Method and device for training in the operation of moving vehicles

• US 4,750,888 A
• Filed: 12/11/1984
• Issued: 06/14/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/1983
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Giravions Dorand
• Original Assignee: Giravions Dorand
• Inventors: Allard, Jean-Claude, Deslypper, Christian, Saunier, Christian
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard, Leo P.
• Application Number:
  US06/680,394
• Time in Patent Office: 1,281 Days
• Field of Search: 434/43, 434/62, 434/64, 434/65, 434/69, 434/70, 434/71
• US Class Current: 434/69
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/065 Combinations of audio and video presentations, e.g. videotapes, videodiscs, television systems
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/05 the view from a vehicle being simulated G09B9/052, G09B9/058 take precedence

Abstract

Training in the operation of moving vehicles is provided by an operating station comprising a steering wheel and a television monitor screen placed in front of the trainee driver. Theoretical steering control operations performed by a model driver on a previously recorded moving road landscape are used for producing the images of the road landscape as it moves in front of the trainee driver'"'"'s control station. Steering errors made by the trainee driver are determined by comparison between the steering control operations performed by the trainee driver and the previously recorded model-driver steering control operations. Displacement of the images with respect to the television monitor screen is produced as a function of the trainee driver'"'"' s steering errors.

Claims

1. A device for training a trainee driver in the operation of a moving vehicle in an operating station, comprising:

an anamorphic system optically compressing a landscape moving in front of a moving vehicle while a model driver steers the moving vehicle, the optical compression being in a steering direction of the moving vehicle;

means for recording on a videodisk the optically compressed moving landscape and, simultaneously, corresponding model steering data from the steering of the model driver;

a display window;

means comprising reading the videodisk for producing on the display window an image of an electronically selected portion of the optically compressed image of a moving landscape, the optically compressed image being electronically expanded to compensate for the optical compression;

a steering element in front of the display window for operation by a trainee driver;

means for providing data on the operation of the steering element by the trainee driver;

means for reading the model steering data corresponding to the image of the moving landscape produced on the display window;

means comparing the red model steering data with the data from the operation of the steering element by the trainee driver for determining any steering error made by the trainee driver; and

means for electronically controlling a displacement the selected portion of the expanded image of the moving landscape relative to the display window as a function of the steering error.

2. A device for training a trainee driver in the operation of a moving vehicle in an operating station comprising:

an anamorphic system optically compressing a landscape moving in front of a moving vehicle while a model driver steers the moving vehicle, the optical compression being in a steering direction of the moving vehicle;

means for recording on a videodisk the optically compressed moving landscape and, simultaneously, corresponding model steering data from the steering of the model driver;

a display window;

a videodisk producing an electronically selected image portion of a previously recorded and optically compressed image of a moving landscape which has passed in front of a moving vehicle while a model driver steers the moving vehicle, and which has been expanded to compensate for the optical compression onto the display window;

a steering element positioned in front of the display window for operation by a trainee driver;

means for providing data on the operation of the steering element by a trainee driver;

means for reading the model driver steering data corresponding to the electronically selected image portion of the moving landscape produced on the display window simultaneously with the reading of the videodisk for the expanded image;

means for comparing the read model steering data with the data from the operation of the steering element by the trainee driver for determining any steering error made by the trainee driver; and

means for electronically controlling a displacement of the selected portion of the expanded image of the moving landscape relative to the display window as a function of the steering error.

3. A method of training a trainee driver in the operation of a moving vehicle, comprising:

optically compressing images of a landscape moving in front of a moving vehicle through an anamorphic system while a model driver steers the moving vehicle, the optically compressed images being in a steering direction of the moving vehicle;

recording on a videodisk the optically compressed images of the moving landscape and, simultaneously, recording corresponding model steering data from the steering of the model driver;

producing by reading the videodisk expanded images of the optically compressed images of the moving landscape, said expanded images being expanded in said one direction corresponding to said direction of steering of the model driver by a value corresponding to an inverse ratio of said expanded image to an image of the anamorphic system;

electronically selecting a portion of said expanded image;

controlling a display of said electronically selected portion of said expanded image on a display window in front of a trainee driver operating steering equipment;

reading the model steering data from the videodisk corresponding to the moving landscape of the electronically selected portion of said expanded image produced on the display window simulatenously with the reading of the videodisk for the expanded image;

determining any steering error made by the trainee driver by comparing the read model steering data with data from the operation of the steering element by the trainee driver; and

electronically controlling a displacement of said electronically selected portion of said expanded image of the moving landscape relative to the display window as a function of the steering error of the trainee driver.

4. A method according to claim 3, which comprises carrying out said expansion by amplification of the scanning-beam current in the direction of compression derived from said compressed image video signal and selecting said portion of the expanded recording by displacement of the mean current value.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein said landscape recording comprises producing a compressed-image video signal from pictures taken with an anamorphic lens.

6. A method according to claim 4, which comprises determining the steering errors from the variation in orientation of the steering element during a unitary time interval by making a comparison between the steering control operation of the trainee driver and a recording carried out on the model-driver control operations at a constant speed of travel imposed on the vehicle.

7. A method according to claim 4, wherein said recording of steering control operations performed by the model driver is located in one videodisk channel which is normally reserved for sound.