Event simulator, and methods of constructing and utilizing same

• US 6,483,511 B1
• Filed: 12/31/1998
• Issued: 11/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Richard D. Snyder
• Original Assignee: Richard D. Snyder
• Inventors: Snyder, Richard D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phu K.
• Application Number:
  US09/224,038
• Time in Patent Office: 1,419 Days
• Field of Search: 345/473, 345/474, 345/475, 345/419, 345/433, 382/118, 382/224
• US Class Current: 345/473
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/52 involving aspects of the displayed game scene
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/65 automatically by game devices or servers from real world data, e.g. measurement in live racing competition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/803 Driving vehicles or craft, e.g. cars, airplanes, ships, robots or tanks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/64 for computing dynamical parameters of game objects, e.g. motion determination or computation of frictional forces for a virtual car
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/69 Involving elements of the real world in the game world, e.g. measurement in live races, real video
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8017 Driving on land or water; Flying
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/048 a model being viewed and manoeuvred from a remote point G09B9/052, G09B9/058 take precedence

Abstract

An event simulator which captures a live or recorded event and selectively incorporates simulator participants therewith. The simulator includes a mechanism for generating a computer graphic representation of an environment in which real events occur; a mechanism for determining the position and orientation of one or more movable objects, such as race cars, in the environment; a mechanism for generating a computer graphic representation of the one or more movable objects in the computer graphic representation of the environment based upon the position and orientation of the one or more movable objects at predetermined time intervals as provided by the position determining mechanism; an interface mechanism for providing data from zero or more simulator participants; a mechanism for generating a computer graphic representation of zero or more participants in the computer graphic representation of the environment in response to participant-supplied data from the interface mechanism; and a mechanism for displaying the computer graphic representation of the environment based upon the position determining mechanism for the one or more movable objects, the computer representation generating mechanism for the one of more movable objects and the computer representation generating mechanism for the zero or more participants.

Claims

1. An event simulator, comprising:

first means for generating a computer graphic representation of an environment in which a series of actual events occur;

second means for determining a position of one or more movable objects within the environment;

third means, responsive to said second means, for generating a computer graphic representation of said one or more movable objects at predetermined time intervals;

interface means for providing participant-supplied data representing movement of at least one participant in said computer graphic representation of the environment; and

computing means for presenting a computer graphical representation of the event based upon data provided by said environment generating means, said movable object generating means and said interface means.

2. The simulator of claim 1, wherein:

said second means determines the position of said one or more movable objects in real time; and

said third means generates a computer graphic representation of said one or more movable objects in real time.

3. The simulator of claim 1, wherein:

said third means places said computer graphic representation of said one or more movable objects within said computer graphic representation of the event.

4. The simulator of claim 1, wherein:

said third means places said computer graphic representation of said one or more movable objects within said computer graphic representation of the event based upon positioning of said one or more movable objects determined by said second means.

5. The simulator of claim 1, wherein:

said third means generates said computer graphic representations of said one or more movable objects based upon recorded positioning thereof previously determined and recorded by said second means.

6. The simulator of claim 1, wherein:

said second means further determines an orientation of said one or more movable objects within the environment; and

said third means generates said computer graphic representation of said one or more movable objects based upon said determined positioning and said determined orientation of said one or more movable objects within the environment.

7. The simulator of claim 1, wherein:

said computing means presents said graphical representation of the event to at least one individual located remotely from the event.

8. The simulator of claim 1, wherein:

said computer means presents a graphical representation of the at least one participant within said graphic representation of the environment.

9. The simulator of claim 1, wherein:

said third means generates a three dimensional computer graphic representation of said one or more movable objects.

10. The simulator of claim 1, wherein:

said computing means presents said computer graphical representation of the event as a visual display from any of a variety of views of said computer graphic representation of the environment.

11. The simulator of claim 10, wherein:

said computing means selectively presents said computer graphical representation of the event as a visual display from a top plan view thereof.

12. The simulator of claim 10, wherein:

said computing means selectively presents said computer graphical representation of the event as a visual display from a perspective of the at least one participant.

13. The simulator of claim 1, wherein:

said computing means includes a switching means for selectively switching positioning information relating to said computer graphic representation of one of said at least one movable objects from data provided by said second means to data provided by said interface means.

14. The simulator of claim 1, wherein:

the actual event comprises a motor vehicular race;

the environment comprises an area in which the motor vehicular race is performed;

said one or more movable objects comprises one or more motor vehicles participating in the motor vehicular race; and

said interface means provides said participant-supplied data representing a computer graphic representation of a participant-controlled motor vehicle in said computer graphical representation of the motor vehicular race.

