Abstract: A vehicle simulator has tandem surfaces for supporting first and second users, who "drive" respective first and simulated vehicles through a simulated space. A solenoid is mounted underneath each surface for selectively impacting the associated surface to give the user the sensation of having his simulated vehicle hit by a projectile.Each user sits in front of a video monitor, and each monitor is electrically connected to a computer. Each computer has a "map" of a simulated space stored in its electronic memory, and the computers are linked through a common RAM. The computers cause their monitors to display a changing video image of the simulated space to model motion of the simulated vehicles through the space, in response to signals from controls that can be manipulated by the operators.Each user controls a trigger which can be pushed to initiate the motion of a simulated projectile through the simulated space toward the user's vehicle.

Abstract: A joystick position sensing device has a housing and a pivot ball movably mounted on said housing. The ball defines a prime axis, and a joystick is attached to the ball coaxially with the prime axis. The ball also defines two great circles which are orthogonal to each other and which intersect the prime axis. A groove is partially inscribed on the ball over a portion of each great circle, and a respective follower arm is slidably engaged with each groove. Also, each follower arm is rotatably engaged with a respective potentiometer. Motion of the joystick causes the ball (and grooves) to move, and the follower arms can slide in their grooves, or rotate relative to their potentiometers to adjust the setting of the associated potentiometer, in response to motion of the ball. The system generates a signal representative of the position of the joystick relative to the housing based upon the output signals of the potentiometers.

Abstract: A vehicle simulator has three video monitors which display three respective windows, i.e., sectors, of a simulated space. Each of the monitors is held in a respective housing, and each housing is mounted on the simulator. Also, a respective video controller is associated with each monitor, and each controller is mounted on the housing of the associated monitor.One of the controllers is a master controller which calculates a reference position representative of the position of the simulated vehicle in a simulated space, based upon user-generated control signals. A signal representing the reference position is transmitted from the master controller to the two slave controllers. Based upon the reference position, each of the controllers generates a video display of a predetermined sector of the simulated space and causes its associated monitor to present the predetermined sector.

Abstract: A driver training system for a user of a simulated vehicle. The system includes input devices for controlling the simulated vehicle, a video display having three-dimensional graphics, modeling software for determining position information based on the input devices, and recursive training software to display a previous route through an environment simultaneously with a present route through the environment. The user then incrementally and recursively maximizes parameters associated with vehicle operation skill. The driver training system may be embodied as an arcade game.

Abstract: A system for simulating bicycle riding which incorporates a conventionally-appearing bicycle physically maneuverable by a system user. Front and rear bicycle wheels are provided solely for visual authenticity. The simulating system provides electrical communication between mechanical maneuvering of the bicycle and a video display to visually reflect changes in speed and bicycle position on a variable-terrain track in response to pedaling, braking and steering changes by the user. Specifically, the system permits simultaneous lateral displacement and leaning of the bicycle away from the vertical plane to simulate travel about a curve. The system also permits rotation in a vertical plane about a pivot point proximate to the rear bicycle tire to simulate "wheelie" motion. These changes are monitored by sensors which transmit information to a computer which, in turn, correspondingly adjusts the position of an animated bicycle on the track using computer animation made possible by a unique bicycle model program.

Abstract: A device for causing the steering wheel of a video-based vehicle simulator to selectively vibrate during predetermined periods of the video sequence includes a frame which is rigidly attached to the steering wheel. A cylindrical electrical motor is mounted on the frame, and a first shaft is attached to one base of the motor and extends outwardly from the motor. Also, a second shaft is attached to and extends outwardly from the other base of the motor, and the second shaft is coaxial with the first shaft. The two shafts can be rotated by the rotor of the motor. Each shaft has a weight attached to the shaft. These weights are attached to their respective shafts radially asymmetrically with respect to the axis of the shafts. One weight is attached to its shaft on one side of the axis of the shafts, and the other weight is attached to its shaft on the side of the axis which is opposite from the first weight.

Abstract: An apparatus for creating a realistic feel for a simulated gearshift includes a simulated gearshift for a simulated transmission in a simulated vehicle and has a gearshift lever and a simulated shift pattern for simulating the look and movements through an actual shift pattern of an actual gearshift in a actual vehicle. A pivoting mechanical coupling couples the gearshift lever to a housing for allowing the gearshift lever to pivot about at least two axes. A solenoid is coupled to the pivoting mechanism and has a control signal input for receiving a control signal that controls the amount of force applied to the pivoting mechanism to cause resistance to movement by the shift lever along at least one of the axes. A control computer generates to apply an amount of force to the pivoting mechanical coupling which simulates the actual forces which would be felt by said operator in making the corresponding movement of the gearshift in an actual vehicle.

Abstract: The present invention provides a coupon dispensing storage tray for housing either a roll or pack of detachably connected coupons such as award tickets proximate to an electronic dispenser in a coupon dispensing housing. The tray can be secured to the back of a ticket accessing door adjacent a ticket dispenser. The tray comprises a first and second side wall, a closure wall secured to the side walls at a first end and a guide wall secured to the side walls proximate to a second end. A pack or roll of tickets is positionable between the side walls so that it rests on a support wall spanning the closure wall and the guide wall. The storage tray includes a curvilinear guide arm which assists in guiding the continuous pack of tickets out of the enclosure as the pack is pulled by the electronic dispenser. The guide arm is preferably constructed in unison with the guide wall. First and second securing legs extend outwardly from the second end of both side walls.

