Ride Haptic Screen Surface for Tactile Scenery Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing amusement park rides lack the ability to provide a comprehensive tactile experience that enhances the visual and motion-based excitement, limiting the overall engagement and enjoyment of guests.
Innovation Solution
An amusement park ride system incorporating a haptic feedback system with a screen featuring surface-modifying components, controlled by a processor and memory that recreates scenery data based on the ride vehicle's location, providing tactile feedback representative of the surrounding environment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional amusement park rides use only visual and motion-based effects, then the system complexity remains low, but the guest engagement and overall experience are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines visual displays (LED screens) with haptic feedback mechanisms (surface-modifying components) into an integrated system. The haptic feedback system merges the visual display function with tactile feedback by integrating actuators that physically modify the screen surface, creating a unified multi-sensory experience system that enhances guest engagement while managing complexity through functional integration
Solution Approach 2:
The display system serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides visual information through LED screens, delivers tactile feedback through surface-modifying components, and creates immersive environmental representations. This multi-functionality allows a single system to engage guests through multiple senses, improving versatility without requiring separate independent systems for each function
2Loss of information
If haptic feedback systems add tactile information to recreate scenery, then the guest experience is enhanced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates tactile copies of visual scenery by mapping visual scene elements to corresponding haptic surface modifications. The surface-modifying components replicate the form and texture of distant scenery objects on the display surface, allowing guests to feel tactile representations of environmental features without requiring physical presence or complex mechanical replicas of actual scenery
Solution Approach 2:
The haptic feedback system acts as an intermediary between the visual display and the guest's tactile sense. Instead of directly manipulating physical scenery or requiring complex mechanical systems, the patent uses controlled modifications of the display surface as an intermediate mechanism to translate visual information into tactile feedback, simplifying the overall system architecture
3Ease of operation
If surface-modifying components are integrated into the screen, then tactile feedback is provided, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The display system is segmented into distinct functional layers: the visual display layer (LED screen) and the haptic feedback layer (surface-modifying components). This segmentation allows each layer to be manufactured and tested independently before integration, reducing overall manufacturing complexity. The surface-modifying components can be produced as separate modules that are subsequently assembled to the completed visual display
Solution Approach 2:
The surface-modifying components are designed to dynamically change the display surface properties during operation rather than requiring complex static structures. This dynamic approach allows simpler mechanical designs that can adapt their configuration in real-time, reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining ease of operation during the ride experience
Data Source
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AI summary
A haptic feedback system for use with a track of a ride path is described. The haptic feedback system comprises a memory and a surface modifying component. The memory is configured to store a three dimensional model of scenery along the track. The surface modifying component is configured to output a haptic representation of the scenery along the track based on the three dimensional model. An amusement park ride system comprising such a haptic feedback system is also described, together with methods of providing haptic feedback in such ride systems.