System and method for storing player state cache locally on a vehicle

Abstract

Systems and methods presented herein include a vehicle that locally stores a player state cache. For example, the ride may include an on-board ride and game control subsystem configured to control local functions of a ride and game control system associated with an amusement park ride system (e.g., implemented locally on the ride), locally cache player state data for ride occupants during a ride cycle of the ride, and synchronize the locally cached player state data maintained by the off-board ride and game control subsystem with global player state data after a ride cycle of the ride.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] (CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS) This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 328,595, filed April 7, 2022, and entitled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR STORING PLAYER STATE CACHES LOCALLY ON RIDE VEHICLES,” the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes. [Background technology]

[0002] FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE The present disclosure relates generally to the field of amusement parks. More specifically, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a system and method for storing a player state cache locally on a ride.

[0003] This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure, as described below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. As such, these statements should be construed in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.

[0004] Amusement parks may include a variety of entertainment attractions that provide enjoyment to guests of the park. For example, the attractions may include ride attractions (e.g., closed loop tracks, dark rides, thrill rides, or other similar rides). In such ride attractions, the motion of the ride may consist of programmed movements, or the ride may include features (e.g., various buttons and knobs) that provide passengers with different levels of control over the ride. It has now been recognized that there is a need for improved ride attractions that provide increased passenger control over the ride to provide a more interactive ride experience and allow game data to be updated more quickly to enhance the ride experience. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Aspects of certain embodiments disclosed herein are described below. It should be understood that these aspects are presented merely to provide the reader with an overview of these specific embodiments, and that these aspects are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, the present disclosure may encompass various aspects that may not be described below.

[0006] In certain embodiments, an amusement park ride system includes an off-board ride and game control subsystem configured to control global functions of a ride and game control system associated with the amusement park ride system. Additionally, the amusement park ride system includes one or more vehicles. Each ride is configured to carry one or more passengers through the amusement park ride system. Further, each ride includes an on-board ride and game control subsystem configured to control local functions of a ride and game control system associated with the amusement park ride system. The local functions of the ride and game control system occur locally on the respective ride. Further, the on-board ride and game control subsystem of each vehicle is configured to locally cache player state data for one or more respective passengers during one or more ride cycles of the ride, and to synchronize the locally cached player state data maintained by the off-board ride and game control subsystem with global player state data after one or more ride cycles of the ride.

[0007] Additionally, in certain embodiments, the amusement park ride includes an on-board ride and games control subsystem configured to control local functions of a ride and games control system associated with the amusement park ride system. The local functions of the ride and games control system occur locally on the ride. Additionally, the on-board ride and games control system is configured to locally cache player state data for one or more passengers of the ride during one or more ride cycles of the ride, and to synchronize the locally cached player state data with global player state data after one or more ride cycles of the ride. The global player state data is maintained by an off-board ride and games control subsystem configured to control global functions of a ride and games control system associated with the amusement park ride system.

[0008] Moreover, in certain embodiments, the method includes controlling, via an on-board ride and games control subsystem, local functionality of a ride and games control system associated with the amusement park ride. The local functionality of the ride and games control system occurs locally on the ride. The method also includes caching, via the on-board ride and games control subsystem of the vehicle, player state data for one or more passengers of the vehicle during one or more ride cycles of the vehicle. The method further includes synchronizing, via the on-board ride and games control subsystem of the vehicle, the locally cached player state data with global player data after one or more ride cycles of the ride. The global player state data is maintained by an off-board ride and games control subsystem configured to control global functionality of a ride and games control system associated with the amusement park ride system.

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

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of an amusement park including an amusement park ride system having rides and game control systems in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a ride and game control system that may be utilized within the amusement park ride system of FIG. 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] During a ride cycle of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the vehicle includes, among other things, a ride controller, a game controller, a monitoring system, and one or more game systems, which may be generally referred to as on-board ride and game control subsystems. [Figure 4] 4 illustrates the vehicle of FIG. 3 after a ride cycle of the vehicle and during synchronization of locally cached player state data with the off-board ride and game control subsystems in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a flow diagram of a method of using an on-board ride and game control subsystem of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] One or more specific embodiments are described below. In an attempt to provide a complete description of these embodiments, not all features of an actual implementation are described herein. It should be understood that the development of any such actual implementation, like an engineering or design project, will involve many implementation-specific decisions that may vary from implementation to implementation in order to achieve the developer's particular goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints. Moreover, such a development effort may be complex and time-consuming, but would be routine for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure to undertake design, fabrication and manufacture.

[0012] When introducing elements of various embodiments of the disclosure, the articles "a," "an," and "the" are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms "comprising," "including," and "having" are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. Further, it is to be understood that references to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" of the present disclosure are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the presence of additional elements that also incorporate the referenced features.

