Interactive tower attraction systems and methods

• US 10,369,483 B1
• Filed: 01/23/2018
• Issued: 08/06/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal City Studios LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Universal City Studios LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Hall, Gregory S., McVeen, Keith Michael, Tresaugue, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kien T
• Application Number:
  US15/878,219
• Publication Number:
  US 20190224579A1
• Time in Patent Office: 560 Days
• Field of Search: 472 2, 472 59- 61, 472130-131, 463 50- 53, 434 20- 22, 434 29, 434 55
• CPC Class Codes: A63G 2031/002 Free-fall
• CPC Class Codes: A63G 31/00 Amusement arrangements hoop exercising apparatus driven by the user A63B19/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63G 31/02 with moving substructures
• CPC Class Codes: A63G 31/16 creating illusions of travel
• CPC Class Codes: A63G 33/00 Devices allowing competitions between several persons, not otherwise provided for

Abstract

A ride attraction system includes a tower track and a ride vehicle configured to accommodate one or more riders. The ride vehicle is coupled to and configured to move relative to the tower track and the ride vehicle includes one or more user input devices. The ride attraction system further includes an image system configured to display a ride environment, wherein the user input devices are configured to enable the one or more riders to interact with elements of the ride environment via the one or more user input devices. The ride attraction system further includes a controller communicatively coupled to the ride vehicle and the image system and configured to control movement of the ride vehicle relative to the tower track based on signals from the one or more user input devices.

Claims

1. A ride attraction system, comprising:

a first tower track and a second tower track;

a first ride vehicle and second ride vehicle configured to accommodate one or more riders, wherein the first ride vehicle is coupled to and configured to move relative to the first tower track and the second ride vehicle is coupled to and configured to move relative to the second tower track, and wherein the first ride vehicle comprises one or more user input devices;

an image system configured to display a ride environment, wherein the one or more user input devices are configured to enable the one or more riders to interact with elements of the displayed ride environment via the one or more user input devices; and

a controller communicatively coupled to the first ride vehicle, the second ride vehicle, and the image system, wherein the controller is configured to control movement of the first ride vehicle relative to the first tower track and the second vehicle relative to the second tower track based on signals from the one or more user input devices, and wherein, in response to the signals, the controller is configured to cause the first ride vehicle to move downward along the first tower track while the second ride vehicle moves upward along the second tower track.

2. The ride attraction system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of visualization devices configured to display the ride environment to the one or more riders.

3. The ride attraction system of claim 1, wherein the image system comprises an augmented reality (AR) system, a virtual reality (VR) system, a projection system, or a combination thereof, and wherein the elements of the displayed ride environment comprise images of characters, targets, or a combination thereof.

4. The ride attraction system of claim 3, wherein the one or more input devices of the first ride vehicle provide the signals based on interaction with the elements of the displayed ride environment, wherein the first ride vehicle earns or accumulates points based on the interaction with the displayed ride environment, and wherein the controller is configured to calculate the points earned or accumulated for the first ride vehicle and to control the movement of the second ride vehicle based on the calculated points.

5. The ride attraction system of claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to trigger the movement of the first ride vehicle when the points exceed a point threshold for the first ride vehicle or the second ride vehicle.

6. The ride attraction system of claim 3, wherein the displayed targets comprise a first subset of dedicated targets of the first ride vehicle and a second subset of dedicated targets of the second ride vehicle.

7. The ride attraction system of claim 1, wherein the one or more user input devices comprise shooting devices configured to virtually shoot at the elements of the ride environment, steering devices to dodge incoming interactions, or a combination thereof.

8. The ride attraction system of claim 1, wherein the first ride vehicle comprises a ride vehicle controller configured to receive signals from the controller and to cause movement of the first ride vehicle based on the signals received from the controller.

9. The ride attraction system of claim 1, wherein the first ride vehicle is configured to move about two or more axes relative to the tower track.

10. The ride attraction system of claim 1, wherein the first ride vehicle is configured to move in three or more degrees of freedom.

11. The ride attraction system of claim 1, wherein the first vehicle moves downward in a falling or dropping motion.

12. A ride attraction system, comprising:

a tower;

a plurality of tower tracks disposed within the tower and extending along vertical walls of the tower;

a plurality of ride vehicles, each ride vehicle of the plurality of ride vehicles coupled to a respective tower track of the plurality of tower tracks and configured to move in three or more degrees of freedom relative to the respective tower track of the plurality of tower tracks and independently of other ride vehicles of the plurality of ride vehicles;

at least one user input device associated with each ride vehicle of the plurality of ride vehicles, each user input device of the at least one user input device configured to receive user inputs and provide user input signals; and

a controller configured to receive the user input signals from each user input device of the at least one user input device and provide instructions to a ride vehicle controller of an individual ride vehicle of the plurality of ride vehicles to initiate a motion pattern of the individual ride vehicle based on the received user input signals, wherein the motion pattern of the individual ride vehicle comprises a falling movement relative to the respective tower track followed by a rising movement along the respective tower track and wherein the individual ride vehicle moves independently of other ride vehicles of the plurality of ride vehicles such that at least one of the other vehicles of the plurality of ride vehicles rises during the falling movement.

13. The ride attraction system of claim 12, comprising an image system, the image system comprising an augmented reality (AR) system, a virtual reality (VR) system, a projection system, or a combination thereof, and wherein the controller is configured to receive the user inputs signals as indicative of user interaction with the image system via the at least one user input device.

14. The ride attraction system of claim 12, wherein the controller is configured to cause the individual ride vehicle to pitch, yaw, roll or a combination thereof according to the motion pattern based on the received user input signals.

15. The ride attraction system of claim 12, wherein the controller is configured to cause the individual ride vehicle to experience the motion pattern while other ride vehicles of the plurality of ride vehicles are not experiencing the motion pattern.

16. The ride attraction system of claim 12, wherein the controller is configured to determine a point total accumulated by each ride vehicle of the plurality of ride vehicles, wherein the point total is based on the interaction between the one or more riders of each ride vehicle of the plurality of ride vehicles and the ride environment, wherein the controller is configured to initiate the motion pattern of the individual ride vehicle based on a determination that an accumulated point total of the individual ride vehicle is greater or less than a point threshold.

17. The ride attraction system of claim 16, wherein the motion pattern causes the individual ride vehicle to move upwards on the respective tower track and higher relative to other ride vehicles of the plurality of ride vehicles.

18. A method, comprising;

receiving user input signals, at a controller, from user input devices associated with respective ride vehicles of a plurality of ride vehicles;

determining, via the controller, a point total of each ride vehicle of the plurality of ride vehicles based on the received user input signals; and

triggering, via the controller, one or more motions of an individual ride vehicle of the plurality of ride vehicles independently of other ride vehicles of the plurality of ride vehicles based on the point total accumulated by each ride vehicle of the plurality of ride vehicles such that the individual ride vehicle moves downward along a tower track towards a start position while another individual ride vehicle rises upward along another tower track.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising moving the individual ride vehicle higher relative to the other ride vehicles.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein determining the point total of the individual ride vehicle is based at least in part on user input signals from user input devices not associated with the individual ride vehicle, and wherein the point total of the individual ride vehicle drops based on user input signals from the user input devices not associated with the individual ride vehicle and that are indicative of a successful targeting of the individual ride vehicle.