Vehicle Artificial Intelligence Entity System and Method

Abstract

The systems and methods presented herein include one or more guest activity recognition devices configured to recognize the activities of one or more guests within the physical environment of an amusement park. The system further includes an artificial intelligence entity management system configured to maintain one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities of a ride vehicle based at least in part on the recognized activities of one or more guests, and one or more features disposed on the ride vehicle and configured to operate by the artificial intelligence entity management system to simulate the presence of one or more of the ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities according to one or more characteristics of the ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] [Cross - Reference to Related Applications] This application claims priority and the benefit thereof to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 340,786, entitled "RIDE VEHICLE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ENTITY SYSTEMS AND METHODS," filed on May 11, 2022, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

Background Art

[0002] This disclosure generally relates to the field of amusement parks. Specifically, embodiments of this disclosure relate to systems and methods that enable ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities.

[0003] This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of the technology that may be relevant to the various aspects of the disclosure described below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in showing the reader the background context and facilitating a better understanding of the various aspects of the disclosure. Accordingly, these descriptions should be read from the above perspective rather than as an admission of prior art.

[0004] Amusement parks include various features that provide a unique experience for each park guest. Some features can include ride vehicles that can move along a specific path. The path can include elements that can enhance the guest experience as the ride vehicle moves along the path. For example, the ride vehicle can enter and exit multiple rooms as it moves along the path, and elements that enhance the guest experience can be present inside each room. However, currently, it is recognized that the ability to simulate more complex (and customized) experiences can further enhance the guest experience.

Summary of the Invention

[0005] The following outlines some embodiments disclosed in this specification. It should be understood that these aspects are merely intended to show the reader a summary of some of these embodiments and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure. In fact, the present disclosure can include various aspects not shown below.

[0006] In some embodiments, the system includes one or more guest activity recognition devices configured to recognize the activities of one or more guests within the physical environment of an amusement park. The system further includes 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 guests, and one or more features disposed on the ride vehicle and configured to operate by the artificial intelligence entity management system to simulate the presence of the one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities according to one or more characteristics of the ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities.

[0007] Also, in some embodiments, the method includes recognizing the activities of one or more guests within the physical environment of an amusement park via one or more guest activity recognition devices. The method also includes maintaining 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 guests via the artificial intelligence entity management system of the ride vehicle. The method further includes operating one or more features disposed on the ride vehicle 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 according to one or more characteristics of the one or more ride vehicle artificial intelligence entities.

[0008] In some embodiments, a vehicle also receives data regarding recognized activities of one or more guests within the physical environment of an amusement park and maintains one or more vehicle artificial intelligence entities of the vehicle based at least in part on the data regarding the recognized activities of the one or more guests, and is configured to actuate one or more features disposed on the vehicle to simulate the presence of the one or more vehicle artificial intelligence entities according to one or more characteristics of the one or more vehicle artificial intelligence entities.

[0009] These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will be better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like elements are denoted with like symbols throughout.

Brief Description of the Drawings

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Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] The following describes one or more specific embodiments. For the sake of brevity in describing these embodiments, not all implementation features are described herein. It should be understood that in any such implementation development found in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developer's specific objectives, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints that may vary depending on the implementation. Furthermore, although such development efforts can be complex and time-consuming, they should be understood as routine endeavors of design, fabrication, and manufacturing for those skilled in the art who benefit from the present disclosure.

[0012] Embodiments of the present disclosure can have specific identities, detailed character details, personality traits, moods, and preferences, etc., and can be modified based on the activities of guests in the amusement park (e.g., directly related to AI entities), and can be monitored by various amusement park sensors. The present disclosure relates to a system and method for managing a vehicle AI entity. Each AI entity can be specific to a particular vehicle. In fact, in some embodiments, the vehicle AI entity system can be present on a particular vehicle that identifies an AI entity specific to that particular vehicle. In some embodiments, the vehicle AI entity system of a particular vehicle can activate one or more features associated with the particular vehicle to indicate the presence of an AI entity specific to that particular vehicle.

[0013] Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 is a schematic view 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., display 12A, lighting effect system 12B, animation figure 12C, and / or sound effect system 12D) that can be modified for a particular guest 50 in various attractions, zones, passageways, or other areas of the amusement park 10 or in the vicinity thereof. The one or more features 12 shown in FIG. 1 can be arranged at various positions throughout the amusement park 10. However, as will be described in more detail herein, the one or more features 12 can also function collectively as a ride vehicle AI manifestation system configured to be present on a particular ride vehicle 20 and to indicate the presence of an AI entity that is specific to the particular ride vehicle 20 of the amusement park 10. Also, as will be described in more detail herein, the ride vehicle AI entity indicated by the one or more features 12 of a particular ride vehicle 20 can be specific to a particular guest 50 riding on the particular ride vehicle 20.

[0014] In the illustrated embodiment, the amusement park 10 also includes a plurality of attractions 14, including among others, 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. As will be described in more detail herein, different embodiments of the feature 12 can be found throughout the amusement park 10 and can be made to act in response to a guest 50's perception as a response from an AI entity based at least in part on guest data collected by various amusement park sensors 18 disposed around the amusement park 10 and collected by the guest tracking system 16.

