Amusement ride vehicle with motion controlled seating

• US 6,024,647 A
• Filed: 06/24/1998
• Issued: 02/15/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Universal City Studios LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Universal Studios, Inc. (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Brose, Chad E., Bennett, Jeffrey W., Sauer, Matthew A., Maue, Dale N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kien T.
• Application Number:
  US09/103,911
• Time in Patent Office: 601 Days
• Field of Search: 472/43, 472/44, 472/57, 472/58, 472/59, 472/135, 472/136, 472/137, 104/53, 104/77, 104/78, 104/81, 104/83, 434/55, 434/29, 298/22 D, 298/22 B
• US Class Current: 472/43
• CPC Class Codes: A63G 31/16 creating illusions of travel
• CPC Class Codes: A63G 7/00 Up-and-down hill tracks; Switchbacks

Abstract

An amusement ride vehicle with motion controlled seating includes a chassis supporting a platform. Guests are transported through an amusement attraction in seating attached to the platform. Preferably, the guests ride in a chair having a hinged seat pan adapted to effect a bouncing motion or a chair adapted to effect a rocking motion. An actuator is advantageously provided to move the chair at a predetermined time. In a preferred embodiment, a triggering mechanism drops the seat pan from an inclined position to a declined position at a predetermined time, and a reset assembly returns the seat pan to the inclined position.

Claims

1. An amusement ride vehicle comprising:

a chassis;

a platform supported by the chassis;

a seat pivotably supported by the platform, the seat being pivotably moveable between an inclined and a declined position with respect to the platform;

an actuator linked to the seat; and

a triggering mechanism for triggering the actuator.

2. The amusement ride vehicle according to claim 1 wherein the actuator is a pneumatic actuator.

3. The amusement ride vehicle according to claim 1 wherein the actuator includes a first linkage arm connected to a second linkage arm.

4. The amusement ride vehicle according to claim 1 wherein the triggering mechanism is synchronized to engage the actuator to move the seat with a simultaneous sound effect.

5. An amusement ride vehicle comprising:

a chassis;

a platform supported by the chassis;

a seat pivotably supported by the platform;

an actuator attached to the seat, the seat being moveable between an inclined and a declined position with respect to the platform; and

means for energizing the actuator to move the seat at a predetermined time.

6. The amusement ride vehicle according to claim 5 wherein the actuator includes a linkage mechanism for supporting the seat in an inclined position and a bump mechanism connected to the linkage mechanism.

7. A vehicle for transporting guests through an amusement ride attraction, the vehicle comprising:

a chassis having a platform;

a chair supported by the platform, the chair having a hinged seat pan;

an active pneumatic system for raising the seat pan away from the platform and subsequently dropping the seat pan toward the platform at a predetermined time.

8. The vehicle according to claim 7, the active pneumatic system including a pneumatic actuator supporting the seat pan at one end thereof, an air system for causing compressed air to enter the pneumatic actuator, and an exhaust line connected to the pneumatic actuator.

9. The vehicle according to claim 8, wherein the air system includes a compressor, an accumulator tank connected to the compressor, a pressure regulator connected to the accumulator tank, and a solenoid valve connected to the pressure regulator and the pneumatic actuator.

10. The vehicle according to claim 9, further comprising a trigger connected to the solenoid valve and a control system connected to the trigger.

11. The vehicle according to claim 8 wherein the seat pan is hingedly connected to the platform opposite the pneumatic actuator.

12. An amusement ride comprising:

a path;

a vehicle movable along the path;

a platform on the vehicle;

an active mechanical actuator assembly supported by the platform;

a chair attached to the active mechanical actuator assembly via a pivot joint, to effect a rocking motion with respect to the platform at a predetermined time.

13. An amusement ride vehicle system comprising:

a vehicle having a platform;

a chair having a hinged seat pan supported by the platform;

a passive mechanical actuator assembly for supporting the hinged seat pan in an inclined position;

a trip mechanism for dropping the hinged seat pan to a declined position at a predetermined time;

a reset mechanism for raising the seat pan from the declined position to the inclined position; and

a cam rail for engaging the reset mechanism.