[0013] Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to systems and methods for storing a player state cache locally on a ride. For example, a ride may include an on-board ride and game control subsystem configured to control local functions of a ride and game control system associated with an amusement park ride system (e.g., occurring locally on the ride), locally cache player state data for ride occupants during a ride cycle of the ride, and synchronize the locally cached player state data with global player state data maintained by the off-board ride and game control subsystem after a ride cycle of the ride.

[0014] With the above in mind, FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an amusement park 10 including an amusement park ride system 12. As illustrated, in certain embodiments, the amusement park 10 may also include themed attractions 14 (e.g., fixed fixtures, building layouts, props, decorations, etc. corresponding to the theme) and other amusement park attractions 16 (e.g., Ferris wheels or other attractions). The amusement park ride system 12 may include a track or path 18 (e.g., a closed-loop track or a system of closed-loop tracks) that may provide infrastructure along which the rides 20 may travel. The amusement park ride system 12 may include one or more vehicles 20 that may each accommodate and carry one or more passengers 22 through the amusement park ride system 12. While the rides 20 are shown accommodating four passengers 22, in other embodiments, the rides 20 may each accommodate any number of passengers (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or more). Although the amusement park ride system 12 is illustrated as having one ride 20, in other embodiments, the amusement park ride system 12 may include any number of rides 20 (e.g., 1, 2, 4, 8, 10 or more).

[0015] In certain embodiments, the track 18 may be a simple track or a controlled path and may constrain or control the movement of the ride vehicle 20 via electronic, magnetic, or other similar systems. As described in more detail herein, the movement of the ride vehicle 20 along the track 18 may be controlled by a control system of the ride vehicle 20 (e.g., the ride and games control system 24 illustrated in FIG. 1 ), which may include multiple control systems in certain embodiments. In certain embodiments, as well as causing the movement of the ride vehicle 20 along the track 18, the ride and games control system 24 may cause other movements of the ride vehicle 20, such as turning, rocking, rotating, oscillating, pivoting, and other similar movements. Additionally, in certain embodiments, the ride and games control system 24 may provide an augmented reality (AR) environment 226 of AR graphics including AR objects 28 that are presented to the passengers 22 via a head mounted display 30 worn by the passengers 22 throughout at least a portion of the ride of the amusement park ride system 12. Additionally, in certain embodiments, the ride and games control system 24 can further coordinate the presentation of the AR objects 28 with other off-board effects, such as visual and / or audio presentations provided by a head-mounted display 30 and / or a show effects system 32, which may include projection game computers, display devices (e.g., projection display devices, digital display devices), lighting systems, and audio effects devices (e.g., speakers) positioned along the track 18, via the movement of the vehicle 20.

[0016] In certain embodiments, the amusement park ride system 12 may be presented as a game or gameplay interaction between the passengers 22 of the rides 20, an AR environment 26 (e.g., a game environment) including AR objects 28, and / or one or more other vehicles 20 of the amusement park ride system 12. The AR objects 28 may include objects, characters, and instructions for the passengers. For example, in certain embodiments, the game of the amusement park ride system 12 may be presented as a race between the vehicles 20 and / or between the characters presented via the AR environment 26. In particular, in certain embodiments, as the vehicle 20 moves along the trajectory 19, one passenger 22 may control, via a user input device, a particular directional movement of the vehicle 20, such as steering and turning the vehicle 20. In certain embodiments, the user input device 34 may be communicatively coupled to the ride and game control system 24, which may cause movement of the vehicle 20 based at least in part on signals received from the user input device 34. Various AR objects 28 (including AR instructions) may be presented to passengers 22 throughout, or at least part of, the duration of the amusement park ride system 12 via the ride and games control system 24 and head mounted display 30.

[0017] In certain embodiments, the passengers 22 may interact with the AR objects 28 presented via the head mounted display 30, such as by following instructions presented via the AR objects 28 or by interacting with the AR objects 28 via the user input device 34 (e.g., marking the AR objects with an AR projectile). Such interaction with the AR environment 26 by the passengers 22 may also induce or affect the motion of the vehicle 20 caused by the ride and games control system 24. In this manner, the ride and games control system 24 may provide split control of the motion of the vehicle 20 that is interaction-induced by direct user input from the passengers 22 (e.g., steering the wheels) and by the passengers 22's virtual interaction with the AR environment 26 (e.g., a gaming environment), as described in more detail herein. Thus, in certain embodiments, the ride and games control system 24 may allow the passengers 22 to directly and / or indirectly vary the motion of their respective vehicles 20 to provide a more interactive ride experience that may differ between subsequent passengers of the amusement park ride system 12.