[0015] For example, in some embodiments, the tunnel vehicle attraction 14A can include a display 12A that displays an image of the animated figure 12C. As will be described in more detail herein, in response to detecting a particular guest 50, such as by using a proximity sensor 18A that detects the presence of a human and a camera 18B that identifies a particular guest 50, a particular animated character 12C can be displayed that reacts at least in part based on the guest data of the particular guest 50 that has been collected. Further, in some embodiments, a virtual embodiment or hologram of the animated character 12C in a virtual game within the virtual game room 14B can similarly react.

[0016] As another non-limiting example, in some embodiments, it can be determined that a particular guest 50 is currently on the tunnel vehicle attraction 14A, for example, based on sensor data from a guest-wearable radio frequency identification (RFID) tag 18C associated with the particular guest 50. As shown, in some embodiments, the vehicle 20 of the tunnel vehicle attraction 14A can also include one or more RFID tags 18C. In some embodiments, when the vehicle 20 is moving along the vehicle track 22, an electronic reader 18D on the vehicle track 22 can read the RFID tag 18C of the vehicle 20 to indicate the presence of the vehicle 20. As will be described in more detail herein, the guest tracking system 16 can be operative to simulate the presence of an AI entity associated with a particular guest 50 within a threshold distance of interest, such as within a close distance of one or more features 12, based on the presence of the vehicle 20 moving along the vehicle track 22, and it can be determined that a particular guest 50 is present. In addition or alternatively, a weight sensor 18E disposed on the vehicle track 22 can also detect a weight above a threshold weight when the vehicle 20 moves over the weight sensor 18E to indicate the presence of the vehicle 20.

[0017] In some embodiments, after determining that there is a vehicle 20 and it is likely that a particular guest 50 is present, additional amusement park sensors 18, such as camera 18B and / or guest wearable RFID tag 18C, can begin collecting data (to assist in identifying the particular guest 50). For example, in some embodiments, the guest tracking system 16 can perform image analysis of video and / or images collected by camera 18B and match the images to images corresponding to a user ID associated with the particular guest 50. The guest tracking system 16 can also analyze RFID tag data and associate it with a user ID associated with the particular guest 50, in addition to or instead of camera 18B. In some embodiments, rather than first determining the presence of a particular guest 50 based on, for example, the weight of vehicle 20, the guest tracking system 16 can use camera 18B and / or RFID tag 18C to determine the presence of a particular guest 50 and identify the particular guest 50.

[0018] The guest tracking system 16 can determine the guest data of a specific guest 50 after identifying the guest 50, and then modify the interaction of the tunnel vehicle attraction 14A based on the guest data. For example, in some embodiments, the guest data may indicate that a specific guest 50 is afraid of Pierrot. Specifically, the guest tracking system 16 can determine that a specific guest 50 made a statement indicating fear of Pierrot (e.g., captured by the audio sensor 18F of another attraction 14). Accordingly, some features 12 can be activated as appropriate. For example, in this example, when the vehicle 20 carrying a specific guest 50 approaches a specific amusement park animation feature 12C, the specific amusement park animation feature 12C can talk to the specific guest 50 (e.g., via the associated audio effect system 12D), ask the specific guest 50 about games previously played at the amusement park 10, ask about the names of family members, comment on the amusement park zones visited by the guest 50, etc. Thus, based on the guest data determined by the amusement park sensors 18 arranged around the amusement park 10, the features 12 arranged around the amusement park 10 can be activated. Also, in some embodiments, the animation figure 12C can be animated to have a face or gesture that scares a specific guest 50, for example, based on the guest data.

[0019] Also, as will be described in more detail herein, the AI entity management system disposed on the vehicle 20 can search for guest data collected by the guest tracking system 16 and activate some features 12 of the vehicle 20 (e.g., the display 12A, the lighting effect system 12B, the animation figure 12C, and / or the acoustic effect system 12D) to simulate the presence of an AI entity related to the vehicle 20. As an example, the guest data (e.g., the number of tickets purchased for the amusement park 10) may indicate that a particular guest 50 is visiting the amusement park 10 with two other family members. Therefore, the AI entity management system of a particular vehicle 20 can access data regarding the two other family members (e.g., the names of the family members tagged in a social media application) when the particular guest 50 is riding on the particular vehicle 20. Also, in some embodiments, while on the tunnel vehicle attraction 14A, the guest tracking system 16 analyzes video data from a camera 18B indicating that a particular guest 50 is riding on a particular vehicle 20 with another guest 50, determines that the other guest 50 is a family member, and can send this data to the AI entity management system of the particular vehicle 20. In some embodiments, the guest tracking system 16 can perform further image analysis to match the captured video data with images on a social media application to identify the other guest 50 and send this data to the AI entity management system of the particular vehicle 20. Therefore, the AI entity management system of a particular vehicle 20 can use this data to call the other guests 50 by their respective names and provide customized interactions for the particular guest 50 and / or the associated guests 50. However, in some embodiments, a particular guest 50 can also control the data shared with the guest management system 16 and the AI entity management system of a particular vehicle 20, and thus the degree of interactivity can correspond to the degree of data sharing.For example, these restrictions can cause the AI entity management system of a particular vehicle 20 to interact with only guest 50 by name and not with other family members.

