Riding vehicle artificial intelligence entity system and method

Abstract

Systems and methods presented herein include one or more customer activity identification devices configured to identify activities of one or more customers within a physical environment of an amusement park. The system further includes one or more ride vehicles of a ride of the amusement park, each ride vehicle including: an artificial intelligence entity management system configured to maintain one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities of the ride vehicle based at least in part on the identified activity of the one or more customers; and one or more features disposed on the ride and configured to be activated by the artificial intelligence entity management system to simulate the presence of the one or more ride artificial intelligence entities according to the one or more attributes of the one or more ride artificial intelligence entities.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 340,786, filed on May 11, 2022, entitled “RIDE VEHICLE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ENTITY SYSTEMS AND METHODS,” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes. Background Art

[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to the field of amusement parks. More particularly, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to systems and methods for enabling ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities.

[0003] This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of the technology that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure, which are described below. It is believed that this discussion helps to provide the reader with background information to promote a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, rather than as an admission of prior art.

[0004] Amusement parks include a variety of features that provide a unique experience to each park customer. Some features may include a ride vehicle that can travel along a specific path. The path may include elements so that as the ride vehicle travels along the path, those elements may enhance the customer's experience. For example, the ride vehicle may enter and exit several rooms as it travels along the path, with elements present inside each room to enhance the customer's experience. However, it is now recognized that the ability to simulate more complex (and customized) experiences may further enhance the customer experience. Summary of the invention

[0005] The following describes an overview of certain embodiments disclosed herein. It should be understood that these aspects are presented only 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 cover a variety of aspects that may not be described below.

[0006] In certain embodiments, a system includes one or more patron activity recognition devices configured to recognize activities of one or more patrons within a physical environment of an amusement park. The system also includes one or more ride vehicles of a ride facility of the amusement park, each ride vehicle including: an artificial intelligence entity management system configured to maintain one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities of the ride vehicle based at least in part on the recognized activities of the one or more patrons; and one or more features disposed on the ride vehicle and configured to be activated by the artificial intelligence entity management system to simulate the presence of the one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities based on one or more attributes of the one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities.

[0007] Additionally, in certain embodiments, a method includes: identifying, via one or more patron activity recognition devices, an activity of one or more patrons within a physical environment of an amusement park. The method also includes: maintaining, via a ride artificial intelligence entity management system, one or more ride artificial intelligence entities of a ride vehicle based at least in part on the identified activity of the one or more patrons. The method further includes: activating, via the ride artificial intelligence entity management system, one or more features disposed on the ride vehicle to simulate the presence of the one or more ride artificial intelligence entities based on one or more attributes of the one or more ride artificial intelligence entities.

[0008] Additionally, in certain embodiments, a ride vehicle is configured to receive data associated with identified activities of one or more patrons within a physical environment of an amusement park; configured to maintain one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities of the ride vehicle based at least in part on the data associated with the identified activities of the one or more patrons; and configured to activate one or more features disposed on the ride vehicle to simulate the presence of the one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities based on one or more attributes of the one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities. 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 represent like parts throughout the drawings, and in which:

[0010] Figure 1 is a schematic representation of an amusement park with a ride vehicle artificial intelligence (AI) entity according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0011] Figure 2 Describes an embodiment of the present disclosure for activating Figure 1 The characteristics of the amusement park are simulated by the ride vehicle AI entity system that simulates the existence of the ride vehicle AI entity;

[0012] Figure 3 The operation according to the embodiment of the present disclosure Figure 2 A flowchart of a method for a vehicle AI entity system;

[0013] Figure 4 The various properties of the AI ​​entity of the vehicle according to the embodiment of the present disclosure are illustrated, which can be obtained by Figure 2 Management of AI entity system for riding vehicles;

[0014] Figure 5 illustrates a display through which a ride vehicle AI entity may be displayed according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0015] Figure 6 The embodiment according to the present disclosure is illustrated in more detail. Figure 5 The display and sound effects system for the ride vehicle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] One or more specific embodiments will be described below. In an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments, not all features of an actual implementation are described in the 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, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Furthermore, it should be appreciated that such development work may be complex and time consuming, but will be no more than a routine task of design, fabrication, and manufacturing for a person of ordinary skill who has the benefit of this disclosure.

[0017] Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to systems and methods for managing ride artificial intelligence (AI) entities, which may have specific identities, character details, personality traits, emotions, preferences, etc., which may be modified based on the activities of patrons (e.g., directly associated with the AI ​​entity) within the amusement park, which activities may be monitored by various park sensors. Each AI entity may be specific to a specific ride. Indeed, in some embodiments, a ride AI entity system may reside on a specific ride that displays an AI entity specific to that ride. In some embodiments, one or more features associated with a specific ride may be activated by the ride AI entity system of the specific ride to display the presence of the AI ​​entity specific to the specific ride.

[0018] Turning to the attached figure, Figure 11 is a schematic representation of an amusement park 10 having a ride vehicle AI entity. In some embodiments, the amusement park 10 includes one or more features 12 (e.g., displays 12A, lighting effects systems 12B, animated characters 12C, and / or sound effects systems 12D) that can be modified for specific patrons 50 on or around various attractions, sections, pathways, or other areas of the amusement park 10. Figure 1 The one or more features 12 illustrated in FIG. 1 may be placed in various locations throughout the amusement park 10. However, as described in more detail herein, one or more features 12 may reside on a specific ride vehicle 20 and may collectively function as a ride AI manifestation system configured to manifest the presence of an AI entity specific to certain ride vehicles 20 of the amusement park 10. Additionally, as described in still more detail herein, the ride AI entity manifested by one or more features 12 of a specific ride vehicle 20 may also be specific to a specific patron 50 riding the specific ride vehicle 20.