[0018] Additionally, as described in more detail herein, the vehicle 20 may include an on-board ride and game control subsystem 36 that enables storage of a player state cache local to the vehicle 20. In particular, in certain embodiments, the on-board ride and game control subsystem 36 of the vehicle 20 may be configured to locally cache player state data collected during a particular ride cycle of the vehicle 20 (e.g., a set number of trips around the track 18 for the vehicle 20), which may be synchronized with global player state data stored in the off-board ride and game control subsystem of the ride and game control system 24, as described in more detail herein. In this manner, occupants 22 of the vehicle 20 may receive real-time game achievements (e.g., during a particular ride cycle of the vehicle 20), instead of receiving such game achievements only after a ride cycle of the vehicle 20 is completed. As described in more detail herein, the on-board ride and game control subsystem 36 of the vehicle 20 may be configured to store relatively complex game logic locally to a particular vehicle 20, receive global player state data prior to a particular ride cycle of the vehicle 20, generate local player state data during a particular ride cycle of the vehicle 20, track game achievement for an occupant 22 of the vehicle 20, for example, during a particular ride cycle of the vehicle 20, locally cache the locally generated player state data during a particular ride cycle of the vehicle 20, and synchronize the locally cached player state data with global player state data stored in the off-board ride and game control subsystem of the ride and game control system 24.

[0019] As previously discussed, the ride and games control system 24 may provide the occupant 22 with shared control of the motion of the vehicle 20 based at least in part on input signals received from a user input device 34 associated with the operation of the vehicle 20, as well as the occupant's 22 interaction with the AR environment 26, which may be presented as a gameplay setting. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating various components of the ride and games system 24 described herein. As described in more detail herein, the ride and games control system 24 may be configured to cooperate with an off-board ride and games control subsystem that is partially integrated into the vehicle 20 (e.g., as part of the on-board ride and games control subsystem 36 of the vehicle 20 described with reference to FIG. 1) and that at least in part coordinates the functioning of multiple on-board ride and games control subsystems 36 of multiple vehicles 20, for example. In other words, certain functions of the ride and games control system 24 may be controlled locally on each individual vehicle 20 (e.g., by a respective on-board ride and games control subsystem), while other functions of the ride and games control system 24 may be controlled globally by an off-board ride and games control subsystem, as described in more detail herein.

[0020] In particular embodiments, the ride and games control system 24 may include a communications network 38 (e.g., wired and / or wireless communications networks, such as wireless local area network (WLAN), wireless wide area network (WWAN), and near field communication (NFC)), a ride controller 40, a game controller 42, a monitoring system 44, and one or more gaming systems 46. The show effects system 32 may include a memory 48 and a processor 50, a projection gaming computer, one or more display devices 52, one or more lighting systems 54, and other devices (e.g., audio systems, speakers) disposed along the track 18. As described in more detail herein, the communications network 38 may communicatively couple various on-board components of the vehicle 20 to the ride and games control system 24 (e.g., the ride controller 40, the game controller 42, the monitoring system 44, the one or more gaming systems 46, etc.) as shown in the illustrated embodiment.

[0021] The ride controller 40 of the ride and games control system 24 may be a programmable logic controller (PLC) or other suitable control device. The ride controller 40 may include a processor 56 (e.g., a general purpose processor, a system on a chip (SoC) device, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or some other similar processor structure) operably coupled to a memory 58 (e.g., a tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium and / or other storage device) for executing instructions to track operational parameters of the vehicle 20 and instructions to cause movement of the vehicle 20. As such, the ride controller 40 may be configured to track operational parameters of the vehicle 20, including, but not limited to, position, yaw, pitch, roll, and velocity of the vehicle 20, as well as input control states (e.g., inputs provided by one or more passengers 22 to steer and / or operate the vehicle 20). Additionally, the ride controller 40 may be configured to control or vary the physical motion of the vehicle 20 based on input signals received from the user input devices 34 and / or the game controller 42 (e.g., to vary the position, yaw, pitch, roll, and velocity of the vehicle 20). Based at least in part on the input signals received from the user input devices 34 and / or the game controller 42, the ride controller 40 may output one or more control signals to the motors 60, or brakes 62, and / or steering system 64 of the vehicle 20 indicative of instructions to perform an input motion, such as turning the vehicle 20, changing the speed of the vehicle 20, turning the vehicle 20, or other suitable motion.

[0022] The game controller 42 of the ride and game control system 24 may be a programmable logic controller (PLC) or other suitable control device. The game controller 42 may include a processor 66 (e.g., a general purpose processor, a system on a chip (SoC) device, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or some other similar processor structure) operably coupled to a memory 68 (e.g., a tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium and / or other storage device) for executing instructions stored in the memory 68. The game controller 42 may be configured to provide operational parameters or information related to the vehicle 20 to one or more game systems 46 and / or the ride controller 40. The operational parameters or information may include, but are not limited to, the position, yaw, pitch, roll, and velocity of the vehicle 20. Additionally, the game controller 42 may be configured to determine and output signals to the one or more game systems 46 and / or the ride controller 40 indicative of how input signals received from the user input devices 34 should affect the motion of the vehicle 20. Thus, the game controller 42 can output command signals to the ride controller 40 indicating a particular movement associated with the input signal received via the user input device 34. The game controller 42 can also coordinate the movement commands output to the ride controller 40 with control signals and parameters output to one or more game systems 46 that indicate how the vehicle 20 should move, in order to coordinate the AR environment 26 presented to the passenger 22 via the head mounted display 30 with the movement of the vehicle 20.

