Soft Restraint with Sensory Stimulation for Ride Vehicles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing amusement park ride vehicle restraint systems fail to provide comparable sensory stimulation for passengers of varying body geometries, as they are limited in accommodating different body types and sizes, leading to inconsistent experiences.
Innovation Solution
A restraint system featuring a soft restraint made of pliable material with an integrated sensory stimulation system and inflatable bladder system, which conforms to a passenger's torso, enhancing contact and delivering a wide range of sensory effects across various body areas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a rigid restraint system is used, then the restraint provides strong security and reliability, but it cannot adapt to different body geometries and provides limited sensory stimulation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a soft restraint made of pliable material that can conform to different body geometries, replacing rigid restraint structures. This flexible material allows the restraint to adapt to various passenger shapes and sizes while maintaining security through the integration of inflatable bladders that provide targeted support and sensory feedback.
Solution Approach 2:
The restraint system changes its physical parameters by inflating and deflating bladders within the soft material. This allows dynamic adjustment of the restraint's firmness, contact area, and sensory stimulation intensity, enabling it to adapt to different body types while maintaining reliable security through controlled inflation pressure.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a soft restraint with pliable material is used, then the restraint conforms to different body types and enhances sensory stimulation, but it may reduce the overall restraint strength
Solution Approach 1:
The restraint system combines soft pliable material with inflatable bladder structures to create a composite restraint. The soft material provides conformity and comfort, while the inflatable bladders provide structural support and strength, achieving both adaptability to different body types and sufficient restraint strength through material composition rather than rigid structures.
3Area of stationary object
If an inflatable bladder system is integrated, then contact between the restraint and torso is increased for better sensory stimulation, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the inflatable bladder system directly into the soft restraint material, combining the restraint function with the sensory stimulation function in a single integrated structure. This eliminates the need for separate restraint and stimulation systems, reducing overall device complexity while maximizing contact area between the restraint and passenger torso.
4Adaptability or versatility
If sensory stimulation system is integrated with the restraint, then sensory effects are enhanced across various body areas, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The restraint system is designed as a multi-functional component that simultaneously provides mechanical restraint and sensory stimulation. By integrating sensors, actuators, and stimulation mechanisms into the same structure that provides physical restraint, the system achieves multiple functions without requiring separate manufacturing processes for each function, thereby improving ease of manufacture while enhancing sensory capabilities.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system provides adaptable and adjustable restraints that closely fit different body types, significantly enhancing sensory stimulation by increasing contact between the sensory system and the passenger, allowing for varied and intense sensory experiences across a range of body areas.
Implementation Method 1
an inflatable bladder system integrated with the soft restraint, which is configured to inflate with a gas to increase contact between the soft restraint and the torso of the passenger
Implementation Method 2
The soft restraint includes a pliable material configured to conform to a substantial portion of a torso of the passenger
Data Source
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AI summary
A restraint system for a ride vehicle includes a soft restraint configured to extend across a passenger to secure the passenger within a seat of the ride vehicle. The soft restraint includes a pliable material configured to conform to a substantial portion of a torso of the passenger, and a sensory stimulation system integrated with the soft restraint. The sensory stimulation system is configured to generate sensory effects and impart the sensory forces to the torso of the passenger. The soft restraint also includes an inflatable bladder system integrated with the soft restraint and the inflatable bladder system is configured to inflate with a gas to increase contact between the soft restraint and the torso of the passenger.