KR20040082900A - Simulation System - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A simulation system is provided to supply a user with feeling of three-axis rotation by using two wheels. CONSTITUTION: A simulation system includes a cockpit part(10) and a supporting part(30). The cockpit part(10) is provided with a seat(12) for the driver, an operational unit for operating the simulation system by the user and a display unit(16) placed at the front side of the seat(12). And, the supporting part(30) is provided with a pair of wheels(52,56) for applying a rotational torque to the cockpit part(10) along a different direction and a pair of driving motors(54,58) to drive the wheels(52,56) in response to the operation of the operational unit.

Description

Simulation System

The present invention relates to a simulation system, and more particularly, to a simulation driving apparatus that reproduces various situations according to a user's operation.

Simulations provide indirect experiences to the operator by virtually modeling what may actually happen, such as flight simulations and driving simulations. In the simulation driving, it is important to precisely reproduce various situations so that the operator can feel the reality and the liveness close to the actual situation. In order to make the simulation device closer to reality, software for changing the screen according to the operator's operation and hardware, or mechanism, for immediately creating a motion based on a mathematical model of a moving object such as a car or an airplane are required. Developing is key.

As an example of the conventional simulation apparatus, for example, only the screen is changed by software without a mechanism for the movement of the moving body, as in the flight simulation for a PC, for example. Realistic simulation is difficult because there is no physical movement of the user. Various types of simulation apparatuses involving physical motions of an athletic body or a user have been proposed, for example, in the field of game machines, for example, Korean Patent Application Publication No. 01-83829 (name of the invention: a virtual simulation entertainment system), registered utility model No. 0173399. (Name of Design: 3D Simulator for Virtual Reality), Utility Model No. 0217665 (Designed name: Polymorphic device of a chair for entertainment equipment), Registration Utility Model No. 0226651 (Name of design: Simulation chair operation device), And those described in US Pat. No. 5,240,417 (bicycle riding simulation system and method). In the conventional simulation apparatus, the chair or the like of the user is displaced or rotated by driving a motor or a hydraulic device according to the user's operation, but the displacement or rotation range is considerably limited, which makes it difficult to realize realistic simulation.

The present invention is to solve the above-described problems, to provide a simulation system that can be applied to various kinds of moving object simulation to realize a more realistic simulation by greatly increasing the displacement to the rotation range according to the user's operation Let it be technical problem.

1 shows an embodiment of a simulation system according to the invention.

2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the simulation system of FIG.

3A to 3H are diagrams for explaining the rotational direction of the vehicle according to the rotational direction of the wheel.

Figure 4 shows another embodiment of a simulation system according to the present invention.

<Description of Symbols for Major Parts of Drawings>

10: passenger compartment 12: seat

14: Control Panel 16: Display

18: first transmitting and receiving module 20: gyro sensor

30, 230: support 34: air nozzle

50: wheel assembly 52, 56: wheel

54, 58: drive motor 60: second transmission and reception module

70: upper support 80: lower frame

82: lower support 234: ball bearing

In the simulation system of the present invention for achieving the above technical problem, the boarding portion has a lower outer peripheral surface of the spherical surface, in the front of the seat and the control panel that allows the user to operate the simulation system and the user sitting therein It has a display arranged. The support means is installed below the boarding portion to rotatably support the boarding portion during the simulation. The support means includes two wheels for applying rotational torque in different directions with respect to the vehicle, and a driving motor for driving the wheels according to the operation of the operation unit, each of which is provided corresponding to each of the two wheels. .

In one embodiment, the support means may be divided into a support for rotatably supporting the ride during the simulation, and a wheel assembly installed below the ride and provided with the wheel and the drive motor.

Below the wheel assembly, a lower frame fixed to the system installation surface may be further provided. In this case, the wheel assembly is rotatably installed on the lower frame, wherein it is preferable to further include a lower support for selectively intermittent rotation.

Each of the wheels is preferably installed so that the rotation surface includes the center of the spherical portion of the vehicle.