[0020] In some embodiments, vehicle 20 can include another audio effect system 12D that the AI entity management system of vehicle 20 modifies based on guest data. For example, in some embodiments, the AI entity management system of vehicle 20 can cause the audio effect system 12D to play audio (e.g., a theme song) related to a particular guest's favorite attraction 14. Also, in some embodiments, the AI entity management system of vehicle 20 can cause the lighting effect system 12B to project a Pierrot face inside the tunnel of tunnel vehicle attraction 14A based on the guest data of a particular guest 50. Further, in some embodiments, the AI entity management system of vehicle 20 can also activate other features 12 of a particular vehicle 20 based on the presence of a particular guest 50. For example, in some embodiments, the AI entity management system of vehicle 20 can activate the left-side features 12 of tunnel vehicle attraction 14A for a particular guest 50 located on the left side of vehicle 20, while activating the right-side features 12 of tunnel vehicle attraction 14A for a particular guest 50 located on the right side of vehicle 20.

[0021] Also, in some embodiments, the AI entity management system of the vehicle 20 can activate the animation figure 12C of the vehicle 20 when a guest 50 identified within the vehicle 20 is present. In some embodiments, the guest tracking system 16 can track the presence of a particular group 26 of guests 50 and the combination of preferences of the individuals within the group 26. For example, in some embodiments, it can identify that there is an overlap in interests among the majority of group members, use these to provide interactions, select a random selection or combination of interactions based on the preferences of the people within the group, repeat interactions based on group preferences, and so on.

[0022] Also, in some embodiments, the monitoring system 28 and / or the service desk 30 can monitor the activities of the guests 50 within the amusement park 10 to ensure that the amusement park operations are completed as expected. Specifically, as described in more detail herein, the interactions with a particular guest 50 operating through the various features 12 described herein are intended to develop specific "personality traits" based on the previous activities of the particular guest 50 within the amusement park 10 detected by, for example, the various amusement park sensors 18 described herein, by simulating the presence of one or more AI entities.

[0023] To illustrate how each vehicle AI entity 36 described in this specification is maintained by a vehicle 20, FIG. 2 shows a vehicle AI entity system 32 that activates the features 12 of the amusement park 10 of FIG. 1 to simulate the presence of the vehicle AI entity 36. As shown, the vehicle AI entity system 32 includes, among other devices, one or more vehicles 20 having an amusement park sensor 18, a guest tracking system 16, one or more features 12, and an AI entity management system 40, as well as one or more guest mobile devices 34. Note that the illustrated system is merely illustrative, and according to the disclosed embodiments, it should be understood that some features and components may be omitted to enhance performance, and various other features and components may also be added.

[0024] As shown, in some embodiments, the AI entity management system 40 of each vehicle 20 can include an input device 42, a processor 44, a memory 46, and a communication circuit 48. In some embodiments, the input device 42 can receive input data from the amusement park sensor 18. For example, in some embodiments, the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20 can receive input data from the amusement park sensor 18 via the input device 42 at several positions along the vehicle track of each vehicle where the input device 42 can be linked to a physical data interface. However, in other embodiments, the input device 42 can also be configured to receive input data wirelessly from the amusement park sensor 18. Based on the input data received at the input device 42, the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20 can manage the vehicle AI entity 36 of each vehicle 20, for example, by modifying the artificial personality of the vehicle AI entity 36 and activating various features 12 to indicate the presence of the vehicle AI entity 36.

[0025] Specifically, in the amusement park setting described herein (and shown in FIG. 1), the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20 can control the features 12 of the vehicle 20, such as the display 12A, the lighting effect system 12B, the animation figure 12C, and / or the audio effect system 12D. As an example, the tunnel vehicle attraction 14A or the roller coaster attraction 14D can include one or more displays 12A, the lighting effect system 12B, one or more animation figures 12C, and / or the audio effect system 12D. As will be described in more detail herein, the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20 can control each feature 12 to provide a customized interaction for the guest 50. As an example, the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20 can control the speakers of the audio effect system 12D on the vehicle 20 to generate audio related to the vehicle AI entity 36 associated with a particular guest 50. For example, the audio can include a recognizable unique sound (e.g., a piece of music associated with a particular AI entity 36) and / or the name of the guest. The customized audio can be based on guest data obtained by the amusement park sensor 18 described herein.

[0026] As another example, the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20 can control the lighting effect system 12B of the vehicle 20 to project a specific animation based on guest data during the ride. For example, the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20 can retrieve guest data indicating what a particular guest fears from the amusement park sensor 18 and use this guest data to modify the animation projected by the lighting effect system 12B (e.g., if a particular guest 50 is afraid of spiders and the associated AI entity 36 is related to spiders in some way, project a spider). In this way, the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20 can control and modify vehicle interactions to provide a customized experience based on guest data. In some embodiments, as described in more detail herein, the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20 can also detect the presence (e.g., identification, location, and movement, etc.) of a particular guest 50 within the vehicle 20.

[0027] As described above with respect to FIG. 1, the amusement park sensor 18 can 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 amusement park sensor 18 can be disposed or positioned in an area where the presence of guests is expected, such as on the vehicle 20 of the ride or on the ride track 22. In some embodiments, the RFID tag 18C can communicate with the electronic reader 18D to indicate the presence of a specific guest 50. For example, in some embodiments, the RFID tag 18C can be incorporated on the ride track 22 or on the vehicle 20 of the ride (e.g., inside, on the side, or on the passageway of the vehicle 20). Also, the electronic reader 18D can be arranged so that the RFID tag 18C can be scanned. As an example, the electronic reader 18D can be arranged on the ride track 22 so that when the vehicle 20 passes over the electronic reader 18D, the RFID tag 18C on the vehicle 20 can be scanned to indicate the presence of a specific guest 50 on the ride. In some embodiments, the RFID tag 18C can include a guest wearable RFID tag 18C associated with a specific user ID 52. Accordingly, the input data from the electronic reader 18D can indicate the presence of a specific guest 50 associated with a specific user ID 52 when scanning the guest wearable RFID tag 18C associated with the specific guest 50. As will be described in more detail herein, the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20 can then retrieve guest data based on the user ID 52 and, in response, activate the features 12 of each vehicle 20.