[0019] In the illustrated embodiment, the amusement park 10 also includes a plurality of attractions 14, including a tunnel ride attraction 14A, a virtual game room attraction 14B, a restaurant attraction 14C, a roller coaster attraction 14D, and a water attraction 14E, among other attractions. As described in more detail herein, different embodiments of features 12 may be found throughout the amusement park 10 and may be activated to react in a manner that is perceived by patrons 50 as a response from an AI entity based at least in part on patron data collected by various park sensors 18 positioned throughout the amusement park 10, as collected by a patron tracking system 16.

[0020] For example, in some embodiments, the tunnel ride attraction 14A may include a display 12A that displays an image of an animated character 12C. As described in more detail herein, in response to detecting a specific patron 50 (such as detecting the specific patron 50 using a proximity sensor 18A for detecting human presence and a camera 18B for identifying the specific patron 50), the specific animated character 12C may be displayed to react based at least in part on the patron data collected for the specific patron 50. Additionally, in some embodiments, a virtual avatar or hologram of the animated character 12C in a virtual game in the virtual game room 14B may react similarly.

[0021] As another non-limiting example, in some embodiments, a specific patron 50 may be determined to be currently on the tunnel ride attraction 14A, for example based on sensor data from a patron-wearable radio frequency identification (RFID) tag 18C associated with the specific patron 50. As illustrated, in some embodiments, the ride vehicle 20 of the tunnel ride attraction 14A may also include one or more RFID tags 18C. In some embodiments, as the ride vehicle 20 moves along the ride track 22, an electronic reader 18D on the ride track 22 may read the RFID tag 18C of the ride vehicle 20, thereby indicating the presence of the ride vehicle 20. As described in more detail herein, based on the ride vehicle 20 being present and moving along the ride track 22, the patron tracking system 16 may determine that the specific patron 50 is present within a threshold distance of interest (such as within a distance near one or more features 12 that may be activated to simulate the presence of an AI entity associated with the specific patron 50). Additionally or alternatively, when the ride vehicle 20 moves over a weight sensor 18E positioned on the ride track 22 , the weight sensor 18E may detect a weight above a threshold weight, thereby indicating the presence of the ride vehicle 20 .

[0022] In certain embodiments, after determining that the ride vehicle 20 is present and that a specific customer 50 may be present, additional campus sensors 18 (such as cameras 18B and / or customer wearable RFID tags 18C) may trigger the additional campus sensors 18 to collect data (to assist in identifying the specific customer 50). For example, in certain embodiments, the customer tracking system 16 may perform image analysis of the video and / or images collected by the camera 18B to match the images with images corresponding to a user ID associated with the specific customer 50. Additionally or alternatively to the camera 18B, the customer tracking system 16 may analyze the RFID tag data to associate it with the user ID associated with the specific customer 50. In certain embodiments, the customer tracking system 16 may use the camera 18B and / or RFID tag 18C to determine the presence of the specific customer 50 and identify the specific customer 50, rather than initially determining the presence of the specific customer 50 based on, for example, the weight of the ride vehicle 20.

[0023] After identifying the patron 50, the patron tracking system 16 may determine patron data for the specific patron 50, and subsequently modify the interactions of the tunnel ride attraction 14A based on the patron data. For example, in certain embodiments, the patron data may indicate that the specific patron 50 is afraid of clowns. Specifically, the patron tracking system 16 may determine that the specific patron 50 has made a statement that he is afraid of clowns (e.g., captured by an audio sensor 18F at another attraction 14). Therefore, certain features 12 may be activated accordingly. For example, in this example, when the ride vehicle 20 that the specific patron 50 is riding approaches an animated feature 12C, the specific park animated feature 12C may call the specific patron 50, ask about games that the specific patron 50 played earlier in the amusement park 10, ask about family members by name, make comments related to the amusement park zones that the patron 50 has visited, etc. (e.g., via an associated sound effects system 12D). Therefore, features 12 placed throughout the amusement park 10 may be activated based on patron data determined by park sensors 18 placed throughout the amusement park 10. Additionally, in certain embodiments, the animated character 12C may be animated, such as to make faces or gestures that alarm a particular customer 50 based on the customer data.

