Vehicle simulation system

• US 8,414,299 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2009
• Issued: 04/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Ichimi, Sadanao, Miyamaru, Yukio
• Primary Examiner(s): Yip, Jack
• Application Number:
  US12/580,041
• Publication Number:
  US 20100035218A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,272 Days
• Field of Search: 434 29- 30, 434/57, 434 61- 64, 434/66, 434/305, 359/439, 359/485.07, 359/838, 359/841, 359/846, 359/849, 359/850, 359/866, 359/872, 482/57, 482/63, 482/64
• US Class Current: 434/29
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/058 for teaching control of cycles or motorcycles

Abstract

A vehicle simulation system equipped to display information on the rear side of a driver (rider). The simulation system includes a dummy bicycle operated by the rider, a monitor on the front side for displaying a scene based on the operations of the dummy bicycle, and a lamp unit connected to the dummy bicycle and provided on the rear side relative to the seated position of the rider. The lamp unit has a red lamp, a yellow lamp and a green lamp, and is controlledly turned ON under the action of a main control unit. An input device is provided on a steering handle of the dummy bicycle. The input device has a switch for red, a switch for yellow, and a switch for green. The rider checks behind, and operates the input device according to the ON/OFF conditions of the lamp unit.

Claims

1. A vehicle simulation system comprising:

a dummy vehicle operated by a driver;

a front display unit for displaying a scene based on the operation of said dummy vehicle and visually confirmed when viewed from a first visual point (EP1) set based on a seated position of said driver; and

a side display unit provided on a left side and a right side and configured so that an image displayed thereon is not visually confirmed when viewed from said first visual point (EP1), but is visually confirmed when viewed from a second visual point (EP2) on a front side relative to said first visual point (EP1),

wherein said front display unit has a single screen with a central display region for displaying a front scene, and left and right display regions on left and right sides of the central display region for displaying left and right scenes, and

further comprising;

first mirror members for shielding said left and right end display regions of the front display unit from said first visual point (EP1) and reflecting images toward a lateral side; and

second mirror members for reflecting the images reflected by said first mirror members toward said second visual point (EP2),

wherein the first mirror members and the front display unit have substantially the same height, and the first mirror members are arranged so as to abut the front display unit along vertical lines between the central display region and the left and right display regions, thereby preventing the left and right display regions from being seen from each of the first and second visual points (EP1, EP2), and

magnifying lenses provided between said second visual point and second mirror members.

2. The vehicle simulation system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the left and right display regions are contiguous with the central display region.

3. The vehicle simulation system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the second mirror members are smaller than the first mirror members so that only a central portion of the images reflected by the first mirror members reaches the second mirror members, and

therefore only the central portion of the images reflected by the first mirror members is visible from the second visual point (EP2).

4. A vehicle simulation system, comprising:

a dummy vehicle operated by a driver;

a front display unit for displaying a scene based on the operation of said dummy vehicle and visually confirmed when viewed from a first visual point (EP1) set based on a seated position of said driver., and

a side display unit provided on a left side and a right side and configured so that an image displayed thereon is not visually confirmed when viewed from said first visual point (EP1), but is visually confirmed when viewed from a second visual point (EP2) on a front side relative to said first visual point (EP1),

wherein said front display unit has a single screen with a central display region for displaying a front scene, and left and right display regions on left and right sides of the central display region for displaying left and right scenes,

further comprising;

first mirror members for shielding said left and right end display regions of the front display unit from said first visual point (EP1) and reflecting images toward a lateral side;

second mirror members for reflecting the images reflected by said first mirror members toward said second visual point (EP2); and

a magnifying lens provided between said second visual point (EP2) and each of the second mirror members,

wherein the second mirror members are smaller than the first mirror members so that only a central portion of the images reflected by the first mirror members reaches the second mirror members, and

therefore only a central portion of the images reflected by the first mirror members is visible from the second visual point (EP2).

5. The vehicle simulation system as set forth in claim 4, wherein the first mirror members and the front display unit have substantially the same height, and

the first mirror members are arranged so as to abut the front display unit along vertical lines between the central display region and the left and right display regions, thereby preventing the left and right display regions from being seen from each of the first and second visual points (EP1, EP2).

6. The vehicle simulation system as set forth in claim 4, wherein the magnifying lenses have surface areas larger than the second mirror members, and are arranged adjacent to outer vertical edges of the first mirror members.

7. A vehicle simulation system, comprising:

a dummy vehicle operated by a driver;

a front display unit for displaying a scene based on the operation of said dummy vehicle and visually confirmed when viewed from a first visual point (EP1) set based on a seated position of said driver; and

a side display unit provided on a left side and a right side and configured so that an image displayed thereon is not visually confirmed when viewed from said first visual point (EP1), but is visually confirmed when viewed from a second visual point (EP2) on a front side relative to said first visual point (EP1),

wherein said front display unit has a single screen with a central display region for displaying a front scene, and left and right display regions on left and right sides of the central display region for displaying left and right scenes, and

further comprising

first mirror members for shielding said left and right end display regions of the front display unit from said first visual point (EP1) and reflecting image toward a lateral side;

second mirror members for reflecting the images reflected by said first mirror members toward said second visual point (EP2), and

magnifying lenses provided between said second visual point and second mirror members,

wherein the first mirror members are oriented at an acute angle a relative to each other, and the magnifying lenses are oriented at an acute angle β

relative to each other,

wherein the acute angle a is greater that the acute angle β

.