Patent Application
20150343317
The disclosed invention is directed to multi-passenger vehicles used in amusement park rides. More specifically, the vehicle is battery operated and includes features permitting passengers to experience motion with three degrees of freedom (yaw, pitch, and roll) while simultaneously being propelled along a preprogrammed route, which is autonomously traveled by the vehicle without use of a mechanical track or wire stretched along the route.
Vehicles for amusement park rides have existed for a long time. Earliest vehicles rode on tracks. These vehicles were loud, due to the metal-on-metal sound of wheels on tracks. Rides making use of these vehicles were not amenable to changes, because of the difficulty of removing, reconfiguring, and reinstalling the tracks. Additionally, these vehicles were not selfpowered. Each vehicle, or a string of vehicles, may have been coupled to a rope, chain, or cable that ran in a continuous loop throughout the ride. The movement of the rope, chain, or cable also caused undesirable noise. Moreover, the mere existence of the rope, chain, or cable posed a physical threat (due to tripping or entanglement) to any person departing the safety of the ride vehicle and to the amusement ride operators themselves.
An innovation applied to the earliest vehicles came in the form of an on-board electric motor that was powered by an off-board power supply. To transfer electrical power to the electric motor, vehicles running on tracks made use of a “third rail” that ran between or to the side of the tracks typically at a predetermined fixed distance from the track. Conductive metal brushes or shoes protruding from the vehicle made contact with the third rail. Electrical power typically ran from the third rail to the electric motor of the vehicle via the brushes or shoes and was returned to ground via the vehicle's metal wheel making contact with the grounded metal track of the ride. Electrical vehicles of this type presented the serious danger of electrocution of a patron if the patron left the ride vehicle and stumbled on an electrified third-rail. Additionally, electrical vehicles of this type were still bound to a track and all of the problems related thereto.
Not all electric ride vehicles are bound to tracks. Vehicles such as “bumper cars,” which are steered by the passenger, typically obtained electrical power via a brush or solid conductor scraping across an electrified grid positioned above the ride. Electrical current was returned to ground via similar contacts or metal rollers directly to the solid metal floor of the ride. Electrical vehicles of this type also present the serious danger of electrocution of a patron if the patron made contact with an improperly insulated pole (supporting the contact scraping the electrified grid above the ride) and ground at the same time. These vehicles moreover typically presented the problem of a lack of safety features that could disable one or all of the vehicles in the ride if a patron was to leave a vehicle during the ride. Similar lack of safety features were present in electrified vehicles running on tracks.
Innovations relating to the powering of vehicles freed some vehicles from tracks. For example, Disney Enterprises, Inc. introduced a battery-powered ride vehicle in 1982 at its “Universe of Energy” pavilion at EPCOT® theme park. The World According to Jack, http://land.allears.net/blogs/jackspence/20 1 Oil O/universe_oLenergy l.html (last visited May 8, 2012). In this ride, patrons “were transported through the pavilion in large battery-powered ‘traveling theatre cars’ that followed guide-wires embedded in the floor as opposed to riding along conventional ride tracks.” Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universe_oLEnergy (last visited Apr. 17, 2012). This type of ride presents two problems in the field of ride vehicles.
First, the locomotion of large battery-operated vehicles consumes a great deal of energy. Storage of a large amount of energy requires many rechargeable-type batteries. For the Universe of Energy vehicles, “each vehicle carries eight automotive batteries. Of course, these batteries need to be recharged frequently so within the attraction's two turntables are ‘charging plates’ that contain electromagnets. The magnets work in conjunction with onboard magnets that create an electric current that is transferred to the vehicle's batteries.” The World According to Jack, supra. It is believed that the ratio of the amount of time this type of vehicle spends on its charging station (e.g., turntable) vs. the amount of time the vehicle spends moving under its own power, is greater than one. Accordingly, the vehicle's batteries are slowly being charged for long periods relative to the time when the vehicle is in motion.
Second, vehicles that use guide-wires embedded in a floor, similar to vehicles that ride on tracks, are not amenable to changes in the configuration of the vehicle's path of travel, because of the difficulty of removing, reconfiguring, and reinstalling the wires. Moreover, just like tracks, a vehicle following a guide wire must stay on the guide wire, therefore, it must eventually return to the point from which it began its journey and cannot easily, if at all, follow a path that crosses over itself.