[0024] Additionally, as described in more detail herein, the AI ​​entity management system disposed on the ride vehicle 20 may be configured to retrieve patron data collected by the patron tracking system 16 and to activate certain features 12 of the ride vehicle 20 (e.g., displays 12A, lighting effects system 12B, animated characters 12C, and / or sound effects system 12D) to simulate the presence of an AI entity associated with the ride vehicle 20. By way of example, patron data (e.g., the number of tickets purchased for the amusement park 10) may indicate that the specific patron 50 is visiting the amusement park 10 with two other family members, and thus while the specific patron 50 is riding the specific ride vehicle 20, the AI ​​entity management system of the specific ride vehicle 20 may access data associated with the two other family members (e.g., such as the names of the family members tagged on a social media application). Additionally, in certain embodiments, during a ride on the tunnel ride attraction 14A, the patron tracking system 16 may analyze video data from the camera 18B indicating that the specific patron 50 was on the specific ride vehicle 20 with other patrons 50, may determine that the other patrons 50 are family members, and may send that data to the AI ​​entity management system of the specific ride vehicle 20. In certain embodiments, the patron tracking system 16 may perform additional image analysis to match the captured video data with images on a social media application to confirm the identities of the other patrons 50, and may send that data to the AI ​​entity management system of the specific ride vehicle 20. Thus, the AI ​​entity management system of the specific ride vehicle 20 may use that data to address the other patrons 50 by their respective names, thereby providing customized interactions for the specific patron 50 and / or related patrons 50. However, in certain embodiments, the specific patron 50 may control the data shared with the patron management system 16 and the AI ​​entity management system of the specific ride vehicle 20, and thus, the degree of interactivity may correspond to the degree of data shared. For example, a restriction may cause the AI ​​entity management system of a particular ride vehicle 20 to limit interactions to only addressing the patron 50 by name and not addressing other family members by name.

[0025] In certain embodiments, the ride vehicle 20 may include other sound effects systems 12D that the AI ​​entity management system of the ride vehicle 20 modifies based on the customer data. For example, in certain embodiments, the AI ​​entity management system of the ride vehicle 20 may cause the sound effects system 12D to play audio (e.g., a theme song) associated with a particular customer's favorite attraction 14. Additionally, in certain embodiments, the AI ​​entity management system of the ride vehicle 20 may cause the light effects system 12B to project a clown's face in the tunnel of the tunnel ride attraction 14A based on the customer data of the particular customer 50. Additionally, in certain embodiments, the AI ​​entity management system of the ride vehicle 20 may activate other features 12 of the particular ride vehicle 20 based on the presence of the particular customer 50. For example, in certain embodiments, the AI ​​entity management system of the ride vehicle 20 may activate a feature 12 on the left side of the tunnel ride attraction 14A for a particular customer 50 positioned on the left side of the ride vehicle 20, while activating a feature 12 on the right side of the tunnel ride attraction 14A for a particular customer 50 positioned on the right side of the ride vehicle 20.

[0026] Additionally, in certain embodiments, when the identified patron 50 is in the ride vehicle 20, the AI ​​entity management system of the ride vehicle 20 may activate the animated character 12C of the ride vehicle 20. In certain embodiments, the patron tracking system 16 may track a combination of the presence of certain groups 26 of patrons 50 and the preferences of the individuals in the groups 26. For example, in certain embodiments, overlaps in interests between most group members may be identified and used to provide interactions, a random selection or combination of interactions may be selected based on the preferences of those in the group, interactions may be cycled through based on group preferences, and so forth.

[0027] Additionally, in certain embodiments, the monitoring system 28 and / or the service desk 30 may monitor the activity of patrons 50 within the amusement park 10 to ensure that park operations are being completed as intended. Specifically, as described in more detail herein, the interactions with specific patrons 50 activated via the various features 12 described herein are intended to simulate the presence of one or more AI entities, and the one or more AI entities develop specific "personalities" based on, for example, the previous activity of the specific patrons 50 within the amusement park 10 (e.g., as detected by the various park sensors 18 described herein).

[0028] To illustrate how ride vehicles 20 maintain their respective ride vehicle AI entities 36 described herein, Figure 2 Depicts the activation Figure 1The ride AI entity system 32 of the amusement park 10 is configured to simulate the presence of the ride AI entity 36 by simulating the features 12 of the amusement park 10. As illustrated, the ride AI entity system 32 includes park sensors 18, a patron tracking system 16, one or more ride vehicles 20 having one or more features 12 and an AI entity management system 40, and one or more patron mobile devices 34, among other devices. It should be understood that the illustrated system is intended to be exemplary only, and that certain features and components may be omitted, and various other features and components may be added to facilitate presentation, in accordance with the disclosed embodiments.

[0029] As shown, in certain embodiments, the AI ​​entity management system 40 of each ride vehicle 20 may include an input device 42, a processor 44, a memory 46, and a communication circuit 48. In certain embodiments, the input device 42 may receive input data from the park sensor 18. For example, in certain embodiments, the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20 may receive input data from the park sensor 18 via the input device 42 at certain locations along the corresponding ride track of the ride facility, wherein the input device 42 may be interfaced with the physical data interface. However, in other embodiments, the input device 42 may be configured to receive input data wirelessly from the park sensor 18. Based on the input data received at the input device 42, the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20 may manage the corresponding ride vehicle AI entity 36 of the ride vehicle 20 by, for example, modifying the artificial personality of the ride vehicle AI entity 36, activating various features 12 to manifest the presence of the ride vehicle AI entity 36, and so on.

[0030] Specifically, described herein (and in Figure 1 In an amusement park setting (illustrated in FIG. 1 ), the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20 may control the features 12 of the ride vehicle 20 (such as the display 12A, the lighting effect system 12B, the animated character 12C, and / or the sound effect system 12D). By way of example, the tunnel ride attraction 14A or the roller coaster attraction 14D may include one or more displays 12A, the lighting effect system 12B, the one or more animated characters 12C, and / or the sound effect system 12D. As described in more detail herein, the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20 may control its corresponding features 12 to provide customized interactions for the patron 50. By way of example, the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20 may control the speakers of the sound effect system 12D on the ride vehicle 20 to produce audio associated with the ride vehicle AI entity 36 associated with the specific patron 50. For example, the audio may include a recognizable and unique sound (e.g., a song associated with the specific AI entity 36) and / or the patron's name. The customized audio may be based on patron data acquired through the park sensors 18 described herein.

