Driving simulator

• US 4,383,827 A
• Filed: 07/02/1980
• Issued: 05/17/1983
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Dr-Ing Reiner Foerst GmbH
• Original Assignee: Dr-Ing Reiner Foerst GmbH
• Inventors: Foerst, Reiner
• Primary Examiner(s): Hum, Vance Y.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Picard, Leo P.
• Application Number:
  US06/165,408
• Time in Patent Office: 1,049 Days
• Field of Search: 434/61, 434/62, 434/69, 358/104, 364/578, 340/725, 340/729, 273/29, 273/33, 273/34, 273/43, 273/71
• US Class Current: 434/69
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/05 the view from a vehicle being simulated G09B9/052, G09B9/058 take precedence

Abstract

A device for simulating a ride of a road. The device comprises several range wedge generators, each of which generate two rows of spots on the screen of the monitor, meeting at the horizon and being symmetrical to the middle of the road; ceiling area pair generators, plate area pair generators, wall area pair generators for the representation of equidistant rectangular or nearly rectangular areas in the road picture; control devices for these area pair generators; random access memories which store the abscissas of these areas; rectangle generators; a write-read memory storing the abscissas of the middle of the road, line select signals and rectangle coordinates; a digital computer for the computation of the horizontal and vertical movement of the road picture; and a column-and-line-generator, several multipliers, a generator for select pulses, an object coordinate computer, and a partner behavior computer.

Claims

1. A device for the simulation of a ride on a curved road using a screen of a monitor for the picture of the road perspectively observed by the driver, as well as using a program for the generation of the road picture, as well as using control devices such as accelerator pedal, brake pedal, clutch pedal, gear shift lever and steering wheel, which devices influence the road picture, as well as using several light spot pair generators, means for generating a speed signal with a voltage-frequency converter supplying a base pulse, a speed proportional signal generator, a digital curve sequence generator, several standard curve function generators, a curve sequence program generator, means for determining the curvature of the road, the track angle and the parallel track position, a curvature function generator and a distance program generator, as well as using a device for signal combination, as well as using image generators for the front part of the vehicle and for simulated partner vehicles, said device comprising in combination:

(a) a plurality of range wedge generators, including right, left, outside, inside and intermediate range wedge generators, each of which generators within limits an intermediate wedge shaped area and an intermediate band each of which includes;

at least one integrated digital random access memory component including an adding device and a subtraction device having output signals, for storing reference signals processed by the individual range wedge generator and which is supplied for a short period only;

two comparators in which the outputs of the subtraction device and the adding device are compared;

two AND-gates to which the positive carry bit of the adding device is supplied for the prevention of double pictures at overflow;

two further AND-gates to which the negative carry bit of the subtraction device is supplied;

two further AND-gates the inputs of which being the equal outputs of the two comparators and the outputs of which being the output of the range wedge generator; and

a further AND-gate, one input of which being the output of the comparator for the right range wedge limit and for the left range, and the other input of which being the output of the comparator for the left range wedge limit and for the right range, and the output of which being the video signal for the range wedge area, all range wedge generators being equal;

(b) ceiling area pair generators for the representation of a nearly rectangular area being parallel to the road plane and to the axis of the road;

each of which includes;

a random access memory for storing a line select signal for the nearly rectangular area; and

AND-gate in which the signal supplied by a range wedge generator for the outside range wedge of the ceiling pair, is combined together with the signal supplied by a range wedge generator for the inside range wedge of the ceiling pair and which is inverted in an inverter, into a double wedge shaped ceiling stripe pair to produce a signal accordingly;

(c) plate area signal generator means, for the repesentation of rectangular lined areas which are vertical to the road plane and perpendicular to the axis of the road;

each of which includes;

a first random access memory for storing the upper line signal of all plate areas;

a second random access memory for storing the lower line signal of all plate areas, a flip-flop supplying a plate area beam signal which is set by the upper line signal and reset by the lower line signal;

four random access memories each storing outputs of the two range wedge generators defining the upper plate area corners when the signal for the upper line of the plate area pair is positive;