[0028] As will be described in more detail herein, the amusement park 10 can also track guest amusement park activities such as ride history and interactions. As an example, the activities of a guest being tracked (e.g., via the guest wearable RFID tag 18C) may indicate that a particular guest 50 has remained in a particular zone of the amusement park 10 for most of the time the guest 50 is visiting the amusement park 10. Also, the activities of the guest being tracked may also indicate that a particular guest 50 has ridden a particular ride more frequently than other rides. As will be described in more detail herein, the AI entity management system 40 of the ride vehicle 20 can determine the preferences (e.g., favorite zones or rides of the amusement park 10) of a particular guest 50 based on this guest data and use these preferences to modify the artificial personality of the ride vehicle AI entity 36 associated with the particular guest 50.

[0029] In some embodiments, the camera 18B can be placed or positioned in an area where the presence of a guest is anticipated, such as an area for observing the vehicle 20 on the vehicle. In such embodiments, the camera 18B can determine the presence of a specific guest 50 based on the captured image and / or video. Specifically, the camera 18B can perform face recognition and / or object recognition to determine the presence of a specific guest 50. In some embodiments, instead, the camera 18B provides the image and / or video as input data to the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20, and then the AI entity management system 40 can perform face recognition and / or object recognition. For example, in some embodiments, the camera 18B and / or the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20 can compare the image and / or video with the image of a specific guest 50 stored previously. In some embodiments, the image of a specific guest 50 stored previously is stored in the memory 46 of the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20, associated with the user ID 52 of the specific guest 50, and / or can be an image searchable through a third-party application 54 (e.g., a guest profile image on a social media application).

[0030] In addition to or instead of this, in some embodiments, the weight sensor 18E can also indicate the presence of the guest 50. For example, the weight sensor 18E can be attached to the vehicle track 22 and can indicate the presence of the vehicle 20 on the vehicle track 22 based on a predetermined weight. Similarly, in some embodiments, the proximity sensor 18A can be arranged or positioned near an area where the presence of a guest is expected (e.g., inside the seat of the vehicle 20). The proximity sensor 18A can detect the presence of nearby objects without physical contact by using an electromagnetic field, light, and / or sound. The proximity sensor 18A can emit an electromagnetic field or an electromagnetic radiation beam (e.g., infrared) and can search for a change in the electromagnetic field or a feedback signal. The proximity sensor 18A can be arranged near the boarding point of the vehicle 20 and / or on the seat of the vehicle to accurately detect the presence of nearby objects as the guest 50. In some embodiments, the RFID tag 18C and / or the camera 18B can be used alone or in combination with other amusement park sensors 18 (e.g., the weight sensor 18E and / or the proximity sensor 18A) to detect the presence of a specific guest 50 and / or to identify a specific guest 50.

[0031] In addition to or instead of this, in some embodiments, a third-party application 54 can also provide input data to the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20. That is, the third-party application 54 can share data with the AI entity management system 40 of a specific vehicle 20 when the guest permits. The third-party application 54 can include a system related to a third party including entities not directly related to the amusement park 10. The third-party application 54 can provide third-party data from one or more third parties collected through one or more third-party websites, mobile applications, and / or other platforms. The third-party application 54 can include, but is not limited to, social media applications, medical applications, and / or banking applications. Accordingly, the third-party data from the third-party application 54 can include data related to social media applications, medical applications, and / or banking applications.

[0032] In some embodiments, the guest mobile device 34 can also provide input data to the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20. For example, when the guest mobile device 34 receives permission from the relevant guest 50, it can share device data with the AI entity management system 40 of a specific vehicle 20. The device data can include, but is not limited to, images and / or videos stored in or accessible by the guest mobile device 34, the GPS location of the guest mobile device 34, tracking data determined by the guest mobile device 34 (e.g., the number of steps per day, the average time looking at the screen, etc.), and / or setting preferences (e.g., large text, color theme, enabled special accessibility features, etc.).

[0033] As described above with respect to FIG. 1, in some embodiments, the vehicle AI entity system 32 can include the monitoring system 28 and / or the service desk 30. In the following description, the monitoring system 28 and the service desk 30 are described as separate components of the vehicle AI entity system 32, but these components can communicate with each other (e.g., as shown by the dashed lines) or can be integrated into a single system (e.g., the service desk 30 is part of the monitoring system 28). The monitoring system 28 can be a management system that monitors the amusement park sensors 18 and the vehicle 20 described herein. For example, the monitoring system 28 can monitor control signals transmitted from the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20 in response to the presence and identification of a particular guest 50, as described in more detail herein. Specifically, the monitoring system 28 can ensure that the amusement park sensors 18 and the vehicle 20 function as expected and / or provide customized interactions to a particular guest 50 via the vehicle AI entity 36 as expected.

