Semi-interactive driving simulator with multiple simulated mirror images and method of preparing images for use in simulator

• US 20070019311A1
• Filed: 07/22/2005
• Published: 01/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Doron Precision Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Doron Precision Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Stricek, Michael
• Application Number:
  US11/187,151
• Publication Number:
  US 20070019311A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/864
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 37/04 with cameras or projectors providing touching or overlapping fields of view
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/05 the view from a vehicle being simulated G09B9/052, G09B9/058 take precedence

Abstract

A semi-interactive driver training simulator in which the projected image contains simultaneous synchronized front view and side-view mirror images, in which the side-view mirror images have both large “flat” mirror and smaller “convex” images. To create the projected image, five separate cameras are mounted on a real vehicle, and used to take five views simultaneously—a front driver'"'"'s view, upper “normal” left and right rear views and lower “wide angle” rear views. The two lower cameras are equipped with wide-angle lenses which simulate the convex mirrors used on real vehicles. The five images are separately recorded, with each video stream time-stamped. The time stamps are used to electronically combine the five images into the single synchronized image which is recorded for projection.

Claims

1. An improved semi-interactive simulator system of the type having a plurality of driver stations coupled to an instructor'"'"'s station and computer, a source of video images comprising at least a forward driver'"'"'s view from a vehicle, and a projector for projecting the video images upon a screen, in which the improvement comprises:

the projected video images comprise, in addition to the forward driver'"'"'s view, four rearward facing views simulating side-view mirrors;

on a left side and a right side of the forward driver'"'"'s view, a rearward view simulating a view through a flat side-view mirror, and

on the left side and the right side of the forward driver'"'"'s view, adjacent to the rearward view simulating the flat side-view mirror, a wide-angle rearward view simulating a view through a convex side-view mirror;

the video images comprising the forward driver'"'"'s view, simulated right flat mirror, simulated left flat mirror, simulated right convex mirror and simulated left convex mirror being synchronized such that the five images simulate the view from the cab of an actual vehicle through the windshield and the side-view mirrors.

2. The system of claim 1, in which the images are actual photographic images recorded by a plurality of cameras mounted on an actual vehicle.

3. The system of claim 2, in which the cameras recording the simulated flat side-view mirrors are mounted on the vehicle substantially parallel to the vehicle.

4. The system of claim 2, in which the cameras recording the simulated convex side-view mirrors are mounted on the vehicle pointed downward from a line parallel to the vehicle.

5. The system of claim 2, in which the camera recording the forward driver'"'"'s view is mounted in the cab of the vehicle, viewing through a windshield.

6. The system of claim 2, in which the images recorded by the plurality of cameras are time-stamped during recording.

7. The system of claim 6, in which the time-stamps on the images are matched to synchronize the projected video images.

8. The system of claim 2, in which the photographic images are recorded digitally.

9. The system of claim 1, in which the video images are recorded upon DVDs and the source of video images is a DVD player.

10. The system of claim 1, in which the video images are stored on a storage medium in the computer, and a video output from the computer is the source of video images.

11. A method of producing images for projection in a semi-interactive simulator system, comprising the steps of:

mounting a plurality of cameras on an actual vehicle, the cameras comprising;

a camera pointed forward to capture a forward driver'"'"'s view

on each of a left side of the vehicle and a right side of the vehicle,

a camera facing rearward to capture a view simulating a view through a flat side-view mirror, and

adjacent to the camera capturing rearward view simulating the flat side-view mirror, a camera having a wide-angle lens, capturing a rearward view simulating a view through a convex side-view mirror;

recording the views from each of the plurality of cameras in a separate video stream as the vehicle is driven, each of the video streams being time-stamped during recording;

after the images are recorded, transferring the time-stamped video streams to a storage medium;

combining the video streams on the storage medium into a composite video image showing a simulated view comprising the forward driver'"'"'s view, simulated right flat mirror, simulated left flat mirror, simulated right convex mirror and simulated left convex mirror, the video streams being synchronized using the time stamps, such that the five images simulate the view from the cab of an actual vehicle through the windshield and the side-view mirrors.

12. The method of claim 11, in which the cameras recording the simulated flat side-view mirrors are mounted on the vehicle substantially parallel to the vehicle.

13. The method of claim 11, in which the cameras recording the simulated convex side-view mirrors are mounted on the vehicle pointed downward from a line parallel to the vehicle.

14. The method of claim 11, in which the camera recording the forward driver'"'"'s view is mounted in the cab of the vehicle, viewing through a windshield.

15. The method of claim 11. in which the views are recorded digitally.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of recording the composite video image to a video storage medium.

17. The method of claim 16, in which the video storage medium is DVD.

18. The method of claim 16, in which the video storage medium is a computer disk.

19. The method of claim 16, in which the video storage medium is solid state storage device.