System and method for monitoring queue characteristics and initiating adjustments

Abstract

A queue control system controls a queue structure of a queue in an amusement park. The queue control system includes a controller and a queue structure control device associated with the queue structure. The controller receives data feedback indicating queue characteristics from an input device that monitors queue characteristics of the queue. The queue characteristics indicate queue length, queue waiting time, queue rate, or queue throughput. The controller also outputs a control command based on the data feedback. The queue structure control device receives the control command and changes at least one aspect of the queue structure based on the control command.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 979,311, filed on February 20, 2020, entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MONITORING QUEUE CHARACTERISTICS AND INITIATING ADJUSTMENTS,” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes. Background Art

[0003] This section is intended to introduce the reader to various technical aspects that may be related to various aspects of the current technology, which are described and / or claimed below. This discussion is considered to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be understood that these statements are to be read from this perspective, rather than as an admission of the prior art.

[0004] Since the beginning of the twentieth century, amusement parks (e.g., theme parks) have grown significantly in popularity. Therefore, with respect to amusement parks, demand has increased, and competition has increased accordingly. Therefore, it is ideal to add more entertaining and interactive attractions to amusement parks. Attracting customers throughout their time at the amusement park is a major priority for amusement park entities. Even though large attractions such as rides and performances tend to increase traffic at the amusement park, it is necessary to keep customers attracted, fascinated, and curious throughout the entire process of their visit to other attractions that can make their experience more memorable. For example, when customers are waiting for various attractions in an attraction queue, it is necessary to keep customers attracted, fascinated, and curious. It is also necessary to maintain certain attraction queue features in an efficient manner, which may be expensive. Thus, it is recognized that technology for improved interaction (such as, improved queue experience and feature control) at an amusement park is ideal. Summary of the invention

[0005] The following is an overview of some of the embodiments disclosed herein. It should be understood that these aspects are merely presented to provide the reader with a brief overview of these certain embodiments, and these aspects are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. In fact, the present disclosure may include various aspects that may not be illustrated below.

[0006] In an embodiment, a queue control system controls a queue structure of a queue in an amusement park. The queue control system includes a controller and a queue structure control device associated with the queue structure. The controller receives data feedback indicating queue characteristics from an input device that monitors queue characteristics of the queue. The queue characteristics indicate queue length, queue waiting time, queue rate, or queue throughput. The controller also outputs a control command based on the data feedback. The queue structure control device receives the control command and changes at least one aspect of the queue structure based on the control command.

[0007] In an embodiment, a queue control system controls a plurality of lights associated with a queue in an amusement park. The queue control system includes a sensor, a controller, and at least one control device corresponding to the plurality of lights. In particular, the sensor monitors a queue characteristic of the queue. The controller receives data feedback from the sensor indicating the queue characteristic, and determines light control of the plurality of lights based on the data feedback indicating the queue characteristic. The controller also outputs a control command indicating the light control. At least one control receives the control command, and performs light control based on the control command to change at least one aspect of the plurality of lights. The at least one aspect of the plurality of lights may include light frequency, light intensity, activation / deactivation sequence, or a combination thereof.

[0008] In an embodiment, one or more non-transitory computer-readable media store instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations. The operations performed by the processor include monitoring queue characteristics of a queue of an amusement park via a sensor. The queue characteristics indicate queue length, queue waiting time, queue rate, or queue throughput. The processor receives data feedback indicating the queue characteristics from the sensor, and determines light control of a plurality of lights associated with the queue based on the data feedback. The processor also outputs control commands indicating light control to a plurality of control devices corresponding to the plurality of lights. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE 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 refer to like parts throughout the drawings, and in which:

[0010] Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a queue control system for controlling features of queue experiences and attraction queues according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0011] Figure 2 The present invention is used to illustrate the embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 A flow chart of a method for controlling the experience and features of an attraction queue by a queue control system;

[0012] Figure 3 It is to illustrate that according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, Figure 1A schematic block diagram of the type of controllable device controlled by the queue control system;

[0013] Figure 4 According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, Figure 1 A schematic side view of a room with a queue control system integrated into a lighting system and / or an audio / visual system;

[0014] Figure 5 According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, Figure 1 A schematic top view of a room for a queue control system integrated into a facility feature of an attraction queue;

[0015] Figure 6 The present invention is used to illustrate the embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 A flowchart of a method for controlling a lighting system and / or an audio / visual system of an attraction queue by a queue control system; and

[0016] Figure 7 The present invention is used to illustrate the embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 A queue control system is a flow chart of a method for controlling a facility feature of an attraction queue. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] One or more specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below. In order to provide a concise description of these embodiments, all features of an actual implementation may not be described in this specification. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, many implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developer's specific goals, which may vary from implementation to implementation, such as compliance with system-related constraints and business-related constraints. In addition, it should be appreciated that such development efforts may be complex and time consuming, but for ordinary technicians who benefit from this disclosure, such development efforts will be nothing more than a routine task of design, fabrication, and manufacturing.

[0018] When introducing elements of various embodiments of the present disclosure, the articles "a," "an," "the," and "said" 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, the term "or" is intended to be inclusive, indicating that A or B includes A alone, B alone, or both A and B.

[0019] Amusement parks (e.g., theme parks) attract groups of customers to the attractions of the amusement park. Amusement parks may have an attraction queue structure to organize customers who wish to participate in a particular attraction. Such a queue structure generally provides a route to the destination (e.g., to the entrance to a ride facility), which may be referred to as the exit of the queue. In fact, after waiting in the queue, customers exit the queue to participate in the attraction, and a queue is formed for the attraction. In the present disclosure, the exit of the queue may also be referred to as the starting point of the queue. This is because the exit or starting point of the queue is where customers begin to organize into rows. Similarly, the end of the queue refers to the entry point of the queue, which may be a considerable distance (e.g., in time or space) from the starting point of the queue, depending on how many customers are in the queue.

[0020] The queue structure (e.g., housing, wall, gate, door, speaker, and television) that can include physical protocols, digital protocols, video protocols, and audio protocols can help organize customers in an orderly manner and attract customers during their waiting time. Based on, for example, attraction requirements and attraction duration (e.g., ride time), the queue waiting time (waiting time) for each attraction may vary from attraction to attraction in duration in an amusement park. Moreover, based on attraction type, attraction location, time of year, etc., the queue structure may vary from attraction to attraction in appearance and / or type. For example, a queue structure including a section where customers are in an external environment may include a sprayer for cooling customers at hot temperatures. Moreover, the queue structure in the water theme section of an amusement park may be completely in an external environment, while the queue structure for roller coaster attractions may include both outdoor sections and indoor sections. Regardless of the type of queue structure, customers who expect to participate in various attractions may have to endure a long waiting time in the queue structure before experiencing the attractions. Waiting customers may be impatient or relatively uninterested, which may affect customer experience. Thus, it is ideal to entertain customers and enhance customer experience in the queue structure.