14. The amusement ride vehicle system according to claim 13, the passive mechanical actuator assembly including a bump mechanism and a linkage mechanism.

15. The amusement ride vehicle system according to claim, 14, the bump mechanism including a first bump arm and an opposing second bump arm, a stop mounted to each bump arm, and a roller rotatably connected to each bump arm.

16. The amusement ride vehicle system according to claim 15, the linkage mechanism including a first torque shaft mounted to the chair, the first torque shaft having a first cam, a second torque shaft mounted to the platform, the second torque shaft having a second cam and a third cam, and a first linkage arm connecting the first cam to the second cam.

17. The amusement ride vehicle system according to claim 15, the bump mechanism including a bump arm mounted at each end of the first torque shaft.

18. The amusement ride vehicle system according to claim 13 further comprising a second chair having a hinged seat pan, a second passive mechanical actuator assembly for supporting the seat pan of the second chair in an inclined position, and a linkage arm connecting the first passive mechanical assembly to the second passive mechanical actuator assembly.

19. The amusement ride vehicle system according to claim 18, the linkage mechanism of the second passive mechanical actuator assembly including a first torque shaft mounted to the second chair, the first torque shaft having a first cam, a second torque shaft mounted to the platform, the second torque shaft having a second cam and a third cam, and a linkage arm connecting the first cam to the second cam.

20. The amusement ride vehicle system according to claim 19, the linkage arm connecting the third cam of the second torque shaft of the first passive mechanical actuator assembly to the third cam of the second torque shaft of the second passive mechanical actuator assembly.

21. The amusement ride vehicle system according to claim 13, the trip mechanism including a trip mounting block mounted to the platform, the trip mounting block having a tappet receiving slot, a rocker arm supported by the trip mounting block, a trip lever connected to the passive mechanical actuator assembly near the rocker arm, an engagement block mounted to the platform opposite the trip mounting block, the engagement block having a tappet receiving slot, a tappet slideably engageable in the tappet receiving slot of the trip mounting block and the tappet receiving slot of the engagement block, and a cam follower having a locking wheel engageable with the tappet and the cam rail.

22. The amusement ride vehicle system according to claim 13, the reset assembly including a reset mounting block mounted to the platform, a linkage arm supported by the reset mounting block and adapted to engage the tappet, and a cam follower having a locking wheel engageable with the linkage arm and the cam rail.

23. The amusement ride vehicle system according to claim 13, the cam rail being variably raised to include a reset position, a home lock position, and a bump position.

24. An amusement ride comprising:

a vehicle adapted to move along a path;

a seat pivotably supported by the platform, the seat being pivotably moveable between an inclined and a declined position with respect to the platform;

a cam rail extending along part of the path; and

a linkage for transmitting a motion profile of the cam to the seat.

25. A method of operating an amusement ride, comprising the steps of:

moving a ride vehicle along a path;

vertically displacing a seat in the vehicle relative to a platform of the ride vehicle at a predetermined time or at a predetermined location along the path, by pivoting one end of the seat; and

resetting the seat to its original position.

26. A ride vehicle with motion controlled seating comprising:

a platform;

an active mechanical actuator assembly supported by the platform,the active mechanical actuator assembly including a motor mounted to the platform, a first drive engageable by the motor, a crankshaft rotatable by the first drive, a first linkage arm connected to the crankshaft, a second drive engageable by the first drive, and a second linkage arm rotatably driven by the second drive; and

a chair mounted to the active mechanical assembly and adapted to effect a rocking motion with respect to the platform at predetermined time.

27. The ride vehicle according to claim 26, the chair having a front and a rear, the crankshaft supporting the front of the chair and the second linkage arm supporting the rear of the chair.

28. The ride vehicle according to claim 26, the crankshaft being offset from the first linkage arm.