Still other problems confront designers of modern amusement rides. Patrons are no longer satisfied with simply moving through a ride while being maintained in one plane of travel. Patrons may wish to experience yaw (i.e., rotation in the x-y plane), pitch (i.e., climb and dive), roll (pitching left and right), and heave (vertical motion along the z-axis). Motion assemblies exist that provide these four degrees of motion to ride patrons; however, due to the very large consumption of power (necessitated by moving a platform that supports the weight of a given number of patrons through space in these directions), known four degree of freedom motion assemblies are coupled to fixed supplies of electrical power. This limits the mounting of prior art motion assemblies either to fixed locations or to mounts on tracks that use a “third rail” type of electrical connection to supply power to the motion assembly. The former situation is problematic at least because patrons are usually confined to a single room (which may move in yaw, roll, pitch, and heave) while images are projected on the walls within the room. The latter situation is problematic at least because patrons face all the same issues faced by patrons of older ride vehicles that were confined to riding on tracks; additionally there is the danger of electrocution if a patron was to leave the ride vehicle and stumble on the electrified third-rail.
Still other problems exist with respect to the motions of prior art vehicles. For example, there are no known prior art vehicles that can “crab,” that is, move in a linearly diagonal direction at a given angle, for example 45° while the vehicle faces forward at 0°. Additionally, known prior art vehicles do not typically cross over their own paths or operate simultaneously with other vehicles while following paths that interweave the vehicles. The ability to interweave the paths of multiple simultaneously operating ride vehicles is desirable in 3 situations where ride designers want to mimic the seemingly random patterns made by a moving school of fish, a swooping flock of sparrows, or a running herd of wild animals.
The recharging of battery operated vehicles is also problematic. Designers of battery operated vehicles might base the battery capacity on the expected amount of charge needed to be stored to move a fully loaded vehicle through a show from start to finish, for a given number of shows per day; this amount of charge might be called the maximum charge value. During the course of the show(s), the charge would be drained from the battery. A typical battery might be cycled from 100% of its maximum charge value down to 10% of its maximum charge value; because a typical design would extract all of the charge possible from the battery before recharging the battery. Once the battery was depleted (e.g., to the 10% level), the battery would be connected to a charging system that would slowly charge the battery from its depleted level back to the maximum charge value for the next show. Rapid charging was not possible, as batteries would overheat if too much charge were pushed into them too quickly. Therefore, once a vehicle's charge was depleted it would be taken out of service for recharging. An out of service vehicle would need to be replaced by an extra vehicle.
What is needed is a ride vehicle that is self-powered, can find its way through an amusement by dead-reckoning, is mechanically designed and electrically managed to be efficient in its use of energy, is not restricted to draw energy from a track or follow a track or wire, can be programmed to travel in a seemingly random pattern while crossing over the paths of other vehicles operating simultaneously in close proximity, permits independent rotation of an upper passenger platform with respect to a lower steering and propulsion platform, where the upper platform moves in pitch and roll and the rotates with respect to the lower platform to move in yaw, and is not required to be removed from service, or sit in one location for a long period of time relative to the time it is in motion, to recharge its batteries.
The disclosed invention obviates the aforementioned inconveniencies and deficiencies of conventional systems and schemes associated with vehicles for rides in amusement parks. In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, a motion assembly configured to produce pitch and roll motions may include a lower reaction plate oriented in a horizontal plane, an upper reaction plate spaced apart from the lower reaction plate, a pivotable coupling having an upper shaft and a lower shaft extending away from a center of the pivotable coupling and terminating at respective upper and lower shaft ends, the upper shaft end coupled to the upper reaction plate and the lower shaft end coupled to the lower reaction plate, and when the pivotable coupling is oriented vertically its central axis is perpendicular to the horizontal plane, and at least two linear actuators spaced apart from each other and from the pivotable coupling, and coupled at respective upper ends to the upper reaction plate and at respective lower ends to the lower reaction plate, and configured to extend and retract to pivot the upper reaction plate about the pivotable coupling to produce pitch and roll motions of the upper reaction plate relative to the lower reaction plate.
