Vehicle trainers

Claim 1

A VEHICLE SIMULATOR FOR TRAINING PERSONNEL IN THE USE OF AN ACTUAL VEHICLE OVER A TRAINING GROUND COMPRISING A SCALE MODEL OF THE TRAINING GROUND; A TELEVISION CAMERA; AN OPTICAL SYSTEM COUPLED TO SAID CAMERA TO GUIDE THERETO IMAGES OF SAID MODEL CORRESPONDING TO THE VIEW A TRAINEE WOULD HAVE FROM AN ACTUAL VEHICLE TRAVELLING OVER GROUND REPRESENTED BY SAID MODEL; MEANS MOUNTING SAID OPTICAL SYSTEM AND CAMERA OVER SAID MODEL; A VEHICLE DRIVING COMPARTMENT; VEHICLE STEERING AND SPEED CONTROL MEMBERS MOUNTED IN SAID DRIVING COMPARTMENT; TRANSDUCER MEANS PROVIDING ELECTRICAL OUTPUT SIGNALS IN RESPONSE TO MOVEMENT OF SAID CONTROL MEMBERS TO REPRESENT DIRECTION AND SPEED; A COMPUTER OPERABLE TO PRODUCE POSITIONAL AND VELOCITY SIGNALS DERIVED FROM THE ELECTRICAL OUTPUT SIGNALS PRODUCED BY SAID TRANSDUCER MEANS; MEANS TO POSITION SAID MOUNTING MEANS RELATIVE TO SAID MODEL UNDER CONTROL OF THE POSITIONAL AND VELOCITY SIGNALS; MEANS FOR SENSING THE CONTOURS OF SAID MODEL OVER THE PATH STEERED BY SAID OPTICAL SYSTEM; MEANS COUPLED TO SAID SENSING MEANS TO PROVIDE ELECTRICAL SIGNALS REPRESENTING THE MODEL CONTOURS; MEANS COUPLING SAID LAST MENTIONED MEANS TO SAID COMPUTER TO MODIFY THE VELOCITY SIGNALS THEREFROM IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE MODEL CONTOURS, AND MEANS COUPLED TO SAID CAMERA TO PRESENT THE IMAGES AS SEEN BY SAID OPTICAL SYSTEM TO A TRAINEE DRIVER SEATED IN SAID DRIVING COMPARTMENT.