[0023] The monitoring system 44 may include any suitable sensors and / or computing systems disposed on or integrated into the vehicle 20 to track the position, location, orientation, presence, etc. of the occupants 22 and / or the position, location, orientation, etc. of the vehicle 20. Such sensors may include orientation and position sensors (e.g., acceleration sensors, geomagnetic sensors, gyroscopes, Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers, etc.), motion tracking sensors (e.g., electromagnetic and solid-state motion tracking sensors, etc.), inertial measurement units (IMUs), presence sensors, etc. Information acquired by the monitoring system 44 may be provided to the game controller 42, one or more game systems 46, and / or the ride controller 40 to determine each occupant's gaze direction, field of view, field of view, game interaction, etc. In certain embodiments, the monitoring system 44 may also receive data acquired by the head mounted display 30 indicative of each occupant's gaze direction, field of view, field of view, game interaction, etc. (e.g., the position and orientation of the head mounted display 30, etc.).

[0024] The one or more gaming systems 46 may include a central processing unit (CPU) or other suitable system and may generally be configured to render virtual or augmented graphics for overlaying on a real-world environmental view. In this manner, the one or more gaming systems 46 may generate the AR environment 26 with which the passengers 22 may interact in a gameplay setting. The one or more gaming systems 46 may be responsible for game logic and may also perform simulations of real-world vehicle and stage geometry for placement of virtual objects in real space. In certain embodiments, the one or more gaming systems 46 are configured to provide AR and / or gameplay formations to the passengers 22 via the head-mounted display 30. Notably, in certain embodiments, each seat or position of the vehicle 20 may include a dedicated gaming system 46. In certain embodiments, the one or more gaming systems 46 may be communicatively coupled to each other, allowing passengers to participate in shared games (e.g., games having multiple players). The one or more gaming systems 46 may be communicatively coupled (directly or indirectly) to the ride controller 40, the game controller 42, the monitoring system 44, or the like. Each of the one or more gaming systems 46 may include a user input device 34 or a group of user input devices 34 and a computer graphics generation system 70. The user input devices 34 may be communicatively coupled to the computer graphics generation system 70, which may be communicatively coupled to a respective head mounted display 30.

[0025] In certain embodiments, the user input devices 34 may include one or more user input devices (e.g., handheld controllers, joysticks, push buttons, etc.) disposed on the vehicle 20 to enable each passenger 22 to provide input to the ride controller 40, the game controller 42, and one or more game systems 46 for gameplay to control the motion of the vehicle 20, such as changing the speed and / or direction of travel of the vehicle 20. The user input devices 34 may also be configured to interact with the AR objects 28 of the AR environment 26. The user input devices 34 may include any other type of input device that enables the passenger 22 to interact with the AR environment (e.g., a game environment) and / or directly control the operation of the vehicle 20, such as an accelerator user input device. Additionally, the user input devices 34 may be configured to enable different actions and / or effects to be applied to the AR environment 26. For example, the user input devices 34 may enable the passengers 22 to control the AR objects 28 (e.g., character objects, etc.) in the AR environment 26 in different directions (e.g., up, down, left, right, etc.). In certain embodiments, the user input devices 34 may include display screens and / or touch screens to enable communication to the passengers 22 of ride and game related information, such as information related to which user input device 34 is currently active for each passenger 22 and / or game play instructions.

[0026] The computer graphics generation system 70 generates and transmits AR graphics (e.g., the AR environment 26 including the AR objects 28) that are displayed on each head mounted display 30 so that each occupant 22 can visualize the AR environment 26 (e.g., a game environment). The computer graphics generation system 70 includes processing circuitry 70, such as a processor 72 (e.g., a general purpose processor or other processor), and a memory 74, and can process data useful in generating the AR environment for each occupant 22. The data useful in generating the AR environment 26 may include, but is not limited to, real-time data received from each head mounted display 30, user input device 34, and game controller 42 (including, for example, data from the ride controller 40 and monitoring system 44), and data stored in the memory 74.

