ACCELERATION ATTENUATION SYSTEMS AND METHODS

Abstract

A ride system may include a ride vehicle having a chassis and a seating area that supports one or more passengers. The ride system may also include an attenuation device mechanically coupled between the seating area and the chassis. The attenuation device may attenuate a first acceleration, relative to a reference frame, of the seating area compared to a second acceleration, relative to the reference frame, of the chassis in response to the first acceleration meeting or exceeding a threshold acceleration.

Claims

1. A ride system comprising: a ride vehicle comprising a chassis and a seating area, wherein the seating area is configured to support a passenger; and an attenuation device mechanically coupled between the seating area and the chassis and configured to attenuate a first acceleration of the seating area, relative to a reference frame, compared to a second acceleration of the chassis, relative to the reference frame, in response to the first acceleration meeting or exceeding a threshold acceleration.

2. The ride system of claim 1, comprising a locking mechanism configured to, when engaged, resist a relative motion between the seating area and the chassis at least until a shear force, corresponding to the threshold acceleration, between the seating area and the chassis is met.

3. The ride system of claim 1, comprising: a locking mechanism configured to, when engaged, resist a relative motion between the seating area and the chassis; and a control system configured to selectively disengage the locking mechanism so as to allow relative motion between the seating area and the chassis.

4. The ride system of claim 3, wherein the control system is configured to selectively disengage the locking mechanism in response to determining that a collision of the ride vehicle has occurred or in response to estimating that a future collision of the ride vehicle will occur within a future time period.

5. The ride system of claim 4, wherein the control system is configured to determine that the collision has occurred or to estimate that the future collision will occur based on sensor data of one or more accelerometers of the ride system, one or more radar sensors of the ride system, one or more optical sensors of the ride system, or any combination thereof.

6. The ride system of claim 3, wherein the control system is configured to selectively disengage the locking mechanism in response to a local stop control signal from an input device accessible to the passenger, a network stop control signal, or both.

7. The ride system of claim 2, wherein the locking mechanism comprises a shear pin configured to break at a threshold shear force between the seating area and the chassis.

8. The ride system of claim 1, wherein the seating area comprises a seat coupled to the chassis via the attenuation device.

9. The ride system of claim 1, wherein the attenuation device comprises a hydraulic cylinder.

10. The ride system of claim 9, wherein the hydraulic cylinder comprises a magnetorheological fluid, and wherein the ride system comprises a control system configured to adjust an attenuation amount of the hydraulic cylinder by regulating an electrical current to an electromagnet that applies a magnetic field to the magnetorheological fluid.

11. A method comprising: maintaining, via a locking mechanism, a secure coupling between a seating area of a ride vehicle of a ride system and a chassis of the ride vehicle; releasing, via the locking mechanism, the secure coupling; and attenuating, via an attenuation device, a first acceleration, relative to a reference frame, of the seating area compared to a second acceleration, relative to the reference frame, of the chassis.

12. The method of claim 11, comprising determining, via control circuitry, to release the secure coupling in response to sensor data indicative of the second acceleration of the chassis increasing above a threshold.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the seating area comprises a cabin comprising one or more seats, and wherein the attenuation device is coupled between the cabin and the chassis.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the attenuation device is configured to attenuate the first acceleration of the seating area in a longitudinal direction relative to the ride vehicle.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first acceleration is a deceleration relative to a previous velocity of the ride vehicle.

16. The method of claim 11, comprising, in response to the ride vehicle achieving an at rest state, resetting the attenuation device.

17. A method comprising: determining, via a control system, that a collision of a ride vehicle with an obstacle may occur in a future amount of time; braking, via the control system, the ride vehicle such that a chassis of the ride vehicle decelerates relative to the obstacle; and activating, via the control system, an attenuation device coupled between a seating area of the ride vehicle and the chassis such that a first peak deceleration of the seating area, relative to the obstacle, is less than a second peak deceleration of the chassis, relative to the obstacle.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein activating the attenuation device comprises unlocking a locking mechanism configured to, when locked, resist relative motion between the seating area and the chassis.

19. The method of claim 17, comprising adjusting an attenuation rate of the attenuation device based on a user preference, a weight of a passenger of the ride vehicle, a speed of the ride vehicle, or any combination thereof.

20. The method of claim 17, comprising not attenuating accelerations less than a threshold acceleration.

Description

DRAWINGS

[0009] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:

[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a ride system including a ride vehicle, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0011] FIG. 2 is a hybrid schematic and block diagram of the ride system of FIG. 1 with a ride vehicle, control system, and acceleration attenuation system, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0012] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an example ride vehicle of the ride system of FIG. 1 with an acceleration attenuation system, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0013] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an example ride vehicle of the ride system of FIG. 1 with an acceleration attenuation system, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0014] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an example implementation of an attenuation device of the acceleration attenuation system of FIGS. 1-4, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0015] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an example process for the acceleration attenuation system of FIGS. 1-5, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] One or more specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below. In an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments, all features of an actual implementation may not be described in the specification. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure. Further, to the extent that certain terms such as parallel, perpendicular, and so forth are used herein, it should be understood that these terms allow for certain deviations from a strict mathematical definition, for example to allow for deviations associated with manufacturing imperfections and associated tolerances.

[0017] When introducing elements of various embodiments of the present disclosure, the articles a, an, and the are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms comprising, including, and having are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. Additionally, it should be understood that references to one embodiment or an embodiment of the present disclosure are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the recited features.

