AMUSEMENT RIDE AND METHOD FOR OPERATING AN AMUSEMENT RIDE

Abstract

An amusement ride includes at least one vehicle which is guided along a track, at least one passenger receptacle for accommodating a passenger being situated on the vehicle. A movement, position, and/or orientation of the passenger receptacle relative to the vehicle is changeable by means of at least one adjusting unit in at least one degree of freedom. A controller controls the adjusting unit. The controller is in signal communication with a memory in which movements to be performed, positions to be assumed, and/or orientations to be assumed during the ride of each passenger receptacle are stored directly or indirectly as memory content. The controller is designed to allow the positions, orientations, and/or movements to be assumed in sequence at a given point on the track during the ride. The amusement ride has means by which the passenger determines the memory content for the relevant passenger receptacle.

Claims

1. An amusement ride comprising at least one vehicle which is guided along a track, at least one passenger receptacle for accommodating a passenger being situated on the vehicle, it being possible for a movement, position, and/or orientation of the passenger receptacle relative to the vehicle to be changed by means of at least one adjusting unit in at least one degree of freedom, a controller being provided by means of which the adjusting unit can be controlled, characterized in that the controller is in signal communication with a memory in which movements to be performed, positions to be assumed, and/or orientations to be assumed before the start of the ride or during the ride of each passenger receptacle are stored directly or indirectly as memory content, the controller being designed, by controlling the adjusting unit of each passenger receptacle, to allow said positions, orientations, and/or movements to be assumed in sequence at a given point on the track before the start of the ride or during the ride, and in that the amusement ride has means by which the passenger determines the memory content for the relevant passenger receptacle.

2. A method for operating an amusement ride according to claim 1, characterized in that, before starting the ride, the passenger selects at least one movement, position, and/or orientation that said passenger's passenger receptacle should assume or perform relative to the vehicle before the start of the ride or during the passenger's ride on the amusement ride, in that this selection and an identification of the passenger receptacle on which the passenger rides the ride is transmitted to the amusement ride, and in that this selection or control commands corresponding thereto are stored in the memory of the control unit for this passenger receptacle before the start of the ride or at the latest at the start of the ride.

Description

[0033] For example, the passenger can download an app onto their smartphone before visiting the ride and can make a selection in the app for the upcoming ride on the amusement ride. For example, a choice can be made between the following options: [0034] position of the passenger receptacle in the vehicle [0035] orientation of the passenger receptacle in relation to the direction of travel of the vehicle, i.e., forward or reverse travel [0036] free-spinning, i.e., an uncontrolled and/or unbraked movement, in particular rotational movement, of the passenger receptacle during the ride.

[0037] In a second method step 200, an identification of the at least one passenger is transmitted to the amusement ride together with the selection made. As soon as the at least one passenger enters the vehicle of the amusement ride and assumes their position in the passenger receptacle, identification can be carried out in an optional third method step 300, whereby the selection made in the first method step 100 is linked or assigned to the passenger receptacle in question. Identification can be done, for example, using an identification code, bar code, QR code, etc.

[0038] For example, the passenger can scan a QR code on the corresponding passenger receptacle with their smartphone or a reader on the passenger receptacle reads an identification code from the smartphone and the controller of the passenger receptacle then requests from the central database the memory content assigned to this identification code.

[0039] In a fourth method step 400, the controller retrieves the corresponding data record relating to the selection made and, in method step 500, corresponding control commands are stored in the memory of the control unit for the relevant passenger receptacle. In method step 600, the control commands are executed.

[0040] The execution of the control commands in method step 600 can be started immediately after method steps 300 to 500 and before the start of the ride, in particular in the station of the amusement ride. For example, the first control commands can be implemented as soon as the association between the selection made in the first method step 100 and the relevant passenger receptacle has been made and the corresponding data record or data records relating to the selection made has/have been loaded. After the passenger has identified themselves and/or taken a seat in the passenger receptacle, the control commands can be executed immediately, in particular when the vehicle is at a standstill before the ride begins. In this case the vehicle is preferably located in the station of the amusement ride.

[0041] In the simplest case, the passenger receptacle can be connected to the vehicle via a rotational joint. The rotational joint can have a coupling which can be actuated by the control unit by means of an adjusting unit and/or a bolt which can be actuated by the control unit by means of an adjusting unit and which can lock the rotational joint. The passenger receptacle can therefore either be fixed or freely rotatable, as a result of which the passenger receptacle can preferably perform a free rotational movement during the ride.

[0042] The adjusting unit can be, for example, an actuator, a drive, and/or a brake.

[0043] Furthermore, the adjusting unit can be designed to change the position and/or the orientation in relation to the passenger receptacle in at least one degree of freedom. For example, the orientation of the passenger receptacle can be adjusted to backward or forward, or the previously described rotational movement can be damped, braked, or even increased by the adjusting unit, or a movement pattern can be created.