[0021] The present embodiments relate to a queue control system for a queue structure in an amusement park. The queue control system may include an automation controller (e.g., a programmable logic controller), wherein a processor and a memory of the automation controller operate to control the devices by actuating communicatively coupled devices based on an identified queue characteristic detected by a sensing feature of the queue control system. Specifically, the queue control system may operate one or more controllable devices based on a queue characteristic indicated by an input device (e.g., an image sensor), the input device monitoring a queue in the queue structure. In some embodiments, the queue control system determines a modification to the operation of the controllable device based on a comparison of the queue characteristic indicated by the input device with the queue characteristic mapped in the queue control system (e.g., stored in a memory as a table). When certain queue characteristics are identified, the queue control system may implement an algorithm (e.g., using a lookup table) to identify and initiate a desired operation of the controllable device corresponding to the queue characteristic. In response to determining that a current state (e.g., operation, state) of the controllable device does not correspond to a desired state of the controllable device in view of the detected queue characteristic, the queue control system may cause a state change of the controllable device to meet the desired state corresponding to the detected queue characteristic. For example, the controllable device includes a light source that can be modulated based on queue characteristics (such as queue waiting time and queue flow rate). As a specific example, in response to the queue waiting time decreasing by more than a threshold, the queue control system can increase the variables of operation of the light source (e.g., frequency modulation rate and / or intensity modulation rate), and / or in response to the queue waiting time increasing by more than a threshold, the queue control system can reduce the variables of operation. Other lighting effects are also envisioned and will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In general, the light source can be modulated based on the queue characteristics indicated by the input device to provide an experience customized for the characteristics of the queue at a given time.

[0022] The queue control provided by the current embodiments enhances the customer experience and improves computer system operation by making operational changes efficient and accessible to human operators. As an example, the queue control system can improve the efficiency of operating a queue by adjusting special aspects or energy consumption based on one or more queue input characteristics. For example, if the queue control system determines that the queue length is short, the queue control system can control certain queue structures to be closed, such as rooms, room segments, and corresponding energy consumption characteristics (e.g., lighting, heating, ventilation, and / or air conditioning [HVAC] characteristics). These aspects and other aspects will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0023] Go to the attached picture, Figure 11 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a queue control system 10. The illustrated queue control system 10 includes a controller 12, an input device 14, a controllable device 16, and a control device 17 (e.g., an actuator). The control device 17, which may be integral with the controllable device 16, represents a feature or set of features for controlling (e.g., starting, managing) the operation of the controllable device 16. It should be noted that the controller 12, the input device 14, the controllable device 16, and the control device 17 each represent any number of such features that can operate together according to the present embodiment. The controller 12, which is communicatively coupled to the input device 14 and the controllable device 16, receives input (e.g., data feedback) from the input device 14 and sends output to the controllable device 16. The controller 12 may determine the output based on an algorithm that processes the input. For example, the controller 12 includes computer-readable instructions stored in a memory 18 (e.g., a non-transitory, tangible, and computer-readable medium / memory circuit system) and a processor 20 that executes the instructions, and the processor 20 may be operated to implement the algorithm. More specifically, the memory 18 may include volatile memory such as random access memory (RAM) and / or non-volatile memory such as read-only memory (ROM). The memory 18 may store a wide variety of information and may be used for various purposes related to determining output commands to the controllable device 16. Moreover, the memory 18 may store processor-executable instructions, such as firmware or software, for execution by the processor 20. The memory 18 may include ROM, flash memory, a hard drive, or any other suitable optical storage medium, magnetic storage medium, or solid-state storage medium, or a combination thereof. The memory 18 may store data, instructions, and any other suitable data. For example, the memory 18 may include a mapping of queue characteristics (e.g., queue length) to desired operations or operation values ​​(e.g., on, off, modulation) of the controllable device 16. The mapping may be utilized in determining control parameters (e.g., set points or operation values) for the controllable device 16. For example, the controller may determine the control parameters by cross-referencing the values ​​of the data feedback with the preferred control parameters. In operation, the processor 20 executes instructions on the memory 18 to generate control commands and / or provide the control commands to the controllable device 16. Processor 20 is any suitable processor capable of executing instructions for implementing the presently disclosed techniques, such as a general purpose processor, a system on a chip (SoC) device, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or some other similar processor configuration.

[0024] The input device 14 may be one or more sensors (e.g., image sensors, cameras) disposed in various locations in or near a queue or queue structure to monitor queue characteristics, which may include, among others, queue length, queue flow rate (e.g., throughput), queue waiting time, and queue location. As disclosed herein, a queue may correspond to a row or sequence of groups and / or individuals in a queue structure. As disclosed herein, a queue structure may correspond to a physical protocol, a digital protocol, a video protocol, and an audio protocol configured to be regulated or utilized in a queue. For example, a queue structure may include one or more gates, walls, or metal bars that may be used to direct individuals or groups in a queue. The queue structure may also include a projector, a speaker, a display, and the like for providing guidance and entertainment. The queue length may correspond to the number of people or distances in a queue. The queue waiting time may correspond to the amount of time it takes for a person (or group) to enter and exit a queue, whereby exiting a queue occurs at the beginning of a queue (i.e., a queue generally operates according to a first-in, first-out rule). Thus, the queue waiting time for a person occupying a position in a queue may generally be related to the occupied position. That is, people who occupy positions farther from the starting point of the queue may have longer queue waiting times than people who occupy positions closer to the starting point of the queue. Queue flow rate (e.g., throughput, queue rate) may correspond to the amount of distance traveled by individuals and / or groups in the queue divided by the amount of time spent passing the distance. Additionally or alternatively, queue flow rate may refer to the number of individuals and / or groups entering or exiting a queue within a period of time. In fact, queue flow rate may correspond to the amount of individuals exiting and / or entering a queue within a given period of time divided by the period of time. In some embodiments, queue flow rate may correspond to the number of people crossing any point of the queue structure within a certain amount of time divided by the certain amount of time. Moreover, in some embodiments, queue waiting time may correspond to the waiting time associated with a specific position in the queue. That is, the queue waiting time for a specific person or group in the queue may correspond to the predicted time based on the number of people before the specific person or group in the queue divided by the queue flow rate.