[0027] The computer graphics generation system 70 can use such data to generate a reference frame to overlay the AR environment 26 onto the real-world environment of the amusement ride system 12, e.g., a generated real-world image or the real physical environment. In particular, in certain embodiments, using the reference frame generated based on the orientation data, position data, gaze data, motion tracking data, etc., the computer graphics generation system 70 can render a view of the AR environment 26 in a manner that corresponds in time and space to what each passenger 22 would perceive if not wearing a head-mounted display. In certain embodiments, the computer graphics generation system 70 can store a model of the amusement ride system 12 that it builds using spatial information of the real-world physical features of the amusement ride system 12, including the themed environment (e.g., the physical scenery of the amusement ride system 12, etc.). The model can be used along with other inputs, such as inputs from the ride controller 40, the game controller 42, the monitoring system 44, and / or the head-mounted display 30, to position each passenger 22 and determine the passenger's gaze direction and / or field of view. The model can be used to provide display signals to a head mounted display 30 that are dynamically updated as the occupant 22 progresses along the trajectory 18.

[0028] For example, the computer graphics generation system 70 can selectively generate AR graphics (e.g., AR objects 28, including pointing objects) of the AR environment 26 to reflect changes in the orientation, position, gaze direction, field of view, movement, etc. of each passenger. The computer graphics generation system 70 can selectively generate the AR environment 26 based on position, yaw, and velocity data and / or other operating parameters of the vehicle 20 received from the monitoring system 44, the game controller 42, and / or the ride controller 40. The computer graphics generation system 70 can also selectively generate the AR graphics to reflect changes in inputs provided by each passenger using the user input devices 34. Additionally, the computer graphics generation system 70 can generate the AR graphics based on simulated interactions in which the AR objects 28 may be affected according to certain predetermined or modeled responses stored (e.g., in the memory 74) by the computer graphics generation system 70. By way of example, the predetermined or modeled responses may be implemented by a physics engine or similar module or as part of the computer graphics generation system 70. In certain embodiments, the computer graphics generation system 70 may track the above-described information or data corresponding to multiple crew members 22 in a shared game, and crew members 22 in a shared game may be able to view game effects applied by other crew members 22 (e.g., players) in the shared game.

[0029] Further, in certain embodiments, the computer graphics generation system 70 can receive input signals from the ride controller 40 and / or the game controller 42 indicative of the motion of the vehicle 20, such that the computer graphics generation system 70 can generate the AR environment 26 based at least in part on how the vehicle 20 is moving along or about the trajectory 18. That is, the game controller 42 can determine, at least in part on inputs received from the user input device 34 indicative of the occupant's interaction with the AR environment 26, how the vehicle 20 should move in response to the inputs, and the game controller 42 can output signals to the computer graphics generation system 70 indicative of how the vehicle 20 should move in response to the occupant's interaction with the AR environment 26. In this manner, the computer graphics generation system 70 can generate the AR environment 26 based at least in part on how the vehicle 20 is moved by the occupant 22. Additionally, the computer graphics generation system 70 may receive signals from the ride controller 40 indicative of particular direct user inputs received from the user input devices 34, thereby enabling the computer graphics generation system 70 to further generate the AR environment 26 based at least in part on how the vehicle 20 was moved by the occupant 22.

[0030] As described in more detail herein, a particular vehicle 20 may be configured to locally cache player state for a passenger 22 that is automatically updated by the vehicle 22 during a ride cycle of the vehicle 20, for example, to record the passenger 22's progress during one or more games played by one or more game systems 46 of the ride and games control system 24. As such, in certain embodiments, certain components of the ride and games control system 24 illustrated in FIG. 2 may be located on the vehicle 20 (e.g., as part of the on-board ride and games control subsystem 36), although other components of the ride and games control system 24 may not be located on the vehicle (e.g., as part of the on-board ride and games control subsystem 36), as described in more detail herein. For example, FIG. 3 illustrates a vehicle 20 that includes, among other things, a ride controller 40, a game controller 42, a monitoring system 44, and one or more game systems 46, collectively referred to as an on-board ride and games control subsystem 36 that provides ride and game functionality local to the vehicle 20 as part of a larger ride and games control system 24, which may also include an off-board ride and games control subsystem 76 that provides global ride and game functionality for multiple vehicles 20 as part of the ride and games control system.

[0031] For example, with reference to Figures 1 and 2, during a particular ride cycle of a vehicle 20 (e.g., as the vehicle 20 moves along the ride trajectory 18), the on-board ride and game control subsystem 36 of a particular vehicle 20 may enable occupants 22 of the vehicle 20 to provide input via one or more user input devices 34 that may be used by the ride controller 40, game controller 42, monitoring system 44, and one or more game systems 46 of the vehicle 20 to control or vary the physical motion of the vehicle 20, send output signals to the computer graphics generation system 70 to control or vary the AR environment 26 created by the head mounted display of the vehicle 20, monitor triggering events in one or more games performed by the game controller 42 and one or more game systems 46 of the vehicle 20, etc.

