Amusement ride vehicle

• US 6,095,926 A
• Filed: 05/01/1998
• Issued: 08/01/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Universal City Studios LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Universal Studios, Inc. (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Goddard, Gary, Hettema, Philip D., Mason, William D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kien T.
• Application Number:
  US09/070,950
• Time in Patent Office: 823 Days
• Field of Search: 472/59, 472/60, 472/61, 472/130, 472/43, 434/55, 104/53, 104/83, 104/85, 104/154
• US Class Current: 472/59
• 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 includes a vehicle chassis that rolls on caster wheels. Pinch drive wheels, driven by on-board electric motors, engage a guide rail and propel the vehicle along a rack. A motion base is positioned on top of the vehicle chassis. A yaw ring is rotatably supported on the motion base. A passenger cabin is mounted on to the yaw ring. A slip ring assembly extends from the vehicle chassis to the passenger cabin, to provide electrical power and audio signals to the passenger cabin. A yaw drive motor turns the yaw ring, allowing the passenger cabin to spin on the motion base, and to provide continuous yaw movement. The motion base provides pitch and roll movements, as well as heave, slip and surge movements.

Claims

1. An amusement ride vehicle comprising:

a vehicle chassis;

a motion base connected to the vehicle chassis;

a yaw drive system, connecting the motion base to a passenger cabin, with the cabin rotatable in excess of 360°

relative to the vehicle chassis, via the yaw drive system, without movement of the motion base;

and with the passenger cabin also movable in at least one other degree of freedom via the motion base.

2. The amusement ride vehicle of claim 1, further comprising means for controlling vehicle chassis movement, yaw rotation, motion base movement, and other ride control systems.

3. The amusement ride vehicle of claim 1 wherein six screw type actuators connect the motion base to the vehicle chassis.

4. The amusement ride vehicle of claim 1 wherein the vehicle chassis is propelled along a predefined track.

5. The amusement ride vehicle of claim 1 wherein projections are shown on screens located along the path of the amusement ride vehicle.

6. The amusement ride of claim 5 wherein yaw rotation and motion base movement is controlled to correspond with the projections.

7. The amusement ride vehicle of claim 1 wherein fixed or moveable scenery is located along the path of the amusement ride vehicle.

8. The amusement ride vehicle of claim 1, further including a control system, wherein movement of the passenger cabin is triggered by the control system in response to the position of the passenger cabin relative to scenery and projection screens along a path of the amusement ride vehicle.

9. The amusement ride vehicle of claim 8 wherein movement of the passenger cabin is controlled by the control system to correlate with fixed and movable scenery located along a path of the vehicle.

10. The amusement ride vehicle of claim 1 wherein the yaw drive system provides the passenger cabin with variable speed clockwise or counter-clockwise rotation.

11. The amusement ride vehicle of claim 1 wherein the yaw drive system rotates the passenger cabin in excess of 360°

clockwise or counter-clockwise rotation.

12. An amusement ride vehicle comprising:

a) a passenger cabin;

b) a vehicle chassis that provides the vehicle with forward and backward motion;

c) a motion base connected to the vehicle chassis via a plurality of actuators, the motion base having multiple degrees of freedom relative to the vehicle chassis; and

d) a yaw drive system, connected to the motion base and the passenger cabin, the yaw drive system providing the passenger cabin with clockwise or counter-clockwise yaw rotation, the yaw drive system including a rotatable yaw ring attached to the passenger cabin, wherein the passenger cabin is rotatable through 360°

of yaw rotation without corresponding rotation of the vehicle motion base.

13. An amusement ride vehicle, comprising:

a) a vehicle chassis;

b) a motion base supported on the chassis;

c) a ring gear rotatably attached to the motion base;

d) a passenger cabin attached to the ring gear;

e) a yaw drive motor; and

f) a pinion gear on the yaw drive motor, wherein the pinion gear meshes with the ring gear for turning the passenger cabin relative to the motion base.

14. The amusement ride vehicle of claim 13 wherein the motion base further comprises actuators for moving the passenger cabin in at least one of pitch, roll, heave, surge and slip movements.

15. The amusement ride vehicle of claim 13 wherein the passenger cabin can rotate 360°

in clockwise or counter-clockwise direction.

16. The amusement ride attraction of claim 15 further comprising an electronic control system linked to the actuators and to the yaw drive motor, for controlling and coordinating movement of the passenger cabin.

17. An amusement ride vehicle, comprising:

a) a vehicle chassis;

b) a motion base supported on the chassis;

c) a yaw ring rotatably attached to the motion base;

d) a passenger cabin attached to the yaw ring;

e) a slip ring assembly having a first end fixed to the motion base and a second end fixed to the passenger cabin, wherein the first end if the slip ring assembly is rotatably attached to the second end; and

f) a yaw drive motor linked to the yaw ring for turning the passenger cabin on the motion base.

18. The amusement ride vehicle of claim 17 wherein the yaw ring comprises a ring gear.

19. A amusement ride comprising:

a vehicle path;

a plurality of projection screens adjacent to the vehicle path;

a vehicle movable along the vehicle path, the vehicle including;

a vehicle chassis;

a motion base connected to the vehicle chassis;

a yaw drive system connecting the motion base to a passenger cabin, with the passenger cabin rotatable in excess of 360°

relative to the vehicle chassis, via the yaw drive system, without movement of the motion base, and with the passenger cabin also movable in at least one other degree of freedom via the motion base.

20. The amusement ride of claim 19 further comprising means for projecting a 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional image on at least one of the plurality of projection screens.

21. The amusement ride of claim 19 further comprising fixed or movable scenery located along the vehicle path.

22. The amusement ride of claim 21 further comprising a controller linked to at least one of the motion base and yaw drive system, for moving the passenger cabin, based on the position of the vehicle relative to at least one of the scenery and projection screens.