[0025] The queue location may correspond to the location of the queue structure (e.g., inside, outside, near water). In some embodiments, the queue location may correspond to a section of the queue structure occupied by the queue. In fact, the queue location may correspond to the location of any position occupied by the queue within the queue structure. Moreover, the queue location may correspond to a specific location where the queue generally terminates. The input device 14 generally monitors queue characteristics, such as those described above, and provides feedback to the controller 12. Moreover, in some embodiments, the input device 14 may include an operator interface, which manually receives input from an operator via a graphical user interface coupled to the operator interface, wherein the manual input corresponds to any queue characteristic in the queue characteristics described above. It should be noted that based on the correlation with other queue characteristics, the queue characteristics can be distinguished from other detectable conditions. In fact, the queue characteristics can specifically exclude measurements that do not indicate a queue. For example, by detecting and confirming the correlation with other measured features, the queue length can be distinguished from a single individual or group standing in a specific location. Specifically, for example, when there is a large gap between a single individual and a group of individuals detected as standing in close proximity along the queue path, the queue length will not be determined by the single individual based on identifying the individual as an outlier. As another example, movement (or lack of movement) through the queue can also be used to detect such outliers.

[0026] Based at least in part on the queue characteristics received from the input device 14, the controller 12 transmits a control command (e.g., output, queue control command) to the controllable device 16. Specifically, the controller 12 may transmit the control command to a control device 17 (e.g., a queue structure control device) coupled to the controllable device 16, and cause the control device 17 to execute instructions corresponding to the control command. The control command may correspond to an instruction that, when executed, causes one or more functions or aspects of the controllable device 16 to be enabled, started, disabled, disabled, modulated, actuated, etc. The controllable device 16 may include a device configured to entertain patrons in the queue, inform patrons in the queue, provide structure to the queue structure, and / or control environmental conditions in the queue structure. In fact, modifying one or more states of the controllable device 16 based on the input received from the input device 14 may cause modification of one or more physical, digital, video, and / or audio aspects of the queue environment (e.g., the queue structure). As will be discussed later, in some embodiments, controller 12 may receive input from multiple input devices 14 and / or different types of input devices 14 and may also output control commands to multiple controllable devices 16 simultaneously or in a sequence.

[0027] Figure 2is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a method 30 for executing aspects including the output of queue control commands to change the queue structure. The method 30 may be performed by Figure 1 The method 30 includes receiving (box 32) input parameters indicating queue characteristics at a controller and from an input device. The input device may be communicatively coupled to the controller. As previously described, the input device may include a camera, a sensor, and the like. Moreover, the queue characteristics may include queue length, queue flow rate, queue waiting time, and queue location. Based on the input parameters, the controller may determine (box 34) a queue control command. For example, the controller may enter the input indicating the queue characteristics into an algorithm that determines the queue control command based at least in part on the input indicating the queue characteristics. As described in detail below, the queue control command, when executed, may change aspects of the queue environment by changing (e.g., altering, modifying, activating, deactivating, updating) aspects of a controllable device, the controllable device being within the queue environment, or being configured to adjust one or more aspects of the queue environment or a device within the queue environment.

[0028] The method 30 also includes outputting (block 36) queue control commands from the controller to the controllable device. The queue control commands may include computer-readable instructions that may cause one or more aspects of the controllable device to change, and the computer-readable instructions may also cause one or more aspects of the queue structure to change. The queue control commands may also include control signals (e.g., digital signals, 4 to 20 mA signals) that cause responses in the controllable device to implement discrete and / or analog control. As previously described, the controllable device may entertain customers in the queue, inform customers in the queue, provide boundaries to the queue structure, and / or control environmental conditions in the queue structure. For example, the controllable device may be one or more light sources that are activated and modulated to entertain or intuitively inform customers in the queue. Furthermore, the controllable device may be a video-enabled device (e.g., a television) with an instructive video, a speaker configured to output audio, or an automatic door or gate that helps provide a physical boundary to the queue. Furthermore, the controllable device may also be a device that controls other environmental features of the queue, such as a heating, ventilation, and / or air conditioning (HVAC) device, a sprayer, a sprinkler, and the like. Regardless of the type of controllable device, the controllable device can perform specific operations based on the queue control commands it receives from the controller.

[0029] The method also includes executing (block 38) a queue control command via a controllable device to change an aspect of the queue structure. The changed aspect of the queue structure may correspond to any physical, digital, or virtual change in the queue structure. For example, a queue control command may cause a speaker to stop playing music in an unoccupied section of the queue structure. As another example, a queue control command may cause a heater in an occupied section of the queue to start up to provide warmth to customers in the occupied section of the queue. In some embodiments, the method 30 may also include: operating one or more controllable devices; and changing an aspect of the queue structure in response to a deviation in an input parameter from a previously received input parameter. In practice, in these embodiments, the controller may store the previously received input parameter in a memory (e.g., memory 18) or a database, and may then change an aspect of the queue in response to the input parameter deviating from the previously received input parameter (or an average of the previously received input parameter, or some other baseline parameter). For example, in response to an increase in queue length, an overflow queue structure may be activated or turned on to allow customers to wait in a location that is preferred by the queue operator. Thus, the present embodiments may improve the operation of controller 12 by increasing operating efficiency and providing improved control / accessibility for a human operator.

[0030] Figure 3 is a schematic block diagram of types of controllable devices 16 that may be communicatively coupled to and controlled by controller 12. In particular, controllable devices 16 may include a lamp 50 (or lighting system) having a control device 51, a television 52 (or any form of video display, such as a projector) having a control device 53, a speaker 54 having a control device 55, a heating, ventilation, and / or air conditioning (HVAC) component 56 having a control device 57, a sprinkler 58 having a control device 59, a door or gate 60 (e.g., a translatable gate, rope, chain) having a control device 61, a mister 62 having a control device 63, a fan 64 having a control device 65, and the like. Examples of how each of these types of controllable devices 16 may be controlled by controller 12 based on input received from input device 14 indicating queue characteristics are provided below.

