Multi-Mode Amusement Park Ride Vehicle with Six Degrees of Freedom
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current amusement park rides that combine roller coaster, motion simulator, and dark ride experiences often lack realism and variability due to limitations in ride vehicle technology, such as the use of shaker tables under roller coaster track segments, which provide a less immersive experience.
Innovation Solution
A versatile amusement park ride vehicle that allows riders to experience multiple ride types in a single vehicle, equipped with a car configured for six degrees of freedom, including rolling, pivoting, and rotating motions, and featuring a pod with a braking system, surround-sound speakers, and screens to enhance the ride experience, allowing seamless transitions between different ride types.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If shaker tables are used under roller coaster track segments to combine roller coaster and motion simulator sensations, then the ride can provide motion simulation capabilities, but the realism and immersion of the experience deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The ride vehicle is designed as a multi-functional platform that can operate in multiple ride types (roller coaster, motion simulator, dark ride) without requiring separate vehicles for each experience. The vehicle incorporates universal features including motion simulation capabilities, roller coaster track compatibility, and dark ride atmospheric elements, allowing a single vehicle to provide diverse ride experiences while maintaining high realism through integrated design rather than compromised combinations
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple ride types are combined in a single vehicle, then the versatility and fluidity of the ride experience improves, but the complexity of the vehicle system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges previously separate ride systems into a single integrated vehicle platform. The vehicle combines roller coaster track segments, motion simulator capabilities, and dark ride atmospheric features into one unified system. By merging these functions rather than maintaining separate vehicles, the system achieves fluid transitions between ride types while managing complexity through integrated design and shared mechanical systems
Solution Approach 2:
The vehicle employs dynamic capabilities including six degrees of freedom motion simulation, adjustable seating configurations, and variable track segment arrangements. These dynamic features allow the same vehicle to adapt its configuration and motion characteristics to match different ride types, providing versatility without requiring permanent structural changes or multiple specialized vehicles
3Reliability
If the vehicle is designed for six degrees of freedom motion, then the realism and immersion of the ride experience improves, but the complexity of the motion control system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The motion control system uses an intermediary platform (the ride vehicle itself) that mediates between the complex motion requirements and the available actuation systems. The vehicle's six degrees of freedom capability is achieved through a coordinated system of motion simulation mechanisms that work together as an integrated unit, with the vehicle structure serving as the intermediary that translates control commands into realistic motion experiences
Data Source
AI summary
An amusement park ride that combines the features of multiple park rides into one. The amusement park ride has a car, a base, and a platform. The car is configured to ride on the rails of a standard roller coaster track. The base has a track segment to receive the car from a roller coaster track and braking system to secure the car on the base. The platform has multiple hydraulic lifts that allows the car to have six degrees of freedom so as to function as a motion simulator. The platform can also move along a track or the ground to function as a dark ride. The locking magnetic brake can release the car either forwards or backwards, or dispatch the car onto one of multiple segments of track to offer a variety of combinations of alternating roller coaster, motion simulator, and dark rides.