In one embodiment, the support is in the form of a concave surface is given a curvature corresponding to the curvature of the outer peripheral surface of the vehicle so that the upper inner peripheral surface can accommodate the boarding portion, the plurality of air inlet is formed in the concave surface And a compressor connected to the air inlet and supporting the compressed air. When the ride is in operation, the ride is supported by compressed air supplied from the compressor through the air inlet. However, in an embodiment in which this embodiment is modified, the support portion is in the form of a concave surface which is given a curvature corresponding to the curvature of the outer peripheral surface of the vehicle so that the upper inner peripheral surface thereof can accommodate the boarding portion, and the bearing has a plurality of bearings. This is achieved by means of a support which is installed and firmly fixed to the system mounting surface.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In the following description and drawings, the same reference numerals are used for the same or corresponding members.

1 shows an embodiment of a simulation system according to the present invention. The simulation system of FIG. 1 includes a vehicle 10, a support 30, a wheel assembly 50, and a lower frame 80.

In a preferred embodiment, the boarding portion 10 is in the form of a sphere, i.e., a spherical body, in which a user can sit and a seat 12 to which a seat belt is attached, and an operation unit for allowing the user to operate the system. 14 and a display 16 arranged in front of the sheet 12 are provided. The operation unit 14 may be in the form of a remote control, or may be in the form of a joystick or a steering wheel. On the other hand, the side of the boarding unit 10 is provided with a door (not shown) for the user can enter and exit. Such a vehicle 10 may be manufactured using a metallic material, but it is preferable to use engineering plastic or other lightweight material to reduce the rotational inertia by reducing the weight.

The support 30 is for rotatably supporting the vehicle 10 during the simulation. According to the present embodiment, the support 30 has an empty center and an upper inner circumferential surface 32 to accommodate the wheel assembly 50. ) Is in the form of a concave surface to which the curvature corresponding to the curvature of the outer peripheral surface of the boarding section 10 is accommodated so as to accommodate the boarding section 10. In addition, a plurality of air nozzles 34 to air inlets are closely arranged on the upper inner circumferential surface 32 of the support 30, and the air nozzles 34 to air inlets are not shown in FIG. 1. Connected to the air, by blowing compressed air from the compressor to the boarding unit 10 during system operation, so that the boarding unit 10 is supported by such compressed air or at least by an air layer between the boarding unit 10 and the support 30. To be supported. On the other hand, the upper portion of the boarding portion 10 is preferably provided with an upper support 70 for preventing the departure portion 10 is separated upward.

The wheel assembly 50 is installed inside the support 30 under the vehicle 10. In a preferred embodiment, the wheel assembly 50 is rotatably mounted on a disc-shaped lower frame 80 fixed to the installation surface. That is, the wheel assembly 50 and the lower frame 80 are connected via a shaft (not shown) and a bearing (not shown). Accordingly, when torque by external force is applied, the wheel assembly 50 is lowered. It is possible to rotate on the frame 80. Since such a coupling method can be easily carried out by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains, a detailed description thereof will be omitted. On the other hand, the lower support 82 is installed on the bottom of the wheel assembly 50, the lower support 82 is selectively raised or lowered by a motor or a solenoid to selectively secure the wheel assembly 50 to the mounting surface. Do it.

In this embodiment, the wheel assembly 50 is provided with two wheels 52, 56, each of which is driven by a drive motor 54, 58 provided correspondingly to the boarding The rotation direction and the speed of the unit 10 are adjusted. That is, the vehicle 10 rotates in different directions and speeds according to the rotational direction and the relative rotational speed of the two wheels 52 and 56, and the user is in a coordinate system that can be assumed with respect to the seat 12. You will experience rotation about any one of the three axes x, y, z or any combination thereof.

The wheels 52 and 56 are made of a material having a large coefficient of friction with the outer peripheral surface of the boarding portion 10 as a whole or at least its surface, such as compressed rubber. In a preferred embodiment, each wheel 52, 56 has its rotational axis set such that its rotational surface comprises the spherical center of the vehicle 10. On the other hand, the drive motors 54, 58 for driving the wheels 52, 56 are controlled by the program and the user's manipulation unit 14 as described later. As described above, in order to drive the driving motors 54 and 58 by operating the program and the user's operation unit 14, the first transmission / reception module 18 is installed in the boarding unit 10, and the first assembly is provided in the wheel assembly 50. A second transmission / reception module 60 for transmitting and receiving a signal wirelessly with the transmission / reception module 18 is installed.