[0031] The controller 12 may activate, deactivate, modulate or otherwise control the lights 50 (e.g., light source, multiple lights) via one or more control devices 51 based on input parameters (e.g., predictive indicators) indicative of queue characteristics received by the controller 12 (e.g., via an algorithm that receives and processes the input and determines an output or control command). Specifically, the controller 12 may determine light control and output a control command indicative of light control to the one or more control devices 51. More specifically, the control command may include a guidance value for at least one aspect of the lights 50. For example, the lights 50 may be configured to illuminate a section of the queue structure or entertain customers in the queue. In this case, the lights 50 may be designed to illuminate a specific portion of the queue structure. The lights 50 may be given control commands (e.g., guidance values) to illuminate or deactivate based on, for example, a prediction of the eventual presence of customers in a specific portion of the queue structure based on queue characteristics (e.g., slow throughput combined with an increased queue length). Moreover, the lights 50 may be given a command to deactivate based on an indication that there are no customers occupying a specific portion of the queue. In other words, as part of the light control, the controller 12 may determine lamp-specific activation and deactivation times for each of the lamps 50 based on input parameters indicative of the queue characteristics.

[0032] In addition, in the case of entertaining customers, the controller 12 can activate the lights 50 according to a light show (e.g., a presentation of light that is activated, deactivated, and / or modulated according to a desired pattern). In one embodiment, a series of lights can be arranged in a row or other arrangement, and can be configured to pulse the row or other arrangement down successively at a rate determined by the controller 12 based on an input indicating a queue characteristic. In other words, the first light in the row can be activated and then deactivated when the second light in the row is activated. The second light in the row can be deactivated when the third light in the row is activated, and so on. In one embodiment, the successive pulsations of the lights can correspond to the successive pulsations of adjacent lights in a series of lights. In another embodiment, the pulsation of the lights can occur in a different pattern than only successive or adjacent pulsations. The rate at which the lights are successively activated and deactivated can be determined by the controller 12 based on queue characteristics (e.g., input parameters) such as queue rate or queue length. For example, when the queue is short, the rate can be increased, and when the queue is long, the rate can be reduced. Thus, the controller 12 may output a guide value corresponding to a start instruction, a deactivation instruction, and a period between activation corresponding to the start instruction and deactivation corresponding to the deactivation instruction for each of the lamps 50. In addition, in some embodiments, the guide value may include a first start instruction corresponding to activation of a first lamp at a first moment and a first deactivation instruction corresponding to deactivation of the first lamp at a second moment subsequent to the first moment. Furthermore, the guide value may include a second start instruction corresponding to activation of a second lamp at a third moment and a second deactivation instruction corresponding to deactivation of the second lamp at a fourth moment subsequent to the third moment.

[0033] The present embodiments may operate to avoid displaying the same effect to a patron while the patron is waiting in a particular queue. For example, the pattern displayed on the light show (or other effect) described above may change based on the queue length so that a patron in the queue does not experience the same light show (or other effect) more than once. For example, the controller 12 may modulate the processing speed of a particular light show (e.g., 0.5x normal speed, 1x normal speed, 3x normal speed) at a frequency corresponding to a patron in the queue structure who has a sufficient amount of time to view the complete light show at least once. That is, the controller 12 may control the amount of time it takes to complete a particular light show based on the queue waiting time corresponding to the patron. The light show or other effect may be extended beyond the time frame in which the entire queue can be traversed to achieve this result. In some embodiments, instead of modulating the processing speed of a particular light show, the controller 12 may add or remove aspects of the light show to control (e.g., limit) the patron's exposure to the same light show while residing in the queue. This may be done without regard to the processing speed of the particular light show. In one embodiment, a pattern may be modified with different colors presented by the lights 50 instead of (or in addition to) changing the processing speed of the light show. Likewise, the instructional video may be lengthened or shortened based on the length of the queue to limit exposure to customers based on the time frame in which the entire queue can be traversed. In such an embodiment, the time frame may be estimated / calculated based on data from the input device 14, for example.

[0034] It should be noted that in some embodiments, the activation instructions, deactivation instructions, and the period between activation corresponding to the activation instructions and deactivation corresponding to the deactivation instructions may be unique for each lamp in the lamp 50 (or a set of lamps within the lamp 50). The controller 12 may also control the intensity of the lamp 50 and the type of light emitted from the lamp 50 by outputting one or more guidance values ​​for the intensity (i.e., brightness) of the indicator lamp 50 (e.g., light emitting diode [LED], incandescent lamp, fluorescent lamp) and the type of light emitted from the lamp 50 (e.g., wavelength and frequency of light). The controller 12 may also output guidance values ​​corresponding to the length of time and / or frequency of replaying the light show on the lamp 50 based on the received input parameters.

[0035] The lighting feature group can be driven (controlled) in a manner that provides an effect (e.g., a wave-like effect) that intuitively indicates the characteristics of the queue. For example, a wave-like lighting effect can indicate a direction of travel through the queue structure, which implicitly calls the customer to the starting point of the queue. When the queue length is shorter than a threshold value, the call can be enhanced with a faster change to indicate a fast pace through the queue. Similarly, when the queue length is greater than a threshold value, the call can be slowed down with a slower change to the lighting, which indicates a slower pace through the queue. Similarly, the detected queue characteristics (such as queue length) can be used to brighten or dim the light to intuitively signal the queue characteristics to the customer. As a specific example, in one embodiment, the lights 50 can be positioned along the path of the queue structure. The queue structure can include a tunnel in which the customer stays for at least a portion of the queue waiting time. In the tunnel, there can be an arrangement of lights 50 arranged around one or more portions of the wall that causes the tunnel. In some embodiments, the lights 50 can be arranged in rows through the tunnel. The lights 50 can be controlled to be activated and / or modulated based on inputs indicating, for example, queue wait times. In practice, queue wait times can be used in determining activation rates of lights 50 in the arrangement (e.g., how quickly a light is activated and deactivated relative to another light in the arrangement of lights 50). For example, in response to determining that the queue wait time has increased during the wait time, the activation rate of lights 50 can be slowed. Also, in response to determining that the queue wait time has decreased, the activation rate of lights 50 can be increased.

