Driving simulator having articial intelligence profiles, replay, hazards, and other features

A driving simulator comprising:

• a processor operable to fetch instructions from a computer-readable medium and execute the instructions;
• a display connectable to the processor;
• a plurality of input devices, including at least a steering wheel, a brake pedal, and an accelerator pedal, where each of the plurality of input devices is connectable to the processor;
• and
• a computer-readable medium containing instructions for:
• providing a plurality of simulated driving environments,
• allowing a user to select one of the plurality of simulated driving environments,
• allowing a user to provide trip parameters,
• allowing a user to select a simulated vehicle,
• activating zero or more hazards,
• generating a plurality of simulated intelligent vehicles,
• generating a profile for each of the plurality of simulated intelligent vehicles;
• randomly assigning spawn points to each of the plurality of simulated intelligent vehicles,
• displaying the simulated driving environment to a user and allowing the user to operate the simulated vehicle in the simulated driving environment using the plurality of input devices,
• recording the operation of the simulated vehicle through the simulated driving environment, and
• replaying the operation of the simulated vehicle.

A method of generating a simulated driving environment, the method comprising:

• generating a route;
• generating one or more trips for the route;
• generating one or more trip segments for the one or more trips;
• creating zero or more hazards;
• specifying a spawn point for each of the zero or more hazards;
• and
• adding each of the zero or more hazards to at least one of the one or more trip segments.

A method of operating a driving simulator, the method comprising:

• selecting a trip;
• selecting trip parameters;
• selecting a vehicle;
• operating the vehicle on the selected trip;
• and
• replaying the operation of the vehicle on the selected trip.

A system for training a driver, the system comprising:

• a plurality of input devices, including at least a steering wheel, a brake pedal, and an accelerator pedal, where each of the plurality of input devices is connectable to a processor;
• and
• a computer-readable medium containing instructions for:
• providing a plurality of simulated driving environments,
• allowing a user to select one of the plurality of simulated driving environments,
• allowing a user to provide trip parameters,
• allowing a user to select a simulated vehicle,
• activating zero or more hazards,
• generating a plurality of simulated intelligent vehicles,
• generating a profile for each of the plurality of simulated intelligent vehicles;
• randomly assigning spawn points to each of the plurality of simulated intelligent vehicles,
• displaying the simulated driving environment to a user and allowing the user to operate the simulated vehicle in the simulated driving environment using the plurality of input devices,
• recording the operation of the simulated vehicle through the simulated driving environment, and
• replaying the operation of the simulated vehicle.

A system for administrating the training of a plurality of drivers, the system comprising:

• one or more client computers configured to execute a driving simulator, to log operational data of the executed driving simulator, and to provide a data storage device with the operational data;
• the data storage device configured to receive the operational data of the driving simulator from the one or more client computers, to store the operational data, and to provide access to the operational data by an administrative computer;
• and
• the administrative computer configured to access the operational data, to specify a camera angle, to replay the operational data, and to modify the camera angle.

Computer readable medium containing instructions for:

• providing a plurality of simulated driving environments;
• allowing a user to select one of the plurality of simulated driving environments;
• allowing a user to provide trip parameters;
• allowing a user to select a simulated vehicle;
• activating zero or more hazards;
• generating a plurality of simulated vehicles;
• generating a profile for each of the plurality of simulated intelligent vehicles;
• randomly assigning spawn points to each of the plurality of simulated intelligent vehicles;
• displaying the simulated driving environment to a user and allowing the user to operate the simulated vehicle in the simulated driving environment using the plurality of input devices;
• recording the operation of the simulated vehicle through the simulated driving environment;
• specifying a camera angle;
• replaying the operation of the simulated vehicle;
• and
• modifying the camera angle.

A module for managing a plurality of intelligent vehicles in a driving simulator, the module comprising:

• a vehicle list specifying the plurality of intelligent vehicles where each vehicle has a profile, a state, and a mesh;
• a profile list specifying a vehicle type for each of the plurality of intelligent vehicles;
• a random number generator configured to generate random spawn points;
• a spawn point list specifying a plurality of random spawn points for the plurality of intelligent vehicles;
• and
• a timer configured to track the operational time of each of the plurality of intelligent vehicles.

A driving simulator comprising:

• an administrative module configured to access and review the operation of the driving simulator and to configure the driving simulator;
• a graphics and sound rendering application configured to create and provide visual and audio data;
• a history database configured to store operational data of the driving simulator;
• an administrative database configured to store settings and configurations generated by the administrative module for operating the driving simulator;
• a route database configured to store routes generated by the administrative module;
• a tool module configured to provide modifying tools accessed by the administrative module;
• a player module configured to replay stored operational data;
• a simulator module configured to initiate and display a simulated driving environment and simulated vehicle;
• and
• a manager module configured to manage objects of the driving simulator, to record operational data, and to provide an interface to the graphics and sound application.

A method of training a driver, the method comprising:

• operating a computer-simulated vehicle through a computer-simulated driving environment;
• recording the operation of the simulated vehicle through a simulated driving environment;
• specifying a camera angle;
• replaying the operation of a simulated vehicle through the simulated driving environment;
• and
• modifying the camera angle.

A method of training a driver, the method comprising:

• selecting a driver;
• assigning a computer-simulated vehicle to the driver;
• assigning a computer-simulated driving environment to the driver;
• activating zero or more hazards;
• specifying a likelihood of occurrence for each of the zero or more hazards;
• selecting a risk factor for each of the zero or more hazards;
• selecting trip parameters;
• and
• specifying an aggression profile for a plurality of simulated intelligent vehicles.

A method for analyzing the operational data collected by a driving simulator, the method comprising:

• storing the operational data in a storage device;
• receiving report parameters from a user, wherein the user specifies a type of report including an individual trip report, a trip summary report, or a driver summary report;
• obtaining the operational data from the storage device;
• generating a report from the operational data;
• and
• displaying the report to the user.