The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 03, 1991
Filed:
Jan. 12, 1989
Max L Behensky, Hayward, CA (US);
Rick L Moncrief, Santa Clara, CA (US);
Erik J Durfey, Los Gatos, CA (US);
Milton H Loper, III, Mountain View, CA (US);
Atari Games Corporation, Milpitas, CA (US);
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. This data is used to calculate a force number which in turn drives a driver amplifier and motor combination coupled to the steering wheel of the simulated vehicle to simulate the forces that the driver of a real vehicle would feel.