[0034] Also, in some embodiments, if the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20 is not functioning as expected (e.g., generating incorrect control signals), the monitoring system 28 can control or reconfigure the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20. For example, the monitoring system 28 can reset or recalibrate some of the amusement park sensors 18 and / or features 12 of the vehicle 20 and / or invalidate control signals for the features 12 (initially determined by the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20). In some embodiments, the monitoring system 28 and the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20 can be implemented as a single controller.

[0035] In some embodiments, when a service desk 30, which can include a human or virtual service agent, discovers any issues regarding a vehicle AI entity 36 other than those determined by the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20, it can manually stop the operation of the vehicle AI entity 36 via a stop mechanism (e.g., a button) to invalidate control signals from the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20. Since the guest 50 can be tracked as described herein (e.g., via the guest wearable RFID tag 18C), the service desk 30 can monitor the activities of the guest 50 and use this information to address unexpected delays or unexpected functions in the amusement park 10. As an example, the tracked activity may indicate that the roller coaster was stationary or nearly stationary in the roller coaster zone for a particular period exceeding a threshold period even though the guest 50 was attempting to board the particular roller coaster, indicating an unexpected delay or queue and / or unexpected performance by the roller coaster. In some embodiments, unexpected activities can alert the service desk 30 to resolve such issues.

[0036] The communication circuit 48 of the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20 can enable the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20 to interact with various electronic devices such as the monitoring system 28, the service desk 30, the features 12 of the vehicle 20, and / or the guest mobile device 34. For example, in some embodiments, the monitoring system 28 and / or the service desk 30 can communicate with the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20 (as indicated by the two-way arrows) to receive and / or transmit information in order to confirm that the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20 and / or the features 12 of the vehicle 20 are operating as expected. Also, in some embodiments, the communication circuit 48 can enable the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20 to interact with the components of the features 12 of the vehicle 20. For example, the communication circuit 48 can enable the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20 to be communicatively coupled to a network such as a personal area network (PAN), a local area network (LAN), and / or a wide area network (WAN).

[0037] Accordingly, in some embodiments, the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20 processes data received from the amusement park sensor 18 via the input device 42, determines the presence of a particular guest 50 to identify the particular guest 50, determines guest data associated with the particular guest 50 from their respective user ID 52, and determines a modification of the interaction (e.g., among several modifications, a modification of the personality change of the vehicle AI entity 36) via some features 12 of the vehicle 20 (e.g., the operation of the functions of the feature 12) to facilitate a customized experience for the guest 50 and communicate the modification to the feature 12. For example, after processing the sensor data received via the input device 42, the processor 44 of the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20 can determine a control signal that enables the communication circuit 48 to send control data that enables the operation of the modification via the features 12 of the vehicle 20 to the features 12 of the vehicle 20.

[0038] Also, in some embodiments, the AI entity management system 40 can be configured to identify what data needs to be received and / or transmitted between the amusement park sensor 18, the guest tracking system 16, the monitoring system 28, the service desk 30, the guest mobile device 34, and the cloud storage, etc., by utilizing relatively efficient processing by using machine learning to provide a desired vehicle output via the feature 12 of the vehicle 20. Specifically, in some embodiments, the AI entity management system 40 requests a specific type of data from the amusement park sensor 18, the guest tracking system 16, the monitoring system 28, the service desk 30, the guest mobile device 34, and the cloud storage, etc., only when a specific type of data is required (and not yet locally stored) to perform a specific function related to the vehicle AI entity 36. Also, in some embodiments, the AI entity management system 40 can transmit a specific type of data to the guest tracking system 16, the monitoring system 28, the service desk 30, the guest mobile device 34, and the cloud storage, etc., only when a specific type of data is requested, or when it is determined that a specific type of data is likely to be required for the execution of other functions related to the vehicle AI entity 36 described herein.

[0039] The processor 44 of the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20 can include one or more processing devices that use the techniques described herein to receive an input signal regarding the presence and / or identification of the guest 50 from the input device 42 and then use this input signal to determine a modification of the interaction (e.g., actuation of the feature 12 of the vehicle 20) via a specific feature 12 of the vehicle 20 (e.g., via simulation of the presence of the vehicle AI entity 36) to facilitate a customized experience of the vehicle 20. The memory 46 of the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20 can include one or more tangible non-transitory machine-readable media. As an example, such machine-readable media can be RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, or optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to hold or store a desired algorithm (e.g., program code) in the form of machine-executable instructions or data structures and can be accessed by the processor 44 of the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20 or other processor-based devices. The processor 44 of the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20 can include a processing core that executes machine-executable instruction algorithms stored in the memory 46 of the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20. The processor 44 of the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20 can also include a processor-side interface for the software application executed on the processing core to interact with hardware components such as the feature 12 of the vehicle 20 described herein. In some embodiments, the memory 46 of the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20 can store guest data corresponding to the activities of the tracked guest and park activities, as well as the preferences of the corresponding guest 50 (e.g., determined by manual input from the guest 50 and / or by processing algorithms executed by the processor 44 of the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20).In some embodiments, the memory 46 of the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20 can tag the corresponding user ID 52 to the guest data before storing the guest data so that it can be retrieved later. That is, in some embodiments, the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20 can search for data related to the guest 50 by looking up the ID 52 and using the related guest data.

