Roller Coaster Control System Using Collective Reaction Time
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing interactive fairground rides, such as roller coasters, lack a mechanism to effectively promote team behavior among passengers, as individual control panels and reaction times do not adequately encourage collective action or competition.
Innovation Solution
A system where all control panels in a car are connected to an evaluation and control unit that calculates a collective reaction time and boost factor, allowing the car to start sooner or speed up based on team performance, with individual reaction times and boost factors displayed to passengers and viewers, and incorporating pre-signals to prevent premature button pressing and optical/acoustic effects to enhance engagement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If individual control panels with control buttons are provided for each passenger to influence the ride course, then passenger interactivity and individual control capability are improved, but team behavior and collective action among passengers are not effectively promoted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines individual control buttons with a team-based evaluation system. Each passenger has an individual control button, but the system evaluates the collective reaction times of all passengers in the car to determine a common boost factor that affects the entire car's performance, thereby merging individual action with team outcome
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides real-time feedback by displaying individual reaction times and the collectively determined boost factor on display units. This feedback mechanism allows passengers to see how their individual reactions contribute to the team's overall performance, promoting awareness and coordination
2Speed
If the car starts immediately after the shortest individual reaction time is detected, then the ride excitement is improved, but passengers are incentivized to press buttons prematurely before the actual start signal
Solution Approach 1:
The system generates a pre-signal before the actual start signal that activates the control buttons. This preliminary action establishes a known reference point in time, allowing the system to distinguish between premature presses (before pre-signal) and valid presses (after pre-signal), ensuring accurate reaction time measurement
Solution Approach 2:
The pre-signal mechanism acts as a preliminary anti-action against premature button pressing. By establishing an activation threshold before the actual start, the system prevents early presses from being counted as valid reactions, thereby counteracting the harmful behavior of premature activation
3Adaptability or versatility
If the collective reaction time determines the car start time and boost factor, then team collaboration is improved, but the system complexity increases due to calculating mean values and boost factors
Solution Approach 1:
The evaluation and control unit performs multiple functions: it detects individual reaction times, calculates the collective mean reaction time, determines the boost factor, controls the car start timing, and manages the display of results. This multi-functional approach consolidates complexity into a single centralized unit rather than distributing it across multiple components
4Loss of information
If individual reaction times and boost factors are displayed for all passengers, then transparency and engagement are improved, but the information processing and display requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The display system is segmented into individual display units, with each passenger having their own display unit that shows their personal reaction time and the collective boost factor. This segmentation distributes the information display task across multiple simple units rather than requiring one complex centralized display, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining full information transparency
Data Source
AI summary
For the vehicles of an interactive fairground ride, in particular a rollercoaster, control consoles are proposed which are equipped with a control button and a display unit and are assigned to each passenger. These control buttons and, if appropriate, the display units of all the control consoles, are connected by means of a transmitter, by radio or by cable, to an evaluation and control unit which detects the reaction times for all passengers and calculates a mean value, the collective reaction time, therefrom. A signal for starting the vehicle is not generated until after the expiry of the collective reaction time. In a fairground ride of this kind, the emphasis is on the interaction between all the passengers of a vehicle.