In accordance with another embodiment of the invention a vehicle may include a first steerable propulsion wheel coupled to the chassis and configured to rotate a first wheel to a first commanded direction and rotate the first wheel at a first commanded speed, a second steerable propulsion wheel coupled to the chassis and configured to rotate a second wheel to a second commanded direction and rotate the second wheel at a second commanded speed, a lower reaction plate coupled to the chassis, an upper reaction plate spaced apart from the lower reaction plate, a pivotable coupling having an upper shaft and a lower shaft extending away from a center of the pivotable coupling and terminating at respective upper and lower shaft ends, the upper shaft end fixed to the upper reaction plate and the lower shaft end fixed to the lower reaction plate, and at least two linear actuators spaced apart from each other and from the pivotable coupling and coupled at respective upper ends to the upper reaction plate and at respective lower ends to the lower reaction plate, and configured to extend and retract to pivot the upper reaction plate about the pivotable coupling to produce pitch and roll motions of the upper reaction plate relative to the lower reaction plate.
The vehicle may further include a slew bearing fixed to the chassis and having a slew bearing gear rotatable with respect to the chassis, a slew bearing pinion motor having a shaft, the slew bearing pinion motor fixed to the chassis, a slew bearing pinion fixed to the shaft, the pinion engaging the slew bearing gear and configured to rotate at a commanded slew speed and direction, wherein the lower reaction plate is coupled to the chassis via the slew bearing by fixing the lower reaction plate to the slew bearing, wherein the lower reaction plate rotates with the slew bearing and produces a yaw motion of the upper reaction plate with respect to the chassis.
In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, a vehicle may include a controller, a memory operationally coupled to the controller, a communication interface operationally coupled to the controller and configured to communicate with a ride system controller that is remote to the vehicle, a chassis, a battery configured as a sole source of operating energy of the vehicle, first and second independently controlled steerable propulsion wheels fixed to the chassis and configured to propel and steer the vehicle according to commands issued by the controller, a lower reaction plate coupled to the chassis, an upper reaction plate spaced apart from the lower reaction plate, a pivotable coupling having an upper shaft and a lower shaft extending away from a center of the pivotable coupling and terminating at respective upper and lower shaft ends, the upper shaft end fixed to the upper reaction plate and the lower shaft end fixed to the lower reaction plate, and at least two linear actuators spaced apart from each other and from the pivotable coupling, and coupled at respective upper ends to the upper reaction plate and at respective lower ends to the lower reaction plate, and configured to extend and retract to pivot the upper reaction plate about the pivotable coupling to produce pitch and roll motions of the upper reaction plate relative to the lower reaction plate.
In accordance with still another embodiment of the invention, a vehicle may include a chassis, a first propulsion wheel coupled to the chassis, a second propulsion wheel coupled to the chassis and spaced apart from the first propulsion wheel, a slew bearing having a first side fixed to the chassis and a second side comprising a slew bearing gear rotatable with respect to the chassis, a motor configured to rotate the slew bearing gear, a platform coupled to the second side of the slew bearing, wherein the platform rotates with respect to the chassis by action of the motor, and seating coupled to the platform, the seating having a front side and a back side, opposite to the front side, where the seating front side can be rotated to point in any direction with respect to the chassis by operation of the motor regardless of any direction of travel of the chassis.
Several figures are provided herein to further the explanation of the disclosed invention. More specifically:
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary. As such, the descriptions herein are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosed invention. Instead, the scope of the disclosed invention is governed by the scope of the appended claims.
The ride vehicle described herein may be comprised of three assemblies: the transport assembly, the motion assembly, and the passenger assembly. The motion assembly mounts on top of the transport assembly. The passenger assembly mounts on top of the motion assemblies. The invention is not limited to this configuration. Each of the three assemblies will be described in order below.
The passive casters 108, 109 may be mounted to the chassis 102 in spaced apart locations directly opposite one another and rotated 90 degrees with respect to the locations of the two steerable propulsion wheels 104, 106. The wheels 112 of the passive casters 108, 109 are freewheeling; that is, the wheels 112 are free to roll clockwise and counterclockwise and are free 8 to swivel (rotate) in any direction. Other configurations of steerable propulsion wheels 104, 106 and passive casters 108, 109 are possible; however, the preferred embodiment of the invention includes at least two steerable propulsion wheels 104, 106. In a preferred embodiment, as shown, the steerable propulsion wheels 104, 106 are positioned at 270 and 90 degrees with respect to the chassis 102. It is, however, within the scope of the invention to position the steerable propulsion wheels 104, 106 at 0 and 180 degrees with respect to the chassis 102.