15. A computer program product including a computer readable medium having computer readable program code means embodied thereon, for a system for simulating an event, said computer program product comprising:

first computer readable program code means for generating a computer simulation of an environment in which an event is to occur;

second computer readable program code means for receiving positioning information of at least one movable object participating in the event;

third computer readable program code means for receiving data from a system user relating to an operation of a simulated movable object for inclusion in the simulation of the event; and

fourth computer readable program code means, responsive to said first computer readable program code mans, said second computer readable program code means, and said third computer readable program code means, for presenting the event simulation having therein a computer simulation of the at least one movable object and said simulated movable object participating in said computer simulation of the environment.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein:

said system presents said event simulation in real time relative to the performance of the event.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein:

said second computer readable program code means receives information relating to the orientation of the at least one movable object, relative to the environment in which the event occurs; and

said fourth computer readable program code means presents said computer simulation of the at least one movable object within said computer simulation of the environment based upon said orientation information of the at least one movable object.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein:

said fourth computer readable program code means presents said simulated movable object as a three dimensional object in said computer simulation of the environment.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein:

said third computer readable program code means receives data from a system user relating to an operation of said computer simulation of the at least one movable object; and

said computer program product further includes fifth computer readable program code means for selectively switching said presentation of said computer simulation of the at least one movable object from being based upon said positioning information received by said second computer readable program code means to being based upon said data received by said third computer readable program code means.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein:

said fourth computer readable program code means selectively presents the event simulation from any of a plurality of views relative to said computer simulation of the environment in which the event occurs.

21. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein:

said computer simulation of the at least one movable object comprises a computer simulation of a motor vehicle; and

said simulated movable object comprises a computer simulation of a motor vehicle.

22. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein:

said positioning information received by said second computer readable program code means includes scaleable parameters pertaining to said event simulation; and

said fourth computer readable program code includes a fifth computer readable program code means for selectively scaling said scaleable parameters pertaining to said event simulation, for varying said presentation thereof.

23. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein:

said fourth computer readable program code means presents statistical information relating to said event simulation.

24. A method of simulating an event occurring within an environment involving at least one movable object, said method comprising the steps of:

generating a computer simulation of the environment;

receiving positioning information of the at least one movable object;

generating a computer simulation of the at least one movable object;

receiving positioning information from a simulation participant relating to positioning thereof within said computer simulation of the environment;

generating a computer simulation of the participant; and

displaying said computer simulation of the environment having therein said computer simulation of the at least one movable object and said computer simulation of the simulation participant, based upon said positioning information of said at least one movable object and said positioning information of said simulation participant.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein:

said positioning information of the at least one movable object comprises positioning information recorded at predetermined intervals throughout the event; and

said displaying step comprises the step of incrementally displaying said computer simulation of the at least one movable object and said computer simulation of the simulation participant within said computer simulation of the environment.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein:

said displaying step displays said computer simulation of the environment having therein said computer simulation of the at least one movable object and said computer simulation of the simulation participant in real time, relative to the event simulated.

27. The method of claim 24, further including the step of:

determining if said computer simulation of the simulation participant cannot continue to participate in the event simulation.

28. The method of claim 27, further including the step of:

removing said computer simulation of the simulation participant from the event simulation, based upon said determining step.

29. The method of claim 24, wherein:

said displaying step selectively displays the event simulation from a plurality of views.

30. A computer program product for an event simulator having a processor, including instructions stored on a computer medium which, when executed by the processor, operate to:

generate a computer graphic representation of an environment in which a series of events occur;

receive positioning information of at least one movable object in the environment;

generate a computer graphic representation of the at least one movable object based upon the received positioning information thereof;

receive positioning information from a participant in the computer graphic representation of the environment based upon the received positioning information of the participant; and

display the computer representation of the at least one movable object and the computer representation of the participant in the computer representation of the environment.

31. The computer program product of claim 30, wherein:

the positioning information of the at least one movable object comprises positioning information recorded at predetermined intervals; and

the display of the computer representation of the at least one movable object and the computer representation of the participant in the computer representation of the environment is regularly updated.

32. The computer program product of claim 30, wherein:

display of the computer representation of the at least one movable object and the computer representation of the participant in the computer representation of the environment is updated in real time.

33. The computer program product of claim 30, wherein:

display of the computer representation of the at least one movable object and the computer representation of the participant in the computer representation of the environment is updated substantially in real time.

34. The computer program product of claim 30, further comprising instructions, which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to:

determine if the participant can no longer participate in the event;

remove the computer representation of the participant from the computer representation of the environment; and

update the display of the computer representation of the at least one movable object in the computer representation of the environment based upon the removal of the computer representation of the participant.

35. The computer product of claim 30, wherein the at least one movable object is a motor vehicle.