Fail-safe Projection System with Relief Projector for Amusement Parks
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Projection systems in amusement parks, such as those used in animatronic figures and attractions, are prone to failure due to harsh operating conditions, leading to downtime and a suboptimal customer experience, as they are not designed to operate continuously in demanding environments with high exposure to dirt, debris, and environmental changes.
Innovation Solution
A fail-safe projection system comprising a main projector, a relief projector, and a control system with sensors that activate the relief projector when the main projector fails or experiences reduced performance, ensuring continuous operation by projecting auxiliary content onto the same or overlapping areas of the projection surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single projector is used in harsh amusement park environments, then the device complexity is low, but the reliability deteriorates due to frequent failures from dirt, debris, and continuous operation demands
Solution Approach 1:
The projection system is divided into multiple independent projector units (main projector and relief projector) that can operate independently. Each projector is a separate module with its own light source and projection optics, allowing one to fail without affecting the other. This segmentation increases reliability while keeping individual component complexity manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
A relief projector is pre-configured and positioned in advance within the animatronic figure, ready to immediately take over if the main projector fails. The relief projector includes pre-loaded projection content and is positioned to project through the same or overlapping areas of the projection surface, enabling seamless failover without requiring complex real-time reconfiguration.
2Productivity
If projection systems operate continuously for 15-20 hours daily, then the productivity is high, but the reliability deteriorates due to component failure from strenuous schedules
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates a backup relief projector that cushions against the risk of main projector failure during continuous operation. The relief projector acts as a pre-prepared safety net, allowing the attraction to continue operating without interruption even when the main projector fails from extended use. This eliminates the need to reduce operation hours to maintain reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The dual-projector system ensures continuous projection of visual effects without interruption. When the main projector fails, the relief projector immediately activates to maintain the projection of images onto the projection surface, ensuring the attraction continues to function at full capacity without downtime for repairs or replacements.
3Manufacturing precision
If manual cleaning and repair intervention is required when projectors fail, then the manufacturing precision can be maintained, but the loss of time increases due to attraction shutdown
Solution Approach 1:
The relief projector maintains continuous projection of visual effects without interruption during main projector failure. The system automatically switches to the relief projector, which continues projecting images onto the projection surface, ensuring the attraction remains operational and customers experience no interruption in the show.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides self-service through automatic failover from the main projector to the relief projector when failure is detected. The control system automatically activates the relief projector without requiring manual intervention from technicians, enabling the attraction to service itself during projector failures and minimizing downtime.
4Object-generated harmful factors
If dust and particles accumulate on the projector lens, then the object-generated harmful factors are minimal, but the object-affected harmful factors increase causing distorted or occluded projected images
Solution Approach 1:
The relief projector serves as a backup copy of the main projector's function. When the main projector lens becomes obscured by dust or particles causing image distortion, the relief projector provides a clean, unobscured projection path that replicates the intended visual output, effectively copying the desired image quality without the accumulated contaminants.
Data Source
AI summary
The technology described herein relates generally to a projection system having a fail-safe feature for use in a presentation or display. In one example a projection system having at least one main projector projects a first image onto a main projection area of a projection surface. The projection system may further include a relief projector that when activated projects a second image onto a backup projection area of the projection surface. The projection system may be provided with a sensor capable of sensing at least one characteristic of the at least one main projector, the main projection area, or the projection surface. The projection system may include a control system in communication with the sensor, wherein the control system activates the relief projector in response to the sensor.