In the preferred embodiment, only the two wheels 52 and 56 are used in the simulation system and the relative rotational speeds of the two wheels 52 and 56 are controlled to control the rotation direction of the vehicle 10 and the two wheels 52, By controlling the rotational speed of 56, the rotational speed of the vehicle 10 is controlled, and on the other hand, since the vehicle 10 has rotational inertia, it is important to accurately determine the rotational speed and position of the vehicle 10. Do. Therefore, a gyroscope sensor 20 for detecting an angular movement of the boarding unit 10 is provided at a point inside the seat 12 near the center point of the boarding unit 10. Here, an angular accelerometer may be further provided.

FIG. 2 shows the electrical configuration of the simulation system of FIG. 1.

The first control unit 100 controls the system in response to a command from the operation unit 14 and sensed data from the gyro sensor 20. The first memory 102 stores a program driven on the first controller 100 and image data to be displayed on the display 16, and the second memory 104 temporarily stores temporary data generated during a system operation process. do. The display 16 receives image data provided by the first control unit 100 and corresponds to an image corresponding thereto, for example, a front background image of a moving object such as a car or an airplane, or other information provided to a user in a weapon or moving state or simulation process. Displaying the enables virtual dynamic experience. The first modulation and demodulation unit 106 modulates data to be transmitted to the second control unit 120 in the wheel assembly 50 and transmits it through a first antenna (not shown), and through a first antenna (not shown). The data received from the second control unit 120 is demodulated and provided to the first control unit 100.

The first control unit 100, the operation unit 14, the gyro sensor 20, the first memory 102, the second memory 104, the display 16, and the first modulation and demodulation unit 106 are shown in FIG. 1. It is provided in the illustrated vehicle 10 and is operated by receiving power from the battery 108. When the operation unit 14 is in the form of a remote control, of course, a separate battery is installed for the operation unit 14. The battery 108 is charged through the feed section 112 provided on the top surface of the wheel assembly 50 through the charging section 110 provided on the bottom surface of the boarding section 10 while the system is stopped.

The second control unit 120 drives the first and second driving motors 54 and 58 according to the instruction of the first control unit 100 so that the wheels 52 and 56 rotate. In addition, the second control unit 120 drives the lower support driving unit 84, for example, a motor or a solenoid according to the instruction of the first control unit 100 so that the lower support 82 shown in FIG. 1 is raised or lowered. . The second modulation and demodulation unit 122 demodulates data transmitted from the first control unit 100 to the second control unit 120, modulates data to be transmitted to the first control unit 100, and modulates a second antenna (not shown). Send through). The compressor 124 generates compressed air under the control of the second control unit 120 and supplies the compressed air to the air nozzles 34 to the air inlet.

Such a simulation system operates as follows.

When the system is in standby, the vehicle 10 is in a seated position on the inner circumferential surface 32 of the support 30 as shown in FIG. In this state, the charging unit 110 of the riding unit 10 maintains contact with the power supply unit 112 of the wheel assembly 50, and thus the battery 108 is charged.

When the user is seated on the seat 12 and the seat belt is fastened and the operation unit 14 is operated to start the simulation, the second control unit 120 drives the compressor 124 according to the instruction of the first control unit 100. Compressed air is blown out from the nozzle 34. Accordingly, the boarding unit 10 is raised by air pressure, or at least due to the air layer between the boarding unit 10 and the inner circumferential surface 32 of the support 30, the boarding unit 10 slides on the inner circumferential surface 32 of the support 30. The frictional resistance is reduced enough to be able to exercise.

Subsequently, when the user operates the manipulation unit 14 to apply a command requiring rotation of the moving object, the first control unit 100 drives the driving motors 54 and 58 through the second control unit 120, and each wheel 52 and 54 rotate together with the rotation of the drive motors 54 and 58. When the wheels 52 and 54 are rotated, the rotational force of the wheels 52 and 54 is transmitted to the boarding unit 10 due to the friction between the wheels 52 and 54 and the surface of the boarding unit 10, and thus the boarding unit 10. The part 10 is rotated. The rotation speed and rotation amount of the wheels 52 and 54 and thus the amount of rotation of the riding unit 10 depend on the operation amount of the operation unit 14, and specific correlations between the programs are stored in the first memory 100. Defined by the data. The specific correlation depends on the size of the vehicle 10 and the wheels 52 and 54, the frictional force between the wheels 52 and 54 and the surface of the vehicle 10, the type of simulation, and the like, and thus will not be described herein.