[0018] As should be appreciated, various amusement rides have been created to provide passengers with unique motion and visual experiences. For example, amusement rides can be implemented with single-passenger or multi-passenger ride vehicles that travel along a fixed or variable path. For example, the ride vehicle may be motivated along a predefined track such as a rail system or move independently along a pre-defined path, such as according to global positioning system (GPS) coordinates or other coordinates within an area. Moreover, the ride vehicle may have motion that is not pre-programmed and/or be considered track-less, such as having autonomy (e.g., as defined deterministically, via artificial intelligence (AI), and/or indirectly via passenger input) or being under direct user control within the confines of a designated space. Indeed, ride vehicles themselves may include pre-programmed profiles and/or features providing passengers with varying levels of control (e.g., various buttons and knobs) over the ride vehicle and/or surrounding environment. For example, in certain amusement park rides, vehicle movements (e.g., traversal of a path) and content rendering/actuation may be constrained to pre-programmed profiles (e.g., animations), such as embedded in a programmable logic controller (PLC) of the vehicle.

[0019] As should be appreciated, even with certain degrees of passenger control, the pre-programmed profiles may appear substantially static. As such, to heighten passenger engagement and amusement, a dynamic ride profile based on a combination of sensed parameters, physics models, game feedback, and passenger interactions may be utilized to render content and adjust the movement of the ride vehicle. As such, the dynamic ride profile enables the ride to provide realistic simulation movements and digitally rendered content that improve passenger engagement and amusement. Moreover, in some embodiments, such dynamic ride profiles may be generated/controlled deterministically (e.g., based on preset parameters) and/or based on an AI machine learning algorithm that defines, at least in part, a path of motion for the ride vehicle.

[0020] In general, dynamic ride profiles and/or passenger control may provide for increased diversity in vehicle movements. Indeed, planar accelerations (e.g., increasing speed, turning, and/or slowing down) of a seating area of a passenger may be part of the ride experience and desirable for passenger enjoyment. However, such diversity, may lead to potential collisions between ride vehicles and/or between a ride vehicle and the environment (e.g., area boundary, show elements, pedestrians, etc.). As such, there may be occasions where sudden stops or other accelerations are desired, such as to prevent or reduce the severity of a collision or other planar (e.g., relative to a seating area of the ride vehicle) motion that is less enjoyable or not enjoyable. Furthermore, even pre-programmed ride paths may be altered (e.g., diverted, slowed, and/or stopped), such as for unexpected or less frequent scenarios (e.g., delays in passenger egress, accommodations of disabilities, ride malfunctions, weather or track conditions, etc.). To help prevent or reduce collisions, the ride vehicle may be equipped with a manual emergency stop (e.g., button or lever), an automated anti-collision system, and/or an automated shutdown sequence, such as if a malfunction, loss of power, or loss of communication is experienced. However, the acceleration (e.g., planar acceleration in a negative/opposite direction relative to the motion of the ride vehicle) experienced due to a collision or the prevention/reduction thereof may itself be uncomfortable, physically or emotionally, for a passenger. For example, a passenger of the ride may have reduced enjoyment or a feeling that the amusement ride is functioning differently than anticipated, if such acceleration is experienced. As discussed herein, accelerations may denote changes in velocity in any direction and may be associated with slowing down (e.g., negative acceleration-deceleration-relative to a previous velocity of the ride vehicle) or speeding up (e.g., positive acceleration) relative to a reference frame. For example, as discussed herein, changes in velocity (e.g., accelerations) may be caused by collisions, which may cause increases (e.g., being hit by another ride vehicle traveling at a higher speed in a given direction) or decreases in the velocity of a ride vehicle, and/or application of controlling aspects of the ride vehicle (e.g., motors, brakes, etc.), such as slowing or turning to avoid a collision with another ride vehicle or portion of the environment. Moreover, in some scenarios, acceleration may be increased in one direction while being decreased in another direction. As should be appreciated, as used herein, accelerations may be considered relative to a reference frame and/or relative to accelerations of other objects in the reference frame or different portions of a ride vehicle.

[0021] As noted above, accelerations (e.g., decelerations) of a certain caliber may be desired for ride authenticity and enjoyment. Furthermore, in some scenarios, collisions may be part of the ride experience, such as in simulated derby racing or bumper cars. However, certain speeds or forces of a collision may be greater than desired and cause physical and/or mental discomfort for a passenger.

