Virtual Train Ride Control for Split-Path Synchronization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing amusement park ride control systems are inefficient, costly to maintain, and limit the freedom of movement of ride vehicles, making it difficult to synchronize their movements and maintain desired distances between them.
Innovation Solution
A ride control system that uses a central controller to synchronize the movements of separate groups of ride vehicles, or 'virtual trains,' by assigning schedules with expected positions and timestamps, allowing individual vehicles to adjust their speed and position to maintain predetermined distance ranges, enabling efficient and coordinated control of physically separate ride vehicles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional ride control systems are used to measure and calculate location and speed of each ride vehicle, then spacing between ride vehicles can be maintained, but the system becomes difficult to implement, inefficient to operate, and costly to maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the train into multiple independent ride vehicle groups (first group and second group) that can be controlled separately. Each group has its own controller that manages speed and position independently, reducing the complexity of centralized control while maintaining proper spacing between all vehicles through coordinated group management.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system dynamically adjusts the speed of each ride vehicle group based on real-time position feedback and predetermined spacing requirements. The system transitions from static fixed-speed operation to dynamic speed modulation, allowing vehicles to accelerate and decelerate smoothly while maintaining safe distances, thereby reducing control complexity.
2Stability of the object's composition
If ride vehicles are mechanically connected to maintain spacing, then desired distances are maintained, but the freedom of movement of individual vehicles is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces mechanical couplings or physical connections between ride vehicles with an electronic control system. Each vehicle group is equipped with sensors and controllers that communicate wirelessly or through the control network, enabling spacing maintenance through electronic coordination rather than mechanical constraint, thus preserving vehicle movement freedom.
Solution Approach 2:
Each ride vehicle group operates autonomously with its own controller that independently manages its speed and position based on feedback from position sensors and commands from the central control system. This self-regulating capability allows vehicles to maintain proper spacing without external mechanical constraints, enhancing movement flexibility.
3Productivity
If separate groups of ride vehicles are controlled independently, then operational efficiency is improved, but synchronization of movements between groups becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The control system continuously monitors the position and speed of each ride vehicle group using sensors and feedback devices. This real-time feedback information is transmitted to the central controller, which compares actual positions against predetermined spacing requirements and dynamically adjusts control commands to maintain synchronization between groups, ensuring reliable coordinated movement.
Solution Approach 2:
While each ride vehicle group is controlled independently for operational efficiency, the control systems are merged through a centralized control architecture that coordinates all groups. The central controller integrates information from all groups and issues synchronized control commands, combining the benefits of independent operation with reliable movement synchronization.
Data Source
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AI summary
A ride control system is described which includes a central controller configured to synchronize movements of separate groups of ride vehicles along a path, wherein the path includes a split-path portion comprising two separate paths along which the separate groups of ride vehicles may be moved, wherein each of the separate groups of ride vehicles comprises a plurality of individual ride vehicles unconnected to one another and forming a virtual train, wherein each virtual train is assigned one or more schedules comprising a plurality of expected positions along the path and a plurality of expected timestamps, and wherein each of the expected timestamps of the plurality of expected timestamps are associated with respective expected positions of the plurality of expected positions; and a plurality of vehicle controllers, wherein each vehicle controller of the plurality of vehicle controllers is communicatively coupled to a respective individual ride vehicle of the plurality of individual ride vehicles, wherein each vehicle controller is configured to control a speed of the respective individual ride vehicle along the path based at least on the one or more schedules, wherein the central controller is configured to determine a relative position for each ride vehicle within a group relative to other ride vehicles in the group and is further configured to separate two subsets of the ride vehicles of the virtual train along the path based at least on the relative position and the one or more schedules, wherein separating the two subsets of the ride vehicles comprises: sending a first subset of the ride vehicles of the virtual train along a first path of the split-path portion of the path based at least on the one or more schedules; and sending a second subset of the ride vehicles of the virtual train along a second path of the split-path portion of the path based at least on the one or more schedules; and wherein the central controller is configured to rejoin the two subsets of the ride vehicles of the virtual train along the path after separation such that the relative position of one or more ride vehicles within the virtual train is changed after the separation and rejoining.