In the course of the simulation, the front background image and the like are updated and displayed on the display 16 in real time, thereby allowing the user to make a realistic simulation. When the simulation is finished, the vehicle 10 is again in a seated position on the inner circumferential surface 32 of the support 30 as shown in FIG. 1, and the battery 108 of the vehicle 10 is recharged.

The rotation principle of the vehicle 10 according to the rotation of the wheels 52 and 54 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 3G to 3H. 3A-3H are bottom views of the system, showing only the wheels 52, 54 and the vehicle 10 for convenience.

First, the coordinate axis and the rotation direction are defined as follows for convenience of description. As shown in FIG. 1, the user defines an x-axis as the right side, a y-axis as the front direction of the sheet 12, and a z-axis as the upper side when the user is seated on the sheet 12. Meanwhile, "+ r_x direction rotation" counterclockwise rotation about the + x axis from the center point of the boarding unit 10, "+ r_y direction rotation" counterclockwise rotation about the + y axis, the center of the + x axis This counterclockwise rotation is referred to as "+ r_z direction rotation".

First, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, when the wheels 52 and 54 rotate at the same speed and in the same direction, the vehicle 10 rotates about the x axis. In particular, when the wheels 52 and 54 push the bottom surface of the boarding portion 10 forward as shown in FIG. 3A, the boarding portion 10 rotates in the + r_x direction, and the wheels 52 and 54 are seated as shown in FIG. 3B. (10) When the bottom is pushed backward, the boarding unit 10 rotates in the -r_x direction.

3C and 3D, when the wheels 52 and 54 rotate in different directions at the same speed, the vehicle 10 rotates about the z-axis. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3C, when the wheel 52 pushes the bottom of the boarding portion 10 toward the rear side and the wheel 56 pushes the bottom of the boarding portion 10 toward the front, the boarding portion 10 rotates in the + r_z direction. do. On the contrary, when the wheel 52 pushes the bottom of the boarding portion 10 forward and the wheel 56 pushes the bottom of the boarding portion 10 backward as shown in FIG. 3D, the boarding portion 10 rotates in the + r_z direction. Done.

On the other hand, if you want to rotate the boarding unit 10 about the y-axis, by first driving the lower support driving unit 84 to raise the lower support 82 to separate the lower support 82 from the installation surface, The wheel assembly 50 is made to be easily rotated by the external force. In this state, when the two wheels 52 and 56 are rotated in the same direction as in FIG. 3D, due to the difference in rotational inertia due to the difference in weight between the vehicle 10 and the wheel assembly 50, the vehicle 10 as shown in FIG. 3E. ), The wheel assembly 50 is rotated and the wheel shaft direction is changed to reach a state as illustrated in FIG. 3F or 3G. When the wheel shaft direction is as shown in FIG. 3F or 3G, the lower support driving unit 84 is driven again to lower the lower support 82 so that the lower support 82 is fixed to the installation surface.

In this state, when the wheels 52 and 54 rotate at the same speed and in the same direction, the vehicle 10 rotates about the y axis. In particular, when the wheels 52 and 54 push the bottom surface of the boarding unit 10 to the right as shown in FIG. 3F, the boarding unit 10 rotates in the -r_y direction, and the wheels 52 and 54 board as shown in FIG. 3G. If the bottom of the unit 10 is pushed to the left, the boarding unit 10 rotates in the + r_y direction.

In most applications, such as car or motorcycle driving simulations, flight control simulations, or roller coasters, there is little abrupt y-axis rotation, i.e. rolling in both directions, and y-axis rotation is combined with rotation around other axes. It is common to appear. Thus, since the desired rotation can be achieved by a combination of rotations (i.e., rotation about any axis) as described below, pure y-axis rotation may not be necessary in the actual simulation process. In such applications, the lower frame 80 and the lower support 82 may be omitted.

In FIGS. 3A to 3G, the case in which the two wheels 52 and 54 rotate at the same speed has been described. However, the two wheels 52 and 54 rotate at different speeds, so that multiple rotations (that is, about any axis) are performed. One rotation) can be implemented. For example, if the wheel 52 is stationary or moving at a slow speed while the wheel 54 rotates in the same direction but at a much higher speed, as shown in FIG. 3H, the vehicle 10 is in a complicated rotational trajectory while the rotation axis is constantly changing. Will be drawn. At this time, if the difference between the rotation speed of the two wheels (52, 54) is appropriately reduced, the vehicle 10 can be rotated around the rotation axis inclined in any direction. In addition, when the two wheels 52 and 56 rotate in different directions and there is a difference in rotation speed, the rotation trajectory of the vehicle 10 may be further complicated.