[0022] As such, in some embodiments, a ride vehicle may include an acceleration attenuation system that selectively reduces the shock associated with planar acceleration (e.g., deceleration in an x- or y-direction relative to a seating area of the ride vehicle) in scenarios that may cause passenger discomfort. The acceleration attenuation system may sustain certain planer movements in an otherwise unattenuated state to maintain the passenger experience. To this end, in some embodiments, the acceleration attenuation system may include one or more attenuation devices (e.g., springs, shock absorbers, compression systems, hydraulic systems, etc.) that are unactuated, inert, locked, disabled, or otherwise unavailable for attenuating acceleration to a significant degree (e.g., noticeable to the passenger) until a condition arises for enabling the attenuation device. For example, a ride vehicle may include a chassis and a seating area (e.g., a cabin of one or more seats and/or one or more individual seats) coupled thereto, and the chassis and seating area may move together along the ride path (e.g., without or with minimal relative movement) until a condition arises for enabling the attenuation device(s). The attenuation device(s) may be coupled between the seating area and the chassis and unlocked in response to an emergency stop request, collision detection, threshold amount of force, or other condition to enable the attenuation device(s) to reduce the potential or actual relative acceleration between the seating area and the chassis, thereby reducing the potential or actual shock perceived by a passenger. Furthermore, while generally discussed herein in the context of stopping or slowing down (e.g., deceleration) in some embodiments, collisions may cause accelerations corresponding to increases in speed, such as a collision from behind or a lateral impact, and the acceleration attenuation system may also attenuate the forces, and associated accelerations, of such collisions experienced by a seating area of the ride vehicle relative to the forces and accelerations experienced by the chassis of the ride vehicle. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the acceleration attenuation system may be implemented in multiple directions (e.g., laterally and longitudinally) relative to the seating area, which may operate independently. Moreover, the acceleration attenuation system may operate in conjunction with or independent of a vertical attenuation system, such as a typical suspension system.

[0023] Additionally, in some embodiments, the acceleration attenuation system may provide additional buffer against undesirable events (e.g., collisions, perceived forces greater than a threshold, etc.) that would otherwise have to be factored into other aspects of the amusement ride. For example, maximum speeds and minimum distance tolerances between ride vehicles and obstacles (e.g., other ride vehicles, barriers, props, pedestrians, etc.) for an amusement ride, such as set as parameters of a ride profile and/or pre-programmed for a set ride path, may be set based on anticipated impact forces that would be perceived by a passenger in an emergency stop or collision occurrence. However, with the use of an acceleration attenuation system, such impact forces may be reduced (e.g., drawn out over time) for the same occurrence, reducing the perceived accelerations of the passenger. As such, by implementing the acceleration attenuation system, tolerances in speeds and buffer distances may be increased, which may provide increased thrill to the passengers.

[0024] With the foregoing in mind, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a ride system 10. The ride system 10 may include one or more ride vehicles 12 that hold one or more passengers 14. In some embodiments, multiple ride vehicles 12 may be coupled together (e.g., by a linkage 16). In some scenarios, the ride vehicle 12 may travel along a ride path 18 during operation of the ride system 10. The ride path 18 may be any surface on which the ride vehicle 12 travels. For example, the ride path 18 may be defined by a track, a gimbal system, enclosed or pre-defined area, etc. The ride path 18 may or may not dictate the path traveled by the ride vehicle 12. In some embodiments, the ride path 18 may control the movement (e.g., direction, speed, and/or orientation) of the ride vehicle 12 as it progresses along the ride path 18, similar to a train on tracks. In another embodiment, another system may control the path taken by the ride vehicle 12 during operation of the ride system 10. For example, the ride path 18 may be an open surface that allows the passengers 14 to control certain aspects of the movement of the ride vehicle 12 via an interface system of the ride vehicle 12. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the ride vehicles 12 may remain stationary relative to a geographic position and articulate on one or more axes. As such, the ride path 18 may be virtual, and the ride vehicle 12 articulated to simulate motion within or on the ride path 18. As should be appreciated, planer accelerations, relative to a seating area 19 of a ride vehicle 12 may still be exerted on a passenger 14 even if the ride vehicle 12 is upon a gimbal, such as being accelerated via gravity while at an incline relative to the force of gravity. Moreover, the ride system 10 may include any suitable number of ride vehicles 12, and each ride vehicle 12 may accommodate any suitable number of passengers 14, such as via one or more seating areas 19. In the illustrated embodiment, the seating area includes an acceleration attenuation system in accordance with present embodiments, as will be discussed further below.

[0025] It should be appreciated that the embodiment of the ride system 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 is a simplified representation intended to provide context and facilitate discussion of the presently disclosed techniques. Other embodiments of the ride system 10, including the ride vehicle 12, the ride path 18, and so forth, may include similar and/or different elements or configurations. For example, while the illustrated embodiment depicts the ride vehicles 12 traveling along the ride path 18 that is positioned beneath the ride vehicles 12, other embodiments of the ride system 10 may include ride vehicles 12 that are suspended from a ride path 18 positioned above the ride vehicles 12.

[0026] FIG. 2 is a hybrid schematic and block diagram representation of the ride system 10 including the ride vehicle 12 coupled to a control system 20. Each ride vehicle 12 may include a number of input and/or output (I/O) devices 22, an acceleration attenuation system 24, one or more sensors 26, and/or one or more controllers. For example, the controllers may include, but are not limited to, one or more movement controllers (e.g., a speed controller 28 and rotational controller 30) and/or a main controller 32 such as a programmable logic controller (PLC). As should be appreciated, each controller may include individual or shared processing circuitry 34 and memory 36. Moreover, the sensors 26 may include positional sensors (e.g., proximity detectors, radio-frequency identification (RFID) sensors, cameras, radar sensors, optical sensors, and/or light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensors), velocimeters, accelerometers, gyroscopes, revolutions per minute (RPM) sensors, voltage/current sensors, or any other suitable sensor capable of measuring a parameter of the vehicles 12, the passengers 14 (e.g., head or eye movement), and/or the ride system 10. Moreover, the sensors may be located within the ride vehicle 12 or at a position external to the ride vehicle 12, such as on or alongside the ride path 18.

