Entertainment vehicle and method for operating an entertainment vehicle

Abstract

The present invention relates to an entertainment vehicle having at least one car guided along a track, at least one passenger accommodation section for accommodating passengers is arranged on the car, the movement, position and / or orientation of the passenger accommodation section relative to the car can be changed in at least one degree of freedom by at least one adjustment unit, a controller is provided capable of controlling the adjustment unit, the controller is in signal communication with a memory device, the memory device indirectly or directly stores as memory contents the movements to be performed, the positions to be assumed and / or the orientations to be assumed during the travel of each passenger accommodation section, the controller is configured to cause each passenger accommodation section to sequentially assume a position, orientation and / or movement at predetermined points on the track during the travel of the vehicle by controlling the adjustment unit of each passenger accommodation section, and the entertainment vehicle has means for passengers to specify the memory contents for the relevant passenger accommodation section.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an entertainment vehicle and a method of operating an entertainment vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] Entertainment vehicles are popular attractions at leisure parks, amusement parks, and festivals. An entertainment vehicle typically has at least one vehicle including at least one passenger accommodation section such as a seat, and the vehicle is guided along a track. In that case, the appeal of riding an entertainment vehicle can be conveyed by the shape of the track, as is the case with, for example, a roller coaster, or by the surroundings of the track, as is the case with, for example, a ghost train or when a children's fairy tale country is traversed by a railway vehicle.

[0003] In order to enhance the appeal of entertainment vehicles, a measure already implemented in some such entertainment vehicles is that the passenger accommodation section can be positioned and / or moved relative to the vehicle by an adjustment unit. During the running of a roller coaster or a fairy tale country express, the perspective of experiencing the ride is changed according to a fixed pattern.

[0004] In both cases, the running appeal can be further enhanced by enabling individual movement or positioning of the passenger accommodation section relative to the seat. For example, die-hard roller coaster fans may find it appealing when the seat rotates about its axis during a loop or when the seat rotates 90° relative to the traveling direction during a spiral line, while in the fairy tale country express, children can see their favorite fairy tale scenes for an especially long time due to the relative movement between the passenger accommodation section and the vehicle.

[0005] On the other hand, in the next run of the roller coaster, the movement of the vehicle along the rails may, in some cases, be beyond the limit of endurance. Therefore, in order to avoid having to look at the bottom of the valley during the run, someone may want to change the orientation of the passenger accommodation section when descending rapidly, so that someone can sit in the same seat, or in the next run in the fairy tale land, the favorite fairy tale of the child sitting in the same seat is a different fairy tale, and the passenger accommodation section should be turned in a different orientation so that it can be seen for a longer time.

[0006] That is, it can be immediately understood that the movement or positioning of the passenger accommodation section is not preferably predetermined, but can be executed individually. The movement and positioning of the passenger accommodation section should not be predetermined by the fact that one has to sit or not sit in a specific passenger accommodation section of the vehicle. In practice, the allocation of the passenger accommodation section is usually done according to the position of each passenger waiting in line and cannot be selected.

[0007] An approach to solving this problem known from Patent Document 1 contemplates that a controllable moving device is directly assigned to each passenger accommodation section, and its movement is controlled by the passenger via an operating device. For example, such an operating device can be a joystick, and by operating the joystick during running, the position and / or orientation of the passenger accommodation section with respect to the vehicle changes. However, in practice, this approach is feasible for relatively slow vehicles, and it is further revealed that this is only feasible when controlled by an adult. It has been found that the stimuli and / or forces received during running on an amusement vehicle are very strong, and in most cases, this adversely affects or completely prevents the proper and accurate use of the operating device.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0008]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

[0009] Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an amusement vehicle that enables an improved customization option for the passenger position during travel, and to provide a method for operating such an amusement vehicle.

[0010] The above object is solved by an amusement vehicle having the features of claim 1 and a method for operating such an amusement vehicle having the features of claim 2. The dependent claims relate to advantageous developments of the invention.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

Figure 1

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] The amusement vehicle according to the present invention has at least one vehicle guided along a track, and at least one passenger accommodation part for accommodating passengers is arranged on the vehicle. The vehicle can be a train or a vehicle that travels on a rail that predetermines the track, as is common in the case of, for example, a jet coaster or a roller coaster. However, it can also be a boat guided along a specific route of a canal network using, for example, a towing mechanism. Another alternative example is a gondola or a trolley, and its track can be predetermined by the path of a guide rail or a support cable.