[0032] 3, the on-board ride and games control subsystem 36 of the vehicle 20 may enable storage of a player state cache locally on the vehicle 20, data regarding which may be collected during a particular ride cycle of the vehicle 20 and may be synchronized with global player state data stored in the off-board ride and games control subsystem 76 of the ride and games control system 24 after a ride cycle of the vehicle 20 is completed. In this manner, occupants 22 of the vehicle 20 may receive real-time game achievement results (e.g., during a particular ride cycle of the vehicle 20) instead of receiving such game achievement results after a ride cycle of the vehicle 20 is completed. As described in more detail herein, the on-board ride and game control subsystem 36 of the vehicle 20 may be configured to store relatively complex game logic locally on a particular vehicle 20, receive global player state data prior to a particular ride cycle of the vehicle 20, generate local player state data during a particular ride cycle of the vehicle 20, track game achievements for an occupant 22 of the vehicle 20 during a particular ride cycle of the vehicle 20, locally cache the locally generated player state data during a particular ride cycle of the vehicle 20, and synchronize the locally cached player state data with global player state data stored in the off-board ride and game control subsystem 76 of the ride and game control system 24.

[0033] Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 3 , the on-board ride and games control subsystem 36 of the vehicle 20 is configured to execute relatively complex game logic locally on each vehicle 20 during any particular ride cycle of the vehicle 20 while delivering a relatively robust game experience to the occupants 22 of the vehicle 20, without the need to communicate with components external to the ride and games control system 24 (i.e., not located on each vehicle 20, such as an off-board ride and games control subsystem 76 of the ride and games control system 24, or a show effects system 32, that may otherwise need to access data external to the vehicle 20. Rather, the on-board ride and games control subsystem 36 of the vehicle 20 is configured to locally cache player state data during a particular ride cycle of the vehicle 20 and, at a later point in time (e.g., after a particular ride cycle, during a successive ride cycle when the vehicle 20 is stationary, etc.), synchronize the locally cached player state data with global player state data stored globally, for example, by the off-board ride and games control subsystem 76 of the ride and games control system 24, as described in more detail herein. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the on-board ride and games control subsystem 36 of the vehicle 20 may be configured to synchronize the locally cached player state data with the global player state data stored in the off-board ride and games control subsystem 76 (e.g., via the communications network 38) only when the vehicle comes to a complete stop at the boarding / latter location 78 (e.g., during a ride cycle of the vehicle 20).

[0034] Further, as will be appreciated, in order to minimize the amount of data that needs to be communicated between the on-board ride and games control subsystem 36 and the off-board ride and games control subsystem 76 of the vehicle 20 in order to synchronize the locally cached player state data with the global player state data, the on-board ride and games control subsystem 36 of the vehicle 20 may be configured to determine only a subset of the locally cached player state data that needs to be synchronized with the global player state data. For example, in certain embodiments, the on-board ride and games control subsystem 36 of the vehicle 20 may be configured to identify only certain data of the locally cached player state data that is deemed important to the global game and ride functionality provided by the off-board ride and games control subsystem 76 and the show effects system 32. As one non-limiting example, in certain embodiments, the on-board ride and games control subsystem 36 of the vehicle 20 may only synchronize certain data of the locally cached player state data by a predetermined threshold during a particular ride cycle of the vehicle 20. For example, if a particular rider 22 of a ride 20 scores more than a minimum threshold amount on a particular ride cycle of the ride 20, the on-board ride and games control subsystem 36 of the ride 20 may synchronize a particular achievement of this amount with the flow-through player state data stored in the off-board ride and games control subsystem 76 and the show effects system 32. Conversely, if a particular rider 22 of a ride 20 does not score more than a particular threshold amount on a particular ride cycle of the ride 20, the particular rider 22 may assume that the particular rider 22 has achieved the minimum threshold points. In this manner, whether or not to transmit particular locally cached player state data to the off-board ride and games control subsystem 76 depends on the on-board ride and games control subsystem 36 of the ride 20 determining that a particular subset of locally cached player state data is statistically significant enough to be considered by the off-board ride and games control subsystem 76.

[0035] Additionally, in certain embodiments, the on-board ride and games control subsystem 36 of the vehicle 20 may periodically query the off-board ride and games control subsystem 76 to synchronize at least a portion of the global player state data stored in the off-board ride and games control subsystem 76 to the on-board ride and games control subsystem 36 prior to a subsequent ride cycle of the vehicle 20. When the on-board ride and games control subsystem 36 requests such synchronization, similar determinations regarding the relative importance of the data may be determined by the off-board ride and games control subsystem 76.

