Snowboard apparatus
First Claim
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1. A device for simulating a boarding sport, comprising:
- a board for supporting a user of said device;
a first convex support member, attached to said board, that provides three degrees of freedom to said board;
a thrust bearing, coupled to said board and said first support member, the thrust bearing having an axis of rotation and allowing for rotation of said board relative to said first convex support member;
a second support member, attached to said board, that provides at least one degree of freedom, simulating edging motion; and
an angular position detector that detects an angular position of said board about said axis of rotation of said thrust bearing relative to a position of the first convex support member.
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Abstract
A simulator for snowboarding, skateboarding, water skiing and the like includes a substantially flat board having a support which permits three degrees of freedom of motion. The support can include a convex body which, in combination with a thrust receiving surface, forms a thrust bearing permitting the three degrees of freedom. The support can also include a rotary or turntable type of bearing permitting rotary motion. The simulator is instrumented to measure rotational motion and to provide an output signal compatible with a personal computer (PC) game port or a video game console input/output (I/O) port representative of rotational position of the board.
132 Citations
27 Claims
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1. A device for simulating a boarding sport, comprising:
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a board for supporting a user of said device;
a first convex support member, attached to said board, that provides three degrees of freedom to said board;
a thrust bearing, coupled to said board and said first support member, the thrust bearing having an axis of rotation and allowing for rotation of said board relative to said first convex support member;
a second support member, attached to said board, that provides at least one degree of freedom, simulating edging motion; and
an angular position detector that detects an angular position of said board about said axis of rotation of said thrust bearing relative to a position of the first convex support member. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method for simulating a boarding sport, comprising:
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providing a board to support a user;
providing three degrees of freedom using a first convex support member, attached to said board;
providing at least one degree of freedom that simulates edging motion, using a second support member, attached to said board;
providing an electrical indication signal from a detector to an interface circuit, said signal indicative of an angular position of said board relative to said first convex support member; and
providing an output signal from said interface circuit to a computerized simulator program, said output signal providing a real-time indication of said board'"'"'s angular position. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A system for simulating a boarding sport, comprising:
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a board for supporting a user;
a first convex support member, attached to a face of said board, allowing three degrees of freedom for movement of said board;
a thrust bearing allowing angular movement, about an axis of the thrust bearing, between said board and said first convex support member;
a second support member, attached to said face of said board and rearward from said first convex support member, wherein the second support member provides at least one degree of freedom for movement for said board, said at least one degree of freedom simulating an edging motion;
a position sensor, that senses an angular position of said board about said axis of the thrust bearing, and that provides an electrical output corresponding to said angular position relative to said first convex support member; and
an interface circuit, receiving an input from said electrical output of said position sensor, and delivering an output signal to a computerized simulator program. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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Specification