[0013] In most embodiments, the passenger accommodation part is a seat that can be arranged, for example, on the vehicle or hanging down from the vehicle. For example, it may be an arrangement in which passengers stand on it, hang on it, or lie on it during travel, such as used in a stand-up coaster.

[0014] The movement, position and / or orientation of each passenger accommodation unit relative to the vehicle can be changed or set in at least one degree of freedom by means of at least one adjustment unit. The passenger accommodation unit may, for example, be rotatable or pivotable about one or more axes by means of one adjustment unit or a plurality of adjustment units, or may be movable in one or more directions. Accordingly, these degrees of freedom can be, for example, rotational degrees of freedom or translational degrees of freedom, the latter of which can also be non-linear in some cases (for example, when using appropriate link guides).

[0015] Furthermore, there is a controller that can control the adjustment unit. That is, the adjustment unit is controlled by the controller, and the passenger accommodation unit driven thereby is automatically moved to at least one, in particular a plurality of different set positions during driving, or is controlled or moved without being controlled. This can be done, for example, at a specific point in time during driving or at a specific point on the track. In the simplest case, this can be a change in position, and a predetermined position is maintained while this position change is being carried out. However, the position change may also be an additional movement of the passenger accommodation unit throughout the drive, and this movement can be represented or resolved as a series of positions or orientations. The passenger accommodation unit can carry out movements that are not controlled and / or not braked during movement, in particular can move freely. Alternatively, this movement may be a controlled movement that gives the passenger the feeling of a free and / or uncontrolled movement of the passenger accommodation unit. During the running of an amusement vehicle along a track, it is also possible to change the position or orientation of the passenger accommodation unit depending on the position on the track.

[0016] What is important for the present invention is that the controller is in signal communication with the storage device, and the storage device indirectly or directly stores, as stored content, the position, orientation and / or movement to be taken during the travel of each passenger accommodation unit, the controller is set to sequentially cause the passenger accommodation unit to take these positions, orientations and / or movements at predetermined points on the track during the travel of the vehicle by controlling the adjustment unit, and the amusement vehicle has means for a passenger to specify the stored content regarding the associated passenger accommodation unit.

[0017] The direct storage of position, orientation and / or movement is understood to mean that the controller reads the target position or movement from the storage device and determines the control commands necessary to achieve them. This approach has the advantage that the amount of data that needs to be written to or read from the storage device is considerably reduced, but high requirements are imposed on the controller, for example with regard to the computing power of the controller.

[0018] In contrast, in the indirect storage of position, orientation and / or movement, control commands are stored in the storage device, whereby the controller reads the program from the storage device and executes the program during the travel of the amusement vehicle, so that the controller causes the adjustment unit to take the corresponding position, orientation and / or movement. This approach reduces the requirements imposed on the (local) control of the adjustment unit of each passenger accommodation unit.

[0019] In that case, the storage device may be the local storage device for controlling the adjustment unit of each passenger accommodation unit, or the central storage device of the amusement vehicle, or the database assigned to the controller of each passenger accommodation unit.

[0020] The means for a passenger to specify the stored content regarding the associated passenger accommodation unit, i.e., the movement, position and / or orientation that the passenger accommodation unit should take, enables the passenger to individually influence the movement of the passenger accommodation unit in which the passenger rides.

[0021] However, this passenger accommodation area is usually not yet determined at the time when the passenger specifies movement, position or orientation. Therefore, this means must not only enable the passenger to make this decision, but also ensure the correct assignment of this content to the correct passenger accommodation area.

[0022] Therefore, these means for determining the stored content for each passenger accommodation area include at least one input means by which a passenger can input a desired movement and / or a series of positions or orientations, and a transmission means capable of transmitting or reading these data to / from a storage device.

[0023] In a first embodiment of the present invention, these transmission means have receiving means directly assigned to each passenger accommodation area, whereby direct transmission from the passenger's input means to the receiving means of the passenger accommodation area is performed.