[0031] As another example, the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20 may control the lighting effects system 12B of the ride vehicle 20 to project specific animations during the ride based on customer data. For example, the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20 may retrieve customer data from the park sensors 18 that indicates a specific customer's fear, and use the customer data to modify the animation projected by the lighting effects system 12B (e.g., if the specific customer 50 is afraid of spiders, spiders are projected and the associated AI entity 36 is associated with spiders in some way). In this way, the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20 can control and modify ride interactions to provide a customized experience based on customer data. In certain embodiments, as described in more detail herein, the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20 may also detect the presence (e.g., identification, location, movement, etc.) of a specific customer 50 in the ride vehicle 20.

[0032] As mentioned above about Figure 1 As described, the park sensors 18 may include one or more proximity sensors 18A, one or more cameras 18B, one or more radio frequency identification (RFID) tags 18C, one or more electronic readers 18D, one or more weight sensors 18E, and / or one or more audio sensors 18F. The park sensors 18 may be placed or positioned in areas where patrons are expected to be present (such as on a ride track 22 or a ride vehicle 20 of a ride facility). In certain embodiments, the RFID tag 18C may communicate with the electronic reader 18D to indicate the presence of a specific patron 50. For example, in certain embodiments, the RFID tag 18C may be incorporated into the ride facility, such as on a ride track 22 of a ride facility or on a ride vehicle 20 (e.g., inside, on the side, or on an entryway of the ride vehicle 20). In addition, the electronic reader 18D may be placed in a manner that allows scanning of the RFID tag 18C. By way of example, an electronic reader 18D may be placed on a ride track 22 such that the electronic reader 18D may scan an RFID tag 18C on a ride vehicle 20 as the ride vehicle 20 passes over the electronic reader 18D, thereby indicating that a specific customer 50 is on the ride facility. In certain embodiments, the RFID tag 18C may include a customer wearable RFID tag 18C associated with a specific user ID 52. Thus, upon scanning the customer wearable RFID tag 18C associated with the specific customer 50, the input data from the electronic reader 18D may indicate the presence of the specific customer 50 associated with the specific user ID 52. Subsequently, as described in more detail herein, the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20 may retrieve the customer data based on the user ID 52 and activate the features 12 of its corresponding ride vehicle 20 accordingly.

[0033] As described in more detail herein, the amusement park 10 may also track patron park activity (such as ride history, interactions, etc.). By way of example, the tracked patron park activity (e.g., tracked via a patron wearable RFID tag 18C) may indicate that a particular patron 50 stayed in a particular section of the amusement park 10 most of the time that the patron visited the amusement park 10. The tracked patron park activity may also indicate that the particular patron 50 rode a particular ride more often than other rides. As described in more detail herein, based on this patron data, the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20 may determine the preferences of the particular patron 50 (e.g., favorite sections and rides at the amusement park 10) and use these preferences to modify the artificial personality of the ride vehicle AI entity 36 associated with the particular patron 50.

[0034] In certain embodiments, the camera 18B may be placed or positioned in an area based on where patrons are expected to be present (such as to view the ride vehicle 20 on the ride facility). In such embodiments, the camera 18B may determine the presence of a specific patron 50 based on the images and / or videos captured by the camera 18B. Specifically, the camera 18B may perform facial recognition and / or body recognition to determine the presence of the specific patron 50. In certain embodiments, the camera 18B may alternatively provide the images and / or videos as input data to the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20, which may then perform facial recognition and / or body recognition. For example, in certain embodiments, the camera 18B and / or the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20 may match the images and / or videos with previously stored images of the specific patron 50. In certain embodiments, the previously stored images of the specific patron 50 may be images stored in the memory 46 of the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20 and associated with the user ID 52 of the specific patron 50, and / or images retrievable through a third-party application 54 (e.g., a profile picture of the patron on a social media application).

[0035] Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, the weight sensor 18E may indicate the presence of the customer 50. For example, the weight sensor 18E may be mounted on the ride track 22 and may indicate the presence of the ride vehicle 20 on the ride track 22 based on a predetermined weight. Similarly, in some embodiments, the proximity sensor 18A may be placed or positioned near an area where a customer is expected to be present (e.g., in a seat of the ride vehicle 20). The proximity sensor 18A may detect the presence of a nearby object without physical contact by using an electromagnetic field, light, and / or sound. The proximity sensor 18A may emit a beam of an electromagnetic field or electromagnetic radiation (e.g., infrared) and look for a return signal or change in the field. In order to accurately detect the presence of a nearby object such as a customer 50, the proximity sensor 18A may be positioned near a loading point for the ride vehicle 20 and / or on a ride vehicle seat. In certain embodiments, RFID tag 18C and / or camera 18B may be used alone or in combination with other campus sensors 18 (e.g., weight sensor 18E and / or proximity sensor 18A) to detect the presence of a specific customer 50 and / or to identify a specific customer 50.