[0036] Additionally or alternatively, the controller 12 may control the settings of the television 52 based on input parameters indicating queue characteristics. To name a few, these settings may include volume level, brightness level, contrast, and / or on / off state. The settings may also include determining the video to be displayed on the television 52. In fact, in this case, the controller 12 may have a selection of videos to be played based on, for example, the queue waiting time. That is, the controller 12 may have a specific video to be played on the television 52 based on the correlation between the specific video and the value of the queue characteristic and / or the values ​​of multiple queue characteristics, and the values ​​of the queue characteristic and / or the values ​​of multiple queue characteristics may indicate the best video in combination. In other words, the controller 12 may cause the television to display a video with video characteristics based on the queue waiting time. For example, in response to a relatively shorter queue waiting time, the controller 12 may cause the television 52 to play a video that is shorter in length than another video via the control device 53, and when the queue waiting time is longer, the other video may be mapped to play. In some embodiments, the controller 12 may determine the frequency (e.g., every 2 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes) at which a specific video clip (e.g., a safety clip) is played. The controller 12 may also determine the video to be played corresponding to a certain queue flow rate or range of queue flow rates. In this way, while waiting in a queue, customers will not experience the same video content, except that they may experience a particular video clip more than once (e.g., a security clip). This feature may also be applied in other places where pre-recorded videos are displayed, such as in restaurants, eating areas, transportation stations, etc.

[0037] In addition, the controller 12 can control the speaker 54 by modulating the volume level, determining the tempo or style of the music or other sound settings. For example, the controller 12 can cause fast-paced music to play on the speaker 54 when the queue flow rate exceeds a certain threshold queue flow rate.

[0038] Furthermore, the controller 12 may activate or deactivate the HVAC component 56 via the control device 57 based on input parameters received by the controller 12. For example, the controller 12 may set a desired temperature for an environment to be heated or cooled by the HVAC component 56. In practice, the controller 12 may cause the HVAC component 56 to operate via the control device 57 based on the input parameters to cool or warm the air in or near the queue structure. For example, the controller 12 may cause the heater or air conditioning unit to activate in response to a prediction based on feedback from a sensor (e.g., a camera, an image sensor) that the queue length is likely to exceed a certain threshold within a time frame. In some embodiments, if a portion of the queue is closed based on the input parameters, the HVAC component 56 or its operation may be completely shut off. Furthermore, the sprinkler 58 may be controlled by the controller 12 (e.g., via the control device 59). For example, the sprinkler 58 may be activated to supply water to a portion of the queue structure having woodland, trees, etc. In response to controller 12 receiving an indication from input device 14 that the queue length is predicted to extend or extend into a zone near sprinkler 58, controller 12 may cause the sprinkler to shut off or reduce the water output rate.

[0039] In an embodiment, the door or gate 60 may be controlled by the controller 12 (e.g., via the control device 61). The controller 12 may cause one or more of the doors or gates 60 to be opened or closed in response to receiving an input parameter indicating a queue characteristic (such as queue length). As should be understood, this can also include a combination of queue characteristics such as queue length and throughput. For example, as will be discussed in detail later, in response to receiving an input parameter indicating that the queue length exceeds the expected capacity (or threshold value) for the queue structure, a door (e.g., a gate, a front door) to the extended queue structure may be opened to accommodate the increase in queue length. This may include predicting changes in queue location based on the current queue length and the current throughput. In contrast, in response to a decrease in queue length exceeding the optimal capacity or threshold value, one or more of the doors or gates 60 may be closed.

[0040] In addition, the sprayer 62 and / or the fan 64 can be activated or deactivated by the controller 12 and based on the input parameters via the control device 63 and the control device 65, respectively. In practice, for example, based on an input parameter indicating queue length and / or throughput that indicates that the queue will extend into the outer portion of the queue structure, the sprayer 62 and the fan 64 can be activated or deactivated. In some embodiments, the sprayer 62 and the fan 64 are configured to adjust the temperature of the section having the HVAC component 56. It should be noted that in some embodiments, the sprayer 62, the fan 64, or both can be considered as the HVAC component 56. Other controllable devices 16 can also be controlled by the control device to execute queue control commands received from the controller 12 in response to input parameters indicating queue characteristics. It should be noted that in some embodiments, any single control device (e.g., an actuator) can control multiple controllable devices. As previously described, many controllable devices 16 (even of different types) can be directly or indirectly coupled to the controller 12 via a wired medium or a wireless medium.

[0041] Figure 4 1 is a schematic side view of a queue structure 69 (e.g., a room) having a queue control system 10 with an integrated lighting system and audio / visual system. The illustrative integrated lighting system includes lights 50, and the audio / visual system includes a television 52 and a speaker 54. In embodiments of the integrated lighting system and audio / visual system, other components of the integrated lighting system and audio / visual system may be included (not shown). Specifically, the queue structure 69 includes lights 50, television 52, and speaker 54. These controllable devices 16 may receive queue control commands from the controller 12 based at least in part on input from an input device 14 including one or more queue characteristics. The controller 12 may receive input via manual input or via automation (such as, through data feedback from sensors, etc.). In fact, as previously mentioned, the input device 14 may include sensors (e.g., infrared sensors, image sensors, cameras) disposed at various locations in the queue structure that monitor the queue starting at a starting point 70 (e.g., a ride entrance) and provide data feedback (e.g., queue length, queue flow rate, queue waiting time) to the controller 12. The input device 14 may transmit data feedback to the controller 12 on a periodic basis, such as every millisecond, every second, or every minute. Based on the data feedback, the controller 12 may issue queue control commands to the controllable devices 16 in the queue structure 69, which may change one or more operational aspects of the controllable devices 16 in the queue structure 69. For example, the light 50 may be controlled to modulate at a rate corresponding to the queue flow rate received from the input device 14.

[0042] In particular, the lights 50 can be modulated based on queue wait times and / or other queue characteristics to enhance the experience of customers in the queue. In one embodiment, the lights 50 can be selectively operated to activate and deactivate in a row. That is, the first light 50 in the row can be activated and then deactivated just as the second light 50 in the row is activated, and so on. The rate of activation and deactivation can be determined by the controller 12 based on input parameters. For example, when the queue length and queue wait time are long and / or the queue flow rate is slow, a rapid sequence of light changes (or modulations) on the lights 50 may be overwhelming for customers in the queue. In fact, when customers repeatedly observe the rapidity of the modulation of the lights 50 before they have reached the starting point 70, the enhancement of the customer's experience and / or the enjoyment of the light show can be reduced. To address this problem, the controller 12 can receive queue characteristics from the input device 14 and cause the lights 50 to modulate the frequency and / or intensity of the lights 50 at a specific rate that is desired for customers in the queue structure 69 based on the queue characteristics of the queue. Specifically, the frequency modulation rate may correspond to the rate of change of the frequency of the emitted light (i.e., changing the wavelength of the emitted light from the lamp 50). Or, in other words, the frequency modulation rate may correspond to the rate of change of the color of the lamp 50. The intensity modulation rate may correspond to the rate of change of the intensity (i.e., brightness) of the light emitted from the lamp 50. Or, in other words, the intensity modulation rate may correspond to the rate of change of the brightness of the lamp 50. For example, the controller 12 may include a desired frequency modulation rate and intensity modulation value corresponding to one or more queue characteristics. The controller 12 may cause the frequency modulation rate of the lamp 50 to decrease based on an indication from the input device 14 that the queue waiting time exceeds a certain threshold value. Similarly, when the controller 12 is indicated that the queue waiting time does not reach the threshold value, the controller may increase the frequency modulation rate to a value corresponding to the queue waiting time. The controller 12 may also cause the lamp 50 to be activated and deactivated at a rate that is optimal for the customer. In this way, for example, the controller 12 can adjust the lamp 50 so that the customer does not experience the light pattern / sequence more than once when in the queue structure 69.

