Guide-Engaged Maintenance Vehicle for Attraction Path Upkeep
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing maintenance techniques for amusement park attraction systems are inefficient and often require suspension of entertainment operations, involving multiple users and time-consuming manual processes that fail to adequately maintain the path for sustained periods.
Innovation Solution
A maintenance vehicle equipped with various components to prepare, apply, and treat materials on the path, utilizing existing guides for navigation, and a control system to monitor and control movement, enabling efficient maintenance without additional steering systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual maintenance techniques are used, then maintenance can be performed on the path, but entertainment operations must be suspended and multiple users are required
Solution Approach 1:
The maintenance vehicle is autonomously navigable along the pathway system using existing guides, eliminating the need for manual operation by multiple users. The vehicle independently performs maintenance functions such as material application and path treatment while moving along the attraction system's existing infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The maintenance vehicle integrates multiple maintenance functions including material storage, material application, and path treatment capabilities into a single autonomous unit. This multi-functional design allows one vehicle to perform various maintenance tasks that previously required multiple manual operations.
2Reliability
If manual maintenance processes are used, then path maintenance can be achieved, but the process is time-consuming and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical maintenance operations with an autonomously navigable vehicle equipped with automated material application and treatment mechanisms. The vehicle uses sensors and control systems to navigate along the pathway and apply maintenance materials with consistent quality without manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The maintenance vehicle operates continuously along the pathway system, applying materials and treating the path surface without interruption. The autonomous navigation and continuous movement enable sustained maintenance operations that improve path quality while increasing maintenance speed compared to intermittent manual processes.
3Device complexity
If existing guides are used for navigation, then additional steering systems are eliminated, but the maintenance vehicle must precisely follow the path
Solution Approach 1:
The existing guides in the pathway system serve as intermediaries for navigation, eliminating the need for complex independent steering systems. The maintenance vehicle uses these guides to define its path, transferring the navigation function to the existing infrastructure while the vehicle focuses on maintenance operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The maintenance vehicle incorporates sensors to monitor its position relative to the pathway and receives feedback on its location. This feedback mechanism enables the vehicle to make minor adjustments to maintain precise alignment with the path while following the existing guides, ensuring accurate material application.
Data Source
AI summary
A maintenance vehicle for an attraction system includes a maintenance component configured to output a material onto a path of a pathway system of the attraction system, a guide engager configured to capture a projection of the pathway system, the projection being separate from the path, and a set of wheels configured to move the maintenance vehicle along the pathway system while the guide engager maintains capture of the projection to move the maintenance component along the path.