[0036] Additionally or alternatively, in certain embodiments, the third-party applications 54 may provide input data to the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20. That is, based on customer permission, the third-party applications 54 may be enabled to share data with the AI ​​entity management system 40 of a specific ride vehicle 20. The third-party applications 54 may include systems associated with third parties, including entities that do not have a direct relationship with the amusement park 10. The third-party applications 54 may provide third-party data collected from one or more third parties through their websites, mobile applications, and / or other platforms. The third-party applications 54 may include, but are not limited to, social media applications, medical applications, and / or banking applications. Therefore, the third-party data from the third-party applications 54 may include data associated with social media applications, medical applications, and / or banking applications.

[0037] In certain embodiments, the patron mobile device 34 may also provide input data to the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20. For example, pursuant to permission received from the patron 50, the associated patron mobile device 34 may be enabled to share device data with the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the specific ride vehicle 20. The device data may include, but is not limited to, images and / or videos stored on or accessible to the patron mobile device 34, the GPS location of the patron mobile device 34, tracking data determined by the patron mobile device 34 (e.g., steps taken per day, average screen time, etc.), and / or setting preferences (e.g., larger text, color themes, special accessibility features enabled, etc.).

[0038] As mentioned above about Figure 1As described, in certain embodiments, the ride vehicle AI entity system 32 may include a monitoring system 28 and / or a service desk 30. Although the following discussion describes the monitoring system 28 and the service desk 30 as separate components of the ride vehicle AI entity system 32, these components may be in communication with each other (e.g., as indicated by dashed lines) or integrated into a single system (e.g., where the service desk 30 is part of the monitoring system 28). The monitoring system 28 may be a management system that monitors the park sensors 18 and ride vehicles 20 described herein. For example, as described in more detail herein, the monitoring system 28 may monitor control signals sent from the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20 in response to the presence and identification of a specific customer 50. Specifically, the monitoring system 28 may ensure that the park sensors 18 and the ride vehicle 20 are functioning as intended and / or provide customized interactions for the specific customer 50 as intended via the ride vehicle AI entity 36.

[0039] Additionally, in some embodiments, if the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20 is not functioning as expected (e.g., generating erroneous control signals), the monitoring system 28 may control or reconfigure the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20. For example, the monitoring system 28 may reset or recalibrate certain park sensors 18 and / or features 12 of the ride vehicle 20, and / or override control signals for the features 12 (e.g., as initially determined by the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20). In some embodiments, the monitoring system 28 and the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20 may be implemented as a single controller.

[0040] In certain embodiments, if the service desk 30, which may include a human or virtual service agent, finds any issues with the ride AI entity 36 beyond those determined by the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20, the service desk 30 may manually stop activation of the ride AI entity 36 via a stop mechanism (e.g., a button) to override control signals from the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20. Because the patrons 50 may be tracked as described herein (e.g., such as via the patrons' wearable RFID tags 18C), the service desk 30 may monitor the activities of the patrons 50 and use that information to try to resolve unexpected delays or unexpected functions at the amusement park 10. By way of example, the tracked activities may indicate that the patrons 50 have attempted to ride a specific roller coaster, but were stationary or approximately stationary in a roller coaster section for a specific duration exceeding a threshold duration, thereby indicating unexpected delays or queues and / or unexpected performance of the roller coaster. In certain embodiments, the unexpected activities may alert the service desk 30 to resolve such issues.

[0041] The communication circuitry 48 of the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20 may enable the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20 to interface with various electronic devices, such as the monitoring system 28, the service desk 30, the features 12 of the ride vehicle 20, and / or the customer mobile device 34. For example, in certain embodiments, the monitoring system 28 and / or the service desk 30 may communicate with the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20 to receive and / or send information (as indicated by the double-headed arrows) to ensure that the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20 and / or the features 12 of the ride vehicle 20 are operating as expected. Additionally, in certain embodiments, the communication circuitry 48 may enable the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20 to interface with components of the features 12 of the ride vehicle 12. For example, the communication circuitry 48 may enable the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20 to communicatively couple to a network, such as a personal area network (PAN), a local area network (LAN), and / or a wide area network (WAN).

[0042] Thus, in certain embodiments, the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20 may process data received from the campus sensors 18 via the input devices 42, determine the presence of and identify a specific patron 50, determine patron data associated with the corresponding specific patron 50 from the user ID 52, determine modifications to the ride vehicle AI entity 36 (e.g., modifications to the personality of the ride vehicle AI entity 36, among other modifications), determine modifications to interactions via certain features 12 of the ride vehicle 20 (e.g., activation of functionality of the features 12) to facilitate a customized experience for the patron 50 (e.g., via simulation of the presence of the ride vehicle AI entity 36), and communicate the modifications to the features 12. For example, after processing the sensor data received via the input devices 42, the processor 44 of the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20 may determine a control signal that enables the communication circuit 48 to transmit control data to the features 12 of the ride vehicle 20 to enable activation of the modifications via the features 12 of the ride vehicle 20.

[0043] Additionally, in certain embodiments, the AI ​​entity management system 40 may be configured to utilize relatively efficient processing to provide desired ride outputs via the features 12 of the ride vehicle 20 by using machine learning to identify what data also needs to be received from and / or transmitted to the park sensors 18, patron tracking systems 16, monitoring systems 28, service desks 30, patron mobile devices 34, cloud storage devices, and the like. Specifically, in certain embodiments, the AI ​​entity management system 40 may only request certain types of data from the park sensors 18, patron tracking systems 16, monitoring systems 28, service desks 30, patron mobile devices 34, cloud storage devices, and the like when specific types of data are needed (and not already stored locally) to perform certain functions associated with the ride vehicle AI entity 36. Additionally, in certain embodiments, the AI ​​entity management system 40 may only transmit certain types of data to the patron tracking systems 16, monitoring systems 28, service desks 30, patron mobile devices 34, cloud storage devices, and the like when specific types of data are either requested or when the AI ​​entity management system 40 determines that specific types of data may be needed for the performance of other functions associated with the ride vehicle AI entity 36 described herein.