[0027] In some embodiments, the I/O devices 22 may include any suitable number of output devices such as displays (e.g., mounted to the interior of the vehicles, head-mounted displays), speakers, haptic feedback devices (e.g., rumble/vibration feedback devices, acoustic or ultrasonic haptic devices), and/or physical effects devices (e.g., devices that generate hot or cold bursts of air, devices that generate bursts of mist). Moreover, in some embodiments, the I/O devices 22 may at least partially surround the passenger(s) such as to provide a more immersive experience. Additionally or alternatively, the I/O devices 22 may be disposed external to the ride vehicle 12. As should be appreciated, each of the ride vehicles 12 may include other suitable I/O devices 22, or other combinations of I/O devices 22, in conjunction with the present disclosure. Furthermore, the I/O devices 22 may include any suitable number of input devices, such as buttons (e.g., ignition buttons), steering devices (e.g., steering wheels, joysticks), control pedals (e.g., brake pedals, accelerator pedals, clutch pedals, etc.), knobs, levers, (e.g., gear shifts, brake levers, etc.), and/or other physical media. Additionally or alternatively, the I/O devices 22 may include head and/or eye tracking systems that monitor the passenger's head and/or eye position to determine a direction of attention and/or field of view. As should be appreciated, each of the ride vehicles 12 may include other I/O devices 22, or other combinations of I/O devices 22, in conjunction with the present disclosure. In certain embodiments, each of the passengers 14 may have a respective set of I/O devices 22, while in other embodiments, each of the passengers 14 may have complementary portions of I/O devices 22 (e.g., that are used in a cooperative manner) or shared I/O devices 22.

[0028] Additionally, the ride system 10 may include a control system 20 for controlling movement of the ride vehicle 12 in accordance with a dynamic ride profile. More specifically, the illustrated control system 20 includes a dynamic ride profile server 38, a game server 40, and may be communicatively coupled to the controller 32 of the ride vehicle 12 (e.g., via a network 42). As should be appreciated, the network 42 may utilize any suitable wired or wireless connection to provide communications between the ride vehicle 12 and the control system 20. Furthermore, while discussed herein as utilized in conjunction with a dynamic ride profile, embodiments of the present disclosure, such as the acceleration attenuation system, may be utilized in any suitable ride vehicle 12 having fixed or variable ride paths 18.

[0029] The game server 40, as used herein, refers to a computing device or a collection of computing devices (e.g., physical computing devices or virtual computing nodes) generally responsible for managing a video game aspect of the ride system 10. As such, the game server 40 may be programmed to generate a virtual environment (e.g., a virtual 3D space) in which virtual vehicles are designed to move. Moreover, the virtual vehicle, as used herein, refers to a video game entity or element of the virtual environment that has particular attributes (e.g., speed, position, health/damage, fuel, appearance) that are maintained by the game server 40. For example, a virtual vehicle may be associated with a physical ride vehicle 12. In certain embodiments, additional virtual vehicles (e.g., non-playable characters/vehicles) may be present within the virtual environment as well.

[0030] In some embodiments, passengers 14 may be presented with an augmented or completely virtual environment 44 including digital and/or physical content within or external to the ride vehicle 12. For example, in some embodiments, the ride system 10 may be a racing simulator, and, as such, the game server 40 may generate and maintain a virtual environment that represents the nature of the race track that virtual vehicles are traversing, the relative speed and position of the virtual vehicles, interactions between the virtual vehicles, attributes (e.g., performance upgrades, health, bonuses, scores, etc.) associated with the virtual vehicles, and so forth. As should be appreciated, while the environment perceived by a passenger 14 may be completely virtual, movement of the ride vehicle 12 may still occur, such as via a gimble, track system, etc. As such, acceleration attenuations may still be relevant, even in completely virtual environments 44.

[0031] The game content may be generated and/or altered based on a pre-designed program (e.g., the overarching game) as well as inputs from the I/O devices 22 and/or sensors 26. Furthermore, the game content (e.g., video content, audio content) delivered to the ride vehicles 12 may be output by the I/O devices 22 to yield at least a portion of the environment 44 that is presented to the passengers 14. For example, in one embodiment, video content presented by display devices of the ride vehicle 12 to a particular passenger 14 includes content, that corresponds to a perspective view of the particular passenger 14, generated within the virtual environment hosted by the game server 40. As should be appreciated, the environment 44 may be a virtual environment (e.g., displayed entirely via digital media), a physical environment (e.g., physical and/or mechanical surroundings), or a combination thereof (e.g., a virtually augmented physical environment).

[0032] The dynamic ride profile server 38, as used herein, refers to a computing device or a collection of computing devices (e.g., physical computing devices or virtual computing nodes) generally responsible for determining how the physical ride vehicle 12 should move based on a number of different input data and one or more physics models. As discussed, the input data may include information received from the game server 40 that indicates or describes what is happening to each corresponding virtual vehicle in the virtual environment, such as how the virtual vehicles respond to textures or interactions within the game. For example, inclines of a race track, environmental hazards (e.g., rain, standing water, ice), and interactions between virtual vehicles may be factored into determining how the ride vehicle 12 should move. Additionally, in certain embodiments, the dynamic ride profile server 38 receives input data from the I/O devices 22 and/or various sensors 26 of the ride system 10. In some embodiments, the dynamic ride profile server 38 provides the received data as inputs to one or more physical models that describe how the physical ride vehicles 12 should move to correspond with what is happening in the environment 44 that is presented to the passengers 14. Additionally, in some embodiments, the determination of how the ride vehicle 12 should move may include determining whether an obstacle (e.g., wall, other ride vehicle 12, etc.) is in a projected ride path 18. In some embodiments, the dynamic ride profile server 38, game server 40, or other aspect of the control system 20 may change the ride path 18 to avoid such obstacle and/or activate the acceleration attenuation system 24 to reduce the acceleration perceived by a passenger 14. In this manner, the dynamic ride profile server 38 generates a dynamic ride profile that instructs each of the ride vehicles 12 how to move to match what is being presented to the passengers 14 by the game server 40.

