Ride system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10112118-B2
Application number	US-201515306140-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 7, 2015
Priority date	Jul 7, 2014
Publication date	Oct 30, 2018
Grant date	Oct 30, 2018

Abstract

A ride system including a ride vehicle, the ride vehicle being operable to support a ride patron having a display arrangement for displaying a viewing script to the ride patron during a ride event during which the ride vehicle travels along an event path located within a volume.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A ride system comprising:
a ride vehicle, the ride vehicle being operable to support a ride patron during a ride event during which the ride vehicle travels along an event path located within a volume;
a display arrangement for displaying a viewing script to the ride patron during a ride event, the viewing script having displayed content portions that are displayed for viewing by the ride patron, wherein, at a given reference instance during the travel of the ride vehicle along the event path when the orientation of the head of the ride patron relative to the ride vehicle is at a first given sight orientation, a first group of these displayed content portions are displayed within the instantaneous field of vision of the ride patron for viewing by the ride patron, and, at a second instance during the travel of the ride vehicle along the event path when the orientation of the head of the ride patron relative to the ride vehicle is at a second sight orientation different than the first given sight orientation, a second group of these displayed content portions are displayed within the instantaneous field of vision of the ride patron for viewing by the ride patron;
a motive force assembly operatively connected to the ride vehicle, the motive force assembly being operable to provide at least one input of motive force to the ride vehicle that causes the ride vehicle to be propelled along at least one portion of the event path;
a device for detecting the status of a monitored property that varies in correspondence with a change in the orientation of the head of the ride patron relative to the ride vehicle; the status detecting device being operatively associated with the ride vehicle, the status detecting device having an initial orientation relative to the ride vehicle at the given reference instance during the travel of the ride vehicle along the event path such that the status detecting device detects an initial status of the monitored property, and the status detecting device either being in the initial orientation relative to the ride vehicle at the second instance during the travel of the ride vehicle along the event path or being at a variance from the initial orientation relative to the ride vehicle at the second instance during the travel of the ride vehicle along the event path, and the orientations of the status detecting device at the first given instance and at the second instance during the travel of the ride vehicle along the event path being taken into account in connection with displaying the viewing script viewed by the ride patron during the ride event such that the first group of the displayed content portions of the viewing script are displayed within the instantaneous field of vision of the ride patron for viewing by the ride patron at the first given instance and the second group of the displayed content portions of the viewing script are displayed within the instantaneous field of vision of the ride patron for viewing by the ride patron at the second instance.

2. A visualization system comprising:
one or more input devices configured to receive or generate sled event path data, the sled event path data including a sequence of one or more waypoints, each of the waypoints defining an instantaneous position in space of the sled along an event path;
an event path calculation engine configured to generate position data comprising a sequence of one or more spatial coordinates identifying a location of the sled as the sled travels along the event path, the event path generation engine applying one or more laws of motion to generate the position data;
one or more input devices configured to receive detected status data, the detected status data including data relating to a status of a monitored property that varies in correspondence with a change in a direction of gaze of a ride patron relative to a reference direction of the sled, the ride patron supported by the sled as the sled travels along the event path; and
a visualization engine configured to generate a data set including data portraying an association of a respective status of the monitored property at each respective waypoint defining an instantaneous actual or projected position in space of the sled along the event path, whereupon a visualization of the respective direction of gaze of the ride patron relative to the reference direction of the sled at each waypoint can be generated from the data set.

3. The visualization system according to claim 2 and further comprising a translation engine for translating the data set generated by the visualization engine into input to the displayed content portions of the viewing script that correspondingly adjusts the displayed content portions of the viewing script as a function of the direction of gaze of the ride patron relative to the reference direction of the sled.

4. A method of presenting a viewing script to a ride patron as the ride patron participates in a ride event during which the ride patron is supported on a sled while the sled is in motion and a during which a viewing script is displayed to the ride patron, the method comprising the steps of:
generating sled position data comprising a sequence of spatial coordinates each associated with a respective one of a group of waypoints, each waypoint being an actual or projected instantaneous location of the sled as the sled travels along an event path;
generating detected status data, the detected status data including data relating to a status of a monitored property that varies in correspondence with a change in a direction of gaze of the ride patron relative to a reference direction of the sled;
generating a data set including data portraying an association of each given status of the monitored property regarding the direction of gaze of the ride patron with respective ones of the waypoints along the event path, whereupon the data set can be consulted to assess a respective direction of gaze of the ride patron relative to the relative direction of the sled at each waypoint; and
displaying the viewing script for viewing by the ride patron, the displayed viewing script being selected in coordination with an assessment of the generated data set, whereby the viewing script viewed by the ride patron is coordinated with any changes in the respective direction of gaze of the ride patron during the travel of the sled along the event path.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the viewing script provides a group of available sight pictures, each available sight picture delimiting an image area having portions each of which can be filled in with images available for viewing by the ride patron as a function of an instantaneous orientation of the ride patron toward the respective portion of the image area and the available sight picture includes a center extent of displayed content extending around an arbitrary centerpoint of the image area and a bordering extent of displayed content that encircles the center extent of displayed content, the viewing script is coordinated with the orientation of the sled relative to a reference location in a manner such that, at each instantaneous position of the sled relative to the reference location, the viewing script provides the same available sight picture and, in dependence upon the respective actual or estimated direction of gaze of the ride patron, at some of the instantaneous positions of the sled relative to the reference location during which the direction of gaze of the ride patron is substantially centered on the centerpoint of the image area delimited by the respective available sight picture, the center extent of displayed content of the respective available sight picture is viewable by the ride patron, and, at others of the instantaneous positions of the sled relative to the reference locatio

Assignees

• Tait Towers Mfg Llc

Inventors

• Davis Adam

Classifications

• G06F3/013

  Eye tracking input arrangements (G06F3/015 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G09G2354/00

  Aspects of interface with display user · CPC title

• F16M13/022

  repositionable · CPC title

• A63G9/02

  with two suspensory axles · CPC title

• A63G31/00 Primary

  Amusement arrangements · CPC title