Driving simulator with manual and semi-autonomous modes to acclimate people to automated vehicular features

A system for providing an operator with an augmented reality continuous interactive driving experience, the system comprising:

• a real automobile that is stationary, the real automobile having an internal vehicle simulation environment in which one or more vehicle control input devices are located, the internal vehicle simulation environment further comprising a front windshield and side windows on either side of a seat for the operator in the internal vehicle simulation environment, the windshield and side windows each having a sensor coupled thereto, the one or more physical vehicle control input devices including a steering wheel that is mechanically and/or electronically decoupled from the real automobile's front and rear wheels such that rotation of the steering wheel does not have an effect on directional steering of the wheels on the real automobile;
• an augmented reality headset configured to be worn by the operator, the augmented reality headset comprising a display screen and a camera;
• a processor;
• and
• communications circuitry configured to transmit input signals to the processor in response to actuation of the one or more physical vehicle control input devices, the communications circuitry being further configured to transmit display signals from the processor to the display screen;
• wherein the processor is operable to:
• continuously receive the input signals from the one or more physical vehicle control input devices, the input signals being generated in response to manual actuation of the one or more physical vehicle control input devices;
• and
• display, on the display screen, a first person live and dynamic augmented reality view of an external environment representative of a space outside the internal vehicle simulation environment, wherein a dynamic driving scene is visually presented on the display screen in the form of one or more virtual objects which are not actually physically present in the external environment, but which visually appear to be present, through augmented reality, from a first person perspective within the internal vehicle simulation environment, the camera being operable to detect each sensor and receive a transmission therefrom to project onto the display screen a visual appearance of the virtual objects being present in the external environment through the windshield and windows to which each respective sensor is coupled, wherein the input signals are operative to cause the processor to transmit the display signals that provide, on the display screen, a visual appearance from the first person perspective within the internal vehicle simulation environment that the operator is driving in a vehicle past the one or more virtual objects to convey to the operator an appearance that he or she is accelerating, decelerating, stopping and turning, to thereby simulate an immersive and continuous operator-controlled driving experience, the display screen enabling the operator to have 360 degree visualization of the internal environment and external environment, the augmented reality headset being configured to cause the one or more virtual objects to spatially adjust on the display screen in response to the operator rotating or tilting his or her head in different directions, thereby simulating an immersive driving scene for the operator, the display screen providing a view of the one or more virtual objects in the external environment while enabling the operator to view real physical items within the internal environment.

A method for providing an operator with an augmented reality continuous interactive driving experience, the method comprising:

• providing a real automobile that is stationary, the real automobile having an internal vehicle simulation environment comprising one or more physical vehicle control inputs that are visible from a first person perspective of the operator located within the internal vehicle simulation environment, the one or more physical vehicle control inputs comprising a steering wheel that is mechanically and/or electronically decoupled from the real automobile's front and rear wheels such that rotation of the steering wheel does not have an effect on directional steering of the wheels on the real automobile, the internal vehicle simulation environment further comprising a front windshield and side windows on either side of the operator, the windshield and side windows each having a sticker or tag coupled thereto;
• displaying on a display screen, from the first person perspective of the operator located within the internal vehicle simulation environment, a live and dynamic augmented reality view of an external environment representative of a space outside the internal vehicle simulation environment, wherein a dynamic driving scene is visually presented as one or more virtual objects which are not actually physically present in the external environment, but which visually appear to be present to the operator through augmented reality, the display screen being provided in an augmented reality headset that the operator wears, the headset comprising a depth sensor configured to sense the three-dimensional geometry of the automobile and synchronize machine learning software to work in conjunction with the sticker or tag coupled to the windshield and each window and, through associated three dimensional object recognition software, causing a processor to determine geometry, orientation and location of the windshield and windows, thereby enabling projection onto the display screen a visual appearance of the virtual objects being present in the external environment through the windshield and windows to which each respective sticker or tag is coupled, the display screen enabling the operator to have 360 degree visualization of the internal environment and external environment, the display screen providing a view to the operator of the one or more virtual objects in the external environment while enabling the operator to view real physical items within the internal environment, wherein the operator's rotating or tilting of his or her head in different directions causes the one or more virtual objects the operator sees to spatially adjust accordingly, thereby simulating an immersive and interactive driving scene for the operator;
• and
• continuously receiving signals from the operator's manual actuation of the one or more physical vehicle control inputs, the signals being operative to provide a visual appearance to the operator, through augmented reality, that the operator is driving in a vehicle past the one or more virtual objects to visually depict to the operator an appearance of acceleration, deceleration, stopping and turning in response to corresponding signals received from the operator, thereby simulating an immersive and continuous operator-controlled driving experience.