[0036] 5 is a flow diagram of a method 80 of using the on-board ride and games control subsystem 36 of the vehicle 20. As shown, in certain embodiments, the method 80 includes controlling, via the on-board ride and games control subsystem 36 of the vehicle 20, local functions of the ride and games control system 24 associated with the amusement park ride system 12, where the local functions of the ride and games control system 24 occur locally at the vehicle 20 (block 82). Additionally, in certain embodiments, the method 80 includes locally caching player state data for one or more passengers 22 of the vehicle 20 during one or more ride cycles of the vehicle 20, via the on-board ride and games control subsystem 36 of the vehicle 20 (block 84). Further, in certain embodiments, the method 80 includes synchronizing, after one or more ride cycles of the ride 20, via the on-board ride and games control subsystem 36 of the ride 20, the locally cached player state data with global player state data maintained by the off-board ride and games control subsystem 76 configured to control global functions of the ride and games control system 24 associated with the amusement park ride system 12 (block 86).

[0037] Further, in certain embodiments, the locally cached player state data synchronized with the global player state data by the on-board ride and games control subsystem 36 after one or more ride cycles of the vehicle 20, as described in more detail herein, includes only a subset of the player state data collected by the on-board ride and games control subsystem 36 during the one or more ride cycles of the vehicle 20. Similarly, in certain embodiments, the method 80 includes synchronizing at least a portion of the global player state data with the locally cached player state data prior to a subsequent ride cycle of the vehicle 20, via the on-board ride and games control subsystem 36 of the vehicle 20, as described in more detail herein.

[0038] Additionally, in certain embodiments, the method 80 includes controlling local functions of the ride and games control system 24 associated with the amusement park ride system 12, without communicating with the off-board ride and games control subsystem 76, during one or more ride cycles of the vehicle 20, via the on-board ride and games control subsystem 36 of the vehicle 20, as described in more detail herein. Additionally, in certain embodiments, the method 80 includes determining one or more game-related achievements for the one or more passengers 22 based at least in part on the locally cached player state data, during one or more ride cycles of the vehicle 20, via the on-board ride and games control subsystem 36 of the vehicle 20, as described in more detail herein, and communicating the one or more game-related achievements to the one or more passengers 22, during one or more ride cycles of the vehicle 20, via the on-board ride and games control subsystem 36 of the vehicle 20, as described in more detail herein.

[0039] Further, in certain embodiments, the method 80 includes altering a motion of the vehicle 20 based at least in part on the locally cached player state data during one or more ride cycles of the vehicle 20 via the on-board ride and games control subsystem 36 of the vehicle 20, as described in more detail herein. Further, in certain embodiments, the method 80 includes altering a presentation of the AR environment 26 to the one or more passengers 22 based at least in part on the locally cached player state data during one or more ride cycles of the vehicle 20, via the on-board ride and games control subsystem 36 of the vehicle 20, as described in more detail herein.

[0040] While only particular embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown and described herein, many modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art, and 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.

[0041] The technology presented and claimed herein refers to and applies to material objects and specific examples of a practical nature that demonstrably improve upon the current state of the art, and is not abstract, intangible, or purely theoretical. Furthermore, if any claim appended at the end of this specification includes one or more elements recited as "means for 'performing' a 'function'" or "steps for 'performing' a 'function'", such elements shall be construed under 35 U.S.C. 112(f). However, for any claim recited in any other manner, such elements shall not be construed under 35 U.S.C. 112(f).

Claims

1. 1. An amusement park ride system, comprising: an off-board ride and games control subsystem configured to control global functions of a ride and games control system associated with the amusement park ride system; one or more rides, each configured to carry one or more passengers for the amusement park ride system, each ride including an on-board ride and game control subsystem configured to control local functions of the ride and game control system associated with the amusement park ride system, the local functions of the ride and game control system being executed locally on the respective vehicle, the on-board ride and game control subsystem of each vehicle configured to locally cache player state data for one or more respective passengers during one or more ride cycles of the vehicle, and to synchronize the locally cached player state data with global player state data maintained by the off-board ride and game control subsystem after the one or more ride cycles of the vehicle; Amusement park ride systems, including

2. 2. The amusement park ride system of claim 1, wherein the locally cached player data synchronized with the global player state data by each on-board ride and game control subsystem after the one or more ride cycles of the respective ride includes only a subset of player state data collected by the on-board ride and game control subsystem during the ride cycle of the respective ride.

3. 2. The amusement park ride system of claim 1, wherein the on-board ride and game control subsystem of each ride is configured to synchronize at least a portion of the global player state data with the locally cached player state data prior to a subsequent ride cycle of the ride.

4. 2. The amusement park ride system of claim 1, wherein the on-board ride and games control subsystem of each ride is configured to control the local functions of the ride and games control system associated with the amusement park ride system without communicating with the off-board ride and games control subsystem during the one or more ride cycles of the ride.