[0044] The processor 44 of the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20 may include one or more processing devices that receive input signals from the input devices 42 related to the presence and / or identification of the patron 50, which may then be used to determine modifications to interactions via certain features 12 of the ride vehicle 20 (e.g., activation of functionality of features 12 of the ride vehicle 20) to facilitate a customized experience for the patron 50 (e.g., via simulation of the presence of the ride vehicle AI entity 36) using the techniques described herein. The memory 46 of the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20 may include one or more tangible, non-transitory machine-readable media. By way of example, such machine-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, or optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other media that can be used to carry or store desired algorithms (e.g., program code) in the form of machine-executable instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by the processor 44 of the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20 or by other processor-based devices. The processor 44 of the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20 may include a processing core for executing machine executable instruction algorithms stored in the memory 46 of the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20. The processor 44 of the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20 may also include a processor-side interface for software applications running on the processing core to interface with hardware components (such as the features 12 of the ride vehicle 20 described herein). In certain embodiments, the memory 46 of the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20 may store customer data corresponding to tracked customer activities and park activities, as well as corresponding preferences of the customers 50 (e.g., by manual input from the customers 50 and / or as determined by processing algorithms executed by the processor 44 of the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20). In certain embodiments, the memory 46 of the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20 may tag the customer data with the corresponding user ID 52 before storing the customer data for subsequent retrieval. That is, in certain embodiments, the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20 may retrieve data associated with the customer 50 by looking up the ID 52 and using the associated customer data.

[0045] By way of example, described herein (and Figure 1), the stored algorithms may include, but are not limited to, the following algorithms: algorithms that determine the presence of a patron based on sensor data from park sensors 18, algorithms that identify a specific patron 50 (e.g., by processing sensor data from camera 18B and performing facial recognition and / or processing sensor data from RFID tag 18C associated with user ID 52 of patron 50), algorithms that retrieve patron data for user ID 52, algorithms that determine modifications to interactions within amusement park 10 based on patron data, and algorithms that provide modified images, sounds, lighting effects, or animations (e.g., stored in memory 46) based on patron data (e.g., indicating patron information or preferences for modifying one or more ride vehicle AI entities 36). In this way, the AI ​​entity management system 40 of a ride vehicle 20 can determine the presence of a specific patron 50 and control features 12 of the ride vehicle 20 accordingly.

[0046] Therefore, as described in more detail herein, Figure 2 The vehicle AI entity system 32 shown in FIG. 3 is configured to manage and Figure 1 2 and 3. The ride AI entity 36 associated with the specific ride 20 of the amusement park 10 shown in FIG. Figure 3 Yes Operation Figure 2 1. As shown, in some embodiments, the method 56 includes identifying activities of one or more patrons 50 within the physical environment of the amusement park 10 via one or more patron activity identification devices (e.g., the park sensors 18 described herein) (block 58). Additionally, in some embodiments, the method 56 also includes maintaining one or more ride vehicle AI entities 36 of the ride vehicle 20 via the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20 based at least in part on the identified activities of the one or more patrons 50 (block 60). Additionally, in some embodiments, the method 56 also includes activating one or more features 12 disposed on the ride vehicle 20 via the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20 to simulate the presence of the one or more ride vehicle AI entities 36 based on one or more attributes of the one or more ride vehicle AI entities 36 (block 62). As described in more detail herein, in some embodiments, each of the one or more ride vehicle AI entities 36 is specific to the ride vehicle 20. However, in other embodiments, each of the one or more ride AI entities 36 is specific to a customer 50 or group 26 of customers 50 in the one or more customers 50 .

[0047] As described in more detail herein, in certain embodiments, one or more patron activity recognition devices for collecting data for identifying activities of one or more patrons 50 may include one or more proximity sensors 18A configured to detect the presence of a patron 50 of the one or more patrons 50 at a location within the physical environment of the amusement park 10. Additionally, in certain embodiments, one or more patron activity recognition devices for collecting data for identifying activities of one or more patrons 50 may include one or more cameras 18B configured to detect the presence of a patron 50 of the one or more patrons 50 at a location within the physical environment of the amusement park 10, configured to determine the identity of a patron 50 of the one or more patrons 50, or some combination thereof. Additionally, in certain embodiments, one or more patron activity recognition devices for collecting data for identifying activities of one or more patrons 50 may include one or more electronic readers 18D configured to detect the presence of one or more radio frequency identification tags 18C associated with the one or more patrons 50 at a location within the physical environment of the amusement park 10. As described in more detail herein, in certain embodiments, the one or more radio frequency identification tags 18C may be integrated into a wearable device configured to be worn by one or more patrons 50. Additionally, in certain embodiments, the one or more patron activity recognition devices for collecting data for identifying activities of the one or more patrons 50 may include a weight sensor 18E configured to detect the presence of a patron 50 of the one or more patrons 50 at a location within the physical environment of the amusement park 10. Additionally, in certain embodiments, the one or more patron activity recognition devices for collecting data for identifying activities of the one or more patrons 50 may include one or more audio sensors 18F configured to detect sounds generated by a patron 50 of the one or more patrons 50.

