Vehicle simulator having head-up display

• US 6,437,759 B1
• Filed: 03/07/2000
• Issued: 08/20/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: L-3 Communications Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: L-3 Communications Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Turner, James A., Hegg, Ronald G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Saras, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): AWAD, AMR A
• Application Number:
  US09/519,957
• Time in Patent Office: 896 Days
• Field of Search: 345/1.1, 345/7-8, 340/980, 340/967, 340/974, 340/977, 359/630, 359/631, 348/113, 348/115, 348/117, 348/118, 348/121-124, 434/38-44
• US Class Current: 345/8
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/302 the image being transformed by computer processing, e.g. updating the image to correspond to the changing point of view
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/304 by using a film
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/305 by viewing with a camera a small-scale model of the terrain
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/002 to project the image of a two-dimensional display, such as an array of light emitting or modulating elements or a CRT

Abstract

A vehicle simulator having a projection system for projecting a generated scene and symbology onto a common viewing screen. Tracking apparatus is provided for providing position and/or angular orientation signals representative of the eye of a person viewing the projected scene and symbology. An image generation system is included for generating the scene and symbology for the projection system, such scene and symbology being generated as a function of the position and/or angular orientation signals provided by the tracking apparatus. Such symbology is representative of symbology produced by a head-up display. The image generation system generates the scene and symbology with characteristics which simulate vignetting and/or occulting effect characteristics of the head-up display. The OTW scene and symbology are projected onto a screen and are co-located while the image generator, base or data of the eye position of the user, produces the symbology to simulate the collimation, vignetting and occulting effects of the HUD optical type used in the vehicle that is simulated.

Claims

1. A vehicle simulator for a human user for simulating a real vehicle having an actual head-up display that displays real symbology and has optical characteristics that limit viewing of the real symbology from some points of view within the real vehicle, said simulator comprising:

a tracking apparatus providing a time-dependent signal relatable to or representative of a position of an eye of the user;

an image system forming a visual image viewable by the user, said image including a scene representing a simulated out-the-window view outside the vehicle and simulated head-up display symbology simulating the real symbology and superposed on said scene;

said image system generating said simulated head-up display symbology using the signal provided by the tracking apparatus so that the simulated head-up display symbology displayed to the user is limited when the tracking apparatus signal indicates that the user is viewing the simulated head-up display symbology from a point of view wherein the optical characteristics of the actual head-up display in the real vehicle limit viewing of the real symbology thereof.

2. The simulator of claim 1, wherein the tracking apparatus includes an apparatus supported on the head of the user.

3. The simulator of claim 2 wherein the tracking apparatus includes magnetic sensors, sonic sensors, or optical sensors operatively associated with the apparatus, or mechanical coupling with the apparatus on the head of the user.

4. The simulator of claim 1 wherein the tracking apparatus generates a signal representing data including a position of the head of the user and an angular orientation thereof.

5. The simulator of claim 1 wherein said simulated head-up display symbology is projected on a projection screen.

6. The simulator of claim 5, wherein said image system includes a projector projecting said simulated head-up display symbology on the screen.

7. The simulator of claim 5 wherein said image system includes first and second projectors, said first projector projecting said out-the-window scene on the screen and the second projector projecting the simulated head-up display symbology on the screen.

8. The simulator of claim 1 wherein said simulator further comprises a dummy beamsplitting structure supported thereon, said simulated head-up display symbology being positioned on the screen so that said simulated head-up display symbology can be viewed by the user only through said dummy beamsplitting structure.

9. The simulator of claim 8 wherein said image system forms said simulated head-up display symbology in the image only where the user can see said simulated head-up display symbology through the dummy beamsplitting structure so that the user cannot see the simulated head-up display symbology without looking therethrough.

10. The simulator of claim 1 wherein said image generation system comprises a scene generation system and a simulated head-up display symbology generation system.

11. The simulator of claim 10 wherein said scene generation system and said simulated head-up display symbology generation system each comprise an independent processor receiving a signal derived from the tracking-apparatus signal.

12. The simulator of claim 10 wherein the image generation system further comprises a projection screen.

13. The simulator of claim 12 wherein

said scene generation system is connected to a scene projector that projects the scene on the screen, and said simulated head-up display symbology generation system is connected with a simulated head-up display symbology projector projecting the simulated head-up display symbology on a smaller part of the screen.

14. The simulator of claim 1 wherein said image generation system simulates occulting of the simulated head-up display symbology in a real HUD display based on the tracking apparatus signal.

