Virtual attraction controller

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9908056-B2
Application number	US-201615265700-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 14, 2016
Priority date	May 21, 2014
Publication date	Mar 6, 2018
Grant date	Mar 6, 2018

Abstract

A ride system includes a first ride vehicle and a second ride vehicle positioned within a course and configured to travel within the course. The ride system also includes a control system having at least one controller and at least one position tracking system, where the at least one controller is configured to control movement of the first and second ride vehicles, and where the at least one position tracking system is configured to facilitate identification of a first location and a second location of the first and second ride vehicles, respectively, within the course. The ride system also includes a wireless network configured to enable communication between components of the ride system. The at least one controller is configured to receive data indicative of the first and second locations of the first and second ride vehicles, respectively, where the at least one controller determines a control loop for the first and second ride vehicles based on the data indicative of the first and second locations, and where the at least one controller is configured to process the data indicative of the first and second locations to synchronize one or more show elements with the first and second locations.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A ride system, comprising:
a first ride vehicle and a second ride vehicle positioned within a course and configured to travel within the course;
a control system comprising at least one controller and at least one position tracking system, wherein the at least one controller is configured to control movement of the first and second ride vehicles, and wherein the at least one position tracking system is configured to facilitate identification of a first location and a second location of the first and second ride vehicles, respectively, within the course; and
a wireless network configured to enable communication between components of the ride system, wherein the at least one controller is configured to receive data indicative of the first and second locations of the first and second ride vehicles, respectively, wherein the at least one controller determines a control loop for the first and second ride vehicles based on the data indicative of the first and second locations, and wherein the at least one controller is configured to process the data indicative of the first and second locations to synchronize one or more show elements with the first and second locations.

2. The ride system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one controller comprises a primary controller, a first ride controller corresponding with the first ride vehicle, and a second ride controller corresponding with the second ride vehicle, wherein the primary controller and the first ride controller are configured to coordinate to control the movement of the first ride vehicle, and wherein the primary controller and the second ride controller are configured to coordinate to control the movement of the second ride vehicle.

3. The ride system of claim 2 , wherein the at least one controller further comprises a backup controller configured to receive the data indicative of the first and second locations of the first and second ride vehicles, respectively, wherein the backup controller and the first ride controller are configured to coordinate to control the movement of the first ride vehicle, wherein the backup controller and the second ride vehicle are configured to coordinate to control the movement of the second ride vehicle, and wherein the control system comprises a bi-directional voting circuit configured to select between the data received by the primary controller and the data received by the backup controller.

4. The ride system of claim 1 , wherein the first ride vehicle comprises a first transceiver, the second ride vehicle comprises a second transceiver, and the at least one controller comprises a primary controller, wherein the primary controller comprises a primary transceiver, and wherein the wireless network enables communication between the primary transceiver and the first transceiver, and between the primary transceiver and the second transceiver.

5. The ride system of claim 1 , comprising a first reader of the first ride vehicle, a second reader of the second ride vehicle, and a plurality of position indicators of the at least one position tracking system, wherein the plurality of position indicators is located throughout the course, wherein the first and second readers are in communication with the at least one controller, wherein each position indicator of the plurality of position indicators is readable by the first and second readers, and wherein the first and second readers, upon reading first and second position indicators of the plurality of position indicators, communicate the data indicative of the first and second locations, or a precursor of the data indicative of the first and second locations, to the at least one controller.

6. The ride system of claim 1 , wherein the first ride vehicle comprises a platform and a base, wherein the platform is rotatable with respect to the base in a roll direction, a pitch direction, or a yaw direction, or some combination thereof, wherein the first location of the first ride vehicle comprises a linear component of the base with respect to the course, and wherein the first location of the first ride vehicle comprises a rotational component of the platform with respect to the base in the roll direction, the pitch direction, or the yaw direction.

7. The ride system of claim 6 , wherein the at least one controller is configured to synchronize the one or more show elements with the linear component of the first location, the rotational component of the first location, or both.

8. The ride system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one controller is configured to determine a maintenance status of the first ride vehicle, the second ride vehicle, or both based on a trend of operation for the first ride vehicle, the second ride vehicle, or both.

9. The ride system of claim 1 , wherein the control loop is determined based at least in part on characteristics of the one or more show elements.

10. The ride system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one controller receives data indicative of first and second velocities of the first and second ride vehicles, respectively, and wherein the controller is configured to:
synchronize the one or more show elements with the first velocity and the second velocity.

11. The ride system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one controller receives data indicative of first and second velocities of the first and second ride vehicles, respectively, and wherein the controller is configured to:
determine the control loop based at least in part on the first velocity and the second velocity.

12. A ride system, comprising:
a first ride vehicle and a second ride vehicle positioned at first and second locations, respectively, along a course, and configured to move throughout the course;
a control system comprising a primary controller, a backup controller, and a bi-directional voting circuit, wherein the primary controller is configured to receive a first data set indicative of the first and second locations of the first and second ride vehicles, respectively
wherein the backup controller is configured to receive a second data set indicative of the first and second locations of the first and second ride vehicles, respectively
wherein the bi-directional voting circuit is configured to select between the first data set and the second data set to enable the control system to form a control loop for the first ride vehicle and the second ride vehicle, and wherein the control system controls movement of the first ride vehicle and the second ride vehicle based on the control loop.

13. The ride system of claim 12 , comprising a first reader of the first ride vehicle, a second reader of the second ride vehicle, and a position tracking system configured to enable identification of the first and second locations, wherein the position tracking system comprises a plurality of position indicators positioned along the course, and wherein the first and second readers are configured to communicate the first data set, the second data set, or both to the primary controller, the backup controller, or both.

14. The ride system of claim 13 , comprising a first vehicle transceiver corresponding with the first ride vehicle, and a second vehicle transceiver corresponding with the second ride vehicle, wherein the first reader and the second reader communicate the first data set, the second data set, or both to the primary controller by way of the first vehicle transceiver and the second vehicle transceiver.

15. The ride system of claim 12 , wherein the first ride vehicle comprises a platform and a base, wherein the platform is rotatable with respect to the base in a roll direction, a pitch dire

Assignees

• Universal City Studios Llc

Inventors

• Maycock Mark Bruce
• Vance Eric

Classifications

• G06F9/5061

  Partitioning or combining of resources · CPC title

• A63G31/00 Primary

  Amusement arrangements · CPC title

• A63G7/00 Primary

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

• B61L15/0027

  Radio-based, e.g. using GSM-R · CPC title

• B61L25/025

  Absolute localisation, e.g. providing geodetic coordinates · CPC title