[0033] In certain embodiments, the dynamic ride profile server 38, the game server 40, and/or control system aspects of the acceleration attenuation system 24 may be hosted by distinct physical computing devices, or may exist as virtual server instances hosted by a common physical computing device. As should be appreciated, the one or more computing devices that host the dynamic ride profile server 38, the game server 40, and/or control system aspects of the acceleration attenuation system 24 may generally include any suitable memory 36 (e.g., a non-transitory computer readable medium) capable of storing instructions and data, as well as any suitable processing circuitry 34 capable of executing the stored instructions to provide the functionality set forth herein.

[0034] It may be appreciated that, in certain embodiments, a ride path 18 may be loosely defined by a set of physical and virtual boundaries, enabling greater freedom of movement for the ride vehicles 12 than a traditional track. Accordingly, in addition to producing effects in the environment 44 that is presented to the passengers 14, the I/O devices 22 may also trigger real-world effects such as changing the operation (e.g., position, velocity, or orientation) of the vehicles 12 within a predefined set of limits. For example, the dynamic ride profile server 38 may provide control signals to one or more movement controllers (e.g., the speed controller 28 and/or rotational controller 30) to modify vehicle yaw 46, tilt angle 48, ride path location (e.g., displacement 50 along the ride path 18 or lateral displacement 52 with respect to boundaries of the ride path 18), speed (e.g., rate of change in a planar direction such as displacement 50 and/or lateral displacement 52), and/or rotational rate (e.g., rate of change in yaw 46 and/or tilt angle 48), or any other suitable parameter of the ride vehicle 12, in accordance with a physics-based dynamic ride profile that takes passenger inputs into account. That is, embodiments of the dynamic ride profile server 38 can provide control signals to modify one or more aspects of a position and/or orientation of the ride vehicle 12 along the ride path 18 along one or more axes (e.g., along six degrees of freedom). This generally enables the ride vehicles 12 to move in a manner that is consistent with what is being presented in the environment 44, producing an immersive experience for the passengers 14.

[0035] Additionally, in some embodiments, the control system 20 may monitor the sensors 26 or other I/O devices 22 (e.g., emergency stop button, all-stop network signal, etc.) to determine if a collision is likely to occur or is occurring and activate the acceleration attenuation system 24 accordingly. For example, the control system may activate the acceleration attenuation system 24 in response to a local stop control signal (e.g., from an I/O device 22 accessible to a passenger), a network stop control signal (e.g., from within the control system 20 and/or an I/O device 22 external to the ride vehicle 12), and/or in response to receiving input data from one or more accelerometers indicative of forces being exerted to cause seats 54 of the seating area 19 and/or the ride vehicle 12 as a whole to accelerate in one or more planar directions (e.g., relative to a plane of the seating area 19) above a threshold amount of acceleration, relative to a reference frame. In response to determining that the threshold amount has been or is estimated to be met, the control system 20 may activate one or more attenuation devices 56 of the acceleration attenuation system 24 to minimize the perceived forces on the passenger(s) 14. As should be appreciated, the threshold amount of acceleration (or force), either actual or estimated for a future time (e.g., due to an impending impact), may be dynamically settable by the control system 20. For example, at times where the ride vehicle is expected to accelerate due to normal operation of the ride vehicle 12, the tolerances of the thresholds may be increased. Furthermore, in some embodiments, threshold accelerations associated with increases in speed and decreases in speed may be set independently. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the causes of accelerations, such as impacts or simple changes in direction or speed associated with the ride vehicle 12 following the ride path 18, may dynamically change the thresholds. For example, the control system 20 may determine that an acceleration is due to an impact and lower the threshold acceleration to enable the acceleration attenuation system 24, whereas the same amount of acceleration due to the ride vehicle 12 in another scenario would not activate the acceleration attenuation system 24.

[0036] As discussed herein, one or more attenuation devices 56 may be coupled to or disposed in the seating area 19, such as coupled to one or more seats 54. Furthermore, the control system 20 may apply braking to mitigate or avoid a collision, and if the braking action is determined to achieve a force greater than a threshold (e.g., by direct measurement or estimated based on an amount of braking application or available braking distance), the control system 20 may activate one or more attenuation devices 56 of the acceleration attenuation system 24 to minimize the perceived forces (e.g., accelerations) on the passenger(s) 14. Moreover, while discussed herein in the context of a combined control system 20, in some embodiments, the acceleration attenuation system 24 may include a separate (e.g., independent) control system 20 implemented, at least partially, within the ride vehicle 12.