In a preferred embodiment, the first memory 102 stores typical acceleration / deceleration profile data of the vehicle 10 driven by the driving motors 54 and 58, and the first control unit 100 stores the profile data. The rotational direction and the rotational speed of the driving motors 54 and 58 are changed according to the command from the operation unit 14 and the sensing data of the gyro sensor 20.

4 shows another embodiment of a simulation system according to the present invention. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the vehicle 10 is supported via a ball bearing 304 in the system of FIG. 4, whereas the vehicle 10 is rotatably supported in the support 30 in the airlift manner. . Here, the support 230 is firmly fixed to the system installation surface, the groove 232 for receiving the ball bearing 234 is formed therein. Since other features of the simulation system shown in FIG. 4 are similar to those shown in FIG. 1, description thereof will be omitted. Of course, a ball bearing may also be employed in the upper support 70. On the other hand, the ball bearing may be made of a metal material, but may be made of a material such as synthetic resin in order to reduce damage and noise of the vehicle 10.

Those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains will understand that the present invention can be implemented in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features. For example, in the above description, the riding portion is described as a spherical shape as a whole, but in the modified embodiment, only the lower outer circumferential surface may be spherical, and the upper portion or the other portion may be open. Meanwhile, in the above description, although two wheels are provided, it is naturally possible to drive the vehicle by installing more wheels. In the claims, the expression “having two wheels” does not exclude the use of more than two wheels, and is used in the sense of including the same. On the other hand, the two controllers may be integrated into one, and only a simple interface device for mediating signal transmission and reception may be installed in a portion of the vehicle or wheel assembly where the controller is not installed. On the other hand, the wheels 52 and 56 to prevent excessive load from being applied to the wheels 52 and 56 or the motors 54 and 58 with the vehicle 10 seated on the supports 30 and 230. It is also possible to allow the motor 54, 58 or the wheel assembly 50 to be elevated.

Therefore, the above-described embodiments are to be understood as illustrative in all respects and not as restrictive. The scope of the present invention is shown by the following claims rather than the detailed description, and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalents should be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention. do.

As described above, according to the present invention, a user can realistically simulate driving a riding vehicle such as an airplane, a spacecraft, a car, a motorcycle, or riding a roller coaster. In particular, it is possible to implement the feeling of rotating freely in the three-axis direction with only two wheels, there is an advantage that the structure is very simple. Such a system of the present invention can be employed not only for game systems but also for pilot training flight simulation systems or other moving object testing or training systems.

Claims (6)

A lower outer circumferential surface having a spherical surface, and having a seat in which the user sits, an operation unit for allowing the user to operate the simulation system, and a display unit disposed in front of the seat; And It is installed below the boarding portion to rotatably support the boarding portion during the simulation progress, and two wheels for applying rotational torque in different directions with respect to the boarding portion and each provided corresponding to each of the two wheels Support means having a drive motor for driving the wheel according to the operation of the operation unit; Simulation system having a. The method of claim 1 wherein said support means A support for rotatably supporting the vehicle during simulation; And A wheel assembly installed below the boarding unit and provided with the wheel and the driving motor; Simulation system having a. The method of claim 2, A lower frame fixedly installed to the system installation surface below the wheel assembly; Further provided, The wheel assembly is rotatably mounted on the lower frame, further comprising a lower support for selectively intermittent rotation. The simulation system according to claim 2 or 3, wherein each of the wheels is installed such that its rotation surface includes the center of the vehicle spherical surface. According to claim 2 or 3, wherein the support portion A support having an upper inner circumferential surface in a concave shape in which a curvature corresponding to the curvature of the outer circumferential surface of the boarding portion is accommodated, and having a plurality of air inlets formed therein; And A compressor connected to the air inlet for supplying compressed air; And the vehicle is supported by the compressed air supplied from the compressor through the air inlet when the vehicle is operated. According to claim 2 or 3, wherein the support portion The upper inner circumferential surface has a concave shape in which a curvature corresponding to the curvature of the outer circumferential surface of the boarding portion is accommodated so that a plurality of bearings are installed on the concave surface and are firmly fixed to the system mounting surface. support fixture; Simulation system having a.