The chassis 102 may support a battery assembly 114, a control electronics assembly, a motor driver assembly, and various sensors used in cooperation with an on-board navigation system (not shown).
The battery assembly 114 may include a rechargeable battery 910, which may be comprised of one or more battery cells, and a battery management system 912. The battery 910 provides all the energy needed for operation of the ride vehicle between recharging. The battery management system 912 controls and monitors the charging of the battery 910. The battery management system 912 may monitor voltage, temperature, and other parameters of the battery 910 to permit recharging without damaging the elements of the battery 910.
In order to recharge the ride vehicle's battery 910 during times that the vehicle could be coupled to an energizing/charging system, such as while loading or unloading passengers or while paused for a sufficient amount of time at a location within a ride environment, it was determined that it was necessary to provide a given and relatively large amount of power/energy to the vehicle in a short amount of time. The amount of power/energy is dependent on the demands of a given ride vehicle. The amount of time is generally limited by the amount of time a vehicle spends while loading and/or unloading passengers and by the amount of time, if any, the vehicle remains paused within the ride. Such pauses may occur while the vehicle occupants are watching a movie or other presentation. Additionally, the total amount of time needed for recharging may be divided between multiple charging stations that may be visited by a given vehicle in a given ride environment. These values are readably determined without any undue need for experimentation. Known batteries and charging systems were found to be insufficient for this purpose.
In overcoming the problems encountered with known batteries and energizing/charging systems, it was determined that a battery with a large capacity would permit a greater amount of power/energy to be applied to the battery as a function of time in comparison to a battery with a smaller capacity. The final resulting battery for a given ride vehicle depends on the vehicles voltage and current demands as well as the limits imposed on time available for charging as described above. A suitable battery capacity can be determined without undue experimentation once the variables described above are provided to one of skill in the art. The acceptable level of battery depletion between charges may also be a function of the variables described above, and may be unique to every different type of vehicle.
The inventors obtained an unexpected benefit from their decision to maximize battery capacity (to permit high current fast recharging). The capacity required for fast charging was over and above the actual capacity needed for the ride vehicle. Having excess capacity provided the unexpected benefit of reducing the amount of recharging required for ride vehicle operation; thus, reducing the amount of time needed for recharging. Additionally realized due to use of a battery that had greater capacity than required for operational needs was the unexpected benefit of only using a small amount of the battery capacity during each show. According to an embodiment of the invention, the battery 910 cycles between 90 to 100 percent of its full capacity.
The chassis 102 may also support an O-shaped rotational rolling-element bearing, referred to in the art as a “slewing bearing” or “slew bearing” 120. The slew bearing 120 may include an inner and/or an outer gear. In the embodiment of
In the embodiment of
An optical encoder 210 indirectly coupled to the slew bearing upper-half 122 may monitor and output information relating to the rotation of the slew bearing 122 to a processor 901. With knowledge of the magnitude and direction of rotation, and of the diameters of the slew bearing upper-half 122 and the pinion 124 at the point where their gears mesh, the processor 901 can calculate the angular position of a reference point set on the slew bearing upper-half 122 in relation to a corresponding reference point on the chassis 102.
Additionally, in an embodiment of the invention, a first part 301 of a sensor can be directly or indirectly coupled to the slew bearing upper-half 122 and a second part 130 of the sensor can be affixed to the chassis 102. The slew bearing upper-half 122 can be driven clockwise or counterclockwise until a signal from the sensor indicates that the first and second parts 301, 130 are in alignment. In this way, a processor controlling the motion of the slew bearing upper-half 122 and monitoring the output of the sensor can rotate the slew bearing upper-half 122 to a known “home” position. All applicable sensor types, such as, for example, a Hall type sensor, an optical sensor, and a point contact sensor, are within the scope of the invention.
The chassis 102 may also include a slip ring or rotary joint 132, to permit communications and power to be transferred to and from components of the chassis 102 to the 11 portions of the vehicle coupled to the slew bearing upper-half 122. A rotary joint 132 is desirable because, as explained above, there is no limit to the amount of rotation of the slew bearing upper-half 122 with respect to the chassis 102.