[0037] As discussed above, the acceleration attenuation system 24 may be utilized to selectively reduce the acceleration perceived by a passenger 14 in response to one or more conditions (e.g., collision, collision avoidance, emergency stop, etc.) that may cause discomfort due to forces for stopping, slowing down, or speeding of up the ride vehicle, such as in an impact. As such, in some embodiments, the acceleration attenuation system 24 may provide acceleration attenuation on the seating area 19 of the ride vehicle 12 compared to the acceleration of the chassis 58 of the ride vehicle 12, such that the one or more seats 54 exhibit a shear motion 60 relative to the chassis 58 of the ride vehicle 12, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The shear motion 60 may be controlled via one or more attenuation devices 56 to dampen the impact perceived by a passenger 14 within the seating area 19. In other words, the acceleration of the seating area 19 may be attenuated relative to the acceleration of the chassis 58 (e.g., for a given reference frame). For example, while the chassis 58 of the ride vehicle 12 may come to a stop more quickly (e.g., have a higher amount of acceleration relative to a reference frame), such as due to sudden braking or a collision, the seating area 19 may experience less acceleration (e.g., attenuated acceleration relative to the acceleration of the chassis 58 within the reference frame) than that of the chassis 58 by drawing out the change in velocity over a longer period of time and/or distance, thus reducing the acceleration experienced by the passenger(s). Moreover, by attenuating the acceleration of the seating area 19, relative to that of the chassis 58, the peak acceleration (e.g., over a period of time) experienced by the seating area 19 may be reduced (e.g., to a more comfortable level) compared to the peak acceleration experienced by the chassis 58. As should be appreciated, the velocities and accelerations of the seating area 19 and the chassis 58 discussed herein are considered in light of an inertial reference frame and, therefore, may also be compared relative to one another. Moreover, as used herein, comparisons (e.g., greater than or less than) between accelerations should be understood to be comparisons in magnitude for a given direction.

[0038] In some embodiments, the acceleration attenuation system 24 may include one or more attenuation devices 56 directly between a seat 54 and the chassis 58, as shown in FIG. 3. Additionally or alternatively, the acceleration attenuation system 24 (FIG. 2) may implement one or more attenuation devices 56 between a cabin 62 of the ride vehicle 12 and the chassis 58, as shown in FIG. 4. For example, in some embodiments, one or more seats 54 may be mounted to a floor 64 of the cabin 62, and the entire cabin 62 may exhibit the reduced acceleration of the acceleration attenuation system 24. As should be appreciated, in some embodiments, the seat(s) may be mounted to the cabin 62 via one or more rigid affixments 66 (e.g., bolts, welds, fasteners, etc.), or additional attenuation devices 56. Moreover, in some embodiments, an acceleration attenuation system 24 between seats 54 and a cabin 62 mounted to a chassis 58 via another attenuation system 24 (e.g., another attenuation device 56) may have different or the same thresholds and/or conditions for activation.

[0039] As discussed herein, in some embodiments, the acceleration attenuation system 24 may be independent of a suspension system (e.g., shock absorber system), such as between the cabin 62 and the chassis 58 and/or between the chassis 58 and portions of a drive system 68 thereof and operate to attenuate forces in different directions. For example, typical suspension systems may operate to attenuate impacts parallel to a z-direction 70, while the acceleration attenuation system 24 may operate to attenuate impacts parallel to an x-direction 72 and/or y-direction 74. However, as should be appreciated, in some embodiments, the acceleration attenuation system 24 may be implemented with or as part of a suspension system to selectively attenuate impacts parallel to the z-direction 70. Additionally, as should be appreciated, the drive system 68 may be any suitable drive system 68, including rails, wheels, tracks, etc.

[0040] As depicted in FIGS. 3 and 4, the ride vehicle 12 may include the one or more sensors 26 and/or the control system 20 (or portion thereof) to control the attenuation devices 56. Indeed, the sensors 26 may be disposed on the cabin 62, the seats 54, the chassis 58, or any combination thereof to obtain information regarding conditions that would trigger activation of the attenuation device(s) 56. For example, the control system 20 may determine that a collision is occurring, that heavy braking is occurring, and/or estimate that a future collision is about to occur (e.g., within a period of time into the future) to trigger the attenuation device(s) 56. In some embodiments, estimations may be made based on sensor data and a statistical analysis may be performed to determine if a collision is likely to occur, and one or more attenuation devices 56 may be activated in response to a likelihood of exceeding a threshold. Moreover, as should be appreciated, each seat 54 may be associated with its own attenuation device 56 or multiple attenuation devices 56 and/or a single attenuation device 56 or group of attenuation devices 56 may be associated with a respective group of seats 54, such as via the cabin 62.

[0041] As discussed above, in some scenarios, an unintended and/or sudden change in velocity may present as uncomfortable to the passenger 14, physically and/or emotionally, but intentional accelerations, if muted, may diminish the realism and/or enjoyment of the ride system 10. As such, the acceleration attenuation system 24 may provide a mechanism (e.g., attenuation device 56) for selectively reducing the shock of sudden accelerations of a ride vehicle 12 according to certain parameters. To help illustrate, FIG. 5 is an example attenuation device 56 disposed between a seat 54 or cabin 62 and a chassis 58 of a ride vehicle 12. In general, the attenuation device 56 may include a static portion 80 affixed to the chassis 58 and an attenuation portion 82, affixed to the seat 54 and/or cabin 62. Additionally, the attenuation device 56 may include a locking mechanism 84 to selectively allow or disallow the seat 54 or cabin 62 to translate in a planar direction (e.g., x-direction 72 or y-direction 74). In other words, the locking mechanism 84 may maintain the static portion 80 and attenuation portion 82 at the same relative positions until the attenuation device 56 is activated/enabled.