[0043] Moreover, based on the detected queue characteristics, the controller 12 can activate one or more of the televisions 52 via the control device 53 to play an instructional video in response to the queue length extending or predictively extending to the general location of one or more of the televisions 52. The controller 12 can also select a video corresponding to one of the multiple videos, each corresponding to a different queue waiting time. In this way, the video played on the television 52 can guide or entertain the customer in a time frame corresponding to the queue waiting time. In another embodiment, the controller 12 can determine the frequency at which a single video is played. For example, the controller 12 can determine that a specific video (e.g., a safety video) is played every 2 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, or every other time interval based on input parameters. In fact, when the queue is relatively short, the controller 12 can command the television 52 to play the video more frequently than when the queue is relatively long. In doing so, the controller 12 increases the likelihood that the customers in the queue will watch the entire video before attending the attraction when the queue is relatively short, and increases the likelihood that the customers in the queue will not view the video an unnecessary number of times when the queue is long. Thus, the controller 12 can ensure that customers do not view the same video content more than once when in the queue except for a particular video. This can also be achieved by causing different locations of the televisions 52 in the queue structure 69 to display different videos based on the queue waiting time and / or queue length.

[0044] In some embodiments, when the queue waiting time is longer than a threshold time frame, the controller 12 can operate to incorporate multiple presentations of the same effect or information. This can be done to refresh the memory of the patron waiting in the queue before the patron leaves the queue. For example, an instructive video can be presented at two different points (in time and place) based on the queue length. As noted above, a specific video can be viewed more than once to refresh the memory of the customer and to provide relevant information at least twice. For example, a safety video can be played for the customers in the queue structure 69 at the first moment. If the queue waiting time for the customer exceeds the threshold time amount before exiting from the queue, the safety video can be played again to remind the customer of the safety protocol on the video. The location of the customer can be considered by the controller 12, and one or more displays can be selected based on the location to provide access to the information being presented.

[0045] Furthermore, in response to the queue length exceeding or failing to reach a certain threshold length, the television 52, light 50, and speaker 54 may all be activated. Figure 4 The queue length is schematically represented by stick figures 71 each representing ten customers. Figure 4The queue length of sixty customers is schematically represented. In this case, since the queue length extends into the section of the queue structure having the controllable device 16, most or all of the televisions 52, lights 50, and speakers 54 can be activated. For example, if the queue length was only twenty customers long, the controller 12 can determine that one or more of the televisions 52 or speakers 54 and / or lights 50 that are away from the starting point 70 should be turned off and provide corresponding instructions. This programming of the controller 12 will provide efficiency by avoiding energy consumption on features that are positioned or oriented to be displayed and pronounced in a different area or section of the queue structure than the section near the starting point 70 or near the end of the queue.

[0046] Figure 5 8 is a schematic top view of a room 81 having a queue control system 10 integrated into a component of a facility system. The room 81 has a section 82 and a section 84. In particular, the controller 12 receives one or more inputs from the input device 14 and sends outputs to the HVAC component 56, the sprinkler 58, the mister 62, the door or gate 60, and / or the fan 64 based on the queue characteristics identified from the input. Figure 5 As illustrated in FIG. 1 , the queue begins at a starting point 70 and terminates near gate 60A. Based on the queue length and / or other queue characteristics, the controller 12 may cause gates 60A, 60B, 60C to be opened or closed. This may include predictive operations that indicate that the queue length will increase to a certain length within a particular time frame based on changes in queue length and throughput during overlapping time frames.

[0047] exist Figure 5 , sprayer 62 and fan 64 are located near door 60A and door 60C, which are between the external environment and the internal environment, and HVAC component 56 is located in the internal environment. In some embodiments, one or more HVAC components 56 may be located externally. Moreover, arrows appearing from controller 12 to input device 14 and controllable device 16 indicate that the controllable device 16 is located in the internal environment. Figure 5 The relationship between all input devices 14 and controllable devices 16 in the controller 12 (i.e., not just the specific input device 14 and the specific controllable device 16 that have arrows attached to the controller 12). Figure 5, doors 60B and 60C are closed, while door 60A is opened. Doors 60B and 60C can be closed because the controller 12, which has received one or more queue characteristics (e.g., queue length, queue flow rate) from the input device 14, has determined that the current queue length does not exceed the threshold queue length to open doors 60B and / or 60C, and thus caused doors 60B, 60C to remain in the closed position. Similarly, in the section 82 of the queue structure, the HVAC components 56, the fan 64, and the sprayer 62 can be deactivated or inactive because the queue length has not yet exceeded the threshold queue length. In this way, power consumption can be saved. In some embodiments, however, since the controller 12 receives an input indicating that the section 82 is closed to customers from the input device 14 in the section 82, the sprayer 58 in the section 82 can be activated. In some embodiments, the absence of customers in the section 82 can include the closure of the indication section 82. In this way, customers may not be disturbed by the spray water directed to water woodland, trees, plants, etc. near the queue structure. In response to the queue length being above a certain threshold, the controller 12 may send an open command to the door 60B and / or the door 60C so that more people can wait inside the queue structure rather than waiting outside the boundaries (e.g., physical enclosure, line of sight) of the queue structure (e.g., room 81) or the controllable device 16 of the queue structure.