The chassis 102 may also include a bumper system 134 that can absorb the energy of an impact and spread the load of the impact into the chassis 102. The bumper system 134 may include a durable-compressible foam material 136 sandwiched between an outer wall 138 of the chassis 102 and a resilient outer covering 140, such as a thin sheet of metal. The foam material 136 may be glued or otherwise secured to the outer wall 138. The foam material 136 and the resilient outer covering 140 may be realized in segments 142 that abut or overlap each other. In one embodiment attached to the chassis using bolts and spacer tubes, allowing deflection of the bolts without any protruding hardware. The segments 142 may be anchored to the foam material 136 and/or the outer wall 138 of the chassis 102. The resilient outer covering 140 may be overlaid with another resilient material 144 such as neoprene (to absorb or deflect minor contacts with surfaces. According to a preferred embodiment, the bumper system 134 can absorb and rebound from contact with another similar vehicle or a wall or fixed object in the ride environment when the vehicle is moving at its highest allowable speed.
By way of introduction, the motion assembly 300 may include a lower reaction plate 302, a pivot joint or pivotable coupling 304, an upper reaction plate 306 (shown in partial cutaway/partial phantom view), and at least two linear actuators 308, 310. The lower reaction plate 302 is fixed to the slew bearing upper-half 122, as explained above. The pivotable coupling 304 is coupled at a lower end to the lower reaction plate 302 and at an upper end to the 12 upper reaction plate 306. In one embodiment, the pivotable coupling 304 is mounted above the geometric center of the slew bearing 120; however, other locations are acceptable. The linear actuators 308 are each coupled at a lower end to the lower reaction plate 302 and at an upper end to the upper reaction plate 306. The linear actuators 308, 310 are spaced apart from each other and from the pivotable coupling 304. In one embodiment, a first linear actuator 308 is positioned on the right-rear side of the motion assembly 300 and a second linear actuator 310 is positioned on the left-rear side of the motion assembly 300, both further toward the rear of the motion assembly 300 than the pivotable coupling 304. Other orientations are acceptable, so long as the alternate orientation results in a motion assembly whose upper reaction plate is moved in pitch and roll with relation to the lower reaction plate and the movement is centered above the pivotable coupling 304, where the pivotable coupling is a substantially fixed height and substantially non-compressible.
For purposes of discussion herein, using
The preferred embodiment of
According to the preferred embodiment, the two rows of seats 404 having four seats each are positioned equidistant from an imaginary point on the upper surface of the passenger platform 402. The vertical axis passing through this point preferably passes through the geometric center of the slew bearing 120. This permits a non-eccentric rotation of the rows of seats 404 with respect to the slew bearing 120. If this point is also positioned above a midpoint on an imaginary horizontal axis running between the left and right steerable propulsion wheels 104, 106, the center of rotation of the rows of seats 404 will coincide with respect to the center of motion of the chassis 102. If this point also intersects an imaginary vertical axis running through the pivotable coupling 304, the rows of seats, which are positioned equidistant from this point, will experience relatively equal amounts of vertical deflection as the motion assembly 300 moves in pitch and roll. Of course, other positions of the rows of seats 404 with respect to the point, and with respect to the point, the imaginary axis running between the left and right steerable propulsion wheels 104, 106, and the vertical axis of the pivotable coupling 304 are within the scope of the invention. Nevertheless, with alignment described above, the seating depicted in
With the left and right steerable propulsion wheels 104, 106 positioned at 0 degrees, a command from the processor to simultaneously drive the wheels of the left and right steerable propulsion wheels 104, 106 at the same speed in a forward direction will cause the vehicle 600 to be propelled forward, in a direction of arrow 602.
A command to rotate both the left and right steerable propulsion wheels 104, 106 forward, where the left wheel 104 is commanded to rotate slower than the right wheel 106, will cause the vehicle to be propelled in a wide curving left turn, as indicated by arrow 606.
A command to rotate the both the left and right steerable propulsion wheels 104, 106 forward, where the left wheel 104 is commanded to rotate faster than the right wheel 106, will cause the vehicle to be propelled in a wide curving right turn, as indicated by arrow 608.