5. 2. The amusement park ride system of claim 1, wherein the on-board ride and game control subsystem of each vehicle is configured to determine one or more game-related achievements for the one or more respective passengers based at least in part on the locally cached player state data during the one or more ride cycles of the vehicle, and to communicate the one or more game-related achievements to the one or more respective passengers during the one or more ride cycles of the vehicle.

6. 2. The amusement park ride system of claim 1, wherein the on-board ride and game control subsystem of each vehicle is configured to vary the motion of the vehicle based at least in part on the locally cached player state data during the one or more ride cycles of the vehicle.

7. 2. The amusement park ride system of claim 1, wherein the on-board ride and game control subsystem of each vehicle is configured to vary a presentation of an augmented reality environment to the one or more passengers based at least in part on the locally cached player state data during the one or more ride cycles of the vehicle.

8. An amusement park ride, 1. An amusement park ride comprising: an on-board ride and games control subsystem configured to control local functions of a ride and games control system associated with an amusement park ride system, the local functions of the ride and games control subsystem being executed locally on the ride, the on-board ride and games control subsystem being configured to locally cache player state data for one or more passengers of the ride during one or more ride cycles of the ride, and to synchronize the locally cached player state data with global player state data after the one or more ride cycles of the ride, the global player state data being maintained by an off-board ride and games control subsystem configured to control global functions of the ride and games control system associated with the amusement park ride system.

9. 9. The amusement park ride of claim 8, wherein the locally cached player state data synchronized with the global player state data by the on-board ride and game control subsystem after the one or more ride cycles of the ride includes only a subset of player state data collected by the on-board ride and game control subsystem during the one or more ride cycles of the ride.

10. 10. The amusement park ride of claim 8, wherein the on-board ride and game control subsystem is configured to synchronize at least a portion of global player state data with the locally cached player state data prior to a subsequent ride cycle of the ride.

11. 9. The amusement park ride of claim 8, wherein the on-board ride and games control subsystem is configured to control the local functions of the ride and games control system associated with the amusement park ride system without communicating with the on-board ride and games control subsystem during the one or more ride cycles of the ride.

12. 10. The amusement park ride of claim 8, wherein the on-board ride and game control subsystem is configured to determine one or more game-related achievements for the one or more passengers during the one or more ride cycles of the vehicle based at least in part on the locally cached player state data, and to communicate the one or more game-related achievements to the one or more passengers during the one or more ride cycles of the vehicle.

13. 10. The amusement park ride of claim 8, wherein the on-board ride and game control subsystem is configured to vary the motion of the vehicle based at least in part on the locally cached player state data during the one or more ride cycles of the vehicle.

14. 10. The amusement park ride of claim 8, wherein the on-board ride and game control subsystem is configured to vary a presentation of augmented reality to the one or more passengers during the one or more ride cycles of the ride based at least in part on the locally cached player state data.

15. 1. A method comprising: controlling local functions of a ride and games control system associated with an amusement park ride system via an on-board ride and games control subsystem of the ride, the local functions of the ride and games control system being executed locally on the ride; locally caching player state data for one or more occupants of the vehicle during one or more ride cycles of the vehicle via the on-board ride and game control subsystem of the vehicle; synchronizing, after the one or more ride cycles of the ride, via the on-board ride and games control subsystem of the ride, the locally cached player state data with global player state data maintained by an off-board ride and games control subsystem configured to control global functions of the ride and games control system associated with the amusement park ride system; A method comprising:

16. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the locally cached player state data synchronized with the global player state data by the on-board ride and game control subsystems after the one or more ride cycles of the vehicle includes only a subset of player state data collected by the on-board ride and game control subsystems during the one or more ride cycles of the vehicle.

17. 16. The method of claim 15, comprising synchronizing at least a portion of global player state data with the locally cached player state data prior to a subsequent ride cycle of the vehicle via the on-board ride and game control subsystems of the vehicle.

18. 16. The method of claim 15, comprising controlling the local functions of the ride and games control system associated with the amusement park ride system via the on-board ride and games control subsystem of the vehicle during the one or more ride cycles of the vehicle without communicating with the off-board ride and games control subsystem.

19. determining, via the on-board ride and game control subsystem of the vehicle, one or more game-related achievements for the one or more passengers during the one or more ride cycles of the vehicle based at least in part on the locally cached player state data; communicating, via the on-board ride and game control subsystem of the vehicle, the one or more game-related achievements for the one or more passengers during the one or more ride cycles of the vehicle; 16. The method of claim 15, comprising:

20. 16. The method of claim 15, comprising altering, via the on-board ride and game control subsystems of the vehicle, motion of the vehicle during the one or more ride cycles of the vehicle based at least in part on the locally cached player state data.

21. 16. The method of claim 15, comprising altering a presentation of an augmented reality environment to the one or more passengers during the one or more ride cycles of the vehicle based at least in part on the locally cached player state data via the on-board ride and game control subsystems of the vehicle.

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