Operator training system

• US 6,200,139 B1
• Filed: 02/26/1999
• Issued: 03/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Clapper, Edward O.
• Primary Examiner(s): RIMELL, SAMUEL G
• Application Number:
  US09/258,848
• Time in Patent Office: 746 Days
• Field of Search: 396/18, 396/50, 396/51, 434/62, 600/587, 600/595, 364/516.44
• US Class Current: 434/62
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/167 Control of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/042 providing simulation in a real vehicle G09B9/052, G09B9/058 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/05 the view from a vehicle being simulated G09B9/052, G09B9/058 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/052 characterised by provision for recording or measuring trainee's performance devices for psychotechnics, e.g. for vehicle drivers A61B5/16, A61B5/18

Abstract

A system for operator training and evaluation may detect and record information about various actions taken by an operator. For example, the system may record what the operator looks at in the course of operating the vehicle to determine whether the operator is looking at the things which the operator should appropriately be checking. In addition the system may provide other information about other aspects of the operator'"'"'s performance including speed and use of controls and indicators. This information may be correlated and provided in the form of an evaluation. Alternatively, the operator may be prompted in the course of operating the vehicle to correct the operator'"'"'s performance to improve the operator'"'"'s skill.

Claims

1. A vehicle operator training system comprising:

a sensor to sense what an operator looks at;

a storage storing information about a plurality of gaze targets; and

a controller to develop a record of what the operator looked at in the course of an operator training session and to compare the record to said information about a plurality of gaze targets to determine whether the operator looked at said gaze targets in the course of an operator training session.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said sensor includes a camera.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein said camera is a digital camera.

4. The system of claim 3 including a first camera to locate head position and a second camera to locate eye position.

5. The system of claim 1 including a position location device.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein said position location device is a global positioning system receiver.

7. The system of claim 1 including an interface adapted to receive information from vehicle controls.

8. The system of claim 1 including an interface adapted to receive vehicle speed information.

9. The system of claim 1 including an interface adapted to receive information about the use of vehicle indicators.

10. A method for evaluating a vehicle operator comprising:

automatically sensing what the operator looks at;

developing a record of what the operator looks at in the course of an operator evaluation session;

compiling a list of gaze targets; and

comparing the record to the gaze targets to determine whether the operator looked at said gaze targets in the course of said evaluation session.

11. The method of claim 10 including receiving information about the current position of the vehicle.

12. The method of claim 10 including receiving information about the operation of vehicle controls.

13. The method of claim 10 including comparing the operator'"'"'s performance to predefined standards.

14. The method of claim 10 including determining the frequency with which the operator looks at a given object.

15. The method of claim 10 including recording information about vehicle speed.

16. The method of claim 10 including prompting the operator to increase the frequency with which the operator looks at one or more objects.

17. The method of claim 16 including correlating what the operator looks at with the position the vehicle is at when the operator looked at the object.

18. An article comprising a medium that stores instructions for causing a processor based system to:

receive information about what a vehicle operator looks at;

make a record of what the operator looks at in the course of operator evaluation;

compile a list of gaze targets including items a vehicle operator may look at in the course of said operator evaluation; and

compare the record to said gaze targets to determine whether the operator looked at each of said gaze targets during the course of said operator evaluation.

19. The article of claim 18 storing instructions for causing a processor based system to receive information about the current position of the vehicle.

20. The article of claim 18 storing instructions for causing a processor based system to determine the frequency with which the operator looks at a given object.

21. The article claim 18 storing instructions for causing a processor based system to prompt the operator to increase the frequency with which the operator looks at one or more objects.

22. The article of claim 18 storing instructions for causing a processor based system to correlate what the operator looks at with the position the vehicle is at when the operator looked at the object.

23. A method for evaluating a vehicle operator comprising:

automatically sensing what the operator looks at;

prompting the operator to increase the frequency with which the operator looks at one or more objects; and

recording what the operator looks at.

24. The method of claim 23 including correlating what the operator looks at with the position the vehicle is at when the operator looked at the object.

25. A vehicle operator training system comprising:

a first vehicle mounted camera to scan the operator'"'"'s head;

a second vehicle mounted camera to scan the operator'"'"'s eye; and

a controller to develop a record of what the operator looked at in the course of operator training using information from said first and second cameras.