[0040] As an example, in the amusement park setting described herein (and shown in FIG. 1), the stored algorithm, without being limited to the following, determines the presence of a guest based on sensor data from the amusement park sensors 18, identifies a particular guest 50 (e.g., by processing sensor data from the camera 18B, performing face recognition, and / or processing sensor data from the RFID tag 18C related to the user ID 52 of the guest 50), searches for the guest data of the user ID 52, determines a modification of the interaction within the amusement park 10 based on the guest data, and can include an algorithm that provides a modified image, sound, lighting effect, or animation (e.g., indicating a preference or guest information for modifying one or more vehicle AI entities 36) based on the guest data (e.g., stored in the memory 46). In this way, the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20 can determine the presence of a particular guest 50 and control the features 12 of the vehicle 20 accordingly.

[0041] Accordingly, as will be described in more detail herein, the vehicle AI entity system 32 shown in FIG. 2 is configured to manage a vehicle AI entity 36 associated with a particular vehicle 20 of the amusement park 10 shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a method 56 for operating the vehicle AI entity system 32 of FIG. 2. As shown, in some embodiments, method 56 includes recognizing the activities of one or more guests 50 within the physical environment of the amusement park 10 via one or more guest activity recognition devices (e.g., the amusement park sensor 18 described herein) (block 58). Also, in some embodiments, method 56 also includes maintaining one or more vehicle AI entities 36 of the vehicle 20 based at least in part on the recognized activities of one or more guests 50 via the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20 (block 60). Also, in some embodiments, method 56 further includes actuating one or more features 12 disposed on the vehicle 20 via the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20 to simulate the presence of one or more vehicle AI entities 36 according to one or more characteristics of the one or more vehicle AI entities 36 (block 62). As will be described in more detail herein, in some embodiments, each vehicle AI entity 36 of the one or more vehicle AI entities 36 is unique to the vehicle 20. However, in other embodiments, each vehicle AI entity 36 of the one or more vehicle AI entities 36 is unique to a particular guest 50 or group 26 of guests 50 among the one or more guests 50.

[0042] As will be described in more detail herein, in some embodiments, one or more guest activity recognition devices used to collect data for recognizing the activities of one or more guests 50 can include one or more proximity sensors 18A configured to detect the presence of one or more guests 50 at a location within the physical environment of the amusement park 10. Also, in some embodiments, one or more guest activity recognition devices used to collect data for recognizing the activities of one or more guests 50 can include one or more cameras 18B configured to detect the presence of one or more guests 50 at a location within the physical environment of the amusement park 10, determine the identity of a guest 50 among the one or more guests 50, or perform a combination thereof. Also, in some embodiments, one or more guest activity recognition devices used to collect data for recognizing the activities of one or more guests 50 can include one or more electronic readers 18D configured to detect the presence of one or more radio frequency identification tags 18C associated with one or more guests 50 at a location within the physical environment of the amusement park 10. As will be described in more detail herein, in some embodiments, one or more radio frequency identification tags 18C can be incorporated into wearable devices configured to be worn by one or more guests 50. Also, in some embodiments, one or more guest activity recognition devices used to collect data for recognizing the activities of one or more guests 50 can include a weight sensor 18E configured to detect the presence of a guest 50 among the one or more guests 50 at a location within the physical environment of the amusement park 10. Also, in some embodiments, one or more guest activity recognition devices used to collect data for recognizing the activities of one or more guests 50 can include one or more audio sensors 18F configured to detect sound generated by a guest 50 among the one or more guests 50.

[0043] Also, in some embodiments, one or more features 12 of the vehicle 20 that can be actuated by the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20 can include one or more displays 12A configured to display a vehicle AI entity 36 among one or more vehicle AI entities 36. Also, in some embodiments, one or more features 12 of the vehicle 20 that can be actuated by the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20 can include an illumination effect system 12B configured to generate light related to a vehicle AI entity 36 among one or more vehicle AI entities 36. Also, in some embodiments, one or more features 12 of the vehicle 20 that can be actuated by the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20 can include one or more animation figures 12C configured to simulate the presence of a vehicle AI entity 36 among one or more vehicle AI entities 36. Also, in some embodiments, one or more features 12 of the vehicle 20 that can be actuated by the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20 can include an acoustic effect system 12D configured to generate sound related to a vehicle AI entity 36 among one or more vehicle AI entities 36.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 4, in some embodiments, one or more characteristics of one or more vehicle AI entities 36 can include the identity 64 of one or more vehicle AI entities 36, one or more details 66 regarding one or more vehicle AI entities 36, one or more personality traits 68 of one or more vehicle AI entities 36, the mood 70 of one or more vehicle AI entities 36, one or more preferences 72 of one or more vehicle AI entities 36, or combinations thereof. For example, the identity 64 of a particular vehicle AI entity 36 can be a particular relatively well-known theme character for a particular themed zone of the amusement park 10. In some embodiments, a guest 50 can select a particular character as the vehicle AI entity 36 that the guest 50 would like to follow around during their visit to the amusement park 10 (or a particular themed zone of the amusement park 10), or the AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20 can automatically select a particular character as the vehicle AI entity 36 for a particular guest 50 based on, for example, the tracked activities of the guest 50 (such as a guest 50 showing a particular affinity for a particular character and a guest 50 showing fear of a particular character). It will be understood that a particular themed character can have details 66 specific to that themed character (such as a detailed history, place of origin, faction alliances, friends, enemies, goals, and motivations). Also, a particular vehicle AI entity 36 can have particular personality traits 68 such as happiness, sadness, humor, blandness, bravery, timidity, passivity, aggressiveness, militancy, compliance, meekness, kindness, sarcasm, and respect, whether the particular vehicle AI entity 36 is a particular relatively well-known theme character or a completely customized character. Further, a particular vehicle AI entity 36 can have a particular mood 70 that is similar in nature to the personality trait 68 but has a stronger temporary aspect as opposed to the personality trait 68 which has a stronger permanent aspect.In addition, a specific vehicle AI entity 36 can have specific preferences 72 such as activities it desires to participate in, areas of a favorite amusement park 10, and other theme characters it feels a sense of familiarity with (or aversion to).