[0042] Additionally, in some embodiments, a track system 86 may provide for stabilized translation in a planar direction by securing the seat 54 or cabin 62 in the z-direction 70 relative to the chassis 58. As should be appreciated, any suitable track system 86 or other z-direction securement may be utilized depending on implementation. Moreover, if the attenuation device 56 is intended for a single planar direction (e.g., x-direction 72), the track system 86 may also secure the seat 54 or cabin 62 in an orthogonal planar direction (e.g., y-direction 74) relative to the chassis 58. Moreover, in some embodiments, multiple attenuation devices 56 may be utilized for multiple different planar directions (e.g., x-direction 72 and y-direction 74) and the track system 86 may be articulatable in the multiple different planar directions. Additionally, in some embodiments, an attenuation device 56 may be implemented vertically, for selective attenuation in the z-direction 70.

[0043] The attenuation device 56 may be any suitable force attenuator, such as a spring-damper system, hydraulic shock absorber (e.g., pneumatic based, dual-phase fluid based, liquid based, magnetorheological fluid based, etc.), foam padded impact absorber, or any combination thereof. For example, the attenuator portion 82 may be a hydraulic arm and the static portion 80 may be a hydraulic cylinder, or vice versa. In some embodiments, such as in the case of a hydraulic attenuation device 56, the control system 20 may control a hydraulic pump to adjust the amount of attenuation (e.g., force-time/distance). Additionally or alternatively, a magnetorheological fluid may be utilized, and the control system 20 may change the viscosity of the magnetorheological fluid, such as based on an applied magnetic field (e.g., of an electromagnet) due to an electrical current, to thereby adjust the amount of attenuation. Furthermore, the amount of attenuation may be based on a weight of a load (e.g., passenger 14 (FIG. 1) and/or seat 54 and/or cabin 62), a speed of the ride vehicle 12, a distance to nearby obstacles, and/or other factors depending on implementation. Moreover, in some embodiments, each passenger 14 may select a harshness parameter depending on personal preference for more vivid or smooth impacts during the ride experience.

[0044] In some embodiments, the locking mechanism 84 may be a locking pin 88 that secures the attenuation portion 82 to the static portion 80. As should be appreciated, the locking pin 88 or other locking mechanism 84 may be implemented between any suitable structures of the seat/cabin 54, 62 and chassis 58 to retain rigidity therebetween until the attenuation device 56 is activated. In some embodiments, the locking pin 88 may be a shear pin that is intended to break when a shear force 90 exceeds a threshold amount. When the forces exceed the threshold, the locking pin 88 may shear or overcome biasing forces to allow the attenuation portion 82 to articulate relative to the static portion 80. Additionally or alternatively, a ball-and-spring detent mechanism that is intended to release when the shear force 90 exceeds a threshold amount. For example, a spring-loaded ball mechanism may be mechanically coupled to the seat/cabin 54, 62, such as via the attenuation portion 82, and the ball may be biased into a detent formed in a member (e.g., static portion 80) of the chassis 58 such that relative planar movement between the seat/cabin 54, 62 and the chassis 58 is restrained at shear forces 90 less than a threshold. Moreover, at shear forces 90 greater than the threshold, the shear force 90 may be transformed into the z-direction 70 (e.g., via the ball and detent), and the spring biasing of the spring-loaded ball mechanism may be overcome, allowing the ball to retract into the ball-and-spring mechanism while moving out of the detent, and allowing planar motion (e.g., motion in the x-direction 72 and/or motion in the y-direction 74) of the seat/cabin 54, 62 relative to the chassis 58. Additionally, in some embodiments, the detent may form a graduated detent throughout a range of relative motion between the seat/cabin 54, 62 and the chassis 58 such that the ball-and-spring detent mechanism as a whole attenuates, with increasing force at greater displacements, the relative motion with a restoring force being maintained back to the original relative positioning. As should be appreciated, the spring-loaded ball mechanism may be coupled to the seat/cabin 54, 62 and the detent disposed on a member of the chassis 58 or vice versa. As such, the attenuation device 56 may remain static, allowing for unattenuated acceleration until the forces are greater than a threshold that would be uncomfortable for a passenger 14.

[0045] Additionally or alternatively, the locking pin 88 may be selectively released by the control system 20, such as by an actuator (e.g., electrical actuator, hydraulic actuator, etc.). In some embodiments, the control system 20 may release the locking pin 88 at a shear force 90 less than that which would break the locking pin 88 and/or overcome a biasing force (e.g., of a spring-loaded ball and detent mechanism), and the shearing of the locking pin 88 and/or overcoming of the biasing force may be a mechanical backup to the control system 20. Additionally or alternatively, the viscosity of a magnetorheological fluid of the attenuation device 56 may be maintained at a level unsuitable to provide movement (e.g., perceivable movement by a passenger 14) between the attenuation portion 82 and the static portion 80 until such a time that attenuation is desired (e.g., as determined via the control system 20). For example, if the control system 20 determines (e.g., via one or more sensors 26) that a collision that is likely to be uncomfortable to a passenger 14 is imminent, the viscosity of the magnetorheological fluid may be changed to allow for movement and attenuation.