[0048] Additionally, in certain embodiments, one or more features 12 of the ride vehicle 20 that may be activated by the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20 may include one or more displays 12A configured to display a ride vehicle AI entity 36 of the one or more ride vehicle AI entities 36. Additionally, in certain embodiments, one or more features 12 of the ride vehicle 20 that may be activated by the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20 may include a lighting effects system 12B configured to generate light associated with the ride vehicle AI entity 36 of the one or more ride vehicle AI entities 36. Additionally, in certain embodiments, one or more features 12 of the ride vehicle 20 that may be activated by the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20 may include one or more animated characters 12C configured to simulate the presence of a ride vehicle AI entity 36 of the one or more ride vehicle AI entities 36. Additionally, in certain embodiments, one or more features 12 of the ride vehicle 20 that may be activated by the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20 may include a sound effects system 12D configured to generate sounds associated with a ride AI entity 36 in one or more ride AI entities 36.

[0049] like Figure 4, in some embodiments, the one or more attributes of the one or more ride vehicle AI entities 36 may include an identity 64 of the one or more ride vehicle AI entities 36, one or more details 66 about the one or more ride vehicle AI entities 36, one or more personality traits 68 of the one or more ride vehicle AI entities 36, emotions 70 of the one or more ride vehicle AI entities 36, one or more preferences 72 of the one or more ride vehicle AI entities 36, or some combination thereof. For example, the identity 64 of a particular ride vehicle AI entity 36 may be a relatively well-known themed character that is specific to a particular themed zone of the amusement park 10, for example. In some embodiments, the patrons 50 may select a particular character that they would like to follow them throughout their visit to the amusement park 10 (or to a particular themed zone of the amusement park 10) as the ride vehicle AI entity 36, or the particular character may be automatically selected by the AI ​​entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20 as the ride vehicle AI entity 36 for the particular patron 50, for example, based on the tracked activities of the patron 50 (e.g., the patron 50 shows a particular affinity for the particular character, the patron 50 shows a fear of the particular character, etc.). It will be appreciated that a particular themed character may have details 66 that are specific to the themed character (e.g., backstory details, origin, faction alliances, friends, enemies, goals, motivations, etc.). Additionally, whether a particular ride vehicle AI entity 36 is a particular relatively well-known themed character or a completely customized character, the particular ride vehicle AI entity 36 may have specific personality traits 68 (such as happy, sad, humorous, gentle, brave, cowardly, passive, aggressive, belligerent, submissive, mean, kind, sarcastic, respectful, etc.). Additionally, a particular ride vehicle AI entity 36 may have specific emotions 70 that are substantially similar to the personality traits 68, but the specific emotions 70 are more transient in nature relative to the more permanent personality traits 68. Additionally, a particular ride vehicle AI entity 36 may have specific preferences 72, such as activities they like to participate in, areas of the amusement park 10 they prefer, other themed characters they have an affinity (or aversion) for, and the like.

[0050] As described in more detail herein, in certain embodiments, at least some of the ride vehicle AI entities 36 may be specific to a ride vehicle 20. For example, in such embodiments, the ride vehicle AI entities 36 may have persistence (or at least semi-persistence) on the respective ride vehicle 20 where they are permanently maintained (e.g., permanently stored in the memory 46 of the respective AI entity management system 40) or at least semi-permanently maintained (e.g., stored in the memory 46 of the respective AI entity management system 40 for a period of time) by the respective AI entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20. Such ride vehicle-specific AI entities 36 may begin to develop a reputation with patrons 50 such that patrons 50 may want to ride specific ride vehicles 20 so that they may interact with those particular AI entities 36.

[0051] However, in other embodiments, at least some of the ride vehicle AI entities 36 may be specific to a patron 50 or group 26 of patrons 50. For example, in such embodiments, the ride vehicle AI entities 36 may appear to follow the respective patron 50 or group 26 of patrons 50 as the patron 50 rides various ride vehicles 20 (e.g., such as ghosts). Additionally, however, in certain embodiments, at least some of the ride vehicle AI entities 36 may be specific to a patron 50 or group 26 of patrons 50 only for a particular ride vehicle 20. For example, in such embodiments, a patron 50 or group 26 of patrons 50 may select a specific ride vehicle AI entity 36 with which they would like to interact when they ride a specific ride vehicle 20.

[0052] Figure 5 1 illustrates a non-limiting example of how the ride AI entities described herein may be manifested as patrons 50 move around amusement park 10. For example, Figure 5 Illustrated is a display 12A of the ride vehicle 20 upon which a character 74 associated with the ride vehicle AI entity 36 may be presented, and an associated sound effects system 12D of the ride vehicle 20 via which sounds may be generated to simulate the character 74 speaking. Figure 6 More detailed illustration Figure 5 The display 12A and sound effects system 12D of the ride vehicle 20. As described in more detail herein, based on the attributes of the specific ride vehicle AI entity 36 (see e.g. Figure 4), when a customer 50 associated with a specific ride AI entity 36 is, for example, riding a ride vehicle 20 (e.g., when detected by one or more proximity sensors 18A and / or one or more cameras 18B of the ride vehicle 20), the specific ride AI entity 36 may manifest itself by controlling one or more aspects of a character 74 presented via the display 12A (with associated sounds generated by the sound effects system 12D). The one or more aspects that the ride AI entity 36 may control may include, but are not limited to, animations of the character 74, dialogue of the character 74, special visual and / or audio effects associated with the character 74, and the like. For example, if the customer data for the specific customer 50 indicates that the specific customer 50 has a fear of (or, conversely, an affinity for) the specific character 74, the character 74 may be caused by the AI ​​entity management system 40 to speak in a relatively menacing manner (or, conversely, in a friendly manner) in the general direction of the specific customer 50.