[0048] Instead of generally activating one or more controllable devices 16 without regard to queue characteristics, the controllable devices 16 are controlled based on data feedback from the input device 14, which monitors the current queue characteristics. As the queue length extends to the door 60A, many of the controllable devices 16 in the section 84 of the queue structure are active and enabled. In particular, the HVAC components 56, the fans 64, and the sprayers 62 can be active and enabled (or disabled) to maintain the desired temperature. As the section 84 is open to customers, the sprayers 58 in the section 84 near the door 60A can be disabled or turned off so as not to interfere with (e.g., accidentally spray with water or other liquids) customers in or entering the queue. Moreover, in response to one or more of the received queue characteristics being below a threshold value, the controller 12 can command Figure 5One or more of the controllable devices 16 of the controllable devices 16 of the present invention may modify operation. For example, the segment 82 may correspond to an overflow queue structure that is to be opened only when the queue length of the segment 84 exceeds a threshold value. In response to the queue length decreasing from the threshold value such that the queue length of the queue in the segment 84 is less than the queue capacity for the segment 84, the segment 82 may be closed or deactivated. Thus, the sprayers 62 and fans 64 of the segment 82 may be de-energized. The doors / gates 60B, 60C may become closed, and the HVAC components 56 in the segment 82 may also be de-energized or restored to a default inactive setting. However, since the segment 82 is indicated to be closed to customers, the sprinklers 58 in the segment 82 may become activated for at least a portion of the time used to water the woodland, plants, etc. near the queue structure.

[0049] Figure 6 is a flow chart of a method 90 for activating a lighting system and an audio / visual system of a queue structure based on input received from an input device that monitors queue characteristics. Figure 6 Method 90 generally corresponds to controlling Figure 4 In particular, method 90 is to control the lighting system and audio / visual system. Figure 4 The method 90 may be implemented at least in part by one or more components of the queue control system 10. The method 90 includes determining (block 92) an input parameter indicating a queue attribute (e.g., a queue characteristic) via an input device. As previously discussed, the queue attribute or characteristic may be a queue length, a queue waiting time, a queue flow rate, or a combination thereof (including predicted values ​​based on multiple characteristics). The input parameter may be received manually by an operator entering the input parameter into a controller and / or automatically, such as by feedback from a sensor.

[0050] The method 90 also includes determining (block 94) a control command via the controller and based on the input parameter. The controller may determine the control command based on, for example, comparing the received input parameter with stored data (e.g., a table) of queue characteristic values ​​corresponding to desired operating values ​​of a device controlled by the controller. If the controller determines that the received input parameter value corresponds to the current operation of the controllable device, the controllable device may continue to operate according to its current operation. However, in response to comparing the received input parameter indicating the queue characteristic with data mapping the queue characteristic to the desired operating parameter of the device, and determining that the current operation of the device does not correspond to the desired operation of the device, at block 96, the controller may output the control command to a lamp, a television (TV), a speaker, or any combination thereof. The control command may cause the operating value of the lamp, the television, the speaker, or any combination thereof to match the stored desired operating value. Thus, in response to determining the control command at block 94, the controller may output the control command (block 96) to the lamp, the television, the speaker, or any combination thereof. For example, the control command may automatically modify the rate of frequency modulation and intensity modulation of the lamp based on the input parameter indicating the queue characteristic. In other words, the controller may determine the change rate instruction as a control command based on the input parameter indicating the queue attribute. Furthermore, the content on the TV (or the setting inherent to the TV) may be modified according to the preset content or value corresponding to the value of the input parameter.

[0051] Figure 7 1 is a flow chart of a method 106 for controlling one or more components of a facility system (eg, facility components) in a queue structure based on input parameters indicative of queue characteristics. In particular, the method 106 is a flow chart of a method 106 for controlling one or more components of a facility system (eg, facility components) in a queue structure based on input parameters indicative of queue characteristics. Figure 5 The method 106 may be at least partially performed by one or more components of the queue control system 10 .

[0052] The method 106 includes determining (block 108) via an input device an input parameter indicative of a queue characteristic. As previously discussed, the queue characteristic may include queue length, queue wait time, queue flow rate (e.g., throughput), or a combination thereof (e.g., a predictive result). As described above with reference to the previous figures, the input device may include a sensor or a manual interface.

[0053] The method 106 also includes determining (block 110) a control command via the controller and based on the input parameters. The control command may be determined from a comparison of the input parameters indicative of the queue characteristics with a stored mapping of desired operating conditions for components of the facility system to specific queue characteristics. In practice, the controller may have a memory that includes one or more tables or lists of desired operating conditions for components of the facility system corresponding to one or more specific queue characteristics.

[0054] The method 106 may also include, via the controller, and in response to determining that one or more components of the facility system are not operating according to the desired operating conditions based on the input parameters, outputting (block 112) a control command to an HVAC component, a fan, a mister, a door / gate, a sprinkler, another facility component, or any combination thereof. For example, upon receiving an input parameter indicating that a queue length exceeds the capacity of a room (e.g., a queue structure) for patrons to wait, a door / gate to an overflow room may be opened to accommodate the queue length (or other queue characteristic indicated by the input parameter).

[0055] In some embodiments, the controller may activate or deactivate one or more controllable devices based on a predetermined schedule. For example, it may be indicated to the controller via manual input that at a specific time of day (or a specific time range of day), the queue length is typically long for the duration of the specific time range. When this indication is made, the controller may be configured to activate or deactivate one or more controllable devices based on a predetermined schedule of average queue lengths at specific times of day. This may be done to supplement control based specifically on queue characteristics.

[0056] In general, the presently disclosed systems and techniques enhance the customer experience while customers are waiting in a queue to participate in an attraction. By controlling queue characteristics based on input parameters indicating queue characteristics (e.g., queue length, queue rate, queue throughput), the customer experience can be positively impacted. Queue characteristics can be identified to the exclusion of non-queue characteristics (e.g., a single individual passing through a location).

[0057] While only certain features of the disclosure 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.

[0058] The technology presented and claimed herein is cited and applied to substantial objects and specific examples of a practical nature that arguably improve the art and are therefore not abstract, intangible, or purely theoretical. Moreover, if any claim appended at the end of this specification contains one or more elements designated as "means for [performing] ... [function]" or "steps for [performing] ... [function]," it is intended that such elements are to be interpreted in accordance with 35 USC 112(f). However, for any claim containing elements designated in any other manner, it is intended that such elements are not to be interpreted in accordance with 35 USC 112(f).