Abstract: A pressure-sensitive control device for a simulated vehicle in a video game or simulator. In the preferred embodiment a brake pedal control device is implemented having a strain gauge which senses the strain in the material of the brake pedal. This strain is amplified by a differential amplifier having a self-adjusting input circuit with a long time constant which causes any variations in the input voltage not due to changing strain on the brake pedal to be applied to both inputs of a differential amplifier in common mode, thereby cancelling the effect thereof. Only voltage differences resulting from variations in the strain on the brake pedal are amplified by the differential amplifier and output for use by the video game or simulator.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for simulating the forces acting on the steering wheel or other control device of a vehicle. The apparatus uses an electrical motor coupled to a steering wheel in the preferred embodiment. The electrical motor is driven by a computer running software which received data regarding the real world forces which would be acting upon a real steering wheel in a car under similar conditions. A software driver coupled to a position-sensing transducer on the steering wheel calculates the steering wheel position and velocity and sends this data to a model process not forming part of the invention. The model process then calculates the conditions affecting the simulated vehicle and outputs data reflecting the real world forces which would affect the steering wheel of the actual car under similar conditions.

Abstract: A driving simulator for a video game is disclosed. It includes an apparatus and method for moving the visual display of the dashboard relative to the visual display of the outside scene by horizontal scrolling when the car is being turned. A model processor calculates an acceleration vector acting on the drivers head based upon conditions affecting the vehicle such as acceleration during turns. This acceleration vector is scaled and converted to an integer from floating point. The integer value is then digitally low pass filtered to eliminate the graininess of the discrete nature of the process. Finally two routines are called which use the integer data to calculate where the dash, mirror and cab sidepost are to be displayed in the scene of the simulated environment displayed to the driver. Another routine is then called to load the appropriate data into the hardware which performs the scrolling.

Abstract: A memory cell and array of memory cells specially adapted for support of bit serial math for low cost CAD workstations. The memory cell is comprised of a multiplexer which selects between several inputs for application of data to a bit storage cell of a dynamic RAM nature. Each cell multiplexer has a serial data input, a parallel data input, a parallel format pipeline data input and a recirculation data input. Each cell also has a first output which serves both as a serial data output and a pipeline data output, and a second data output which is tri-state and which is coupled to a parallel format data bus which runs through the array. A plurality of such cells are arranged in rows and columns where rows of such cells are coupled so that data may passed between the rows in either parallel format or serial format for pipeline operations and such each row can independently load data in either serial or parallel format and output data in either parallel or serial format.

Abstract: A floor-standing video game player enclosure booth is disclosed. The enclosure booth is characterized by being a rear entry booth--that is, the player enters from the end of the booth facing the booth's front wall. The booth additionally includes a player seat. The seat is positioned within the enclosure booth so that, when occupied by a player who is looking directly forward toward the front wall, that player's horizontal field of view is interrupted on at least about 180.degree. by the front and side walls of the enclosure. In this configuration, the front and side walls substantially eliminate distractions and permit the player to focus his energies and attention on the game. The open rear permits substantial numbers of spectators to participate in the game without distracting the player. In preferred embodiments, the player seat is movable, closer to and further from the front wall, so as to give a plurality of game-playing positions adapted for larger and smaller game players.

Abstract: An apparatus for creating a realistic feel for a simulated gearshift, comprising a simulated gearshift for a simulated transmission in a simulated vehicle and having a gearshift lever and a simulated shift pattern for simulating the look and movements through an actual shift pattern of an actual gearshift in a vehicle. A pivoting mechanism allows the gearshift lever to pivot about at least two axes. An electrically operable clutch receives a control signal controlling the amount of force applied to the pivoting mechanism to cause resistance to movement by said shift lever along at one of the axes. A positional sensor array generates a signal from which the position of the shift lever in the simulated gearshift pattern may be ascertained. A strain gauge coupled to the gearshift lever senses the degree of strain in the gearshift lever and generates a signal telling whether an operator is pulling or pushing on the gearshift lever and in what direction.

Abstract: There is disclosed herein a system for rapid processing of the data records of many moving and nonmoving objects on a playfield only part of which is displayed and for determining collisions between objects. A search pipeline using a synchrounous state machine searching a linked list of the records organized by approximate position on the playfield implements the search function. A lookahead cycle in the state machine is provided to continue searching for the next object which is to be visible while the graphic data from a previously found object is being loaded into a line buffer. Multiple stamp motion object graphics arrays are used to store the graphics data for each motion object. Special addressing circuitry calculates the appropriate stamp number for the portion of graphic data to retrieve and display for each motion object that is determined to be completely or partially visible in a window or displayed portion of the larger playfield.

Abstract: There is disclosed herein a system for rapid processing of the data records of many moving and nonmoving objects on a playfield only part of which is displayed and for determining collisions between objects. A search pipeline using a synchrounous state machine searching a linked list of the records organized by approximate position on the playfield implements the search function. A lookahead cycle in the state machine is provided to continue searching for the next object which is to be visible while the graphic data from a previously found object is being loaded into a line buffer. Slips point to the first objects on the list for the current scan line speed up the search process.

Abstract: A multi-player, multi-character video game where the game rules force the players to cooperate in negotiating the maze at least until the characters reach a portion of the maze where a specific objective is located. Certain limited resources to change the attributes of the characters or to increase their longevity are displayed in a maze. The players may compete to obtain possession of these limited resources when the characters have cooperated in their movements sufficiently to move to the location of the limited resources. Cooperation among the characters is forced by forcing all characters active in the game to remain visible in the displayed window. Players may enter the game at any time, and they may leave the game at any time without affecting the status of the game or the status of the other characters in the game. All active players may simultaneously, independently control their characters so long as they do not attempt to move their characters outside the currently displayed window.