System and method for modular ride vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10086299-B2
Application number	US-201414461141-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 15, 2014
Priority date	Aug 15, 2014
Publication date	Oct 2, 2018
Grant date	Oct 2, 2018

Abstract

A system includes a plurality of ride vehicle modules, where each of the plurality of ride vehicle modules includes an interlock system configured to perform linking operations to join to other ride vehicle modules to form a cluster and delinking operations to separate from the other ride vehicle modules throughout a ride, control circuitry configured to control the interlock system and movement of the respective ride vehicle module independently or as a part of the cluster, and communication circuitry configured to wirelessly communicate with the other ride vehicle modules internal and/or external to the cluster. The cluster may change sizes throughout the ride by performing linking and delinking operations as desired. A method for changing the size of clusters of ride vehicle modules throughout a ride is also disclosed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a plurality of ride vehicle modules, wherein each of the plurality of ride vehicle modules comprises:
an interlock system configured to perform linking operations to join to other ride vehicle modules to form a cluster and delinking operations to separate from the other ride vehicle modules throughout a ride, wherein the plurality of ride vehicle modules in the cluster define a uniform ride vehicle which defines a common interior space of the uniform ride vehicle;
control circuitry configured to control the interlock system and movement of the ride vehicle module independently or as a part of the cluster; and
communication circuitry configured to wirelessly communicate with the other ride vehicle modules internal and/or external to the cluster;

wherein the system is configured to change a size of the cluster throughout the ride by performing the linking and delinking operations as desired via the control circuitry of each of the plurality of ride vehicle modules controlling its interlock system and via the communication circuitry coordinating the operations between the plurality of ride vehicle modules.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the plurality of ride vehicle modules are configured to be linked in such a way that connection lines are concealed on a surface of the cluster.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the connection lines are concealed using techniques comprising patterns, shadowing, indentation, lighting, wedging, overlapping materials, or a combination thereof.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the cluster is configured to travel in unison as the uniform ride vehicle by coordinating movements between the plurality ride vehicle modules utilizing the control and communication circuitry.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the interlock system comprises a T-screw rail system, a slide lock system, a drop-pin connector lock system, an electromagnetic lock system, a bolt lock system, or some combination thereof.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of ride vehicle modules comprises a drive system, a traction system, and a navigation system that cooperate together to drive the ride vehicle module independently and/or as a part of the cluster throughout the ride without a fixed track.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of ride vehicle modules comprises a drive system, a traction system, and a navigation system that cooperate together to drive the ride vehicle module independently and/or as a part of the cluster through different paths in the ride.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of ride vehicle modules comprises an attached motion base system and an onboard simulator, the motion base system configured to pitch, roll, yaw, surge, heave, and/or sway in sync with the onboard simulator's events.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry utilizes data obtained via a plurality of sensors attached to at least one side of the ride vehicle module to synchronously operate the ride vehicle module with the other ride vehicle modules when performing the linking and delinking operations via the communication circuitry.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of ride vehicle modules comprises a navigation system configured to track the position and location thereof in the ride by utilizing techniques comprising laser-guided, wire-guided, gyroscopic, or some combination thereof.

11. A system, comprising:
a plurality of ride vehicle modules configured to synchronously join to each other in a cluster via an interlock system installed on one or more sides of each modular ride vehicle;
wherein the plurality of ride vehicle modules forming the cluster define a uniform ride vehicle which defines a common interior space of the uniform ride vehicle;
wherein the plurality of ride vehicle modules in the cluster are configured to move in unison as the uniform ride vehicle via onboard control and communication circuitry, and the cluster is configured to change sizes by linking other ride vehicle modules or delinking from previously joined ride vehicle modules throughout a ride.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of ride vehicle modules are seamlessly joined together in the cluster so that any connection lines between joined ride vehicle modules are concealed on a surface of the cluster.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the connection lines are concealed using techniques comprising patterns, shadowing, indentation, lighting, wedging, overlapping materials, or a combination thereof.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the onboard control circuitry is configured to operate the cluster as the uniform ride vehicle by designating an automation controller of one ride vehicle module in the cluster as a master and the remaining automation controllers of other ride vehicle modules in the cluster as slaves, the master communicating information relating to the control of the cluster to the slaves via the communication circuitry.

15. The system of claim 11 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to operate the ride vehicle module independently or as a part of the cluster in unison with the other joined ride vehicle modules to drive down a plurality of paths in the ride.

16. The system of claim 11 , wherein at least one of the plurality of ride vehicle modules is configured to drive onto a motion base system located along a path of the ride.

17. The system of claim 11 , wherein the interlock system comprises a T-screw rail system, a slide lock system, a drop-pin connector lock system, an electromagnetic lock system, a bolt lock system, or some combination thereof.

18. A method, comprising:
determining, via control circuitry, a desired size of one or more clusters of ride vehicle modules throughout a ride;
setting, via control circuitry and communication circuitry, the size of the one or more clusters; and
controlling, via control circuitry configured to control an interlock system installed on each of the ride vehicle modules and communication circuitry configured to communicate between the ride vehicle modules, linking and delinking operations via the interlock systems based on the set size of the one or more clusters throughout the ride, wherein the ride vehicle modules forming each of the respective one or more clusters define a respective uniform ride vehicle which defines a common interior space of the respective uniform ride vehicle.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the determination of the size of the one or more clusters of ride vehicle modules is made in response to an event that occurs as a part of a simulation in the ride and comprises accessing the cluster size that is stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium on the ride vehicle modules.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein the control circuitry controls the linking and delinking operations via the interlock systems by processing data input by at least one sensor installed on a side of each of the ride vehicle modules and coordinating the operations of the interlock systems between the ride vehicle modules to link or delink via the communication circuitry accordingly.

21. The method of claim 18 , wherein the one or more clusters are configured to operate in unison as the respective uniform ride vehicles by coordinating movements of each associated ride vehicle module in the respective one or more clusters via the corresponding control and commun

Assignees

• Universal City Studios Llc

Inventors

• Boyle Patrick Devin

Classifications

• A63G31/02 Primary

  with moving substructures · CPC title

• A63G31/16

  creating illusions of travel · CPC title

• G05B15/02

  electric · CPC title

• A63G7/00 Primary

  Up-and-down hill tracks; Switchbacks · CPC title

• A63G31/00 Primary

  Amusement arrangements · CPC title