[0045] As will be described in more detail herein, in some embodiments, at least a portion of the vehicle AI entity 36 can be specific to the vehicle 20. For example, in such embodiments, the vehicle AI entity 36 can have persistence (or at least semi-persistence) for each vehicle 20 and be permanently maintained (e.g., permanently stored in the memory 46 of each AI entity management system 40) or at least semi-permanently maintained (e.g., stored in the memory 46 of each AI entity management system 40 over a certain period) by the respective AI entity management system 40 of the vehicle 20. Such vehicle-specific AI entities 36 can begin to enhance the reputation of the guest 50 as the guest 50 desires to be able to interact with these specific AI entities 36 when boarding a specific vehicle 20.

[0046] On the other hand, in other embodiments, at least a portion of the vehicle AI entity 36 can be specific to the guest 50 or a group 26 of guests 50. For example, in such embodiments, when the guest 50 or a group 26 of guests 50 is boarding various vehicles 20, the vehicle AI entity 36 can appear to follow (e.g., like a ghost) each guest 50 or group 26 of guests 50. Also, on the other hand, in some embodiments, at least a portion of the vehicle AI entity 36 can be specific to a guest 50 or a group 26 of guests 50 only for a specific vehicle 20. For example, in such embodiments, a specific vehicle AI entity 36 that the guest 50 or a group 26 of guests 50 desires to interact with while boarding a specific vehicle 20 can be selected.

[0047] FIG. 5 shows a non-limiting example of how the vehicle AI entity described herein can be manifested when guest 50 is moving around in amusement park 10. For example, FIG. 5 shows a display 12A of vehicle 20 that can present a character 74 related to vehicle AI entity 36, and an associated audio effect system 12D of vehicle 20 that can generate a sound simulating the state of character 74 talking. FIG. 6 shows the display 12A and the audio effect system 12D of vehicle 20 of FIG. 5 in more detail. As will be described in more detail herein, a particular vehicle AI entity 36 can, based on the characteristics of the particular vehicle AI entity 36 (see, e.g., FIG. 4), for example, when a guest 50 associated with the particular vehicle AI entity 36 is on vehicle 20 (e.g., when this is detected by one or more proximity sensors 18A and / or one or more cameras 18B of vehicle 20), manifest itself by controlling one or more aspects of character 74 presented via display 12A (and the associated sound generated by audio effect system 12D). One or more aspects that the vehicle AI entity 36 can control include, but are not limited to, the animation of character 74, the lines of character 74, and special visual and / or audio effects related to character 74. For example, if the guest data of a particular guest 50 indicates that the particular guest 50 has fear (or conversely, familiarity) towards a particular character 74, the AI entity management system 40 can cause the character 74 to speak in a relatively intimidating (or conversely, friendly) manner in the general direction of the particular guest 50.

[0048] In this specification, only some features of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described, but many modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes that fall within the true spirit of the present disclosure.

[0049] The technology claimed in this specification refers to and is applicable to tangible things and specific examples of an actual nature that surely improve the relevant technical field, and thus are not abstract, intangible, or purely theoretical. Further, if any claim appended at the end of this specification includes one or more elements specified as "means for [performing]... [function]" or "steps for [performing]... [function]", such elements shall be construed in accordance with 35 U.S.C. § 112(f). On the other hand, for any claim including elements specified in any other form, such elements shall not be construed in accordance with 35 U.S.C. § 112(f).

Explanation of Reference Signs

[0050] 12A Display 12D Acoustic Effect 18A Proximity Sensor 18B Camera 20 Vehicle 50 Guest 74 Character

Claims

1. A system that utilizes an artificial intelligence entity of a vehicle, comprising: one or more guest activity recognition devices configured to recognize the activities of one or more guests within the physical environment of an amusement park; one or more vehicle vehicles of the amusement park; and each vehicle vehicle comprises: an artificial intelligence entity management system configured to maintain one or more artificial intelligence entities of the vehicle vehicle based at least in part on the recognized activities of the one or more guests; one or more features disposed on the vehicle vehicle and configured to be actuated by the artificial intelligence entity management system to simulate the presence of one or more artificial intelligence entities of the one or more vehicle vehicles according to one or more characteristics of the one or more artificial intelligence entities of the vehicle vehicle; A system.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein each artificial intelligence entity of the one or more artificial intelligence entities of the vehicle vehicle is unique to the vehicle vehicle.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein each artificial intelligence entity of the one or more artificial intelligence entities of the vehicle vehicle is unique to a guest or a group of guests among the one or more guests.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more features disposed on the vehicle vehicle include one or more displays configured to be actuated by the artificial intelligence entity management system to display an artificial intelligence entity of the one or more artificial intelligence entities of the vehicle vehicle.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more features disposed on the vehicle vehicle include an illumination effect system configured to be actuated by the artificial intelligence entity management system to generate light related to an artificial intelligence entity of the one or more artificial intelligence entities of the vehicle vehicle. The system according to claim 1.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more features disposed on the vehicle vehicle include one or more animation figures configured to be actuated by the artificial intelligence entity management system to simulate the presence of an artificial intelligence entity of the one or more artificial intelligence entities of the vehicle vehicle. The system according to claim 1.