Claims

1. A queue control system configured to control a queue structure of a queue, the queue control system comprising: A controller configured to: receiving data feedback indicative of a queue characteristic from an input device monitoring a queue characteristic of the queue, wherein the queue characteristic indicates a queue wait time corresponding to at least one person in the queue; determining a control command based on the data feedback indicating a characteristic of the queue of the queue corresponding to the at least one person in the queue; and outputting the control command; and A queue structure control device comprising an actuator configured to operate an effect associated with the queue structure, wherein: The queue structure control device is configured to receive the control command; and The actuator of the queue structure control device is configured to change at least one aspect of the queue structure based on the control command such that the effect is presented by the queue structure control device only once during a duration corresponding to the queue waiting time.

2. The queue control system according to claim 1, wherein: The actuator of the queue structure control device is configured to change at least one aspect of the queue structure by changing the characteristics of the lamp based on the control command, so that the effect is presented only once by the queue structure control device during the duration corresponding to the queue waiting time, and wherein the control command includes a guidance value for the characteristic of the lamp.

3. The queue control system according to claim 2, wherein: The guideline value of the characteristic of the lamp is indicative of an intensity of the lamp.

4. The queue control system according to claim 1, wherein: The queue structure control device includes a plurality of actuators including the actuator, wherein the plurality of actuators of the queue structure control device are configured to change at least one aspect of the queue structure by changing a plurality of characteristics of a plurality of lights corresponding to the plurality of actuators based on the control command, so that the effect is presented only once by the queue structure control device during the duration corresponding to the queue waiting time, and wherein the control command includes a plurality of guidance values ​​for the plurality of characteristics of the plurality of lights.

5. The queue control system according to claim 4, wherein: For each of the plurality of lamps, the plurality of guideline values ​​include an activation instruction, a deactivation instruction, and a period between activation corresponding to the activation instruction and deactivation corresponding to the deactivation instruction.

6. The queue control system according to claim 5, wherein: The activation instruction, the deactivation instruction, and the time period between the activation corresponding to the activation instruction and the deactivation corresponding to the deactivation instruction are unique for each lamp of the plurality of lamps.

7. The queue control system according to claim 4, wherein: The plurality of lamps comprises a first lamp and a second lamp, and wherein the plurality of guidance values ​​comprises: a first activation instruction corresponding to activation of the first lamp at a first moment and a first deactivation instruction corresponding to deactivation of the first lamp at a second moment subsequent to the first moment; and A second activation instruction corresponding to activation of the second lamp at a third moment and a second deactivation instruction corresponding to deactivation of the second lamp at a fourth moment subsequent to the third moment.

8. The queue control system according to claim 7, wherein: The third moment is after the first moment.

9. A queue control system according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of lights configured to be driven by the queue structure control device to provide a wave lighting effect.

10. The queue control system according to claim 1, wherein: The actuator is configured to change the at least one aspect of the queue by changing a color of a light associated with the queue structure based on the control command such that the effect is presented only once during the duration corresponding to the queue wait time.

11. The queue control system according to claim 1, wherein: The actuator of the queue structure control device is configured to change at least one aspect of the queue structure by moving a facility component based on the control command, so that the effect is presented only once during the duration corresponding to the queue waiting time, and the facility component is arranged upstream of an entry point to a destination adjacent to the end point of the queue structure, wherein the facility component includes a wall, a gate or a door, and the wall, the gate or the door is configured to block access to the queue space when the wall, the gate or the door is in a closed position, and enable access to the queue space when the wall, the gate or the door is in an open position.

12. The queue control system according to claim 1, wherein: The queue structure control device includes a sprayer, and the actuator of the queue structure control device is configured to change at least one aspect of the queue structure by activating or deactivating the sprayer based on the control command, so that the effect is presented only once during the duration corresponding to the queue waiting time.

13. The queue control system according to claim 1, comprising the input device, wherein: The input device includes a sensor or a camera.

14. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising: receiving data feedback indicative of queue characteristics from an input device monitoring queue characteristics of a queue in a queue structure, wherein: The queue characteristic indicates a queue waiting time of at least one member of the queue; determining whether the data feedback corresponds to current operation of an aspect of the queue structure; In response to determining that the data feedback does not correspond to the current operation of the aspect of the queue structure, determining a control command based on the data feedback, wherein the control command corresponds to a target frequency at which an effect associated with the queue structure is caused such that when the effect is controlled at the target frequency, the effect is presented only once during a duration corresponding to the queue wait time; and The control command is output to one or more actuators of the queue structure control device, wherein the control command, when executed by the one or more actuators of the queue structure control device, causes the one or more actuators to change the aspect of the queue structure to correspond to the data feedback by causing the effect to be presented only once during the duration corresponding to the queue waiting time.

15. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 14, wherein: The effect is associated with a first segment of an instructional video presented on a television, so that when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the at least one processor performs operations including: The control command is output to the one or more actuators of the queue structure control device, wherein the control command, when executed by the one or more actuators of the queue structure control device, causes the one or more actuators to change the aspect of the queue structure to correspond to the data feedback by actuating the television to display the first segment of the instructional video only once during the duration corresponding to the queue waiting time.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising: outputting additional control commands to the one or more actuators of the queue structure control device, wherein, The additional control command, when executed by the one or more actuators of the queue structure control device, causes the one or more actuators to actuate the television to display the second segment of the instructional video one or more times during the duration corresponding to the queue waiting time.

17. A queue control system, comprising: a plurality of lights configured to be disposed in a queue structure defining a queue space of a queue, wherein the plurality of lights are configured to provide a wave-like lighting effect associated with the queue structure in the queue space; an input device configured to monitor a queue characteristic of the queue, wherein the queue characteristic comprises a queue length, a queue waiting time, a queue rate, or a queue throughput; and A controller configured to: receiving, during an operating period, data feedback from said input device indicative of said queue characteristics of said queue; determining a target speed for the wave-like lighting effect provided by the plurality of lights based on the data feedback indicative of the characteristics of the train; controlling one or more actuators associated with the plurality of lights so that the plurality of lights provide the wave-like lighting effect only once at the target speed during the operating period; receiving, during an additional operating period different from the operating period, additional data feedback from the input device indicative of the queue characteristics of the queue; determining an additional target speed for the wave lighting effect provided by the plurality of lights based on the additional data feedback indicative of the queue characteristics of the queue during the additional operating period, the additional target speed being different from the target speed; and The one or more actuators associated with the plurality of lights are controlled such that the plurality of lights provide the wave-like lighting effect only once at the additional target speed during the additional operating period.

Images