[0024] In a specific embodiment belonging to this embodiment, for example, the input means is a passenger's smartphone on which a corresponding application is installed. The application shows the shape of the track on the display. The passenger marks a track segment, for example by touching it with a finger, and selects a position, orientation, and / or movement, i.e., a series of movements, positions, and / or orientations to be performed on this track segment. This can optionally also be done based on a selection from or consideration of at least partially proposed positions, directions, movements, and / or movement patterns, but can also be done as a completely free creation of the passenger himself / herself within the technically possible range of the passenger accommodation area.

[0025] After the selection is completed, the application can convert these data into, for example, a QR code (registered trademark) displayed on the smartphone display. Therefore, the smartphone is also used as a transmission means and thus forms part of the transmission means.

[0026] Next, when it is the passenger's turn and the seat or passenger accommodation area is allocated to the entertainment vehicle on which the passenger will board, this QR code (registered trademark) is scanned by a reading device that forms the receiving means of the transmission means arranged, for example, in the passenger accommodation area. The data contained in the QR code (registered trademark) is written into the storage device of the controller, the data is read from this storage device, and is converted into control commands to be executed by the adjustment unit of the passenger accommodation area.

[0027] Of course, specific input means having a display, preferably a touch display, and a keyboard that can also be implemented on the touch display, are also conceivable, and these are temporarily handed over to the passenger. In particular, when this measure is selected, data specified or generated by the passenger, for example, during the waiting time, can be transmitted when boarding by connecting this input means to the passenger accommodation area via a plug. Then, after driving, the input means is removed from the passenger accommodation area, reset to the specified initial state, and handed over to another passenger again.

[0028] Wireless transmission of the data selected by the passenger or the data generated based on the selection is also possible. In another embodiment of the present invention, the stored content is first transmitted from the receiving means to the central storage means, for example, to the database of the central control unit of the entertainment vehicle, and is stored there together with an identification code that the passenger also receives when the selection is completed. When using an app on the passenger's smartphone, for example, a wireless data connection can be established, and these data can be transmitted to the database through this wireless data connection. The identification code can be a barcode or a QR code (registered trademark). When the passenger takes a seat in the passenger accommodation area, this code is read using the reading device in the passenger accommodation area. Next, the controller assigned to the passenger accommodation area calls out the data set stored for this identification code from the central storage means of the entertainment vehicle. In particular, when a specific input means is handed over to the passenger, identification can also be performed via an RFID chip.

[0029] In an embodiment of the present invention where transmission to the central storage means of the amusement vehicle is initially performed, the input means may be a stationary element of the amusement vehicle, such as a terminal where passengers forming a queue are guided. In that case, the passenger can program the individual positions, orientations, and / or movements of the passenger accommodation section there. Also in this case, for example, an RFID tag in the immediate vicinity of the passenger, or a QR code (registered trademark) or barcode that the passenger can photograph using a mobile phone can be used for identification. When boarding the vehicle or taking a seat in the passenger accommodation section, this identification code is read using a reading device, and then the controller of the passenger accommodation section requests the stored content of the central database assigned to this identification code.

[0030] The amusement vehicle according to the present invention is operated using the method according to the present invention. This method is characterized in that before entering the running, the passenger selects at least one movement, position, movement, and / or orientation that the passenger accommodation section of this passenger should take with respect to the vehicle before or during the running of the passenger in the amusement vehicle, and this selection and the identification of the passenger accommodation section in which this passenger rides are transmitted to the amusement vehicle, and this selection or the control command corresponding to this selection is stored in the storage device assigned to the control unit of this passenger accommodation section before the start of running or at the latest at the start of running.

[0031] In a particularly preferred embodiment of this method, before entering the running, the passenger selects at least one movement, position, movement, and / or orientation that the passenger accommodation section of this passenger should take with respect to the vehicle during the running of the passenger in the amusement vehicle using the application of this passenger's smartphone.

[0032] FIG. 1 schematically shows an exemplary progression of a method for operating an amusement vehicle. In a first step 100, before at least one passenger enters the running, at least one movement, position, and / or orientation that the passenger accommodation section of the vehicle of the amusement vehicle should take during the running can be selected.