7. The one or more features disposed on the vehicle vehicle include an acoustic effect system configured to be operated by the artificial intelligence entity management system to generate a sound related to the vehicle vehicle artificial intelligence entity among the one or more vehicle vehicle artificial intelligence entities. The system according to claim 1.

8. The one or more characteristics of the one or more vehicle vehicle artificial intelligence entities include the identity of the one or more vehicle vehicle artificial intelligence entities, one or more details regarding the one or more vehicle vehicle artificial intelligence entities, one or more personality characteristics of the one or more vehicle vehicle artificial intelligence entities, the mood of the one or more vehicle vehicle artificial intelligence entities, one or more preferences of the one or more vehicle vehicle artificial intelligence entities, or some combination thereof. The system according to claim 1.

9. A method of utilizing a vehicle vehicle artificial intelligence entity, comprising: recognizing, via one or more guest activity recognition devices, the activities of one or more guests within the physical environment of an amusement park; maintaining, via an artificial intelligence entity management system of the vehicle vehicle, one or more vehicle vehicle artificial intelligence entities of the vehicle vehicle based at least in part on the recognized activities of the one or more guests; simulating, via the artificial intelligence entity management system of the vehicle vehicle, the presence of the one or more vehicle vehicle artificial intelligence entities according to one or more characteristics of the one or more vehicle vehicle artificial intelligence entities by activating one or more features disposed on the vehicle vehicle; A method comprising the steps of:

10. Each vehicle vehicle artificial intelligence entity of the one or more vehicle vehicle artificial intelligence entities is unique to the vehicle vehicle. The method according to claim 9.

11. Each vehicle vehicle artificial intelligence entity of the one or more vehicle vehicle artificial intelligence entities is unique to a guest or group of guests among the one or more guests. The method according to claim 9.

12. Actuating the one or more features disposed on the vehicle vehicle includes actuating one or more displays to display a vehicle vehicle artificial intelligence entity among the one or more vehicle vehicle artificial intelligence entities. The method according to claim 9.

13. Actuating the one or more features disposed on the vehicle vehicle includes actuating an illumination effect system to generate light related to a vehicle vehicle artificial intelligence entity among the one or more vehicle vehicle artificial intelligence entities. The method according to claim 9.

14. Actuating the one or more features disposed on the vehicle vehicle includes actuating one or more animation figures to simulate the presence of a vehicle vehicle artificial intelligence entity among the one or more vehicle vehicle artificial intelligence entities. The method according to claim 9.

15. Actuating the one or more features disposed on the vehicle vehicle includes actuating an acoustic effect system to generate sound related to a vehicle vehicle artificial intelligence entity among the one or more vehicle vehicle artificial intelligence entities. The method according to claim 9.

16. The one or more characteristics of the one or more vehicle vehicle artificial intelligence entities include the identity of the one or more vehicle vehicle artificial intelligence entities, one or more details about the one or more vehicle vehicle artificial intelligence entities, one or more personality characteristics of the one or more vehicle vehicle artificial intelligence entities, the mood of the one or more vehicle vehicle artificial intelligence entities, one or more preferences of the one or more vehicle vehicle artificial intelligence entities, or some combination thereof. The method according to claim 9.

17. A vehicle vehicle that utilizes a vehicle vehicle artificial intelligence entity, the vehicle vehicle comprising: Receiving data related to recognized activities of one or more guests within the physical environment of an amusement park; Maintaining one or more vehicle vehicle artificial intelligence entities of the vehicle vehicle based at least in part on the data related to the recognized activities of the one or more guests. Actuating one or more features arranged on the vehicle vehicle to simulate the presence of the one or more vehicle vehicle artificial intelligence entities according to one or more characteristics of the one or more vehicle vehicle artificial intelligence entities. A vehicle vehicle configured as such. **Claim 18** Each vehicle vehicle artificial intelligence entity of the one or more vehicle vehicle artificial intelligence entities is unique to the vehicle vehicle. The vehicle vehicle according to claim 17. **Claim 19** Each vehicle vehicle artificial intelligence entity of the one or more vehicle vehicle artificial intelligence entities is unique to a guest or group of guests among the one or more guests. The vehicle vehicle according to claim 17. **Claim 20** The one or more characteristics of the one or more vehicle vehicle artificial intelligence entities include the identity of the one or more vehicle vehicle artificial intelligence entities, one or more details regarding the one or more vehicle vehicle artificial intelligence entities, one or more personality traits of the one or more vehicle vehicle artificial intelligence entities, the mood of the one or more vehicle vehicle artificial intelligence entities, one or more preferences of the one or more vehicle vehicle artificial intelligence entities, or some combination thereof. The vehicle vehicle according to claim 17.

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