System and method for driver training with multiple driver competition

• US 5,577,913 A
• Filed: 10/07/1994
• Issued: 11/26/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Warner Bros Entertainment Incorporated (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Atari Incorporated (Infogrames Entertainment SA)
• Inventors: Margolin, Jed, Moncrief, Rick L., Behensky, Max L., Mott, Stephanie J.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHENG, JOE H
• Application Number:
  US08/319,602
• Time in Patent Office: 781 Days
• Field of Search: 434/29, 434/38, 434/43, 434/62, 434/65, 434/69, 434/307 R, 434/308, 434/373, 273/85 G, 273/86 R, 273/86 B, 273/434, 273/437, 273/440, 273/442, 273/445, 273/454, 273/DIG. 28, 364/410, 364/578, 395/152, 348/121, 345/4
• US Class Current: 434/69
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/245 specially adapted to a particular type of game, e.g. steering wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/497 Partially or entirely replaying previous game actions
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/57 Simulating properties, behaviour or motion of objects in the game world, e.g. computing tyre load in a car race game A63F13/56 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/803 Driving vehicles or craft, e.g. cars, airplanes, ships, robots or tanks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/63 for controlling the execution of the game in time
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/636 involving process of starting or resuming a game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8017 Driving on land or water; Flying
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/02 for teaching control of vehicles or other craft
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/05 the view from a vehicle being simulated G09B9/052, G09B9/058 take precedence

Abstract

A driver training system for a user of a simulated vehicle. The system includes input devices for controlling the simulated vehicle, a video display having three-dimensional graphics, modeling software for determining position information based on the input devices, and recursive training software to display a previous route through an environment simultaneously with a present route through the environment. The user then incrementally and recursively maximizes parameters associated with vehicle operation skill. In addition, a present user may compete with one or more previous users by having previously recorded routes played back on the video display simultaneously with the route of the present user. The driver training system may be embodied as an arcade game.

Claims

1. A computerized system, comprising:

a plurality of simulated input devices for controlling a simulated vehicle;

a visual display for presenting a view of a simulated environment;

a model process responsive to said input devices for determining position information of said simulated vehicle in said simulated environment;

a first driver responsive software having a buffer, wherein the first driver responsive software is representative of a first user and responsive to said position information provided by the first user, and wherein the first driver responsive software stores in the buffer a first route of said simulated vehicle taken by the first user through said simulated environment, replays the first route on said video display, and stores at least one parameter indicative of a performance characteristic of the first route in the buffer; and

a second driver responsive software representative of a second user, wherein the second driver responsive software is responsive to said position information provided by the second user for a first time, and wherein the second driver responsive software displays a second route of said simulated vehicle taken by the second user through said simulated environment and determines at least one parameter indicative of a performance characteristic of the second route;

wherein said first route is replayed simultaneously with said display of said second route on said video display; and

wherein a best route through the simulated environment is selected by comparing route parameters indicative of the first and second routes.

2. The system defined in claim 1, wherein said input devices include a gas pedal, brake pedal and steering wheel.

3. The system defined in claim 2, wherein said input devices further include a gearshift.

4. The system defined in claim 3, wherein said input devices further include a clutch pedal.

5. The system defined in claim 3, wherein said steering wheel is responsive to a plurality of feedback signals from said first and second driver responsive software.

6. The system defined in claim 1, additionally comprising a speaker responsive to said first and second driver responsive softwares.

7. The system defined in claim 1, wherein said first and second driver responsive softwares are responsive to different position information provided by different users.

8. A user-interactive system comprising:

a plurality of simulated controls having analogues to controls of a real-world vehicle;

a visual device;

a processor responsive to said simulated controls for generating personalized feedback to a present user, including a simulated environment, a present simulated vehicle having a present route taken by said present user, wherein the present route has a parameter indicative of performance, and a previous simulated vehicle, wherein the previous simulated vehicle is a recording of a previous route taken by a previous user through said environment, wherein the previous route has a parameter indicative of performance, wherein said personalized feedback is communicated to said visual device for presentation to said present user, and wherein said processor compares said parameters of said previous route and said present route, wherein said previous route and said previous route parameters are recorded, and wherein said present route is selected as a best route only if the present route parameter indicates a higher level of performance than the previous route parameter.

9. A method of competition in a system having a video display, a memory, a set of simulated input controls, and means for displaying a simulated vehicle in a simulated environment, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving changes in the position of the simulated input controls as manipulated by a first user;

calculating position information of a first simulated vehicle based on the position changes of the simulated input controls;

storing the calculated position information indicative of the first user'"'"'s route through the simulated environment in the memory;

receiving changes in the position of the simulated input controls as manipulated by a second user;

calculating position information of a second simulated vehicle based on the position changes of the simulated input controls as manipulated by the second user;

displaying the second simulated vehicle and simulated environment on the video display for a first time; and

displaying the stored positions indicative of the first user'"'"'s route of the first simulated vehicle on the video display simultaneously with displaying positions of the second simulated vehicle.

10. A user-interactive competitor system comprising:

means for providing user control of a simulated vehicle;

a visual display for presenting a view of a simulated environment;

means for representing simulated vehicles on the video display;

means, independent of the user control means, for controlling simulated travel of a first simulated vehicle through the simulated environment;

means, responsive to input from a first user, for controlling simulated travel of a second simulated vehicle through the simulated environment;

means, responsive to the means for controlling simulated travel of the second simulated vehicle, for storing a record of the simulated travel of the second simulated vehicle through the simulated environment; and

means for simultaneously displaying the simulated travel of the first and second simulated vehicles on the video display.

11. A computerized competition system, comprising:

a plurality of simulated input devices for controlling a simulated vehicle;

a display for presenting a view of a simulated environment;

a processor;

a computer program executed on said processor comprising;

a first process responsive to said input devices for determining position information of said simulated vehicle in said simulated environment;

a second process receiving position information from the first process, wherein said second process includes recording software to record a first route comprising a plurality of position information, said first route indicative of a first user moving said simulated vehicle through said simulated environment, and wherein said second process includes displaying software to display the first route and a second route comprising a plurality of position information, said second route indicative of a second user moving said simulated vehicle through said simulated environment, and wherein said second process only displays each and every second route simultaneously with a replay of the recorded first route.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said input devices include a gas pedal, a brake pedal and a steering wheel.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the display is capable of presenting a three-dimensional graphical view of the simulated environment.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the position information comprises Cartesian coordinates.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the simulated vehicle comprises an automobile.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein said system comprises a coin-operated arcade game.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor comprises a microprocessor.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein a portion of said display software displays objects in said simulated environment.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the simulated environment comprises a race track.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein a first parameter indicative of performance is associated with said first route and a second parameter indicative of performance is associated with said second route.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein said first and second parameters represent elapsed time.