Amusement park element tracking system
First Claim
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1. A system comprising:
- a plurality of retro-reflective markers positioned within an amusement park ride system;
a ride seat of the ride system having a support against which a rider can be restrained and having a restraint that is moveable relative to the support, wherein a first retro-reflective marker of the plurality of retro-reflective markers is positioned on the support and a second retro-reflective marker of the plurality of retro-reflective markers is positioned on the restraint;
a tracking system configured to detect the one or more plurality of retro-reflective markers to track a position of the restraint relative to the support, wherein the tracking system comprises;
an emitter configured to emit light toward the one or more plurality of retro-reflective markers;
a detector configured to detect reflected light from the one or more plurality of retro-reflective markers;
a controller configured to determine the position of the restraint relative to the support and to determine a status of the rider based on detection of one or more characteristics of the reflected light, and wherein the controller is configured to provide an indication of the position status of the rider, wherein the status of the rider is a size of the rider; and
wherein the controller is configured to adjust an operational parameter of the amusement park ride system based on the position of the restraint, the status of the rider, or both.
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Abstract
A system includes one or more retro-reflective markers positioned within a ride system and a tracking system that may detect the one or more retro-reflective markers to track a position of a rider. The tracking system includes an emitter that may emit light toward the one or more retro-reflective markers, a detector that may detect reflected light from the one or more retro-reflective markers, and a controller that may determine the position of the rider relative to the one or more retro-reflective markers based on detection of the reflected light and that may provide an indication of the position of the rider.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A system comprising:
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a plurality of retro-reflective markers positioned within an amusement park ride system; a ride seat of the ride system having a support against which a rider can be restrained and having a restraint that is moveable relative to the support, wherein a first retro-reflective marker of the plurality of retro-reflective markers is positioned on the support and a second retro-reflective marker of the plurality of retro-reflective markers is positioned on the restraint; a tracking system configured to detect the one or more plurality of retro-reflective markers to track a position of the restraint relative to the support, wherein the tracking system comprises; an emitter configured to emit light toward the one or more plurality of retro-reflective markers; a detector configured to detect reflected light from the one or more plurality of retro-reflective markers; a controller configured to determine the position of the restraint relative to the support and to determine a status of the rider based on detection of one or more characteristics of the reflected light, and wherein the controller is configured to provide an indication of the position status of the rider, wherein the status of the rider is a size of the rider; and wherein the controller is configured to adjust an operational parameter of the amusement park ride system based on the position of the restraint, the status of the rider, or both. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method comprising:
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emitting electromagnetic radiation from an emitter toward a plurality of retro-reflective markers disposed in a ride system of an amusement park ride, wherein the emitter is a part of a tracking system configured to track the one or more retro-reflective markers, wherein the ride system comprises a ride seat having a support against which a rider can be restrained and having a restraint that is movable relative to the support, and wherein a first retro-reflective marker of the plurality of retro-reflective markers is positioned on the support and a second retro-reflective maker of the plurality of retro-reflective markers is positioned on the restraint; reflecting the electromagnetic radiation from the plurality of retro-reflective markers; detecting the reflected electromagnetic radiation with a detector of the tracking system; determining a position of the restraint relative to the support and a status of the rider based on one or more characteristics of the reflected electromagnetic radiation using a controller communicatively coupled to the tracking system; providing, using the controller, an indication of the status of the rider based on the one or more characteristics of the reflected electromagnetic radiation, wherein the status is a size of the rider; and adjusting an operational parameter of the amusement park ride based on the position of the restraint, the status of the rider, or both. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A system, comprising:
a controller, comprising; one or more tangible, non-transitory, machine-readable media collectively storing one or more sets of instructions; and one or more processing devices configured to execute the one or more sets of instructions to; activate an emitter, wherein the emitter emits electromagnetic radiation towards a plurality of retro-reflective markers disposed on an amusement park ride, wherein the amusement park ride comprises a ride seat having a support against which a rider can be restrained and having a restraint that is movable relative to the support, wherein a first retro-reflective marker of the plurality of retro-reflective markers is positioned on the support and a second retro-reflective marker of the plurality of retro-reflective markers is positioned on the restraint; receive detected electromagnetic radiation reflected from all or a portion of the plurality of retro-reflective markers via a detector; determine a position of the restraint relative to the support and a status of the rider positioned in the ride seat based on the detected electromagnetic radiation, wherein the status of the rider is a size of the rider; and actuate a device in response to the position of the restraint, the status of the rider, or both, wherein the device is configured to adjust an operational parameter of the amusement park ride. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
Specification