[0033] For example, before heading towards the vehicle, the passenger can download an app on their smartphone and make selections via the app for a subsequent ride on the entertainment vehicle. For example, the following options can be selected.

[0034] - The position of the passenger accommodation area in the vehicle, - The direction of travel of the vehicle, i.e., the orientation of the passenger accommodation area with respect to the forward or reverse direction, - Free spin, i.e., the uncontrolled and / or non-braked movement of the passenger accommodation area during travel, particularly rotational movement.

[0035] In a second step 200, the identification information of at least one passenger is transmitted to the entertainment vehicle together with the selections made. Once at least one passenger boards the vehicle of the entertainment vehicle and takes a seat in the passenger accommodation area, identification can be carried out in an optional third step 300, whereby the selections made in the first step 100 are linked or assigned to the respective passenger accommodation areas. Identification can be carried out, for example, using an identification code, barcode, QR code (registered trademark), etc.

[0036] For example, the passenger can use their smartphone to scan the QR code (registered trademark) of the corresponding passenger accommodation area, or a reading device in the passenger accommodation area reads the identification code from the smartphone, and then the controller of the passenger accommodation area requests the stored content of the central database assigned to this identification code.

[0037] In a fourth step 400, the controller calls up the corresponding dataset regarding the selections made, and in step 500, the corresponding control commands are stored in the storage device of the control unit of each passenger accommodation area. In step 600, the control commands are executed.

[0038] The execution of control instructions in process 600 can be started immediately after processes 300 to 500 and before the start of travel, particularly at the station of an amusement vehicle. For example, the first control instruction can be executed immediately when the assignment between the selection made in the first process 100 and each passenger accommodation unit is made and the corresponding one or more data sets regarding the selection made are loaded. After the passenger is identified and / or has taken a seat in the passenger accommodation unit, the control instruction can be executed immediately, particularly in the stopped state of the vehicle before the start of travel. In that case, it is preferable that the vehicle is at the station of the amusement vehicle.

[0039] In the simplest case, the passenger accommodation unit can be connected to the vehicle via a rotary joint. The rotary joint can have a clutch that can be operated by the control unit using an adjustment unit and / or can have a bolt that can lock the rotary joint that can be operated by the control unit using an adjustment unit. Thus, the passenger accommodation unit can be fixed or can rotate freely, whereby the passenger accommodation unit can preferably perform a free rotational movement during travel in the vehicle.

[0040] The adjustment unit can be, for example, an actuator, a drive device, and / or a brake. Furthermore, the adjustment unit can be set to change the position and / or orientation of the passenger accommodation unit in at least one degree of freedom. For example, the orientation of the passenger accommodation unit can be adjusted to "rearward" or "forward", or the above rotational movement can be damped, braked, or on the contrary amplified by the adjustment unit, or a movement pattern can be generated.

Claims

1. An amusement vehicle comprising at least one vehicle guided along a track, wherein a plurality of passenger accommodation parts for accommodating passengers are arranged in the vehicle, and the movement, position and / or orientation of each of the passenger accommodation parts with respect to the vehicle can be changed in at least one degree of freedom by an adjustment unit of each of the passenger accommodation parts, and a controller capable of controlling the adjustment unit is provided. In the amusement vehicle, the controller communicates with a storage device in signal communication, and in the storage device, the movement, position and / or orientation to be executed before or during the running of each of the passenger accommodation parts are stored indirectly or directly as storage contents, and the controller is configured to sequentially cause each of the passenger accommodation parts to take the position, orientation and / or movement at a predetermined point on the track before or during the running by individually controlling the adjustment unit of each of the passenger accommodation parts, the amusement vehicle is characterized by having means for designating the storage contents regarding the passenger accommodation part associated with the passenger. An amusement vehicle

2. Before entering the running, the passenger selects at least one movement, position, and / or orientation that the passenger accommodation part should take or perform with respect to the vehicle before or during the running of the passenger in the amusement vehicle, the selection and the identification of the passenger accommodation part in which the passenger rides are transmitted to the amusement vehicle, A method of operating the amusement vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the selection or a control command corresponding to the selection is stored in the storage device of the control unit of the passenger accommodation part before the start of running or at least at the start of running.

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