The widths of the turns described above may be determined by the difference in speed between the left and right steerable propulsion wheels 104, 106. For example, command to rotate only the right wheel 106 forward, without rotating the left wheel 104 will cause the vehicle to be propelled in a sharp left turn. A command to rotate only the left wheel 104 forward, without rotating the right wheel 106 will cause the vehicle to be propelled in a sharp right turn.
Reversing the directions of the rotating wheels will cause the vehicle to be propelled in respective reverse directions. 16
A benefit of the configuration of at least two steerable propulsion wheels 104, 106 and passive casters 108, 109 is that the vehicle 600 can be made to perform zero degree turns as shown in
Another benefit of the configuration of at least two steerable propulsion wheels 104, 106 (and passive casters 108, 109) is that the transport assembly 600 can be made to “crab” to the left or right. Typically, the term “crab,” is used in the context of aircraft navigation. Merriam-Webster's dictionary, defines “crab” as “the angular difference between an aircraft's course and the heading necessary to make that course in the presence of a crosswind.” In the aircraft context, a crosswind is a direction of the wind that is not parallel to the aircraft's course. By way of example, if a landing strip ran in a North-South direction (where North is at 0 degrees and south is at 180 degrees) along the y-axis, and a crosswind was blowing in from the right, the aircraft might assume a heading of 5 degrees in order maintain a course (i.e., a direction of travel) of zero degrees for landing.
In the context of the present application, the term “crab” takes on a different meaning. As used herein, the term crab is best described by way of the following examples. In
To achieve a crabbing motion such as that depicted in
Vehicles in accordance with embodiments of the invention are configured to crab to the left or the right, in both forward and reverse directions. A vehicle in accordance with embodiments of the invention can crab at any angle between, but not equal to, 0 and 180 degrees and between, but not equal to, 180 and 360 degrees (the angles of 0 and 180 degree are reserved for forward and reverse motion, respectively). Nevertheless, vehicles in accordance with embodiments of the invention can be said to be crabbing if the transport assembly is rotating through a range of angular positions that include 0, 180, or 360 degrees. For example, if the rows of seats 404F, 404B were maintained in a position pointing at 0 degrees, while the transport assembly 600 followed a curve that caused its “front” to point at an arc including the range of 120 to 200 degrees, the vehicle would be crabbing despite it having passed through 180 degrees.
Crabbing motion is not possible with a trackless vehicle that has less than two steerable propulsion wheels. Crabbing motion is not possible with a trackless vehicle that has two steerable propulsion wheels that do not rotate about the z-axis (i.e., they do not steer). Such 18 vehicles turn using differential steering, such as that described with reference to
The motion assembly 300 mechanically transmits pitch and roll movements (about the pivotable coupling 304) to the rows of seats 404 fixed to the passenger platform 402 via the upper reaction plate 306. The extension and retraction of the linear actuators 308, 310 relative to one another determines the amount of pitch and roll experienced by the upper reaction plate relative to the lower reaction plate.
The maximum force required from each linear actuator 308,310 (for extension and retraction) can be calculated given information including the geometry of the placement of rows of seating, placement of the linear actuators with respect to the pivotable coupling 304, and 19 knowledge of the loading expected on the upper reaction plate 306. Such calculations are known to those of skill in the art. It will be understood that as the mounting points of the linear actuators 308, 310 move away from the pivotable coupling 304, the force required from each linear actuator decreases as the length of the moment arm between the mounting point and the pivotable coupling 304 increases. However, this reduction in force is limited by the stroke of the linear actuators as well as the speed at which linear actuators can extend and retract.
