Senior driver training

• US 9,349,300 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2011
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Life Long Driver LLC
• Original Assignee: Lifelong Driver LLC
• Inventors: Harkness, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Egloff, Peter
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fletcher, Jerry-Daryl
• Application Number:
  US13/286,210
• Publication Number:
  US 20140220513A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,667 Days
• Field of Search: 434/29, 434/69
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/00 Simulators for teaching or training purposes for the use of weapons F41; computing aspects G06; protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality H04L67/131
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/02 for teaching control of vehicles or other craft
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/04 for teaching control of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/05 the view from a vehicle being simulated G09B9/052, G09B9/058 take precedence

Abstract

A driver training system comprising computerized means for presenting a user of the system with simultaneous footage of a driving environment recorded from cameras directed to four active visual zones comprising a driver'"'"'s forward view, rear mirror view, and respective left and right side mirror views; computerized means for tracking the driving environment found within the two visual neutral zones comprising a driver'"'"'s respective left and right blind spots; computerized means for presenting a user with questions regarding events in the footage occurring within the four active visual zones and the two visual neutral zones; and a database for recording responses and response times to the questions or driving challenges requiring a response to the questions; where the forward view comprises a view comprising a view from a camera depicting the view from the windshield combined with a camera depicting the view from the driver'"'"'s window.

Claims

1. A driving simulator for assessing and improving driving skills of a senior driver comprising:

a computerized audio/visual device programmed to;

display an interactive driving simulation presented through four active visual zones from a driver'"'"'s-seat perspective comprising (1) a driver'"'"'s forward view, (2) a rear mirror view, (3) a left side minor view, and (4) a right side mirror view, wherein the driver'"'"'s forward view includes stitched video from a first camera that recorded a driver'"'"'s side window view, a second camera that recorded a windshield view, and a third camera that recorded a passenger'"'"'s window, and wherein the rear minor view, left side mirror view, and right side mirror view each simultaneously depict a scene recorded simultaneously with the driver'"'"'s forward view;

display movement of a plurality of objects moving from one of the four active visual zones to one of two inactive zones representing a left blind spot and a right blind spot;

track the movement of the plurality of objects into the one of the two inactive zones;

stop the interactive driving simulation after one of the plurality of objects moves into the one of the two inactive zones;

display a top-down-perspective graphic six zone screen, wherein each zone of the six zone screen represents the driver'"'"'s forward view, the rear minor view, the left side mirror view, the right side minor view, the left blind spot, and the right blind spot respectively;

display a prompt to the senior driver to identify the one of the plurality of objects that is in the one of the two inactive zones at the time the interactive driving simulation was stopped;

determine if the senior driver'"'"'s response to the prompt was correct; and

determine the senior driver'"'"'s response time to the prompt.

2. The driving simulator of claim 1 wherein the computerized audio/visual device is programmed to:

record whether the senior driver'"'"'s response was correct;

record the senior driver'"'"'s response time;

create a database for storing whether the senior driver'"'"'s response was correct and the senior driver response time;

store whether the senior driver'"'"'s response was correct and the senior driver'"'"'s response time; and

analyze whether the senior driver'"'"'s response was correct and the senior driver'"'"'s response time to develop a diagnostic assessment of impairments in the visual cognition, visual memory, or visual recall abilities of the senior driver.

3. The driving simulator of claim 1 wherein the interactive driving simulation is presented using digital frame based technology.

4. The driving simulator of claim 1 wherein the forward view provides a view of at least about 180 degrees.

5. The driving simulator of claim 1 wherein the computerized audio/visual device is programmed to assess the senior driver'"'"'s visual search skills, visual memory, and visual recall.

6. A computerized audio/visual driving simulator method for assessing and improving driving skills of a senior driver comprising:

a) displaying an interactive driving simulation presented through four active visual zones from a driver'"'"'s-seat perspective comprising a driver'"'"'s forward view, rear mirror view, left side minor view, and right side minor view, wherein the driver'"'"'s forward view includes stitched video from a first camera that recorded a driver'"'"'s side window view, a second camera that recorded a windshield view, and a third camera that recorded a passenger'"'"'s window, and wherein the rear mirror view, left side mirror view, and right side mirror view each simultaneously depict a scene recorded simultaneously with the driver'"'"'s forward view;

b) displaying movement of a plurality of objects moving from one or more of the four active visual zones to one or more of two inactive zones representing a left blind spot and a right blind spot;

c) tracking the movement of the plurality of objects into the one or more of the two inactive zones;

d) stopping the interactive driving simulation after one of the plurality of objects moves into the one or more of the two inactive zones;

e) displaying a top-down-perspective graphic multi zone screen;

f) displaying a prompt to the senior driver to identify the one of the plurality of objects that is in the one or more of the two inactive zones at the time the interactive driving simulation was stopped;

g) determining if the senior driver'"'"'s response to the prompt was correct; and

h) determining the senior driver'"'"'s response time to the prompt.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising the steps of:

f) recording whether the senior driver'"'"'s response was correct and the trainee response time;

g) creating a database for storing whether the senior driver'"'"'s response was correct and the senior driver'"'"'s response time;

h) storing whether the senior driver'"'"'s response was correct and the senior driver'"'"'s response time; and

i) analyzing whether the senior driver'"'"'s response was correct and the senior driver'"'"'s response time to develop a diagnostic assessment of impairments in the visual cognition, visual memory, and/or visual recall abilities of the senior driver.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the interactive driving simulation is presented using digital frame based technology.

9. The method of claim 6 comprising assessing the senior driver'"'"'s visual search skills, visual memory, and visual recall.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein the forward view provides a view of at least about 180 degrees.

11. A computer-implemented method for assessing and improving driving skills of a senior driver comprising:

displaying an interactive driving simulation presented through four active visual zones from a driver'"'"'s-seat perspective comprising a driver'"'"'s forward view, rear minor view, left side minor view, and right side minor view, wherein the driver'"'"'s forward view includes stitched video from a first camera that recorded a driver'"'"'s side window view, a second camera that recorded a windshield view, and a third camera that recorded a passenger'"'"'s window, and wherein the rear mirror view, left side mirror view, and right side mirror view each simultaneously depict a scene recorded simultaneously with the driver'"'"'s forward view;

displaying movement of a plurality of objects moving from one of the four active visual zones to one of two inactive zones representing a left blind spot and a right blind spot;

tracking the movement of the plurality of objects into the one of the two inactive zones;

stopping the interactive driving simulation after one of the plurality of objects moves into the one of the two inactive zones;

displaying a top-down-perspective graphic six zone screen, wherein each zone of the six zone screen represents the driver'"'"'s forward view, the rear minor view, the left side mirror view, the right side minor view, the left blind spot, and the right blind spot respectively;

displaying a prompt to the senior driver to identify the one of the plurality of objects that is in the one of the two inactive zones at the time the interactive driving simulation was stopped;

determining if the senior driver'"'"'s response to the prompt was correct; and

determining the senior driver'"'"'s response time to the prompt.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

recording whether the senior driver'"'"'s response was correct and the senior driver'"'"'s response time;

creating a database for storing whether the senior driver'"'"'s response was correct and the senior driver'"'"'s response time;

storing whether the senior driver'"'"'s response was correct and the senior driver'"'"'s response time; and

analyzing whether the senior driver'"'"'s response was correct and the senior driver'"'"'s response time to develop a diagnostic assessment of impairments in the visual cognition, visual memory, and visual recall abilities of the senior driver.