Simulation device

• US 4,710,129 A
• Filed: 02/06/1986
• Issued: 12/01/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Scortech MECH Limited Station Premises Attleborough Norfolk NR17 2AS England
• Original Assignee: Scortech MECH Limited
• Inventors: Pilkington, Andrew L., Winch, Kenneth H., Newman, Geoffrey C. S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard, Leo P.
• Application Number:
  US06/827,277
• Time in Patent Office: 663 Days
• Field of Search: 434/45, 434/55, 273/DIG. 28, 272/16-18
• US Class Current: 434/55
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/21 characterised by their sensors, purposes or types
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/245 specially adapted to a particular type of game, e.g. steering wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/26 having at least one additional display device, e.g. on the game controller or outside a game booth
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/285 Generating tactile feedback signals via the game input device, e.g. force feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1037 being specially adapted for converting control signals received from the game device into a haptic signal, e.g. using force feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1062 being specially adapted to a type of game, e.g. steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/301 using an additional display connected to the game console, e.g. on the controller
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/143 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/12 Motion systems for aircraft simulators
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/302 the image being transformed by computer processing, e.g. updating the image to correspond to the changing point of view

Abstract

A simulation device which comprises a cabin mounted for movement in one or more senses, apparatus for control such as a joystick, in the cabin to at least in part control cabin movement produced by one or more motors, display apparatus in the cabin producing a window-type and/or radar-type display, sensors for sensing cabin movement, and one or more CPUs responsive to the sensors for causing the display to change at least in part in synchronized relationship to the cabin movements.

Claims

1. A simulation device, comprising:

user occupancy means;

a yoke as a support on which said user occupancy means is mounted with freedom for rotational movement about a first axis extending through said occupancy means;

a structure having a base on which said yoke is mounted with freedom for rotational movement about a second axis generally normal to the first axis and extending through said occupancy means;

prime mover means for moving said occupancy means at least in rotation about said first axis and said yoke in rotation at least about said second axis;

manual control means, carried by said occupancy means, for causing said prime mover means to drive said occupancy means and said yoke in a controlled manner at least in rotation respectfully about said first axis and said second axis;

a VDU carried by said occupancy means, said VDU being capable of displaying a computer generated picture responding to picture signals fed thereto;

sensor means for sensing rotational movement of said occupancy means, said sensor means comprising a first sensor directly responsive to rotation of said user occupancy means relative to said yoke and a second sensor directly responsive to rotation of said yoke relative to said base structure so that there is one sensor for each axis of rotation thereby permitting said sensor means to be responsive to all movement of said user occupancy means, said sensor means not forming a part of, and not being responsive to, said manual control means; and

a computer which is fed from said sensor means and which generates picture signals fed to the VDU so as to cause the display to scroll in synchronized relationship to said rotational movements of said occupancy means and said yoke respectively about said first axis and said second axis, said movement including those produced by the use of said manual control means.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein said prime mover means comprises a plurality of electric motors, one for each axis of rotation.

3. A device according to claim 1, having a window-type display and a radar-type display.

4. A device according to claim 3, wherein each display is controlled by a separate computer processor.

5. A device according to claim 1, including a game program generator for superimposing a supplementary scene on at least part of the display.

6. A device according to claim 1, wherein the manual control means comprises a joystick.

7. A device according to claim 1, wherein the user occupancy means is a cabin.

8. A device according to claim 7, wherein said yoke is mounted for rotational movement about said second axis and said cabin is suspended between the arms of said yoke on a mounting which defines said first axis of rotation.

9. A device according to claim 1, wherein the VDU is capable of responding to movement of a user in said user occupancy means.

10. A device according to claim 1 including a vibration generator and an audio generator.