This disclosure relates to a ride vehicle for use in an amusement attraction. The ride vehicle mounts a passenger supporting structure upon a motion base, so that the passenger supporting structure may be articulated about one or more axes as the vehicle moves. Thus, this "simulator ride" carries passengers through three-dimensional scenery and articulates the passenger supporting structure in synchronism with motions of the ride vehicle, the motions of moving show sets, which are external to the vehicle, sound, projection and other effects. The ride vehicle is programmably-controlled by a redundant, two computer control system aboard each vehicle, which controls motions of the ride vehicle in synchronism with actions of the motion base and other special effects in accordance with a selected one of a plurality of ride programs. The external body of the vehicle and the plurality of ride programs, which are created using a special programming console and an offline editor, may thus be quickly adapted and reprogrammed to provide an infinite variability in ride experience, for nearly any desired environment. Thus, a plurality of ride vehicles may be governed by a computerized central controller that utilizes radio frequency communication to orchestrate the progress of each vehicle and report digitally transmitted status and fault conditions to a human operator of the attraction.
A control system for a motion simulator and the associated method of operating the motion simulator. The control system contains a memory. Within the memory is a plurality of pre-programmed maneuvers that are capable of being simulated by the motion simulator. An interface is provided that enables a person to select some of the pre-programmed maneuvers from the memory in a desired sequence, prior to that person entering the motion simulator. Once a certain sequence of maneuvers is selected, the motion simulator simulates those maneuvers in the chosen sequence. This enables each rider of the motion simulator to design his/her own simulation each time that person uses the motion simulator. The control system also enables a rider to program the motion simulator at the sight of the motion simulator or at home, via a personal computer. As such, a rider can select a sequence of maneuvers and create a ride at home and carry the selected sequences to the motion simulator on disk or send the selected sequences to the motion simulator via a telecommunications link.
A control system for a motion simulator and the associated method of operating the motion simulator. The control system contains a memory. Within the memory is a plurality of pre-programmed maneuvers that are capable of being simulated by the motion simulator. An interface is provided that enables a person to select some of the pre-programmed maneuvers from the memory in a desired sequence, prior to that person entering the motion simulator. Once a certain sequence of maneuvers is selected, the motion simulator simulates those maneuvers in the chosen sequence. This enables each rider of the motion simulator to design his/her own simulation each time that person uses the motion simulator. The control system also enables a rider to program the motion simulator at the sight of the motion simulator or at home, via a personal computer. As such, a rider can select a sequence of maneuvers and create a ride at home and carry the selected sequences to the motion simulator on disk or send the selected sequences to the motion simulator via a telecommunications link.
In order to allow an amphibious traveling vehicle to safely travel along rails on the land and in the water, or underwater even off the rails, a system for transmitting information of amphibious traveling vehicle comprising a traveling vehicle-side control system (51) which controls the operating state of the traveling vehicle and is provided on the traveling vehicle for traveling under water or underwater and in the air, a host-side control system (53) which instructs the system (51) to operate the traveling vehicle and is provided separately from the traveling vehicle, and communication means (60 and 61) which transmit information between the systems (51 and 53) and are connected to these systems (51 and 53), said system being characterized in that said communication means (60 and 61) is constituted of modulators (54 and 55) which modulate received instruction information into light beams, demodulators (56 and 57) which demodulate received beams of light into the instruction information and a light beam transmitter/receiver (58 and 59), wherein the information transmission between the systems (51 and 53) can be performed with light beams.
A passenger restraint system for a vehicle having a plurality of seats, each seat having a seatbelt, a retractor from which the seatbelt is extendable, and a receiver used to latch the seatbelt. Each retractor includes a first pneumatic locking element and a second pneumatic locking element for limiting movement of the seatbelt and each receiver includes a receiver pneumatic locking element for locking the seatbelt within the receiver. A controller controls the operation of a plurality of first valves for supplying air to the first pneumatic locking element of a corresponding one of the plurality of retractors, a second valve for supplying air to each of the second pneumatic locking element of the plurality of retractors, and a plurality of third valves for supplying air to the receiver pneumatic locking element of a corresponding one of the plurality of receivers. Control decisions may be made based upon feedback received from sensors within the receiver that sense a state of the seatbelt with respect to the receiver.
A positive-feedback go/no-go control system for an electric-vehicle ride (10) at an amusement park reliably communicates motion commands, vehicle-presence signals, and vehicle-status signals in the presence of high electrical noise and does so without the addition of expensive add-on equipment. The railway electric-vehicle ride includes an outbus (16) and an inbus (18) running along a railway (14). The positive-feedback go/no-go control system comprises a wayside control board (22) that provides a bipolar pulse-width-modulated command signal (26) to the outbus. A control circuit (24) onboard the electric vehicle receives the bipolar pulse-width-modulated command signal, amplitude modulates it at different frequencies that represent the electric vehicle's intended action, and provides the processed bipolar pulse-width-modulated command signal (30, 32) to the inbus. The wayside control board receives the processed bipolar pulse-width-modulated command signal, bandpass filters the frequency components, and compares the filtered frequency components to predetermined thresholds to detect the presence and intended action of the vehicle.
