Fe.

9. A device for the generation of a distance program, according to claim 2, including:

a counter to which the periodical light spot sequence signal S_PF is supplied, which is set into operation by the permanent-on signal S_ED, and which supplies a distance end signal S_StrE after having counted a definite integer,

a distance section generator to which the intermediate outputs of said counter are supplied and which supplies the curve trigger blocking signal S_KTS,

a feed back circuit which is closed by the start signal S_E and opened by the stop signal S_AS and by which said permanent-on signal is supplied,

an OR-gate which releases the stop signal S_AS and to which the stop signal S_AU from the clock, the stop signal S_AF from the error counter, and the output of an inverter are supplied, and

an AND-gate combining the permanent-on signal S_ED and the inverted distance end signal S_StrE and which supplies its output signal to said inverter 33.

10. A device for the generation of deflection voltages, according to claim 2, being characterized by:

a simplification which means that the devices for the generation and the processing of the control voltage U_S and of the deflection voltages U_Ar and U_Al are waived and that the deflection voltage U_A for the horizontal shifting of the light spots is used instead.

11. A device supplying the product of the road-curvature times the speed, according to claim 2, including:

a squaring circuit by which the speed signal V is squared,

a curve section generator for each type of curve, supplying the two time periods of the curve where the curvature is changing,

electronical switches via which the squared speed signals are supplied to adding devices 20 during the period concerned,

polarity inverters via which the signal V² is supplied to the adding devices during the second period,

differential devices supplying the time gradient of the speed signal to the adding devices, and

integrators which are fed by the outputs of said adding devices and the outputs of which are added to form signal VU_K.

12. A device for the simulation of a car ride on a plane curved road laterally limited by an enclosure using a monitor for the picture of the road perspectively observed by the driver, the monitor being provided for the generation of the road picture, as well as using control devices such as accelerator pedal, brake pedal, clutch pedal, and steering wheel, and means for providing signals responsive to the various control devices, which devices influence the road picture, as well as using sound generating devices, comprising in combination;

several video signal generators by each of which one phase- and length-controlled vertical pulse and two phase- and length-controlled horizontal pulses for the brightening of one light spot pair are generated,

means for generating a speed signal,

a deflection voltage generator which is controlled by a speed-proportional pulse generator, which comprises an evaluation matrice having sections, means for switching the evaluation matrice in sections and fed by the speed signal, and which generates periodical voltages being composed of linear time sections for the horizontal and vertical shifting and for the width and height alteration of said light spots,

a computing device for the computation of said speed signal, simulating a decreasing rotation - torque characteristic and supplying not only the speed signal but also the signal for the engine rotation, the clutch gripping or not gripping,

means for programming a digital curve sequence generator,

phase locking means and video signal generators,

several standard curve function generators, which generate a sequence of curves on triggering by a digital curve sequence program generator being phase locked to said deflection voltage generator, which curve function generators comprise the same kind of elements and are functioning in principle like said deflection voltage generator, and which supply their output voltages to said video signal generators for the horizontal shifting of said light spot pairs,

means connecting curve functional generators to system features,

means for determining curvature of road, track angle and parallel track position and the like,

a curvature function generator which is controlled by the same signals and comprises the same kind of elements and is functioning in principle like said curve function generators, and which generates an additional voltage being proportional to the curvature of the road,

a subtraction device by which said additional voltage is subtracted from a voltage proportional to the angle of the steering wheel,

a horizontal shifting control device to which the output of said subtraction device is supplied for influencing the picture according to deviations of the track angle and the parallel track position,

said computing device for the speed signal including;

a switch via which a constant voltage U_AS is supplied to the delay circuit which is already known as a representation of the car inertia, with negative polarity for the reduction of the speed at the end of the program and at errors,

an OR-gate the output of which is usd for closing said switch, and the inputs of which are the signals S_AS and S_Fe,

a further first-grade delay circuit, the steady state amplification factor of which is defined by the damping of the piston stroke movement, the time constant of which is defined by the rotating inertia of the engine, and the output of which is the rotation signal n,

a switch actuated by the clutch signal K_KU, by which the input of said delay circuit can be switched over,

a control amplifier subtracting at its input the rotation signal n as the actual value, and the speed signal, reduced by a second evaluation circuit, as the reference value, the output of the control amplifier being connected to the input of the delay circuit with gripping clutch, and the torque signal m being connected to said delay circuit with opening clutch,

several threshold devices to the inputs of which the rotation signal n is supplied and the thresholds of which are provided by constant voltages U_Kn,

evaluation devices the inputs of which are the outputs of said threshold devices and the outputs of which are added by an adding device,

a subtracting device by which the output of said adding device is subtracted from the voltage U_Gas which is supplied by the acceleration pedal, the subtraction being required to reduce the engine torque with increasing rotation,

an interlocking circuit which transmits a signal S_Sch supplied by the gear shift only when a signal S_Ku is given by the clutch pedal, and the output of which circuit supplies the signal S_G for the determination of the effective gear,

a differential circuit converting the speed signal into an acceleration signal b which is supplied to a polarity inverter which supplies the deceleration signal v,

a "Schmitt" - trigger with hysteresis, to which the deceleration signal v is supplied, and the thresholds of which are the constant voltages v_An and v_Ab,

a threshold device to which also the deceleration signal v is supplied, the threshold of which is the constant voltage v_Ru, and the output of which is supplied to an electronic switch being actuated by the output signal S_Ru of said "Schmitt" - trigger, and

a control amplifier to which the switched excessive deceleration signal is supplied and the output U_Ru of which is added to the input of said known delay circuit.

13. A device for the computation of the speed, according to claim 12, characterized thereby:

that the clutch pedal and all devices which are influenced by the signal of the clutch pedal are waived.

14. A device for the generation of an obstacle including in combination

means to generate one light spot and deflection voltage means,

means for generating the light spot representing the car front,

video signal generator means by which the light spot for an obstacle is generated in the middle of one light spot pair and which is controlled by the deflection voltages of this light spot pair, the deflection lasting only one period of the light spot sequence,

an obstacle sequence program generator means releasing the obstacle light spot with irregular distances and functioning like a curve sequence program generator, and

an obstacle error measuring device supplying an obstacle error signal provided so that the speed of the car exceeds an adjustable minimum value as soon as the obstacle light spot touches the light spot representing the car front.