(d) wall area generators, for the representation of nearly rectangular areas which are vertical to the road plane and to the axis of the road;

each of which includes;

a first random access memory for storing the line for the upper far corner of the wall areas;

a second random access memory for storing the line for the upper near corner of the wall areas these memories being updated at the beginning of every monitor line for the height level of the upper wall area limit;

four random access memories each storing outputs of the range wedge generator defining the upper limit of the right and the left wall areas when the signals for the lines of the far and the near upper corners of the wall area pairs are positive;

(e) random access memories for the abscissas of the vertical rows for a certain number of lines, which store these abscissas as trunk abscissas until the next area pair appears said next area pair being either wall or plate area pair signals;

(f) rectangle generators for supplying the horizontal and vertical signals for the rectangular areas;

each of which includes;

four random access memories which store the horizontal and vertical values for the left, and for the right limits,

two comparators each in pairs for comparing the horizontal and vertical outputs for the rectangular areas;

(g) a write-read memory for storing the abscissas for the middle of the road, the line select signals, and the rectangle coordinates, which is written by a speed proportional signal generator and a buffer for the writing process therewith;

(h) a multiplying device for supplying the width signals; and

(i) a generator means for supplying pulses for the height presetting, to said multiplying device for the width presetting, according to the individual height and width factor of one range wedge;

the generator means including a device for the logical selection of the write/read pulse.

2. Devices as claimed in claim 1 wherein said range wedge generators, plate area signal generator means, wall area generators, and rectangle generators are integrated circuit components.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1, comprising a special ceiling area generator which used only one range wedge generator output signal, inhibiting the AND-gate and the inverter, and generating only one video signal for a stripe which is symmetrical to the middle of the road.

4. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said multiplying device for the presetting of the height includes a multiplier in which a current line signal is multiplied with the output of a data selector, the inputs of which are several height factors and are supplied to the data selector dependent upon the select pulses belonging therewith.

5. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said multiplying device for the presetting of the height includes several multipliers in which a current line signal is multiplied with the height factors and a data selector being comprised of integrated digital data selector components, the inputs of which are the outputs of the multiplier and which are supplied to the data selector dependent upon the select pulses belonging therewith.

6. A device according to claim 4, wherein said multiplying device for the width is structured like that for the height, and the width signals are generated by multiplication of a height-rated current line signal with a width factor.

7. A device according to claim 5, wherein said multiplying device for the width is structured like that for the height, and the width signals are generated by multiplication of the height-rated current line signal with a width factor.

8. A device as claimed in claim 4, wherein said multiplying device for the width is structured like that for the height, and the width signals are generated by direct multiplication of the current line signal by the combined height and width factor.

9. A device as claimed in claim 5, wherein said multiplying device for the width is structured like that for the height, and the width signals are generated by direct multiplication of the current line signal by a combined height and width factor.

10. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said device for signal combination includes:

at least one device for the generation of stripes according to range wedges of different height level including ordinary digital components, the inputs of which are the wedge area output signal of the range wedge generator for the upper limit of the stripe, and the wedge area output signal of the range wedge generator for the stripe;

two AND-gates being part of an integrated digital AND-gate component, the inputs of which are supplied crosswise by the signals directly and inverted in two digital inverters, and the outputs of which are added in an OR-gate being part of an integrated digital OR-gate component to a video signal for vertical or sloping stripes;

at least one device for the generation of stripes according to range wedges of different height level of the above mentioned kind, the inputs of which are the wedge area output signal of the range wedge generator for the outside limit of the stripe, and the wedge area output signal of the range wedge generator for the inside limit of the stripe;

an AND-gate for combining the wedge area output signal with another inverted wedge area output signal to a video signal for horizontal stripes;

at least one device for the generation of signals for rectangle figures by logical combination of the output signals of several rectangle generators including integrated digital components for logical combination; and

a device for signal adding and color assignment in which all video signals are rated according to their color and intensity and are added therewith.