In a preferred embodiment the pivotable coupling 304 may be a dual shaft coupling that is capable of transmitting torque from one shaft to another, even when the dual shafts are not collinear. The pivotable coupling 304 transfers torque from the one shaft to another, even if the shafts are not aligned. The pivotable coupling 304 is preferably non-compressible, or substantially non-compressible. The pivotable coupling 304 preferably supports the weight of a maximum passenger load, plus the weight of all hardware components that are supported by the upper reaction plate 306. These components include, seating, miscellaneous electronics including sound and lighting devices, safety equipment and electronic monitoring and control equipment, and any decorative structure designed to hide electromechanical aspects of the vehicle and give the vehicle an appearance that is appropriate for the theme of the amusement ride. In a preferred embodiment, and as illustrated in
Use of the pivotable coupling 304 resulted in a significant power savings for the vehicle in comparison to a vehicle that could provide the same pitch, roll, and yaw motions on a battery operated self-movable assembly. In the known art, ride vehicles may provide three or four degrees of movement. A three degree of movement ride vehicle might provide the experiences of pitch, roll, and heave. Pitch may be likened to tilting forward or backward (as experienced in a climbing or diving aircraft). Roll may be likened to tilting right or left. Heave may be likened to the experience of being lifted up or dropped down along a vertical axis. In addition to the pitch, roll, and heave experiences, a four degree of movement ride vehicle might also provide the experience of yaw. Yaw can be likened to the movement of a record on a turntable. 20
In a typical configuration of a ride vehicle, the experiences of pitch, roll, and heave are typically achieved by supporting the payload (i.e., the passengers, the passenger cabin, and its contents) in a neutral position using three or four electrical or pneumatic linear actuators and a system of lateral stabilizers. Heave is experienced by moving the payload from the neutral position in the upward or downward directions along the vertical axis by extending or retracting the linear actuators at the same time and at the same rate. The experiences of pitch and/or roll are typically achieved by extending or retracting one or more of the linear actuators at the same time and at different rates, or in different directions relative to one another. As one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize, the amount of energy consumed to merely support the payload in the neutral position, let alone thrusting the payload in the pitch, roll, and/or heave directions, can be significant. The inventors required a way to reduce energy consumption, especially because the inventors were designing a battery operated vehicle.
The inventors recognized that when the payload was mechanically supported at a fixed height on a centralized pivotable point, the pivotable point was not required to move along its vertical axis, and only two linear actuators were used (as shown in the embodiments described herein), the energy required for the experiences of pitch and roll were significantly lessened in comparison to the typical configurations of ride vehicles as described above. The inventors surmised that in the configuration of the embodiments described herein, the linear actuators only consumed the amounts of energy needed to tip the passenger platform upward or downward about the central pivot point; the central pivot point essentially was supporting most of the payload's weight.
The inventors concluded that an enjoyable three dimension ride vehicle for daily use at a typical amusement facility having large patron throughput requirements, which offered the experiences of pitch, roll, and yaw, was achievable in a battery operated configuration. Accordingly, the inventors achieved a real world benefit of significant energy savings by use of a ride vehicle having a configuration similar to the embodiments of the invention described herein, in comparison to typically configured ride vehicles.
According to the preferred embodiments, the pivotable coupling 304, which provides the above-described centralized pivotable point, preferably prevents all or most lateral motion of 21 the upper reaction plate 306. One can visualize the reasoning for this requirement if one were to replace the pivotable coupling 304 with a spring with no lateral support. Although the spring can be constructed to support the weight placed on the upper reaction plate 306, the spring, when bent, could permit the upper reaction plate 306 to slide laterally. An acceptable pivotable coupling using a ball and socket, spring, flexible rubber, or fiberglass shaft, or equivalents (assuming these alternative components could withstand the dynamic forces exerted on them by the moving payload) would require the use of lateral stabilizing devices. Accordingly, a ball and socket, spring, flexible rubber, or flexible fiberglass shaft, or equivalents, in combination with lateral stabilizing devices, may be considered pivotable couplings that are within the scope of this invention.
In the embodiments disclosed, the rows of seats 404F, 404B, which are fixed to the upper reaction plate 306 of the motion assembly 300 via the passenger platform 402, can be moved in pitch and roll. Because the motion assembly 300 is fixed atop the slew bearing upperhalf 122, the motion assembly 300 can be rotated. The result of these movements allows passengers sitting in the rows of seats 404F, 404B to experience pitch, roll, and yaw.