15. The simulator of claim 1 wherein said image generation system simulates vignetting of the real symbology in a real HUD display based on the tracking apparatus signal.

16. The simulator of claim 1 wherein tracking apparatus provides time-dependent data relatable to or representative of positions of two eyes of the user.

17. The simulator of claim 1 wherein said image system forms the visual image on an LCD display.

18. The simulator of claim 1 wherein said image system forms the visual image on a CRT display.

19. The simulator of claim 1 wherein

said image system collimates the scene and symbology based on the signal provided by the tracking apparatus so that the simulated head-up display symbology and the scene stay in correct perspective with respect to movement of the head of the user.

20. The simulator of claim 19 wherein said collimating of the images is at infinity.

31. The simulator of claim 1 wherein said actual head-up display in the vehicle being simulated is supported in a fixed position.

32. The simulator of claim 31 wherein said actual head-up display in the vehicle being simulated comprises a beamsplitter structure fixedly supported on the vehicle.

33. The simulator of claim 1 wherein said head-up display symbology is displayed on a display device that is supported fixedly in the simulator while the user'"'"'s head can move relative thereto.

34. The simulator of claim 33 wherein said display device comprises a projection screen on which a projector projects the head-up display symbology.

35. The simulator of claim 34 wherein said out-the-window scene is also displayed by the projector on said projection screen.

21. A vehicle simulator for a human user, said simulator comprising:

a tracking apparatus for providing a time-dependent signal relatable to or representative of a position of an eye of the use;

an image system projecting a visual image on a surface viewable by the user, said image including an out-the-window scene representing a simulated view outside the vehicle and a simulated head-up display symbology image superposed on said scene;

said image system including

first and second projectors, the first projector projecting the out-the-window scene onto the surface, and the second projector projecting the simulated head-up display symbology image onto the surface; and

an image generation system connected with the projectors for generating the scene and simulated head-up display symbology image, said image generation system including a simulated head-up display symbology image generator;

said simulated head-up display symbology image generator generating said simulated head-up display symbology image by first determining symbology for the scene and then modifying said symbology to produce the simulated head-up display symbology image based on the signal provided by the tracking apparatus so that the simulated head-up display symbology image simulates optical characteristics of an actual head-up display;

said simulated head-up display symbology image having a portion thereof occulted when the signal from the tracking apparatus indicates that the eye of the user is in a position in which the user would not see said portion of the simulated head-up display symbology image in the actual head up display in the vehicle being simulated.

22. The simulator of claim 21 wherein

the symbology image generator generates the simulated head-up display symbology image using a model of optical characteristics including a model of a mask having a passage aperture therein.

23. The simulator of claim 21 wherein

the symbology image generator generates the simulated head-up display symbology image using a model including a plurality of masks having apertures therein.

24. The simulator of claim 23 wherein

said model includes at least one dynamic mask has an aperture so that the simulated head-up display symbology image generator models a pupil forming HUD display.

25. The simulator of claim 21 wherein

said simulated head-up display symbology image generator generates the simulated head-up display symbology image so that the simulated head-up display symbology is collimated with objects in the scene.

26. The simulator of claim 21 wherein the simulator further comprises

a dummy beamsplitter structure through which the user can see a portion of the screen, said simulated head-up display symbology image being generated and projected based on the tracking apparatus signal so that the user cannot see the simulated head-up display symbology image around the beamsplitter structure.

27. A method of simulating a vehicle for a user, said method comprising:

determining a position of an eye of the user;

projecting on a simulator screen an out-the-window scene corresponding to a simulated situational environment of the vehicle;

deriving a simulated head-up display symbology image from the determination of the position of the eye of the user using a model of occulting or vignetting of an optical system of a HUD display for the vehicle so that a portion of said simulated head-up display symbology image is occulted when the determined position of the eye of the user is one in which said portion of the simulated head-up display symbology image would be occulted in a HUD display in the vehicle being simulated; and

projecting said simulated head-up display symbology image on said screen.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein said deriving of the symbology image includes determining an occluded simulated head-up display symbology image using a model of an optical system using at least one mask having a central aperture therein through which the user can see.

29. The method of claim 27 wherein

said projecting of the out-the-window scene and the simulated head-up display symbology images are performed by separate projectors.

30. The method of claim 27 wherein

said simulated head-up display symbology image and the out-the-window scene are collimated so that objects thereof move together responsive to movement of the head of the user.