[0053] Although only certain features of the present 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 present disclosure.

[0054] The technology presented and claimed herein is cited and applied to specific examples and substantial objects that arguably improve the practical nature of the art, and thus is not abstract, intangible, or purely theoretical. Further, if any claim appended to the end of this specification contains one or more elements designated as "a means for [performing] ... [function]" or "a step for [performing] ... [function]," it is intended that such elements be interpreted in accordance with 35 U.S.C. §112(f). However, for any claim containing elements designated in any other manner, it is intended that such elements not be interpreted in accordance with 35 U.S.C. §112(f).

Claims

1. A system for utilizing an artificial intelligence entity riding a vehicle, include: one or more patron activity recognition devices configured to recognize activities of one or more patrons within the physical environment of the amusement park; as well as One or more ride vehicles of the amusement park's ride facilities, each ride vehicle comprising: an artificial intelligence entity management system configured to maintain one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities of the ride vehicle based at least in part on the identified activities of the one or more patrons; as well as One or more features disposed on the ride vehicle and configured to be activated by the artificial intelligence entity management system to simulate the presence of the one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities based on one or more attributes of the one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities.

2. The system according to claim 1, in, Each of the one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities is specific to the ride vehicle.

3. The system according to claim 1, in, Each of the one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities is specific to a customer or group of customers among the one or more customers.

4. The system according to claim 1, in, The one or more features disposed on the ride vehicle include one or more displays configured to be activated by the artificial intelligence entity management system to display a ride vehicle artificial intelligence entity among the one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities.

5. The system according to claim 1, in, The one or more features disposed on the ride vehicle include a lighting effects system configured to be activated by the artificial intelligence entity management system to generate lights associated with a ride vehicle artificial intelligence entity among the one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities.

6. The system of claim 1, in, The one or more features disposed on the ride vehicle include one or more animated characters configured to be activated by the artificial intelligence entity management system to simulate the presence of a ride vehicle artificial intelligence entity among the one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities.

7. The system of claim 1, in, The one or more features disposed on the ride vehicle include a sound effects system configured to be activated by the artificial intelligence entity management system to generate sounds associated with a ride vehicle artificial intelligence entity among the one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities.

8. The system of claim 1, in, The one or more attributes of the one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities include: the identity of the one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities, one or more details about the one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities, one or more personality traits of the one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities, the emotions of the one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities, one or more preferences of the one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities, or a combination thereof.

9. A method for utilizing an artificial intelligence entity riding a vehicle, include: identifying, via one or more patron activity recognition devices, activities of one or more patrons within the physical environment of the amusement park; maintaining, via a ride vehicle artificial intelligence entity management system, one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities of the ride vehicle based at least in part on the identified activities of the one or more patrons; as well as One or more features disposed on the ride vehicle are activated via the artificial intelligence entity management system of the ride vehicle to simulate the presence of the one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities based on one or more attributes of the one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities.

10. The method according to claim 9, in, Each of the one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities is specific to the ride vehicle.

11. The method according to claim 9, in, Each of the one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities is specific to a customer or group of customers among the one or more customers.

12. The method according to claim 9, in, Activating the one or more features disposed on the ride vehicle includes activating one or more displays to display a ride vehicle artificial intelligence entity among the one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities.

13. The method of claim 9, in, Activating the one or more features disposed on the ride vehicle includes activating a lighting effects system to generate lights associated with a ride vehicle artificial intelligence entity among the one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities.

14. The method according to claim 9, in, Activating the one or more features disposed on the ride vehicle includes activating one or more animated characters to simulate the presence of a ride vehicle artificial intelligence entity among the one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities.

15. The method of claim 9, in, Activating the one or more features disposed on the ride vehicle includes activating a sound effects system to generate sounds associated with a ride vehicle artificial intelligence entity of the one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities.

16. The method of claim 9, in, The one or more attributes of the one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities include: the identity of the one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities, one or more details about the one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities, one or more personality traits of the one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities, the emotions of the one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities, one or more preferences of the one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities, or a combination thereof.

17. A ride vehicle for use with a ride vehicle artificial intelligence entity, in, The ride vehicle is configured as follows: receiving data related to identified activities of one or more patrons within a physical environment of an amusement park; maintaining one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities for the ride vehicle based at least in part on the data associated with the identified activities of the one or more patrons; as well as One or more features disposed on the ride vehicle are activated to simulate the presence of the one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities based on one or more attributes of the one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities.

18. The ride vehicle according to claim 17, in, Each of the one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities is specific to the ride vehicle.

19. The ride vehicle according to claim 17, in, Each of the one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities is specific to a customer or group of customers among the one or more customers.

20. The ride vehicle according to claim 17, in, The one or more attributes of the one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities include: the identity of the one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities, one or more details about the one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities, one or more personality traits of the one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities, the emotions of the one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities, one or more preferences of the one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities, or a combination thereof.

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