[0046] As discussed above, the control system 20 may selectively activate the attenuation devices 56 to reduce the likelihood of a passenger 14 perceiving forces greater than a threshold amount. In some embodiments, after an attenuation event (e.g., activation of the attenuation device(s) 56), the control system 20 may determine that no additional attenuation is necessary. For example, after the ride vehicle 12 has come to a stop (e.g., is at rest) and/or a collision is mitigated, further attenuation or relative movement between the seat/cabin 54, 62 and the chassis 58 may be disabled by reengaging the locking mechanism 84 and/or via a pawl and rachet mechanism. For example, the control system 20 may motivate (e.g., via an actuator) the locking pin 88 to a locked position and/or a pawl and rachet mechanism may restrain further movement at the displaced location of the seat/cabin 54, 62, relative to the chassis 58. Additionally or alternatively, a ball-and-spring mechanism of the locking pin 88 may reengage a detent at the original relative position of the seat/cabin 54, 62 and the chassis 58 or engage a secondary detent at a displaced location to restrain additional relative planar movement. In some embodiments, the attenuation device(s) 56 may include a restoring mechanism (e.g., springs, hydraulics, etc.) to exhibit a restoring force to return the attenuation portion 82 to its starting position. In some embodiments, such restoring force may be integral to the ball-and-spring detent mechanism, such via a gradient in the detent over the distance of the relative displacement biasing the ball-and-spring mechanism of the locking pin 88 to the original relative position. Moreover, in some embodiments, the locking mechanism 84 may be reengaged to retain the attenuation device 56 in a ready position for a future attenuation event.

[0047] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an example process 100 for selectively attenuating acceleration (e.g., deceleration or impact acceleration) via the acceleration attenuation system 24. In some embodiments, the acceleration attenuation system 24, such as via the control system 20, may receive user preference data (process block 102), for example to set parameters regarding an amount of attenuation and/or a threshold amount of force or acceleration that may trigger an attenuation event. As should be appreciated, the user preference data may be preset and/or passenger configurable, at least in part. Moreover, in some embodiments, the acceleration attenuation system 24, such as via the control system, may receive sensor data (e.g., from one or more sensors 26) and/or I/O data (e.g. from one or more I/O devices 22) from which to obtain a state of operations of the ride vehicle 12 and/or the ride system 10 (process block 104). As should be appreciated, the received data may include real-time data regarding the state of the ride vehicle 12 and/or network data or instructional data from one or more controllers (e.g., control system 20) of the ride system 10, such as an emergency stop command. The acceleration attenuation system 24 may also determine whether to activate one or more attenuation devices 56 based on the sensor data and/or the I/O data (process block 106). For example, the control system 20 may analyze the sensor data to determine an imminent collision and determine to activate the attenuation device(s) 56. In response to the determination, the acceleration attenuation system 24 may send control signals to implement (e.g., activate) the attenuation device(s) 56 (process block 108). Indeed, the acceleration attenuation system 24 may send control signals to unlock a locking mechanism 84 (process block 110) and/or send control signals to the attenuation device(s) 56 designating an amount of attenuation to provide (process block 112). For example, the acceleration attenuation system 24 may send control signals to lower the viscosity of a magnetorheological fluid in a hydraulic cylinder (e.g., by changing the magnetic field therein) of an attenuation device 56 to allow for increased movement of the hydraulic cylinder. Moreover, the control signals may set the viscosity of the magnetorheological fluid based on a desired amount of attenuation. In some embodiments, the acceleration attenuation system 24 may continually monitor the sensor data and/or preference data to determine if the attenuation device(s) 56 are still necessary (process block 114), such as even after the control signals to implement the attenuation devices 56 have been sent. For example, if the conditions are such that attenuation is still desired, the motion of the seating area 19 of the passengers 14 may be attenuated (process block 116). However, if it is determined that the attenuation devices 56 are no longer necessary, such as after attenuation has occurred and/or if the conditions causing the implementation of the attenuation device(s) 56 have changed, control signals may be sent to relock and/or reset the attenuation device(s) 56 (process block 118), such as via relocking the locking mechanism 84 and/or by resetting an attenuation setting of the attenuation device(s) 56. As should be appreciated, once the attenuation device(s) 56 are relocked or reset, the acceleration attenuation system 24 may return to monitoring the preference data and sensor data (e.g., process blocks 102, 104).

[0048] As discussed herein, the acceleration attenuation system 24 may provide a mechanism (e.g., attenuation device 56) for selectively (e.g., via a locking mechanism 84) reducing the shock of sudden accelerations of a ride vehicle 12 according to certain parameters. Moreover, such selective attenuation may be beneficial in increasing passenger comfort, confidence, and enjoyment in the ride experience. While only certain features have been illustrated and described herein, many modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of the disclosure. Furthermore, although the above referenced flowcharts are shown in a given order, in certain embodiments, process blocks may be reordered, altered, deleted, and/or occur simultaneously. Additionally, the referenced flowcharts are given as illustrative tools and further decision and process blocks may also be added depending on implementation.

[0049] The techniques presented and claimed herein are referenced and applied to material objects and concrete examples of a practical nature that demonstrably improve the present technical field and, as such, are not abstract, intangible or purely theoretical. Further, if any claims appended to the end of this specification contain one or more elements designated as means for [perform]ing [a function] . . . or step for [perform]ing [a function] . . . , it is intended that such elements are to be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112 (f). However, for any claims containing elements designated in any other manner, it is intended that such elements are not to be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f).