An alternate embodiment, in which the positions of the motion assembly 300 and the slew bearing 120 are reversed, is within the scope of the invention. In other words, it is within the scope of the invention to fix the lower reaction plate 302 of the motion assembly 300 directly to the chassis 102, and fix the slew bearing 120 to the upper reaction plate 306. In either embodiment, the patrons would experience pitch, roll, and yaw. Nevertheless, the inventors found that the configuration of the alternate embodiment increases the difficulty of positioning the rows of seats 404F, 404B in three-dimensional space. Accordingly, in preferred embodiments such as those of
The vehicle 900 includes a battery 910 coupled to a battery management system 912. The battery system 114 may couple to a charging system 909 via the use of contact or contactless couplings 922 known to those of skill in the art. The vehicle includes motor driver system 914. The motor driver system 914 drives the various motors of the vehicle 900. Included among the motors are the left and right steerable propulsion wheels 104, 106; each steerable propulsion wheel 104, 106 having separate motors for steering and driving (propulsion); the slew bearing pinion motor 827 (
The vehicle may also include a navigation system 920 having one or more navigation sensors 922. In a preferred embodiment, the vehicle uses a free range on grid navigation system. Multiple types of sensors 922 may be used individually or in combination, such as magnetic detectors, optical detectors, and radio frequency detectors. The navigation system 920 may control and monitor the motion and direction of the vehicle's 900 steerable propulsion wheels 104, 106. In this way, the vehicle 900 can be made to proceed along one of a plurality of courses, which may be predetermined, without a need of tracks or embedded wires for navigation, communication, or power. In one embodiment, a comparison of a predicted location versus an actual location, which might be determined for example based on measurements made by determinations of distances from various fixed known locations, allows the navigation system to perform real-time course monitoring, to determine if a navigation error has occurred during a show.
Other types of navigation systems 900 are within the scope of the invention. For example, given sufficient precision of its steering and propulsion systems, the vehicle 900 might not require real time course monitoring. Additionally or alternatively, the vehicle might use an inertial navigation system, or the like as a navigation system.
The disclosed invention lends itself to the establishment of a system comprising a plurality of uniquely addressed vehicles 900, 950, 960, 970 (where 950, 960, 970 are similar to 900). Each of the plurality of vehicles 900, 950, 960, 970 may be individually controlled by at least one on-board processor (similar to 901), where each of the plurality of on-board processors is in wireless communication with at least one ride system controlled 924, which is remote from the vehicles and utilizes its own processor(s) 926. The ride system controller 924 may maintain situational and positional awareness of the plurality of vehicles, and exercise emergency control of one, all, or any subset of the plurality of vehicles 900, 950, 960, 970 by wireless communication. 24
In a ride environment, where a plurality of vehicles 900, 950, 960, 970 are traversing the environment simultaneously, the pitch and roll movements of the passenger platforms of each uniquely addressed vehicle may be synchronized to the position of the vehicle along the preprogrammed route by distance and/or time. The vehicle, system, and method of operation of the vehicle and system find utility in the amusement park ride industry, but the invention is not limited thereto. The description provided herein utilizes the amusement park ride industry for exemplary purposes only, to describe embodiments of the invention; however, the invention is not limited to the amusement park ride industry and can find utility in any number of other industries.
In accordance with a method of the invention, a vehicle 900 will come to a stop according to a command from the vehicle's own processor 901 if a condition such as a system failure or safety violation occurs on the vehicle 900. If this condition exists, the vehicle can notify a ride system controller 924 of its situation via the communication interface 904 and wireless transmission via antenna 906 or infrared device 908. The ride system controller 924 can determine if other vehicles should be stopped to avoid collision, for example. The ride system controller, using the unique addresses of each vehicle, may command a single vehicle 950 to stop, if only the single vehicle was in danger of collision. Alternatively, the ride system controller, using the unique addresses of each vehicle, may command a subset of the vehicles 950,960 to stop, if only that subset of vehicles was in danger of collision. Alternatively, the ride system controller, using the unique addresses of each vehicle, may command all vehicles 950, 960,970 to stop. Any vehicle 900, 950, 960, 970, upon receipt of a command uniquely addressed to it, can come to a controlled stop.
The disclosed invention has been described above in terms of one or more preferred embodiments and one or more alternate embodiments. Moreover, various aspects of the disclosed invention have been described. One of ordinary skill in the art should not interpret the various aspects or embodiments as limiting in any way, but as exemplary. Clearly, other embodiments are within the scope of the disclosed invention. The scope the disclosed invention will instead be determined by the appended claims.
This application is a continuation of pending U.S. Non-Provisional application Ser. No. 13/470,244 filed on May 11, 2012 and claims priority through U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/484,942, filed on May 11, 2011.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 13470244 | May 2012 | US |
| Child | 14821649 | US |