11. A device as claimed in claim 1, comprising:

a control device for these area signal generators for supplying line select signals for the positioning of the area signals;

a control device for the area signal generators for supplying ordinates for the horizontal line pairs as beam ordinates using the line select signals; and

a logical combination device for the generation of the corresponding video signals by logically comparing the individual lines and area being supplied by the range wedge generators.

12. A device according to claim 1, wherein said speed proportional signal generator includes:

a drive signal counter being an integrated digital counter component, the input of which is an output pulse of a voltage-frequency-converter, and which supplies a periodic, current, digital drive signal to the data bus when addressed by a certain address from the digital computer;

an analog-digital-converter being an integrated digital component for converting a voltage which is proportional to the track angle, into a digital picture turning signal and feeding this signal at proper addressing into a data bus;

an analog-digital-converter for converting the voltage, which is proportional to the parallel track position, into a digital picture turning signal, and feeding this signal at proper addressing into the data bus;

a read-only memory being an integrated digital read-only-memory component for a hyperbolic function;

an output interface device including integrated digital output interface components for supplying the data of the vehicle proper, specifically the parallel track position and the distance in the longitudinal direction of the road;

a program store being an ordinary integrated digital read-only-memory component causing the digital computer to compute the values for the middle of the road and the line select signals line by line using an inputs the signals to feed them into the data bus, and to feed the signals for the pertaining lines together with the control signals for the addressing of the connected functional blocks at release by the write-read-signal into the address bus.

13. A device according to claim 1, wherein said curve function generators include digital read-only-memories which are addressed via an address bus from a digital computer and from the content of which for every curve distance and for every line there can be read or computed a curve abscissa.

14. A device according to claim 1, wherein said curve function generators include curve-abscissa-calculators being part of a central processing unit which compute the curve-abscissas using as inputs the stored data.

15. A device according to claim 1, wherein said digital curve program generator includes:

several curve distance counters being integrated digital counter components which feed curve distance signals into the data bus when being addressed by the digital computer;

an equal number of AND-gates being part of an integrated digital AND-gate component for supplying a base pulse from the speed proportional pulse generator to the curve distance counters if release signals are positive;

a read-only memory for a curve sequence program which is addressed by the distance signal from the distance program generator and which supplies curve trigger pulses by which the devices for the release of the curve distance counters are set; and

an equal number of devices for the release of the curve distance counters, which are reset for the counters;

including;

a device for the logical selection of a curve-entrance and pulse being one or several ordinary digital components, the input of which is the output of the curve distance counter;

a flip-flop for the opening of the counting gate, being a part of an integrated digital flip-flop component which is set by the read-only-memory for the curve sequence program and which is reset by the device for the logical selection of the curve-entrance end pulse;

a device for the logical selection of the curve-exit end pulse, the input of which is likewise the output of the curve distance counter;

a flip-flop for the release of the curve distance counter, which is set by the read-only-memory for the curve sequence program and which is reset by the device for the logical selection of the curve-exit end pulse; and

a buffer which supplied the output of the curve distance counter to the data bus when addressed via the address bus being integrated digital buffer components.

16. A device according to claim 1, wherein said road curvature generator includes:

several curve curvature read-only-memories being a digital read-only-memory component which are addressed by the outputs of the curve distance counters and which supply digital curve curvature signals;

an equal number of digital-analog-converters being integrated digital/analog-converter components in which the digital signals are converted into the analog curve curvature voltages;

polarity inverters for all left curve curvature voltages; and

a subtraction device in which all curve curvature voltages are added to the road curvature voltage.

17. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the output signals of said range wedge generators, the light spot pair generators, and the rectangle generators, the light spot pair generators, and the rectangle generators are written into a repetition memory being integrated digital random access memory components for the whole picture at renounciation of the comparators, and being read line by line.